no problems with IEMs...again, this little guy is a strong bet for anybody looking to spend $150ish.

Nope...but I have the XDSD. Go to the HA-2 thread for my thoughts, and they're basically about the same this case to be honest. The iFi stuff is "better", but it really comes down to presentation and taste.

Honestly, it's similar enough to my Oppo HA-2 in terms of "how good is it"...you get some difference here and there, but they're honestly every bit as livable/usable and I wouldn't say one sounds better than the other. It's a winner for $150ish and definitely has a ton of power on tap.

Just checking back in...still use these as my go-to and sort of "one and only" headphone for music; been that way since day one going back months ago. These are so worth it for $150, and although they don't necessarily scale with better/bigger sources like some other headphones do, they...

All single-ended/good ol' regular 3.5mm goodness.

For you, I think it honestly would do the trick and is worth trying out. It's really, really good...I just wish it had a wider soundstage and maybe the option of a bigger bass boost. But it's a total winner.

Back again...finally got to do a good wired comparison between the two. I'll put it this way; both are top-notch in every way, however they're night and day different in terms of approach and intended sound. This is going to come from the point of view/ears of a guy who's been around live music...

Give me some time...I have an xdsd and a ha-2 that i'm playing around with. Edit: Just a quick blurb...but both are very well designed, very well built, and sound great. There are some differences there, but yeah...it's sort of like "can't go wrong with either". The Oppo is slimmer and has a...

Toss the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0's in there as well. For commuting, the Meze headphones look pretty ridiculous. I have both the Neos and the Momentum 2.0s, and I honestly love the Momentun 2.0s to death in terms of looks/sound. Again, the Mezes will look fairly ridiculous sitting on your head...

I know, right?

...so I've bought all of the above used/on sale with the intent to compare/play with all of these and only keep one or two for the long haul/flip the rest to get my money back. But I mean...holy crap. I'm a musician and have done the whole gear thing to death over the years as far as...

Simple stuff for new purchases...$50 range...grab a Fiio Q1mkI. If you want to spend more, look for a Fiio e17k around $90 new. For something small and portable, though with less power and features, look at the Zorloo Zuperdac S.

No...but let me put it this way: Fiio went with a new scheme and decided to include both balanced and single-ended capabilities with the Q1mkII along with the Q5. The balanced output if the Q1mkII is very nice and has a good bit of power for what it is, while the single-ended output is now...

Hey buddy, I can help you out a good bit with this...stay away from the Q1mkII, as it is really only going to shine with headphones that run on a balanced cable. As for the e17k, I would say that you should go for it. I currently have one and think it's a great little device. It'll power what...

So if I have this straight...it's sort of like the XDSD but without a physical digital connection and more or less has you using their bluetooth tech instead to sync to devices instead to use it as an amp/dac??? Could be interesting if priced a good bit cheaper, and I like the new bass/presence...

Hey I have a question...so is the xdsd available in two different finishes? I know there's the chrome color, but there are also pictures around of a darker almost black version. Are there two color choices or was the darker model just a prototype or something else?

No prob. Just remember that the A3 is almost twice as powerful, however you won't need that at all for those IEMs if that's your goal. Be sure to get the latest version, which is the NX1s(not NX1a/NX1), it adds a bass boost that the older versions don't have. Should be able to find one at $35-40...

A3 is a very nice little device; I tried one for a while and it definitely has a good feel to it. As an alternative, check out the Topping NX series of amps.

Add the Hidizs Sonata and Zorloo Zuperdac S...Nextdrive Spectra always looked interesting to me too.

Agreed...I sort-of want to track down a Fiio e18 and get a NX4dsd, then sell my Q1. It looks like Topping is sort of lesser-known out of all the China brands and doesn't tick the "it factor" boxes that some of the more talked about companies do. Man, I don't see why anybody wouldn't go for it if...

I don't think mine are rough at all; my fingers glide right over them no problem. SHP9500S is a lot more jaggy by comparison. Grills are a non-factor for me in terms of both looks and finish quality, it's the cheap-o gloss black paint job that catches my eye.

I also want to toss out there that the paint job on these is indeed kind of laughable and easily the cheapest looking of anything that I've got...looks like glossy black spray paint with a Sennheiser watermark screened logo, and it kind of has an almost uneven look to it in addition to being a...

Keep it as a thought, haha. I'm pretty sure you'd be into it if you like the SHP9500S. The SHP9500 is brighter and still has its place, but it doesn't have the bass or impact at all and isn't on the same playing field overall for music listening. If anything, these would be a nice compliment to...

Let me put it this way: if 80s hip hop and something like Gorillaz works for you, then these sound pretty amazing. It's hard for me to put properly into words, but the 58x kind of makes the X2 sound cartoonish and overdone for music by comparison. I'm hearing things that I never noticed before...

Just got mine today...I'm not going to be able to compare them to other 6 Series headphones or anything, but what I can say is that these may officially be my favorites and cause me to sell some stuff in the near future. I'll put it this way, it's like somebody took the "fun" from my X2 and...