Reviews by doublea71 | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org

The RHA T20: Something for (almost) everybody

Note: I was a participant on a tour organised by RHA on head-fi, and received zero compensation in return for providing this review.

First, some information about the T20 from RHA:

Lots of goodies included, all bearing the RHA logo, which is quite fetching imo.

A nice, aluminum tip holder - very cool design imo.

The sexy black leather case - very nice!

The FR graph from RHA's website.

How I Went About Things

I used these for a couple of weeks as I do on an everyday basis - I didn't do anything special other than a bit of subjective A/Bing with other earphones in its range that I own (VSonic GR07, Aurisonic Rockets) through my Cowon J3 with no amping. I listened to 16/44 flac and wav files from a variety of genres, and mostly from recordings that are considered to be well-mastered. I used them on my commute, at a local coffee shop, at work, and at home - pretty unscientific, but this is what I came away with.....

Design

I think they tick most of the boxes here for me. The quality of the cable, plug, strain reliefs, and Y-split are all excellent. They are also consistent in terms of style, which is clearly important to the folks at RHA - they are on a branding mission with their earphones and I think they're succeeding in this regard. I really like the strain relief used where the cable meets the straight 3.5mm plug:

It's just a beauty, isn't it? The only problem I had with the cable was its length - much too long for me when my DAP is in either my chest pocket or pants pocket. It was a bit annoying, but they do include a cable clip to help manage this. The cable doesn't tangle easily, so that is another in the win column. The quality and attention to detail is apparent, and the finish is very, very nice. The Y-split gets the same level of treatment:

I don't use sliders with IEMs, but this one seemed to do a reasonably good job.

The earpieces are pretty well-known by now, so there's nothing really new for me to add - they are excellent, even worthy of a much more expensive flagship with the exception of the cables being non-replaceable. They are a bit heavy (and I wonder if the thickness of the shells can be reduced), but comfort is as good as anything I've ever tried, largely due to the absence of corners and edges - everything is smooth and nicely rounded. They're pretty small, too, so they should fit everybody. Isolation is average. The memory wire which loops over the ears is a nice touch - it's a bit different than what I'm used to as you can certainly bend them to your liking, but they retain a bit of spring, too. They are reasonably thin (certainly thinner than the ear guides that come with my VSonics), so it was never a bother even when wearing eyeglasses. Top notch!

The Sound

I can't talk about the sound without mentioning the swappable, color-coded tuning filters. They do work and they come with a very cool storage system - you simply screw them on the aluminum holder when not in use:

These also use what RHA calls "DualCoil" Dynamic drivers. I am not able to provide an explanation of what that means to the average consumer, but I suppose it looks cool on product literature. I will leave it to those with a stronger background in this field of technology to comment on the implications of these particular drivers - all I can offer are impressions from the perspective of a fairly middle-of-the-road head-fi nincompoop.

When I received them, they had the bass filters in, and I didn't really care for the sound. I'm not a bass head - I like tight, controlled, but accurate bass. This sounded too boomy to me, especially with sub-bass, but I did give it a few days to see if brain burn-in changed my opinion. Nope. I then went to the reference filters and still felt that there was too much bass emphasis for me - it was a better sound, but still not my cup of tea. On to the treble filters. This had the right amount of bass for me (though quality was not the best I've heard), but then the treble was too fatiguing for me to enjoy them for extended periods of time. Herein lies the potential problem: the changes made by the filters may not give you "just right". You may have to, as I did, choose the one that least displeases your ears rather than what sounds perfect. I went back to the reference filters after trying all three and stuck with these for the remainder of the time I had them.

Bass: Overtime I came to appreciate the bass a bit more than I expected - it sounds a bit thick which a touch of boominess, but it does give the overall sound more body and richness than what I normally prefer, and I was really enjoying it by the time I had to send them on to the next participant in the tour. I felt like I could live with this compromise, though it's still not as well-rendered as the GR07 in this department. However, I wouldn't characterize it as being uncontrolled. They may have nudged my tastes towards the world of bass a little bit, to be honest. As I read about the Noble K10 and other IEMs that offer a complete bass experience, I find myself thinking that I need a bit more of it in my life after the T20.

Mids: I thought these were good and I couldn't hear anything seriously wrong with them. They aren't as clear and airy as they are on my Rockets, but they are a bit richer-sounding which has its own appeal. Yes, some may find them a bit congested in comparison to other earphones, but I would be surprised if anybody felt like they were not at least decent-sounding. Voices sound natural with good clarity, but using either the bass or treble filter may give them the impression of being veiled or recessed. Pretty good in this department with the reference filters imo.

Treble: Very good level of detail and toes the line by not being sibilant with the reference filters. Not flagship-level treble, but pretty good for its price point. Those who are less prone to sibilance may find the treble filters to be pretty engrossing, but that wasn't the case for me - they sound great at first, but fatigue set in pretty quickly and I knew these weren't the filters for me. Reference filters were more than acceptable for me, though. They sound better than the VSonic GR07s, which are notoriously sibilant. Perhaps the level of detail isn't quite on par with the VSonics, but these are seemingly without any significant spikes in the highs and are better for long-term enjoyment.

Final thoughts and a couple of recommendations

Perhaps the best thing I can say about the sound of the T20 is that once my brain burned in, I found myself paying more attention to the music than the IEMs themselves. People talk about earphones that are fun and enjoyable, and these most definitely are. Critical listening does reveal shortcomings, such as the bass presentation. With the reference filters, it wasn't distracting and I've since come to appreciate a fuller bass presentation then I did before I tried these. Combined with the level of comfort and build-quality, I have to say these are going to please a lot of people, but I fear that serious audiophiles may pass on them. Ultimately, I think they are going after people who are new to the hobby and are more accustomed to a typical consumer-friendly sound. These seem to be trying to rope in both segments, but I'm afraid serious enthusiasts looking for a true reference IEM may be left wanting. Their branding campaign, while very eye-catching and well-implemented, is evidence to me that they are more concerned with attracting the mass market than the much smaller niche of audiophile obsessives on head-fi; from a dollars and cents perspective, it is the obvious move and it seems to be working - their products have made it into the Apple Store. My hope is that they develop another product in the future that is clearly aimed at the headphoneus supremus rather than everybody.

