EarMen Angel Review

Angel – layout & Usability

On the top of the unit there is the EarMen logo and a “Angel by Filip Tot” slogan. On the bottom of the unit, you next to your serial number will see a series of quality and audio labels. The unit stands firm on 4 silicon feet, though the units can and will move around on your desk when pugging cables in and/or out.

On the front of the unit, you from left to right have the 4.4mm balanced about, with the Angel name right above. Next to that you have the 3.5mm output and the LED light (see below). In the middle there is the Gain+ switch, with the direct/pre out flick switch right next to it. Fully on the right there is the volume dial, which also is the power button (Push 3 seconds)

On the back of the unit, you from right to left have the 4.4mm line out, the 3.5mm line out, the SPDIG/Coaxial input, the USB-C Data connector, and the USB-C Charging port. Everything is easily accessible and there’s just enough room for fancy aftermarket cables with special (larger) plugs.

Using the unit is easy and straight-forward, though it takes a while to remember the colour codes. The LED indicates the audio format and the sampling frequency:

White: Power On

Orange: Connected / PCM

Purple: S/PDIF

Cyan: DSD

Magenta: MQA core / MQB

Blue: MQA Studio

Green: MQA Auth

The LED also indicates:

Flashing Red: Battery is < 20 %

Flashing Blue: Battery charging

Flashing Green: Mute

Flashing Red 3 times: Thermal protection – Device will turn off.

Using the Gain+ setting is also very easy as it requites a simple push on the button. The Gain+ mode doesn’t only increase power, but it increases the dynamics. I found a lot of ear- and headphones to sound best with this mode activated. There at the same time is enough volume room to work with so your IEMs never sound to loud at the lowest volume setting.

Connecting the Angel to your source is also very easy, and I managed to hook the Angel up to my laptop, KANN MAX, Cayin N8II and xDuoo X10Tii without any issues. I used the USB-C, Coaxial and the optical input without complications.

Do note that the unit gets quite warm to the touch when it’s been working for multiple hours, but it’s not like it gets too hot either.

Sound – Intro

The EarMen Angel was used with all different inputs and a whole series of inear and headphones such as the Hifiman Arya and Susvara, the Audeze LCD-5 & MM-500, the Sennheiser HD 800 S, the Meze Audio ELITE and the DCA Stealth. IEMs used are the Unique Melody MEST and MEXT, the Vision Ears Elysium, the Lime Ears ANIMA and the Sennheiser IE 600.

The most used connections were the USB-C one and the Coaxial one. USB with my laptop as source, running ROON and Tidal. Coaxial with my xDuoo XT10tII portable turntable. The output used always was the balanced one, as I find it to be the best overall performer (see later). In 99% of cases, Gain+ was activated.

EarMen is very proud of what they have sound-wise have managed to achieve with the Angel. I first listened to it at the High-End show with the ELITE, and back then it already impressed me. I have to say that EarMen really has been killing it lately with the new series of desktop and portable gear. The CH-AMP and Colibri both won our Recommended Buy award, so we expect the Angel to sound just as impressive.

Sound – General

This is the part where the EarMen Angel really shines! All-in-all the Angel has a more neutral tuning, where it doesn’t boost any frequencies or ads body. It’s a very balanced sounding unit, with a typical reference tuning and a high level of detail retrieval, great dynamics and all that with a lovely musical delivery.

The Angel is always dead silent, and it presents superb clarity and cleanness. That together with the airy and spacious presentation, make it so that you hear lovely note extension and decay. The depth and layering are impressive here and with high-end ear- or headphones, this brings pure delight.

The EarMen Angel isn’t only a strong technical contender with a high technical level however, it also presents the music in an effortless, musical and more analogue way. You get the best of everything here and that makes it a very addictive unit to listen to.

As said, it’s a more neutral tuning, so don’t expect big boomy bass or thick mids. Everything is civilized here and it is quality over quantity in this design. No matter what you hook up to the Angel, you in balanced mode will always get a lively and engaging sound. The EarMen Angel also scores well for what L/R balance and positioning are concerned, especially with the better ear and headphones.

Angel, as said, doesn’t really add anything to the sound. It just gives you the best possible technicalities within its design, and it lets you hear your favourite headphones just as they are, without holding them back. Transparency and a high resolving capability are the keywords here.

I won’t go into more detail about this as the unit is still in testing phase, but I was listening to the DCA Stealth on a just received new full-sized desktop amp, and I went back to the $799 Angel, as it made the Stealth sound a lot better. This little amp packs a punch and I even enjoy listening to the Susvara with it. It doesn’t reach the same level as with the DCS LINA setup or the Musician Aquarius and Headonia combo, but it’s seriously good for the price.

The article continues on the third page. Simply click here or use the buttons below.

Page 1: EarMen, Angel – Intro, Price , Features, Design, Build Quality

Page 2: Angel – Layout, Usability, Sound Intro, Sound General

Page 3: Sound Balanced vs Single Ended, Digital Inputs, Pre Out, Comparison, Conclusion