CEntrance HiFi-Skyn Review
By Dr. Sheep
Here is my review following ExpatinJapan’s
excellent impression.
History:
Most Apple iPod and iPhone users may not have heard of the CEntrance
HiFi-Skyn or the company in general, and that’s ok, as there is a first
time for anything right? Here is a
little bit of background. CEntrance, a Chicago, IL based company, was
founded in the year 2000 by Michael
Goodman, a former Shure engineer.
Armed with multiple electronic engineering related master degrees and
over 10 years of audio engineering experience, Mike’s mad genius was first
recognized by Mac Life Magazine's 2008 Editor's Choice Award with the
release of CEntrance’s first product: The MicPort Pro. In 2013, we saw the release of their first
cloud sourced (largely from Head-Fi.com)
Apple licensed DAC/AMP, the HiFi-M8 (Google Android and PC variants are also
available.) The product was highly
successful, and I personally regard it as the best Apple DAC money can buy,
until now.
Background:
The Skyn was first shown as a prototype at CES 2015,
receiving rave reviews. Mike than
launched a successful Indiegogo
campaign with multiple upgraded features like the use of AKM4490 DAC , Amp
Extreme, and variants for all current and some future iPhones and iPod
Touches. The iPhone 5/5s and iPod Touch
5th Gen version was released mid-Dec 2015 (MSRP $399), with iPhone
6/6s regular and Plus versions pending Apple’s approval as of this writing.
Device:
What makes the Skyn so special? How about native decoding of double rate DSD,
or DSD128, at 300mW power per channel with THD+N at only 0.001% for a 32 ohms
load? DSD decoding is a feature
generally reserved for much more expensive DAPs or DACs, and most required DSD
to PCS conversions before playback. Although
one can get apps to enable DSD playback in iDevices, it still suffers from
conversions and down sampling due to lack of compatible internal hardware. As DSD quickly becoming high-res audio format
of choice, the Skyn could easily become the go-to product for iPhone and iPod
users to truly join the high-res domain.
Usage:
Charge it up, plug the iPhone or iPod into the Skyn, close
the case, and then long press the power button to turn it on. That’s it.
Hitting the power button again when the Skyn is on will enable charge
mode for your iDevice, which is a great way to top off its battery on the
go. The soft touch plastic feels very
good to the hand, and the Skyn’s form factor fits very well in bags (no more
deck building with player and DAC/AMP bundled with bands.) However, there are couple of caveats. First, for iPod Touch 5th Gen.,
one needs to pad the device with the included soft pad to fill the gap, as this
version of the Skyn shares with the iPhone 5/5s, which is a little
thicker. Second, in order to enable
native DSD playback, one must install a compatible player app and set the
correct option(s). For example, the Onkyo HF
Player app supports DSD playback with down sampling by default, but to
enable native DSD128 decoding with the Skyn, one must enable the DoP option
within the settings. Third, the included
mini-USB port supports charging only (i.e., no bypass for sync), and you must
remove your iDevice from the case, or enable Wi-Fi sync, in order to sync with your
iTunes library. All minor issues
perhaps, but not as intuitive as it can be for the less informed.
Sound:
The bottom line up front: you will definitely get your money
worth with the Skyn. As an owner and
regular user of Astell&Kern DAPs
(AK120 and AK240), the Skyn sounds and performs better than the AK120 (the
AK120 only supports DSD64 with PCM conversions), and just as good, if not
better, then the AK240 with JH Audio Universal
Layla and Toxic Cable Silver Widow 25
8-wired balanced cable. Although there
is a very tiny hint of background noise compare to the AKs, my cable is VERY
sensitive and the noise does not impede on my listening experience. Combined with the Amp Extreme, the AKM4490
sounded slightly warm compared to the dual Cirrus Logic CS4398 from the
AK240. Soundstage is wide and open and a
definite improvement over the stock sound signature. Any IEM or headphone will benefit from the
extra energy of the Amp Extreme for heighten frequency response across the
range. Songs will finally be freed from
the choke hold of the original hardware limitations.
Final Thoughts:
As a portable audiophile, the CEntrance HiFi-Skyn is an
easy, and financially sensible choice.
Although not quite perfect, it does offer a very satisfying listening
experience few DAPs or DAC/AMPs can offer, let alone at this price range. The Skyn breathes new life to your existing
iPhone or iPod Touch, and offers a whole new world of possibilities. CEntrance certainly has another winner on its
hand.
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