Disclaimer: I would like to formally thank Ash from Dita Audio for providing us with a unit in exchange for an impartial and honest review. On behalf of the team at the Headphone List, we thank her for her generosity and trust in THL.
Summary:
The Prelude, powered by the Truth’s ultra-wideband dynamic driver, is an engineering marvel, boasting their original ‘neutral-bright’ tuning with mechanical acoustic wizardry, with soundstage width rivalling sub-$500 IEMs and imaging per excellence.
However, the Truth’s and Dream’s shrill treble and odd metallic timbre aren’t wholly eliminated, with some artificial treble glare and uncanniness in voicings.
Pros:
+ Classic ‘Dita’ build par excellence, regardless of price
+ Bright and analytical signature extricates a high level of microdetail
+ Transient response is phenomenally snappy for its price
Cons:
– Timbre suffers from thinness in voicings and brass instruments
– Lack of sub-bass results in a ‘colder’ sound
– Not as adaptive to multi-genre listening
Introduction
Dita Audio has been given many an introduction on the Headphone List. To the uninitiated:
Dita Audio is one of the founding fathers (brands) of Singapore’s now-booming audiophile scene. Witnessing every single baby step the fledgling industry took, Dita Audio walked so that Symphonium Audio and FatFreq could run.
Founded in 1971, its parent company, Packagers Pte Ltd has its roots grounded in humble origins. With 50+ years of cumulative experience in precision engineering, it’s no wonder that every Dita IEM is an aesthetic marvel, a blank canvas for their unmatched finishing and machining.
Dita’s principle is simple: single dynamic drivers. From ‘Truth’ to ‘Dream’ to ‘Dream XLS’ and ‘Perpetua’, almost every iterative release never belies that simple rule (sans the Project M). Any improvements made are structural or material, focusing on maximising driver efficiencies.
However, the model we’re exploring today is a Dita first in terms of price. Instead of the standard eye-watering prices, the Prelude is priced at a comparatively paltry $159. This is Dita Audio’s ‘Sing-Fi’ moment. Project M was considered one of their more affordable options, but the Prelude certainly takes the cake for their most budget-friendly offering.
Powered by a driver architecture modelled after their virgin flagship release, the Truth, the Prelude embodies the power of trickle-down economics, cheekily marketed as their ‘DITA’s New (e) TOTL’.
The Dita Prelude is available to purchase on Dita Audio’s website.
Technology
CNC Construction
Dita Audio’s emphasis on peerless construction is on full display. Every Prelude shell is CNC-machined from a solid billet of 6000 series aluminium in a sandwich construction with extreme tolerances for a seamless fit.
Truth Driver
The Prelude’s dynamic driver is modelled after the Dita Truth, fabricated from Polyurethane + Polyethene dual composite (PU+PE) materials. To maximise its performance, the Prelude utilises careful acoustic engineering and a potent dual-sided magnet.
ANTE DAC/Amp Dongle
The ANTE is a custom USB-C 3.5mm DAC/Amp Dongle custom-designed to complement the Prelude’s house sound, with a low power draw and 32-bit/284kHz PCM decoding for prolonged listening sessions.
Unboxing
Dita Audio’s products showcase their parent company’s packaging prowess. The Prelude, regardless of its modest retail price, lives up to its mantle.
The Prelude features a similar typeface to its older sibling, the Mecha. Instead of eye-striking lime green, the primary colour here is hotrod red against a concrete grey background.
However, with a price close to 20 times cheaper than its previous flagship IEM, the Perpetua, there’s going to be corners cut. Thankfully, the corners were barely trimmed. The quality of printing is outstandingly crisp, with a curious intersection of ‘art deco’ and ‘mech’ motifs.
Inside the box, you’ll be greeted by the following accessories:
- Dita Prelude
- ANTE DAC/Amp dongle
- Dita hard zipper case with metal carabiner
- Final Audio Type E Tips (S, M and L)
- Spring Tips (S, M and L)
The inclusions are perfect for beginner audiophiles who lack the prerequisite audiophile paraphernalia. The included hard case is solid, with the roughly finished carabiner adding a nice, industrial embellishment. Overall, this is one of the best unboxing experiences in the sub-$200 price range.
Design and Build
Dita Audio’s machining street credentials span decades. It’s no surprise that the Prelude is another blank canvas for them to spotlight their unrivalled machining prowess. Fabricated from 6000 series aluminium, every component is bead-blasted and machined to ultra-tight tolerances.
Every component is held firmly in a sandwich-like construction with no screws fastening them together in sight. This attention to detail and obsession with fine machine work is unheard of in a budget IEM. The Prelude’s distinct Grupetto faceplate is crisply laser-cut, and its silhouette is undistorted.
The preponderance of hot red elements, surrounded by a silver shroud across its circumference, gives the Prelude a distinct appearance, uniquely Dita.
I am frankly floored by its outstanding construction that surpasses many flagship IEMs multiples in price. It’s nigh impossible not to spruik its benefits when it ticks all the right boxes and then some.
Comfort and Ergonomics
The Dita Prelude is fairly large to accommodate its ‘Truth-inspired’ dynamic driver, followed by what I would presume is a pressure-relief chamber or acoustic baffling. Its spouts are of moderate length, with a sunk lip to hold silicon tips tautly in place.
I had no issue wearing the Prelude for protracted periods, with little to know discomfort. The Prelude sits snugly in my ears, but the shells do protrude out thanks to its large chamber.
There is a pinhole-sized vent next to the nozzles, but ambient noise ingress isn’t noticeable in moderately loud environments. However, it is still noticeably susceptible to roaring wind noise, which is inescapable with dynamic driver IEMs.
Cable Quality
The Prelude’s cable feels like a similar rehash of the Project M’s stock cable, sans the Cardas cores and the Awesome Plug swappable termination system.
Design-wise, the stock cable comprises a transparent, smooth sheathing contrasted by a metal Y-split with a knurled, lattice pattern in hotrod red. The termination is fixed, with an L-shaped 3.5mm unbalanced jack with ample strain relief.
The length of the cable itself is highly flexible and malleable, but there is a moderate proneness to memory. Its springiness is apparent when attempting to stow it away neatly in the provided case.
My only subjective critique is the rubberised, plastic L-shaped 3.5mm unbalanced jack. A solid aluminium capped jack would have added to its premium aesthetic and build.
While the presence of Dita Audio’s innovative Awesome Plug system is sorely missed, this is an understandable exclusion given its price tag.
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