Kiwi Ears Allegro Pro Review
Intro
Well hello ladies and gents, this review and feature covers the latest from the audio brand Kiwi Ears named, the Kiwi Ears Allegro Pro ($59). The Allegro Pro is actually the follow-up from the Kiwi Ears Allegro Mini. I gotta tell you all, I have been up and down seeking out a device which does away with the dangling cable of a dongle dac. There are a few brands which have come up with similar designs. For example, the Ddhifi TC44Pro or the Hidizs SD2 (SD2 Review). I’ve tried a few, and while those devices were great for what they are, I’ve yet to be truly happy with the end result. At any rate, I cannot begin to express how happy I was to see Kiwi Ears reach out requesting that I feature the Allegro Pro at Mobileaudiophile.com. I will receive the Allegro Pro in a couple days along with a couple of their latest earphones. Again, there are a few non-cable dongle dacs out there within the Audioverse, but none of those feature the power I’d like to fully express the sound of my earphones. Or, they don’t have a 4.4 balanced connection, they don’t fit super well with phone cases, or they just had plain “meh” reviews. In comes the Allegro Pro. Of course, there’s also some competitive devices in this form factor as well. So, the Allegro Pro does have some competition.
On to something
Folks I truly feel that Kiwi Ears is on to something spending their resources, time, R&D and sound engineering on creating a solid non-cable dongle dac which can provide the same output as a cable wielding dongle dac, yet without being too much of a bother stuck to the bottom of your phone, or dap, or whatever. It’s definitely a niche thing. But I also feel that it could be more than a “niche” thing and the demand for such a form factor may just grow some legs. I suppose I’ll find out in a few days. Thank you, Kiwi Ears, I’ll do my best to explain this device.
Kiwi Ears
I have always enjoyed Kiwi Ears. They are a truly respected brand within the community as their products are always top notch in their respective price points. So, it seems. I just finished my reviews for both the Kiwi Ears Airoso as well as the Kiwi Ears Aether and I gotta tell you folks… Kiwi Ears came to play! Both sets are truly wonderful at their prices. I try to speak on brands which bring a price to performance element to their releases in my reviews and this far I have only spoke glowingly of the brand Kiwi Ears. I mean, if you only put solid products to market at reasonable prices then the cream will eventually rise to the top and the market will respond. Let’s just say… they’ve responded. I’ve said amazing things about so many brands that I respect, the Aful’s, the Simgot’s, the Letshuoer’s of the world. Brands which pursue every tech advantage they can find, and they don’t let a product come to market without that product being absolutely finished, complete, and without some distinguishing feature that helps that product to stand out. There’re many more brands which take this approach. They don’t just ‘throw spaghetti at a wall to see what sticks’. No doubt about it Kiwi Ears is right up there with the best of those brands which actually care about their products and what they put their name to. I wish I could give a long and drawn-out round of applause for them all. But today, Kiwi Ears gets a warm and friendly pat on the back along with that applause. Nice work.
