Super Best Audio Friends

Many many years ago, @zerodeefex pieced together a solution to run his IEMs via Bluetooth / LDAC for devices that supported Android O. This solution consisted of the Sony "XBA Series Bluetooth Upgrade" or MUC-M2BT1 (probably not availability in North America) and a few wire hooks. Fast forward a few years, and Shanling has made this solution easy for us with their MW200 IEM Bluetooth doodad.



The MW200 cables are terminated for use with MMCX micro coaxial IEMs. There is no need to purchase over the ear hooks are these are built into the cable. I guess the downside is if one uses IEMs where the cables drop down. An AKM DAC/amp chip deal feeds the IEMs. I have only have a chance to try the MW200 with Campfire IEMs, known for their super sensitivity. I can happily report that I do not hear any hiss or noise. BTW, the price is a stupid low $120.

ES Lab’s ES-1a which I will talk about in several posts in this thread was on my checklist for a good reason.



From aesthetical perspectives, es1a resembles the legendary Omega (SR-Omega, neither 007 nor 009). I auditioned the original omega many years ago and it was a mind-blowing experience. But the omega was simply unobtainable (rarely showing up in the used market, and NEVER EVER with reasonable prices to my knowledge) and all other stax higher ends weren’t as satisfying as the omega. ES1a’s development seems to be strongly motivated by SR-Omega, and the developer had a good amount of experience in dissecting Omegas and other stax/senn estat products. No wonder I was looking forward to seeing well-cloned Omega with a few modern tweaks.

I love the Joe Grado HP-1000. But I can’t stand John Grados, at lest not the classic ones I’ve heard a decade ago. After years of frustration with John and his treble peaky shit show I’ve finally found a mod that at lest makes them useful even if they remain un-listenable.

WARNING: THIS MOD IS NON REVERSIBLE AND WILL PERMANENTLY REPURPOSE YOUR GRADOS

Thanks to @Bill-P for dropping this off. I have to admit that I have been super negligent because I've had them for months and forgot about them. The move has only compounded things.



What makes this Soranik IEM kind of special is the sound. The frequency response is agreeable to me, midcentric. Highs are relaxed and not boosted. Bass is extended and present. It many ways, the frequency response is like the Drop Plus, but with a maybe a peak or resonance thing in the midrange that brings out certain vocals. This effect can be lessened with deeper insertion, much like how the MEE Pinnacle P1's 3-4kHz peak can almost be eliminated.

For fun. Please feel free to imagine items for your own wishlist. I will incorporate them into the first post only if you can write a good two paragraphs making a compelling case.


https://santaupdate.com/

1. Fostex T50RP (Drop Fostex T-X0 II)
2. iFi Portable Roon Endpoint
3. Schiit Sabreius
4. Schiit MagnIEM or Geshelli Archel IEM
5. Schiit "Multius" and/or affordable NOS
6. Soekris DAC with DIY digital filters
7. Pi2 Design or Allo Idiot-Proof Ready-To-Go RPi/AES Streamer
8. Sennheiser HE90 Resurrection
9. Sennheiser "HD850"
10. RAAL Requisite Headphone Version of SR1A

iDSD Diablo: revel in the detail

Dressed in devilish red, iFi’s new top-of-the-range transportable DAC/headphone amp sports a powerful engine under the hood, expertly tuned to deliver an exhilarating sonic performance



Southport, England – iFi ushers in the New Year with the best battery-powered DAC/headphone amp the company has ever produced – the devilishly brilliant iDSD Diablo. Engineered to sit proudly at the top of iFi’s illustrious range of mobile and transportable devices, the Diablo is built for the purists – the true headphone enthusiasts who crave pure, unadulterated sonic performance.

With dimensions of 166x72x25mm, its size is similar to DAC/amps in iFi’s long-running, transportable micro iDSD series, with a built-in, quick-charge-compatible battery that makes it easy to move from desk to living room to travel bag. Its sleek new design and fiery red finish, however, mark it out as distinctly different.

Impressions:

https://bloomaudio.com/blogs/articles/ifi-idsd-diablo-review
https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...io-idsd-diablo-impressions.10461/#post-333673

Apparently, there is been a series of L30s going up in flames and taking out headphones. Here is a discussion on Topping’s unofficial forum:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/sequential-damage.19003/page-3



The scary part is that Topping has not recalled this amp yet and is refusing to cover the cost of destroyed headphones. At this point, I’m glad that I don’t own any of their devices any longer. It’s bad enough that they made an engineering mistake that is making these amps susceptible to failure caused by simple static electricity, but they are now compounding the damage by their non-reaction to this.

