I've found that filters have an effect on the reverb in music more than anything else. Depending on the style you listen to, it might be unnoticeable.

Glad to see Cayin moving to more environmentally (and animal) friendly materials. I noticed this with Hiby's R8II as well. Hopefully, it's a trend that will continue.

I didn't think this pairing complimented each other very well. Tried it with 3.5mm and a 3.5 to 4.4 input adapter. PA10 removed some of the Chord precision from the sound. Depth and width stayed about the same, imaging was a little worse with the PA10 than without. The difference in power wasn't...

You can do this. The balanced input on the PA10 simply won't have the differential signal it's expecting, so it technically won't be balanced, but it'll still work fine. I've been doing this for almost a year now.

I had a Mojo 2. Even with the EQ, it never sounded warm with my Ananda nor HE1000se. Technicalities were good, but the note weight never came, regardless of source, file format, etc. It was a bit sterile/robotic to me.

Correct. It isn't taking full advantage of the balanced input. I use it because it outputs a higher volume than the 3.5 PA10 headphone jack, and allows me to use my aftermarket headphone cable and that lovely sounding ifi 4.4 patch cable.

PA10 and FC6 already sounded great single ended. But I decided to try this adaption to 4.4mm. It works like a charm, even though the amp isn't getting a true balanced signal. More power available, and I always thought the balanced portion of the PA10 was the real star anyway in terms of sound...

What's that USB cable you're using? I need one of those.

I have this combo and I 100% agree. Crossfeed enabled for classical music is on another level, too. I also upsample to 706kHz and the imaging and spacial cues get even better.

SKW Audiophile makes a very nice cable. It's thick and sort of stiff, in a quality way. They say it's copper, I haven't bothered to research the validity of their claim, because my ears tell me it's worth the money. Much more 3D soundstage, blacker background, and cleaner more revealing highs...

No drivers for me. RU6 = FC6 with a loudness button and more driving power. FC6 has smoother timbre, by a little. If you have IEMs or fairly efficient full sized headphones, the driving power may be irrelevant.

FC6 sounds like an RU6 with more neutral tuning and less driving power. Some people think the RU6 sounds a little muddy in the lower midrange, and FC6 doesn't have that. I would keep the RU7 and also take an FC6 or RU6. RU7 is very different (but still nice) tonality than the R2R dongles.

I did try that combo. I prefer the FC6 by itself. Some of the charm was lost in going to the PA10, even though there was more driving power and increased dynamics. Again, maybe a synergy thing, or my personal taste. I don't really think there's a problem with the FC6 amplification. It's a...

Your interpretation is correct. And yes, it's a limitation for most or maybe all dongles with the 712, to varying degrees. Things with higher output capacity such as the Cayin dongles and the DC04 Pro seem to do a little a better, in that regard. Especially on the balanced output. The best...

For my taste, the 712 sounds much better with a lot of amp power in reserve. Even though the volume is fine, to me, soundstage and dynamics seem like they've had the air let out their tires with the FC6. But that's not the case with other headphones and the FC6. It might just be a synergy thing...

I haven't come across any issues with Windows, using HQPlayer. I use it with the HE1000Se and HD560s no problem. Sounds especially good with Hifiman, as it tames the brightness. It does struggle to push my K712 Pros. They sound a little muted, as if they haven't been burned in. This is with...

The OP was asking for the gist of the iPhone issue. That's what I provided. Yes, there are workarounds, but that requires extra effort. We can be nice to each other here.

Current iPhones don't output enough power through the lightning port to allow some dongles (including the RU7) to perform at their best. This may result in stuttering audio or other playback issues, especially when using high gain mode or the higher DSD conversion settings. It'll be interesting...

Interesting. Maybe that's part of why it sounds better than most dongles? Is the cutoff for the filter function at 700 kHz, or is it lower? (like 352?). Also, are all DSD signals run through the filter, regardless of their rate? I'm assuming they're convereted to PCM because R2R doesn't handle...

I have the FC6, Cayin RU6 & RU7, and iBasso DC04 Pro. To my ears, the FC6 pairs surprisingly well with HQPlayer upsampling to either 706 kHz or DSD 128 and streaming Qobuz. Not sure how many people have tried this strange pairing, but it's worth a shot for those who are curious (HQPlayer has a...

This could also be due to the output voltage on your android's usb port. Not all phones output the same amount of power. I'd check your model at gsmarena.com and see if it supports USB 3.0 or higher, and PD 3.0 charging. Those make a difference, and will get it sounding closer to a PC output.

The sound seems a bit less fluid in dynamics and smaller in soundstage for me with the case on. Could be imagining things, but this is something I noticed before ever reading other people's similar observances. It makes sense that it would get more warm with the case on. Although I think it...

Mojo 2 has more power and is more "technical" with instrument separation and definition. Soundstage is better on Mojo 2, but the difference isn't huge enough to be a problem for me. RU7 sounds much more analog/romantic and less clinical than Mojo 2, but still has really good technical chops. If...

How does that compare to the HE1000se pairing? Do you find it worth the extra cost?