This’ll be a good one
I’ve reviewed and featured more than a handful of Kiwi Ears products and I have yet to turn down a review. Remember, I only review that which I truly enjoy, or that which I feel a large chunk of the audio world would enjoy (whether I like it or not). I can speak about the quality of a thing in a subjectively-objective manner even if I don’t perfectly enjoy something. This hobby isn’t centered around me after all. That said, I have yet to not enjoy any Kiwi Ears product that my hands and my ears have tested. I actually just received the Allegro Pro and folks; it is exactly as I thought it was going to be. Without question this one will get a review and without question I will take it everywhere with me getting to know it. I have to feel a sense of joy in what I write about or else it’s just time wasted for me. The Allegro Pro is certainly a device which brings some joy to my listening. It fills a gap, a need, and does so with quality sonics. With that all said, I am definitely ready to cut this intro short and get into my feature if the Allegro Pro. This’ll be a good one. So, without further ado, the Kiwi Ears Allegro Pro everyone…
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Allegro Pro Pros
-The sound value is very nice
-The build is simply great, design principle is unique, smart, functionally nice
-Ease of use is unparalleled for dongle dacs
-Great for gaming, especially the Nintendo Switch, smartphones
-Way more power than I figured it would have, for this style (171 mW)
-ES9603 Dac/Amp is a definite performer, nice to see here
-The Allegro Pro is not a battery hog
-Looks dope attached to my phone. Kiwi Ears usually has slick designs
-Neutral tonality with a brighter hue that’s very clean sounding
-Improves clarity in my earphones (for the most part)
-Midrange is a hair forward, vocals sound awesome
-Great for neutral to warm earphones
-Treble detail (details in general) are very nice
-Great for those who enjoy a high resolution listen
Allegro Pro Cons
-Lack of volume control and gain control
-Somewhat dry, especially with dryer, analytical style earphones
-Doesn’t emphasize the low-end, stays neutral, not much added warmth
-A sonic sidegrade against similarly priced dongle dacs, it’s more about usability with the Allegro Pro (doesn’t make it bad either)
-Not for fans of a warm, lush, rich or more traditionally musical sound
-Bright earphones will sound brighter, sharp
-These “cons” are some serious stretches on my part
Packaging / Accessories
Unboxing
There is never much to explain with a source review when it comes to the unboxing. This is always a few sentences long because sources rarely come with any accessories. Especially with a dongle such as the Allegro Pro. Let me explain. So the Allegro Pro showed up at my home in a very small turquoise blue box. Maybe 3″x3”. On the cover is a simple picture of the Allegro Pro along with some specs. On the back is some aimless info, some specs as well. Open the box lid and you’ll see the Allegro Pro sitting in foam cut-outs and under that is the manual…and that’s about it. No cable (obviously), no adapters, no nothing. Of course, does the Allegro Pro even need one. In fact, the Allegro Pro doesn’t need anything at all. I suppose that’s what makes this dongle dac special. It’s more like an addition to your phone. At any rate, there isn’t much to say here. I guess I could say the box design is nice. That’s something.
Specifications
–Brand: Kiwi Ears
–Model Name: Kiwi Ears Allegro Pro
–Dac/Amp Chips: Dual ESS9603 Sabre chips
–THD+N: 0.0006% (@32 ohms)
–Output Power 3.5 single ended: 68mW @32 ohms (THD+N<1%)
–Output Power 4.4 balanced: 170mW @32 ohms (THD+N<1%)
–Signal to Noise (SNR): 113db (@32 ohms, A-weighted)
–Frequency Response Range: 20hz – 40khz
–Supported Formats: PCM (up to 32bit/384khz) DSD (DSD128, DSD64)
–Indicator Lights: Blue (Game Mode) Red (Music Mode) Green (Movie Mode)
–Input Interface: USB Type-C
–Output Interfaces: 3.5 single ended & 4.4 balanced
Build / Design / Internals
Build Quality
No doubt about it, the build quality of the Kiwi Ears Allegro Pro is certainly a key feature of this dongle dac, let alone one of its strengths. So, the Allegro Pro is made entirely out of what appears to be aluminum. Without question the Allegro Pro is extremely lightweight. This is a huge thing for fans of portable audio as the weight will not degrade or put any undue pressure on the type-c port on your phone, dap, or computer. Especially mobile phones. So often we see usb-c ports failing over extended dongle dac usage and you simply don’t have that problem to the same degree with the Allegro Pro. At least not that I’ve seen thus far. The Allegro Pro is also very small. Similar to its predecessor, the Allegro Mini. You’ll also notice a design on the front of the Allegro Pro, they look like buttons, but I can assure you they aren’t. The only button resides on the bottom of the Allegro Pro. There is a small multi-function button right next to the indicator light. On the left side of the body, you’ll notice the 3.5 single ended port and on the right side you’ll find the 4.4 balanced port. On the top is the type-c connector with which you plug straight into your phone with. All things considered the Allegro Pro is a very well-built source device. Truly a nicely made dongle dac.
