Audirect Beam 3 Plus Review

Sound Signature

Audirect tuned the Beam 3 Plus in a very safe way. The unit has a warmer sound signature and lacks some energy in the upper midrange and treble regions. The Beam 3 Plus feels dynamic, engaging, and fun. If you listen to a lot of hip-hop, electronic, or other bass-dominant genres, you’ll like the emphasis on bass. It is safe to say that the device offers a fatigue-free experience, however, if you are looking for the last bit of clarity and transparency on the go, there are better alternatives out there. Note that I am testing the device using the 4.4mm HPO with the Vision Ears VE7 paired with Effect Audio’s Cleopatra. Let’s get to the details.

Wired Sound Performance

The Audirect Beam 3 Plus has a big, punchy, and rounded bass response. It gives the signature a nice, warm boost and enhances the perceived “dynamism”. It also contributes to the depth factor. Listening to bass-dominant tracks are quite fun with the Beam 3 Plus. One thing I like here is that the bass does not overshadow the midrange, so you get a clean midbass presentation and a smooth transition into the midrange. The device’s tonality is on the thicker side, making many instruments sound slightly thicker than natural. To my ears, the midrange is good but I did look for more transparency, especially in the upper mids. The overall resolution and technical capability take a hit because of the limited air and energy. The vocals on the other hand sound musical, intimate, and engaging. It is very enjoyable to listen to artists that combine female vocals with EDM synths such as Monolink.

The Beam 3 Plus sounds like a delight when it comes to genres like deep house, chillout, grime, etc. Moving on to the treble, the resolution is good. The treble offers a good amount of clarity. The extension, on the other hand, is somewhat limited. It does not reach the top octave as well as its rivals. Don’t get me wrong, it does not have a claustrophobic presentation but I feel like the treble and the upper midrange is the bottleneck here. If you combine the Beam 3 Plus with an earphone that features a brighter signature, like the Hiby Crystal 6 for example, the unit levels up nicely and you get a very balanced, fairly airy presentation out of the two. So yeah, synergy is key, if you are after complete tonal balance. If you are just after that non-fatiguing experience, the Beam 3 Plus can make you very happy.

Wireless Sound Performance

We have tested great wireless devices this year and companies keep designing and manufacturing even greater ones. The Beam 3 Plus has one of the best Bluetooth chips on the market, the CSR8675. It is a well-known and used chip that is critically acclaimed by many enthusiasts and engineers. So how does the Beam 3 Plus perform, wireless?

Well, I tested the device under best possible setting. I forced my phone to stream LDAC at 990kbps and I used 4.4mm BAL HPO instead of the SE HPO. The Beam 3 Plus in wireless mode lacks the definition and the resolution of the USB mode. The difference between the modes is not day and night, but it is definitely noticeable. Of course, there will be a difference between wireless and wired modes like all the devices we’ve tested, but our concern is how big the difference is. Unfortunately with the Beam 3 Plus this difference is larger than what we saw with the BTR5 and the UP5. If you are going to buy this device to use it as a USB DAC AMP, this will not be a huge deal for you, but I can’t recommend it if you plan to use the wireless mode intensively. Apart from that, I’m not sure if this is a bug or a design flaw, but I would have really liked to be alerted by a notification tone or something before the battery dies with a loud pop so I wouldn’t have to worry about whether that loud noise would have damaged my ears or my headphones.

Technical Capability

The Beam 3 Plus has a good sense of dynamism and it has a fairly good PRaT. It is not the fastest or most capable unit out there but does not feel particularly lacking either. Having a polite signature, masks some of the micro detail in the track, affecting the overall transparency of the presentation, thus hurting the definitive technical capability of the unit. Apart from details, the unit has a mediocre stage width and depth with an adequate amount of air. It does not feel compressed, however, it does not feel spacious either. The imaging and the instrument separation are adequate as well. If you want the squeeze the last bit of technical performance out of the device, I suggest using the BAL output. Switching the SE HPO hurts the imaging, PRaT, and overall transparency. You also lose half of the available power. 

Comparisons

vs. Moondrop MoonRiver 2 ($189 USD)

Let’s compare the Beam 3 Plus with one of the most popular USB DAC AMPs on the market. The MoonRiver 2 was reviewed a while ago and if you missed it, you can click here to read it. Let’s start with the build and design quality. Compared to Beam 3 Plus, MoonRiver 2 has a smaller and lighter chassis. Design-wise both of the devices look and feel nice. Both of the units come with lacking accessories but MoonRiver 2’s USB cable looks and feels much more premium. Price-wise they are in the same price bracket but MoonRiver 2 lacks the wireless capability of the Beam 3 Plus. SQ-wise, there are some differences between the units. Let’s start with the signature.

