Audiophile and gears

NO! It's overpriced for sure, but everything is overpriced at that level. Since I came from Sundara/ LCD X ( the later is really warm sounding) was surprised by the bright but certainly not thin sound of Clear ( not Utopia) and true to their name, they are really detailed ( not the thin detail like DT1990 or older AKG K7** series) the soundstage is good, nothing spectacular.
About Utopia only remember 2 things, very wide soundstage and some more controlled sparkle.
 
I have decided to go all out for open back headphones this time, yes will be using it outdoors too if possible but won’t be getting any other IEM for sure.

Thinking of starting from Sundara and a decent wireless AMP/DAC to accompany it.
 
Nalin said:
I don’t like active speakers for 2 reasons mainly, first they pack all the electronics inside so there are more chances of failures and secondly we can’t upgrade it’s amplifier at later stages. Also I don’t think any active speaker can sound remotely close to properly amped passive one.

Active speakers are not real speakers imho.
Click to expand...


Have a look ....

Very interesting.
 
So anyway , I already have a few DAPs be it old sansa clips , to lg v20 , to a Sony one etc.

I kinda want something portable tho as I don't like big devices for music as I always get distracted and my portable ones can't stream.

I was thinking between fiio m6 or activo ct10. What to you guys think ? I will take it for jog / workout too. Or I could just get old small smartphone and put Spotify as most likely I will use it for streaming maybe and Spotify is compressed anyway ! Not sure

Anyone used m6 or ct10 ?
 
Ct10 user here but I use that for recreational/critical listening Tidal and Spotify. Works great online and offline. For my walks and jogs, I carry my mobile though. The FIO M5 is more portable and wearable as well, if you can get it. I think there are few M5 users here.
 
ibose said:
Ct10 user here but I use that for recreational/critical listening Tidal and Spotify. Works great online and offline. For my walks and jogs, I carry my mobile though. The FIO M5 is more portable and wearable as well, if you can get it. I think there are few M5 users here.
Click to expand...
Liked m5 but doesn't do streaming, so clip is fine that way.

Where did you get ct10 from, headphonezone ?
Also can you give super mini ct10 review maybe if possible like pros cons ? I actually think might prefer it to fiio m6
 
nick.knack91011 said:
Liked m5 but doesn't do streaming, so clip is fine that way.

Where did you get ct10 from, headphonezone ?
Also can you give super mini ct10 review maybe if possible like pros cons ? I actually think might prefer it to fiio m6
Click to expand...
Yes HPZ, I bought an used one. Detailed precise warm sound, lossless Flacs sound fabulous, offline Tidal MQA support (if you believe in it), expandable storage, for the feature set and price, I am pretty happy. Cons - UI is crap, Tidal offline requires sideloading the app, Build is not meant for rough use.
 
ibose said:
Yes HPZ, I bought an used one. Detailed precise warm sound, lossless Flacs sound fabulous, offline Tidal MQA support (if you believe in it), expandable storage, for the feature set and price, I am pretty happy. Cons - UI is crap, Tidal offline requires sideloading the app, Build is not meant for rough use.
Click to expand...
How much did you get used one for ? Sounds good honestly except my use might be a bit rough
 
nick.knack91011 said:
So anyway , I already have a few DAPs be it old sansa clips , to lg v20 , to a Sony one etc.

I kinda want something portable tho as I don't like big devices for music as I always get distracted and my portable ones can't stream.

I was thinking between fiio m6 or activo ct10. What to you guys think ? I will take it for jog / workout too. Or I could just get old small smartphone and put Spotify as most likely I will use it for streaming maybe and Spotify is compressed anyway ! Not sure

Anyone used m6 or ct10 ?
Click to expand...
Have a look at E1DA portable DAC/AMP. It is a true beast and very very portable. What I realized is, that the best portable setup has to be an Android smartphone and a portable DAC like that. Sourcing it might be a small issue as Aliexpress is down, but Linsoul also sells it on their website. The new 9038D model works with normal headphones with no need to buy a balanced cable.
I use my LG G8X to drive normal earphones /headphones and then the E1DA for my HD650.
Please do a little research as to whether it will work with streaming services or not. I solely use my own FLAC library for listening. They even have a very active discord channel.

