A/B Comparisons - iems, buds, cans, daps, and more - Tips & Impressions

[Longfellow78]

Thanks for the encouragement!
As for the comparison between the m11s and the ka13, you're probably not going to see much of a downgrade.
The power output is not that different (the ka13 packs quite a high output for a dongle), and the es9038 of the m11s and the cs43131 of the ka13 are comparable in quality.
From experience, I used my mulitverse mentor on the two devices (that I owned at the time but strangely did not do a comparison of), and I remember thinking that there wasn't much of a difference.
I'm sure that if I AB'd them, there would have been minute differences (the ka13 likely to be a little warmed because of the dac), but I'm also sure the differences would not have been huge.
Of course, as you get better (and likely more power hungry) headphones, you are going to want more power than the ka13.
Hope that helps!

Thanks. Can't believe you bought and listening to so much stuff. Can I ask why you actually bought so many pieces of hardware? Obsession to find the best kit?The ka13 will be for portable listening only. I have an SMSL do400 for desktop listening so I don't think I will need more power in the future. It is 3w@32ohms and I'm never going to buy anything that needs more. The m11s worked really well with the fostex but so heavy. If I can get 90% of the performance using my phone that's good and 550wm is fine for almost anything portable. Thanks again.

 

[291079]

Thanks. Can't believe you bought and listening to so much stuff. Can I ask why you actually bought so many pieces of hardware? Obsession to find the best kit?The ka13 will be for portable listening only. I have an SMSL do400 for desktop listening so I don't think I will need more power in the future. It is 3w@32ohms and I'm never going to buy anything that needs more. The m11s worked really well with the fostex but so heavy. If I can get 90% of the performance using my phone that's good and 550wm is fine for almost anything portable. Thanks again.

No problem! I hope the ka13 works in your setup. Don't forget to apply the latest firmware before you use it, though. I've heard that with the old firmware it can crank up the volume suddenly.
As for why I bought so much... Just a lot of curiosity. I also found that if I only bought used items that were well priced, I lose a very small amount of money while circulating gear, so that helped. I'm also not a reviewer so I'm not on a race to compare the latest and greatest gear, and that means I can wait until items are at an acceptable price.

 

[291079]

203. hiby fc3 vs fiio ka13 (W):

Fc3: slightly leaner treble.

Ka13: a little more transparent, a little clearer, a little more bas, wider soundstage, a little more height, airier, 4.4mm.

The differences are there, but the two sound quite similar with 3.5mm iems.

 

[291079]

204. k's earphone bell-lbbs (W) vs yincrow rw-3000:

Lbbs: leaner treble, tighter bass, leaner mids, better instrument separation, clearer, slightly more forward mids.

Rw-3000: better background detail, more sub-bass, wider soundstage, better layering, airier, more bass but bass can bleed into mids.

Those with a preference for warmer signatures might favor the rw-3000.

 

[Edric Li]

197. ifi diablo (W) vs chord hugo 2:

Diablo: fuller notes, wider soundstage, smoother mids, more bass, better layering, more natural, 4.4mm, but the usb input is horrible.

Hugo 2: slightly more transparent, sharper treble, better background detail, tighter bass, better instrument separation, slightly more forward mids, but uses micro-usb.

I used 6.3mm for the comparison.

May I ask about the color of the filter you used on the Hugo2, if you happen to remember? Were you using IEM or headphones?

 

[291079]

May I ask about the color of the filter you used on the Hugo2, if you happen to remember? Were you using IEM or headphones?

Sure! For the hugo 2 I used filter 1 (neutral), which is the only filter I use when comparing the hugo 2 or mojo 2.
Also, for comparing I normally focus on iems, so this comparison would have used iems, but iirc I also used one headphone for this comparison. I think it was the utopia.
Thanks!

 

[291079]

205. thieaudio monarch mk3 (W) vs thieaudio monarch mk2

Monarch mk3: wider soundstage, more sub-bass, more bass, better layering.

Monarch mk2: learner treble, slightly more forward mids.

The differences are there, but they are not major. The mk3 is a warmer signature overall.

 

[291079]

206. sony ier-m9 vs thieaudio monarch mk2 (W):

M9: better bass/mids/treble balance, warmer mids, sounds more as a whole, wider soundstage, smoother listen overall, more forward mids, comfier, lighter.

Monarch mk2: more sub-bass, leaner treble, slightly more transparent, clearer, better background detail, better instrument separation, more bass, better layering, slightly more natural, airier, slightly more height.

 

[wilson.st]

Wow. Thank you for your service.

 

[291079]

207. unique melody multiverse mentor (W) vs sony ier-m9:

Mentor: more bass, clearer, more transparent, better background detail, wider soundstage, tighter bass, leaner treble, better layering, better instrument separation.

M9: warmer mids, sounds more as a whole, better bass/mids/treble balance, more forward mids, comfier, lighter.

 

[291079]

208. unique melody multiverse mentor (W) vs thieaudio monarch mk2:

Mentor: wider soundstage, better background detail, better layering, more sub-bass and bass, slightly more transparent, more natural, airier, more height, better bass/mids/treble balance, slightly clearer.

Monarch mk3: leaner treble, leaner mids, better instrument separation.

 

[291079]

209. hifiman arya stealth vs focal utopia 2020 (W):

Arya stealth: leaner mids, sharper treble, wider soundstage, tighter bass, comfier; sounds thinner overall.

Utopia 2020: clearer, more transparent, more sub-bass and bass, more forward mids, better bass/mids/treble balance, better layering, more analog sounding, more natural.

 

[291079]

210. ibasso dx320 w/ amp11 vs a&k ca1000 (W):

Dx320: smoother mids and treble, more forward mids.

Ca1000: clearer, more transparent, blacker background, tighter bass, slightly wider soundstage, airier, 6.3mm.

The sound quality is pretty close overall.

 

[wolfstar76]

Any chance to test symphonium crimson? I had a short demo and was extremely impressed.

Also, what's your current favorite IEMs and DAPs?

 

[291079]

Any chance to test symphonium crimson? I had a short demo and was extremely impressed.

Also, what's your current favorite IEMs and DAPs?

Yeah, not sure if I will get a hold of the crimson soon, since my tinnitus is getting worse and am taking a break from iems.
But if I do, you can be sure that I will be comparing it to others ^^

Currently, my favorite iem is the multiverse mentor as an all rounder, and anni 2023 for the treble.
I was very impressed by the female vocals on the anni 2023. I think I prefer it to some of the 20-30k speaker setups that I heard.
For 1k used I would still go for the u12t, and for $500 the viento-b is my favorite.

As for DAPs, I do believe that going over 1k is not that cost efficient, so around that price I would choose the fiio m17 for its massive soundstage, or the sp2000t for its nutube.
Tbh, rather than spending 2k on a totl dap I would probably spend 1.5k on a home setup and $500 on a portable like the sr35.