The Budget Audiophile’s Dream Machine

If you are an audiophile or an enthusiast, you might have known about the legendary Venture Electronics Megatron DAC/amp that is launched somewhere around 2022. Famed for their amazing high power output and solid sound refinements all in a wallet friendly price below USD60. Fast forward to 2026, VEClan has decided to make a small update with the all new Megatron Edition S with a slightly lower noise and better shielding to reduce RF interference. Wild Lee from VEclan has been a great sport by sending us the all new Megatron Edition S alongside a full set of impedance adapters for us to have an honest take and we appreciate the opportunity given. So how will the Megatron Edition S perform in the year 2026? We shall find out here.

As usual, we are not affiliated nor taken any form of monetary exchange for this review and this review is solely an honest view of the product.

Functions & Specifications

Before we start the review, here are the specifications and features of the EPZ TP35;

• DAC: ESS9018K2M
• Audio format support: 24bit/96khz PCM
• Output: 3.5SE/ 2.5TRRS/ 4.4TRRRS/ Line out
• Input: Type-c/ USB
• Weight: 156g
• Size: 76*22*110mm

Headphone output

Single End

• Max output voltage: 2.4V
• THD+N: 0.0095%
• DNR: 105.5dB
• IMD: 0.002%
• A-Weighted noise: 10.87 u V
• Crosstalk: 60.64dB @ 1kHz
• Output power: 32ohms:170mW, 300ohms:20mW

Balanced

• Max output voltage: 4.9V
• THD+N: 0.021%
• DNR: 104.3dB
• Crosstalk: 105.76dB @ 1kHz
• A-Weighted noise: 23.22 u V
• IMD: 0.0014%
• Output power: 32ohms:300mW, 300ohms:80mW

Line out

• Max output voltage: 0.95V
• DNR: 94.905dB
• THD+N: 0.01064%
• IMD: 0.00066%
• A-Weighted noise: 14.12 u V
• Crosstalk: 99.01dB @ 1kHz

The Venture Electronics Megatron Edition S can be bought via their website and other platforms like Shopee and AliExpress.

https://www.veclan.com/phone/eac_phone_sel_one?eng_ApplianceVo.eac_id=63

https://my.shp.ee/P9Zyx6Sp

Packaging & Accessories

Venture Electronics has been known to skip the lavish unboxing, placing the attention to the product itself and the Megatron S is included. They arrived in a hardbox containing the Megatron S, a USB C to C cable, a USB C to A cable, 8 pieces of silicone sticker feet and a manual. For the price paid the unboxing here is more than acceptable.

Design

The design of the Megatron S is similar to the original version with a rather big CNC aluminum alloy casing that is robust and lightweight. Nothing much is in terms of design here and there is the ‘Edition S’ stamped on the bottom. Though it can be used as a portable device, I do find the Megatron S is more suited for a minimalist desktop setup and a worthy one indeed.

The upper or front part has a 4.4mm balanced, 3.5mm TRRS that supports in line controls and a 2.5mm balanced output. There is a LED light that will light up blue on line out and green when it is on headphones output settings. No bitrates indicator is present.

The bottom input part has 3 USB C input where 1 is for bypass charging to charge your source or smartphone and preventing battery drain as well as the Megatron S does take up some battery life from source although marginal. The other USB C is for the digital input and beside it is a line out switch alongside a 3.5mm single ended line out that is useful for output to another amplifier or speakers.

The insides of the Megatron is driven by a Sabre ES9018K2M chipset with a custom AB amplification with a Crystal Oscillator clock. They are indeed a powerful beast churning out a whopping 300mW im 32ohms balanced that is way above most dongles in the market. The Megatron S doesn’t have gain selection and it is not meant for highly sensitive IEMs but can be mitigated with their impedance adapters. For my rather sensitive QDC Anole VX, I found the 75ohms impedance adapter works like a charm and no noise is present. No volume control as well is present and the volume is done digitally through your source.

