In this feature, Lynn reviews the TempoTec V3, a new entry-level Dual AK4493SEQ HiByOS DAP with up to 610mW of balanced output power. It is priced at $199.
Disclaimer: I received this sample in exchange for my honest opinion. Headfonics is an independent website with no affiliate links. I thank TempoTec for their support.
Click here to learn more about TempoTec products previously reviewed on Headfonics.
This article follows our latest scoring guidelines which you can read in more detail here.
The genesis of the TempotTec V3 DAP lies in their Kickstarter-funded flagship TempoTec V6 was reviewed by us back in 2022.
Coming away impressed with the sound quality, but less so with the slower OS, we lauded its place in the market as an alternative to those more well-known DAPs. I have previously reviewed the V6 for my blog, sharing much of what was stated on Headfonics.
The V3 is a slimmed-down version, running a basic HiByOS, with streaming capabilities for both Tidal and Qobuz.
Costing under $200, the V3 hopes to grab its fair share of the market. Its dual ESS AK4493SEQ DAC chips allow for some sound specialization with 3.5mm SE and 4.4mm balanced output options.
As a basic daily user budget DAP, how would the V3 fare against the success of some such as the recently reviewed HiBy R1, and older R3 II? We shall see.
Features
TempoTec uses HiByOS as its operating system, sharing much of the sound hardware as the V6. Using dual DAC AK4493SEQ, the V3 achieved an SNR of 124dB and a THD+N distortion of 0.0005%.
It has the same Crosstalk specs as the V6 (84 dB/32Ω/3.5, 116d B/32Ω/4.4), and even the same power ratings (610mW for 4.4mm balanced, 330mW via 3.5mm SE from the headphone output and a standard 2Vrms SE and 4Vrms balanced for the line out).
Running a pyramid analog amplifying circuit for each channel, the order flows from the mono ESS chips to dual OPA1652 Opamps for each channel sending the signal to either the 3.5mm SE or 4.4mm balanced in LO mode.
Post switch, the signal is fed through dual OPA1688 Opamps per channel in PO mode for both 3.5mm SE and 4.4mm balanced.
Professional FPGA digital technology, matched with a custom-made dual-crystal oscillator system, keeps the quality high.
Decoding levels are higher than much of the competition, which plays right into top-quality sound offerings at DSD512 and PCM 32bit/768kHz, with MQA 16X Full decoding support.
Two-way Qualcomm 5.1 BT support, along with 2.4GHz WiFi, HiByLink, AirPlay, and DLNA Audio sources: Micro SD Audio, LDAC, AAC, APTX, and USB DAC round out the listening options.
Design
The V3 is on the smaller side of DAPs, but not quite as small as the HiBy R1 (or R3 II) that Thomas previously reviewed. With dimensions of 100x65x17mm, and a weight of approximately 200g, the V3 fits right into one’s palm without too much burden.
The rectangular shape has a “rounded” right side (front) for easy use with your right hand. With the case on, access to the buttons on the right and bottom was acceptable but could have been more tactful.
To me, those side buttons were too close to the bend in the V3, rendering them less intuitive to touch and access.
The 3.2” screen displays the system’s native apps, including music, books, streaming, wireless, and “about.” The screen brightness can be adjusted in black and white so that viewing is not an issue.
Both the front and back come with screen protectors already installed, and you get an extra for each in the package. You only need to remove that last layer of protection like you would on your smartphone. The protection is appreciated, but the front is still fingerprint-prone.
The case fits very snuggly, and the only reason you would need it off is to change SD cards. While the case is very snug, I appreciated that the V3 will not slide out, such as on some other manufacturers’ case options.
The use of the play, FF, and REW buttons on the bottom was not good with the case on, requiring a very hard push to make any changes. Since those three buttons are on a slightly recessed panel without the case, thicker button points would have alleviated this.
I/O
The V3 has a single-ended 3.5mm and balanced 4.4mm Line Out mode which can then be fed to a balanced amplifier or the AUX of a two-channel system for amplification. This is a positive, especially since many already have such a device with a 4.4mm input.
In PO mode, though, the volume levels of both are quite adequate, with low, medium, and high gain settings. I could raise both the Campfire Audio Solaris 2020 and Meze Audio 99 Classics to uncomfortably high levels using 4.4mm balanced cables.
The USB-C connection is for charging purposes only, or firmware updates when connected to a computer.
Controls
The V3’s simplicity extends to the controls. On the curved right surface, the power on/off button is nearest the top, followed by an LED indicating bitrate, with volume up and volume down below that.
The bottom houses the jacks and USB-C connection. The left side has the SD card slot (which was quite hard to engage), which is covered when inside the case. That’s it.
I do appreciate how tightly the case fits for protection, but feel the rounded edge hinders control of the on/off and volume buttons unnecessarily.
The smaller, black-and-white 3.2” touch screen functions adequately, but there is a lag when pushed. I often had to tap the intended icon twice to engage, and I found no place to adjust the haptics.
You can change the order of icons within the settings menu, which is a nice feature. It places those icons you use most close to thumb action, much like a smartphone.
When the case is off, the play/pause, FF, and REW buttons are recessed a bit below the screen. Without an extra “bump,” which allows for that extra bit of recessed space, functionality with the case on was compromised. As a result, I had to concertedly push all three to gain functionality.
