The TRN BAX PRO were provided my review by the manufacturer. I thank them for that and also apologize for the long delay of the publication of this article owing to some lengthy orofacial problems. You can get them from TRN Audio.

Introduction

TRN, or more precisely, Dongguan Zuodu Acoustics Technology Co., Ltd. are a ChiFi player of the first hour, from a time when a budget Chifi model reached easily 40,000 views on Head-Fi in a few weeks. Examples are the TRN V80 and V90.

TRN, like many other relatively inexperienced ChiFi companies (compared to, let’s say, the more established Sennheiser or Audio Technica), overestimated their abilities and prematurely released earphones in the premium segment that may have had the ingredients but the final meal was subpar. For example, the TRN BA8 was a screamer and unable to deliver musical enjoyment to the aided ear. And the original BAX was apparently not much better (I was told).

Time cures wounds and companies mature. TRN reassembled and tried again in order to close the reputation gap to, let’s say, Dunu or Moondrop.

Specifications TRN BAX PRO

Physical Things and Usability

The BAX PRO features quality ingredients and an interesting architecture: 1 DD + 2 BA + 2 EST: a Beryllium diaphragm for the bass, 1 Knowles 29689 BA for the mid frequencies, and another Knowles BA 33518 as well as two Sonion electrostatic drivers for crisp treble. It also comes with a modular cable with 3.5 mm single ended and 2.5 mm & 4.4 mm balanced plugs.

In the box are the earpieces, 2 sets of eartips with three tuning switches, the modular cable with three plugs, a strange plaque, a small tool for moving the switches, the usual TRN metal storage box and the paperwork.

The CnC machined, sturdy earpieces are rather large and have a bit of an unusual nozzle angle. Some people complained about not getting them deep enough into their ear canals, I have had no issues. But I don’t get the world’s greatest isolation with them either.

The eight-strand single crystal copper cable is rather pliable and, appeal wise, average. The eartips (2 silicone sets and 1 foam set)) are also nothing to write home about. In summary, the BAX PRO’s haptic is ok.

The BAX PRO are easy to drive.

Tonality and Technicalities

It is very difficult to give you an accurate account of the sound considering the options you have with switch positions and (stock) eartips. The BAX PRO are also sensitive to insertion depth so that different reviewers may report different results. Let me start with the black stock eartips and all switches in the “off” position [“Equalization mode”].

If you expect another TRN shoutfest, you may be surprised to hear that this is not the case. The BAX PRO offer a slightly warm however transparent sound with vocals in the foreground and zero shoutiness. I was quite delighted when I tried them out the first time and left them in my ears for a couple of hours going through a selection of jazz, rock, and classical.

What sticks out to me is the lower midrange: both female and male vocals are sparkly, very well sculptured in three dimensions, and rather intimate with a very good body. Bass is digging deep but is a bit subdued, thick, and could be a tad crisper while having enough kick…a bit similar to the Sennheiser HD 600 headphones…but you can tweak this with the switches, insertion depth and eartips. The midrange has good transparency and resolution without a hint of shoutiness. Very realistic.

TRN spent lots of attention on the treble – which are very well carved out with excellent resolution. My treble testing passed, for example, Anne Sophie Mutter’s rendering of the very high violin notes of her pieces from Star Wars. Cymbals are very clean…though rather subtle.

The technical merit of the BAX PRO is also very good. Stage may be average in two dimensions, but the spatial reprodcution and imaging are excellent. You really can spot the singer on stage. Dynamics is also good.

Timbre is also rather natural. I much preferred it over the glassy BA sound of the Blessing 2, allegedly the first $1000 soundalikes at $300. I listened to a lot of Beethoven piano music and orchestral pieces with great pleasure.

The piano touch was quite realistic and revealed a good driver speed. Timbre and dynamics paired result in orchestral sounding natural and developing a healthy richness and volume. Surprising how good the BAX PRO work with acoustic instruments of any quantity.

I confirmed my positive listening impressions when connecting the BAX PRO to the EarMen stack after listening to the Sennheiser HD 600. They did hold up to my big surprise.

Let’s have a look at the switch settings.

Equalization

The standard mode which sounds best to my ears. I use this mode as comparison to the other switch settings.

Electronic Mode

Enhances the upper midrange and introduces shoutiness. Not for me.

Transparency Mode

Bass imbalance 2-3 dB. Reduces bass and adds upper midrange. Introduces even more shoutiness than Electronic mode. Transparency is good enough without this mode.

Atmospheric Enhancement

Is the same as Electronic Mode in my measurements…I did two independent measurement runs to confirm.

High-Frequency Mode

Adds to upper midrange and to treble. Only for the hardest of us who get up with cheap Bourbon whiskey in the morning. Too bright for the rest of us.

Low Frequency Mode

Essentially the same as Equalization, with the upper midrange minimally tuned down. Good.

Compared to the LETSHUOER EJ07M

The EJ07M have been one of my daily drivers for the last couple of years. They also sport electrostatic tweeters and are, at $649, ca. 50% more expensive than the BAX PRO. They feature smaller earpieces with a different nozzle angle, which probably provide a better fit for many. Their imaging is flatter than that of the BAX PRO (in the Equalization setting), they are generally a tad brighter sounding and more coherent overall.

The BAX PRO have the upper midrange dialled down (in the Equalization setting), which makes the vocals thicker but also duller and less dynamic. In terms of treble resolution, both are pretty even, with he BAX PRO possibly a tad ahead. I’d like the EJ07M’s form factor with the BAX PRO’s sound.

Overall, the price difference appears arbitrary.

Concluding Remarks

The TRN BAX PRO come as a very pleasant surprise to me. They sound enjoyable to my ears with all musical genres I threw at them. The money is essentially in the excellent holographic staging and imaging. But I am also confused: the switches are not very useful as most of the settings only add shrillness nobody needs. Sometimes, less is more!

My other criticism is the very generic accessories (cable, eartips). And some may have problems with the fit owing to the unusual nozzle angle. Sometimes, more is better!

In the end, I recommend trying them out if possible. I may have to send them on a western Canadian tour to gather some feedback from Biodegraded and Co. We may have a diamond in the rough that is overlooked owing to lack of concerted promotion and organized hype.

TRN are finally on their way to join the likes of Moondrop and Dunu in the mid tier segment (if they leave useless gimmicks such as switches off). They now have to substantiate this with other models. Durwood is currently taking on their Dragon Azure, and I am anxious to see what he will come up with.

Until next time…keep on listening!

The post TRN BAX Pro Review – Electroexstatic appeared first on Music For The Masses.

INTRO

Lately, TWS earphones like the Creative Aurvana Ace 2 have been impressing me more than the budget wired earphones in the same pricing range. With new technology from xMEMS that makes promises to improve our aural experience, the xMEMS technology is better suited for TWS given that it requires a constant voltage to keep the plates charged. While this may add an additional drain on the battery of the TWS, it does not seem to impact it too much.

DESIGN COMMENTARY

The xMEMS are similar flat panel type drivers, they do not have the excursion to reproduce bass frequencies as well without being larger than normal, so it seems better suited for treble duty for the time being. They do have larger models, but I am not aware of any commercial products using them currently.

MEMS have already been used for microphones in some wired models and also smartphones, now they are using it as an actual driver. There were even suggested automotive applications from other technology companies. It is a wide band piezo style silicone based surface mount device.

Seeing new technology making tons of promises is nothing new, the question is does it live up to the hype? So what does xMEMS promise? You can read about it here, or I have summarized my take:

• Semiconductor components that can be surface mounted, good for automated assembly.
• Improved material stiffness, this pushes the breakup mode higher in frequency where it is less audible especially if it can be pushed above 20Khz. They are claiming >10khz, so it must still be in the audible band.
• Phase Coherence
• Near-zero phase shift
• Excellent transient response
• Shock resistant up to huge values
• Easier fabrication (This implies a cost savings somewhere, either for the consumer or the manufacturer, most likely the latter.)
• Better uniformity. I have some experience in what they call binning. The tolerances of products may ultimately be graded and “binned” into lets say A,B,C etc categories. Binning can be used to match tolerances, charge more, provide longer warranties, charge less if they are slightly outside of tolerance, or used in other less demanding applications, etc or a combination of these. With better uniformity and stricter tolerances, then there is better matching from Left to Right channels.

Creative Aurvana Ace 2 is plastered predominantly on the rotating splash page for www.xmems.com They are the first model to use the Cowell/xMEMS coaxial driver so we are not getting all the claimed advantages of their single full range xMEMS model. It is new nonetheless, there are other brands using them too however, I see Noble Audio also has a model available for example.

FEATURES

The Creative Aurvana Ace 2 priced at $149 comes in a familiar earbud styled shell like the Airpod Pro, and charges via USB-C or wireless in a translucent compact case. On the bottom is a pairing button, and the USB-C port.

A new trend I am seeing more and more of is oval shaped nozzles. I know this is supposed to be a better match for our ears, however I seem to have mixed experiences with fitment. The Creative Aurvana Ace 2 shell is longer than the Moondrop Space which also has a similar shape and oval nozzles, and therefore fits better for me and of course others may have a different outcome.

With the Creative App, users can update firmware ( I already updated twice in the span of a month), change EQ presets or modify your own, and change the button controls. Screenshots are below. Additionally there are three sound modes, ANC, Ambient and off. I noticed the off mode keeps wind noises at bay, ANC and Ambient both amplify wind noise. Highly encouraged to use the app, otherwise you will miss out on firmware updates that may be required for proper operation.

Unfortunately, the ANC testing is at the wrong time of year as I have yet to fire up the lawn mower and have no airplane trips scheduled. Best I can do is test in the bathroom with the fan on. Bathroom fan testing reveals a quiet hair dryer sound, it is similar to the Moondrop Space. Sony WF-1000XM3 still reigns supreme for me (I have not tried the XM4/XM5 models).

The ambient mode on the Creative Aurvana Ace 2 was actually more enjoyable than the ANC. Somehow it improves the Ace 2 soundstaging similar to open-back earphones without the loss of bass. On windy days it will boost windnoise, but inside it works out great.

I briefly played with the EQ settings, it reacts strangely in that making changes to a band also makes changes to the surrounding band. You will notice it if you set a band, and then makes changes to the one right next to it, move it up or down and watch the neighboring band also move up or down with it. I have never seen this behavior with other apps, either is a glitch with the APP, or the Q is too wide.

SOUND

Tested with iPhone 13 and LG G8.

I would describe the Creative Aurvana Ace 2 as a V shaped tune if not close to Harman. Bass comes through boisterous and fat on the Creative Aurvana Ace 2, over accentuating say foot stomps that normally only slightly show up causing a jarring sensation.

Given Creative’s heritage in computer based audio for gaming purposes, this is probably a purposeful design goal and not necessarily a negative if primary use is for gaming. There are also soft landings on the bass hits and could use more definition. It slogs along on a Sunday stroll rather than with purpose.

Lower mids sound full and warm, while midrange comes through realistic sounding with plenty of blank spacing around them. This lets the vocalist sound like they are singing in a larger space and not closed in and dull. Woodwinds are soft and delicate sounding.

Creative Aurvana Ace 2 delivers on the quick transient treble response, I do not pickup any coloration. There are some hiccups, horns have trouble sounding continuous. Perhaps there is a crossover between the drivers smearing it making them sound jagged. Sparkle and air tail off in a good way, cymbals and triangles for example have nice shimmer and ringing as required.

Coming back to the bass output on the Creative Aurvana Ace 2, it pulls the wide stage forward with the whole stage between your ears. Timbre is pretty spot on, height is predictable. The KZ VXS Pro sounds less forward and lower midbass provides a tad more definition.

The final feature that I find invaluable is multipoint connection and the Creative Aurvana Ace 2 comes equipped with said feature. It worked flawlessly between my Iphone and LG G8. Initially I had trouble with my Lenovo laptop, but after a firmware update it seemed to rectify the problem of it immediately disconnecting. I did have a hiccup a few times where one earpiece was disconnected, I am not sure if it was user error or on purpose, but sticking them back in the case and then pulling them out made them both start working again.

GOOD TRAITS

Ambient, ANC modes
Multipoint
Wireless Charging
Brightish Treble sounds quick and mostly concise
EQ settings/App
Low Latency toggle in app
Charging case is pocket friendly

NEEDS IMPROVEMENT

Computer connection disconnects
Oval nozzles does not always fit well in my experience
Bass is boosted too much and could use more definition
ANC is not at Sony levels.
APTX Lossless and lower codec support
EQ band changes affect surrounding bands, needs work.

FINAL REMARKS

Creative Aurvana Ace 2 is a good choice for TWS if you want accentuated bass and clear upper treble but do not necessarily need top tier ANC. Although it is not a strong contender for ANC performance, the ambient mode is nice and opens them up. The petite case is appreciated, and has wireless charging, battery life seemed middle of the road.

At $149 value is on the low side when you start comparing to the larger market share of Sony, Bose, Apple and Sennheiser for example. You can even find the good models from those brands used for cheaper. I am not completely sold on xMEMS being the end all be all, but for a first go it has better dynamics and timbre than some planars and BA drivers, but there is not a big difference noticed yet.