ABOUT US | index

e1dashz.wixsite.com e1dashz.wixsite.com
discord.gg

Discord - Group Chat That’s All Fun & Games

Discord is great for playing games and chilling with friends, or even building a worldwide community. Customize your own space to talk, play, and hang out.
discord.gg discord.gg
 
red dragon said:
NO! It's overpriced for sure, but everything is overpriced at that level. Since I came from Sundara/ LCD X ( the later is really warm sounding) was surprised by the bright but certainly not thin sound of Clear ( not Utopia) and true to their name, they are really detailed ( not the thin detail like DT1990 or older AKG K7** series) the soundstage is good, nothing spectacular.
About Utopia only remember 2 things, very wide soundstage and some more controlled sparkle.
Click to expand...
Do you think there is good noticeable difference between Sundara and Clear. Even though out of my budget, I am really tempted by that silver finish of Clears. Looks trendy as hell and we will not look like dork wearing that thing in public. I heard those things doesn't need lot of power as well, something not common with planars.
 
Last edited:
Yes, they are very different...can't say Clear is better but different. Clear can be driven even with a phone ( of course it scales up very well with amps)
 
I also feel going for easy to drive dynamic driver is a good move. Focal is possibly the only manufacturer who is using good quality easy to drive drivers in a decent looking housing.
You can wear the Clear in streets without looking like an alien. Can you imagine walking with hd800 on your head!!!??
 
Yes being a dynamic driver, it should sound really natural and speaker like. I think this is only high end model that is fashionable as well, mainly due to its colour. My only concern is the cup size which is not as big as HD800s or Arya, I have big ears and comfort can be an issue but I don't think there is such thing as perfect headphones.
 
I'm pretty sure 99.99 percent of ears will fit inside Focal Clear cups.
Since it's a gear thread, thought I should include this... received a replacement PXC 550 II (new sealed pack, manufactured in December 2020)
This one has MUCH stronger ANC ( obviously I'm comparing from memory) but the ANC is definitely a lot stronger with some cabin pressure effect ( the last pair didn't have it at all!!)
They possibly sound same, but smart pause works all the time ( this is possibly due to the new firmware) but the ANC is definitely stronger ( I'm not exactly happy with this strong ANC due to the weird suction effect)
Sennheiser Austria confirmed that the magnetic switch in the newer batch won't break ( and if it breaks, they will cover it with another 2 years of warranty from today)
 
Last edited:
rdst_1 said:
Have a look at E1DA portable DAC/AMP. It is a true beast and very very portable. What I realized is, that the best portable setup has to be an Android smartphone and a portable DAC like that. Sourcing it might be a small issue as Aliexpress is down, but Linsoul also sells it on their website. The new 9038D model works with normal headphones with no need to buy a balanced cable.
I use my LG G8X to drive normal earphones /headphones and then the E1DA for my HD650.
Please do a little research as to whether it will work with streaming services or not. I solely use my own FLAC library for listening. They even have a very active discord channel.

ABOUT US | index

e1dashz.wixsite.com e1dashz.wixsite.com
discord.gg

Discord - Group Chat That’s All Fun & Games

Discord is great for playing games and chilling with friends, or even building a worldwide community. Customize your own space to talk, play, and hang out.
discord.gg discord.gg
Click to expand...
Hmm that's the thing I don't want a phone its too distracting and are too big, so looking for a streaming dap.

I was gonna pull the plug in ct10 but apparently only whitelisted apps are available to be used hence I can't use some regional services I use sometimes for old Hindi stuff like saavn gaana etc.

I will either grab m6 now or old small android HTC or compact xperias whatever and turn then into dap for streaming , jogging gym as streaming services I use don't provide high res anyway so shudnt matter. But m6 looks fine too for what it offers .

Although later I was thinking then I might actually get a smartwatch for the price of m6 you know as the new ones have Spotify and bluetooth etc ! And for occasional streaming and workout use I don't want HiFi quality ! And tbf I think some might even support tidal and latest codecs ( will research later !)

Does anyone use a smartwatch for streaming here or has used one by any chance ?
 
Back
Top