Or, even better in value a n d sound terms, the new kid in Classical town: CCA CRA 20 plus 20$ for the upgrade cable = 40$ Get the Fiio V Tips and drive them with a really good source like the new Cayin RU6. Outstanding!

Yep. Comparison to a 1000$ sound is screaming at best. It is a very nice and complementary, not-so-audiophile set as alternative in certain situations. If I want to have the same usefulness yet on a more audiophile level, technicalities like imaging, space, more resolution and all of this...

It has to have a not too light and not too strong, direct seal. Hovering in your ear. Then it sounds "right". To me, it resembles the HD660s in terms of full-size headphone timbre. Without the treble extension and airiness but with more, well, space. Because it obviously has no external...

I guess it is all about the right fit, not about production variables. You do get a strong bass as well as mids and a good treble response up into the 8-9khz region assuming you softly drill that thing into the concha until it snaps into place so to say. You will know as soon as it holds its...

Yep, I guess a majority of readers here is confused now. Where to begin? First, nobody except singularities solders here below a microscope worth more than any high-end earbud or two. Second, bio-cell-or-and-composite is the argument here. Best and especially most natural timbre per dollar...

I am wondering what this Lotoo PAW S1 does, on many levels. First I like the Sweet and None settings the most, on my IEMs and as source into headphones. It is truely musical, euphonic and exceptionally well tuned. (Black background, Harmann-like with slightly soft edges) Clearly better than DFR...

Imho TRUE upgrades are ... HD800s L700 Not more Yet not less either.

Agreed, regarding the Clear which I don't fancy either. Although, take another 1,4k phone, for instance the HD800s. This is on a significant higher level if we are talking about technicalities. Hence, in terms of musicality, not so much.

AKG K712 has a certain "raw" but highly musical and "real world" sound characteristic, provided it "likes" the source and amp. In German we talk about Klangfarben for a reason, hence it is "colored" with a good and noble cause. I like your comparison to the Clear because, well, you describe the...

No there is no difference neither in built nor in acoustics. And I heard several ones. What is significant is the inferior quality of the stock cable, all weaknesses are enhanced with it. Go for an upgrade immediately to avoid disappointment. I do run them with a Forza Audioworks.

To get significantly better (central) imaging, you would have to step up to a Beyerdynamic T1 f.i.