If your Explorer 2 is connected to a noisy source like a PC, it's very much worthwhile investing in something that can at least feed it with clean DC. Needs not be a huge investment; a cheap battery-based solution will work. I have the same dac and I'm using nimh battery packs to power it. Big...

Can take advantage of a used deal, but the owner (second owner) says the battery now only last about 3-4 hours... Is it safe to do this with the PB3 or will it hurt the battery eventually? Also, is the battery chloride ion or Lithium polymer type? I'm seeing conflicting data. @Paul - iBasso

I know but judging by the specs it's a very weak amp, not adequate for harder to drive or high impedance headphones. So it would make sense for some owner to pair it with the Head Box S2, which is a much more powerful amp. Hence the question. I'm just trying to get an idea of the sound of the...

Is anyone pairing this dac with Head Box S2 amp from the same company? Any experience with it?

Powerful compact desktop HP amp. Similar price and format to other currently popular options like magni, atom, liquid spark, etc... 5V DC input, two headphones jacks and made in EU. Output power is split between the two jacks when two headphones are connected, according to user manual...

If anyone wants to sell a GMP 400, or some of its parts, PM me.

There's more to sound quality than FR and low distortion. Backwave reflections and resonances create odd colorations and contribute to the perception of a "noise floor" or 'dirtiness' to the sound. The best way to overcome this is a design that is as mass-free, simple and open as possible.

You don't need to compare it to top tier: the SHP9500 is open, the HD6xx series is open, a bunch of Audio Technicas and Grados are open, etc, etc... It's not about how it sounds; you literally just look at it and your brain should, in theory, connect the dots. Manufacturers don't define what is...

Even if true, which I very much doubt, the fabric looks far too thick to be acoustically transparent. There will be reflections inside the cups (I'm guessing a warmish/dark bias). It's still a closed headphone... I'll have to open mine and see it for myself to be sure, but looks like a plastic...

Anything but attentive reading.

Does anyone know any aftermarket earpads that fit the Custom Street? This is a modders' gem.

I appreciate the feedback. I guess I could get one Docomo or SR2 and one Snow Lotus 1.0+ limited edition (already added one to my shopping cart actually). Hopefully, they won't sound to similar and will have some variety. I'm not familiar with the Docomo, but have been reading interesting things...

Have $35 to test the waters with earbuds. I'm open to multiple purchases, but would rather avoid clutter and pick the fewest earbuds possible. I like variety to some extent, but would like to get the best possible sound quality (if worthwhile) even if that means limiting the choice to only one...

I get the feeling that R&D investment in earbuds is much lower than in IEMs... not sure if it's because earbuds are less popular than IEMs (correct me if I'm wrong) or because the design limitations are just to difficult to overcome.... or maybe both...

I was indeed suspecting something like this. This design requires some experimentation.

Good info, thanks. Too bad these filters are not included with the E series... nothing a diy solution won't fix, though. I'll have the opportunity to give them a listen soon.

Are you still happy with this mod or have you noticed that it does weird things to the sound? Resonances, dirtier or uneven treble, less creamy midrange, overall sound less smooth? Does it detract from the original character to a significant extent? Does this affect the overall volume of these IEMs?

The Hifiman Supermini is supposed to be quite powerful, but it's getting difficult to find at $200. Pure dap with single and balanced outputs. Don't know the output impedance.

Letting you know that the link for the Final Audio E5000 measurement in the first post is wrong - it points to the F4100. Correct link is in this comment of yours. EDIT: Corrected now.

Can't help there, sorry.

Don't even think about powering the ME2 from the smartphone alone. It'll eat up the small battery in an instant or it simply won't work. The ME2 draws too much current (max USB 2.0 power spec. 500mA) so you'd need an external power source, which would be cumbersome. It's not really adequate for...

Look for neodymium magnets with the highest N rating you can find (in principle, the stronger the better, but you can experiment with different N ratings to see if a lower strength works best). Magnets with the same size, shape and magnetic strength should have identical effect in the sound...

How on hell did you separate those things apart...