I honestly do not know. I can say that I am happy with the Bluetti AC 180. More than sufficient for my needs. I am much happier being off AC Mains.

Couldn’t agree more. I do the same. Right now I’m in charging mode. Sorry for the mess, but excited to see another Bluetti user!

I've moved the ESS / upsampling conversation here as to not derail / move attention away from the A26 thread for all those that want to follow along.

Thanks, @bogi , for your input. Considering the moderator's comments in the A26 thread, it seems more fitting to discuss ESS DACs' conversion methodology here in the HQP thread, especially since many utilize HQPlayer to upsample with ESS DACs. @jlaako , please let me know if you think this...

Many things in the above quote are patently false. If something is upsampled to 16fs (as it is with PGGB), it skips the FIR filtering in an ESS DAC. Also ESS datasheets do not explicitly state how many conversion elements they employ, but it is largely believed to be a multi-bit architecture...

Hi @Shanling - When playing DSD on the H7, is it possible to use "DSD Filter 2" and utilize the "volume bypass" per the below page in the AKM 4191 datasheet? Thanks!

I thought Chord products were very resilient in the face of jitter, independent of input. Is this incorrect?

I’ve had a few weeks with the thick lambs on. I like them better than the thin cowhides. The thins sound like I’m a little too close to the transducer - everything is a little too in my face with those. I lasted about a week wearing those before switching the thicks, which I hadn’t heard before...

I have a preference for glass optical versus plastic. A glass optical cable I bought sounded better to my ears than a plastic one made by audioquest.

Which DDC did Dan recommend? Once your system is quiet enough, you'll be surprised at the differences you hear when you change upstream components. Or if you upsample! I buy into Dan / Audiowise's hypotheses regarding Mojo2. So much so I've bought stuff from him! =)

A usb to optical converter like the one mentioned a few posts back.

Agreed on the first point. Rob Watts told me that, via a mobile phone, optical and usb are identical. I tried this as well after that conversation at Canjam. I can’t tell the difference either. The phone is a low voltage low noise device compared to a full pc. When I look plug mojo 2 into...

Just the adapter I got with my TS-316 IEM. I don't think it's anything fancy, though the cable seems to be of high enough quality. I plug my Pietus Maximus into a Bluetti AC 180 battery / inverter combo. I get zero noise floor (so long as the Mojo 2 isn't charging - then I can hear some hiss).

For this very reason, I stay single-ended. That being said, it sounds like you need an amp that can: 1. Power planars 2. Power IEMs 3. Convert single-ended in to balanced out Assuming budget is not an issue - I've read good things about violectric amps, though I don't know if they're quiet...