Packaging & Accessories
The TempoTec V3 comes in a small, efficient rectangular package laden with the necessary graphics in white lettering, protected well from jostling.
A smaller cutout inside houses the USB-C charging cable, with the necessary cards lying in a sleeve below the V3. An opaque “TempoTec” laden sheet lies over all of this (along with a thin foam insert), giving the hint of opening a gift while affording more protection
Case
The case came in another small, unlabeled white box. After inserting an SD card, I slid the case onto the V3, finding the necessary effort quite high. Fit was excellent, though. Functionality was not.
As mentioned above, in the case, the most needed function buttons (on/off, volume up and down) were set right at the curved area of the case. This made accessing them more difficult, and functionality-wise difficult as well.
While I like the case, functionality-wise it fails to meet the necessary needs, so I ran the unit case off mostly.
Wireless Connectivity
Bluetooth
Pairing with TWS IEMs or headphones functioned as needed, without delay, and I paired the Noble FoKus Apollo wireless headphones without issue.
Since there is no video option, latency could not be judged.
WiFi
Connecting to my temporary home AT&T 5G router was also painless. However, the WiFi connection was often unstable, so I had to stay closer to the router than with any device I used before on this system.
Qobuz often dropped out with an “error code,” which could have been the unit or my router. Some songs in my playlist were also not recognized, often stopping and either exiting the app (within the streaming icon) or simply stopping.
When the V3 functioned though, Qobuz and Tidal functioned quite well, with album covers present on the home screen when you awakened it. This is a setting you have to consciously change, much like other DAPs.
Overall performance of the WiFi connection was just adequate, in my opinion.
A nice feature, though, is the ability to use the HiByLink on your smartphone to control the V3. This allows you to stream from your smartphone or simply use it as a remote. I appreciated this feature.
The two-way BT allowed me to control the V3 while streaming it into my wireless listening source. Pairing was also possible via Apple Airplay for use with my Apple device. Using this method to watch YouTube videos or football matches on my iPad, latency was commendably low.
Wired Connectivity
Line Out
Using the V3 through the 4.4mm balanced jack allows for a balanced sound through a corresponding amplifier. For kicks, I used the LO on the V3 without issue in an upcoming amplifier review to ensure this function worked.
Battery Life
The 3500mAh battery inside is somewhat larger than expected, and according to the specifications, it allows for up to 10-20 hours of playback.
I verified this through four uses, averaging 10 hours, depending on usage. While streaming one day further away from my router, usage time dropped to 8 hours, and the same is true for streaming YouTube or football matches mentioned above.
Streaming music closer to the router, and SD card music allowed for longer sessions, balancing the four options out.
Latent battery time while not using came in the range of 5-7% overnight, but not consistently. Some nights were next to zero, while others were higher.
Updating to firmware 1.1 shortened the battery loss a bit and somewhat helped stabilize the unit overall. There were still play glitches as noted.
Sound Impressions
The following impressions were made using the Campfire Audio Solaris 2020 (ddHiFi Nyx Net 4.4mm balanced cable), Meze Audio 99 Classics (ddHiFi BC150B 4.4mm balanced cable), and the Noble FoKus Apollo wireless headphones.
Airplay through my iPad provided an analysis of that functionality, while the HiByLink app was utilized on my iPhone 13 Pro Max using any of the same listening devices listed above.
Summary
When I reviewed the TempoTec V6 for my blog, I found it to carry very good levels of detail and clarity, without much coloration.
The same can be said of the V3, with very good extension up top. The low end carries on with aplomb and fairly good control. Reaching fairly deep as well, the V3 provided an overall level of detail that should be appreciated by most listeners.
I appreciated the sound signature with its ability to portray a natural, realistic signature that portrayed the intent without coloration or any false sense of sound heard throughout the testing.
Timbre
The TempoTec V3 comes across as clean, clear, and crisp without coloring the sound. Detail retrieval is quite good, without becoming analytical or boorish. The note quality carried a sense of realism that was appreciated without any false sense of being overly cogent or thick-sounding.
I find the V3 to present a realistic, organic sound that comes across as more precise than organic. Here I mean organic in the overall completion and cohesiveness of the signature.
The whole works well without any one range superseding the other. The flow is smooth without issue, but also precise and concise in presentation.
This is one thing I liked about the V6 (before it bricked), and I appreciate that carrying over into the V3. Sound-wise the V3 competes well within this bracket, letting the music spell the details or bother. The realism of the signature is very much appreciated.
Staging & Dynamics
The soundstage has neither a “wow” factor nor an intimate factor. Much like the sound signature mentioned above, the soundstage presents itself as fairly typical with a cubic nature to it, that does not express any extra energy in any direction.
If there is a fault in the sound presentation of the V3, it would be the dynamic response. With that average cubic soundstage, the ensuing sound seemed to meld together well, but without any true definition.
Layering and imaging mixed in a less than cohesive manner where you should focus more on the overall sound than items such as micro-details or imaging. Complicated pieces can become lost within the sphere presented, but that is not to say they cannot still be musical.
Taken as a whole, the V3 presents a competent sound signature. But focus too closely, and the discrepancies can hinder your enjoyment.
Click on page 2 below for my recommended pairings and selected comparisons.
