Review of TRN Black Pearl: Portable USB DAC & Headphone Amp with 10-band PEQ

[LDvo]

hello everyone! i have been living under a rock for the past few years. can i safely buy the latest stocks of the TRN BLACK PEARL and have a pleasant experience without worrying about these "distortion issues" and firmware updates? FWIW will this be audible to my geriatric ears? I plan to use them with easy to drive IEMs and headphones only. cheers!

Yes, but I would still advice you to get familiar with firmware upgrade process as it fixes other issues as well.

 

[DaMistic]

Hi everyone,
I remember there were some issues with the LSC, HSC, LSQ, and HSQ filters not working properly in earlier firmware. Has this been fixed in v0.5?

 

[KDRN]

I know that holding + and - switches UAC mode but how do I know what mode it is in?

i tried doing that vol up + vol down then pluggin in the black pearl. and it did switched to uac 1.0

i am using ttgk station

 

[xd003]

Does anyone know the power draw of the TRN Black Pearl when using the 3.5 mm output on a mobile device ?

 

[patchee]

I'm using this DAC for active speakers on PC. I'd like to know the optimal settings for PC.
. I heard this includes a headphone amplifier. When connected to an active speaker, does it work? line output without headphone amp?
. Based on the output of classical DAC with no volume control, to match it. Should I set the volume to maximum by pressing volume button on this DAC?
. What is the difference between low and high in APP settings other than output? Which one is appropriate for PC?
Thank you very much.

 

[JanL]

If you are using a traditional volume controller (like a rotary pot) between the DAC and the active speakers then you should set the DAC to max output, high gain.
Use the single ended or the balanced output depending on what your volume controller and the speaker accepts.

If you are using the volume control on the Black Pearl as your master volume, then set your speaker's internal volume controls to a setting where the maximum output from the DAC is not causing clipping and is "loud enough". That could be 1dB below clipping or much more than 1dB. It's a personal preference thing. You will get the best resolution and S/N ratio that way.

Low and high setting on the DAC is to accommodate various headphones. IEMs that are very efficient will use low gain, and regular headphones that might be less efficient will use high gain. This keeps the overall volume setting within a reasonable range.
For use with line level inputs like on your active speakers, you could use either, but start with high gain and see where the clipping might begin. If it's really early early in the volume range, switch to low gain. If the speaker is really hard to clip, use the high gain.

If you tell us more about your particular setup, you will get more detailed answers.

 

[patchee]

If you are using a traditional volume controller (like a rotary pot) between the DAC and the active speakers then you should set the DAC to max output, high gain.
Use the single ended or the balanced output depending on what your volume controller and the speaker accepts.

If you are using the volume control on the Black Pearl as your master volume, then set your speaker's internal volume controls to a setting where the maximum output from the DAC is not causing clipping and is "loud enough". That could be 1dB below clipping or much more than 1dB. It's a personal preference thing. You will get the best resolution and S/N ratio that way.

Low and high setting on the DAC is to accommodate various headphones. IEMs that are very efficient will use low gain, and regular headphones that might be less efficient will use high gain. This keeps the overall volume setting within a reasonable range.
For use with line level inputs like on your active speakers, you could use either, but start with high gain and see where the clipping might begin. If it's really early early in the volume range, switch to low gain. If the speaker is really hard to clip, use the high gain.

If you tell us more about your particular setup, you will get more detailed answers.

Thank you.
My active speaker has a traditional analog volume control pot.
With my brief knowledge, I heard that set the DAC and Windows volume to the highest and controlling speaker volume pot ensures the best sound quality.
With your advice, I understand this is true. but if there is clipping, I can turn down DAC and Windows volume a little bit.
Did I get that right?
And the last question is, how can I check the highest volume on this DAC?
Should I just press button hundred times and think it is at its highest?

 

[JanL]

Thank you.
My active speaker has a traditional analog volume control pot.
With my brief knowledge, I heard that set the DAC and Windows volume to the highest and controlling speaker volume pot ensures the best sound quality.
With your advice, I understand this is true. but if there is clipping, I can turn down DAC and Windows volume a little bit.
Did I get that right?
And the last question is, how can I check the highest volume on this DAC?
Should I just press button hundred times and think it is at its highest?

Yes, basically turn up the DAC and the Windows volume to the max, then trim the analog pots on the speakers to about as loud as you will ever listen to your music, or just below clipping, whichever comes first. That will optimize your gain staging and digital resolution. During daily use you might find out that some additional tweaking is necessary, and if that happens you just adjust the speaker volumes again. With this particular DAC you have a fairly large window of dynamic range where you will not be able to hear the difference between max resolution and some unused headroom. If you are off by let's say 6dB you are still golden.

 

[Lifer]

Hello,

Was the PEQ tested with Low/High shelf filters to see if it displays the same issues as the Fiio KA15 ? I only see peak filters in the first post.
Thank you

 

[jkim]

Hello,

Was the PEQ tested with Low/High shelf filters to see if it displays the same issues as the Fiio KA15 ? I only see peak filters in the first post.
Thank you

When I tested it, the shelving filters did not work at all. Any shelf filter was regarded as a peak filter. I don't know if the issue has been fixed by a firmware update since then---most likely not.

 

[Lifer]

When I tested it, the shelving filters did not work at all. Any shelf filter was regarded as a peak filter. I don't know if the issue has been fixed by a firmware update since then---most likely not.

Thanks for your reply jkim.

So if both PEQ have issues with the shelf filters, I don't see much reason to choose the TRN over the Fiio KA15 if price is not an issue.

 

[plexiglass25]

Does the TRN Black Pearl offer more power than the Snowsky Melody?

 

[jkim]

Does the TRN Black Pearl offer more power than the Snowsky Melody?

Shouldn't be any meaningfully different.

 

[oleg87]

When I tested it, the shelving filters did not work at all. Any shelf filter was regarded as a peak filter. I don't know if the issue has been fixed by a firmware update since then---most likely not.

The shelf filters seem to be working as of firmware v0.5:

 

[Ventfull]

My sample finally arrived, ~29€ from AliExpress with coupons etc. Installed an Android app, upgraded firmware to 0.5, tested it on Windows 11 with Deezer app, EqAPO and HiFiMan Ananda Nano on balanced output. Set the Windows output to 32bit 352KHz, set class H and low gain in the app. No hiss, no pops, no clicks, after two hours of use it is not even lukewarm to the touch. The Windows volume slider works correctly, the buttons on the dongle are responsive, sonically I can't hear any difference compared to my other gear, the Topping D50s+A50s, A70+A50s, DX1 and FIIO Snowsky Melody. The only thing that bothers me a little is that neither the phone nor the PC recognizes the DAC when the headphones are not plugged in. But that might actually be a good thing because of the power consumption. FIIO Snowsky Melody is recognized even without headphones attached. Couldn't be more satisfied with the device for 29€. Wanted to order an A50 III for the Ananda Nano, but now it doesn't make any rational sense to me.

I have my dongle dac windows output on 24 bit 48khz. Should I be putting it higher?

 

[Ventfull]

I have my dongle dac windows output on 24 bit 48khz. Should I be putting it higher?

Im also wondering what filter I should use on the Melody/Black pearl, as I'm buying one of the 2 soon. I do know that I shouldn't be using NOS with either