The MoonRiver 2 is more neutral and balanced throughout the spectrum. There is no clear emphasis on any region. It is more transparent and offers better resolution in comparison. Especially in the upper midrange and treble area. There is just more air and the presentation feels more spacious. Where Beam 3 Plus excels is musicality. It has a more romantic, warmer, rounder signature. It handles badly mastered recordings better than the MoonRiver 2, masking their flaws. It also offers a better, fatigue-free listening experience to those with treble sensitivity. Moving on to the technical capability, the MoonRiver 2 offers better, faster PRaT with an agile attack and decay, a more spacious and airy stage with a cleaner sense of positioning and therefore better imaging. 

vs. FiiO BTR5 ($139 USD)

FiiO’s BTR5 is a wonderful device that we awarded with HFN recommendation around 6 months ago. It was priced at $119 USD back then but FiiO decided to bump its price by $20 USD due to covid’s impact on the industry. Even with a 20 USD price increase, the BTR5 is one of the most competitively priced USB DAC/AMPs on the market. It sounds vivid, detailed, dynamic, and balanced and offers wireless connectivity along with very good battery life. Let’s start the comparison with the build quality and design. Compared to the Beam 3 Plus, the BTR5 comes with a very simple and elegant design in my opinion. The device also has a small informative screen but does not have a 4.4mm Pentaconn HPO. Instead, it has a 2.5mm BAL HPO and is capable of delivering 240mW into a 32Ω load. Compared to Beam 3 Plus, its SE output dishes out less power, and if you will be using the device via SE HPO, that should definitely be taken into the account before buying.

Apart from that, both of the devices support LDAC and various other available codecs and both of the devices have wired operating modes. Compared to Beam 3 Plus, FiiO offers more control with its mobile application support. Also, it has a richer feature set. If you are looking to buy a wireless-first dongle, BTR5 offers almost 2 times the longer battery life of Beam 3 Plus in a smaller chassis. SQ-wise, the Beam 3 Plus sounds warmer with more bass and authority with a thicker tonality. The BTR5 sounds more balanced, more spacious, and more breezy in comparison. The BTR5 does have a more energetic, more expansive upper midrange and treble regions and is more transparent.

vs. Shanling UA5 ($249 USD)

The UA5 is the flagship of Shanling’s UA series. It utilizes ESS Technology’s dual ES9038Q2M flagship mobile chips. It features a small screen, 4.4mm BAL and 3.5mm UNBAL HPOs, a smaller form & factor compared to the Beam 3 Plus. Material-wise, the UA5 feels much more premium with its anodized aluminum exterior with a matte black finish. Power-wise, the UA5 offers almost as much power as the Beam 3 Plus and the BTR5, capable of delivering 210 mW into a 32-ohm load. The Beam 3 Plus on the other hand can dish out 230mW into a 32-ohm load. Sound-wise the most distinct difference between the Beam 3 Plus and the UA5 is the delivery.

The UA5 offer more transparency, detail, and an overall cleaner presentation. The Beam 3 Plus has a less energetic upper midrange and treble region. It also offers a less spacious headroom. Technical-wise UA5 has a better stage depth and better coherency in comparison.

Last Words

Audirect has designed the Beam 3 Plus with a different tuning compared to many products on the market right now. It has a very polite, warm and musical sound signature and it offers a fatigue-free experience. The versatility of the device is quite nice too, however, considering the size of the product, I would expect a better battery life so the wireless experience would be a lot better than what it is. I think Audirect should shift its marketing focus towards more useful features instead of MQA.

The Beam 3 Plus is not a bad device but I honestly don’t think it lives up to its asking price. Current USB dongle market conditions are tough, there are lots of brilliant products available, and what Audirect Beam 3 Plus need is more competitive pricing in my opinion. 

Page 1: Audirect, Beam 3 Series, Beam 3 Plus Highlights, Packaging & Accessories, Design & Build Quality, User Experience

Page 2: Sound Signature, Wired Sound Performance, Wireless Sound Performance, Technical Capability, Comparisons, Last Words

4.4/5 - (236 votes)
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Long time Tech Enthusiast, an ambitious petrol-head, Yagiz likes his gadgets and always finds new ways into the tinkerer's world. He tries to improve anything and everything he gets his hands onto. Loves an occasional shine on the rocks.

4 Comments

  • Reply June 1, 2022

    JDarQ

    It’s good to see there’s more competition in the wireless dac/amp category, but have you used a cutelix before I would like to know your opinion on their wireless dac/amp

    • Reply June 1, 2022

      JDarQ

      Qudelix*

  • Reply June 1, 2022

    JDarM

    Nice review it’s interesting to see all of this competition in the wireless dac/amp space.
    If possible I would like to see how these compare to the Qudelix Wireless dac/amp and hear your opinions about them

    • Reply June 10, 2022

      Yagiz

      Qudelix was ok, back in 2020. The USB dongle market is too fast, new products are debuting every month. The hundred dollar mark is an important price bracket and the competition is tough. My personal bet would still be E1DA’s 9038D. However, like every hobby, this one is endless too. If you are happy with the unit you have, keep listening!

      All the best,
      Y

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