If I were to offer any recommendations to RHA, I would suggest that they:

shorten the cable and consider a user-replaceable model (balanced?)
target the serious audiophile niche market with no compromises (a big ask, I know)

There aren't many things on my list, so I think this is going to be a fairly successful product on the whole. Thanks again to RHA for setting up the tour and their willingness to interact with head-fi members.

Excellent analysis , well presented , photos were great too. I agree with your thoughts on the bass, it did have a richness to itand was the strongest point in relation to these IEMs for me. I found , as I think you did, that in the audiophile areas surrounding air space sound stage micro detail and treble fatigue the T20s may not appeal to all of us.

I agree 100% with this review. I'm one of the ones who ultimately couldn't deal with the treble fatigue and returned them. Great headphones for the masses, but maybe priced a bit too high and not quite audiophile. I can't wait to see what they produce in the future, though. Definitely RHA's best effort to date.

Have you heard the MA750's? It would be really great for you to hear them and give comparisons. I demoe'd the T10 and it was sibilant on my device and a completely different signiture from my 750's. However it seems like the same shortcomings from the 750's are carried over to the T20's: slightly consumer friendly bass, recessed mids, and peak in the lower treble.

The Cayin C5 Spark Portable Amp/DAC: Inner Beauty

Cayin has been making its presence known on head-fi with some well-received portable offerings in the past couple of years, and they were kind enough to set up a tour for a bunch of us, so I'd like to tip my hat to them for being gracious in doing so. I had the C5 Spark Amp/DAC for a couple of weeks as part of the tour, and received no compensation whatsoever.

Before I get into the meat and potatoes of it all, let me give you some context so you know a bit more about me and how I went about this:

About me:

I wouldn't say I have golden ears, nor do I have tons of experience with portable amps and dacs - I'm closer to the typical newcomer when it comes to this particular type of gear, in all honesty. I listen to a good variety of music, but my tastes have mellowed over the years and I find myself gravitating towards singer/songwriters and acoustic jazz, but I've never given up on my first love, which is classic rock (in smaller doses these days). The listening experience I'm after is a combination of an inky-black background, distinct separation between instruments and voices, and gobs of detail throughout the entire frequency range without ever approaching fatigue. I guess you could say I want it all, or at least a good portion of it.

Headphones used:

UM Miracles
Aurisonics Rockets
RHA T20 (Tour unit)
VSonic GR07
Mr. Speakers Mad Dogs 3.2

Sources used:

Samsung Galaxy S5
Cowon J3
Laptop with Foobar 2000
Fiio E17

Music used:

War - The World Is A Ghetto (HDTracks - 24/96)
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - Art Blakey! Jazz Messengers! (HDTracks 24/96)
Beck - Sea Change 24/96 (downsampled from 24/192, from PonoWorld Music Store)
Elton John - Tumbleweed Connection 16/44
Steve Swallow Trio - The New Standard 16/44
Joanna Newsom - The Milk-Eyed Mender 16/44
Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy 24/96 (2014 Remaster by Jimmy Page)
David Crosby - If Only I Could Remember My Name...16/44
Leonard Cohen - Popular Problems (HDTracks 24/96)

Some data that you may or may not find useful (from Cayin's website: http://en.cayin.cn/product_view.asp?id=791)

And.....the box: Simple, understated, kind of elegant.

What's in the box?

Obviously it doesn't come with a phone and RHA T20s, but you do get:

electric blue rubber bands for stacking (I think they should be transparent and tinted to match the cap that goes over the volume wheel)
owner's manual
micro-usb to micro-usb for connecting to a device
a 3.5mm to 3.5mm connector
micro-usb to regular usb for charging/using with computer
a soft, grey pouch for storage (will only prevent scratches, but can probably hold the C5 stacked with a smartphone)
a 3.5mm RCA Coaxial cable

Some more pictures of the unit itself and comments on the design and build quality:

The volume wheel has a good tactile feel to it, but I can't say I like the tinted plastic

cover on the end - it just seems like it's destined to pop off over time. I would much rather

have a solid metal chassis like the Fiio E17 since it's for portable use.

It looks nice from afar, but the closer it gets, the harder it is to overlook certain design

choices made by Cayin. I do like the champagne-colored satin finish, though.

Another qualm I have with the design is the seam which runs the length of it on both

sides (the black strip that runs from end to end) - there was a bit of movement when I

gave it a slight squeeze with my thumb against the seam. I don't know why they didn't

go with a 1-piece design here. Also, the metal edge of the case at the end here in this

photo (the border that is a couple of millimeters larger than the black end-piece) is a bit

too sharp for my taste. You're not going to get cut or anything, but it's another detail

that is lacking in the fit and finish department.

Pretty easy to figure out where things are, but I'm not sure that the micro usb port is in

the best place - I think it's a bit too far from center for my S5, but I'm not sure if that is

an industry standard location on smartphones nowadays. The battery light protector

sticks out a bit - I'd prefer it flush with the chassis. I have to say it looks rather sterile -

not a hint of the style they're going for on the body.

I know I'm repeating myself, but the tinted cap that doesn't strike me as being robust enough for the long haul.

It reminds me of the inexpensive plastic helmets that most people wear when they're commuting around

Saigon - yes, it looks like a helmet, but if it should ever meet the road in the event of a

mishap, the road wins every time.

