Colorfly’s latest dongle is a giant killer in terms of technicalities but you’ll have to like a bit of brightness with them.
- Exquisitely resolving across the frequency band
- Drives most portable headphones and IEMs
- No noise to speak of
- The screen is quite useful
- High-ish power draw
- Peers have more features
- Some might prefer a warmer sound
Colorfly are no amateurs in the personal audio business. They burst into the headphone scene in 2010 with the explosively named C4 DAP which combined retro-futuristic looks with audio that surpassed most portable players at the time. Fast-forward 14 years and Colorfly still are going strong with a full suite of personal audio products.
The CDA-M2 is currently Colofly’s top-of-the-line dongle DAC. It’s available in milled aluminum and titanium bodies with the former having two color finish options – dark grey and violet. Inside the thing we have the regular dual CS43198 combo with a dedicated opamp output stage.
On paper, the Colorfly CDA-M2 looks pretty much in line with the rest of the offering around the hundred-dollar price point. Read on and we’ll try to find what sets the CDA-M2 apart from the rest!
One Minute Review Video
Design and Build
The overall appearance and feel of the CDA-M2 is more subdued than Colorfly’s masterclass in bombastic design with the C4. The build quality is good and I adore that the unit can be taken apart by removing a single bolt – yay for repairability!
In hand, the CDA-M2 feels light but solid enough not to feel flimsy. All of the ports have no play and the outputs are well-fitted to the chassis so plugging and unplugging won’t wear out the soldering on the PCB.
Controls
Interacting with the Colorfly CDA-M2 is done via three buttons on the side of the unit. The +/- rocker adjusts the volume in default conditions, and toggles option states. The pushbutton is used to activate the screen, and on long press enter and exit the menu.
The menu allows for a decent range of adjustments – display brightness, orientation and sleep time can be changed. The usual range of DAC low-pass filter options are also present and as always, I don’t feel that they change much about the fundamental sound character of the CDA-M2. The gain adjustment is convenient if one plans to use the unit with high-impedance headphones.
Under the Hood
The Colorfly CDA-M2 uses a pair of CS43198 DAC chips followed by a pair of 2001T opamps which are a bit of an enigma as I couldn’t find any info about them. In this configuration, true balanced drive is achieved because a single CS43198 can only output a pseudo-balanced analog signal.
On the PCB one also finds the central processing unit, a couple of oscillators, and the CT7601 USB input chip. Colorfly advertises that the CDA-M2 uses an “FPGA DSP”, however, I was unable to gauge what exactly is being processed.
The CDA-M2 is shipped with an 11cm USB-C to USB-C ribbon cable. Curiously enough, you have to plug the end with the arrow in the source for it to work.
Sadly, Apple users need to bring their own OTG cables because there’s no Lightning cable included.
Another thing to keep in mind when using the CDA-M2 portably is the power draw. Because there’s a screen, two DACs and a dedicated output stage, it is notably higher than more simple dongles. At around 115mA power draw from the USB port, the Colorfly dongle won’t be easy on the battery but you get very versatile driving capability.
How Does the Colorfly CDA-M2 Sound?
Let’s start with some practicalities. The CDA-M2 is very capable of handling both high and low-impedance loads. Usually easier to drive headphones and IEMs have plenty of juice at low gain and no noise even with more sensitive IEMs. The 300 ohm Sennheiser HD6XX needed bumping up to high gain, especially with more dynamic jazz and classical recordings.
In terms of overall signature, the CDA-M2 is quite analytic with a minimum leaning towards brightness. Mind you, the the brightness tendency comes from a slight emphasis on high frequencies rather than bass lightness. The low-end is quite good, depending on the music and the downstream gear.
For the price, my objections on the tone are minor because the standout here is resolution and imaging where the CDA-M2 punches above its price category. With careful system matching the brightness becomes a non-issue unless a coloration towards warmth is required.
Comparisons
Within the price range I’d consider the FiiO KA17 a worthy competitor to the Colorfly CDA-M2. It offers a similar quality sound with a different tuning more akin to the ESS house sound – a bit vivid but with less emphasis on technicalities. The FiiO can also provide more power in a 32-ohm load both on desktop and mobile mode.
Let me throw a wildcard in here – the Qudelix 5K! It’s roughly the size of the CDA-M2 and offers the same power output, battery-powered operation, and Bluetooth. It also costs less than the Colorfly unit. Not to mention that it’s a real DSP powerhouse. The Qudelix can’t touch the CDA-M2 in terms of technicalities but that’s the only hit the Colorfly lands on it.
Where to Buy
Who Should Buy This?
Detail junkies on a budget will be seventh heaven with the CDA-M2! Both the detail and imaging on offer here can only be exceeded by the very top-end dongles and battery-powered portables.
One should take care when matching the CDA-M2 to IEMs, brighter models like the already technically impressive Simgot EA1000 will be too much of a good thing.
Final Thoughts
The Colorfly CDA-M2 is one of those pieces of gear that does one thing very well. This time it’s detail and imaging. The price to pay is a slightly bright tonal response which probably contributes to the strength of this dongle.
There’s very little to complain about regarding creature comforts with the CDA-M2. There’s plenty of power for most sane loads and I couldn’t detect any noise even with very sensitive IEMs. The power draw from USB is a bit on the high side, however not out of the ordinary for a dongle with a dedicated amp stage.
If you need to peer inside a certain recording or just maybe balance out, especially warm headphones or IEMs, the CDA-M2 is an easy recommendation. As the first or sole dongle the CDA-M2 will be harder to swallow, especially with other options at the price-point.
What’s in the Box?
- Colorfly CDA-M2 dongle
- USB-C to USB-C cable
- Manual
Technical Specifications
- Form: Dongle DAC and Amp
- Frequency Response (Hz): 20 Hz – 20 KHz
- THD+N: -114dB (BAL)
- SNR:130dB
- Output impedance: 0.56Ω (SE), 0.83Ω (BAL)
- Output power: 125mW@32Ohm (SE), 250mW@32Ohm (BAL)
- Output voltage: 2Vrms (SE), 4Vrms (BAL)
- Data rates (USB): PCM – 32bit (44.1 – 384kHz), DSD256, DoP256
- Data rates (Optical & Coax): PCM – 24bit (44.1 – 192kHz coax, 96kHz optical)
- Weight (g): 27g