Not sure why the option isn't on similar price range, they can be good on their own class, but I would put Pilgrim OG in between them. The price is between those two, but the tuning for me is better than those two.
The Davinci trapped in 6khz too deep valley, as lot of "anti sibilance" cut like HBB collabs. The anti sibilance cut is needed but should be on 7khz and not affecting 6khz too much. The 6 khz should be around +4db until +6db to to have nice balance between "not too dull" or "not to bright", just nice amount with lower treble sparkles with little fun bite. The treble extension also ok but not great (someone mentioned it as Hype 4 without treble extension and I think I can agree with this)
Davinci also have mid bass bleed seeing from +8db on 100hz, mid bass will take lead on overall presentation.
The Pilgrim Noir is darker tuning, with big bass, but more forward upper mids but fall in treble region, the extension of the treble is like lot of budget / previous years midfi tuning, rolled off. Unless you personally prefer this tuning (little bit niche, darker, bass tilted tuning with minimum sparkles) I wouldn't bet on such a price. The Pilgrim Noir will go head to head with Symphonium Meteor with similar niche tuning.
the Pilgrim OG on other hand have balance and great tuning. I really like it as they are very close to my personal target tuning but I have 1 concern with little shouty bright that I perceived at the first listening and turned out that is the 5khz peak, not to be worried about actually, more just a nitpick feedback from me and definitely not a deal breaker. The Pilgrim OG tuning is nice
+1 for yincrow X6, nice budget earbud set along with their bigger brother yincrow RW-9 for $20ish
Sony house DAP is warm smooth with details that please lot of people and fans. It is musical tuned DAP with effort towards analog style from the team with very good technicalities too but technicalities aren't their first strength point. Compared to other neutral and technical DAPs like Fiio or ibasso, detail retrieval, soundstage and imaging is slightly behind them (depend on the dap class also) But even the WM1A / WM1Z also behind M17 for technicalities. I couldn't get similar wide and deep soundstage as from M17 when I'm using my Mr Walkman WM1Z tuned modded WM1A. Don't get me wrong the Sony still have very good width and depth though. And power also not on the strongest category, just sufficient enough for most IEMs, even planars or Z1R.
I would say its kinda "unique" style instead only "warm" tuning. Not like hiby's warmness also. Not the smooth as A&K Ultima series DAPs where trebles and extensions are like filtered from sharp attack to crispy but smooth (in good way, just imagine like BA treble extension become EST smoothness in A&K magic), but Sony house tune is like "uniquely thick with details" that made vocals are rich and thick.
As for FR of the DAP, they are kinda flat, but their processing is yes its more like tuned with EQ, like their vynil processor is turned out actually using this kind of EQ preset :
Sony WM1A measurement without any processing :
it is quite flat will little rolled off on both end to end extensions (watch on 20hz-16khz human hearing capability)
and then, here the vynil processing on WM1A (its not that extreme, the graph is stretched on Y axis to show clearly the differences, but actually the tuning plays are less than 1db EQ :
And DC phase linearizer / bass processing (direct means no post processing applied), there are little differences from 200hz below :
*note : shout out to our new member
@Alex-D for all his hard work capturing these measurements.
and I believe other enhancements also made using similar way.
but the richness and house tuning I believe its more complex tuning with those capacitors , their s-masters chipset etc that beyond my knowledge so far.
I enjoy Sony house so much but at some point when I'm not at home, I kinda miss the soundstage and imaging presentation from my M17, I wish the WM1A or WM1Z have that or close to at least.
To tell you all, actually the Conch driver is really really good
here the RAW driver measurement I did few months back :
Only Few and Conch driver have this kind of treble extension that doesn't roll off among hundreds of DD on budget and midfi class, even Simgot's (I also have the measurements actually) that's why the Conch driver is special. See the treble extension until 15khz.
The drawback of course the original Conch always sounded tizzy no matter what filter are used, because the nylon filter on 3 filters taming high mids region only but don't affecting treble extension at all, that is too much, and here the magic with your wife face cotton :
cotton materials absorb trebles and extension so much, so this cotton only can be use with peaky treble extension depends on the amount of the cotton.
just ditch the original nylon filter (I suggest using the transparency filter since you won't use it anyway) and replace it with metal grill for earwax protection and better looks :
then use this cotton damper :
Cut small rectangle cotton roughly 7mm x 10mm and tape it on back side so it won't wooly and then roll it with small stick like watch tools or tiny screwdrivers or even toothpick will work
Push in slowly with help of tweezer, make sure the center part still have hole that go through (this is important for clean non smeared, tactile bass)
It will be looked like this :
You can open up the centre hole with tweezer also
And thats it voila!
Best if you have measurement rig for mod to ensure your damper amount and balance channel.
Here the result, the green one is the modded one, extension looked tamed, but actually very detail and extended because this is dampened from that peaky raw extension.
And measurement of the final mods L and R unit, with my target tuning reference, not the best but close and I can say this is one of the best single DD I've ever heard and made something like Kato, Hana, EA500 etc obsolete practically.
great impact bass while very tactile, minimum bleed mid bass (can't help it) thick yet detailed mids, nice sparkles, great treble extension and superb technicalities with sharp imaging. All for $30 + 1 layer of your wife face cotton. Oh yeah, not an advertisement as always as I bought them with full price and I don't have any relation with TRN.