The bass boost and gain switches - at least they are fairly flush with the body and

unlikely to snag on anything. I didn't have any problem with them, but there's still

the issue of consistency in terms of aesthetics. We have black, generic plastic and

a lovely, champagne-hued satin finish on the body. This doesn't excite me at $200+...

Now that I've gotten my criticisms out of the way, it worked flawlessly and did not fall apart or anything of the sort. It could just be....better - it has the build quality of something in the $100 range in my opinion. I expect much more for something that retails for $220 (on Amazon as of 8/16).

Sound Quality (with comparisons to the Fiio E17):

In a nutshell: The differences between the C5 and the E17 are not massive. What I heard was more micro-detail retrieval, better instrument separation, and a larger sound stage from the C5, but not so much that I was gob-smacked. It's noticeable, but not earth-shattering. Certainly enough to make me reach for the C5 if given a choice. Keep in mind that the Fiio uses the Wolfson WM8740 DAC chip, while the C5 uses the TI PCM1795. Bass and mids from the C5 and E17 were nearly indistinguishable to my ears. Additional details were most noticeable in the highs, but once in awhile there would be a bit of glare with certain recordings. This was most obvious with Beck's Sea Change (from Pono's Music Store), but this was an exception - I think this is in the recording itself - I've heard a version from MFSL which is more laid back and smoother than this version, and that glare was present with the E17, just to a lesser degree. The Fiio unit is indeed a bit warmer and more laid-back sounding, good in its own right. The Cayin has a more energetic/engaging sound: a straight shot of espresso to Fiio's flat white (it's late and I love coffee).

I didn't have any bad pairings with any of my headphones - they all sounded as they normally do, so that leads me to believe the C5 doesn't color the sound much at all, with perhaps the highs being the only exception with certain recordings. I think it's a good sounding DAC for its price, but is it best in class? Time will tell...I may have to get a hold of an E18.

The C5's amp has a bit more power, too, so it should fare marginally better with harder-to-drive cans, and had no problems driving the Mad Dogs on high gain. The Fiio is a bit warmer-sounding overall, but again, not by much. That being said, the C5's natural rival is not the E17 (or the newer E17K), but the E18 (for the sake of keeping it Cayin vs. Fiio). They tick many of the same boxes, but I haven't heard it before, so I can't comment on it (hopefully someone will be able to do this comparison soon, perhaps myself).

Functionality:

The Spark does feature a bass boost switch and it does work fairly well. Now, mind you, you're not going to be suddenly blessed with the tightest, deepest bass you've ever heard, but I think the average user will like it - I would call it "fun" bass, for lack of a better word. Those with a penchant for the low-end will appreciate it. To the right of the bass boost switch is the gain switch - two levels of gain are provided. I found myself not using it with my iems simply because it wasn't necessary - they're all easy to drive, so it was only necessary when I was using my Mad Dogs. I've read some people mention that there was a bit of hiss with their iems, but I could only detect the slightest bit of hiss with low gain in use. I could not notice it at all once the music was playing, so I think it handles our little friends just fine. And then again, my ears are about 44 years old and have been to some LOUD shows, so there's a chance that I don't hear as well as other tour participants.

One thing that I can't do with the E17 is plug it into my smartphone and play high-res music - all you can do is use the Fiio's amp in this situation. The Spark played the high-res stuff without a hitch - there wasn't anything for me to fiddle with. It just worked, and the higher bit rate was confirmed in my S5's player (I just use the stock player - I know, shame on me, right?). Unfortunately, it doesn't charge while being used as an amp/dac for a computer. Advantage: E17.

The difference between the S5 alone and the S5+C5 was much greater than the difference between the C5 and the E17. Everything was more spacious, and details were being brought to the forefront that were otherwise hard to notice with the stock player. Just about every aspect of the listening experience was noticeably better, so for smartphone users looking for better sound, the C5 delivers. I don't know how long this will be true since I'm under the impression (and I could be wrong about this) that more smartphone manufacturers are using better dac chips - perhaps down the road only an amp will be necessary. All speculations aside, I think its sound quality, whether being used with a smartphone or as an amp/dac with a computer, hits the target for its price point. I was pretty satisfied when I was listening to my test tracks, so well done, Cayin.

I never used the coax out on the C5, so I'll leave it to others to comment on its performance. The E17 does have an s/pdif out which allows it to ramp up to 24/192, but again, this is a feature I haven't had a need to use. It is an option, so again, the E17 shows that it has a level of versatility that is pretty close to the C5. Some may be left with the impression that they could have done better as far as bit rate compatibility is concerned for $200+, especially since we're now seeing 24/192 and DSD become almost common place. If you feel that you can hear a difference between 24/96 and 24/192 (I can't), then I guess you have some thinking to do.

Final Thoughts and Recommendations:

Although it is a good-sounding device (for its price) with a solid offering of features, I'm worried that the overall package will leave some wanting more in such a competitive price bracket. There's a lot to like on the inside, but let's face it: looks matter. Don't believe me? The "pictures of your portable rig" has about 2.3 million page views, and at least one person soils themselves whenever Noble posts new pictures on their thread.

What I think Cayin ought to do if they make version 2.0:

Number One: Improve the chassis: it doesn't have a solid feel compared to the E17 and there's too much plastic that I'm afraid will eventually break off. Lose the seam on the sides - if it needs to be 2 pieces, I'd hazard to guess there's a better way to ensure a tighter fit than this. There are edges that should not be felt, and that tinted cap over the volume wheel is either going to crack or get knocked off one of these days (remember, some of us are klutzes). If you could combine this retro look with top-notch fit and finish, it would be a much more appealing product overall.