Design
I suppose I could’ve wrapped this section up in the build section and killed a couple birds with one stone. Oh well, it deserves a dedicated “design” section. I say that because the Allegro Pro is a gorgeous piece of portable equipment. I adore the sleek look. The all-metal design language helps it to not just for its durability, but also for its aesthetic. You’ll notice on the side there is a nice little Kiwi Ears logo protruding out of the body along with the two volume button protrusions. It’s not a bad look, I guess. It also isn’t anything to write home about, but I think the appearance of the Allegro Pro is neat. Especially attached to a smartphone. Nice job Kiwi Ears.
Internals
Now let’s go over some of the internal components. Actually, I really don’t have a lot to say because Kiwi Ears doesn’t divulge a lot of info into what the Internals are. The only thing that I can tell you is that the Kiwi Ears Allegro Pro uses dual ESS Sabre ES90603 dac/amp chips. Kiwi Ears didn’t go with a separate amplifier as the ES9063 actually has an inbuilt amp section. As with most dac chips. That’s about it folks.
Controls/Button
Just as I’ve mentioned the Kiwi Ears Allegro Pro does have one small multi-function button located at the bottom of the chassis. You’ll also notice a very small indicator light right next to it as well. These two work hand in hand. Basically, the lone button gives the user the ability to switch between modes on the Allegro Pro. You can cycle through each mode (which I’ll explain later) with every click. The indicator light will react accordingly and indicate exactly what mode you are on. Those being “Blue: Game Mode”, “Red: Music Mode”, and “Green: Movie Mode”. That’s about all the button does though it’s a nice option to have.
Features
Modes
One of the key features of the Kiwi Ears Allegro Pro happens to be the filter modes present on the device. As I just spoke on just a moment ago, the small button and indicator light at the bottom of the chassis can be used to cycle through the filter modes that the Allegro Pro comes equipped with. Again, the Allegro Pro has a “Game Mode”, a “Music Mode”, and a “Movie Mode”. I’ll be very quick with this explanation but to my ears, there isn’t some huge difference between these filters. Now, I do find the music mode is easily the best for actual music listening. I noticed that I accidentally changed the mode on the Allegro Pro and all of a sudden, my music sounded even thinner in body and a hair more edgy. Next, I wondered what the issue was until I figured it out. Also, I don’t remember which filter I was on at the time. However, the difference between the filters is negligible at best. I haven’t spent enough time gaming or watching movies to hear a real huge difference or hear the efficacy of each filter. I’d just keep it in music mode while listening to music and use your own discretion when gaming or watching videos or movies.
Output Power
Another worthy thing to speak on is the output power of the Allegro Pro. Now, as far as dongle dacs go, the power is on the lower side. However, as far as dongle dacs go with this form factor the Allegro Pro is certainly one of the most powerful. The Allegro Pro is rated for about 170 mW @32 ohms which is way more than enough for almost any iem not named Final Audio E5000. I had no trouble whatsoever with any set in my collection. Even harder to properly drive planar sets. I used the Kiwi Ears Aether (Aether Review) for quite a lot of listening with the Allegro Pro and it sounded great. Same can be said of the Hidizs MP145 (MP145 Review), Letshuoer S12 2024 Edition (S12 2024 Edition Review), Letshuoer S15 (S15 Review) as well. So planars generally had enough juice provided from the Allegro Pro to sound dynamic. Actually, whatever iem I used worked very well as far as actual output is concerned. Now, I don’t have any full-sized cans to test and so for that I am sorry. I’m assuming that the Allegro Pro will have some trouble driving many of them. Still, at the end of the day the Allegro Pro is going to be able to bring quality dynamics to your iems.
Battery Draw
One issue that usually rears its ugly head when dealing with dongle dacs is the draw in your phone’s battery. I have quite a few dongle dacs on hand and quite a few of them draw on the battery quite a bit. Especially those dongle dacs which you can bring to high gain, using the balanced output. I don’t think it’s a huge issue, but it’s an issue, nonetheless. However, one of the many bright spots of the Kiwi Ears Allegro Pro is that it really does a tremendous job at not being a battery drainer. Of course, it does borrow energy from your phone’s battery, but it is to a degree that you hardly notice. I have no stats to back that up whatsoever, I simply have the hours upon hours of usage in comparison with other dongle dacs. I would liken the battery draw to something like the Simgot Dew4x, or the EPZ TP35. Both are dongle dacs known for not draining a huge amount of power. Certainly, the Allegro Pro is in that camp.