I've been looking for a tube tester for a while, and my options were:

• Buy an old tube tester. It would need to be calibrated, and I don't know who are the reputable sellers. Prices varied a lot -- this option is basically a crapshoot.
• Buy an Amplitrex. Good but very expensive -- about $3000.
• Build one. The two primary options I found are the uTracer and the eTracer.

I opted for the 3rd option. The eTracer is a more complete kit with well-supported software. The only issue is that I didn't own a Windows machine. The eTracer with case, power supply, an extra top plate that I needed for 211 tubes, and shipping costs $1250. I opted to buy a Lenovo laptop during black Friday sales. The combo ended up costing me <$2000 (side note: I've been a mac user since 2003 -- Windows has come a long way, and I'm preferring this machine over my mac).

Many of you know that I've been using the Sony ZX2 has a portable player for some time because of its synergies with Campfire IEMs such as Andromeda, Ara, and Solaris 2020. The slightly higher UI was perfect to tame the bass of the Andromeda, and it's organic and laid-back presentation suited the balanced armature highs, not just for the Campfire IEMs, but basically any balanced armature IEMs. I'm not necessarily a fan of the BA sound, especially in the highs, so I look for a particular kind of presentation to time its negative traits: "hashy", "prickly", etc.



The problem with the ZX2, like almost all other Sony gear (except cameras), is that Sony gave up on it. The Android on the ZX2 is so old that it can't run anything today. It's 2020, and really, I don't load up songs on portable devices anymore - it's simply too time consuming. I want stuff like Roon to work when I'm at home, or Qobuz (with its download option) when I'm on the go. This is where the Shanling M6 comes in.

I never write build quality segments in my reviews because it’s almost always fine and I’m not buying jewelry. But this iem deserves to be shamed and flogged in public for it’s build quality especially considering the price. This is a 3,000$ iem. I don’t care about bling stuff at all. But this iem is at best built like a 200$ iem. Even the casing of the iem is just kind of crude and ugly with huge logos which is really tacky IMO. The inlay on the outside looks cheap. And the casing itself is nothing compared to campfire iem’s. It all feels very cheap in comparison...



...Comparisons:

• U18t vs Andromeda 2020 (EQ)
• U18t vs B400 w CP500 tips (no EQ)
• U18t vs EDC3 (no EQ)
• U18t vs. Ara (EQ)
• Andromeda vs Ara (EQ)
• OG Solaris vs everything else (EQ)

I haven't seen much about it yet, but there seems to be a Schiit Jotunheim 2 out of nowhere. It seems to do 6W at 32 Ohms through the balanced out. Actually, here's the page description from Schiit's site: Unique technology, unrivalled flexibility, and modular design—the Jotunheim 2 sets the standard for balanced headphone amps and preamps. It’s ready for any headphone—and fully enabled to be the centerpiece of a complete desktop system.

• Early impression from @futtbutts: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/schiit-jotunheim-2.10345/#post-330482
• Early impression from @purr1n (SE in and SE output) https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/schiit-jotunheim-2.10345/#post-330674
  

A not-exhaustive* guide for helping listeners get the best synergy for the HD800** I have heard various HD800 headphones. To be honest, even with extensive mods, SBAF mod, SDR mod, any combination of mod, etc, the HD800 never quite jived with my tastes. However, under good synergy and the right mods, I do find it to have very significant sonic merit and think it still does deserve its reputation and place.

Other members of this forum have commented that the HD800 does not respond to EQ well (the data definitely exists to back this line of reasoning). This is because the early reflections inside the housing, the large ribs, and mounting structure of the cups, combined with the driver's angling towards the ear and its suspended nature cause some very interesting (and measurable) effects on the FR and harmonics. I do NOT like the HD800 stock because of the FR oddities, and thus this guide, like @purr1n's original guide, will assume that a SDR mod will have been used at the bare minimum (or some similar mod). In a personal sense, @tommytakis kindly let me borrow his HD800, which had both the SBAF and SDR mod (as well as a few others), and I found this iteration of the HD800 to be the most enjoyable to listen to for me. I do not discount the other mods; just haven't heard them.