Here’s the links for the Venture Electronics impedance adapter;

https://my.shp.ee/ySP2jNa5

https://www.veclan.com/phone/eac_phone_sel_one?eng_ApplianceVo.eac_id=85

The Megatron S has a maximum of 24 bit, 96kHz with no DSD support due to the ES9018K2M limitations.

Gears Used for Comparisons

Songs list

Tone and Presentation

The tone of the Megatron S is a neutral bright type with a rather balanced sound that doesn’t emphasize on any frequencies and they have an analogue sound tone with a slight warmth present. The Megatron S has a good amount of body and they have an inviting, energetic sound that balances well of being musical and analytical. Overall details and clarity here is superb with a clean and clear sounding device that excels in accuracy. Dynamic range here is wide especially on the 4.4mm output producing good extension on both ends of the frequencies.

Soundstage

The soundstage on the Megatron S is good with a wide and tall sound while possessing a good amount of air on both ends of the frequencies. Headroom here is spacious and they are able to give a medium sized headroom free of any boxiness that suited well for headphones and earbuds. Spatial accuracy is great with holographic imaging and accurate sound placement making them a good source even for gaming and movies but may lack some immersiveness for the latter.

Separation and Timbre

Separation here is excellent as they are able to separate left and right to different channels giving a great stereo separation with no crosstalk present on any outputs but they tend to sound better towards the 4.4mm and 2.5mm balanced output. Texture and layering here is superb and they are able to keep with fast tracks such as EDM or metal with a punchy, smooth timbre. The timbre does have a piercy, brassy, slightly analogue sound that gives music an energetic feel which produces a bold, lively sound that is enjoyable.

Drivability

The main attraction of the Megatron S is the driving power and without a doubt is a powerful one, rated at a maximum of 300 mv per channel at 32ohms with 4.4mm and maximum output voltage at 4.9V, they are able to drive most headphones, earbuds and IEMs in the market except for super sensitive IEMs which an impedance adapter is needed to lower the volume gain as well as noise floor. With higher ohms, low sensitivity headphones like my Sennheiser HD800s and Beyerdynamis T70 250 ohms, the Megatron S does supply ample loudness, which is rare for a portable device at this price range, but does struggle in terms of giving a fuller dynamic range. The background noise here is actually lower than the Megatron by a little and with most headphones, the noise floor is actually pretty low and has a clean background sound.

The Bass (Low)

Bass that the Megatron S produces is a neutral flat type of bass that doesn’t have any major peaks across the whole bass frequency. The mid-bass is relatively flat but it does have a fast, punchy, tight bass response that is natural and accurate as they don’t alter much with the amount, instead, they actually give a cleaner and clearer bass that sounds a tad more refined. The bass texturing has also improved to show layers of bassline in a clean manner without any bloat or muddiness. These flat bass type sounds do match a wide variety of gears but not so much for users who want a bigger, weighty bass response. The bass resolution is slightly more vivid and they do excel in transparency as the bass is portrayed just as intended. The sub-bass amount remains intact and they do add some extension by giving a deeper sub-bass reach with some air added into the overall bass.

The Mids

The midrange here is a neutral midrange that has an analogue sound with a slightly bright tone and they possess a good degree of technicalities. There is a touch of warmth present here preventing the Megatron S from being too sterile or cold. Details and clarity here are superb with decent micro details retrieval. The midrange has sufficient weight in the lower mids but the overall mids does lack body especially with brighter gears. The mids here have a rather forward midrange and are able to sound spacious with an accurate placement accuracy. The resolution here is vivid with near to none colours and it gives a decent transparent, clinical sound. Vocals here are lush and they work very well with male or female vocals with a decent amount of brilliance and adequate depth.

The Highs

The highs of the Megatron S is a neutral high range that has a slightly strong presence but manages to be smooth and mostly inoffensive. Though having a Sabre based chipset that are infamous for their glare, the Megatron S does manage to tame these caveats. They have excellent details along with a good clarity without major sibilance or shout. The highs possess a good amount of sparkle that has a mild crisp decay that gives music some liveliness. The high range here is suited for those who love a strong high range but might get a little spicy with brighter gears. Treble here has a slight lifted intensity with a good amount of extension that gives a push in the overall clarity and energy. Extension here is superb with a slow roll off at the end that gives a good amount of air. Timbre here is piercy and breathy that manages to sound rather natural albeit their strong nature.

