[ohyeeeee]

you only need a sd card reader then everything should be fine.

 

[fusionramjet]

Thanks for letting me know
I saw one called the Sandisk Micromate on Amazon.com for $13.79 and reviewers say it works with their iMac

 

[Sefelt103]

Bear in mind : we are in the PORTABLE source gear section.

Isn't there a contradiction between high quality in a player and it being portable for outside use ? The portable source gear section is full of threads about expensive high grade players and people searching for the ultimate in high quality - outside ?? Unfortunately outside means earbuds, IEMs or on-ear fashion headphones all of which compromise sound quality. To me a player like a HM901 is pointless for outside use. If I could afford one I would get a set of HE-6 headphones to go with it and listen only at home. The high quality portable is like watching one of those 100hz Sony CRT televisions in a greenhouse on a sunny day. You might be seeing one of the worlds best TV images if you could actually see the picture. Perhaps fengwei007 would be better served with a mains powered device like a QLS QA860 along with owners of Colorfly C4/iBasso DX100/AK120 etc.

 

[CosmicHolyGhost]

To me a player like a HM901 is pointless for outside use. If I could afford one I would get a set of HE-6 headphones to go with it and listen only at home.

 
It will not drive HE-6 without the help of an external amp. Even with the help of external amp, the line out voltage maybe a bit low and will result in distortion.  Maybe the HE-500 and new HE-560 will be more suitable for use.

 

[ohyeeeee]

You got a point there. But hifiman got the best dac so IEM can sound better (a little bit). The reason I got 901 is because I can use it with my full size headphone everywhere in my home instead of sit in one place. 

 

[fengwei007]

The reason I got 901 is because I can use it with my full size headphone everywhere in my home instead of sit in one place. 

Exactly!

For on the go I don't mind using my iPhone5 w a pair of TG334, they sound good enough to me when I'm in the train or walking in the park. But at home, if I can't sit in front of the desk, I'd like to use HM901 to pair w whatever I want to enjoy some of my favorite musics wherever (inside the house of course) and whenever I want.

 

[gerard14ph]

Exactly!

For on the go I don't mind using my iPhone5 w a pair of TG334, they sound good enough to me when I'm in the train or walking in the park. But at home, if I can't sit in front of the desk, I'd like to use HM901 to pair w whatever I want to enjoy some of my favorite musics wherever (inside the house of course) and whenever I want.

The 901 goes with me everywhere except when I am running. Otherwise it's my on-the-go DAP. I can still put it in my pocket.

 

[Bluebear]

How come no one compare HM-901 with balanced amp card to RWAK120-B? Which will be better if it is the Red Wine Audio AK120 modded with dual WM8471 balanced out versus HM-901 /w balanced amp?

 

[fengwei007]

  How come no one compare HM-901 with balanced amp card to RWAK120-B? Which will be better if it is the Red Wine Audio AK120 modded with dual WM8471 balanced out versus HM-901 /w balanced amp?

The balanced mod alone cost over $700USD ($695 plus shipping), don't think a lot guys are willing to folk out such amount of money on an already very expensive DAP. 
 
To me the HM901 is more flexible, sound fantastic w/ IEM or balanced card. I just ordered a minibox card, will see how it pair w/ some easy to drive full sized headphones. Even w/ IEM card, my TH900 already sound fantastic. 

 

[CosmicHolyGhost]

There is no balance line out from HM901 so it will never be apple to apple comparison. HM901 balance amp card will probably not able to compare with TOTL portable balance amp as these amps have their own dedicated power supply. A more relevant comparison should be AK120-S vs HM901 LO to the same amp using same interconnect.

 

[Bluebear]

  The balanced mod alone cost over $700USD ($695 plus shipping), don't think a lot guys are willing to folk out such amount of money on an already very expensive DAP. 
 
To me the HM901 is more flexible, sound fantastic w/ IEM or balanced card. I just ordered a minibox card, will see how it pair w/ some easy to drive full sized headphones. Even w/ IEM card, my TH900 already sound fantastic. 

 

There is no balance line out from HM901 so it will never be apple to apple comparison. HM901 balance amp card will probably not able to compare with TOTL portable balance amp as these amps have their own dedicated power supply. A more relevant comparison should be AK120-S vs HM901 LO to the same amp using same interconnect.

 
I see. So basically RWAK120-B has the advantage of pairing with a TOTL portable balance amp versus HM901 which is stuck with only being able to use its internal balance amp card. Ultimately RWAK120-B will win with the best sonic quality but costs more, so if cost is not an issue building a portable rig then RWAK120-B is the way to go.

 

[CosmicHolyGhost]

Both can pair with balance amps as long as the amp takes either SE or balance input and output in balance. 120B has the advantage of serving as a full balance source but cannot work as a standalone DAP. Vinnie has a concept to include an amp section for 120B, but its still a concept at this point.
For driving c/iem, hm901 balance is more than adequete and its a matter of pref which setup is better. For driving something like lcd3, hd800,etc, 120B has an edge for running a full balance system. If money is not a problem, should get both to try.

 

[fengwei007]

DAPs like AK120 and HM901 are meant for portable use, even used at home, I just don't see any reason paring them w/ another amp to drive bulky and hard to drive headphones like LCD2 or HD800 (mostly these would be used at home). Better get a dedicated desktop setup for these headphones, and it might cost less than a RWAK120-B with a balanced amp or HM901 w/ another more powerful amp.
 
I do use HM901 w/ full sized headphones like TH900 sometimes, the sound isn't bad. But when I want the best sound quality, I'd go w/ either full desktop setup w/ TH900/HD800 or HM901 w/ K3003. 

 

[CosmicHolyGhost]

I guess some people need to travel a lot for work and would be nice to be able to enjoy music using their favorite cans in hotel room...just a guess... we wont find a lot of rational reasons for a lot of things on headfi LoL

 

[jay89]

Hey, do you have to use a balanced cable to use the balanced card? Can't I take advantage of the balance card's superior sound quality through a pair of Sony xb90ex or any other decent iem for that matter?
 
If you need a balanced cable, what cable would you recommend to go with a normal ($50 to $90) pair of iem's?