No Cable
Now we get to the number one and a half reason that anyone is going to be attracted to the Kiwi Ears Allegro Pro. That is… form-factor. Unlike many dongle dacs…there’s no cable. Yes, for me this is a huge thing. While I deal with the cable of a normal dongle dac just fine, and I’ve never really seen it as a huge drawback. However, once you begin using a quality dongle dac that doesn’t have a cable, it really does become a nice quality to have. I actually reviewed the Hidizs SD2 and while it has no cable and sounds great, it also doesn’t have a ton of power and no 4.4 balanced port. Also, the Ddhifi TC44 Pro is another solid non-cable dongle dac that I enjoyed, but it had some issues that I’m not going to get into. Basically, there’s always a reason why I don’t review something. I should also mention that I haven’t tried all dongle dacs with this form factor. Just full disclosure.
Convenience
At any rate, the Allegro Pro brings both the convenience as well as the performance to the table. I really do think that the fact that the Allegro Pro has no cable and simply sits right at the bottom of your device is a huge selling point. It’s almost freeing in some ways. There’s something to not having to worry about the usb-c port breaking or worrying about the dangling dongle dac. I don’t need a special case, or some sort of a clip to take the weight and make it so the dongle dac isn’t a bother. It’s just cool. I hope the at Kiwi Ears goes further with this design language. I hope they further enhance its sonic capabilities, add buttons, add gain modes etc. Because they could really change the game. However, the Allegro Pro is great in its own right.
Sound Impressions
Sound Characteristics
Once again, the Kiwi Ears Allegro Pro has a neutral/bright tonal color with a slightly energetic demeanor. There’s that last little tinge of vivacious influence from the Allegro Pro. It’s tight in its transient behavior, it’s swift with an agile ability to render more complicated tracks well and with a fair amount of expressive dynamism as well. Without question the Allegro Pro is a highly resolving dongle dac for the cost. Very much in line with the EPZ TP35 in that regard. Don’t expect high levels of musicality, or warm, rich, and lush timbre. The Allegro Pro instead leans analytical and clean across the board yet does so without coming across as cold or sterile sounding. It’s pretty much uncolored and won’t add or incite any warmth of the low-end or coldness of an overly boosted treble. The Allegro Pro basically leaves all the tonal coloration to your earphones and does a good job at providing a fairly faithful representation of the attached earphones. Perhaps a hair more rambunctious than natural, or organic, but the tonality is nice.
Sonic Pairings
I suppose one of the more important tidbits of knowledge to have prior to purchasing the Allegro Pro is “What source tonalities work best with the Allegro Pro”? To answer that question, we first have to know what tonality the Allegro Pro has. What’s its flavor? In my opinion the Allegro Pro comes across as pretty much dead neutral yet with a touch of bright timbre. The Allegro Pro clearly has some elated and lustery energy. So, with that thought in mind I’d most certainly say that the Allegro Pro works best with warmer to neutral earphones. Now, I said the Allegro Pro has a touch of bright energy and so brighter sounding earphones can come across a hair too vibrant at times. However, I really don’t feel that it’s so lopsided to the bright side that the Allegro Pro influences earphones in a way that makes them harsh. Again, it’s closer to neutral than anything else. However, warmer and richer earphones will certainly shine with the Allegro Pro’s slightly brighter and dryer timbre.