Disclaimer: I appreciate that Creative sent these free of charge for evaluation, this review as always is influence free, guilt free, and gluten-free.

CREATIVE AURAVANA ACE 2 SPECIFICATIONS

Product Page

CREATIVE APP SCREENSHOTS

Contact us!

DISCLAIMER

Available for purchase direct from Creative, Amazon and other retailers.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

About my measurements.

The post Creative Aurvana Ace 2 TWS Featuring xMEMS IEM Review – Come As You Are appeared first on Music For The Masses.

The Rhapsody is yet another assembly-line earphone from the KZ/CCA stable with a decent sounding Harmanish tuning that can be altered with a set of switches.

CCA is a sub-brand of Knowledge Zenith (“KZ”). Together both brands must have released 100 different models, each with an estimated shelf life of about three weeks. Almost all of them are positioned in the budget realm, therefore affordable to be bought in bulk, suited for stimulating the obsessive compulsive buying habits of some personalities. The numerous models are also rather repetitive in both sound and haptic. KZ and CCA are the earphone equivalent of fast fashion such as SHEIN, Primark and Co. Both stand for modern overconsumption.

Many buyers have been saturated with CCA/KZ models as you can read in the comments to my recent April Fool’s Day article:

We at audioreviews.org have certainly been saturated with budget models a long time ago and thankfully explicitly declined KZ’s request to review this one…but it ended up in my mailbox anyway. This is no arrogance from our side but self protection related our natural learning process: our ears have simply outgrown the budget segment. It is no fun anymore. Focusing on interesting and inspiring gear prevents burnout. Let the juniors take on these to earn their stripes, or the reviewers who make money from these with affiliate links and Google ads.

Since we do not rely on advertisement income based on the number of views (or none at all), we can, to some extent, take on gear that is interesting. And KZ/CCA earphones are largely not for us…except perhaps the current AS24 model.

The Rhapsody is yet another Harman-ish tuned iem with tons of B-grade drivers (2DD and 4BA). The shells’ resin and cable I have had in my hands at least 100 times before…good quality…but I wonder whether KZ/CCA’s earphone designers are dying of boredom. How often have we seen this combination before?

Whilst, the admittedly superbly designed product page hails the Rhapsody as the “New King of Hybrid IEM”, and “a new pinnacle of HIFI In-Ear Monitor, born for extraordinary auditory experience”, I wonder which of their “4-level tuning switches” should relate to that.

I give it to CCA that they make such claims without relying on the good/questionable names of YouTubers in so-called collabs.

In the end, I did it to me and tried the CCA out (with all switches off), and I had a perfectly average Harman-type experience. No need to even measure that. Nothing wrong with the sound, it is good middle of the road. Nothing piercing, nothing muddled, it may help me falling asleep at night.

What sets the sound the Rhapsody apart from more expensive iems is their lean reproduction, particularly in the vocals department. This has been a long-standing issue with KZ/KBEAR etc. earphones (I have never tested an CCA).

The Rhapsody fit well, are comfortable, and are relatively big owing to the large number of drivers. The fact that CCA can sell that $50 set for $36 on sale (without a loss) points to their profit margin.

Everything in the Rhapsody is just plain average. If you are not experienced in this hobby, they would be a good start, especially as you can play with the switches. But if you are earphone savvy, these are just repetitive…for the umptiest time.

If you want a decent CCA/KZ iem, get the AS24 model.

Until next time…keep on listening!

Specifications CCA Rhapsody

The post CCA Rhapsody Review – Fast Fashion appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Executive Summary

The $55 Maono WM620 is a compact set of two well-built, good-sounding microphones with receiver that can be used for Vlogging, streaming, and Zoom/Teams/Skype telecasting.

Also great for broadcasting music due a special “reverb setting”. Indoor/outdoor use with special noise-cancelling algorithm. Very portable and easily chargeable as all elements are stored in a dedicated charge case not exceeding the size of some TWS cases.

The Maono WM620 was provided unsolicited by the company and I thank them for that. You can get it from maono.com.

Introduction

Lavalier microphones, that is small mics that you attach to your shirt, are widely applied in TV studios for interviewing purposes. At home or in the office, you can use them for Zoom, Microsoft Teams meetings, or (YouTube) live streaming/Vlogging. If you want to do interviews, you need two microphones. And if you want to be mobile during use, your microphones should be wireless.

What we would like to see in such microphones is a small size (to conceal them if required), good sound quality, long battery life, and a long wireless range. The Maono WM620 Lavalier Wireless are…errrm…wireless.

On top of these standard requirements, they offer environmental noise cancelling — that is background noise is being removed…and a reverb mode for musicians and horror movies.

Maono is a high-tech company that produces affordable microphones, audio interfaces, headphones, and other audio accessories. They preferably sell directly to consumers to keep their prices reasonable.

Specifications Maono WM620

Physicals of the WM620

In the box is a charge case with USB-C cable, inside are the receiver and two transmitting microphones with magnetic clip, 2 magnets for attaching, and the manual. The case is barely larger than that of an earphone.

All parts are made of hard polycarbonate and appear reasonably sturdy. The receiver has a USB-C plug for attaching it to Android phones and computers. It also works for iPhone but you need an OTG adapter like this one for (except iPhone 15, which has a USB-C port). The transmitting microphones and the receiver are very small, the whole set is very transportable and therefore well suited for use on the road.

Functionality and Operation

The WM620’s receiver is connected to your recording device and the two microphones are attached to people, either by a (magnetic) clip or by an included magnet. Pairing is easy on the push of a button.

If you don’t like the view of the transmitter on your chest, you can hide it in a pocket or behind your shirt/blouse/jacket and hardwire a small external lavalier mic to it (not included)…which bypasses the two mics but reduces your recording microphones from 2 to 1. The receiver hosts a 3.5 mm headphone socket for real-time monitoring.

The microphones feature a 2-step environmental noise reduction to minimize the ambient background sounds, and a 4-level gain. They also have a reverb button for musical productions and a mute button.

The microphones and the receiver have a range of status LEDs on their tops.

Each transmitting microphone features its own USB-C port for charging, although they are all being automatically charged in the storage case. The receiver does no have a battery but draws power from the host device. You can use the set while charging your phone through the receiver’s USB-C port.

The mics work for 6 hours and can be recharged twice in the recharge case, which totals 18 hours of use. You need a 5 V USB charger (not included) for charging the case.

The maximum transmission distance is given with 100 m.

Sound Quality

The most import feature of this microphone set is its sound quality. Check it out here:

I used the maximum gain on both mics. The radio was playing very quietly. Pretty good sound to my ears. The reverb function is a bit of a gimmick but the environmental noise cancellation works very well. What’s really great…and I am repeating myself, is the compact size of the whole set…everything fits in a handy charge case.

Concluding Remarks

The Maono WM620 is a great microphone set that ticks the following boxes: it is small, light, and works well. And the price is right, too.

Until next time…keep on listening!

Disclaimer

The WM620 was provided unsolicited by Maono and I thank them for that. You can get it from maono.com.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post MAONO WM620 Wireless Microphone Review – UFO appeared first on Music For The Masses.

KZ, or Knowledge Zenith, or Dongguan Yuanze Acoustic Technology Company Ltd., have been flooding the western markets with earphones since 2014 (and the domestic market probably much earlier).

We may remember the early ED1 and ED2 that came in plain blue boxes and cost $5, including shipping from China. These were actually quite decent iems. KZ briefly built on their early success with some more sophisticated dynamic-driver models like the popular ED9.

When balanced armature drivers became affordable at around 2017, KZ were one of the first players to catch on and cash in on a grand scale. I quickly purchased and/or reviewed 22 of their models but stopped when they started to overflow and jam the lowest drawer of my office desk. KZ exacerbated this effect by producing bigger and bigger models such as the ZS10 or the BA10.

Their first multi driver models had a V-shaped sound characterized by vocals buried behind the soundstage, like the ED16. But they were cheap, most of them sold for below $25. Their next generation was characterized by an exaggerated upper midrange that produced a sharp and shouty sound. Examples are the EDX and ZSN Pro X.

But KZ did not give up and, in collaboration with the Comical Research Interference Network (C.R.I.N.), they fabricated at least one model with mostly decorative drivers (which they may have taken over from Campfire Audio): only some in each model actually “fired”…which did not play a role as some professional YouTubers did not notice it, possibly owing to too much decorative makeup around their ears. Decorative drivers helped keeping the price down, and YouTubers are mainly decoration, too, albeit annoying ones (for adults).

KZ play the game and they play it well: cashing in on obsessive-compulsive buyers who need their weekly fix…or mail call, as they call it on Facebook. These are eternal sidegraders. Such buyers spend cumulatively way more money on their countless budget models than on a decent earphone such as the Sennheiser IE 600, which would stand the test of time.

KZ must have a sign in their conference room: Many a little makes a mickle!

Finally, the KZ AS24 is a good earphone. It is model 1199. Yes, there are slightly more KZ models than Bruce Lee karate movies, and way more than words spoken by Sylvester Stallone in his Rocky francise. Number 1200 will be released soon. Congratulations!

Until next time…keep on listening!

The post KZ To Release Their 1200th Earphone Model appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Killers of the Flower Moon—I idolize Scorcese, but someone needs to tell him he needs an editor–as with his previous snorer, The Irishman, this potentially very interesting film bogs down in endless reaction shots and static dialogue. DeNiro is predictably fine as the villain, but much-overhyped Lily Gladstone is reserved to the point of comatose. Really grim throughout—it wouldn’t have hurt him to lighten the mood a bit.

The Holdovers—Another overlong disappointment from a director I usually like (“Sideways” is a classic), this one comes off as a something a retread of “Cider House Rules” and a schmaltzy Christmas movie. Paul Giamatti is a fine actor, but I don’t necessarily want to look at him for three hours and I was never sure if this was supposed to be comedy or melodrama.

Napoleon—some cool (and supposedly historically accurate) battle scenes but the generally excellent Joaquim Phoenix seems too whiny/neurotic to play an emperor, and his Josephine lacks any sort of schwing. Plus the film, for some reason, was shot with sepia filters, looks really dark and claustrophobic and could have easily stood to lose about 45 minutes (sensing a theme here?).

Zone of Interest—I initially thought this film was overly stylized, and it moves at a lugubrious pace, but it’s genuinely unsettling and visually brilliant.  The scene where Hoss tells his young son about increasing the “yield” of the death camps he supervises gave me nightmares, as did the screams emanating from outside the walls of his villa. Sandra Huller as Mrs. Hoss should have gotten the Oscar.

Anyone But You—please don’t judge me, but I enjoy the occasional brain-dead rom-com. This one, unfortunately, lacks both the rom and the com and the plot, even by the standards of the genre, is sub-moronic. Busty young Sydney Sweeney isn’t a bad actress (she was very good in “Reality”), but she has zero chemistry with her semi-naked co-lead and she just ain’t funny. Two hours of my life I wish I had back.

Poor Things—a really imaginative feminist take on Frankenstein, this movie has the quality lacking in almost all the other Oscar nominees—it’s entertaining, as opposed to merely cinematic. Emma Stone is great, but Mark Ruffalo steals the show as the rakish cad.

American Fiction—another one I wanted to enjoy more than I actually did. Jeffrey Wright does pretty well with what he’s given, but the ghetto novelist theme is less edgy than intended and the whole dissipated middle-aged college professor milieu feels tired.

Road House II—the very idea of remaking the classic original is sacrilegious. This version has lots of big explosions, some amusing scenes with Conor McGregor and an absurdly jacked Dalton, but wholly lacks the sheer, joyful idiocy of its predecessor. Pain don’t hurt?

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INTRO

TRN Conch is calling from 2018, and looks like TRN dusted off the V30 shell and equipped it with a single dynamic 10mm DLC coated driver. Shell shape is familiar, coils tightly and fits easily in smaller ears, however the nozzle width is still quite large. I did like this smaller Dunu like shell back in the day from TRN, but seasons change. Unfortunately the smaller size allows it to float in my ear, and the angle of the nozzle tends to push out of my right ear.

I’m just going to get right to it, Diamond Like Coating doesn’t mean it needs to cut like a sharp blade, but that is what we have here. DLC was all the rage 2 years ago and still works great in some other models. I bought another DLC IEM from Senfer a few years ago that was just so rough I could not even review it, plus it had major channel imbalance. While the TRN Conch looks like a great vacation package, the reality is far from white sandy beaches and tasty fruity beverages.

SOUND

Tested with LG V8, Shanling UA3

The TRN Conch has a dry damped bass reminiscent of British bass. It was tuned to have the mid bass snap with some leftover sub-bass for dessert. Vocals sound a bit chesty since the bass is more mid-bass centric. Not too sculpted though with a soft mushy center.

Midrange is clear and resolving with average depth definition which is right in line for something in this price range of $38, but then we continue into the overzealous treble that hits sharp and grainy occasionally becoming sibilant.

Timbre has an unattractive tinge, but I also do not ever remember any TRN model being a poster child for normal. Instead they tend to always shoot for big treble with highly focused presence where snare and cymbals jump out, at least that has been my experience with all the models I have used.

