Best is an amp like the A50s. You can choose between high and low gain (less power). The low setting is ideal for IEMs as they are often high sensitivity.

As the N100 is a transport only and delivers USB audio, you might decide to add a DSP module doing the EQ https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/using-orangepi-zero2-as-an-equalizer-between-usb-source-and-usb-dac.53750/#post-1946851

To the best of my knowledge, Tidal Exclusive uses WASAPI in Exclusive mode so it talks straight to the DAC and can do automatic sample rate switching. In fact the whole Win audio is bypassed. Wonder why you use Voicemeeter.

The Jotunheim 2 can be found here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/schiit-jotunheim-2-review-dac-headphone-amp.21232/ Wouldn't go for the multibit DAC, way to noisy. It has analog balanced in and outputs at line level and a "balanced" headphone out. Personally I'm not...

The 800s comes with a TRS and a TRRS (Pentagonn). The Pentaconn allows a 2x2 connection. If the amp offers a 4 pin XLR, you can replace the Pentaconn or use an adapter. I had the 800 that comes with a audiophile style cable. Long, heavy, stiff. When it broke I replaced it by a Hart Cable. They...

To be honest, I didn't read your post completely, too long In 2013 I decided to buy a new headphone. I compared the HD600and the HD800 (the star at that time). The 600 sounds good but not as good as the 800. Maybe if I was more familiar with EQ I might have tuned the 600 to sound like the 800...

No. Sources range from 16/44.1 to 24/192 kHz. Modern DACs can play them all. App's often allow you to play them at their native sample rate as well. The difference between streaming audio services is the format they use. This can be lossy compression, CD quality (16/44.1) or Hires, anything...

See a lot of DACs with 24/192 over S/PDIF and 32/ 768 USB. Might it be that 192 and 768 is a properties of the receivers, not to be mistaken for the internal sample rate used by the DAC chip?

WA7 pleases the eye indeed. If this applies to your ears as well is a different story: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/woo-audio-wa7-wa7tp-dac-and-headphone-amp-review.7028/

Have a look here: https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/audeze/lcd-2-classic/ It is probably pretty good in the fundamentals but suppresses the harmonics. I expect it to sound dark. Wouldn't buy a headphone with such a weird frequency response.

Bit weird as to the best of my knowledge, CD player output is standardized at 2V. One expect the amps to cope with this. Any option to reduce the gain on the amps? You might try a passive inline attenuator.

They don't. They have Optical and USB inputs. Might help to specify brand/model. As they have optical and USB inputs, they are powered speakers, speakers with a build-in amp. Hence your Dm41 is of no use as it is intended to drive passive speakers.

Another vote for dBpoweramp. It is fast and stable. Easy to configure. It supports AccurateRip (they invented it) Meta data from GD3, Discogs, SonataDB, Musicbrainz & freedb Can be used as a format converter as well.

Just a wild guess. The moment you make a phone call, BT uses the HSP (Headset profile) instead of A2DP (High quality stereo). HSP not only needs a DAC but a Mic as well. Maybe because of this the USB DAC is not used as it is a DAC only, not a ADC+DAC?

Just to make sure, are you using Apple Music? If not, as the switcher reads the log of Apple Music, it won't work.

LL= Low Latency not to be mistaken for lossless or high bitrate. I wonder if LHDC got any traction outside Huawei You might have a look at LDAC. Don't focus to much on the codec, the DAC and amp in the receiver are important as well.

No. It is lossless so keep it that way. If the Fiio is struggling with large files, get a better DAP! You might try a your phone. Mine has a 1TB SD card with FLAC and performs flawlessly. A simple solution is transcoding (converting on the fly) You have your collection in a lossless format...

Maybe this one: https://ddhifi.com/product/tc28cpro/

Impossible. A headphone is just a tiny speaker connected with 2 wires to a plug. Nothing to cure or to restore. Most likely the headphone socket of the Xiaomi is dirty or damaged but it sounds like a bad contact most of all.

You can but it is probably the worst possible solution one can conjecture up. You have the digital audio converted to analog by the onboard DAC/AMP only to be converted back to digital by the ADC of the Bluetooth adapter. If you want to skip the Bluetooth of the PC, get a Bluetooth USB transmitter.

Maybe audition https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/neumann-kh120-ii-monitor-review.46362/ https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/genelec-8351b-review-studio-monitor.23432/

You might have a look at Hart Audio Cables. The cable they are using (Mogami) is light and flexible.

Rme-adi-2-dac-fs comes with a 5 band EQ. Most of the time we do it either system wide (EQ APO/Peace) or if we use the media player in exclusive mode, the one that comes with the media player of a VST pluging.

What yo might try is downloading a couple of FLAC's On your PC run a test: FLAC –t FileToTest.FLAC This will tell you if the file is corrupted or not. https://www.thewelltemperedcomputer.com/KB/Flac.htm

Looks like your Walkman supports it: https://www.sony.com.my/electronics/support/articles/00200481 If you connect the Walkman wired over the USB, does your PC sees the card, can read/write ir?