Pairings cont…
I used many iems with the Allegro Pro. Too many to list here. However, there are some notable sets which may help to explain the sound to a degree. Sets like the Aful Explorer which are warm, rich, bass heavy, and musically gifted. I found this pairing very nice. You see, the Allegro Pro is not going to “change” the Explorer. It remains warm and rich. However, I notice the sound gets a hair snappier, more vibrant at the edges (to a very slight degree), a hair crisper. The Allegro Pro provides a very nice contrast tonally to sets such as that. Another set is the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite. To my ears the Orchestra Lite gained some slight edge to it. I found the Allegro Pro provided a more detailed approach to this wonderfully smooth iem. Again, it’s not going to drastically change the overarching sound. Like most source devices, the Allegro Pro just nudges the sound in a certain direction. Almost like a mildly aggressive suggestion. The Allegro Pro seems to cut the fat, so to speak. Now, with sets which are already more analytical in nature. You could say a hair brighter. Sets like the Letshuoer Mystic 8 for example. The resolve is quite great. There is a very clean transparency to the sound. Perhaps at times the sound can get a hair sharp, but a lot of that has to do with the Mystic 8 in that regard. The Aful Explorer 8 is another brighter sounding set which never seemed to force more actual glare, which is at least marginally surprising. Still, for my ears I feel the Allegro Pro really does perform admirably with anything warm, warm/neutral, and neutral
In a nutshell
The fact that we can get a device such as the Allegro Pro at $59 says so much about the industry as a whole. Basically, the hobby has come a long way. In all honesty, I put the Allegro Pro right up against the best in the price point when it comes to analytical style dongle dacs. By-and-large the Allegro Pro has a very clean-lined sound, great timbre, with a very succinct replay of my music. I do hear a slightly dry timbre, but it comes packaged in a dynamic presentation. Now, the low-end is certainly snappy with a less robust presence, but a very precise punch. Not that it doesn’t have any low-end oomph either, it’s just that the Allegro Pro isn’t going to add any undue weight. In the same breath, the Allegro Pro isn’t going to necessarily dial back the bass of any set either. Really, it simply displays exactly what it’s given. The midrange seems to have the most accentuations, but that is somewhat debatable. In my opinion, the midrange generally has great clarity, it’s neutral, and every micro dynamic shift is met with a certain promptness. It’s a very forward, lively, and energetic midrange which does so without adding copious amounts of upper-mid sharpness or glare. Just a touch of thinly layered shimmer. The treble is the same story; it’s snappy, precise, tight, and not overly exaggerated. The treble has some added bite, some crispness, some slight sparkle. I enjoy that the Allegro Pro doesn’t push the limits on treble brightness. Unless of course you have a bright sounding set of earphones. Obviously, then you may get a bit too much treble sheen for comfort.
Technically speaking
One area where the Allegro Pro seems to shine (at least a little bit) is in its ability to harbor a slightly more “technically astute” atmosphere. I find that the Allegro Pro helps my listening sessions come across a bit better resolved from some other dongle dacs within its price point which are tuned differently. Of course, we are talking about small incremental differences here. That said, the Allegro Pro is only going to help most any iem (to ‘at least’ a slight degree) come across a hair cleaner sounding. Stuff like detail retrieval, instrument separation, transient response, and just general clarity will likely be improved, especially with a warmer and more rich sounding iem. Now, I don’t feel that the soundstage makes any monumental difference. Really, it will come down to your earphones. I mean, like I said, it’s got so much more to do with the iems in your ears to influence what sound makes it to your ears. However, the Allegro Pro does have a clean and resolute sound and does promote a more detailed listen. Overall, it’s a very nice sounding product with solid technical abilities.
Is it worth the asking price?
As always, I suppose I can just answer this for myself and say that without question $59 for the Allegro Pro is very well worth the cost. I have many dongle dacs under $75 and each one has its pluses, its minuses, pros & cons, but not every dongle that I have I’ve chosen to review. In fact, the industry has boomed of late and the under $75 price point is a key price demographic. It doesn’t take much to entice the buyer with an under $75 source device. Full disclosure, I don’t feel that there is a very large difference with dongle dacs today and dongle dacs… let’s say… from three years ago. There just isn’t. I’ve spent good quality time with many of them and rarely are under $100 dongle dacs “set apart” in the sound quality department. There are a few which stand out and provide something marginally different than the rest of the pack. However, most of the time a dongle dac around this range is a cash grab. That’s not to say these brands are producing bad dongle dacs either. A lot of them are solid devices. However, there just isn’t much which sets them apart. Personally, I look for form factor in conjunction with sound quality 1st. Then I’d say features are a not-so-distant 2nd. When I look at sound quality, I simply want something which will provide my listening ears with a different flavor. Why did I just say any of that? Well, because the Allegro Pro nails two out of three.
