Yes, thought about it. Of course will audition it. Thankfully we can audition most audio gears here ( specially speakers, amps, common headphones) and return within 2 weeks even in offline stores.
Audio Audiophile and gears
- Thread starter icysmoke
- Start date
dissel
Skilled
Almost No DAC Amp support any Analog input, for that you need individual unit, if the budget is that much you may check out Matrix Audio Mini i3 (75k) and Pro (90k) ….diffrent internal and less tuning feature than RME ADI -2 FS.
Synth-Pop
Adept
Many DAC+AMP combo 've RCA input port like Aune x1s pro, Fiio k5 pro, Ifi zen dac and more.
Yes, MA mini i3 pro has RCA inputs and I considered it too but RME is something different but expensive as well.
dissel
Skilled
Sorry, I really get confused it is my bad……I’m thinking something big dac combo model during posting….
Isn’t ZEN Dac particularly support only one input i’e USB…..lots of folks complained due to this missed opportunity.
I will be returning the A90, D90 (MQA) stack to the same physical store, they are more than happy to get the system back at the same price I bought them for ( as there's a huge demand and supply mismatch for this stack and the price has increased considerably)
And the Monolith one can drive my most power hungry cans easily.
But both of them are typical razor sharp accurate type of set-up. Moreover I do need a portable set up and try to declutter the mess (it's even worse than what Zeos have...we had a video call last weekend and he literally made fun of my extremely cluttered desk)
Please suggest a (trans)portable DAC/ AMP set up, don't need balanced out. Budget: shouldnt be an issue as D90/A90 will cover it.
The store has a few options like xDSD, Mojo
(no interest in Chord products...have tried before and it's simply overrated like Cobalt) Woo's Topaz, Eclipse ( both have poor battery life, but love their tuning) Earmen stuff ( have doubts about their quality, but they are comparatively inexpensive tried Sparrow, not impressive)
Exit strategy:
1. Two desktop amps
a. Monolith (not the best by any means, but very clean and 2W is more than enough) wish it had a 3.5 out though
b. Woo tube ( WA7): I've been through several tube amps, but this one is spectacular. Looks great, sounds perfect ( only adds a touch of the typical tube warmth)
2. Portables:
a. Transport: The cheapest available ( Fiio M3 Pro) Not interested in bigger/ better DAPs anymore.
b. DAC Amp: need help!!
3. Headphones ( the most difficult decision)
a. Open back: Deva/ Ananda ( possibly both)
HD600, DT880 (600 ohm)
b. Closed back: easy peasy..NDH20, HD25 II
c. IEMs: Cheaper, the better...IE40 Pro, T2, OPPOTY and the old Etys ( so old, forgot the model number..??ER4??)
d. BTNC: Don't have the favourite ( PXC550 II), expecting another one as gift.
e.TWS: Never thought of buying them, but bought a pair for less than 30EUR ( Oppo something) and love them.
EVERYTHING ELSE will go by this weekend.
Any recommendations? Missing something important? ( The LCD X will stay..but only in the studio, for older mixes)
dissel
Skilled
A portable situation like this now - As Fiio M3 Pro supports USB out (As I think so) - As this is Europe check before buy.
Hip DAC (Amazing Smooth/Polished Sound) > xDuoo Basic/Plus/Balance ----OR------ Fiio Q5s (IEM Friendly) with THX Amp - AM3E Amp is gone (but charging off is complete PIA) > Dethonray Honey H1 > iDSD Diablo.
I'm after the xDuoo, but not available locally ( Zeos suggested it over hip DAC and Fiio Q3, cheap 1W output, has a BT module also) Yes, they have Diablo. Yes, M3 Pro supports usb out.
I've heard of one Shure portable, but can't find it anywhere.
I've heard of one Shure portable, but can't find it anywhere.
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By using Apple dongle so far I realised 1 major weakness of dongles and DAC/AMPs in general. These things sound different with different sources. I tested it with Samsung S8 and it sounded deliciously warm and smooth but the same dongle sounded cold and harsh with my MBA. These things are highly source dependent and I don't like it. DAPs here are better suited for music listening in general as they eliminate source and RFI issues.
