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Great review but this needs correction. The bigger tubes in the back are 17BF11 and the smaller ones are the ECF82/6U8 in front

The one pictured here is Amperex 17BF11 NOS (dual pentode composite tubes) in the front, this is for single-enden pure Class A power amplification.

In the back Amperex ECF82/6U8 NOS (high-gain pentode and a medium-gain triode composite tube), this is for voltage amplification.

Click to expand...

Killer review, brother! Thanks for sharing. Love the breakdowns with each IEM.

Nice touch, those moving VU's as a GIF picture

Yeah I agree. The biggest difference I see for turntables are cartridge heads followed by phono preamps. Phono preamp may be the most important if you're getting a lot of clicks and pops, as a phono preamp headroom really diminishes those, and makes them sound much less intrusive. I was using a DJI and switched to a Cambridge Audio Duo and the sound difference though not huge, the audibility of the clicks and pops was huge.

Excellent review!
A couple of notes:

The STYLUS is replaceable without removing the shell (plug-n-play). There is one by AT, the 3600LE that comes in at the same tracking force with an elliptical needle. Two others in their line, the ATN91 and 91R will work, but require about 1.4g less tracking force. To change tracking force, you need to open the unit up, and FiiO advised me (for my review), that it isn’t recommended. Other than that, you can replace the cartridge, but need to match the cartridge weight AND tracking force, which then leads to potential horizontal tone arm adjusting, etc…

As for bypassing the onboard phono stage, that isn’t possible, unfortunately. That said, the TT13 remains eminently listenable, and shares my office space with the AT-LP120USB BT.

For what it is, the TT13 is an excellent “gateway drug” into the vinyl scene.
See my review on Headfonics for more info. Nicely done again with the review.

I’d love to see one of these reviewed [for sound quality] with the AT3600LE fitted from the start.

Also, with the external power supply. Dealing with some hum on another turntable with internal PSU. Although its BT module is also a suspect.

Could you say how is that Snowsky that you already have...?

@Tecnologoto i wouldn’t say they’re revolutionary in terms of sound, the sound profile is more on the coloured side rather than neutral, warmish mostly but fun sounding, but what’s good is that the battery is removable hence prolonging the lifespan of the device should the battery gone bad after some time

Nice review. A recent discovery for me is how eartips have a huge impact on the sound signature. Same Zero 2's sound so different with different eartips. But I agree, the Zero 2 is one of the more balanced budget IEM's that does not over emphasize any region.

Also its so hard to judge what someone else heard, cos insertion depth also plays a huge part. Everyone will insert to a different depth, and that changes the Frequency response. I now think it should be compulsory especially for those starting out, to rapidly learn the import of eartips, and eartip rolling, and 3rd party eartips, to opimize the sound of their IEMs. This may be far more important than the actual IEM they buy, which can sound like crap, when paired with the eartip that does not match very well in their ears,, for a specific IEM.

Thanks bro @Okay1
Yeah I agree, tip rolling is a great way to change up the sound of any iem, and enjoy it in a new way.

I have never used a headphone amp, I have always just plugged into the headphone jack on the receiver or processor in use at the time...do they really make much of a sonic difference?

It depends on the receiver or the processor, and also the headphones. Easier to drive headphones require less power so it might not make a huge difference, but if you have anything that requires more juice, then you’ll have issues. When you don’t have enough power, a headphone may get loud enough but can also lose sound quality.

And then there are things like certain sources having a characteristic to the sound, which can affect it.

The cadenza 4 comparison mentions arete, btw

Thanks all -

@Pharmaboy I've started the process of digging through my ZMF pad collection to see what else works with the Dahlia. I've got a couple good prospects so far but I will keep in mind your point about options to tame the treble more. I know you've got your Caldera equipped with the thick pads & mesh so I'll see if any come close to that as a baseline.

Looking forward to your impressions on the Bokeh Open.

I've mentioned this in the Dahlia thread but for anyone reading this review later on; I'm quite fond of the ZMF Auteur Solid Suede pads combined with the Dahlia's dynamic tuning rings as my secondary set of pads. I've actually be using this configuration as my go-to for a little while as it increases comfort for me with the fully suede and deeper Auteur pads. It also warms the Dahlia's sound up nicely without veering into thick or muddy territory. There is a bit of a concession with the soundstage and imaging on these pads—though they still remain quite good—personally I've found the compromise to be worth the trade-off for a majority of my listening needs.

Since it's last orders for the Project Omega anyone care to compare them if they have both?