All this excitement comes even when using the tuning nozzles I find the least offensive. The other two have the tell-tale eastern 12-15db pinna upper midrange that makes them extremely forward. The level of detail for the TRN Conch unfortunately does not need a magnifying glass put towards an area it struggles with.

PACKAGE CONTENTS

The TRN Conch comes with extras you would expect in a $100+set with the hard circular case, the swappable tuning nozzles, 2.5mm/4.4mm balanced 3.5mm single ended connectors, and great sticky advanced eartips named TRN T eartips. They feel similar to the MOONDROP springtips. The cable is above average and more premium than TRN/KZ entry level thickness and quality that reduces some tangling, and the chin slider moves easily.

All these extras attracted me to the TRN Conch for curiosity anticipating a new TRN ready to take on the midfield “budget”. Ignoring the zesty treble it might work for mellow tracks, but anything else is tiring for me. I recommend pairing it with a warmer source to tame the sharpness and smooth it out even further.

Perhaps the tuning nozzles are worth stuffing some extra dampening materials inside to tame that treble peakiness around 8khz, but there are others ready to go without this hiss. This was not the more mature TRN I was hoping for, the treble has the contrast turned to 11.

TECHNICALITIES / COMPARISON

Staging is quite narrow feeling, I tried the reference and atmospheric nozzles with no improvement. The reference moves the staging closer, but there is still congestion.

In comparison to the TRN Conch, the Kiwi Ears Cadenza has a leaner proper midbass, and lower midrange with less pizazz in the treble and is easier to listen to without a hint of sibilance. The TRN Conch has better ear-tips that stay on the nozzles, and the accessory kit with case and connection types, but is that supposed to be the main show?

THE END

The TRN Conch as an IEM is the summary of the book, and not the actual book. While you get a decent picture and substance of the music, to fully appreciate the nuances requires more in depth studies.

The accessory package is good, the bass lacks some definition and the sibilant treble is sharper than I would like. In this day and age, a rookie mistake even for $38. Overall the window dressing is only enough to get a passing grade, but this will not be a good memorable IEM for me other than a DLC IEM that sounds like a sharp rock.

Disclaimer: I would love to extend gratitude to Shenzhenaudio who sent these free of charge.

SPECIFICATIONS TRN CONCH

Resistance 30 ohm
Sensitivity 114dB
Driver: 10mm Dual Circuit DLC Dynamic
Shell: Metal
Cable: 0.75mm with detachable 2.5mm balanaced, 3.5mm, 4.4mm balanced

TRN CONCH GRAPHS

• Left vs Right
• Nozzle Tuning

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DISCLAIMER

Get it from SHENZHENAUDIO

Our generic standard disclaimer.

About my measurements.

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The TC01A and TC01C USB adapters were provided by ddHiFi for my analysis…and use. And I thank them for that. You get them from DD Official Store for $8.99 each or $15.99 for the couple.

What? An adapter review? Another one? Does anybody care? Sure, I love adapters, but I never intended to write one about the TC01A and TC01C. When I was asked to analyze the Janus3 earphone, I inquired whether I could try these out. I have purchased quite a few of USB-A to USB-C adapters (in both directions) since Apple changed their USB notebook ports from A to C.

I purchased a few cheepos and a couple of UGREENs. UGREEN is a reliable brand. But there was one problem I could not resolve: getting a tight, stable connection between my Hidizs AP80 Pro-X DAP and the USB-C to USB-A adapter. Most did not work because of the DAP’s leather case, and they also did not fit firmly without. I often had my music interrupted when the connection got loose. Annoying.

On top of that, I am operating amps and headphones with variable 3.5 mm and 4.4 mm sockets and plugs, and also purchased adapters between these two circuits. Relying on cheap no-name adapters from aliexpress caused more harm than good. Independent of sonic issues, some of these did not fit properly and I often had only one channel working.

The TC01A and TC01C are pricey – $16 USD for the pair – but they work. I now get a snug fit on my DAP and the thick leather case ain’t a problem for the connection either. Haptically, they are head and shoulders above their competition. And they are the only ones with gold-plated contacts.

What about the sound? Will probably make no difference. But that’s not really my concern. I want a reliable connection. And it looks good, too.

These are definitely the highest quality USB adapters in my collection.

Sometimes, simple things an make a big difference.

Until next time…keep on listening!

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DISCLAIMER

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post ddHiFi TC01A and TC01C USB Adapters Review appeared first on Music For The Masses.

INTRODUCTION

Courting green audio aficionados and perhaps some seasoned folks, the Fosi Audio ZA3 desktop amp has the allure of affordable yet buzz worthy tech. They have built an arsenal of small but mighty desktop power amplifier solutions, from 2 channel, 3 channel and now a select-able two channel/monoblock built around the Texas Instruments TPA3255 class D amp chip. 

By scaling back maximum power, they are able to also run it in a lower signal to noise ratio region that makes it clean and resolving at the same time and delivering plenty of power for a desktop or even room filling output. However we need to be realistic about the 300W max power output as the power supply is not large enough to deliver true 300W continuous power output with the 32V maxing out at 160W or 240W for the 48V version.

Having experimented with the TB10D, and V3 amplifiers from Fosi Audio, the ZA3 is the next generation or third iteration of this design, each one improving on the next as it should. The TB10D/BT20A Pro were Gen1 using the TPA3255 and were the most powerful version…until they launched the V3 with a 48V 5A power supply option.

Technically you can order the 48V 5A power supply and use it with the TB10D Pro for more power with reduced signal to noise specifications. Fosi Audio offers it with 32V/5A. 48V/5A or no power supply options priced at $129, $149 and $99 respectively.

FEATURE COMMENTARY

Ideally though the V3 was fairly well received minus some caveats, and the Fosi Audio ZA3 is a more mature version with the stylistic elements of a burnt orange volume knob, balanced inputs, a usable preamp and a mono mode to boost power output, or wastefully use it to power a small subwoofer.

New features not available on their other models include the switchable RCA or XLR balanced input that accepts ¼” TRS/XLR. With these two unbalanced and balanced connections you get two inputs. We are still stuck with the tiny binding posts found on their other models, I tend to use banana jacks for easy switching anyway.

Other new features include the subwoofer output, and 12V trigger input to automatically turn it on/off with a preamp or AVR? Another more diy approach for desktop PC users would be to run a 12v out from your desktop PC and trigger it that way. There are most likely some DACs out there with 12 trigger outputs to turn it on as well. I did test this with my ancient Denon AVR-3806 and it comes in handy, let me explain.

The Fosi Audio ZA3 powers on or off with a long press on the volume knob, it seems sensitive to where you push on it, or it did not always recognize that I had tried to turn it on. Maybe I was impatient, but sometimes I just did not have the magic touch to turn it on. I would prefer a standalone power switch if the knob is going to be touchy. The knob itself is smooth and the indentation is prominent enough to see the position of it from across the room.

With the 48V 5A power supply almost as big as the amp itself, I felt comfortable taking this thing for a spin as the main room amplifier and freeing it from pure desktop usage. While it fits more at home there, it has plenty of output to be the focal point of a serious sound system.

The manual is not entirely clear about loading the amp, it states 2-8 ohm speaker systems, I imagine this is for stereo operation. To be safe, I would not recommend using a 2 ohm load in mono mode unless Fosi Audio explicitly states it.

SOUND COMPARISONS

Pairing the Fosi Audio ZA3 with my Amrita Audio Elan 8 inch 2 way floor standers, the SMSL DO100 DAC, and Sony DVP-SS7700 it performed rather exceptionally for a Class D chip amp. Imaging separation and clarity were quite noteworthy. Bass control was tight,  yet perhaps a little restrained. This was not a lack of power as I was running it at a decent listening level about 50% maximum clean output, instead there was  some richness missing.

Swapping in a Parasound HCA800 II set to the same level, it sounded more enveloping and the bass had more texture and warmth. More meaty and visceral sounding, I swapped in the Adcom GFA-545 again doing some level matching and noticed it too had more drive behind the bass.

Between these two amps, they both gave the impression of stronger depth and more envelopment. The Fosi Audio ZA3 had a defined stage width with less front to back range, and the Parasound felt more like an arcing stage as opposed to a flat stage.

To be fair, these are some well regarded 2 channel amps with plenty of power supply and output current to power the vast majority of 2 channel sound systems into blissful happiness. Next I put it up against the Denon AVR-3806, a decently powerful home theater receiver and it did not have the same clarity or resolution of the Fosi Audio ZA3. 

My final test of the Fosi Audio ZA3 was to incorporate the subwoofer pre-out. The addition of the subwoofer pre-out helps with the new wave of small bookshelf plus subwoofer setups. It is much easier in a smaller room or desktop setup to make room for a bookshelf and offload the heavy lifting to the subwoofer on bass duty.

The pre-out has a 200Hz low pass filter and is controlled via the volume knob. The V3 pre-out was not a true pre-out, so Fosi implemented a proper and useful feature. Note it can be used to supplement the natural roll-off of your main speakers, there is no high pass filter for the main channels and you would need to use the built in crossover of your subwoofer to adjust it down to a proper cut-off frequency.

MODDING AND HOT-RODDING

Op-amp swapping carries over from the V3 to the Fosi Audio ZA3. Removing four 2mm hex screws (two on the back panel, two underneath), prying off the volume knob with a plastic cooking spatula, and loosening the 10mm nut gives you access to the internals, which construction shows are miles and miles better than a Dayton Audio DTA-100a I have from over a decade ago.

The op-amps are used in the pre-amplification stages and provide gain and feedback control to minimize distortion. There are a total of five op-amps that can be swapped, one for each Left/Right, two for the subwoofer pre-out (one is used for the filter), and one for the XLR.

They come stock with TI NE5532 which is vintage by audio standards, but an extremely stable, inexpensive, noise free op-amp found in millions of audio devices including professional audio gear.

Other boutique op-amps can be swapped in, but adding new ones may not always be a great idea or guarantee “better” performance. It is fairly easy for some faster op-amps to become unstable and oscillate in the wrong situation, or perhaps they cannot drive the load, or the gain is not structured correctly to minimize distortion.

 The high price tags of other op-amps might be a result of low use so it does not benefit from economy of scale, or just flat out because they can. I happen to have 4 BB ones ranging from the OPA2134PA, 2227P, 2228P and 2107AP from an Audiotrak Prodigy soundcard experiment.

I might investigate in a separate review if I find it interesting enough, some of them might add noise or cause instability and I would like to measure the effects if possible using my limited measurement equipment. The heatsink + power resistors would most likely overheat when looking at distortion components, I really need to bring out my water heater element load to handle the power better.

Bipolar, FET and discrete op-amps can behave differently as well so without proper testing equipment, you might introduce some coloration into your audio chain. There used to be great information by Douglas Self over a decade ago, but there are also many other great resources (59+ op amps tested ) found throughout the internet or in books.

You can also just take the religious route and just believe. I can fully appreciate how hard it is to remove sighted bias from testing, and how short our memory is if not performing quick changes to compare.

FINAL REMARKS

I did test it in mono mode while I did some housework, and it never got too warm or shut down. I was not stress testing, but I feel confident that the Fosi Audio ZA3 handles mono loads just fine and they boost a 240W power rating into a 4 ohm load. Get two and run them as monoblocks and have ultimate channel separation.

Channel separation is the noise of one channel bleeding into the other channel if you were unaware. One missing feature is a volume control bypass for the dual mono folks, but max them out and let it rip through another pre-amp device, DAC or streamer.

One feature missing is perhaps a phono input for the resurgence of vinyl. It’s not a must have feature, as those really into vinyl might prefer to use a standalone phono preamp of their choosing anyway. Other people might prefer bluetooth input instead, a good DAC or preamp might include those features separately, I enjoy this as just an amp.

Class D is essentially a motor control circuit design tailored to meet the audible audio frequency spectrum requirements, and speakers share similarities to motors in that a coil of wire is excited through a magnetic field. There should be no fear in using modern Class D amps and losing fidelity. While differences were noted between full fledged larger brethren, I have minor qualms in recommending the Fosi Audio ZA3 amplifier.

While the V3 is on loan to Loomis I am unable to directly compare, I believe the ZA3 stages closer to the Adcom and Parasound than the V3 did. It does a better amplification job than an AVR and it looks sleek on a desktop being plenty powerful in a nearfield setup.

Disclaimer: Fosi Audio thankfully provided this gratis and this review was not written by robots.

FOSI AUDIO ZA3 SPECIFICATIONS

Chip Set Texas Instruments TPA3255
Output Power With 48V/5A PSU
Stereo: 155Wx2 @4Ω
Mono: 235Wx1 @4Ω
With 32V/5A PSU
Stereo: 95Wx2 @4Ω
Mono: 110Wx1 @4Ω
Terminating Impedance 2-8Ω
Input Mode RCA, XLR, 1/4″ TRS
Output Mode Speaker Output (supports banana plug or bare wire connection), Active Subwoofer Output
Frequency Range 20Hz – 20KHz(±0.1dB)
SINAD 89dB
THD ＜0.006%
SNR ≥106dB
Dynamic Range ≥106dB
Device Dimension 15.49 x 18.39 x 5.08 cm; 1.78 Kilograms
DC Input Range 24-48V
Power Supply 32V/5A, 48V/5A

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DISCLAIMER

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Fosi Audio Direct

Our generic standard disclaimer.

