CrinEar Protocol Max Portable DAC-Amplifier

A worthwhile purchase

My favorite part of the protocol max has to be the sound signature. It has a neutral sound signature so it pairs well with most iems. Staging and sound separation stood out to me the most. It also has great build quality with an all metal body. Power is sufficient to drive any iem or headphones. Overall for $120SGD, it is definitely worth your money. Oh and the people working at Hangout audio were really friendly as well so plus points for that!

It's my first amp/dac and whenever I use it on any mobile phone, tab or laptop it's just enhances my music way better than inbuilt device dac/amps it has soo low distortion and top-notch clarity. I am searching for its protective case but have not found any hope it lasts. it's easy to eq via browser.

Solid Enough but still would want a bit more usabilty from a portable dac

Theres a lot of callouts that most reviews miss so I'll start with those cause I use portable dacs outside: This dac gets slightly warm in use, if it's in a light jacket pocket for a bit it can get hot The usb port is not the greatest as the usb cable is slightly exposed leaving it susceptible to disconnecting while walking around which is annoying. I got this cause I was interested in trying it, I also own a queststyle m15i. I wasnt a big believer in dacs making a difference to audio for a long time til this. The Protocol max darkens the sound of your music a bit causing it to sound not as resolving. Overall its not bad and a good stopping point for dacs,the boost mode is overkill for iems and can drive headphones. But knowing what I know now I prefer a sound thats cleaner and more analytical. If you want a little character from your dac get it, if you just want make my music sound a bit better and get out of the way approach look elsewhere.