I am thinking of shifting to 2 channel speaker setup in near future, so if someone needs an Andromeda 2020 (still has 1 year warranty left) can PM me for the same.
I am thinking of shifting to 2 channel speaker setup in near future, so if someone needs an Andromeda 2020 (still has 1 year warranty left) can PM me for the same.
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Is it due to Android's terrible resampling that usb player pro can't really bypass?
The difference between Mac and PC is negligible.
Anyone looking for BTNC cans, PXC550 II available for about 12k in Amazon.in
Except the lack of USB C, it is a much versatile option compared to 1000XM4.
Get them quickly, if you need one. For 12k INR you won't get anything but JBL / Jabra and other rubbish.
The difference between Mac and PC is negligible.
Anyone looking for BTNC cans, PXC550 II available for about 12k in Amazon.in
Except the lack of USB C, it is a much versatile option compared to 1000XM4.
Get them quickly, if you need one. For 12k INR you won't get anything but JBL / Jabra and other rubbish.
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Black_Hawk
Skilled
Is anyone here using the Auris Blume HD for connecting a Tablet/ iPad to an Amplifier?
I'm planning to get one to connect my Droid tablet and Marantz Amplifier for casual Spotify listening.
Auris Blume HD Long Range Bluetooth 5.0 Music Receiver Hi-Fi Wireless Audio Adapter with Audiophile DAC & aptX HD for Streaming to Home Stereo, AV Receiver or Stereo Amplifier
Usual price is 9.8k but now it's 8.8k under Prime Day Sale.
I'm planning to get one to connect my Droid tablet and Marantz Amplifier for casual Spotify listening.
Auris Blume HD Long Range Bluetooth 5.0 Music Receiver Hi-Fi Wireless Audio Adapter with Audiophile DAC & aptX HD for Streaming to Home Stereo, AV Receiver or Stereo Amplifier
Usual price is 9.8k but now it's 8.8k under Prime Day Sale.
A small info, if you're after Deva or the 2020 HE400i from hifiman and can't find them anywhere ( Deva's price has increased by 80% here and 400i isn't available anymore, and none of them are coming back anytime soon)
You may consider the 400SE, they ARE NOT the cheaper 400i, except the crappy cable, they sound pretty identical to 400i ( slightly warmer like Deva and overall sounds more pleasant to my ears.
Hifiman sent a pair to me and I can keep it for 2 weeks to test, other than the cable, there's nothing wrong with them.
You may consider the 400SE, they ARE NOT the cheaper 400i, except the crappy cable, they sound pretty identical to 400i ( slightly warmer like Deva and overall sounds more pleasant to my ears.
Hifiman sent a pair to me and I can keep it for 2 weeks to test, other than the cable, there's nothing wrong with them.
nick.knack91011
Disciple
Anyway , I have an odd request . I want some kind of male to female 3.5mm connector that has inline controls for volume / skip tracks in between because I hate having to open phone to skip track but also I dont lose out on sq as want to use some of the old headphones Ibhave sometimes when i go for walk or just travelling.
I have jailbroken my iphone and rooted my android to add long press volume to skip tracks for now , but if i can get something like that would be much easier solution. Also do any portable dacs come with that ? Or any dongle with that capability ?
I know xduooo link does that so does my btr but i need to carry 2 extra cables one for phone to dongle then dongle to 3.5mm on other side which is equally inconvinient on top of carrying the link / btr itself otherwise have to use BT which i dont prefer.
I have jailbroken my iphone and rooted my android to add long press volume to skip tracks for now , but if i can get something like that would be much easier solution. Also do any portable dacs come with that ? Or any dongle with that capability ?
I know xduooo link does that so does my btr but i need to carry 2 extra cables one for phone to dongle then dongle to 3.5mm on other side which is equally inconvinient on top of carrying the link / btr itself otherwise have to use BT which i dont prefer.
fLUX
Skilled
Hifiman Deva is available for 12k on Amazon if anyone is interested.
blackscorpio
Disciple
very Tempting
That's awesome news!! Get them, if you haven't already...not coming back anytime soon after this stock.
dissel
Skilled
I strongly recommend not to spend 8 to 9k in this, Go for Fiio BTA30 which priced 7490/- inr, offer tons of feature than this……only problem is you need to wait a bit - HPZ or Fiio IN may able to tell you when it reach in India.
