[Duncan]

Must say, and I'm sure owners will agree, if going to demo this player, try to make sure that it has been powered up for at least 30 minutes, as it needs to be a little warm to sound at its best

 

[zappazappazappa]

Anybody got any experience with the M2 and any other IEM's other  than the Flare's?

 

[Duncan]

I use Layla, what would you like to know?

 

[zappazappazappa]

I don't think I could stretch to the Layla's. I currently use Cardas IEM's which while I'm happy with them on most music with this player I find they lack a little punch on rock music  - specifically drums sound a little soggy! This wasn't a problem with my Fiio X5 so I'm wondering if if this is a characteristic of the AR-M2 or just a mismatch of headphone/DAP?

 

[Duncan]

Hmm, cannot answer that, other than saying that the X5 sounds thin and anemic from its headphone out versus the M2 with the Layla, although I did note earlier in this thread that it is weird how well the Layla works considering the high output impedance of the M2 (which in itself might answer your question, could be a synergy thing)

 

[zappazappazappa]

Ok, thanks for your reply. I am going to CanJam next weekend and hope to try some different IEM''s with this player.  Hopefully I'll find a match at a price I can afford!

 

[SteveHiFi]

  Anybody got any experience with the M2 and any other IEM's other  than the Flare's?

This is a perfect excuse to have a try! I tried the AR-M2 with a Fidue A83 and a Dita Truth (answer edition).
 
With both the A83 and Dita, the bass is sharp and impactful with a good sense of clarity and texture. The Dita was smoother and wider with the midrange and treble a little more present/crisper. The A83 was a little more rounded.
 
I have to say the combination of the Dita Truth/Answer and AR-M2 is stunning and very revealing.
 
http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/dita-audio-the-answer-iem-earphones-truth-edition.html
http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/fidue-a83-triple-drivers-iem-earphones-with-replaceable-cable.html

 

[zappazappazappa]

Thanks for the recommendations. I did look at the Dita but what put me off is the low sensitivity - 102db, which is not much more than my Sennheiser HD800's. This brings me on to a serious gripe of mine. I wish all headphone manufacturer's would express how loud their headphone's plays in output SPL figures which I find a lot easier to relate to. If a headphone has an SPL of 120db I know it's going to play loud if its got an SPL of 115db it will be less loud etc.

 

[Duncan]

With how much power the M2 has the sensitivity should not be an issue... Realistically it is only BA units that have pushed up the levels into the 120db plus range

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

I don't have the M2, but I have many other daps, some weak, some powerful, and I recently bought an iem, the Ultrasone IQ Pro, which has a sensitivity of 101dB, and max SPL of 114dB, none of my daps have trouble taking it to ear splitting level, even weak daps like sony f887. Anyway, 95dB is where hearing loss starts, 110dB is as loud as a power saw, 115dB a loud rock concert, 125dB is where pain begins. No one should be listening at these levels in the first place, so I don't see why a sensitivity of 102dB is a problem.

 

[zappazappazappa]

Where to begin? I have been listening to music on various audio/hifi equipment  and at varying volume levels  since my teens - I'm now 58. I don't have any hearing problems. Perhaps this is because while I do like listening loud to some types of music - I find different types of music sound better at different levels. It's probably because I'm also careful to always back  off the volume to a level which my ears find comfortable and I'm also well aware of how easy  it is for ones ears to accustom themselves to high volumes if you listen loud for prolonged periods.
    The reason why I tend to prefer higher sensitivity headphones is because I feel they have a better dynamic range and sound livelier than low sensitivity designs. With regard to the 102db rating of the Dita, the reason I thought it might not be sensitive enough to drive the AR-M2 is because I've hooked up my Sennheiser HD800's, which I think are 100db, to the player and while it will play music through them it is not a good match as I don't think the player is capable of controlling them properly. Dita only quote 102db they don't, as far as I've seen, quote an SPL
 level. If you say it equates to 114db then yes it would be fine  - but I'd still want to try before I buy In case you're wrong.
Also if you are serious about educating people about the dangers of hearing loss due to listening too loud to headphones it would be far better to drop the patronising tone.

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

I wasn't trying to patronize. I know where your coming from regarding the dynamism of headphones with higher sensitivity, although it's just as easy for a sensitive headphone to sound overblown as it is a lower sensitivity headphone to sound dull, so I don't factor sensitivity into my decision. The numbers on their own are meaningless in my opinion as tuning and pairing needs to be taken into account. As you said, just gotta try it out for yourself and see how it goes.

 

[goodvibes]

   
Something just sunk in today about DXD and DSD.  DSD uses a 1-bit delta-sigma A/D conversion process (which was the current thinking when DSD was invented) whereas today, 1-bit is outdated and something like 5-bit delta-sigma is prefered.
 
You can't record DSD with 5-bit delta-sigma conversion but you can record PCM with it. DXD data rate is about three times DSD64 (i.e. higher resolution in some ways, but different) so it means you can use the modern recording processes and still create DSD64 and DSD128 from it without loosing quality.
 
So it does have more relevence than just marketing (but not necessarily for the consumer).
 
Anyway, just wanted to express that thought!

I wasn't speaking to the process, only the need of naming it DXD instead of PCM. I find any conversion has some baggage though in most setups aren't that noticeable. I also think bit depth is more important than bit rate and we lose a bit

in that conversion. I understand the liking of the format as it's an easier conversion for less sophisticated DACs that most own and may be enough to secure its future but the best files I've heard on top kit have all been PCM and generally on quite sophisticated ladder DACs (no noise shaping). Delta/sigma (and DSD) is more prone to timing errors with ladders more prone to amplitude errors. We are significantly more sensitive to minor time relationships than those of amplitude. Problem with PCM is getting the filters to work but that's being better understood every year. Obviously, if we can remove all the errors, it shouldn't matter but unfortunately that's much easier said than actually done without changing the stream. 

 

[Barolo]

Whent to can jam today and had a good listen to the qp1r ,901s,Soundaware,lotoo 5000 and the turbo charged Arm 2 what a match for Heir 8

 

[Duncan]

Whent to can jam today and had a good listen to the qp1r ,901s,Soundaware,lotoo 5000 and the turbo charged Arm 2 what a match for Heir 8

I really, no REALLY liked the QP1R - that being said, the ARM2, amped (Vorzuge Pure II+) sounds damned fantastic too!