Audiophile and gears
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fLUX
Forerunner
I never tried many sources , it sounded good out of my Hiby R6 Pro/Fiio Q5S and sounded absolutely brilliant out of a Cayin N6 II paired with a Pico Slim amplifier.
I am currently using them from straight out of MBA, sounds decent enough but looking at the likes of Lotto Paw S1 or L&P W2. I may consider DAP but not sure if the budget ones will be any better then L&P W2 which is claimed to kill many killobuck mid-fi level DAPs.
These are highly sensitive and reveal the noise floor of source especially when changing tracks.
fLUX
Forerunner
I have never tried a Lotoo Paw S1 , but I highly doubt it will kill a kilobuck DAP like Cayin N6 II/ Hiby R6 Pro/ Fiio M11 Pro. For budget/mid-fi IEMs probably yes, but the Andros thrive on power and cleaner sources.
I heard some great praises for Fiio M11 Pro but L&P W2 is said to be equivalent to Chord Mojo and better then Hiby R6 2020 according to those who own both.
I am also considering Chord Mojo preferably used, do you think it will be a viable alternative to mid-fi DAPs.
Mojo possibly has the most powerful amp section of all portable amp I've ever heard ( it's almost as powerful as Xduoo XD05)
Plus the Mojo is much smaller in size. But do we need this much of power, specially for a portable set-up?
I bought a cheap walkman ( A55) recently, contrary to the spec sheet ( specially the output power) it can drive pretty much everything portable.
I tried it with a hifiman planar ( possibly 400i) in the store, to my amazement, it could drive it easily with plenty of headroom, same with DT770.
As I don't have many headphones with me ( staying in another city for now) went to reddit...people are using Sundara with A55!!
Sure a M11 pro or R6 pro has more powerful amps, but this cheap Sony is also pretty darn powerful considering the price and size ( and the weird spec sheet)
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Plus the Mojo is much smaller in size. But do we need this much of power, specially for a portable set-up?
I bought a cheap walkman ( A55) recently, contrary to the spec sheet ( specially the output power) it can drive pretty much everything portable.
I tried it with a hifiman planar ( possibly 400i) in the store, to my amazement, it could drive it easily with plenty of headroom, same with DT770.
As I don't have many headphones with me ( staying in another city for now) went to reddit...people are using Sundara with A55!!
Sure a M11 pro or R6 pro has more powerful amps, but this cheap Sony is also pretty darn powerful considering the price and size ( and the weird spec sheet)
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Can you hear the difference between A55 and Mojo?
Sub $100 DAC/AMPs (ones having ESS) sound artificial and digital according to many who later on upgraded to the likes of Mojo or Black Label iDSD.
I don't have the Mojo with me now.
nick.knack91011
Explorer
What would you guys rather have lets say lg g8x phone with quad dac / htc 10 or a proper dac like fiio m6 or something if on a budget ? I am wondering how do the Sq compare. But also just wondering how these phones and also even k20 ( which i hear sounds amazing too ) compare vs similarly priced daps in general and wouldnt it be better to get these phones than a dap ( unless ofcourse some otehr reasons / preferences like size etc )
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rdst_1
Innovator
I was in a similar dilemma not long ago and I went with a android phone and a portable DAC/AMP combo. Someone on Hi-fivision recommended to me the E1DA DAC and frankly that is so much more powerful than DAPs of the same price range and even ones which are costlier.
After enjoying the DAC with my Note 9 Pro, I upgraded to the G8X during the October sales when it was available for 20k.
I would any day pick an Android phone over a DAP. Now with the G8X, I only have to bring out my E1DA DAC for the Hd650s. I don't have a big collection, but the G8X was able to drive the 70 ohm Senn HD25 with ease.
To upgrade from G8X, you need at least Mojo/iDSD BL or don't bother with it. Save up instead.
nick.knack91011
Explorer
Thanks , Yeah thats what I thought as well. I dont have g8x but was considering might as well get a phone for same price than a dap.
Althought note 9 doesnt have speacial dac as such i hear good things about its audio. Did you sell the note before buying g8x ? I think g8x was amazing when it went for sale but since never dropped to that price !
Althought note 9 doesnt have speacial dac as such i hear good things about its audio. Did you sell the note before buying g8x ? I think g8x was amazing when it went for sale but since never dropped to that price !
Older ESS chips had those metallic quality, it's not artificial, but slightly different from AK chips. Now they are pretty much identical. I have the fiio M3 pro with ESS- typical mildly warm fiio sound.
Older ESS chips had those metallic quality, it's not artificial, but slightly different from AK chips. Now they are pretty much identical. I have the fiio M3 pro with ESS- typical mildly warm fiio sound.
Older ESS chips had those metallic quality, it's not artificial, but slightly different from AK chips. Now they are pretty much identical. I have the fiio M3 pro with ESS- typical mildly warm fiio sound.
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rdst_1
Innovator
I was using the portable E1DA DAC with the Redmi Note 9 Pro.
The G8X is still available for 25-26k and certainly not a bad choice even at that price. And also a lot many available on OLX for a lot less.
fLUX
Forerunner
If you are looking for a DAC which sounds tonally similar to analog , R2R/multibit is the way to go. I recently had the opportunity to evaluate Cayin IDAC6 , Schiit Multibit and AD1862 (a DIY DAC), overall the 1862 seems to do a much better job at tonality (the vocal presentation, the emotional touch & the expansive soundstage) than other ESS/AKM DAC I have listened too. The Modi Multibit felt like a cheaper alternative to more expensive R2R's with very good tonality & mids, punchy and tight lows whereas the treble was slightly rolled off. Only thing is the R2R dac have a slightly warmish & rolled off signature, if you are into heavy metal and the likes you might feel them to be a tad soft.
If you are looking for portable DAC/AMPs the Black Label iDSD seem to have good following & some have reported it to be better than Mojo. I had an Apex Glacier DACAMP which had a top notch amp section , used to use in conjunction with my DAP sometimes, never tried the Chord Mojo but had got myself a Chord Hugo in between which I found it too bright for my liking , but have read that the Mojo is different (never got a chance to listen to one). I had the Hiby R6 Pro which I used to enjoy listening to but sold it away once Covid hit as it was barely being used , decided to stick with Q5S for the time being.
If I were to get a DAP in future though its going to be a mid-end Sony in all probability purely because of the battery life they offer,
nick.knack91011
Explorer
I remmeber it was you ? who maade apost about k20 pro audio quality ? did you find out it was the chipset or it has some other dac etc in it ?
I think the new x3 pro seems very similar in quite a few specs and high res certified, and I was wondering if it might sounds similar
I am not much familiar with R2Rs but heard they are vintage types. All those mentioned by you seems to be of desktop kind and not portable which is my main requirement.
iDSD BL and Mojo goes toe to toe according to many but with Mojo there is an option of adding Poly and making it sort of DAP. Thus giving preference to Mojo currently. I think only mid end Sony that is widely acclaimed is WM1A, are you talking about that..