[RIGATIO]

Did you try the 1.7 firmware? It changed quite a lot the sound. Some love the Darwin Ultra filter introduced with it. I personally enjoy the NOS especially after the 1.7 update it has a very good stage in my experience. Of course it doesn't have the sharp highs which sometimes create additional sense of space, but its actual stage is quite good.

Yes ive had the 1.7 firmware before the sale but it didnt quite fight with the Elite. The Elite doesnt have sharp trebles, its bit warmish. Ive found the FC6 more aggressive overall but with beautiful r2r timbre. I would keep the FC6 but the overall presentation lacked a bit. I would say the FC6 sounde like a good dap for 500-800 dol, the Elite more like a 1000-1500 dap.

 

[Yanec]

Yes ive had the 1.7 firmware before the sale but it didnt quite fight with the Elite. The Elite doesnt have sharp trebles, its bit warmish. Ive found the FC6 more aggressive overall but with beautiful r2r timbre. I would keep the FC6 but the overall presentation lacked a bit. I would say the FC6 sounde like a good dap for 500-800 dol, the Elite more like a 1000-1500 dap.

Interesting, as I had the elite and in my case they were similar in the treble: both a little bit rolled off the reference flat line.

My FC6 was anything but aggressive, actually the opposite if compared to delta-sigma. May be more dynamic in the lower end, similar to the type of bass in some Focal headphones, the Radiance as an example.

Agree on the r2r timbre. On my units the stage presentation was very similar.

Of course, ears, iems, library, exact unit variance, etc can make it different for all of us. A good reason to try anything before buying, if possible.

 

[Lamby90]

Happy owner of the Monarch MKII since 2022, these days I noticed a really bad crack on the right shell. Anyone else have this problem? I mean, I always stored them in their case and never drop them, these days I just accidentally noticed that.

 

[Sharppain]

No need to spend big money. My sincere advice would be to skip on the snake oil and go for two dongles given that one of them performs as a reference totl desktop gear and the other offers the best of the coloured "analog-ish" type of sound. Get both.

1. Tanchjim Space, desktop reference level conversion and amplification, please check Amir's review on ASR.

and

2. HiBy FC6, use it in NOS mode for the most pure non processed conversion which some label as "analog" sounding. Actually very synergistic with MMK2 solving the mid bass scoop issue.

Get both and use both depending on your mood or the musical genre. I have many more but honestly I don't need anything more.

I think the MMk2 deserves a bit more - Hiby RS2 and Mojo2

 

[Yanec]

I think the MMk2 deserves a bit more - Hiby RS2 and Mojo2

The RS2 is noticeably worse than the FC6. I have both and compared extensively incl. on MMk2.

The highs of RS2 roll off earlier which is audible and degrading many genres, stage is small and instruments are clustered. Its distortion is higher, noise is higher, background isn't as "black".

As to Mojo2 it sounds indistinguishable from the Space with a tad less "micro detail" than the Space in my experience. For objective approach just check ASR review of the Space and of Mojo2 by Amir. Space measure better than the Mojo2 but both measure indistinguishable in regards to human hearing boundaries. Which confirms my subjective impression.

 

[Sharppain]

Starting from your last sentence 'seems....' - wrong, wrong,... I have both and extensively run them with Z1R, MMk2, Helios, UM Mest II, IE600, Oxygen..... I got the RS2 and Mojo2 very soon after their launch and have built very extensive impressions - I did a review of the RS2 long before others (here), so do not tell me that I am following or quoting others.
Second, guess you like piercing highs!!! RS2 highs are not rolled off, just not strongly emphasized since it is not U-shaped replay but more mid-centric; additionally, if you test it from the 3.5 than it is nothing special - the beauty comes from the 4.4 and the high gain always on; and if you are still not satisfied than pair it with NX7 portable amp and it shines. Btw, it is the RS2 amp to 'blame' for the 'highs roll off' replay - pair it with NX7 and you get a fully different clean, balanced, detailed and spacious replay.
About distortion,.... come on who's reading the specs for decision, only!? Not me!
Regarding Mojo2 - again reading specs is driving your conclusions and you get into space. Give the Mojo2 a clean dedicated audio source (like xDuoo X10T II, not your comp or phone) and it is a gem; plus it is good enough to use it for a desktop set-up and scales very high with good amps.

 

[Yanec]

Have you compare

Starting from your last sentence 'seems....' - wrong, wrong,... I have both and extensively run them with Z1R, MMk2, Helios, UM Mest II, IE600, Oxygen..... I got the RS2 and Mojo2 very soon after their launch and have built very extensive impressions - I did a review of the RS2 long before others (here), so do not tell me that I am following or quoting others.
Second, guess you like piercing highs!!! RS2 highs are not rolled off, just not strongly emphasized since it is not U-shaped replay but more mid-centric; additionally, if you test it from the 3.5 than it is nothing special - the beauty comes from the 4.4 and the high gain always on; and if you are still not satisfied than pair it with NX7 portable amp and it shines. Btw, it is the RS2 amp to 'blame' for the 'highs roll off' replay - pair it with NX7 and you get a fully different clean, balanced, detailed and spacious replay.
About distortion,.... come on who's reading the specs for decision, only!? Not me!
Regarding Mojo2 - again reading specs is driving your conclusions and you get into space. Give the Mojo2 a clean dedicated audio source (like xDuoo X10T II, not your comp or phone) and it is a gem; plus it is good enough to use it for a desktop set-up and scales very high with good amps.

