DITA PRELUDE: Introductory To Dita's Sound Experience

"Prelude is a short musical section that serves as an introductory piece for the main theme or chief subject on opening act on performance such as opera, oratorio or church chorale."

This is actually my third product review from DITA AUDIO, a Singaporean-based audio company with a strong reputation and legacy that goes way back to the 70s, and they made some well-crafted premium IEMs and other audio accessories for the discerning audiophile community around the globe. And what I have here is their latest entry-level IEM, The PRELUDE and like the premium MECHA that I have reviewed before, it also has a single driver set-up.

The PRELUDE features a 10mm dynamic driver and it said that this transducer is a derivative of their old flagship single dynamic driver, The Answer that was released in 2014 that was developed by DITA AUDIO themselves with their extensive experience and knowledge on material science and acoustic engineering. And this driver has dual-magnetic, dual-cavity architecture with a composite diaphragm which is rigid, lightweight and responsive with less distortion as it is capable to deliver a precise, accurate and fast on the deep and punchy bass attack, a clear and detailed sound on instruments and vocals as it maintains an accurate and natural timbre, and then a crisp and bright treble response.

The driver was encased in a solid composite shell chassis, an aluminium alloy frame with a velvety-like texture on its surface on both the faceplate and the cavity base. There is a small vent hole at the top part on the shell that allows it to release some build-up air pressure inside of its acoustic chamber due to the constant motion of its high performance dynamic driver. The PRELUDE utilises a reliable bi-pin connector as its interlocking mechanism for its detachable cable.

When it comes to its wearability, the form of the shells itself firmly fits well into my lugholes that I don't encounter any issues like discomfort or irritation during a long listening session. The medium length of its nozzles offers a sufficient deep insertion as it seals well that I have a good passive noise isolation that was able to block some unwanted noises from the outside.

The stock cable of the PRELUDE is a braided two-strand silver-plated copper conductor with a 3.5mm termination on its end in which I think it is a decent inclusion for this IEM and it has an acceptable quality that it can take some normal wear and tear longer. The cable has a balanced build and it is also quite flexible and has a tangle resistance. The material of the cable itself will ensure a smooth dispatch of lossless audio signal for a pure sound output without encountering any distortion, interference or vibration static from frictions (microphonics).

The product packaging of the DITA AUDIO PRELUDE is well-presented and the contents inside were organised. Expected for its asking price, it has a substantial amount of inclusions that will be used accordingly on your listening session.

These are following contents and accessories inside of its packaging box:

• Pair of DITA PRELUDE IEM transducer earpieces
• Stock cable
• Canvas fabric carrying case
• DITA ANTE headphone dongle adapter
• 3x pairs of balanced bore white silicone eartips in different standard sizes (S,M,L)
• 3x pairs of wide bore white silicone eartips in different standard sizes (S,M,L)
• Paperwork (User manual & warranty card in one sheet)

The DITA ANTE is a type of dongle adapter that features a TTGK audio chip that is capable of delivering a high resolution audio quality up to 32-bit/384kHz on PCM format to guarantee a smooth conversion and decoding of music files for our listening experience. Although, like all the dongle adapters with TTGK audio chips that I have reviewed, it doesn’t support native DSD format.

In regard to its power and amplification requirement, this set is fairly sensitive that makes it easy to drive even from a source with a standard gain power output. With an optimal power delivery and volume scaling at medium level, it will provide a wider, fuller and very dynamic sound within its frequency range.

This set has a U-shaped sound signature with a balanced-warmish tonality on it. On its tuning target profile, it has more elevation on the low and high frequencies while most midrange sections are less prominent on this one.

On determining its overall sound quality, I'll use the stock wide bore through the whole testing process.

LOWS/BASS:

The bass quality of this one is fairly balanced as it has deep sub bass presence and a good density and warmth on its mid bass texture. Overall, it delivers a rumbling impactful and striking bass response with heft and authority.

• The sub bass section is able to deliver a deep reverberating response and some certain instruments like synthesisers, drum machines and bass guitars will produce some rumbling and vibrations that adds more complexity to the rhythm that we will be able to feel its physical presence.
• The mid bass texture on this one is well-bodied, punchy and warm that it gives more note definition and volume on some bass-clef instruments and low octave male vocals, while maintaining some control on it to avoid too much bass smearing across the midrange.
• On the bass-clef instruments, bass guitars sound dull and resonant, and kick bass drum have a full, dull and thudding sound on every stroke, while on male vocals, both the bass and bass-baritones have a deep resonance with dark timbre on their voices as they sound gravelly, dense and a bit boomy.

