This is probably a noob question. I wonder if all cd (sacd) players are created equal if used with a dedicated DAC? That is, if people just use the cd player as a transport, is there any audible difference between cd players if they are all connected to the same dedicated dac?

Exactly what I have been thinking. It just baffles me that there are so many popular standalone DACs out there whereas the highly regarded CD players such as the Oppo 105 is already discontinued before the new model is even released.   It seems to me that getting a high end CD player just has...

I have been doing some research on DACs and CD players and it seems that cd players are far less popular than standalone DACs. I wonder why, since high-end CD players can also be used as a standalone dac while having the additional playback functionality and lots of other features (such as...

  Thanks a lot for the info.   I have tried different cables on the x2, also tried leaving a 1/4" adapter in the jack and just plug a 3.5mm cable in the 1/4" adapter. The ring was there but it does seem to go away in about 5-10 seconds as you said. I used my super sensitive iems to test with...

I have just gotten a second hand wa7d with the wa7tp yesterday and I'm noticing a little bit of "issue" that I haven't seen it reported anywhere.   I realize that when I plug in my headphones to the 1/4" jack, there's a faint high frequency noise, which is more audible than a "hiss". It kind...

Thanks a lot for the help! Your suggestions have made it really interesting for me. Now there are lots of good options available for me to decide.

I wonder what tube/SS amp works great with the x2? I have been pairing the x2 with my fiio X5 but I want something more sophisticated and would like to move beyond the fiio portable products.   I'm very new to amps and I haven't had any experience with tubes but they intrigue me. I don't want...

Thanks for the reply! I guess I would go for ei3 for now and when I have the money I will consider the music two. I will surely check with peter first 

I will run to paradise with the music 

music two is a little bit too expensive for me, especially since I'm living in Canada and Canadian dollars are being very low atm. Besides, I'm still more of a headphone guy so I would prefer to spend more on headphones than on iems. I might change my mind once I have tried out ciems though.

Thanks! I have read your reviews but since there weren't comparisons, I find some difficulty imagining the sound. Great reviews nonetheless!   I imagine the music one being more flat, mid-centric, a little bit rolled off at the bass but not bass shy, tremble being smooth and extended with a...

I was looking into CIEM for the first time. I was settling my mind with the music one but I just came across with the ei3....   Just wondering if anyone has done a comparison between both? I'm interested to see a comparison in sound and isolation. Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the reply. Yes I noticed the new firmware for x5 is released.   I agree with what you say about the bass hump being very song dependent. Sometimes the bass in passive mode just makes the song richer and fuller. Other times the bass hump makes some songs too muddy that I prefer to...

Since you have both the wired and wireless models and claim that the wireless model sounds identical in wired passive mode, may I ask one question.   I just got my wireless model for roughly two days and have only listened to them for less than 10 hours. To my ears, the wireless one sounds a...

The headphone buttons are all off in wired passive mode. I believe the mic is also off but I can't say for certain. In terms of sound quality, I can't say since I haven't heard the wired model.