Comparisons

Qudelix T71 (USD299)

The rarely mentioned but highly capable Qudelix T71 from Korea. They are a quad Sabre ES9219C dongle that has a plethora of settings and custom PEQ to play with. They are equipped with a 1100mah battery to reduce battery drain for source as well as providing a more stable power input. With all these perks, the T71 does cost 5 times more than the Megatron S.

• Driving power are rather similar with a slight edge given to the Megatron S
• Noise is quieter on the T71
• Bass on the Megatron S has a more punchy signature with slightly more energy and better presence
• Mids on the T71 has a more neutral tone and not as thin
• Mids clarity is better on the Megatron S but details are quite similar
• Vocals sounded more balanced on T71
• High range on the Megatron S is stronger with better sparkle and crispness while the T71 is more forgiving.
• Soundstage on the T71 is slightly more spacious

EPZ TP35 (USD55)

The TP35 is a dual Cirrus Logic CS43198 dongle that is priced similarly with the Megatron S and has a thick sounding, warm type of sound typical of the CS43198. Size here is minute and it is quite an efficient device with gain controls, volume rocker and filter settings. The Megatron S does have the line out option giving a slightly more flexible usage.

• The technicalities of the Megatron S is better while the TP35 is more musical with an emphasis on the lower mids and lows.
• Bass on the TP35 is stronger with a deeper sub-bass rumble while the Megatron S has more accuracy and clarity
• Midrange of the TP35 is warmer, thicker and more lush while Megatron S is more neutral with better details
• Highs of the Megatron S has better sparkle and more crisp while the TP35 is smoother
• Treble on TP35 is more laid-back
• Soundstage on the Megatron S is wider and airier
• Driving power on the Megatron S is bigger by approximately 30%

Synergy

The Megatron S matches well especially with lower sensitivity IEMs and headphones for their high gain and slightly high noise albeit can be mitigated with impedance adapters. They go well with warm to balanced gears but not so much with brighter gears as with some bright gears, they might be a little hot in the treble region.

Good examples

• Tigerism Dark Magician, QDC Anole VX, Kefine Arnar, Kiwi Ears Astral, ZiiGaat Arete 2, Hidizs MP145 Pro, Sony MDR-MV1, Toneking TO600s,

Not so good

• NF AVOUS NM25, Sennheiser HD800s, Letshuoer EJ09, ZiiGaat Horizon, Kiwi Ears Astral

Who Is It For?

Suitable genres – Acoustics, rock, pop, classicals

Suitable usage – Desktop and portable setup, hard to drive headphones, light monitoring, critical listeners, gamers, movies

Not so suitable – EDM, metal, ACG

Not so suitable usage – High sensitivity IEMs, pocketable transport

Final words

Four years after the original, the Megatron Edition S proves that raw power and sonic refinement don’t have to cost a fortune. It’s not the most feature-rich or the quietest dongle out there, albeit slightly quieter than the originals, but for desktop use or driving demanding headphones on a budget, this beast still roars. Just mind your IEM sensitivity or get a suitable impedance adapter and they are ready to rock. These minor caveats are being trumped by the sheer power and at this price range, it is highly recommended for the audiophile community.

4½ over 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

Pros

• Solid all metal build
• Ease of use, plug and play
• Bypass charging and line out options
• Wide range of outputs with microphone controls available
• Massive driving power for a portable device
• Good neutrality and technicalities
• Good overall detail and clarity
• Good separation
• Clean, linear neutral bass
• Accurate, spacious and clean midrange
• Highly resolving, colourless sound
• Sparkly, energetic high range
• Good treble Intensity
• Great soundstage width
• Good power efficiency, low power draw
• Bang for buck

Cons

• Size on the larger side for portability
• No volume or gain control
• Not for musical enthusiasts
• Treble can be a tad spicy
• Midrange on the thinner side