MIDRANGE:

The midrange of this one is definitely recessed on its overall frequency spectrum but due to some minimal mid bass bleeding, it adds more texture as it has a warm, a bit of relax and mellow as it also maintain some balanced with an elevated upper midrange section as it has some energy on it to add more clarity that makes some vocals and instruments to sound more clearer, open and lively.  In general, the quality of this particular region of the frequency response is warm, smooth and energetic that makes it an all-rounder to all types of vocals and instruments to sound as realistic as possible.

• The male vocals on this one are well-bodied and smooth as the baritones have a plush and velvety sound, tenors have a juicy and brassy sound, and then the countertenors have a bell-like, mild and expressive sound from their falsettos, while on the female vocals, the contraltos have a rich and smoky sound that give those deep and heaviness on their chesty voices, mezzo-sopranos have a smooth, buttery and coppery sound that gives those lacrymose and emotive feel, and then the sopranos have a creamy, shining and delicate sound whether its dramatic, soubrette or coloratura types.
• Instruments of all types sound quite natural on this one, the strings instruments like guitars seem to have a balanced tone yet with crisp and sustaining sound, violins have a vibrant and open sound, whereas on percussives, tom-toms have a warm and resonant sound, and the snares sound bright and hard with some rustling end.
• About other instruments, on the woodwinds, flutes have graceful and airy sound, and saxophones have a mild and sonorous sound, while on the brasses, trumpets, trombones and horns, in corresponding order, they sound bold, full and warm with their brassy timbre.
• The pianos seem to have a warmer sound on this one with a tinge of brightness as they have a rich, full and sweet tone on it.

HIGHS/TREBLE:

The treble response of this one is a bit brighter side of tuning with some inherent smoothness that will sound more balanced. On its brilliance section, it also has a good sparkle and a moderate airy presentation for a dynamic driver.

• There's some noticeable lift from upper mids up to the presence section that gives more clarity, detail and definition on the attack on instruments and articulation on vocal passages.
• That inherent smoothness was probably the result of the downward sloping between the presence part and brilliance sections as it tries to sound more balanced, not to sound too intense or too energetic that might produce some unwanted piercing and shrill-y sound but still retains some semblance of sparkle and a moderate airy extension.
• The cymbals have a lustrous and brilliant sound, and the hi-hats have that sizzle, warm and crisp tone on its distinctive chick-y sound.

SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING & OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

For a single dynamic driver, this one has a competent technical performance that I was able to surmise the quality of the driver along with choice of materials and intricate design on its acoustic chamber. So I give it a high mark on how I was really impressed by this set with only a few dynamic driver IEMs that I considered as exceptional in this aspect and this one belongs to those sets.

• It has a moderately roomy soundstage presentation based on my hearing perception as it has a fairly broad lateral span from left to right channel, good height reach and an immersive spatial depth from front to rear.
• The stereo imaging of this one portrays a rather stereoscopic presentation with a nuanced acoustic landscape in which we can pinpoint the exact positioning of the vocals and instruments within its sonic environment in a clear and precise manner that playing some complex track would be effortlessly rendered.
• Driver coherency is quite excellent on this one as on how it delivers a fast transient response on its bass attack, while it has clear and detailed sound on the vocals and instruments in the midrange and high frequency.
• As for its resolution capabilities, it has firm macrodynamics that have an impact and broad contrast on its volume dynamics on both chorale and instrumental passages from the quietest section up to its loudest level, while the microdynamics has relatively sharp definition on extracting fine details, grains and other subtleties from an audio track like note textures, vocal delays and instrumental reverb tails.

PEER COMPARISONS:

HIDIZS MK12 TURRIS

• One of the latest flagship IEMs from HIDIZS and it also has a single driver set-up like the PRELUDE.
• It uses one of the latest breakthroughs in dynamic driver technology as it has a diameter size of 12mm and a diaphragm made of 91% of pure magnesium, and then encased in aluminium alloy with unusual design.
• This one is packed with some quality accessories inside of its packaging box, and among them is their proprietary eartips, but its storage pouch is rather plain, enough to put your IEMs with decent protection.
• Like almost all HIDIZS models, it has a detachable tuning filter nozzle as it offers different sound profiles.
• In this sound profile comparison, I will use the “Red Tuning Nozzle”, and this one has a more mid bass texture but less sub bass depth, a fuller and warmer midrange presentation as it add more vocal depth on male vocals and punchiness but it lessens it the upper mids that makes it sound a bit lethargic, and then a smoother but less sparkling treble response with a  modest brilliance air extension.
• As for overall technicalities, it is almost on par with the PRELUDE, but its microdynamics has less sharper definition but it is able to capture some micro-details and other subtitles from the sonic background of a track.