About my measurements.

The post Fosi Audio ZA3 Stereo/Mono Amp Review – Making New Friends appeared first on Music For The Masses.

At-a-glance Card

Full Device Card

Test setup and preliminary notes

Sources: AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt / Chord Mojo / E1DA 9038D, 9038SG3 / Questyle QP1R, QP2R, M15, CMA-400i / Sony WM-1A – Final Type-E silicon tips – Dunu DUW-02S cable – lossless 16-24/44.1-192 FLAC + DSD 64/128/256 tracks.

Signature analysis

Tonality

EA1000 are tuned following a wiiide V shape, and feature a replaceable “tuning nozzles” system to offer interesting variations of the tonal balance on top. There is a slight metallic sheen coming up on the high trebles, also depending on the source material.

No matter the nozzle choice the timbre stays more or less unchanged: mid-bodied notes across the board with a sole exception for lean-ish low mids, and a commendable overall organicity.

The various nozzles deliver different sonic nuances vis-a-vis their building materials (Gold ones are made of brass), their length, their front mesh and of course the sponge or cloth they may be filled with. Here’s a description of the differences each one brings to the board.

Red nozzle : midbass is somewhat “bloomy”, its notes tend to “expand” a little bit; highmids and treble are instead near-precisely the tonality I prefer. Too bad for that bass, which is not as organic as it should.

Gold nozzle: midbass is evidently more combed, and I like it better, but so is treble too, while highmids are more forward. Guitars and femaie vocals are probably best expressed here, but stage height is cut off, and air and spatiality take a hit.

Black nozzle: midbass is the same as Gold, while high mids and treble are very similar to Red, with possibly a slight tad more energy on one hand, and a bit less depth on the other.

It’s a toss between Black and Red for my particular tastes, and well… I experimented further and found out that in the end I prefer Red with a -1,5dB Q=1 correction on 90Hz to “clean” those doublebass vibrations off. And yes, I’m a “never happy dog” !

Sub-Bass

Sub bass is extended but not elevated. Rumble is present but not imposing itself, which is perfectly good for my library but may be a point of contempt for other musical tastes.

Mid Bass

Mid bass notes are very well rendered by EA1000, with the Red nozzle adding a bit more butter compared to the other two alternatives.

While such makes them a bit more greasy than they should to be called perfectly organic when it comes to render acoustic bass instruments, the effect is indeed not excessive so not only it is welcome in conjunction with many musical genres, but also not necessarily unwelcome even to hardbop or modal lovers.

It’s quite easy to guess – or hope? – that the high quality of EA1000’s mid bass rendering is also directly dependent on that uncommon “Passive Radiator” device inside the box, and anyhow this is what Simgot’s marketing insists on making us believe.

Mids

Mid frequencies are a bit of a mixed bag here. They are recessed in their central part, and somewhat lean in their lower segment.

High mids however go up in power quite rapidly between 1 and 2KHz which is where they give their best. As a consequence, and simplifying maybe a bit too much, EA1000 render guitars and sax tenors better than pianos, for example.

Male Vocals

Vis-a-vis what I just noted about mids in general, male vocals are a territory where EA1000 don’t fare particularly well: especially baritone and bass voices come out perceivably leaner than real, and that’s a common trait no matter the nozzle installed.

Female Vocals

Opposite of the male case, female vocals benefit from a better tonal situation on EA1000 and in facts come across very naturally colored, bodied, detailed and very pleasing at all times.

Highs

Treble is one of the areas where EA1000 do best, and at the same time one where the 3 different nozzles apply more significant variations.

As I anticipated above, to my tastes Red nozzles nail it, period: “Red” trebles are energetic yet still not excessively so, bodied, very detailed, and they “breath” a lot of air in terms of spatiality. Their sole real downside is that perceivable metallic aftertaste coming up once too often – it’s not too strong, nor too fastidious, but it’s undoubtedly there to make the final result just a bit less than fully positive (what a pity).

Golden nozzles furtherly strengthen highmids and low trebles, while also taking some of that magic air quantity off. Black nozzles are very, very similar to Red up there, juts a tad less airy (but less so compared to Gold).

Technicalities

Soundstage

Width and height are very extented, much beyond what you normally get on similar priced IEMs. Depth is “only” barely above average, always referred to the same category.

Imaging

Macrodynamics are very well executed on EA1000, with always precise instrument positioning on stage.

Details

EA1000 offer very good detail retrieval in the high mids and low treble.

Retrieval is good on midbass too, where the concessions made to drama and musicality just rarely steal something off note contouring. As my few readers know I’m noticing this as I’m biased towards acoustic music.

Instrument separation

Separation, layering and microdynamics are all no doubt EA1000’s excellence points. It’s indeed very uncommon to find better around, not only at this price point, but much higher too.

Driveability

EA1000 are easy to drive in terms of sound pressure output thanks to a good sensitivity (109 dB/mW) paired with a not too low impedance (16 Ohm). Their sound quality scales with amping quality however – I suspect this may have to do with that passive radiator device.

Physicals

Build

EA1000 offer a very convincing feeling of solidity and reliability. Their full metal housings are obviously impervious to reasonable physical damages (and possibly to some unreasonable ones, too).

Faceplates are covered by what are declared as “crystal” (!) glasses. I couldn’t assess whether it’s actually crystal, all I can say is it does not appear to be easily scratched, and when in contact with a metal tip it does not tend to sound “plastic”.

For the benefit of those who pay particular attention to aesthetics it should be noted that the housings’ chrome finish and of the “crystal” faceplates are very well taken care of, and that will help them feel alive in their compulsion to continually wipe every surface clean of fingerprints.

Fit

EA1000’s housings fit me near-perfectly in terms of size & shape. Nozzles are not too short, and they are mounted on a sort of protruded portion of the shell. Eartips of the right size easily get a grasp – even more than a seal – onto my canals’ internal surfaces, with this contributing to a firm seating once properly worn – all this in spite of the earpieces not being precisely “featherweights”.

Comfort

As mentioned above EA1000 sit well in my outer ears and prove perfectly comfortable to wear, even for prolonged periods of time.

Isolation

Given the housings’ shapes and calibrated dimensions, EA1000 shells form an important isolation barrier. The multiple vents, and most of all the wide opening corresponding to the passive radiator do of course take steps in the opposite direction but I would say that the overall result is more than satisfactory anyhow.

Cable

EA1000 are sold with a replaceable non-modular-terminated 3.5mm cable. Its aesthetics and haptics are more than ok but I could not conduct my usual comparison tests round-robining amongst my various sources as most of them got balanced outputs. I can’t consequently offer an opinion on the stock cable’s sound performance. For my tests I paired a Dunu DUW-02S cable.

On a more commercial note, given the recent (2-3 years) market evolutions, the fact that an otherwise “premium” package like EA1000’s does not offer a balanced termination cable option – be it in form of available choice at order time or of modular termination system – is to be reported as a negative remark in the general evaluation.

Specifications (declared)

Comparisons

Tanchjim Oxygen (€ 190)

Oxygen feature a bit softer attack, yielding into less punchy bass and overall silkier, more relaxing timbre. Oxygen’s tonality is overall more organic, exquisitely neutral – which may of course be a love-hate thing in some cases. Their midrange is not recessed resulting in much better vocal and guitars rendition. Oxygen’s trebles are less energetic, airy and sparkly.

Stage on Oxygen is a bit narrower, perceivably less high, but much deeper. Lastly, Oxygen are much more demanding in terms of source power.

Intime Miyabi Mk-II (€170 + import costs)

You can find my Miyabi review here. Miyabi Mk-II differ from Miyabi insofar as their mids are less upfront, and their timbre is dryer and clearer, and that’s why I’m taking them as a more appropriate comparison to EA1000 here.

Midbass elevation is similar between Miyabi Mk-II and EA1000, but EA1000 have a cleaner timbre, better punch and sound more resolving there. In a nutshell, bass is technically better on EA1000, very possibly due to their Passive Radiator thing.

Miyabi Mk-II’s mids are way more bodied, and obviously more organic. Trebles are overall better on Miyabi Mk-II, less upfront but more refined. Opposite to bass, while good on EA1000 treble is, that is better on Miyabi, likely consequece of the fantastic deeds of Watanabe-sama’s VST driver,

Miyabi Mk-II cast a slightly narrower stage, same height, but way better depth. They require a bit more power than EA1000 but the difference is not big on this.

Ikko OH1S (€ 150)

The two offer very similar timbre, and similar general tonality. Bass is less forward and less punchy on OH1S (almost ruler-flat, indeed), which also contributes to their mids be felt as less recessed, more “meaningful”, and I’m talking about both low and middle mids.

Trebles are more energetic on EA1000, which is an advantage at times, but a disadvantage when this pairs negatively with some tracks or musical genres. Separation is similar on the two models, layering is a bit better on EA1000 due to better microdynamics. Stage is narrower on OH1S, but deeper.

Final A5000 (€ 299)

A5000’s presentation is more markedly V-shaped compared to EA1000’s. Both offer a dry timbre with little concession to warmth, with A5000 being by a whiff the coldest of the two.

Bass are a tie game, both models offering very significant quality in the region. Mids are also similar, in this case meaning both models choose to let them in second-layer position, accepting sub-organic leanness. Trebles are better on EA1000, with A5000 too often scanting into excess and sibilance, and delivering less air.

Technicalities – all of them – are in favour of A5000, sometimes vastly too. Stage is wider and deeper on A5000, just a bit less high. Layering and separation is macroscopically better on A5000. Ditto for detail retrieval, which is “sensational” on A5000.

Considerations & conclusions

Simgot hit a strike with EA1000, there’s very little doubt about this. Their nice timbre and even more their greatly calibrated tonality are of absolute value. Technicalities are also extremely good, with a particular mention deserved by layering and microdynamics. Their less shiny aspects are in the end very few in comparison.

As you may or may not know I’m quite selective, and that’s why I’m pleased to state that EA1000 fall amongst the very IEMs I find recommendable around the €200 mark. For that, I’m double thankful to Simgot for the review opportunity I’ve been offered.

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Unlike the stubby, cable-less SD2, the bespoke aluminum-and-glass S9 Pro Plus utilizes the same traditional cabled design as its S9 forbearers, but adds volume buttons which allow for much finer adjustments than most source’s volume control and which double as selectors for six different digital filters (fast roll-off, linear phase slow roll-off etc.).

Both sampling rate and filter effects are indicated by colored lighting, which is a nice aesthetic bonus. As with most such gimmicks, the filters on the S9 Pro Plus have a very small (but audible) effect on the presentation, with the “slow” settings showing less ringing and more rounded treble. Ultra hirez PCM and DSD support is provided, though curiously no MQA, which seems to be a dying breed.

Prior reviews of the S9 Pro Plus have stressed its considerable driving power and inclusion of a balanced (4.4m) out, and it certainly is a lusty beast—even through the single-ended out IEMs of average sensitivity sounded loud at 33% of my Pixel 6’s volume, while (other than losing a little subbass depth and  tightness) the 300 ohm/97dB Senn HD 600 didn’t break a sweat when played through the balanced out.

For all that, careful pairing is advised—unlike the S3, the S9 Pro Plus did not match well with very sensitive IEMs like the BGVP DM8 or the KZ ZS10 Pro, which sounded edgy/strident at the high end, especially at higher volumes. In general, the S9 Pro Plus seemed to play better with higher impedance (>50 ohm) phones. Note, too, that if battery life is a priority, the Plus is very power-hungry and will get warm with use. 

The Plus uses an ESS DAC chip which imparts a very different signature to the Plus—in contrast to the brightness, forwardness and lean note texture of the its progeny, the S9 is less adrenalized (though not exactly laid-back), with a neutral-to-slightly warm timbre and a thick, but still-crisp note texture. Bass has considerable depth and emphasis, mainly in the subbass region, but remains tight.

Where the SD2, which image very well and present a lot of space between performers, imparted a “bigness” to the music, the S9 Pro Plus sounds simply massive—upright bass has a resonance and body you won’t hear with lesser pieces, while snare drums have a booming-but-realistic snap. Unlike, say, the Moondrop Dawn, overall coloration isn’t wholly absent, but is considerably less on the Plus and there’s little of the digital sheen you’ll hear on the S9 or SD2.

Resolution and transparency are very, very good—little nuances like the quiet guitar echoes and cymbal taps on INXS’s “Need You Tonight” are revealed in a way I’ve never heard before, while the unadorned piano on Keith Jarrett’s “Koln Concert” sounds eerily lifelike. Other than some hiss on very sensitive phones, background noise is wholly absent.

Yet unlike the similarly revealing SD2, the S9 Pro Plus avoids sounding clinical or excessively detailed, and coherence is almost flawless, and you can pick out different performers without losing focus on the musical whole. Which is not to say they’re particularly smooth or mellow—they still retain a hint of Hidizs’s characteristic sharpness/metallic edge at the highest frequencies, and treble-averse listeners might find it slightly hot, but for most of us it’s an appealing, very detailed presentation.

