Atom 3's biggest highlight lies in its driving power. Compared to directly plugging into a smartphone's headphone jack, the soundstage produced by Atom 3 is noticeably larger, and the overall dynamics are improved. This enhancement is particularly evident when listening to small ensemble music and movie soundtracks. What's noteworthy is that Atom 3, unlike most entry-level products, does not excessively cater to listeners with overly flattering or stimulating sound, but instead guarantees a good balance and listenability. The midrange is slightly emphasized without obvious coloration, and it offers smoothness and good density. The bass has a moderate sense of quantity and good cohesion, creating an excellent atmospheric experience without feeling sluggish.

Like most portable DAC/amp devices, Atom 3 is primarily designed for use with mobile phones, tablets, and game consoles. During this time, I have used it for music listening, gaming, and occasionally watching movies, essentially attaching this little device to my headphones. While most smartphones on the market come with a headphone adapter even if they don't have a dedicated headphone jack, using a phone to directly drive most HiFi headphones often results in dirty background noise and rough sound quality, especially for headphones with higher impedance requirements, which can sound muffled and congested. Although Atom 3 only offers a slight improvement in information resolution compared to a smartphone, it excels in having sufficient driving power and clean background noise, allowing it to deliver a more coherent sound framework with most earphones. At the same time, it does not impose a noticeable burden during use, unlike many traditional portable DAC/amp.

In addition to the most common scenario of using Atom 3 with a smartphone for music listening, it has brought me even greater surprises during gaming sessions. Recently, I've been obsessed with "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild". It is well known that the graphics quality of the Nintendo Switch is not the best, but the immersive experience is greatly enhanced by the atmospheric background music (BGM) and meticulously designed environmental sounds. Although the Switch has its own headphone jack, the audio quality is rather disappointing, with poor separation and a lack of detail.

The biggest change brought by Atom 3 is the overall sense of immersion. It expands and organizes the soundstage, improves positional accuracy, and brings out richer sound details. During gaming, I can clearly perceive the chirping of insects and the gentle breeze brushing against my face from all directions. I can accurately detect the enemy's trumpet call before their attack and determine their direction. What's more interesting is that the hidden easter eggs in Nintendo's music for different scenes are fully presented: the Morse code embedded in the Four Champions' BGM, the Zelda lullaby hidden in the horseback riding scene's BGM, and various cleverly intertwined sound elements that make the gaming experience more complete and full of surprises.

Atom 3 is an extremely simple and low-profile portable audio device. Although its changes may not be revolutionary, it always adds a touch of happiness to your audiovisual experience.

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