ORIVETI OD200

• An old model single driver IEM from ORIVETI, and like the PRELUDE, it has a dynamic driver inside.
• It has a 10mm dynamic driver with a beryllium-coated diaphragm housed in a solid aluminium alloy shell chassis with a specially-designed acoustic chamber inside.
• This one is fully-furnished with quality accessories inside of its packaging box, and among them are more choices of eartips and a premium stock cable with modular termination feature.
• Like the HIDIZS MK12, it also features a detachable tuning filter nozzle, albeit it only offers two distinct tuning profiles.
• I will set this one with a tuning filter with a warm V-shaped sound and compared to PRELUDE, this one is more punchy and impact but tends to have a more boomy bass, a warmer and richer midrange but less energetic and then a smooth but a bit veiled treble presentation with a modest amount of air on it.
• When it comes to its technical performance, if compared to the PRELUDE, this one has a bit intimate soundstage size with a fairly-layered soundscape in a concave-like stereo imaging presentation and a bit blunted micro-detail definition.

BQEYZ AUTUMN

• BQEYZ's first flagship model with a single dynamic driver.
• It features a larger dynamic driver and it was encased in a solid aluminium alloy chassis.
• This one is fully-packed with accessories inside of its packaging box.
• It has a unique feature which is a modular magnetic vent hole that allows it to change its tuning profile, and BQEYZ offers three distinctive sound signatures.
• On this setting of this product comparison, I'll use the warm tuning profile, and it has a punchy bass but still less impactful with minimal sub bass presence compared to the PRELUDE, and then a well-balanced midrange with ample warmth and energy although it is still bit less warmer compared to the PRELUDE, and then a smoother and even treble response with more airy extension.
• As for its technical capabilities, this one is also excellent in those aspects as it also has a spacious well-layered soundstage size which in which I think it is a bit wider, but it has less sharper micro-detail definition than the PRELUDE.

As I will put my final verdict on this product review, the PRELUDE is quite an exciting set that you will simply enjoy a fun, lively and engaging sound quality in your listening session as on how you should enjoy music without being too fastidious on having the most accurate or closest possible hi-fi sound reproduction. Just like its high midrange flagship cousin, the MECHA, this one is simply a well-tuned, fairly coloured yet natural sounding set that offers a technical performance which is exceedingly efficient beyond its asking price for a dynamic driver.

The DITA PRELUDE is now available on DITA's official online store on their website, check the link below for those interested parties who want to buy this reasonably priced set.

LINK:

https://ditaaudio.com/products/ditaprelude

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: DITA PRELUDE

IMPEDANCE: 32Ω

SENSITIVITY: 108dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 20KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.2m

PIN TYPE: 0.78mm 2-PIN CONNECTOR

PLUG TYPE:  3.5mm

DRIVER UNIT(S):  (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER

PROS:

● The shells have a solid construction.

● Implementing a proven and high quality dynamic driver based on a previous midrange model.

● That rubbery-like texture on the surface of its shells offers a better grip.

● Fully-packed with quality accessories inside of its packaging box.

● Inclusion of DITA ANTE, a 3.5mm to USB-C headphone dongle with a proven DAC chip.

● Good quality IEM storage case.

● Easy to drive as it scales well even on some sources with standard gain output power.

 ● It has a sound profile which is fun, coloured and lively simply for a pleasant casual listening session.

● Reverberating, punchy and tactile bass response.

● Full, rich and dark sounding bass-clef instruments and low octave male vocals.

● Warm yet energetic midrange presentation. 

● Smooth, velvety and mild-sounding male vocals.

● Deep and rich sounding contraltos.

● Punchy and resonating sound from percussive instruments.

● Bright and sparkly treble response.

● Remarkable technical performance for a single dynamic driver.

CONS:

● Too coloured sounding for neutralheads.

● DITA Ante does not support Native DSD decoding.

● Recessed midrange presentation.

● Instances of dry and a bit tinny sound on some tracks.

TRACKS TESTED: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *

Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**

Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **

Mountain - Mississippi Queen *

Queen - Killer Queen **

Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*

Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'

Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'

Pearl Jam - Daughter **

Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *

Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*

Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *

New Order - Blue Monday *

The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *

Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *

The Madness- Buggy Trousers *

Metallica - Motorbreath **

Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *

Destiny's Child - Say My Name *

Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *

Mozart - Lacrimosa *

New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *

Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*

Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *

Exciter - Violence and Force *

Diana Krall - Stop This World **

Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*

The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**

Suzanne Vega – Luka **

Lauren Christy – Steep *

Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *

Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*

Type O Negative - Black No.1 *

Felix Ayo - Vivaldi: Presto **

Three Tenors - Nessum Dorma *

Mercyful Fate - Witches' Dance *

P.S.

I am not affiliated to DITA AUDIO nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to MR. KENNETH KOH for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate his generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.