Nominally $139, the S9 Pro Plus is selling for $89 on the Hidizs website, which is only a few sou more than Hidizs’ less powerful models and actually cheaper than the (non-Plus) S9. Especially considering its build quality, flashing lights and fancy tech specs, this seems like good value. Again, it doesn’t achieve the purist’s audiophile-neutral ideal, and you’ll need to be careful with impedance matching, but the S9 Pro Plus plays at a significantly higher level than its cheaper peers and gets my gushing praise.

Disclaimer—yet another freebie from Hidizs—get one here: https://www.hidizs.net/

Specifications Hidizs S9 Pro Plus Martha

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The post Hidizs S9 Pro Plus Martha Balanced & Single-ended Dac/Amp Review – Metal Machine Music, Vol 2 appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — Neo iDSD2’s Amp section is not powerful enough to drive inefficient headphones
– aptX Adaptive performance can be device dependent
– iPower X could be included in the packaging given the asking price
– Background hiss at the highest gain setting

INTRODUCTION

It is update season again, with iFi overhauling parts of its lineup. First up was the hip-dac 3, then the Diablo2 — and Neo iDSD2 arrived in tandem.

I reviewed the original Neo iDSD almost 3 years ago, and found it to be lacking in the amp section. The DAC performance was excellent, but the meek amp output held it back from being a universal recommendation. iFi has taken the sweet time to refine all “controversial” aspects of the original.

The amp section is noticeably improved with better power delivery into high impedance loads. Meanwhile, the noise issue with sensitive loads has been taken care of by the inclusion of IEMatch. Moreover, the general build and finish has become further refined, with a new UI and display, extra buttons on the front for easier control, and external app support for OTA updates and more.

Sounds like a winner so far, but then you look at the… upgraded price tag, which is almost $150 extra over the OG version, placing the Neo iDSD2 near the kilobuck range. In the days of measurement-topping budget gear, the Neo iDSD2 needs to have a few unique trick up its sleeve to justify the extra dough.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. IFi Audio was kind enough to send the Neo iDSD2 for evaluation.

IEMs and headphones used: Symphonium Crimson, Campfire Holocene, Sennheiser IE 900, Sennheiser HD 800, Hifiman HE-6se V2
Price, while reviewed: $900. Can be bought from Amazon.

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

iFi Audio bundles practically everything you will need to get the Neo iDSD2 up and running. Aside from a 12V iPower V2 power adapter, you get a pair of RCA Cables, a USB cable, a handy remote control, and a stand to vertically orient the Neo IDSD2.

The only thing I’d change about the packaging is the supplied power adapter. The iPower X is noticeably “quieter” than the entry-level iPower adapter that’s bundled with the Neo iDSD2, and given the premium pricing, I’d have preferred the more “upscale” adapter.

BUILD QUALITY

The basic design language is similar to the OG Neo iDSD, with a sleek, sandblasted aluminum frame; a large, multi-functional rotary encoder placed in the center, while the display and the headphone outputs flank it on both sides.

One of the key elements of the design is the vertical orientation capability. With the supplied stand you can easily prop up the Neo iDSD2 on your desk, leaving horizontal space to place your speakers or other amps. There’s a built-in accelerometer as well that automatically rotates the display.

The central rotary encoder stands out with its knurled finish and excellent tactile feedback. There is still some wobble when you try to press it inwards. Frankly, only way to avoid that would be to use a more complex setup where the outer ring and the inner “button” needs to be separated. iFi tried to keep things simpler here I guess.

The buttons have been improved from the OG Neo iDSD it seems, with a more defined feedback and less wobble than before. They are still a bit stiff so the remote is better for most operations. Do note that you have to aim the remote directly at the Neo iDSD, otherwise the infrared signals are not picked up well.

The sides now have an opaque acrylic “cut-out” for better RF signal transparency, which should improve BT reception and transmission performance. Another readily noticeable aspect over the first version is the weight of the unit, which feels more substantial. The OG Neo iDSD feels somewhat hollow and less rigid in comparison.

Overall, excellent build quality and industrial design, as expected from iFi.

INPUTS AND OUTPUTS

The Neo iDSD2 does not skimp on the input options at all. In fact, there are a few surprises here.

First of all, you have the power input that accepts 9V to 15V AC-DC adapters. The USB 3.0 type-B port is there, alongside the coax and optical inputs. Then there is a 10 MHz external clock input (via BNC) which is somewhat rare in the under USD$1000 range of sources. On paper, it should provide even better jitter performance when combined with an external clock.

Lastly, there are the analog/pre-amp line-outs in the form of both single-ended RCA and balanced 4-pin XLR. Strangely enough, there is only a single-ended 3.5mm line-in and not the usual 4.4mm analog input that iFi tends to have in their amps.

It’s a strange omission given the amp section is marketed as fully balanced internally, so there needs to be an additional single-ended to balanced conversion in the signal path if iDSD2 is used in amp only mode.

The headphone outs are all placed in front, with both 6.35mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced outputs available. They have auto “IEMatch” enabled at the lowest gain setting, taking care of hiss with sensitive IEMs.

TECH SPECS AND INTERNALS

Let’s get the spec sheet out of the way first:

The iFi Neo iDSD2 uses a Burr-Brown chip as per tradition. The BT5.4 is one of the highlights of the product and has both LDAC and the newest aptX Lossless codec support.

iFi also uses a new proprietary PureWave topology where they go for a dual-mono setup with shorter signal paths than their previous designs. The default firmware is GTO-enabled by default. I am happy to see that iFi has brought back the xBass and xSpace features, both of which work exceptionally well here.

The internal components are all high quality as expected: TDK/Murata caps, FET-based switching to mute those annoying “pops” you encounter on some DAC/Amps, and native MQA full-rendering support. I confirmed the latter by setting up Tidal on Windows in exclusive mode and playing MQA Master files, which were seamlessly handled by the Neo iDSD2 (indicated by displaying MQA on the display). At this juncture I should mention that it’s advised to install the iFi Neo iDSD driver package if you’re on Windows (Mac version coming soon). You can get it here.

The Bluetooth performance in LDAC was excellent. I did not notice any dropouts and not much fidelity was lost over wired USB connection. However, aptX support was a bit iffy with Samsung phones, likely due to Samsung’s somewhat poor implementation of the codec over other manufacturers.

One last note regarding amp specifications: the power rated is likely “peak” power, as I do not find the balanced output to provide 620mW of current into a 600 ohms load. The very high rated current delivery into lower impedance loads (max of 5.5W into 32 ohms) also did not really translate to real world usage, as certain planar magnetic headphones needed the 3rd gain setting to be driven properly. iFi’s FAQ section is also somewhat vague about the exact methodology used.

Speaking of gain, there are 4 different gain levels, with the first one being for sensitive IEMs, the second and third one for most headphones and IEMs out there, and the last one for very difficult to drive loads. The last gain level has audible hiss with even somewhat sensitive IEMs and headphones, so caution is advised while using that one.

IFI NEO IDSD2 SOUND CHARACTERISTICS

It’s always difficult to describe the sound of a source in isolation because, well, you are going to use it with a pair of IEMs, headphones, or speakers in the end, which have their own “coloration”. Moreover, the additional effects like xBass, xSpace, and even the IEMatch can affect the sound somewhat.

Nonetheless, I would describe the general tuning of the Neo iDSD2 as neutral with a hint of warmth. Notes are slightly rounded off, resulting in a softer presentation that works well with somewhat “edgier” sounding headphones and IEMs. Staging is not intimate or claustrophobic, rather the instruments are naturally spread apart.

The filters have subtle sonic changes, but in the end I preferred the DXD filter for the most part which is a sort of “oversampling” filter that sounds engaging with my Tidal library. You can also try the Bitperfect filter for a slightly different flavor.

PAIRING NOTES

Sennheiser HD 800

The Sennheiser HD 800 are extremely “amp-picky”, with the wrong pairing often verging on unlistenable as the treble peak tends to be too distracting. Fortunately, the Neo iDSD2 displays no such issues, with the HD 800 showing their usual transparency without veering into “analytical” or “sterile” territory.

The xBass switch helps here as well, since the HD 800 has a linear bass response with sub-bass roll-off. The driver performance is still one of the best around, so pushing the sub-bass a bit with the xBass does not hurt performance and fidelity at all. The xSpace makes things too airy for me, however.

In general, the Neo iDSD2’s amp section pairs well with high impedance dynamic driver headphones, so if you primarily plan to drive such headphones, this one is a great fit.

Hifiman HE-6se V2

The Hifiman HE-6se V2 proved to be a difficult challenge for the Neo iDSD2. These notoriously difficult to power headphones have a sensitivity of about 83 dB/mW at 50 ohms of impedance. Some even use speaker amps to drive these, which is bordering on the absurd.

Even at the highest gain level, the HE-6se V2 do not show the bass slam and macrodynamics they are capable of displaying. The volume got loud enough for me, but the subtler details felt missing.

The modern Hifiman planars like the Arya or the Ananda tend to fare much better, however, as they have relatively efficient drivers. The Arya Stealth especially was phenomenal on the Neo iDSD2, so try to audition them together if possible.

Campfire Audio Holocene

The Campfire Holocene magnify the slightest amount of source hiss and as such, most desktop amps are a no-go to drive them. The auto IEMatch and the dedicated low-gain IEM mode on the Neo IDSD2 comes to the rescue. There is no noticeable hiss with the Holocene, and the FR did not skew noticeably.

On the other, the Symphonium Crimson are another pair of difficult to drive IEMs, with an astoundingly low 6 ohms of impedance and a sensitivity of only 84dB/mW. These factors combine to somewhat “choke” the amp section of the Neo IDSD2 which is not designed to handle such low impedance loads it seems.

The Crimson, just like the aforementioned HE-6se V2, are anomalies, so it’s not an inherent “con” if an amp is not designed around their specific needs. As a reviewer, I yearn for that true “all-in-one” solution though, and it’s always a bit of a letdown when that doesn’t happen. Ah well.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The Neo iDSD2 is still unique in the market, three years after the first version came out. I cannot think of another DAC-Amp combo with such a sleek design and rich connectivity options. The amp section is much improved over the first version, and the already excellent DAC section makes this sequel a great upgrade all around.

The market has not sat still in the meanwhile, with the likes of Topping DX7 Pro+ offering higher output power, better “measurements”, and a cheaper price tag. The Neo iDSD2 have the latest BT codec and version to offer, alongside handy extras like xBass, xSpace, IEMatch, a nicer display, and an analog line-in for amp-only usage.

Most of all, the Neo IDSD2 got the looks and the vertical orientation may be preferred by those with small desk space. All these considered, I can recommend the Neo iDSD2 for desk usage if space is a premium and you need an all-in-one solution with exceptional BT connectivity. Just keep in mind that this is not an amp you use with power hungry planars, as there are other options for that particular use case.

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INTRO

The Colorfly CDA-M1P is a force to be reckoned with in terms of shear weight for a portable USB DAC dongle. Sometimes making things heavy to appease those that equate heavy with quality does not improve the experience. Something this heavy jammed into a pocket with a phone gives me a moment of worry in terms of damage to screens and such.

The predecessor to the Colorfly CDA-M1, the CDA-M1P utilizes the AKM DAC chips over ESS, different opamps and adds some more power. The bass presents strength, the treble is gentle, and the overall package is a mixed bag in features.

FEATURES

The detachable ribbon cable is the same as the fixed cable on the Moondrop Dawn 4.4. I particularly do not enjoy the rigidity of the cable, but again maybe the designers had concerns of a more flexible cable not holding up to the forces a heavier dongle may weigh onto the cable connections.

One final concern involves the 130ma current draw regardless of gain setting. While not the highest I have seen from other dongles, it will drain your battery faster than other dongles such as the Truthears Shio that clock in around 50ma. It is quite interesting that the high/low gain settings do not impact current draw. This seems to be the case on all USB dongle DACs I have tested so far. It does however generate significant heat in the high gain setting mode.

The heavy zinc alloy electroplated case is smooth, extremely solid, and the fit and finish is most excellent. The beef of the case helps to dissipate the extra heat generated from the higher power consumption. The detachable USB-C cable fits tight and snug. The user can change out the cable in case of failure, general preference, or for something longer if using at home.

Airing out my grievances of the Colorfly CDA-M1P we can focus more on what it aims to achieve in terms of sound. Packed inside is the AKM4493SEQ DAC chip allowing 6 filter changes. It also includes dual opamp gain stages powered by the XR2001 opamp. I am not familiar with this opamp and trying to find a datasheet was difficult. The opamp allows higher output power than relying solely on the DAC chip itself.

We get a powerful 125mW single ended and 240mW 4.4mm balanced output at 32 ohms. There are more powerful options for single ended, but balanced output is near the top of other DACs in the same class. It’s not going to be equivalent to a dedicated desktop dac/amp, but it will provide increased power and control for moderately high impedance headphones doing justice for loads 150 ohms or less 300 ohm is the ultimate ceiling for me.

