Mobile phone decoding ear amp "little tail" may be the hottest product category in today's earphone circle. Compared with the lossless portable music player DAP, the size and portability of the small tail have obvious advantages, but it is precisely because of the very small size that it can rarely have a built-in battery or a high-specification power supply system to serve the digital/analog circuit, so it is completely unable to reach the level of independent music players in terms of absolute sound experience, let alone compared with desktop headphone systems.
So is there a product with a size similar to the portable decoding ear amp, suitable for carrying, and the sound experience can reach the level of portable music players or even surpass it? The answer to this question may have been no, but today it has changed. Because, ONIX Mystic came out. As the second and first product in the Horizon series positioned in the field of portability, ONIX Mystic dares to flaunt its sound beyond lossless music players under the small body of "Big Tail", and even comparable to many desktop decoding ear amp systems? Nine paragraphs will use today's article to analyze it in depth with you.
"Crossover" in two dimensions
When the first product in the Horizon series, the Miracle Personal Audio Center, was released not long ago, ONIX talked about the concept of crossover, but Miracle's crossover is more in terms of functionality. As a desktop all-in-one product, it also supports mobile use at the control end, and also optimizes the mobile scene in terms of interface and gain on the host side.
Mystic, on the other hand, has gone a step further in the concept of crossover, making crossovers in both design ideas and functionality. First of all, in terms of design ideas, although the shape and volume of Mystic are very similar to ordinary portable decoding ear amps, but if you look inside, you will find that its design incorporates a large number of desktop decoding ear amplifiers such as Miracle considerations and ingenuity. For example, the two AK4499EX flagship DACs, inheriting Miracle's self-developed "Brighton architecture" I/V conversion circuit and OPA2211 op amp low-pass filtering, PO/LO part of the independent tuning circuit, and the complex design and support external M-POWER independent power module, etc., these are rare in portable decoding ear amps and even some independent music players within 10,000 yuan, completely a standard desktop equipment "fan".
Another dimension is on the functional side, although it is a product positioned in the field of portable playback, it can be very convenient to connect to the mobile phone through the cable, and can also be played through the Bluetooth wireless connection. However, Mystic also has a more pure music playback capability. This machine has built-in pure audio playback software and hardware with TF card as the content medium, which can be remotely controlled and played by the mobile APP. Compared with the traditional portable decoding ear amp through Bluetooth wireless connection or data cable wired connection, Mystic's pure audio playback system completely avoids the interference of the mobile phone operating system, internal digital playback and power supply environment, and achieves the purest playback effect from the source. The "benefits" of this system can also be felt from the actual listening sensation, and the stable and non-frizzy sound floor is obviously different from the common mobile phone playback effect.
At the same time, Mystic can also be connected to the external power supply to open the M-POWER independent power mode to obtain more power and higher power supply standard "desktop mode", at this time, whether it is the drive power or the actual power supply stability will be significantly enhanced, the specific parameters I will not repeat here, interested partners can go to ONIX official inquiry. When M-POWER mode is turned on, Mystic will have a dynamic performance far beyond battery mode, whether it is music in a standalone player or as a standard USB decoded ear amplifier, and the sense of background stability will be greatly improved. Of course, this experience is not actually perceived much in the driver of the earbuds, but if you choose to use this machine to drive some headsets, it will be very easy to perceive the improvement in sound performance.
The main word "big"
It is precisely because of the crossover of the two dimensions mentioned above, Mystic is quite significant in terms of actual sound performance and the portable decoding ear amp that we usually use with portable music players, the first and easiest to perceive is the obvious expansion of the sense of sound scale and the more outstanding dynamic performance.
Due to the improved sound framework, the corresponding change is better image clarity and three-dimensionality, especially during live jazz and classical music playback. The position of the band is more defined, and the sense of stage and the creation of a live atmosphere are one of Mystic's great strengths. At the same time, it should be noted that the sound floor of this machine is warm, especially the low-mid and low frequencies are slightly "sweet", so it will be quite infectious when playing back music with the theme of human voices, whether it is opera, jazz vocals, or pop music.
In addition to the sound frame and dynamic performance, another "big" of Mystic is reflected in the sound density. The selection of dual 4499 flagship DACs and powerful digital circuits makes the full-range density of this machine the absolute "leader" in similar portable machines, and the high-density improvement can create a more enjoyable subjective listening feeling. However, it should be noted that this higher density can be better presented in M-POWER mode, and it is not easy to perceive in battery mode. At the same time, even with the blessing of mains, Mystic's sound quality level and headphone driving ability are obviously different from standard "desktop machines" such as Miracle, and the cross-border driving force cannot break through the "sky limit"
Finally, let's talk about the driver and collocation of Mystic, as a music player with a warm and warm sound and deep "internal strength", its collocation is extensive and easy. I tried headphones including the QDC Anole V14, Astell & Kern AURA, HIFIMAN Svanar, and Sennheiser HD650, HD25, Beyerdynamic DT880 Black, etc., all of which have an acceptable listening feeling, even the DT880, which is relatively positive and not particularly easy to drive, can give very good dynamics and sound pressure.
So I personally feel that as long as the sound is not too thick and warm style headphones and Mystic will be relatively durable, especially the earbuds of QDC, UM, DITA, the relative sound style is very matching, more ear-catching. At the same time, if you want to drive the headset, you must have the blessing of M-POWER, otherwise in addition to some purely portable positioning headsets, the dynamics and density of most other headsets will be "lame". As long as it is not a low-sensitivity flat diaphragm headset or a low-resistance and low-sensitivity dynamic headphone, Mystic can relatively easily launch sufficient sound pressure, and the full-range dynamic and low-frequency sense and thickness can achieve the sound level that any portable device cannot give in the past. However, it should be noted that even with better driving capabilities than all similar portable devices, Mystic's drive ceiling is still quite far from the standard machine such as Miracle, do not fantasize that it can replace any standard machine.
Based on my own experience of using it for more than a month, such as HD650, DT880, and even HIFIMAN R10P closed-screen headphones, Mystic can be driven to the level of "sound and color". As long as the sound scale is not particularly large, such as pop, live jazz, and even most ACG, rock and other genres, it is very easy to listen to and endure. However, like large-scale classical music scenes, stage operas with some large scenes, etc., Mystic's ability to control the scene when driving headphones, especially the presentation of depth, will not be brilliant. This situation does not occur when Mystic drives any earbuds, whether it is the ability to reproduce the scene or the creation of the musical atmosphere, the sound of the earbuds driven by this machine is quite online.
Purchase advice, written at the end
If all you need is a standard portable music device, there are no desktop usage scenarios at all, and there is no need to drive headphones, then Mystic is by no means your "dish", lossless music player or a "little tail" is more suitable for your needs. Similarly, if you only need to listen to music in a desktop environment, and only have headphones or active speakers to match your needs, then a standard desktop product like Miracle is suitable for you.
But if you not only need to play portable music, but also hope to use it as a USB decoding ear amplifier to drive various mainstream headphones in the daily desktop environment, and even as a pre-stage to use with a pair of active speakers, then Mystic may be the only product on the market that can meet all these needs, and more importantly, its sound quality, full-range density and dynamics have surpassed the traditional "carry" concept. If you consider the price of 8K, then the sound-price ratio of this machine is undoubtedly more prominent.