[jbfps116]

Or just try another store. AliExpress is a federation of sellers and there's no guarantee between stores for consistent customer service, handling, and shipping. I've had fairly good experience with them to Europe; it's slow, but the items always manage to work through customs well enough and arrive via snail-mail. Some of these sellers really go out of their way to help you and will custom tailor your order or help with items they might have but aren't listed. Other sellers send almost nothing except the automated shipment tracking email and then you keep your fingers crossed until the item shows up.

Yea… well AliExpress auto refunds me if they don’t ship out fast enough, but this is the official TRN store… and they keep having the package rejected at the sorting center. Are they like not putting proper postage in or something??

 

[SpaceOperaVillain]

But I think in 2024, there are some advancements in the dongle game, so for a bit more, there are some nicer dongles like:

• AFUL Snowy Night (neutral, powerful, not harsh)
• EPZ TP50 (cold analytical, but has EQ and many DAC filters to play with)
• Fiio KA13/KA17 (huge power on desktop mode, with KA17 having PEQ for android app)
• Fiio KA11 ($30 with warm tonality and huge 200 mW power, only 3.5 mm though)
• Simgot DEW4X (warm neutral, okay power)

Thanks for the update on this, baskingshark! Those KA series are laying down insane power for a "dongle"!! :-o The KA11 looks insane. I remember when this kind of power only came from giant can or brick sized amplifiers built out of big components on a breadboard. Now it fits into something with the form factor of a 1G Tylenol pill ... and still has a crazy low floors for noise and thd. The choice we have these days is just insane.

 

[SpaceOperaVillain]

Yea… well AliExpress auto refunds me if they don’t ship out fast enough, but this is the official TRN store… and they keep having the package rejected at the sorting center. Are they like not putting proper postage in or something??

Yeah that is indeed weird. Could be a new person messing things up. I recall occasional rumblings about TRN store in the past. One thing to verify is that it's actually the same store as other links here on headfi. There are a ton of new stores that will spin up and just tack "official" to the end of their store name and AliE doesn't seem to care.

Failing that, I'd suggest that friends don't let friends buy TRN. ... *Ducks, runs*

 

[requal]

Tuned similarly and bright..

 

[Brain Damage]

Has FiiO sorted out the firmware issues with the KA11?

Also, I've started wondering, what is best in a DAC/AMP for the PR2s when it comes to looking at sound signature given their bright highs and sorta tamed bass impact?

Cayin RU6 - sublime synergy with the PR1 Pros anyway

 

[MightyBalzaq]

Cayin RU6 - sublime synergy with the PR1 Pros anyway

Unfortunately well above my current budget.

 

[Brain Damage]

Unfortunately well above my current budget.

My general advice would be to stay away from ESS Sabre DAC Amps. Despite their low noise floor (SNR) and impeccable measurements, they are often bright, incredibly resolving but at the expense of sounding artificially clean (or what some would call the opposite of musical/organic/analogue sounding). And coupled with a brighter sounding iem like the PR2 (with fast transients and technical capabilities), it doesn't make for a good synergy. You want a warmer, thicker sounding DAC amp. DAC Amps that incorporate a Cirrus logic chip or AKM may be more beneficial for you.

 

[mzso]

Hello!
Are there any particularly recommended (not too pricey) KZ earphones with a neautral characteristic? Some (but not too much) bass enhancement I can live with. But it should have replaceable cables. I don't want to throw it away when the cables inevitably give in.

I have half a mind of replacing my headphones (Superlux HD660 and ATH M20X) with earphones, for comfort reasons. I would use silicone putty to customize them to my ears.

Any good suggestions?

 

[jbfps116]

Hello!
Are there any particularly recommend (not too pricey) KZ earphones with a neautral characteristic? Some (but not too much) bass enhancement I can live with. But it should have replaceable cables. I don't want to throw it away when the cables inevitably give in.

I have half a mind of replacing my headphones (Superlux HD660 and ATH M20X) with earphones, for comfort reasons. I would use silicone putty to customize them to my ears.

Any good suggestions?

I’m pretty sure the as24 can sound very neutral depending on your switch setting… in the opposite pricing spectrum I feel that the EDX PRO X are pretty reference tuned…

 

[drews]

AS24 are neutral to a fault (the least fun sounding IEMs I've ever heard)

 

[MightyBalzaq]

My general advice would be to stay away from ESS Sabre DAC Amps. Despite their low noise floor (SNR) and impeccable measurements, they are often bright, incredibly resolving but at the expense of sounding artificially clean (or what some would call the opposite of musical/organic/analogue sounding). And coupled with a brighter sounding iem like the PR2 (with fast transients and technical capabilities), it doesn't make for a good synergy. You want a warmer, thicker sounding DAC amp. DAC Amps that incorporate a Cirrus logic chip or AKM may be more beneficial for you.

Yeah...I've been mainly focusing on DAC amps with CS43131 chips.

Haven't really looked at too many with AKM chips...any budget minded ones you can recommend.

 

[r31ya]

Tuned similarly and bright..

If i recalled it right, Merga didnt have switch

So that lean bass is the only one you got. You cant try to add few db like other recent kz iems or that zs10 pro2 who could have extra 3db bass from that switch off FR

 

[requal]

If i recalled it right, Merga didnt have switch

So that lean bass is the only one you got. You cant try to add few db like other recent kz iems or that zs10 pro2 who could have extra 3db bass from that switch off FR

Yes, Zs10 Pro2 is also a little bit better tuned then this two even with this low bass setting. Such tuning is useable for specific generes of music only (if so..)

 

[requal]

Hello!
Are there any particularly recommend (not too pricey) KZ earphones with a neautral characteristic? Some (but not too much) bass enhancement I can live with. But it should have replaceable cables. I don't want to throw it away when the cables inevitably give in.

Check Polaris and D-Fi, great cheapos, and those are most neutral iems from KZ/CCA

 

[MightyBalzaq]

Okay...I just found a Tempotec Sonata HD Pro direct from the Tempotec website for $39.90 and of course the FiiO KA11 is $30 so which would be better for my PR2s?

Or would I still be better off getting something in the budget category that has a 4.4 mm balanced output (like the Moondrop Dawn Pro for example)?

Would a balanced output be so much more worth it for the PR2s or would the 3.5 mm output be enough?

Sorry for all the questions but I'm really trying to make sure I spend what budget I have on the right one.