Low and High Gain modes are selected by pressing both volume buttons at the same time, with the red light indicating low and yellow high gain. Colorfly recommends low gain for anything under 120 ohms, and high impedance/gain mode for greater than 120 ohms.

The Colorfly CDA-M1P is a direct competitor and shares almost all the same features as the Shanling UA3 previously reviewed. As DAC’s are trending downward in price, the Colorfly CDA-MP1 shaves off $40 coming in at $79. The Shanling UA3 can be used with their Eddict Player app which allows control of assigning buttons and changing filter settings. The Colorfly CDA-MP1 is only controlled via the buttons.

Due to only hardware control, I could not tell what filter mode the Colorfly CDA-M1P was set in easily without the help of the manual. Only mode 6 flashes the white light twice when pressing both volume buttons long enough. Once you know it is in mode 6 you can cycle back to the other modes by keeping track of how many times you switch it. This has an impact since I wanted to match the filter of the Shanling to that of the Colorfly.

DSD fans with have several options offering 512 native decoding or 256 DoP decoding with sampling frequencies up to 768khz. For simpler connections there is a UAC1.0 mode to connect with legacy connection devices such as the Nintendo Switch.

SOUND

Tested with LG G8 Sennheiser IE200 Single-ended, and Sivga Nightingale, BGVP DM9 Balanced

I notice it sounds fuller and balanced compared to the thinner in the lower mids and brighter Shanling UA3. The UA3 sounds more V shaped with slightly more sculpted bass with longer decay and impact. They will both measure flat, so this likely comes from noise shaping and distortion handling. We are talking about tiny differences here though. 

Cymbals sound smoothed and cleaner on the Colorfly CDA- M1P overall. There is some increased naturalness when paired with the Sivga Nightingale in balanced mode in comparison to the UA3. I don’t know if the UA3 struggles to control the planar driver but it also sounds compressed and tinny.

Now against the Moondrop Dawn 4.4, the Colorfly sounds cleaner and bass has more low end grunt. The Moondrop Dawn is less exciting and focuses on the lower treble enhancement and midbass impact. I would clearly pick the Colorfly CDA-M1P as it sounds cleaner and more resolving.

FINAL REMARKS

Taking dings in the power consumption, weight and user settings categories, the Colorfly CDA-M1P is a strong contender for clean transparent sound. If you are not one to tinker too much and don’t mind a pocket weight heater, the Colorfly CDA-M1P performs well.

Disclaimer: I am grateful ShenzhenAudio.com sent this free of charge no strings attached. That is how we like our relationships.

PACKAGE CONTENTS

DAC
Cable USB-C to USB-C
Instruction manual

SPECIFICATIONS

Dimensions: 562214.5mm
Weight: 46g
USB Interface: Type C
Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 125dB
Frequency Response: 20Hz~20kHz
Dynamic Range: 122dB
Decoding Formats:
PCM 32Bit / 768kHz
DSD 512 / Native
DSD 256 / Dop

THD+N:
-104dB@RL=600Ω，0dB/Balanced
-100dB@RL=32Ω，100mW/Balanced
-104dB@RL=600Ω，0dB/Unbalanced
-100dB@RL=32Ω，100mW/Unbalanced

Headphone Jack:
3.5mm Unbalanced / 4.4mm Balanced

Output Level:
2Vrms @RL=600Ω Unbalanced Output
4Vrms @RL=600Ω Balanced Output

Maximum Output Power:
125mW@RL=32Ω Unbalanced Output
240mW@RL=32Ω Balanced Output

Firmware Upgrade: Support for future upgrades

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DISCLAIMER

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About my measurements.

The post Colorfly CDA-M1P DAC Review – Whoa This is Heavy Doc appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — Truthear Zero Red have fingerprint-magnet shells
– Not the most dynamic or exciting presentation
– Could be more resolving in the treble region

INTRODUCTION

The Truthear X Crinacle Zero: Red (that’s one mouthful of a name) were announced back in May 2023, during the High End Munich show. While there are copious hints of irony in announcing a pair of budget IEMs in a show literally called “High End”, there was no shortage of hype even before that.

Crinacle’s original vision was to tune the Red closer to his own “ideal” target curve, and apart from a welcome dosage of extra bass, they do hit that mark. The Zero Red also “fix” some of the issues and criticisms that the Harman target has been subjected to in the yesteryear (including the criticisms from the tuner, Crinacle, himself).

I reviewed the original Zero (Zero: Blue?) more than a year ago and found them somewhat uninspiring. Given that they were tuned after the (purportedly flawed) Harman target, the Zero Red should be a logical upgrade as they address the issues of said target. Moreover, the Red act as a showcase of Crinacle’s ideal target and should be an accessible entry to the tuner/reviewer’s preferred tuning.

But that was nine months ago. Now in February 2024, there is a lot less smoke and the influencer-induced hype machine has long run out of fuel. Time to see if the Zero Red have managed to survive the test of… time.

A benchmark pair of IEMs should, after all.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. Shenzhenaudio was kind enough to send the Zero Red for evaluation.

Sources used: Questyle CMA 12 Master
Price, while reviewed: $55. Can be bought from Shenzhenaudio.

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

Decent stock cable – check. Half-decent stock eartips – check. PU leather carrying pouch that offers minimal protection – check.

Cringe waifu on the packaging – check. Oh wait.

Nonetheless, the stock accessories are the same as the OG Zero other than the 10ohm impedance adapter that’s now included in the box. It’s a pretty rare thing and I welcome the addition.

This adapter should increase the sub-bass by a few dBs due to the way the crossover is designed. You can further increase the sub-bass with higher impedance adapters but the driver would probably bottom out at that point.

BUILD QUALITY

These are basically the Truthear Zero with a red faceplate. I have to say that the red faceplate looks better than the blue one of the predecessors. Another change is the size of the vent which is now larger than the original version and should allow for greater airflow.

The 2-pin connector is recessed, thankfully. The crossover circuit can also be seen near the connectors through the translucent shell.

While the build is generally good, the shells are smudge prone and slippery. So keep a cleaning cloth handy.

COMFORT, ISOLATION, AND FIT

Fit and comfort is excellent, so is the isolation.

SOURCE AND EARTIPS

The Zero Red are fairly easy to drive, though the addition of inline impedance (via the supplied adapter) will need more voltage from the source side. Even then, it’s not a big deal and should be handled by most dongles in the market.

The stock eartips are good enough to get you going though I am not a fan of the somewhat stiff stem. Third party tips offer even better seal and comfort but the sound signature did not change much.

DRIVER SETUP

The dual dynamic driver setup of the first version of Zero makes a reappearance with subtle improvements.

The distortion figures of the 10mm bass driver are better, which is a much needed upgrade. The 7.8mm midrange and treble driver seems to be unchanged from the first version.

ZERO RED TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

If I had to describe the Zero Red’s tuning in one word, it would be: safe. Balanced would be another descriptor, even though the muted treble can throw off said “balance”.

Crinacle decided to go for a less dramatic bass shelf, while adding a touch of warmth to the lower-mids by starting the bass rise from 300 Hz downward. As a result, the transition between the upper-bass and lower-midrange is not as drastic as the OG Zero and sounds far more coherent. If you want more bass, there is always the impedance adapter. However, I did not like the extra bass as it cast a haze over the lower-mids.

The midrange itself is ruler-flat until 1 kHz and then goes for a pinna gain for approximately 8dB. This tuning choice strikes a good balance between male and female vocals. Other than baritone vocals, everything sounded correct.

Strings have good heft without sounding too dampened, grand pianos show their characteristic down-stroke “thock”, and distortion guitars are brought forward without becoming overbearing. However, such safe can often verge towards “boring” for some. I did not find it to be the case, but if you are into super-forward female vocals, the Zero Red might be tad laid-back.

Finally, the treble is somewhat muted and there is a noticeable lack of response around 10kHz. This kills off the sparkle and airiness, but on the plus side you avoid fatigue and distortion. My assumption is that the treble driver is not adept at handling high frequencies (ironic, given it’s supposed to do exactly that), but given the budget pricing I’m willing to cut some slack here.

Soundstage and imaging are about average, in the context of IEMs in this range of course. Certain peers offer a wider sense of stage or more precise imaging, but the Zero Red won’t sound claustrophobic. Rather it’s not the most accurate in placing instruments at ordinal orientations. Macrodynamic punch is pretty good but microdynamics are lacking, with subtle shifts in volume levels being imperceptible at times.

SELECT COMPARISONS

vs TruthEar Zero

The OG Zero and the Zero Red are primarily differentiated by their tuning choices. The predecessor had a more drastic sub-bass shelf that practically hollowed out the mid-bass and somewhat butchered male vocals. In that aspect, the Zero Red are wholesale improvements. The bass driver is also better on the newer version, resulting in better texture in the bass region.

Frankly, for the improvements in the bass and mids alone, I would consider the previous Zero “outdated” vs the newest revision. The mids of the OG just sounded unnatural to my ears and the Red fixes that one big “con”.

vs Final E3000

The Final E3000 have long been a mainstay in our Wall of Excellence as the IEMs to get around USD$50. The fixed cable is a huge con, however, so the Zero Red is already a step ahead in terms of build quality. Comfort and isolation go in E3000’s direction due to their seamless, bullet-style fit and exceptional passive noise cancellation.

When it comes to the sound, these IEMs take different routes in order to achieve a “fatigue-free” tuning. Final E3000 go for more pronounced mid-bass and rolls off at the sub-bass past 40kHz. The pinna gain is even more reserved, while there is more response in the treble region, albeit upper-treble is similarly rolled-off.

The Zero Red have superior midrange clarity and sub-bass rumble, at the cost of mid-bass body (snare hits are more satisfying on the E3000) and less sense of stage-width and depth (can be attributed to the more reserved upper-mids on the Final IEMs). Imaging is also better on the E3000.

Do the Zero Red replace the E3000 for me, then? Not really. I still prefer the timbre on the E3000, and the more spacious presentation is more engaging to my ears. The Zero Red is more of a sidegrade – swapping spaciousness for a more forward midrange. If the treble on the Zero Red had more sparkle I would probably be swayed in the other direction, but that’s not the case, not yet.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The raison d’etre for the Zero Red is to improve upon their predecessors, while establishing themselves as the new “budget benchmark”. They clear the first hurdle pretty easily (not that it was too high a bar). It’s the second part where things get tricky.

There is a new “budget benchmark” every week now, and the technical inferiority of the Zero Red keep them from fetching that particular crown. For me, the Zero Red are more of a showcase of what Crinacle’s ideal tuning is about, and I look forward to his upcoming releases where he will get to use better drivers to achieve a similar target, perhaps with superior treble sparkle and extension.

To wrap up this review with a familiar “ranking” methodology:
Tone Grade: A
Technical Grade: C
Overall Grade: B
Value: 1 star

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It’s not like I needed more bad habits, but in anticipation of democracy ending this year, I’ve recently gotten into Tequila, which has a number of analogues to DAC/dongles, i.e.:

• Price is a (very) imperfect measure of quality (although $50-60 seems to be sweet spot);
• Larger, established brands are typically trumped by the smaller boutique stuff; and
• It’s a hard commodity to write about—descriptions of aroma/taste etc. rarely do justice to the actual drinking experience.

Try Siete Leguas or Marcame Anejo, which wholly outclass the Don Julios and Patrons of the world.

Which, in an admittedly roundabout way brings me to Hidizs’ latest the $39.99 SD2. Straight up, I don’t really like the SD2’s stubby, hexagonal form factor, which seems more inclined to get snagged in a pocket than a conventional cabled dongle (and also looks funny). Build quality, however, is excellent—machining is impeccable and the jewel-like alloy casing exudes quality. 

The SD2 does PCM 384/32 DSD 128 as opposed to the ostensibly higher-rez PCM 768/32 and DSD 512 on Hidisz’s pricier models; whether or not you can hear the difference is an open question. In case anyone still cares, the SD2 is MQA-capable. Tiny blue/red sample rate indicator will surely please obsessives. 

 Output power on the SD2 is spec’d at 70mw, which renders it beefier than prior Hidisz house favorite S3 but less robust than the Hidizs S9, which, unlike the SD2 also has balanced outs for more juice. As such, I found the SD2 to pair well with efficient (16-32 ohm) IEMs and fully capable of driving fairly tough loads like the Koss KSC75.

With more challenging phones like the 300 ohm Sennheiser HD 600, the SD was adequate but slightly underpowered, which is audible mainly at the low end, which sounds more billowy and slow than with the SD2 than through the balance out of the S9.  I did observe that compared to my current go-tos like the Truthear Shio, the SD2 is quite a power hog, although it remains cool to the touch.

So how does it sound? Quite a bit like the S9 actually, with a ballsy, bright tonality that accentuates midrange and imparts a lot of sparkle and crispness at the high end. As with the S9, there is considerable coloration to the proceedings—voices and percussion have a hyper-pixilated quality that can sound analytical or overly-energetic on some material, although micro-details are very cleanly presented. Background is very quiet and at least on more sensitive phones, bass is speedy and tight and soundstage is expansive and three-dimensional, with a lot of air between instruments. 

