General Information
Thanks to the lovely folks at ifi Audio, I have tried the iE Match now in a variety of situation with high efficiency headphones (Meze 99s) and iems (Sennheiser CX300mk2) and in conjunction with my iPhone with and without Audioquest Dragonfly (Black) and also my laptop with the Dragonfly. I have used these to stream Tidal using a few familiar albums of my choosing.
To me the biggest plus for iE Match is that it moves the volume level of a device into what I will call the “sweet spot” which is for me somewhere between 10 o’clock and 12 o’clock on an analogue dial. That has moved it from being too quiet to too loud in a single click to offering a wider range of volume and allowing the amp to operate in a more ideal range.
I am not the most technically savvy of people and so here is the link to the iE Match information where you can get chapter and verse on what it does and how it does it http://ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/accessory-iematch/
I am not convinced that the sound quality itself is inherently improved, but it does allow you to access a more ideal sound level and so hearing music at that ideal level means it is sounding at its best.
Does this make any sense? It makes sense in my head, but that’s not the same as being able to explain it rationally!!!
It is a tricky one as normally I would plug in a new thing and either it improves the sound quality or not and then it’s a case of value for money (or not). Certainly though if you find that your headphones are too efficient for the amplification that you are using with it then this cool little gadget at only £49 (GBP) is a complete no brainer and order it without regret or indeed delay!
So for anyone who has a portable set up and has difficulty in getting an optimal volume range then the iE Match will be the right thing to do and allow them to move the volume into a level wherby they can get it set “just so” and therefore provide the ability to enjoy the system at its best settings.
I have specifically avoided any reviews of the iE Match because I didn’t want to colour my judgement, but as I say it is not like reviewing a regular ifi Audio device. Of course not that ifi Audio makes regular devices by any measure but you know what I mean…….hopefully.
To me the biggest plus for iE Match is that it moves the volume level of a device into what I will call the “sweet spot” which is for me somewhere between 10 o’clock and 12 o’clock on an analogue dial. That has moved it from being too quiet to too loud in a single click to offering a wider range of volume and allowing the amp to operate in a more ideal range.
I am not the most technically savvy of people and so here is the link to the iE Match information where you can get chapter and verse on what it does and how it does it http://ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/accessory-iematch/
I am not convinced that the sound quality itself is inherently improved, but it does allow you to access a more ideal sound level and so hearing music at that ideal level means it is sounding at its best.
Does this make any sense? It makes sense in my head, but that’s not the same as being able to explain it rationally!!!
It is a tricky one as normally I would plug in a new thing and either it improves the sound quality or not and then it’s a case of value for money (or not). Certainly though if you find that your headphones are too efficient for the amplification that you are using with it then this cool little gadget at only £49 (GBP) is a complete no brainer and order it without regret or indeed delay!
So for anyone who has a portable set up and has difficulty in getting an optimal volume range then the iE Match will be the right thing to do and allow them to move the volume into a level wherby they can get it set “just so” and therefore provide the ability to enjoy the system at its best settings.
I have specifically avoided any reviews of the iE Match because I didn’t want to colour my judgement, but as I say it is not like reviewing a regular ifi Audio device. Of course not that ifi Audio makes regular devices by any measure but you know what I mean…….hopefully.
