[spw1880]

I slightly modified the one in this picture. Sold on Ali for a couple of bucks a pair.

Thanks for that, will try to

 

[bbfoto]

Btw has anyone tried the bluetooth cable with the n5005? Any impressions or noticable degradation of sound quality vs wired?.

Thanks

This question has been asked and answered multiple times if you care to search or read back through the thread a bit.

The N5005 Bluetooth adapter provides excellent sound quality (the best ever that I've experienced) with iPhone (AAC) and Android Smartphones, Tablets, & DAPs (Apt-X).

You don't lose much if anything if you are using the N5005 while out and about with other environmental noise & distractions around you. And even when listening in a quiet, relaxed environment, the SQ with the BT adapter is exceptional.

I slightly prefer the form factor of my older Samsung HS3000 Apt-X BT Universal HP adapter, which also provided excellent sound, though it's not nearly as powerful.

 

[McCol]

Absolutely stunning couple of hours today with the N5005 and the DX200’s new Amp8 module. Detail if the mids and high taken to a new level for me and the bass response seems even more layered and textured than ever before.
A possible end game combo for me (although it was also pretty special with the ibasso IT04 iem’s!!)

 

[Chip B]

the point I don't get is how people really perceive a difference in quality between a V20 (or V10/V30 for that matter) and one of these TOTL DAPs that is significant enough to justify having to get a dedicated DAP (just talking about audio quality atm, not considering other factors for this argument) - and don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say that it's not possible or indiscernible, hell if you'd hand me a TOTL DAP that I can listen to with the n5005 that really makes a worthwile difference compared to the V20 in quality I'd probably save up money to get one of these myself, but the V20 is not just a decent device for playing audio, there's almost no room for improvement there because it's already so high up there in terms of what it delivers, or am I wrong there?
Because if I am please tell me so I can justify to myself that there's a reason to look for an upgrade and dig a little deeper : ) at the moment I just do not have the desire/dont know of a reason to get an upgrade because I just cant think of anything the V20 does wrong or could do better, then again I'm pretty new to the audiophile community and really do not have the experience many of you guys have when it comes to audio, so I really am eager to get some inputs and food for thought because if I can get even more out of my n5005 and have been isolated looking at the matterhorn thinking it's the biggest mountain in the world when it's a fact that there are many mountains that are even bigger that I'm just not aware of then please enlighten me : )

edit: sorry for derailing this thread by the way, I know it's supposed to be about the n5005 and not audio sources

The aforementioned items battery, DAC chip and interruptions are all reasons I support. Only one of those DAC chip is sound related. So on one level if you take that alone, I have to ask myself the same question, how much difference does it make? It depends on your use case. So in my case, most of my listening is mobile, and I have fairly high end components at home, Vinyl and digital etc. I seldom get to sit down and just listen. So when I go mobile, I wish to think that I can listen to some pretty high end audio quality, as that may be the majority of time I am listening to music. So this is where the mobile set-up has more meaning. In that sense there is one item missing from the list of 3, and that is amplification. Although in todays times, many mean "Dac/Amp" when they say DAC. So rather than give a lot of specifications, just simply speaking the amplifier has to push through the music file, and explode it into the set of headphones, across a dynamic range, lets say 20Hz to 20kHz. Depending upon the dynamic range of what your listening to, the difference between Lows and Highs, can take a lot of power to reproduce. this is dependent on how hard it is to drive headphones. So to reproduce certain highs to lows, in some passages of the music, can easily take 2-4 times the baseline output of most amps found in phones, and low end DAC-Amps. So simply put, when I have a good DAC /AMP, and good headphones, i notice that the louder the music gets, the better it sounds, the clearer, the more depth of tonality, the greater soundstage, the less distortion I hear. On my phone as I push up the volume, I usually start loosing quality, the music sounds noisy and fatiguing. When you listen to high end audio loud music is enjoyable, and somehow never seems loud. The N5005 are capable of giving you every bit of that, loudness which is revealing and adventure, and not noisy and fatiguing. Hope this helps.

 

[Signal2Noise]

Absolutely stunning couple of hours today with the N5005 and the DX200’s new Amp8 module. Detail if the mids and high taken to a new level for me and the bass response seems even more layered and textured than ever before.
A possible end game combo for me (although it was also pretty special with the ibasso IT04 iem’s!!)

What are you using for the 4.4mm connection? Adapter or a preterminated custom cable for N5005?

I'm still waiting on my FiiO BL44 adapter but am also on the fence, a.k.a. justifying price, about getting a Beat Audio Lab cable.

 

[McCol]

What are you using for the 4.4mm connection? Adapter or a preterminated custom cable for N5005?

I'm still waiting on my FiiO BL44 adapter but am also on the fence, a.k.a. justifying price, about getting a Beat Audio Lab cable.

Using the ibasso connecter/adapter, think it’s the cb12, it’s a bit bulky but it’s sturdy and it’s not something that I’ll be using out and about.

 

[ericp10]

I tell you that they should package the N5005 with the Shanling M3s DAP. The synergy is phenomenal (balanced cable or not). The clarity, instrument separation and refinement is too hard to put into words. It's sublime!

 

[Raketen]

Because if I am please tell me so I can justify to myself that there's a reason to look for an upgrade and dig a little deeper : ) at the moment I just do not have the desire/dont know of a reason to get an upgrade because I just cant think of anything the V20 does wrong or could do better,

Not used 5005 yet, so speaking generally- IMO there are some DAPs (maybe even just amps) that can offer modest improvements from a V20 (for my taste- in presentation/staging and what I find to be slightly artificial/etched treble sound of v20/v30,), but v20 is still a decent source, especially if you like how it pairs with your headphones.