Number Two: Go beyond 24/96. Take a look around and you'll see a lot of competitors doing just that in this price range. Perhaps you think that there's no difference between 24/96 and higher bit rates (you may be right), but guess what? A lot of your customers do!

Number Three: Make the style more cohesive from top to bottom. Lose the blue rubber bands and make the black end pieces on the unit consistent with the appearance of the rest of the unit - that part of the C5 couldn't look more generic and out of place. Also, look into where most the most popular smartphones put their micro usb port and do the same on the C5. I know Apple's lightning port is right in the center...

Thanks again to Cayin for including me on the tour and I look forward to their future offerings - I think they're going to continue to grow in the portable market and help push the envelope for the benefit of audio nerds around the world.

The Fiio X1 Begs The Question: Do I Really Need A Flagship DAP?

Before I get into anything resembling a detail about the X1, I want to thank everybody at Fiio for once again doing all of us a solid with their X1 tour. With any luck, there will be an X7 tour down the road....

First Things First:

Headphones Used:

V-Sonic GR07
Unique Melody Miracle
Mr. Speakers Mad Dogs 3.2

Music Played:

(Format is flac and all are generally very well-mastered recordings. Unfortunately, I'm of little help to those who enjoy EDM or Hip-Hop.)

Led Zeppelin - I, II, III 2014 Remasters, 24/96
Bob Marley - Kaya 24/96 HDTracks
Nick Drake - Bryter Layter 24/96 HDTracks
Steely Dan - Gaucho MFSL 16/44
Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic 16/44
Hall and Oates - Greatest Hits 24/96 Vinyl Rip
Beck - Sea Change MFSL 16/44
Joe Pass - Joy Spring 16/44
Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue Remaster 24/96 HDTracks
Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense 24/96
2L Recordings - The Nordic Sound 24/96
Bob Dylan - Desire MFSL 16/44
Cowboy Junkies - Whites Off Earth Now! MFSL 16/44
Neil Young - Harvest CBS Mastersounds Vinyl Rip 16/44
Pink Floyd - DSOTM MFSL 16/44

Does It Sound Like A $100 DAP?

Yes, but only if we're talking about the buying power of the dollar in say, 1977. For $100 in 2014, this is quite an achievement. After about 5 minutes with it, I had to ask myself whether I really need a flagship DAP in my life after all...I've committed no small sum of money to the LH Geek Wave XD128 and I'm quite certain that it will not sound 10 times better at 10 times the cost. Coupled with its price, the fact that it's both great-sounding and easy to use leaves one with the feeling that they've somehow beaten the audiophile sorry-about-your-wallet market place. I really think this little thing, while it does have its limitations as far as power (couldn't sufficiently drive my Mad Dogs like the X5) and functionality are concerned (it cannot be used as a standalone DAC when hooked up to a computer), sounds terrific, especially with the UM Miracle, which was a very pleasant surprise. The X1 is going to make a lot of people quite happy and should set an industry standard with a buyer's remorse rate of......

Thank you, Dean Wormer. I simply can't imagine any reasonable person regretting a purchase of the X1 - it's that good. It actually reminds me of the X5 quite a bit (though this is from memory, not an A/B), the difference being the X1 has more weight in the lows (which are also looser) and a slight, but noticeable reduction in the highs. It still is very detailed, so don't take that as a negative. I actually found the X5 to be a bit too sparkly at times and think the X1 does a better job in this regard, as it does its rendering of the upper registers with more politeness. I found the mids to be fairly neutral, neither prominent nor recessed, though I must note that clarity was very good, especially compared to the Cowon J3. Voices and acoustic music had a very natural-sounding timbre and perhaps this is what reminds me of the X5 more than anything.

The X5 wins out in the bass department for me as it isn't boomy at all (some may call it 'warmth') while the X1 does have a bit of junk in the trunk. I prefer tight, fast, but not overly polite bass and I think that is exactly what the X5 offers. I have no qualms with the X1, though - it's just a different hue of the Fiio house sound that some may prefer...However, this thing is $100 dollars and it is not as though you're listening to a DAP by Dre or anything.

Compared to my J3, the X1 is a full step above in every respect when it comes to sound quality, and this is of course only when considering the 16/44 files (that is as high as the J3 will go). I could not think of any reason why I would choose the J3 over the X1 if that is my only concern, and I have to confess it was not a pleasure to give it up and go crawling back to my J3 when the 10 days expired. As is the case with the X5, well-mastered recordings really shine coming from the X1 and I cannot emphasize this point enough.

Not surprisingly, the J3 has the better battery life and is smaller, but the X1 currently gets about 11 hours of playtime (respectable though less than stellar) and future firmware updates should increase this to 12-15 hours per Fiio's website.

Can I Use It While My Brain Is Preoccupied?

Absolutely! It has a simple, easy-to-navigate UI that is nearly identical to the X5's. I was on the original firmware and the only annoyance I found was that when an album finished playing in folder view, it would not start playing the next album by itself - you have to take it out of your pocket and select the next one. I'm an album guy and sometimes I just let one play right after the other...I don't know if this has been changed, but I hope they do at some point. It isn't a big annoyance, but I have to mention it. There were no bugs while I used it, which is perhaps the most important thing to mention about the UI experience. The X3 and X5 had their fair share, but I think what they have now is nearly a finished product. The only other problem worth mentioning is the screen; it is fine indoors, but it just isn't bright enough in sunlight. This is part of the reason it costs $100, so adjust expectations accordingly.

Will It Fall Apart If I Sneeze In Its Vicinity?

