Periodic Audio Neon Dual Source Bluetooth Receiver: Review

Covering affordable high-end components that provide a solution to a problem is one of the best parts of my role here at eCoustics. Whilst I am fortunate to have daily access to some of the best headphones, DACs, DAPs, and headphone amplifiers currently available, that doesn’t mean that one can abandon the other end of the market that produces products like the $89 Periodic Audio Neon Bluetooth Receiver and the $10 Electron adapter. 

Periodic Audio’s Dan Wiggins and I recently discussed their current range of products and the key takeaway was that he’s a pragmatist and focused on engineering products that are aimed at the entry-level consumer.

The Neon is a tiny Bluetooth receiver and the Electron is a Lightning (male) to USB Type-C (female) port adapter that allows iPad and iPhone users to use a wide variety of USB devices without the camera connection kit that had previously been required.     

Dan was kind enough to send me one of each to test and review and I’ve now spent a few weeks with the Neon. It is a clever little unit with a built-in mic for making phone calls, and volume controls on the front of the unit. 

The unit is constructed from a polymer that helped to reduce the overall weight and cost of the unit.

The top face has the microphone, while the bottom face has a USB Type-C charge port and a 3.5mm TRRS headphone jack so earphones with built-in mics will continue to work as well.  

The front face panel has 4 buttons and a single LED indicator lamp. The controls are tactile and easy to use because each function has its own shape.

Volume up and down are represented by arrows, play/pause and track forward/back are done with the square.

The Neon is extremely compact (1.75″ H x .85″ W x .5″ D) and only weighs 15 grams.

I took it on the road with me to work and it was easy to forget that it was attached to my shirt; the one negative in regard to the construction is that we wish that clip was metal or that it had a metal core because the hinge takes a good amount of force when bumped it might prove to be a weak point.

I have knocked it off of my shirt a few times without any breakage but the construction is light enough that it could be an issue at some point.

Technology

Internally, the Periodic Neon consists of two boards sandwiched together with the Bluetooth, amplifier circuits, USB port and 3.5mm port on one board, whilst the other board holds the button controls, power supply, and antenna.

Periodic utilized the Qualcomm QCC 3034 Bluetooth chip which supports aptX, SBC, ACC and a variant of Low Latency (it’s not aptX LL). It does not support LDAC.

The RF amplifier is also a Qualcomm component and acts as the primary brain of the device handling decoding, managing Bluetooth connections, protocol selection, and the controls. 

The Neon uses custom in-house developed firmware to allow for dual sources in a way unique to the device; Periodic has already applied for a patent on the technology.

The audio amplifier is a discrete component offering 2.2 Vrms and 140mW into a 32 ohm load. The Neon is capable of proving 100mA of continuous current to help prevent clipping with low impedance loads.

The other unique feature is that the unit powers on when a headphone or earphone is plugged in so no power button is needed.   

The second board contains the controls for the buttons; the volume and triple button (play/pause/answer) are snap activation buttons, with the blue and green LEDs side-by-side. 

Even these are well thought out as they use resistive loading to control brightness instead of PWM which can interfere with audio signals. The button used for source selection is different because it is timing sensitive and uses a mechanical button for higher precision than the snap activation buttons provide.  

The Neon allows source switching on the fly and both connections are maintained rather than using the built-in connection switching offered by Qualcomm.   

Finally, a discrete antenna is used for connectivity and provided a solid connection even with interior walls between your source and the Neon. As long as line of sight is maintained, the connection proved to be reliable and strong up to 20 meters.

The battery is a 300mAh unit that takes roughly an hour to charge and offers up to 14 hours of usage per charge depending on demand.

High impedance, low sensitivity headphones will shorten battery life, whilst extremely low impedance high sensitivity IEMs may last slightly more than 14 hours.  

Specifications

• Frequency Response: 13 Hz to 20 kHz +0 dB / – 3 dB
• THD: < 0.05%, 20 Hz to 20 kHz @ 1 mW
• SNR: 98 dB (noise floor less than 105 nVrms)
• Bluetooth Compatibility: iOS, Android, MacOS, Windows, iPadOS, Linux
• Codecs: SBC, AAC, AptX, Low Latency
• Bluetooth Version: 5.2 (Classic, BLE for BSP reporting)
• Source Compatibility: Any Bluetooth audio source
• Continuous Power Output (RMS): 140 mW RMS per channel @ 32 Ohms (280 mW total)
• Output Voltage: 2.2 Vrms @ 0 dBFS
• Output Current: 100 mA continuous
• Battery Life: 14 Hours, typical
• Battery Size: 300 mAh
• Charge Time: 1 Hour

Listening

I paired the Neon with the Westone AM Pro X20 ($269) for most of my listening tests because the AM Pro X20 are so easy to drive. However, Neon was also tested with the Sivga Nightingale Planar IEMs ($229) that place a different set of demands.

The Neon provided extremely clear sound with more than enough impact and headroom for both of these IEMs.

There was a noticeable absence of coloration with the Neon driving either IEM and that was surprising somewhat considering the price point; listeners will be able to discern the tonal balance and presentation of any IEMs through the amplifier and that’s a major plus.

As much as I enjoyed listening to this amplifier, its best features were the multi-source function and built-in condenser microphone.

The multi-source feature allows pairing of two devices and switching with a single tap of the source button. I used this to pair with my phone for music listening via Qobuz and my laptop for use with teams.   

I was able to listen to music between meetings and then jump into a Teams call with zero issues. Call and meeting audio quality were excellent on a consistent basis.

Final Thoughts

The Periodic Audio Neon might not seem like a very sexy alternative to a lot of the Dongle DACs on the market, but the dual-source option is multi-point delivered without any of the headaches, drop-outs, and time-outs that I have experienced with other devices.

For those who need to swap sources on a regular basis, this might be a smart buy for that reason alone. When you further consider the 14 hours of playtime, extremely lightweight design, built-in condenser mic, neutral tonal balance, and $89 price tag — this thing is winner for sure.

A surprising product that will remain in my coat pocket for a very long time.

Where to buy NEON: $89 at Amazon | PeriodicAudio.com

Where to buy Electron: $9.95 at Amazon | PeriodicAudio.com