 

[berzerk428]

Not used 5005 yet, so speaking generally- IMO there are some DAPs (maybe even just amps) that can offer modest improvements from a V20 (for my taste- in presentation/staging and what I find to be slightly artificial/etched treble sound of v20/v30,), but v20 is still a decent source, especially if you like how it pairs with your headphones.

What price region would these DAPs be in, over 1000 $?

 

[Raketen]

What price region would these DAPs be in, over 1000 $?

I was thinking along the lines of my Opus#1, Alien+, even A10 walkman, which are $250-400. Although none of these are clearly better in every resepct than the v30 (only had v20 for a little while but I think they're similar in SQ)- I just don't mind the trade-offs & like having a separate DAP anyway.

 

[bbfoto]

Absolutely stunning couple of hours today with the N5005 and the DX200’s new Amp8 module. Detail of the mids and high taken to a new level for me and the bass response seems even more layered and textured than ever before.
A possible end game combo for me (although it was also pretty special with the ibasso IT04 iem’s!!)

Awww crap! Now I'm gonna have to get the Amp8, LOL.

If you don't mind, what artist/album/tracks were you listening to at the time of your revelation?

 

[bbfoto]

I dont know why anybody would switch from a V20 to a dedicated DAP, the difference in sound quality between a V20 and a DAP are pretty much non-existant for people with normal hearing, I had an Onkyo DP-X1 and tested more expensive DAPs from A&K and couldnt hear any difference with the n5005 and carrying around an extra 500 grams is just not worth it compared to having everything on my smartphone - maybe the stronger AMP and the ability of some DAPs to use 2 SD cardscould convince me but other than that.. Ordered the cables for the High Gain Adapter trick for the V20 now if that solves my volume issues I'll be perfectly happy with my new setup : )

I agree with many of the previous responses regarding the difference in using a smartphone such as the excellent LG V20/V30 vs. a dedicated DAP. (Battery life, distractions, more potential storage space for music files, less RF & EMI interference, all power of the battery is dedicated to driving the DAC & Amp in the DAP and not to all of the other sensors and background processes in a smartphone, etc.).

But IMO, A LOT of the difference really depends on what type of music you listen to regularly, and ultimately, how well it was recorded. After the prerequisite of a great performance, the quality of the recording is EVERYTHING.

In fact, on some music that you may really love because of nostalgia, etc, you might find that a more revealing DAC, amp or DAP allows you to hear more of the shortcomings of the recording, which might ultimately detract from your enjoyment.

So in that sense, many common, popular music recordings may actually sound slightly worse on a high-end setup, or perhaps not much different because the recording may not be that revealing of fine details or nuances. So then you might understand why many people prefer a setup that provides a "smoother" or "warmer" presentation. Everything just sounds "good" and enjoyable, and as long as your foot is tapping, it doesn't matter, that's the goal.

So overall, depending on the music you listen to, you might not hear much if any difference between a really high-end setup and a "very good" setup. BUT, with some recordings, you may experience a very noticeable improvement in SQ.

I'm also a musician (drums/percussion & saxophones), and have played live in all types of venues with all different varieties of musicians of both acoustic & electronic instruments.

With that type of experience, you really become discerning and critical of recordings where the instruments actually sound realistic and life-like, and even more so, it's incredible when the environment or "room" that they were recorded in also sounds real.

Just as a basic example, as a musician you are constantly listening to your own instrument and to those of your bandmates just to make sure all of your instruments are "in tune" and not flat or sharp. Just that simple skill develops critical listening and attention to the complex harmonics of some instruments.

So IME, when you have an incredibly accurate speaker system, or headphones, or IEMs...having a better DAC, amp or DAP can reveal nuances that lesser devices cannot reproduce, if those nuances are accurately captured in the recording.

So what I'm trying to say is...if you normally listen to music that is recorded good, but not great, that in itself will limit the differences you might hear between device "A" and device "B", simply because there is nothing more there to resolve. A mediocre recording is going to sound mediocre on both devices.

There is also the consideration of the state of mind you are in while listening. When using a smartphone or a DAP "on the go", you often aren't really relaxed and truly in a state of mind to completely stop what you are doing, sit down, and truly listen and concentrate on the music and the fine details. Sure, that isn't always 100% true, but DAPs and smartphones are typically used in more "active" environments, where there will most likely be some type of distraction.

But for some people, a high-end DAP might serve as both a "on the go" music device, AND their main source for critical listening while at home. For those people, the potential benefits of a dedicated, high-quality DAP may be worth the extra expense and "trouble".

Luckily, the N5005 is extremely revealing of all of the fine detail and nuances captured in great recordings.

 

[BiggieBig]

for everyone with fitting issues ,
I should be able to report back in the next few days as my snuggs should be here soon. I will report back with pics

 

[berzerk428]

for everyone with fitting issues ,
I should be able to report back in the next few days as my snuggs should be here soon. I will report back with pics

lookin forward to it, using the white mid sized tips (spinfits?) that came with the N5005 atm, and whilst they fit pretty good I'm under the impression that there's room for improvement, and I don't have special ears or issues with fitting IEMs in general - there are times where I put on my N5005 in the morning and have to adjust them several times to get a good seal, sometimes there are instances where the sound will just sound off/distant because of the angle is bad and the IEM will not stay in place properly, which is probably also due to not having found the ideal tips yet..

I'm starting to think I might actually get my ears measured and try out custom eartipps for the first time in my life if I cant find any great universal eartipps, because I have no doubt I will keep the N5005 for the next 5 years or so since I really love them, so it'd be a worthwile investment

 

[audionewbi]

I will start writing my review this weekend and hopefully it will be done in two weeks time.