Audiophile and gears

Nitendra Singh said:
@quaratineinthesejeans please suggest something.
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Don't know much about portable amp. hip-Dac may be? I really don't like to suggest expensive amps for portable use. If it's just to drive Sundara, NX1S should be enough.
Sundara is not really that difficult to drive.
I've heard a Sony Walkman ( A55 possibly) which could drive 250 ohm DT880 effortlessly despite a puny output in the spec sheet.
Nitendra Singh said:
No clue about Sundara's power requirements but if Fiio M3pro can drive it , I think Fiio BTR5 is much better in terms of power.
BTR5 can be used in DAC mode with PC and I think it can work in DAC mode with Android as well.
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BTR5 is indeed a very good suggestion
rockstah said:
Thanks I'll check it out, I also have a balanced cable.
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Get the BTR5. AFAIK it has a very powerful balanced output.
 
rockstah said:
There's a used ifi nano iDSD black label for sale at 10k, it's probably old I can see usage marks all over. Is that a good deal, I think it costs 30k new
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Oh yeah!! It's awesome..ask about the battery situation.
XDuoo also make some good portable amps ( forgot the models, they are very bulky but have some awesome features)
If you're buying from headphonezone, make a deal with Raghav..if the battery sucks, they will accept the return.
Though he knows nothing about audio, a genuinely sweet guy.
Did you check all the settings thoroughly of your phone? It's really disheartening to know that 8X can't drive even Sundara.
This is the problem with online reviews about audio these days. 90 percent are ignorant with maximum 4/5 years of experience or simply liars.
I'm specifically mad about Crinacle and most of the headphone subreddits.
Head fi was filled with crazies, but some people were highly experienced and didn't believe in this bullshit subjective audio theory ( it's subjective after a certain basic level)
Examples:
1. DT 770: If DT 770 is V shaped, what the hell is M50X?
2. Andromeda ( not the newest version) Listen to the epic drum fills of In The Air Tonight...we all know those are 4 toms (10, 12, 13 and 2, 16 inches) that super expensive piece of shit IEM simply smoothens the top (around 10k) of the smaller toms, so that you can't even distinguish between the 10-13 inches ones. You don't have to be an audio engineer to hear that.
That idiot Crinacle thought smoothening of the treble brings some airiness ( whatever **** that is) The same guy who talks about timbre doesn't know how various sized toms sound!!
Sorry for another rant...just don't understand why these professional audio reviewers visit real studios and recording sessions.
 
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quaratineinthesejeans said:
Oh yeah!! It's awesome..ask about the battery situation.
XDuoo also make some good portable amps ( forgot the models, they are very bulky but have some awesome features)
If you're buying from headphonezone, make a deal with Raghav..if the battery sucks, they will accept the return.
Though he knows nothing about audio, a genuinely sweet guy.
Did you check all the settings thoroughly of your phone? It's really disheartening to know that 8X can't drive even Sundara.
This is the problem with online reviews about audio these days. 90 percent are ignorant with maximum 4/5 years of experience or simply liars.
I'm specifically mad about Crinacle and most of the headphone subreddits.
Head fi was filled with crazies, but some people were highly experienced and didn't believe in this bullshit subjective audio theory ( it's subjective after a certain basic level)
Examples:
1. DT 770: If DT 770 is V shaped, what the hell is M50X?
2. Andromeda ( not the newest version) Listen to the epic drum fills of In The Air Tonight...we all know those are 4 toms (10, 12, 13 and 2, 16 inches) that super expensive piece of shit IEM simply smoothens the top (around 10k) of the smaller toms, so that you can't even distinguish between the 10-13 inches ones. You don't have to be an audio engineer to hear that.
That idiot Crinacle thought smoothening of the treble brings some airiness ( whatever **** that is) The same guy who talks about timbre doesn't know how various sized toms sound!!
Sorry for another rant...just don't understand why these professional audio reviewers visit real studios and recording sessions.
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It's from a FB group, I'll check. It's good with mobile, good details just not enough volume. No idea why it's low in pc too. I've no idea what the audiophile terms mean either
 
rockstah said:
There's a used ifi nano iDSD black label for sale at 10k, it's probably old I can see usage marks all over. Is that a good deal, I think it costs 30k new
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There's a ifi nano iDSD preowned available for 7k at Headphonezone.
But I won't recommend it as it's more than 2 years old item, In general don't buy battery based devices older than a year or so.

Topping NX4 DSD is more powerful than fiio BTR5 and has a very capable DAC as well.
 
Pretty decent combo. But the power adaptor is very big ( abnormally big for no reason)
And my apologies for attacking Crinacle.
He must be helping out the new audiophiles somehow.
We old buggers are from triple fi days or even older and wasted a lot of money over the years and realised few important things.
1. The biggest bullshit: audio is completely subjective.
It is not...it's subjective after a certain level. For example something like 1000XM4 is a bad headphone ( as it is not even close to the basic level, other than messed up frequency response which can't be corrected even by the stellar Pro Q3, the timbre is all wrong)
But M50X is definitely not bad (certainly doesn't deserve such bashing) it's definitely better than 40X for production ( late realisation) it is definitely covers all the basics.And those sharp peaks are very helpful in transient detection ( 40X misses more than 50 percent)
Sadly newer audio reviewers don't understand any technicalities.
 
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Nitendra Singh said:
There's a ifi nano iDSD preowned available for 7k at Headphonezone.
But I won't recommend it as it's more than 2 years old item, In general don't buy battery based devices older than a year or so.

