Periodic Audio Rhodium DAC Review - Better than Audioquest Dragonfly?

This is a review of the new Periodic Audio Rhodium portable DAC. I'll be comparing them to the Audioquest Dragonfly Black and Red DAC. The tiny Rhodium is a DAC AND an amp and retails for $50. It's capable of up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM.

https://periodicaudio.com/collections...

It's meant to replace the cheap USB dongle that came with your phone. As you probably know, those dongle sound absolutely terrible so the bar is set pretty low. But can the Rhodium beat the popular $100 Audioquest Dragonfly Black or $200 Dragonfly Red? Keep in mind these Dragonfly DACs max out at 96 kHz but it's MQA compatible. So you're technically able to get higher res output.

As far as performance, each DAC has its strength and will appeal to different people. The Red has shinier and more present treble. It's a brighter more vibrant sound. It has plenty of speed and air.

I think its strengths are in the highs. As for the Rhodium, it has more of a dreamy sound. It's warmer with truer to life timbre and tone. Bass plucks are more tangible. It's not as transparent as the Audioquest RED, but it sounds less digital and more lifelike. There's a cohesiveness to the sound while the Red outlines and makes the sound more piecewise.

For example, Billie Eillish's new single, Your Power. With the Red, the strings tickles the space with vibrance and shine. There's a lot of reach and extension. It's very expansive and dynamic sound. There's plenty of depth. Decay and resonances are very clear. But when her voice comes in, it's a little cold. You don't know immediately that it's Billie Eillish. She has a very distinct voice and tone.

On the other hand, her sultry, somewhat mellow, and warm voice is recognized immediately with the Rhodium. There's just this presence and weight to her voice that makes the listening experience more soulful. Now this is a MQA track so only the Red could leverage certain qualities. These are transparency, depth, air, body, and resolution. The Rhodium with Tidal Master files played at 96 kHz, has slightly less of these attributes...but holistically sounds more natural anyway.

Pulling up another MQA track, "I could've danced all night" by Chet Baker. Who is an astounding trumpeter. And the experience is a little different. The RED is tighter around the edges and somewhat thinner sounding. Highs are clean and snappy. There's this pristine and brilliant quality to the sound.

But on the Rhodium, while not as vivid or resolving, presents a warmer and fuller sound. Woodwinds, bass, and brass in the recording have a denser and more tonally variant sound. There's more gravity and presence. Again, instruments sound a lot more realistic with the Rhodium.

Finallly, a non-MQA track, The Scientist by Tyler Ward, Kina Grannis, and Lindsey Stirling. The Audioquest Red presents wonderful spatial clarity and detail. It just sounds like more music is happening from every direction.

The Rhodium is more grounded, more melodic, and romantic. You could hear the individual instruments and voices more clearly. The Red sound a little too bright and shiny at times but separates and layers better. Treble quality is also more accurate on the Red, but it's difficult to pick up the piano and violin at times. I describe it as a "fairtytale" sound. Very glittery and airy.

This is a stark contrast to the Rhodium. With the Rhodium, when the male and female vocals overlay and harmonize, it sounds more dense and sweet. Bass is also more satisfying when the kicks come in. Again, the tonality is much more natural with the Rhodium. But the Rhodium doesn't sound as spacious or deep.

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