fwiw, Merga is a dual DD 10mm & 8mm. They claim each driver is dual ported or something bizarre like that. There are so many multi DD pokemon here that I have a hard time believing any are going to be better than the Trio.

I don't envy you having to make a choice with so many options! :) For the same reason you don't ask weed addicts what their favorite strains are, I'll jump in anyway and ask if you saw the recent reviews for the TP20 Pro? Fitty bucks - dual cirrus chips, balanced outputs, warm'ish profile, and...

tl;dr: I agree with you and have done the same, but I think the amp itself has more effect on the sound than the actual DAC. Ideally the DAC output should be flat, and any sound coloring (for better or for worse) should come from the amplification. In small devices like a dongle there's only so...

...to verify is that it's actually the same store as other links here on headfi. There are a ton of new stores that will spin up and just tack "official" to the end of their store name and AliE doesn't seem to care. Failing that, I'd suggest that friends don't let friends buy TRN. ... *Ducks, runs*

Thanks for the update on this, baskingshark! Those KA series are laying down insane power for a "dongle"!! :bomb: :-o The KA11 looks insane. I remember when this kind of power only came from giant can or brick sized amplifiers built out of big components on a breadboard. Now it fits into...

Or just try another store. AliExpress is a federation of sellers and there's no guarantee between stores for consistent customer service, handling, and shipping. I've had fairly good experience with them to Europe; it's slow, but the items always manage to work through customs well enough and...

AliE's personalization engine has been improving. If you visit a few sets regularly and then pop the site open, it will often highlight a store with the lowest price. I've got an advert right now for Castor Bass @ 10 euros; earlier it was A16 Pro for 36 euro. I might crack on these A16s...

I'm a fan of FiiO, E1DA, and have been close to pulling the trigger on a unit from Earmen. The Sparrow and Eagle in particular, but I haven't had any need really with what I've got. The BTR3K is great in dongle mode on laptops and mobile devices. I've used it every day for coming on 4 years now...

Sabre's pretty standard for a high quality DAC, but you can't rely on chip version alone. There are too many other factors in how it's implemented in the hardware that can make a DAC/Amp great, mediocre, or plain terrible. Best to look for reviews of a specific device with that chipset.

While y'all are here, I tossed a a pair of those ugly green AZ10 in my basket for my wife to use in low latency mode for tablet streaming. How much will I regret this? They were cheap - like 23 euro or something. 😅

I just ordered these on that strength! Bright (more like bright'ish imo) treble is one of the consistent reasons that I'm a proud but sensibly limited member of the KZ fan club. :ksc75smile: When I was leaving my mini-review I saw that AmericanSpirit lamented the sonic absence of the 30095 in...

CCA Castor Harmon version on its way. I think I might wait for this summer sale to see if some of the better new models are offered at a nice price. I logged a short and overdue review of the ZEX Pro...

...shell. No more venting on the left side, and no more perceived volume imbalance. This yielded two more differences: 1) yes, there is air buildup. *shrug* it doesn't bother me that much. 2) more bass. A lot more bass. :beerchug: I had to subtract a few dB off the bottom end; shaved just a...

:100: For some reason the BA10's sound like BA20 compared to ZAX or my C12. Less was clearly more with that set! Did you have a chance to review the Krila's "revised" 30095? This same driver is in ZEX Pro and it bothers me because I thought that set should have much better resolution than they do.

Thanks! It's nice to see familiar usernames still haunting here and the Discovery thread. :wave: Trio is a definitely a strong contender and I see a shop unloading them for 20 euro rn on AliE. Nimweth's review paints these as being very good but a little on on the warm side where I tend to reach...

...buried alive. Like the CRAs, these developed a channel imbalance, and the pin connector was damaged so I wrote them off and did what needed done. *dusts off* So after getting scratched up and bouncing around in my junk box for nearly two years, I exhumed these from the cardboard grave. A...

Still rocking those ASTs! Through my trusty FiiO rig and lowly CCA CRA daily drivers here I'm getting a strong base of toasted almonds with notes of hickory that summon impressions of a comfortable wool blend, and just the faintest whiff of a wintergreen finish. Really nice track! :waves: I...

Ozzy announced today that he had to cancel all his tours due to struggles with his health. In tribute I dusted off the the C12's, plugged them into a USB wired connection on the BTR3k and found my old EQ presets in Pulse Effects. FUUUUUUUAAAAWWWWWW I forgot how excellent (and brutal) the...

My GK10 are still going strong. I love this pair of IEM :purple_heart:

Long term update: - CRA: left channel CRA plastic pin housing just disintegrated one day a few months ago. I didn't quite get along with the V-shape very often so they didn't get much use. - NRA: just yesterday, the right channel of my NRA twisted off and collapsed inside the shell after a...

I have this same issue on my laptop w/ PowerDAC v2.1. The USB is very sensitive to movement, which I attribute to my cheap arse laptop. It's ghetto but I ended up taping the input cable to my desk to prevent movement. problem solved ... :stuck_out_tongue: I still love my PDv2.1 and wouldn't...

Hello CCA fans - touching base with a long term reliability update: CRA - the C pin housing disintegrated on one side, exposing the copper on the right side IEM. My cables don't slip off thankfully, but it's annoying to finally suffer the dreaded cracked pin housing that so many others have...

I'm out of cheese to pass around with all the whining in this thread. I hereby cast a hex upon the heads of KZ detractors with a dozen downgrade TWS purchases in their future from name brand suppliers. May your wallets be emptied and after experiencing the greatest of kilobuck hifi cons may you...