Where the SD2 really stands out is in its stereo imaging, which is as precise as I’ve heard at this price point. The position of each performer is immediately discernible, and there’s no recognizable bleed between frequencies. Large-scale orchestral works are impressively sorted out, as are dense rock tracks (you can actually hear Ian Stewart’s piano on the Stone’s “Shake Your Hips”).

Now, among its peers the Truthear Shio or Cozoy Tact have a more natural/neutral presentation, but are notably less resolving and extended—your preference will likely be source-dependent. Hidisz’s own S3 (orig. $69, now discounted to $39) trails the SD2 in dynamic slam and high-end detail, but sounds a tad smoother and has a similarly wide soundstage and much of the same forward, energetic character.

Ultimately, even when the effects of my Tequila binge have subsided, the SD2 earns a thumbs up—it’s a very big-sounding piece which throws off a lot of sonic information. 

Disclaimer: per past practice the SD2 was sent to us unsolicited by Hidisz. You can buy one here: https://www.hidizs.net/products/hidizs-sd2-hifi-type-c-to-3-5mm-adapter-dongle-dac. It’s your money, after all.

Specifications Hidizs SD2

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The post Hidizs SD2 Hifi Type-C to 3.5mm Dongle DAC Review – Of Gods, Generals And Agave appeared first on Music For The Masses.

We already have had a complete review piece about DragonFly Cobalt for almost three years now at audioreviews.org, and based on shared appreciation within our team we decided to stick it onto our Wall of Excellence. As AudioQuest sent me a sample too, I am now sharing my own take on the device.

Very interestingly, AudioQuest recently repositioned Cobalt’s price to € 199,95 in EU (down from € 299,95) – and I can anticipate this is a KO move vs much of its direct competition. Cobalt is widely distributed, and can be purchased from multiple channels including Amazon and many other online platforms.

At-a-glance Card

Features and description

Externals

DragonFly Cobalt is the size of an old-school “USB pen drive”, with is encasing painted of a nice blue – or well, cobalt – color.

There are no controls, wheels or buttons whatsoever on the structure. Only after plugging it into a host PC (or Mac, or mobile device) one realises that the stylised dragonfly logo on the top side is indeed backlit by a colored LED, which color changes depending on the input stream digital sample rate:

Internals

The DragonFly product range is based on technology developed by a mr Gordon Rankin, a gentleman busy with seriously innovative digital and analog audio technology and products for the past almost 4 decades.

Gordon’s own company Wavelength Audio Ltd still holds the rights to the registered trademarks and of course the intellectual property at the very heart of AudioQuest’s DragonFl(ies), including DragonFly Cobalt of course.

Just for the sake of historical curiosity – and give Caesar his own, of course – StreamLength® is the given name of Gordon’s original setup which for the first time allowed for a plug-in device to take control of USB communication timing, which was normally exclusively managed by the host (the PC) until then. Such flip of perspective is the crux to the nowadays ubiquitous “Asynchronous USB mode”, the very base to start from and achieve adequate control over jitter when it comes to digital audio communications.

Once put the plug-in device in a control position over communications timing, the other step Gordon took was that of giving the device itself a high precision clock generator, which in DragonFly Cobalt case happens by taking it out of the very ESS ES9038Q2M chip at its core. Such setup was originally named “monoClock® technology” by Gordon.

Another fundamental architectural choice taken inside DragonFly Cobalt is to adopt separate chips for digital reconstruction (DAC) and amplification – as opposed to most of the direct competition relying on “all-in-one” chips doing both things on the same piece of silicon and – which is most significant to our discussion – without offering integrators and users any significant flexibility to change, fine tune, let alone customise the overall system behaviour. That’s why DragonFly Cobalt’s voicing, dynamic range and SNR won’t be apriori similar to that of other dongle devices relying on ES9038-line chips’ internal amping features.

Exploiting another feature on ES9038Q2M, DragonFly Cobalt comes with a custom designed minimum-phase slow roll-off FIR filter.

While I have no complaints about such choice, considering the hardware offers support for it I would welcome the chance to apply different filters, via good ol’ firmware flashing or even better via some sort of mobile app. Maybe there’s a chance this would come in the future?

USB communications are carried out via the good deeds of a Microchip’s PIC32MX274 IC, featuring extremely low power needs, also vis-a-vis its programming for support only USB-1on DragonFly Cobalt.

All such choices – the DAC chip, the AMP chip, and the USB processor chip – contribute to DragonFly Cobalt being amongst the lowest-power-demanding dongles on the market when it comes to host supply needs, which is why it is one of the very few to offer full compatibility with iPhone/iPad hosts, notoriously unable to deliver other than very low power off of their Lightning sockets.

Mind you though: free meals not being a part of real life, nor any divinity existing taking care of creating energy from nothing no matter how hard you pray, low input power draw means a few things that you do need to keep in mind to set the correct expectations about DragonFly Cobalt’s performance.

One: the USB-1 protocol drains much less power at the cost of a limited maximum transfer speed, which in terms of digital audio values turns into a 24 bit / 96 KHz digital resolution cap. And… PCM only! No DSD support.

Two: the ESS 9601 amp will prove limited in terms of maximum output power, with particular regards to current . So while it will reliably deliver a nice 2.1 V max swing on high impedance loads, DragonFly Cobalt will not (as it can not) adequately power low(er) sensitivity drivers, especially if featuring low impedances too.

So in practical terms you should not rely on DragonFly Cobalt to properly driver the likes of final E5000, or final B1, or final A3000, let alone pretty much any planar driver. 

And, no surprise should arise when Cobalt will seem to “struggle” (e.g. in terms of loss of treble control) with “mid-hard” loads. All that will be due to the device’s internal power circuitry “running out of current” in some situations, having it apriori been set up not to request more than a certain, very limited power from the host device to begin with.

Input

Like all pure “dongles”, DragonFly Cobalt only accepts USB input.

Very “classically” the device carries a USB-A male plug, so in itself it’s ready to plug onto any common PC or Mac USB port.

A USB-A to USB-C short cable adapter is supplied too, to facilitate connectivity with more recent smartphones. More on the adapter under Package, here below.

Output

DragonFly Cobalt’s sole output is its analog 3.5mm connector, of course accepting any 3.5mm single-ended terminated load.

Those who (also) own balanced-ended sources will most likely have a few or many of their drivers equipped with balanced terminated cables, and will need a balanced-to-single-ended adapter to plug them onto the Cobalt.

Host power requirements

DragonFly Cobalt requires very low power from the host (i.e., the PC, the phone or the dap it is connected to and therefor powered from). I’m talking about just 60mA when idle (i.e. when connected but “doing nothing”), and between 150 and 200mA when playing out on good volume on a mid-impedance driver.

This is of course very good news, but grounds for some caveats too.

Starting on the good side: DragonFly Cobalt will not suck your phone battery dry in no time like so many direct competitors and (!) it will perfectly work with iPhones and iPads, known picky fellas when it comes to the powering requirements of the devices you plug onto them. It will also not more than vaguely warm during operation.

On the flip side there are two important notes to make – which I indeed already mentioned above under “Internals”.

One: DragonFly Cobalt exclusively supports the USB 1 protocol speeds (USB 2 would require more power), which translates into a maximum supported input resolution 24 bit, 96Khz PCM (and no DSD).

Two: DragonFly Cobalt’s maximum output power will be, of course, limited, too: expect it to be good for powering high impedance (300 ohm) dynamic drivers (e.g. Sennheiser HD-series cans) and mid-impedance (20-30 ohm) not particularly demanding IEMs – which are, combined, probably >95% of the drivers out there anyway.

Volume and gain control

DragonFly Cobalt offers no physical control options so there’s no way to set the gain, and the sole way to manage its volume is via the host’s digital volume control.

On such latter front a point, as you may or may not know, the Android operating system divides the USB device volume range in only 40 steps (or even 25 for the latest Android releases…). When operating a device like DragonFly Cobalt this results in the last ticks of the volume control range converting into way too big SPL variations.

So if you are planning on using DragonFly Cobalt on a Android-based host just keep in mind that the way to “fix” this is using a better featured music player app e.g. UAPP or others – which is what you would normally do anyway for a number of other reasons one above all bypassing standard Android audio drivers – re-defining the number of steps Volume control is divided into (up to 250, on UAPP).

Other features

MQA Rendering

I won’t spend a word on what MQA itself is, of course. Google around if you wish and you’ll be overflooded with info.

What matters here is: DragonFly Cobalt is a “MQA Renderer”, so it can fully unfold MQA tracks on its own hardware, which is an upgrade vs the default represented by having the music player host do the unfolding, and only limited to the first 2 folds.

Firmware

For their DragonFly product line AudioQuest offers free software for users to autonomously carry on firmware upgrade operations when needed.

For DragonFly Cobalt no updated firmware version was (yet) ever released, however.

DragonTail

DragonFly Cobalt ships together with two complementary accessories: a leather sleeve, and a USB-A to USB-C short adapter cable – which, as always in AudioQuest’s standards, got its own given name: “DragonTail Extender”.

The DragonTail appear as nothing else than a digital plug format adapter, much needed of course to facilitate connecting the Cobalt to mobile devices like smartphones, or dap/transports. The version bundled with Cobalt is called DragonTail-C as it features a USB-C male plug at its end. AudioQuest also carries a DragonTail-Micro alternative.

What’s probably most interesting about DragonTail is its quality. I won’t take a digital audio cabling detour here, but I think it’s worth to share a very simple experience I had with Cobalt. When I first put it to work I connected Cobalt to my PC, where there’s only a USB-C port available, so I used a “nameless” USB-A to USB-C adapter cable I had laying around on my desk. No surprises: it just worked as I was expecting it to, and Cobalt sounded “right” off the bat.

One day for whatever reason I needed a USB-A to USB-C adapter for another application. Where do I have one? Meh… who knows. While watching around I noticed the one hooked to the Cobalt so I just took that one off, leaving the Cobalt disconnected for a while.

A few days later I wanted to use the Cobalt again, and did not want to “undo” the other cabling involving the other adapter. Time to think harder and try to devine where could I have another one – and that’s when I remembered there must have been one left inside the Cobalt box. Took it. Plugged it. It worked (of course). But… Cobalt seemed to be sounding different.

Mmmh – I thought – that’s very likely my wrong memory. So I carried on, for a day or two. Then, I decided to check it. Undid the other cable chain, recuped the “nameless” adapter cable, and organised a quick A/B test. And yes, there is a difference. When using DragonTail to connect it to my PC the Cobalt delivers fuller notes, and a darker background.

As I mentioned en-passant within my article regarding AudioQuest’s JitterBug, a passive cable cannot possibly “improve” a digital signal. However, it can deplete it. So what is actually happening on my case is that DragonTail revealed that the other cable was introducing noise…

DragonFly Cobalt sound

DragonFly Cobalt sounds detailed, dynamic and most of all clean, yet significantly musical.

In terms of cleanness in particular it trades (hard!) blows with the E1DA’s 9038SG3 and 9038D, arguably the “cleanest” – in the sense of most distortion-free – dongle-class devices one can find.

Which leads me right to articulate about the true crucial point of Cobalt’s sound: its stunningly spot-on compromise between resolving power, transparency and musicality.

I can name other more musical (“gracefully colored”) dongles. I can name more transparent ones, too. Very often, if not invariably, auditioning one of either group makes you soon want one from the other. Cobalt is not that. When listening to Cobalt’s clean notes you can’t fail noticing how expressive they also are, and, while going with Cobalt’s musical flow you’ll never feel you are really missing tiny beats, or soft nuances.

Cobalt’s output is masterfully “balanced”, not in the meaning we most commonly give to the word, regarding properly reciprocally calibrating lows mids and highs, rather is the sense of delivering as much of both – transparency and musicality, clean timbre and personal tonality – one can realistically hope to have at the same time.

Considerations & conclusions

DragonFly Cobalt is an absolutely remarkable piece of gear offering high quality reconstruction, reference-level amping transparency and delicious tonality, all near-magically mixed together at a unique mixture spot.

With its minuscule input power demands Cobalt is possibly the easiest in its class to pair with any mobile transport, iPhones and their (in)famous interfacing standards and power-out limitations. And, its single-ended output fully supports all those stock wires you may have a drawer full of, without leaving a balanced alternative to be desired.

Some may consider its modest maximum output power a limitation, and technically right so. However, in practical terms they translate into letting out possibly less than 5% of the IEMs on our Wall of Excellence.

DragonFly Cobalt was stuck onto our Wall of Excellence long ago, when its price was € 299,95. Now it’s been repositioned to € 199,95. Enough said, I guess.

The Editor: I have been using the Cobalt daily for the last three years...despite a drawer full of dongles: sounds great, has low power consumption, is small and light, and easy to use. The (monetary) value is mainly in its DAC part.

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The post AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt Review (2) – Knowledge Is Power appeared first on Music For The Masses.

INTRO

The Oladance OWS Sports represents a new category of earphones we have reviewed in the past called Open Wearable Stereo. The OWS concept was first pioneered by the former Bose Team and inspired by the need for user safety and awareness, Oladance OWS Sports adds another product to their lineup of well received products such as the OWS Pro. My fellow co-bloggers had high praises and recommended I try them out since it is a different concept and one that is executed in a most excellent way.