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Black_Hawk
Skilled
No. I don't like playing the wait game. Besides I don't want "tons of feature". All I want is something to connect my Tablet to my Spotify rig which comprises of a Marantz PM5005 and Mission LX-2. It will solely be used for background low volume music in my sitting room. The Blume comes with a PCM5102A DAC which will do nicely. Also, my house floor area is large and going by the reviews the signal on the Blume is pretty solid.
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rdst_1
Skilled
I have spent the past few days trying to find an answer. Does using a higher power amp with the same hardware help in better detail retrieval, enhancing the soundstage and instrument separation etc. And from what I have read and discussed at other places, it seems that almost all evidence is anecdotal.
In simpler terms, an amp should have enough power to drive the HP/speaker. Now everyone talks about impedance, whereas the more important factor here is 'Sensitivity/Efficiency' instead. These are the power requirements of a HD650
As you can see these are next to nothing and any cheap amp has enough power to drive them easily. This is because despite having an impedance of 300 ohm, they also have an efficiency of 103dB at 1V.
Now, see the power requirements for a 50 ohm Hifiman HE-6. It needs a lot more power to be driven properly because of it's low efficiency of 83.5dB and that is why Hifiman recommends to pair them with their EF6 Amplifier which can serve 5W per channel which is in the territory of Speaker amps.
So basically, my question is, why do some people design and others buy amps which are very clearly overpowering and are not needed for a specific hardware. Same thing is for DACs. The spec to judge a DAC by is SNR. And even small dongles are exemplary in that regard including the very capable Apple dongle as so many of us have found out.
So why this mad rush to design and buy stuff that is clearly not needed. I can understand the need of better power supply designs to provide cleaner power but all the marketing hype is always about amp power or some other thing which really doesn't matter and most people have nothing but 'placebo' due to the expensive hardware they just bought.
I would love to be taught more about these things from fellow learned members.
Edit - This question and discussion arose because I find that I prefer listening to my HD650s at comparably higher volumes as I find that the details and instrument separation aren't that good at lower volumes. People talk about using higher powered amps for better SQ at low volumes, but there is no science to support it at all. In my case, I think it is my hearing and my forever clogged nose and ears which might be ultimately responsible for me having to use higher volumes.
In simpler terms, an amp should have enough power to drive the HP/speaker. Now everyone talks about impedance, whereas the more important factor here is 'Sensitivity/Efficiency' instead. These are the power requirements of a HD650
As you can see these are next to nothing and any cheap amp has enough power to drive them easily. This is because despite having an impedance of 300 ohm, they also have an efficiency of 103dB at 1V.
Now, see the power requirements for a 50 ohm Hifiman HE-6. It needs a lot more power to be driven properly because of it's low efficiency of 83.5dB and that is why Hifiman recommends to pair them with their EF6 Amplifier which can serve 5W per channel which is in the territory of Speaker amps.
So basically, my question is, why do some people design and others buy amps which are very clearly overpowering and are not needed for a specific hardware. Same thing is for DACs. The spec to judge a DAC by is SNR. And even small dongles are exemplary in that regard including the very capable Apple dongle as so many of us have found out.
So why this mad rush to design and buy stuff that is clearly not needed. I can understand the need of better power supply designs to provide cleaner power but all the marketing hype is always about amp power or some other thing which really doesn't matter and most people have nothing but 'placebo' due to the expensive hardware they just bought.
I would love to be taught more about these things from fellow learned members.
Edit - This question and discussion arose because I find that I prefer listening to my HD650s at comparably higher volumes as I find that the details and instrument separation aren't that good at lower volumes. People talk about using higher powered amps for better SQ at low volumes, but there is no science to support it at all. In my case, I think it is my hearing and my forever clogged nose and ears which might be ultimately responsible for me having to use higher volumes.
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