Heck, no! Build quality is excellent and the scroll wheel is better than the one I used on the X5 tour - the tolerances between the moving parts are extremely tight, so there's no play on this one. Well done, Fiio. The buttons are both sturdy and low-profile and there's a fairly satisfying 'click' (more tactile than auditory) when pushing them. The buttons on the side of the player are on one side only, so there isn't any danger of accidentally pressing buttons on the opposite side when you give it a squeeze (something I have to deal with on the J3). The unit feels quite sturdy in hand and has enough weight to feel like there is some important stuff inside that makes it sound the way it does. I've seen some call it ultra-portable, but I think that is a stretch. It's quite portable, but the moniker 'ultra-portable' belongs to the Clips and Nanos of the world. No need to worry, though - it's perfectly fine on the go as it passed the shirt-pocket-Saigon-commute-on-a-scooter test with flying colors. Overall, the build quality is simply fantastic for a $100 device. Here are some pics:

What Else?

Nothing, really. If you want all of the specs,

http://fiio.com.cn/products/index.aspx?ID=100000060437344&MenuID=105026016

The X1 is an astonishing product for the budget-conscious consumer who has been bitten with the audiophile bug; this will be affordable to so many people who simply cannot buy a flagship DAP (especially in developing countries like Vietnam), but want a device with the audiophile in mind; Fiio should be commended for this, but I think they will be amply rewarded with increased sales volume (I hope they've anticipated this and can handle the spike). My bottom-line statement on the X1 is that the good folks at Fiio have given us a great reason to not be "sorry about our wallets" and have hit the target about this well...(pardon my sporting allegiances)

.

Bye for now...

Haha great review!
I'm pretty happy with mine, but like this hobby goes, if you want to keep something for a while, don't listen to other devices with different DACs that you might prefer, because you won't be holding onto the device for long.
Pretty good considering the price. Build quality is top notch even for more expensive DAPs.
Back in the day I had some Samsung DAPs, iRiver, Sony, and a CreativeLabs that were more expensive, but less functional for the price. Then again that was more than 10 years ago.
Great stuff from FiiO.

Haha great review!
I'm pretty happy with mine, but like this hobby goes, if you want to keep something for a while, don't listen to other devices with different DACs that you might prefer, because you won't be holding onto the device for long.
Pretty good considering the price. Build quality is top notch even for more expensive DAPs.
Back in the day I had some Samsung DAPs, iRiver, Sony, and a CreativeLabs that were more expensive, but less functional for the price. Then again that was more than 10 years ago.
Great stuff from FiiO.

The UE900s and Topping NX1A are an amazing combo to my ears. Sonic bliss.

Great review!

The BTG-Audio Sunrise CIEM Cable

Warning: This sophmoric review was written after repeated viewings of The Big Lebowski, and some may find it annoying. I am the walrus.

The Industry Abides...

We audiophiles (or whatever the hell we are), new to the hobby and old-timers alike, are living in a sort of golden age; the manufacturers have finally caught wind of the lengths people will go to, as in the money we're willing to spend, to put together a system that induces an out of body experience (at least that's what I'm after), and it no longer involves spending 5 figures for a hi-fi system for the home. The quality of portable audio products has reached a point where those who can't afford the home system of their dreams (who are legion) are able and more than willing to plunk down $2,000 or more for a stellar portable setup. A wide array of companies are pining away (and they should be) for a segment that has proven to be anything but tight-fisted, even in a weak economy. Custom-molded in-ear monitors (aka CIEMs) have become an essential component of many a portable setup and more companies have stepped in to satiate this growing market in the last year. A side effect of this spike in the demand for CIEMs is the market for the replaceable cables that come with CIEMs.

Introducing BTG Audio: I like their style.

This brings me to one very small company, BTG Audio, headed by a fella by the name of Brian Goto (he may or may not hate the ******* Eagles, I dunno) who has a simple business plan: Produce a product with great build quality using high quality materials, and leave the rest to word-of-mouth. If you visit his website (http://www.btg-audio.com/) and poke around a bit, you'll find that he has opted not to tout the sound-altering qualities of his cables, in spite of the fact that it would likely result in higher sales. Much has been made of this debate here on head-fi, but Brian makes it abundantly clear where he stands: he does not believe that a perceptible change in sound quality results from using his products, no matter what type of copper is used, silver-plated or otherwise. In keeping with the spirit of his website and Brian's beliefs on this matter (which can be found here: http://www.btg-audio.com/cable-facts), I will not poke the proverbial hornet's nest and just let the debate rage on in the appropriate threads here on head-fi - after all, that's just like everyone's opinion, man.

The Build Quality: Over the line! (in a good way)

Brian sent me a sample of his Sunrise CIEM cable a few weeks back and I was immediately impressed with the build quality. The one I received was terminated with a right-angled Neutrik plug, also covered with black heatshrink with his logo, and had black sheathing below the split that was quite soft and maneuverable. The sheathing leads up to a sturdily-built split, also featuring his logo. When in use, the cable does not have a mind of its own; it does twist a bit, but it was never a nuisance when walking around with my J3 in my chest pocket at work. The stock Westone-style cable is certainly thinner and less noticeable, but the Sunrise has a very robust build that feels like it will be around for the long haul.

What I probably most appreciate about these is the result of a minor problem I've had with my Quads since they were re-shelled; the sockets on the left earpiece leave a 1-2mm gap and simply would not allow the pins of the stock cable to be inserted flush (non-recessed sockets). I didn't bother to send them back to UM to be fixed since I figured it was a minor detail that I could perhaps remedy via a helpful DIYer here on head-fi. When I plugged in the Sunrise, I got a flush connection on that troubled socket. I'm not exactly sure why it "fits right in there" (as the Cowboy said about the Dude), as there is surely a logical explanation for this, but I can't help but put that down as a positive, a sort of happy accident. Lebowski references aside, the custom-made connectors and pins do look very well made and feature a visible strand of memory wire inside the clear earguides to keep them wrapped comfortably around your ears.

