Tayyab Pirzada
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 15, 2016
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But doesn't it defeat the purpose of the earbud format if you need special amps to make a pair of earbuds reach their potential? I used my Caying C5 and Fiio E11 portable headphone amps with Zen 2.0 and found them to be unbalanced. What I mean by unbalanced is that there was like a blanket over the highs. It's not like highs were rolled off but more like they were severely muffled. I had to EQ treble up on my DAPs with between 5 and 10 Db to get them to sound balanced. Traded the Zen 2.0 for a pair of Zen 1.0 and those gave me exactly what I wanted from the Zen 2.0.
I prefer earbuds that do not need amping at all. I have not heard all earbuds made, but from those I have heard, Blox TM7 are the best ones with great detail and imaging and an incredible smoothness like honey.
I just received a pair of Edimun V3 and those are amazing for the price. To me they are close to the level of Zen 1.0 or Sennheiser MX980/985 (very natural sound that might not be for everyone) with almost the same bass impact as Zen 1.0.
But then again, people hear differently because of different preferences...
Perhaps the amp in question has a lot to do with it. I was thoroughly unimpressed with the Zen 2 with Cayin C5, but love them with the Project Starlight tube amp.
I wish I could find TM7 for sale somewhere.
I am still waiting for Edimun V3 to come in the mail.
And yes, I suppose earbuds should do well without being amped. But I don't mind too much because I have a good desktop setup going on, where I study for long hours (and hence listen to music at the same time).