Welcoming the onset of the holiday season is a slew of new releases from fan favourite brands such as Moondrop and SMSL. Starting strong is the ALICE from Moondrop, a new TWS earphone from the company that uses the same dynamic driver as the KATO. The ALICE sports the QCC5151 BT chipset that enables AptX adaptive codec support up to 24bit/96kHz. It carries Moondrop’s famous VDSF target tuning but supports a further 10 digital tunings via the companion app. The ALICE is looking like a very unique offering in the TWS space. The ALICE just launched for $189.99 USD, you can read all about it and treat yourself to a set here.
Next, we have the SMSL D4000EX and D400ES DACs. The two models are identical in terms of exterior design but differ in terms of the DAC chip they implement. The D400EX uses AKM’s all-new triple-chip D/A conversion solution involving the AK4191 and 2x AK4499EX chips. It promises flagship performance that bests the dual AK4499 implementations seen in the past. The D400ES comes in a little cheaper and uses a single ESS ES9039MSPRO DAC chip. This means buyers have the choice of two flavours of sound built atop the company’s new SDAA architecture. You can read more into SMSL’s new DACs and find purchase links here.