The pins:

The wire used by BTG-Audio in the Sunrise is 30-strand 26 AWG (the guage or thickness) OFC (Oxygen-Free Copper) and is braided in the milloit pattern (in the parlance of our times). He offers a variety of options for the Sunrise and also has other products available on his website. These retail for $78 which is very competitively priced considering the build quality and the price of its competitors. The Sunrise is certainly a product worthy of your attention if you're looking to upgrade your CIEM cables, and especially so if your wallet is still smarting after CIEM purchase itself.

His reputation for making good kit is spreading and has recently led to an affiliation with The Audio Guild aka Q Audio Cables, a nice reward for attention to detail and perhaps also for his refusal to market his wares in a way that contradicts his beliefs about what a cable can and can't do. Okay, it's time for me to get some shuteye, Dude. I'll leave you with a couple more shots of the Sunrise....

Disclaimer: This cable was a loaner and has already been shipped back to BTG Audio. No compensation of any sort was offered by Brian. Sometime after this review, my well-liked Quads were liberated from my possession by an urban achiever on a motorcycle here in the mean streets of Saigon. I should have included my dirty undies...This review was originally written in 2012, so if it seems dated, that's because it is.

The Fiio X5 Pays A Visit To Saigon

I first want to thank James at Fiio and everyone else involved in setting this tour up (especially Joe Bloggs) – it was way cool of you guys to let us have a crack at the X5 before its release and much more satisfying to be a participant as opposed to a spectator, which was always the case in the past for this guy….

Where I’m Coming From

So I’ve been into this hobby for a couple of years now and started out buying a used Cowon J3 in the for sale threads after having an ipod 5.5 and and 4^th generation ipod touch. I like the J3 quite a bit because of its battery life, decent though unspectacular sound quality, and stable/more than adequate UI. It’s light as a feather, too, which matters a lot to me since I listen to music nearly daily while driving a moped on my way to work (half hour each way) and elsewhere (Saigon is a veritable sea of mopeds – the streets are teeming with literally millions of them). There simply is no other way for me to keep my sanity intact when driving to work. Exhibit A: (I drive through this intersection nearly every day

)

Anyways, I’m not yet a super-discerning know-it-all sommelier of daps (not a conscious goal of mine), but I’m getting that itch to upgrade. I guess I’m your typical newish head-fier with a mild case of upgradeitus who is on somewhat of a budget ( the X5 should retail for $350, depending on your region). Fortunately for me, I was allowed to participate in the SE Asian tour and had the X5 for about a week. Here’s my experience with the X5…

Old-school Build Quality

It is built like a tank and really feels like a substantial piece of kit in my hand, unlike most consumer electronics nowadays. It seems like something designed for field use – its build is that robust. For my own purposes and general use, it is on the heavy side and not ideally-sized for a shirt pocket during my commute (that is where I keep my J3 when on the road). I kept it in my backpack instead, which wasn’t quite annoying, but a bit cumbersome when getting off my bike since my backpack is strapped to my handlebars, facing me. Clearly, this will not be an issue for 99.9% of users. After a couple of commutes, I decided the J3 is better suited for this generally dangerous task since this was, after all, a review unit and not mine (imagine the horror of having to inform Fiio of the demise of a review unit!). Saigon is quite hot, so there never really is a time when one has use for a coat with pockets – I wish I had an occasion to drop it in the inside pocket of a peacoat or something like that…hence, I’m really jealous of people who get to experience 4 seasons. For me, the X5 is more of a coffee shop/office sitting-on-your-tookus dap, which is quite alright since I spend a lot of time planning lessons or reading.

As far as battery life is concerned, I got about 10 hours or so out of it, using a mix of 16/44 and 24/96 files. I thought that I’d be really annoyed by this because of the J3 and its 30+ hours, but it didn’t cause me any problems at all. I knew what to expect, so how could I feel let down? I will say that it does take awhile to fully charge, so you need to be patient. A green indicator light beneath the scroll wheel will show you when it is topped off. Otherwise, the light will be red and blinking. Everybody is in agreement about its storage capability: 2 microSD (256GB maximum capacity) slots is a beautiful thing. There is no on-board memory, but this can be forgiven since they were forward-thinking enough to consider the size of high-res files (typically over 1 GB per album) when deciding on this aspect. Well done, Fiio! Here's a couple of pictures I took of the X5: Camera: Canon S110

In The Box (16.6 X 13 X 4.3cm)

Micro USB cable: 1 meter, large current Micro USB cable (for charging/data transfer)
Silicone case: 1 dark gray semi-transparent silicone case (with built-in port covers)
Coaxial cable
OTG cable
Protective film: 2 pieces (plus one already applied to the X5's screen)
3.5mm port covers: 3 pieces (very handy to avoid plugging into the wrong port when not using the case)
User manual
Warranty card
Promotion code for HDTracks

The UI

Much has been said about the UI and its unintuitiveness relative to other daps, but I didn’t find it particularly challenging to use. After a couple of minutes navigating through the UI, it struck me as a fairly straight forward affair, even before being improved with an update by the good chaps at Fiio (after I sent it to the next tour participant). There are similarities between the UI of the X5 and that of an ipod, but the X5 isn't quite as good. I'm not very picky about this kind of stuff, so I felt that it did its job admirably.

As far as the scroll wheel is concerned, I can’t say that I loved it, but it wasn’t bad. I wish it was more solidly affixed as it had just a wee bit of play and seemed to be slightly flexible (in contrast to the rest of the player, which is as solid as the hammer of Thor). I got used to it fairly quickly and didn’t really give it much thought after that. My experience was that the UI is very stable overall, though it did go a bit screwy on me a couple of times. At one point, the text was completely reversed, an exact mirror image of itself. Turning it off and back on again fixed the glitches each time (I think it happened 3 times over the span of a week), so it didn’t bother me so much as it put a sliver of doubt in my mind about its long term usage. I’m confident that Fiio will make the UI rock solid by the time it is released into the wild (if it isn’t already).