Topping NX4 DSD is more powerful than fiio BTR5 and has a very capable DAC as well.
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Do all portable ones face battery issues in the long-term? If so does any brand provide battery replacement in India?
I don't wanna spend 10k+ and only get to use it for 2 years. I'm pretty sure there isn't a portable amp which can also be powered with DC/USB right?
 
rockstah said:
I'm a complete noob, I want to use it for both mobile and PC so I guess portable will be better for me?
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If you have a balanced cable with a 2.5mm jack, look at the E1DA 9038s. If not then the E1DA 9038D should do the trick. Check out the reviews of this amazing dac-amp, it's just too much VFM.

ABOUT US | index

e1dashz.wixsite.com e1dashz.wixsite.com
www.audiosciencereview.com

Review and Measurements of E1DA 9038S BAL Portable DAC & Amp

This is a review and detailed measurements of the E1DA 9038S portable balanced DAC and headphone amplifier. It is the brainchild of the member @IVX. He kindly sent me a sample for review. The cost is stated as "TBD($70)." He will have to tell us if the price is finalized or not. The 9038S...
www.audiosciencereview.com www.audiosciencereview.com

Edit - Portable amps like the one I have linked above work through USB so no need of battery replacement or anything. I use it with my G8X to power my HD650s.
 
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rockstah said:
Do all portable ones face battery issues in the long-term? If so does any brand provide battery replacement in India?
I don't wanna spend 10k+ and only get to use it for 2 years. I'm pretty sure there isn't a portable amp which can also be powered with DC/USB right?
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Every battery has certain number of recharge cycles, after which it degrades overtime.
It doesn't matter if it's a portable amp, a mobile phone or a bluetooth headphone.
Brand don't provide battery replacement, you must 've noticed as mentioned on many electronic devices like. 1yr item warranty for the item and 6 months for the battery and accessories.
It doesn't mean battery dies after 2 yrs. It just weakens over time depending on usage.
e.g. - If you use mobile phone heavily for gaming and charge it twice daily , battery life will be less.
same is with any other battery based device.
There are dac/amp combos like iBasso DC04 available which can draw power from phones usb port but they are not very powerful. can be used only for earphones and not suitable for Sundara.

I agree 100% with rdst_1 this device E1DA 9038s is an excellent choice, even more powerful amp than Fiio BTR5 (atleast on specs).
 
rdst_1 said:
If you have a balanced cable with a 2.5mm jack, look at the E1DA 9038s. If not then the E1DA 9038D should do the trick. Check out the reviews of this amazing dac-amp, it's just too much VFM.

ABOUT US | index

e1dashz.wixsite.com e1dashz.wixsite.com
www.audiosciencereview.com

Review and Measurements of E1DA 9038S BAL Portable DAC & Amp

This is a review and detailed measurements of the E1DA 9038S portable balanced DAC and headphone amplifier. It is the brainchild of the member @IVX. He kindly sent me a sample for review. The cost is stated as "TBD($70)." He will have to tell us if the price is finalized or not. The 9038S...
www.audiosciencereview.com www.audiosciencereview.com

Edit - Portable amps like the one I have linked above work through USB so no need of battery replacement or anything. I use it with my G8X to power my HD650s.
Click to expand...
This one looks like great value, checked many reviews and all are positive. But it's not available here, not sure if it can be imported now.
@rdst_1 I'm getting an used 9038D for 6500, worth it? Is there major difference between both?
 
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rockstah said:
This one looks like great value, checked many reviews and all are positive. But it's not available here, not sure if it can be imported now.
@rdst_1 I'm getting an used 9038D for 6500, worth it? Is there major difference between both?
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It is worth it if you can't order from Linsoul right now. The D will be better as it will support all normal and future headphones as well. The S does have more power but frankly there is no need for so much power. I myself might get the 9038D in the future as well.
You can also join the discord group and clear any queries you have. There are a lot of helpful people on there.
 
rdst_1 said:
If you have a balanced cable with a 2.5mm jack, look at the E1DA 9038s. If not then the E1DA 9038D should do the trick. Check out the reviews of this amazing dac-amp, it's just too much VFM.
Click to expand...
Will this work well with a Hifiman deva? will keep it conected to the PC, dont need it to be portable. Are there any other better options for around the same 100$ price point?
 
SunnyBoi said:
Will this work well with a Hifiman deva? will keep it conected to the PC, dont need it to be portable. Are there any other better options for around the same 100$ price point?
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In the discord group, people have used these with all types of IEMs and HPs. The HiFiMan are known to have less impedance which means one shouldn't need such a powerful amp to get the best out of them. You should be able to drive them easily with something like the Hidisz Sonata HD Pro as well. But the E1DA is kind of the end game for me at least in the portable space. It drives my HD 650s with lots of headroom to spare. I like to listen at comparatively higher volumes and was maxing out the G8Xs volume levels whereas with this one I can't even go to 50%. I tried at 100% and it turns them into a speaker with the Neutron player. Please join the discord server and look at the issues people face to get a better understanding of whether these will work for you or not. Early on there were some issues with both Win 10 and Mac but they have been resolved and the father-son duo keep on releasing firmware updates to take care of new issues that crop up.
 
I bought earmen tr amp, found a good deal on it used. Apparently it can be used directly if battery fails and I read it can drive Sundara well.

Edit : gone with the 9038D
 
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