With portability being a premium feature now more than ever that even audiophile-sound capable devices are banking on, it comes to no surprise to see a constant flow of gadgets offering the best of both worlds, portability and sound quality.
One notable portable DAC/AMP that has been going around the audiophile community is the Beam, made by Audirect, makers of the Whistle and uPod. Their recent offering, the Audirect Beam, their homebrew pinnacle product after 5 years of experience in the DAC business. Priced at $99 which you can grab off Linsoul Direct and DD Audiophile in AliExpress, the Beam “offers” a bridge to connect your daily transport notebook, smartphone and tablet into the audiophile codecs. But with these same daily transport devices improving, is the Beam really a solution or just another bridge yet to be burnt. Let’s cross this bridge and find out.
Specifications:
- Output power: -114 dB THD+N, 2 Vrms into 600 ohms; -108 dB THD+N, 49 mW into 32 ohms
- Frequency response: 20 Hz–30 kHz (-0.15 dB)
- Distortion: 0.0004%
- Signal-to-noise ratio: +125 dB SNR, + 120 dB DNR
- DAC chip: ES9118 SABRE HiFi SoC
- Amplifier chip: ES9118
- PCM support: 16–32 bit, 32–384 kHz
- DSD support: DoP64, DoP128, native DSD64/128/256
- IR: < 1 ohm
- Input port: USB-C
- Output port: ⅛ in (3.5 mm)
- Includes USB, Micro-USB and USB-C cables
Packaging and Build Quality
Coming in a white and blue schemed packaging, the Audirect Beam can then and there be seen on the transparent plastic cutout next to a “beaming” blue Beam font with the Audirect branding as well on the front which only since February of 2019 added the Hi-Res certification logo, my Beam was from the 2018 batch so the Hi-Res certification logo is absent.
Packaged along with the Audirect Beam are 3 different cable connectors (Type-C, USB and Lightning) all terminated in Type-C which were also gold-plated except for the lightning connector and a product manual. Note that there seems now to be 3 batches of the Beam, the initial batch came with cables that featured a single cable silver color tone, the 2nd batch came with a now gold, black and silver toned cable although the braid used was the same, the 3rd batch also rocked the sleeker looking cables but with the Hi-Res certification, all these batches had the same specifications for the Audirect Beam DAC/AMP itself. The cables themselves have minimal fold retaining features which made them easy to store together with your DAPs or IEMs while still retaining the U shaped fold for the usual connection it would be used when paired with your mobile devices.
The Audirect Beam itself has a metal body with minor linear futuristic curves to make the look not to boring. The left side of the Beam features the volume up and down wheel which can also be pressed down to aid music playback (pause/play/forward were the only functions that worked), the right side is bare while the topside featured Type-C connection while the bottom side featured the 3.5mm headphone out. The backside featured 4 screws along with a warranty sticker and minor product certification and codecs supported. All these ended with a semi-glossy finish offered in 4 colors (grayish black, cyan, green and the now “discontinued” orange). A single white indicator LED light is present as well to show PCM or DDS output. Linsoul provided me the grayish black which indeed seemed to be the most versatile looking from the 4. The metal body feels plastic at times and the edgy corners made it a not so good idea to be kept with your mobile phones but the 12g weight was great and with its 52x14x6mm dimensions, the Beam felt like your standard flashdrive or a cig lighter for some.
Usability and Functionality
With a flash drive/lighter-like feel, the Audirect Beam scored well with me in portability terms, it was easy to lug around as well as forget that you even brought it with you with just how it can fit virtually every decent sized pocket. The sharp edges makes it easy to identify when in those pockets and as I’ve said, made it hard to store with any mobile device that has a display which is basically present in everything now. The absence of a battery was great as it eliminated the hassle of needing to remember to charge it or the fact that it might run out when used, your paired mobile device is basically your battery indicator.
The 3 cables that came with the Audirect Beam all worked as they should. The choice to go the type-c route for all its connections made it easier on my end with most of my devices sporting the type-c connection. The type-c to type-c connection cable worked great when connected to my OnePlus 3T and also to a OnePlus 6 device, no pesky settings needed, plug and play. Using the same type-c to type-c cable when connecting to my MSI GF62 8RE laptop was smooth as well, automatic driver installation kicked in and running in just a couple of seconds. The type-c to USB 2.0 cable also gave identical results when connected to the same laptop. The type-c to lightning cable wasn’t tested since I am yet to welcome back once again any Apple device into my Windows and Android life.
With a single white LED indicator which stays lit when in use and alternates between the PCM or DSD LED depending on the file type on playback, there was no SINGLE mention to any DISTINCT or EXACT power draw the Audirect Beam consumes when in fact this is a battery-less AMP/DAC makes it weird, they were able to get the numbers for all the SNR ration, Output Power, FR and everything else so PLEASE give a power draw number next time. I can’t give you an exact battery usage it had on my OnePlus 3T but as I have observed, the Screen time dropped at around 20% my usual usage (4 hour intermittent FLAC playback). The built-in volume wheel worked great and when connected to my 3T and MSI laptop allowed for a 16-step volume adjustment although when connected to the xduoo x3ii, volume was fixed and can’t be adjusted either from the DAP or from the Beam itself. The play/pause function worked great as well and pressing it twice allows for a track skip and 3 presses allows for a previous track playback.
Sound Quality
Sporting the ESS Sabre 9118 DAC chip which integrates the AMP on its circuitry already poses the Beam to exhibit a neutral sound signature. It didn’t diverge from the predicted signature and after a month’s use with it, it indeed showcased an overall neutral sound signature.
The Audirect Beam’s ability to decode DSD format made it a great companion for my laptop when I’m out and away from the reach of my Sony CAS-1 system. The sound output the Audirect Beam that made it great was its ability to have an almost pitch black background. It gave no hisses with any of the IEM’s (BGVP DMG, DM6, Whizzer Kylin and Periodic Audio Be) I used it with.
Adding the Audirect Beam in my audio chain (OnePlus 3T and MSI GF62 8RE with Foobar2000 v1.4) gave the lower frequency more depth and impact than extension. The midrange frequency improvement was focused on the upper midrange giving the sound a fuller resolution, clarity was notable as well compared when the Beam was removed from the chain. The higher frequency changes was minimal at best with treble extension made for a more articulate sounding experience. Imaging and soundstage was where the Audirect Beam made its mark, the instrumental harmonics were far more distinct and defined with emphasis on the depth rather than the left to right panning feature. The overall sound improvement given by the Beam was a crispier and clearer signature without much audible coloration to the sound.
Conclusion
With a name like “Beam” to be chosen to carry Audirect’s current TOTL DAC/AMP to new places, it is actually on point. The Audirect Beam makes for a compelling purchase given it is feature packed on a tiny body. I would personally prefer a less edgy silhouette or maybe just maybe a silicon case to make it usable while on the pocket when paired with our mobile devices. The two things the stood out as the biggest drawbacks for the Audirect Beam was the cable material change it made as it may serve a bad taste for those that purchased the Beam before the improvement. This feedback may be relative but I’ve asked around and the new connection cables were indeed much favored. The lack of the exact power draw numbers also leaves potential battery conscious audiophiles a void only filled by an actual device audition and usage. These drawbacks were however blanketed by the Beam’s ability to provide pitch black sound background with a clearer signature to any potential audio chain it will be added to. A bridge was crossed and not burnt with the Audirect Beam.