Have you compared RS2 vs FC6 to say wrong?

Have you seen the RS2 measurements that its FR rolls off in the highs?

None of these dac/dap are u-shaped, they aren't iems or headphones. If a DAC or dap has a U shaped FR it is clearly worthless imo.

Have you compared Mojo2 to Space to say wrong?

And since you got into the territory of "who reads measurements I know better no matter that I haven't compared directly" I will stop here as it isn't a type of discussion I find valuable. To each his own.

 

[RIGATIO]

Interesting, as I had the elite and in my case they were similar in the treble: both a little bit rolled off the reference flat line.

My FC6 was anything but aggressive, actually the opposite if compared to delta-sigma. May be more dynamic in the lower end, similar to the type of bass in some Focal headphones, the Radiance as an example.

Agree on the r2r timbre. On my units the stage presentation was very similar.

Of course, ears, iems, library, exact unit variance, etc can make it different for all of us. A good reason to try anything before buying, if possible.

FC6 lacked controll and punch in the lows compared to the Elite. In isolation nothing was missing (except for the soundstage) but when compared to the Elite, the bass was more mushy and the midbass could slightly flood the lower midrange. This wasnt a big issue because of the very nice timbre but the Elite presented definitely more mature, desktop system-like presentation, with more air, space, more distant mids and overall better dynamics and controll. FC6 is amazing but the lack of a proper amplification makes it still too "dongly" sounding- bit too forward and aggressive.

 

[Yanec]

FC6 lacked controll and punch in the lows compared to the Elite. In isolation nothing was missing (except for the soundstage) but when compared to the Elite, the bass was more mushy and the midbass could slightly flood the lower midrange. This wasnt a big issue because of the very nice timbre but the Elite presented definitely more mature, desktop system-like presentation, with more air, space, more distant mids and overall better dynamics and controll. FC6 is amazing but the lack of a proper amplification makes it still too "dongly" sounding- bit too forward and aggressive.

Can it be unit variation as these micro film resistors are real hard to match with consistency?

Although Joe Bloggs of HiBy, who engineered the latest Darwin filters and firmware mentioned to me that they have a resistor variance compensation system. We had quite technical discussions on the hardware and software side, my personal view is that HiBy's r2r offering is really strong at the moment. I do like it more than the Himalaya myself.

I second that the bass is perceived a tad punchier than a neutral reference but it was a small difference and it had excellent texture, not mushy nor affecting the mids.

Tge mids BTW are just amazing. The first mids that really sound to me like my father's flagship Nakamichi HiFi systems in the 80s and 90s.

 

[Sharppain]

Have you compare

Have you compared RS2 vs FC6 to say wrong?

Have you seen the RS2 measurements that its FR rolls off in the highs?

None of these dac/dap are u-shaped, they aren't iems or headphones. If a DAC or dap has a U shaped FR it is clearly worthless imo.

Have you compared Mojo2 to Space to say wrong?

And since you got into the territory of "who reads measurements I know better no matter that I haven't compared directly" I will stop here as it isn't a type of discussion I find valuable. To each his own.

Yep, I have compared those. So, you wrong, again, with your assumptions.
There is nothing wrong to like smth else more. But looks like you knowledfe for replay in general is lacking - DACs and AMPs cannot be U-shaped!!!!
Case closed!

 

[Yanec]

Yep, I have compared those. So, you wrong, again, with your assumptions.
There is nothing wrong to like smth else more. But looks like you knowledfe for replay in general is lacking - DACs and AMPs cannot be U-shaped!!!!
Case closed!

It's you who countred my recommendations saying the MMk2 "deserves something better" in reply to my message. If there is "nothing wrong to like something else" than you give your recommendations directly and don't counter someone else's recommendations as worse. If you challenge them than don't shut up the one who you challenge.

Always glad to debate on gear but in a valuable and knowledge manner, your "who cares about measured specs" isn't such for sure.

Chill dude.

 

[Sharppain]

F Y I

 

[elderbank]

Help
Mk2 or mk3 or save cash and go Mega5est or hype 4? Use B2D.. tried variations and ie600 and didnt like them. Guess i like forward vocals.

 

[RIGATIO]

Help
Mk2 or mk3 or save cash and go Mega5est or hype 4? Use B2D.. tried variations and ie600 and didnt like them. Guess i like forward vocals.

Mk2 is a masterclass, pure midrange magic, one of the best if not the best midrange in any price range.

 

[Twangsta]

Help
Mk2 or mk3 or save cash and go Mega5est or hype 4? Use B2D.. tried variations and ie600 and didnt like them. Guess i like forward vocals.

My experience with the MK2 has been very mix dependent. If the mix has it, you will hear it. In that sense it's a reference monitor. If you like forward vocals and any such thing, you need to accept that a mix could be deviating from what you like and you may want to compensate with a colored monitor, but it's a complex thing and my conclusion is you're better of with a neutral tuning that if you must eq it per mix to your liking, but in all honesty you baseline should be a neutral tuning to start with.
The biggest variance I've noticed in bass extension, some mixes have it, others don't, but it's a fascinating thing to hear the mix for what it is. Personally the MK2 is ridiculously amazing. I really love it and my library is very diverse, I'm a musician I might add. All we can do is find something that represents the mix the best it can, and these deliver. What I've found is some mixes need more volume, others deliver at lower SPLs, and that's all there is to it. Other than that avoid cheap shouty DAC/AMP, and your in heaven. Good luck. My 2 cents.