I found them so curiously odd and different that I shared them with friends and everyone over the holidays. Priced at $179 they are a unicorn in a field of crowded options.

BACKGROUND

Oladance is a nod to Leonard Euler, the love of mathematics and invention to achieve something wonderfully new that allows us to enjoy sound while moving throughout the world.

They are quick to point out these are NOT bone conduction (more on that later) and can help those who do not enjoy wearing other types of headphones either for medical reasons and or physical reasons.

In engineering, projects or products should solve a need. The Oladance OWS Sports aims to allow people to enjoy music while staying active, yet be aware of their surroundings and not damage their hearing or nerve endings.

Bone conduction aims to solve this problem, but can also introduce new problems. At the very least avoiding bone conduction can reduce the pressure on the temple and comfort can be improved. There are some claims that long term bone conduction usage can damage nerve endings of which I can neither confirm nor deny. The hearing aid industry would probably be a better source for this information, but the Oladance OWS Sports removes this possibly by using Air Conduction instead.

There is a haptic feel while holding them from the oversized 23mm dual drivers, but since they do not make contact it is mostly the result of the large divers trying to deliver the required output to your ears.

With careful tuning and directing sound towards your ear openings without blocking them, it is like someone whispering in your ear in a clear manner. Due to the fact they are not completely sealed to your ear canal, there is some loss of low end bass similar to PA speakers not covering the bottom end or another closer analogy would be a soundbar for your TV or a small set of 3” bookshelf speakers. It covers the midrange and lower midbass, but the treble and sub-bass are present in lower quantities and not as detailed as in ears.

The Oladance OWS Sports can be used in a wide range of activities although primarily geared to walking, running, and cycling. I found them useful while cleaning out my storage room late at night. They did not fall off while moving around, did not bother my family members and were extremely comfortable. I wear glasses and had no issues with interference from my glasses either. 

I also have a co-worker that primarily uses bone conduction so he still has awareness while working. These would also work excellent in this situation, especially in cases where normal earphones are not allowed. After using them for hours, my ears did not feel fatigued or tired from listening.

Oladance did a phenomenal job of creating a set of earphones with balance and comfort, there are no sharp edges, they are lightweight and the soft materials are very skin friendly. The wrap around strap can be used to quickly hang them off your neck for further attention when needed.

The Oladance OWS Sports are also IPX8 water resistant which means workouts and light rain can be tolerated. IPX8 is supposed to mean it can withstand water immersion of at least 1m/3ft, but time-frame and depth is up to the manufacturer. In this case Oladance states 10 seconds of direct rinsing of the speaker port should not cause damage. Oladance is quick to point out these are NOT for swimming.

For medical purposes, the Oladance brought awareness to me about two key things: Nerve Damage and Vertigo. I had never considered bone conduction can cause nerve damage, and although I have an extended family member that suffers vertigo, I had not realized wearing headphones could cause them trouble. The Oladance OWS Sports offers a solution for those unable to enjoy portable sound.

Personally, I enjoyed the Oladance OWS Sports outside while walking the dog. I can hear vehicles approaching with ease, and also a windy day was a good test. Normal in-ear or even earbuds introduce edges for the wind to catch and then since they are touching inner parts of your ear they tend to amplify the wind noise in unnatural ways.

The Oladance OWS Sports on the other hand with its rounded form factor and floating design combined with noise reduction technology handled it with no sweat. Everything was clear and there was no additional amplification of the wind noise. Bravo.

With the open wearable aspect of the Oladance OWS Sports, it solves the sweaty ears problem of over ears, and the ear insertion and pressure of in-ear, and the falling out problem of earbuds with the wrap around strap. On-ears can be uncomfortable due to extra pressure on the ears, and foam pads get yucky after many uses.

It trumps all categories in terms of situational awareness, even for the noise canceling types that offer transparent modes that sound unnatural. It will not replace noise canceling obviously for that use case, that is not what they were designed for.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

Oladance OWS Sports offers multi-point device connections. That means you can have it connected to a music device or your computer for work and a phone at the same time. This comes in handy also for people who might have to carry around two phones, one for work and one for personal use. Switching back and forth was seamless.

EQ presets are Default (best sound), Surging Bass (muffled muted mids and treble), Pure Voice (focus on midrange lo-fi experience), Custom offering access to 5 equalizer bands (160Hz, 440hz, 800Hz, 2.7khz, and 8khz)

Default Button Controls (The Oladance App allows customization)

Battery life is advertised at 15 hours and while I did not keep track of how long before needing a charge, I did not have to charge amongst the on and off nature of testing the last month. It should provide increased battery life over bone conduction since those have to excite the body to make sound, they are rather in-efficient. 

The rather large hard case is flocked with felt/cotton that appears to be water resistant, even the zipper is covered by rubber when zipped. It was easy to use when placing the headphones and cable into it, however my wife was quick to point out it would never fit in her cross-body bag. It is clearly meant to fit into a backpack, work bag, or gym bag. Even medium sized purses would be an issue. It is about half the size of an over-the-ears type case.

While the charging cable utilizes an easy magnetic connection,  I am a little disappointed it does not offer a standard USB-C cable. I can see both sides to this argument however. A USB connection adds bulk to the earphone and may be harder to protect against water intrusion.

The Oladance OWS Sports solution makes the connection shallow and quick. I should point out that the case does not offer wireless charging either, and there is no included charging power supply.

SOUND

So I slapped these on the year end gear list because they offer a unique solution and sound good while doing it. Bass is limited but has a full warm sound, punch is soft due to limited extension and sub-bass is not really present. Treble is soft and yet clear. I liken it to full range speaker treble in that it reproduces the spectrum of sound but ultimate articulation is slightly lost due to the transmission distance from the output to the ear.

Cymbals are extremely smoothed while woodwinds and brass have an environmental airiness given the open nature of the earphones. There is just enough percussion available for Piano sound natural. There is no peakiness or sibilance. Midrange sounds clear and open, rather spacious and wide like listening to speakers in the nearfield up close.

Acoustic guitar has warmth and plucks are easily picked out and defined, but does sound a bit tubby, the best part is that I get a sense of being in a room versus just listening to earphones. It’s such an interesting listening experience that is half nearfield speaker, half open back earphone is the best way to describe it. Depth and width are excellent, the staging presentation is done very well.

WRAPPING UP

Comfort, cannot stand other types of earphones, awareness of surroundings and active lifestyle are all excellent reasons to buy these Oladance OWS Sports. If your focus is on sound quality and full frequency reproduction look elsewhere. The lack of bass would turn off normal users. They are unique and designed purposefully so therefore I can recommend them for specific applications mentioned previously.

Disclaimer: Oladance provided these gratis with only wanting to make sure we understood they were not bone conduction, and the reasons why. Audioreviews extends a thank you for allowing us to experience this new form factor.

SPECIFICATIONS

Contact us!

DISCLAIMER

Get it from Oladance Shop, the kickstarter recently closed.

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About my measurements.

The post Oladance OWS Sports Review – Open Has Never Been More Fun appeared first on Music For The Masses.

The Sennheiser IE 600 are the company’s V-shaped signature iem for the aspiring audio aficionado – and a lower-priced alternative to their IE 900 flagship with a wider appeal.

This analysis is based on >4 months of auditioning. I thank Sennheiser USA for this opportunity.

Introduction

Sennheiser headphones have been my first love in the late 1970s, when I picked up a pair of the legendary HD 414 with their shiny yellow ear pads at a flea market. Through the years, my collection grew, first by the company’s famous M-series earbuds, later by their early earphones that cropped up simultaneously to the iPhone.

While Sennheiser’s headphone have been a standard staple for a long time – their still current HD 25 go back to the late 1980s used for noise isolation on the Concorde ultrasonic airplanes) – and their HD 600 have been a favourite since 1997. The company’s first “worth writing home about” earphones may have appeared around 2015 with the “Momentum In-Ear” model, which were sonically limited by their bassy, overly V-shaped tuning.

Their 2019 Pro series [IE 40, 400, 500 ] was also rather a mixed bag in the eyes of many. Sennheiser were stubbornly holding on to the dynamic driver principle whereas the world was going “hybrid”, that is implementing a combination of several balanced armature drivers with (or without) a dynamic driver as a woofer. These hybrids may achieve a better clarity but also sound less natural and frequently incoherent, as they rely on crossovers.

Sennheiser countered their doubters with their 2021 introduced IE 600 and pricier IE 900, and even an excellent budget model in the IE 200 in 2023.

Specifications Sennheiser IE 600

Physical Things and Usability

The Sennheiser IE 600 shares a lot of physical features with the big IE 900 brother such as shells, drivers, cable type and other accessories. The biggest difference is the shells’ material, the lack of a 2.5 mm cable, and the tuning.

In the box you find:

The precision-milled and anodized aluminium housings follow the company’s IE 900, IE 200 and (discontinued) IE 300 models, shape wise….and therefore comfort wise. Fit and comfort have highest priority for me, and the small earpieces score 10/10.

Unfortunately, all these models have the same silicone eartips which don’t fit my ears at all; I used long-stemmed Azla SednaEarFits (“toilet plungers”) instead, which also produce an excellent isolation.

Two cables are included for single-ended 3. 5mm, and balanced 4.4 mm circuits. They are pretty non-descript in their visual appeal but pragmatic. The MMCX connectors are slightly different from the standard ones, you have to be careful when fitting third-party cables.

Tonality and Technicalities

The Sennheiser IE 600 has a warm-neutral V-shaped signature charactered by a punchy, authoritative low end and an energetic midrange, tuned to please the affluent mainstream listener. You may call it “feel-good tuning”, I’d call it “more-of-the-same” well done. Since I am a big fan of the “flatter tuned” IE 900 and IE 200, I have been struggling with the IE 600 a bit…a luxury problem?

As the human ear hears the whole frequency spectrum in context, the graph deceives the low-end perception a bit: there is lots of sub-bass with superb extension, and lots of mid-bass, which, coupled with the elevated upper midrange, moves the IE 600 into classic V-shaped territory.

Low-end has lots of rumble, lots of extension, and the midbass has a small hump, which results in a bit an exaggeration (“compared to natural”). The bass could be a bit crisper, cleaner, harder, and speedier, and threfore less thick.. I’d call it “pleasing’ but also a bit “perfumed”.

With the Azla eartips in my ear canals, the mid-bass definitely smears a bit into the lower midrange and affects vocals. I occasionally find that a bit “ordinary”, though most listeners may like that. This is very high level criticism.

Nevertheless, the smear affects midrange transparency and clarity but delivers an extra serving of dynamics and pizazz without being overwhelming.

On the upside, vocals are richer in the IE 600 compared to the IE 900, reinforced by the mid-bass influence. Male and female vocals are organic, full, and a bit back, but the mid-bass rounds the corners maybe a bit much. I’d like to hear more midrange clarity and transparency. Even the treble is overshadowed by the bass rumble. Perceived treble extension and treble resolution are just average. Cymbals could be better carved out.

Treble is also a bit subdued with cymbals resolving reasonably well, but way behind the IE 900. I find them a bit tizzy.

Soundstage is average in all dimensions, Resolution is definitely behind the IE 900. Overall, the IE 600’s tonality is somewhat “common”, middle of the road at a luxury level.

Your money is again in the timbre and cohesion, as with so many Sennheiser models. The IE 600 just sound natural and out of one mould. I’d prefer them any day over similarlly priced hybrids.

In comparison, the easier-to-drive IE 900 have a tighter, less thumpy low end and a leaner midrange, which results in a better separation between the two, and also in better midrange resolution and clarity. The IE 900 also have a much superior (perceived) treble extension and resolution, and a much wider soundstage. It appears that Sennheiser have tuned the IE 600 for the mainstream popster and the IE 900 for the purist.

The Sennheiser IE 200 may be technically inferior to the IE 600, but they also have a “flatter” frequency response graph, which I prefer. The final E5000, in comparison, may be a pig to drive, but when they get enough electrical current, they offer fuller voices, more bass, but less treble than the IE 600…and a narrower stage.

To me the IE 600 have one big problem: the existence of the much more exciting IE 900. And the aficionado has the problem of the price difference between them.

Concluding Remarks

Many “influencers” assign the IE 600 Sennheiser’s flagship status [never believe an article with a headline ending on a question mark]. I completely disagree. When listening to more sophisticated music (classical, jazz), the IE 900 are far superior in the accuracy of musical reproduction imho. However, they are also far more expensive.

Hence, the IE 600 are the next best thing. My bias aside, the IE 600 are great earphones that will appeal to mainstream listeners of pop and rock owing to their punchy, V-shaped tonality. They are the logical upgrade of the IE 200, and pretty much unparalleled in their class. Although I personally much prefer the more expensive and expansive IE 900 (excuse the pun), most listeners will not agree with me. In any case was it a treat being able to audition the IE 600 and IE 900.

Until next time…keep on listening!

The post Sennheiser IE 600 Review – Luxury Mainstream appeared first on Music For The Masses.