Update: Fiio has released a new version of the firmware with the following improvements:

DSD support
USB on-the-go support
Improved decoding of lossy formats (mp3 / ogg vorbis)
New UI for file browsing and selection of songs by category
Other bug fixes related to lock screen and recognition via usb by some computers

Update #2: Fiio has released firmware version 1.2.2 and gapless playback has been successfully implemented.

The brightness of the screen isn’t really sufficient for direct sunlight, but that’s one of the sacrifices that had to be made to keep this thing within reach of more budget-minded audiophiles like myself. In its defense, few if any audio-only devices can adequately cope with the sun in SE Asia (especially in its price range). My J3 has the same issue, but I’ve managed to live with this minor inconvenience for over 2 years now without having a mental breakdown over it.

Naked Sound

This thing is way more revealing than the J3. (For the record, I used Mr. Speakers Mad Dogs 3.2, VSonic GR07 MK1s, and UM Miracles CIEMs). There were some albums on my J3 which sound just fine to me that were shown to be less than stellar recordings by the X5, and this is a good thing. Yes, it means you may have to dig around and perhaps pay again to find another version of an album you already love and have to really enjoy it on the X5, but it will be worth the trouble. High-quality recordings were made for the X5 and one that really stood out for me was Paper Airplanes by Alison Krauss & Union Station from HDTracks. With my Mad Dogs plugged directly into the HO of the X5, this album sounded sublime, just crystal clear, non-fatiguing, and full of body. I was near max volume, but I must have mistakenly been on low gain. It didn’t bother me at the time, but I was a bit surprised. I thought I had it on high gain and I’m now 99.9% sure that I was in err. The MDs are a fairly power-hungry set of cans, so rest assured that the amp section of the X5 has enough power to respectably drive a plethora of full-size headphones. Another peach of an album was Whites Off Earth Now! by The Cowboy Junkies (MFSL), which is a collection of old blues songs masterfully reinterpreted, featuring gobs of sub-bass goodness (at least I think it's sub-bass).

Other recordings didn’t sound so great to me; Morning Phase by Beck (24-96 flac from HDTracks) sounded harsh in the highs – not exactly sibilant, but grating (with flat eq setting). On the J3, the same file sounds better though less detailed: The X5 really put a spotlight on a recording's flaws. I used the X5's eq to reduce this and it did do the trick, but I was left hoping and praying that the folks over at MoFi get their well-manicured hands on Morning Phase and give it the same treatment they gave to Sea Change (a much better record imo). Much has been made about the sound quality of Beck’s latest, so I’ll just reemphasize my point about the revealing nature of the X5: garbage in, garbage out (sorry, Mr. Ludwig, but I think you laid an egg). Feed it properly and you’ll be very pleased with the results.

At any rate, the Mad Dogs did sound gorgeous with the X5, and is clearly a better mate than the E17, which is substantially warmer and less revealing. I didn’t bother to stack the X5 and E17 – for better or worse, I just can’t be troubled to lug around a brick during my commute, so I didn’t see the point. I’m probably in the minority, but I just want a dap that can stand on its own two feet (I usually use iems, so this stands to reason in my mind). Those who do prefer to use a separate amp or dac are in luck; the X5 has both a line out and coaxial out, and can also be used in amp/dac mode when hooked up to your computer via usb, which just shows its versatility. Though I would probably only utilize the amp/dac on occasion, it is a player that you can sort of grow into, should you decide to delve into the world of portable amps/dacs. That flexibility right there really makes this a good value relative to other products in its price range.

Regarding how my personal gear paired with the X5, my Miracles and GR07s both sounded very good, but not as good as the full-size Mr. Speakers cans. They needed a bit of eq adjustment to tame the highs with some recordings, as I've mentioned, especially if I wanted to listen at louder volumes (I usually do), which only surprised me in the case of the Miracles. For this reason, I will go out on a limb and recommend iems or full-size cans that are mildly warm-sounding – some have called the X5 neutral to slightly warmish, but my impression is that it’s a bit of a detail monster (in a very good way with the right headphones). As always, YMMV…anybody who has been following the threads will know that most people have had a notably different experience from mine, so I may be the exception here.

Final Deep Thoughts

For those of you with a dap that sits in the entry-level to lower-mid tier, and also have your first confirmed case of upgradeitus, I think you need to give the X5 a long look. Yes, it’s heavier than average, but it is built to withstand Armageddon, has a fairly powerful amp section, is easy to use, and can hold up to 256gb of music (128gb MicroSD cards are now available if you hadn’t noticed). It will play nearly every file type under the sun and you can go high-res if you like, all the way up to 24/192. It doesn’t look very sexy, but like me, you just want something that is dependable and sounds great. Just ponder for a moment what you're after, how you’ll be using it on a day-to-day basis and consider your options. Fiio has made an excellent player here and it should be on your shortlist. Also, they deserve heaps of credit for really listening to their customer base to find out what people want; they do a remarkable job of delivering features that there is demand for and the X5 is evidence of this. If you want to hear it for yourself, they've reopened the tour (http://www.head-fi.org/t/696004/fiio-x5-preview-world-tour-re-opened-for-application-p-114/1725#post_10392960), so depending on where you live, you may be able to audition this fine piece of ear candy.

If you want to read up on all of the vital stats, like size, weight, output impedance, etc., here's a link to Fiio that has everything you need to know in one place: http://fiio.com.cn/products/index.aspx?ID=100000055517771&MenuID=105026016

A couple of parting shots...

