As the owner of the dtr1 for over 6 months, i am still happy with how clean, tone natural and transparent is the sound. And this player has a really powerful headphone out, i tried many iem and headphone with the dtr1, it can even run hungry beast like the hd600 to a satisfactory level. However, i usually only put it on low gain and run my pair of hum Dolores for daily use.
The passion and the knowledge of the designer is unparalleled as the team is willing to listen and improve the player throughout firmware update and take users feedback for future product development, which becomes rare nowadays.
The UI of the dtr1 is really simple, smooth, but nothing fancy like those new dap with Android UI.
i would say that the firmware seems quite stable and its quite snappy without much lag.
Which is a big well done considering that the player uses a custom Linux OS
However, the screen is a little small for my liking.
it would be better if they use touch screen instead and make the screen bigger.
One thing I kinda need to complain about is the lack of balance option such as 2.5 or 4.4 output, which is quite common nowadays, but i am enjoying the dtr1 more than those balance player and this product dtr1 has proven to me that balance doesn't mean superior performance.

Custom art pro330v2 review
During the rapid growth of the portable audio industry, Poland has been the new rising star in this industry, with famous brands like spiral ears, lime ears etc. custom art is one the newest competitor into the industry, but please do not be fool by this ‘new entry’ company, peter/Piotr as the man behind this has a great amount of experience before hand, as a review & D.I.Y er’s. 

 

Custom art is the new step to his ambition and dedication towards the audio world, and custom art does offer a whole selection of silicone ciem, ear tips and cable etc. There are 2 series of silicone ciem, and the first is the pro series, with the 1, 2 and 3 driver models, which are intended for both stage use and audiophile. The second is the music series, with the 1 and 2 driver models, and this line is more focus for the audiophile. Such separation reminds me of the westone um series and westone series, which gives a great range of choice for the customers.

 

What I have on hand for review is their current flagship model which is the pro330v2, the newest version of the pro330, and the solution to the damper failing issue which occurs to the previous version. I have chosen sky blue with a gradient clear canal and custom art company logo on the faceplate. The package also includes pelican box, soft case, wax removal tool and drying aid, which keeps the moisture from building up. The sky blue is clear which enables a clear look on the drivers, wiring and a clear view on how they are arrange into this master piece. The wiring shows the left side is blue and right side as red, a very user friendly design which avoids mix up when wearing them.

 

The shells are smooth with a good layer of lacquer on top which gives it a glossy look, along with a few small bubble in between, but the amount is totally acceptable. But there is a slight fitting issue on the right side, near the triangular fossa region, causing the ciem not able to sit completely in my right ear, not sitting as steady as the left side, which I believe is an easy fix for peter.

 

Despite the problem it has, the absolute comfort makes the silicone shell extra special, it is comfortable in my ears like it doesn’t exist, which surpasses acrylic in a different level. Isolation is another advantage, it’s better than the acrylic, but only a small improvement over it. During the isolation test in the metro subway, I can still hear surrounding sound and metro broadcast when I wear the ciem with small volume of music, but It is definitely less obvious then the acrylic.

 

The sound of the pro330v2 is tilted towards a warm signature, musical with high resolution, detail and laid back. Such characteristic provides a smooth and fatigue free listening experience, an atmosphere where I can listen to them for hours without feeling fatigue, which is suitable to those who listen to music for long period of time in a daily basis.

 

The bass is not neither deep nor strong, but refine and crisp, with slight warmth in addition. The bass can achieve a great depth, but it doesn't possess a very bassy sound. The decay is slower than expect, linger a bit before it dissipate. It is also very well balanced with the rest of the spectrum, and it can deliver a dynamic & quality bass when the music demands for it. Therefore it is not an earphone for those bass enthusiasts, but a fair amount which will satisfy most audiophile.  

 

The presentation of the mid is smooth, laid back and well center. The vocal and the instrument are well position with great layering, and align with the vocal sitting in the center slightly ahead of the instrument. The timbre is well positioned and natural sounding, along with great extension, which result in a very clear, clean and well balanced sound. And the sound is not fatiguing but the detail still remains, an earphone which is capable of both is not common, cause the usual case is where the sound signature has a high detail with fatiguing sound or the other way around,  peter did a great job in nailing the problem and found a happy medium between the two. Extension is not that exciting, but pleasing and sufficient with the addition on an airy sound.

 

The overall sound is coherent, where each spectrum is well connected and a very impressive imaging, it’s accurate with a good sense of direction. The pro330v2 provides a very unique experience to user, if everyone is interested in looking for a warm yet balance signature, look no further because the pro330v2 might the one for the job.

 

Peter has successful launched the custom art with the large variety of product, especially the silicone ciem, where only a handful of company provides ciem in silicone. But custom art entry models is the one making this company stands out from competitor, where they provide a high value to performance ratio silicone ciem, the pro100 and the music one.  Before the existence of custom art, the silicone ciem cost a lot higher than acrylic and one driver model are rarely in the market. And the custom art higher end models provides a tuning so unique and different to what most other brand has achieved, especially when demo units are widely available in Hong Kong, the custom art has brought me nothing but surprise.