The Why…
Because the Kiwi Ears Allegro Pro costs only $59 for one. That is a very reasonable price for a dongle dac such as this. However, for me the form factor is just awesome. I cannot express to you how much I enjoy plugging the Allegro Pro into my Fiio JM21 and just chilling, going to the market, doing house chores etc. It has so many upsides and I truly hope Kiwi Ears expounds upon this build even further. I suppose a hair more power would be welcome, but also, 170 mw on balanced is way more than enough for portable usage with iems. It would make zero difference in my listening sessions if the Allegro Pro had double that. Not even a little bit. So, I’m happy with the power output for my purposes. I could also use some volume switches, and I really would like to see a gain switch too. Lord knows I use them when I have them. With all of that said, the Kiwi Ears Allegro Pro most persuades this answer because of the actual sound quality. I love the fact that the Allegro Pro brings something a little different which also gives me more options to use for my personal experience. The sound is very peppy, it’s detailed, it’s very well resolved, and clean across the board without adding undue glare or sharpness. I hear very nice control over the spectrum, and I have been very pleased with this little device. Folks, I have zero reservations in saying the Allegro Pro is worth every penny, in my opinion.
Final thoughts on the Allegro Pro before I conclude
Just a quick little blurb before I am done. I want to stress to any potential buyers that there are most certainly some caveats that you should have before purchasing. For one, the Allegro Pro has no volume switches. I wish it did, but it doesn’t, so you’ll have to use your device for that. Also, there are no gain switches, no partner APP, and it doesn’t have any indicator light showing sample rates etc. That said, I feel that for this cost some of this should be expected. I could also say that devices like the EPZ TP20 Pro “does” have all of those things. Another caveat is the form factor itself. You have to want this type of device, no cable, and not a lot of room for the type-c plug to fit a fatter phone case. Some things to think about. Lastly, I’d consider the sound. This is not a super fun, bass enhanced, treble lifted jam fest. This is a more mature sounding device. However, if those minor “caveats” are “caveats” that you can deal with, well then, I’d say the Allegro Pro should at the least be a consideration at the under $75 price point. Truth is, I really enjoy the Allegro Pro and over the course of the time I’ve been listening to it that enjoyment has only grown. This section is really only part of this review so that I can day this; For $59 the Kiwi Ears Allegro Pro is an easy recommendation.
Conclusion
To conclude my full written review of the Kiwi Ears Allegro Pro, I 1st have to Thank the gracious people of Kiwi Ears for providing the Allegro Pro. You’ve made a solid product Kiwi Ears. Nice work! Also, I’d like to thank you for clicking the link which brought you here and thank you for sticking around and reading this review for a while. Clicks and views are our currency at Mobileaudiophile.com. For us, it’s about keeping the doors open so that we can do what we enjoy. We don’t get money or anything else. It’s harder for smaller websites to thrive in the Google Algorithm. At any rate, thank you. We hope this review and every other review at Mobileaudiophile.com helps you out with any purchasing decision.
Other Perspectives
Okay, so you’ve read my review of the Kiwi Ears Allegro Pro, now do some due-diligence and read, or watch a few more opinions about the Allegro Pro. All I can do is give you my exact thoughts. However, I may not have the same thoughts as the next guy. Where I live in the US there’s no place anywhere to test any of these products. They just don’t exist here. I have to rely on other people’s opinions. I know many of you do as well. So, before you hit the “Buy Now” button, maybe… make sure the Allegro Pro is right for you. We all have different ideas about what “good” is, and what “good” isn’t. To me, the Allegro Pro is great and a solid buy, but to the next person that may not be the case. Okay, with all of that said I think I’m finished in this one. Another great job by Kiwi Ears. So, please take good care, stay as safe as possible and always… God Bless!