Nice writeup! I'm waiting for the Fiio x5 to arrive in the US.
BTW - I know what you mean about Saigon. I'll be going there in the summer for a wedding.
A sea of motorbikes for sure.

I should have gone into the UI more than I did...I purposely neglected it since I didn't have any real issues with it, but I should have been more informative about it. It's a learning process - my next review will hopefully be better than this one.

And one more compliment for delivering us a good review. Keep it up.

These are my first purchase of head-fi recommended headphones. I do not have ANYTHING to compare them to since I'm a novice audio enthusiast. This really amounts to a bit of babbling by someone who does not know very much about his new hobby. However, I will offer my proverbial 2 cents. Here goes nothing:

I've had these for about a month and have approximately 40 hours use on them. They may still be burning in at this point.

Build Quality: The build quality is quite good for the price point. I think we have all seen the plastic-clad hideousness that sells for 3 or 4 times the price of these. The cups are machined aluminum and most other parts are metal as well. Durability doesn't appear to be a future issue, nor have I read any reports of this being a problem with this model. There's just not a lot of plastic to be found on these.

Comfort: The earpads are okay for comfort, but not the best in the heat here in Saigon. I find my ears get quite warm even when I'm in an air-conditioned space. I've read that the pads from Audio Technica M50s are ideal for these - I haven't yet tried that route. I would like to try replacement pads with an oval shape that create a little more space between the ears and the drivers and apparently that's exactly what the M50 pads do, enhancing not only the comfort but the soundstage as well. The cord is a bit heavy, with a good portion of it being coiled. I guess that's part of what makes it DJ-specific. The earcups do swivel around to make it easy for DJs to listen to the room and what they're setting up/mixing on their equipment. That being said, not many people on head-fi buy these for their "DJ-ness." These are good sounding headphones for listening pleasure regardless of the intended target market.

Audio Quality: As I've said, I'm a novice here, but we all have to start somewhere. My source is a rockboxed ipod video and I use flac files. With this source and these headphones, the music that sounds best to me is acoustic music, regardless of genre. I've been listening to Fleetwood Mac's Rumors while writing this, and Lindsey Buckingham's guitar sounds fantastic on "Never Going Back Again." The midrange frequencies are pretty forward in these headphones as others have mentioned, but not excessively in performances with acoustic instrumentation. Another album that sounds stellar with these headphones is Tone Poems by David Grisman and Tony Rice. It's all acoustic music being played on fine instruments, and for me, this is where I really enjoy these headphones the most. I do find that there isn't great seperation in amplified music or even in orchestral pieces, especially in the mids. This can be remedied somewhat by tinkering with equalizer settings in Rockbox, but there are limits. I won't say I am put off by this, but there are areas where it doesn't shine as brightly - this is to be expected for this price. As far as the low end is concerned, I think these handle them quite well and I don't get a muddy sound in acoustic instrumentation at all. I don't think they are bass-heavy headphones even though they are marketed as such. To me, they sound fairly neutral in the bass department and do a good overall job with the low end. Once again, with Rockbox, you can tweak it a bit to your liking. A track like "Lush Life" by Johnny Hartman and John Coltrane is a pretty good showcase for the detail it can give in the low end as you listen to Hartman's brilliant baritone. John Coltrane's tenor sax does come out a bit heavy, once again showing a tendency to be mid-forward. A track that reveals some muddiness is "Chubb Sub" by Medeski, Martin, and Wood. It has a bass line that Bootsy Collins would be proud of, but this track reveals some bleeding between instruments/frequencies and general muddiness. If you have a set of cans that are able to handle this track, you will not be disappointed - it's Hammond-organ goodness, a filthy bassline, and syncopated drumming pounding away. The DJ100s come up short with a track like this - it just demands a little too much for these cans to shine in my opinion. That's not to say the experience is ruined, but I can really hear the boundaries imposed by some amped music. Perhaps it has to do with how a track is mixed in the studio...I'm not really sure. There may be albums that are mixed in such a way that sounds terrific with these headphones. My experience has been that amped rock and roll does not allow these headphones to reveal the detail and seperation the way acoustic music does. I do tend to listen to classic rock, so perhaps the recording techniques employed in that era make these headphones work a little harder. A song like "St. Tropez" by Pink Floyd is much better suited for these headphones. The nice seperation is present and the overall quality is more lush and evened out.

Final Thoughts: It's awfully difficult to convey such a subjective experience to an audience that is much more experienced than I, perhaps impossible, even. This review may be more instructional for myself than most all readers, as well - I think it's pointing me toward what I'm actually looking for, as well as revealing what I don't want in a set of cans. I think I may in fact be a freak for detail and seperation - that seems to be my bag. I guess that's part of the fun, too - the experience of discovery. The best summary I can give is that, as a new participant in this fantasmagoric hobby, the Koss DJ100s are a very good entry-level set of full-size headphones for a new, budget-conscious hobbyist who wants to dips their toes (and wallet) in the water to see what all the fuss is about, rather than dive in for a set of big boy cans that cost a small fortune. If you find that you're really not all that passionate about the pursuit of hifi bliss after all, than starting out with a pair of these will not leave you with feelings of buyer's remorse - you'll walk away with something you can still enjoy, pass along to a friend or relative who'll enjoy them more, or just sell to somebody else for most of what you paid - I don't think these will depreciate much at all in value. On the other hand, if you're like me, you'll A) be pretty happy with your purchase, B) use these to teach yourself what it is you're really looking for in a set of cans while still enjoying them, and C) surely become quite eager to discover other well-crafted products out there that can bring you ever closer to your ideal music listening experience.

I'm interested to try these out. I bought a pair used with m50 pads and should have them in a few days...hopefully. Might post back with some impressions. Nice review btw!!

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I've had these for about a month and have approximately 40 hours use on them. They may still be burning in at this point.