[wastan]

I haven't yet gotten any emails from Aliexpress stores regarding the upcoming 11/11 sale. Anyone have a scoop on what the bargains will be?

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

So i'm back, kind of....don't have my own computer yet and because of my MacCrapBook die on me it's hard to keep it up here...but I will try to update the best-off list and read all what I miss.
 
I heard other earphones too, never stop this.
**** UE custom: Bassy, mids centred and vast soundstage, not very detailed but engaging and fun sound.
 
**** UES custom with BA and DD driver: Smooth and kind of dark but with good treble sparkle and micro details and impressive instruments separation and airy soundstage, the soundsignature grow on me and I really love this earphones, very easy to listen and with good amping the bass come alive (never bassy tough).
 
Great 10$ earbuds discovery: FAAEAL DIY 64ohm!!!
Incredible sound for the price, airy soundstage and great instrument separation, good bass and impact in sound, near as good as the MrZ Tomahawk at 4 times the price!!
 
KZ ZS3 did not sound bad but form factor is strange....
 
 
WHAT I'M CURIOUS ABOUT
 
KZ ZST DD-BA dual drivers....anybody heard them???
 
Urbanfun hybrid DD-BA?
 
**** PT15 earbuds with detachable cable?
 
Union A8?
 
Sendiy M1?
 
Irock A8 (same earshell than Tennmak Pro)???
 
If anybody heard or know reviews of one of thoses please tell me.
 
Cheers and I will send pics in no long!

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

  I haven't yet gotten any emails from Aliexpress stores regarding the upcoming 11/11 sale. Anyone have a scoop on what the bargains will be?

​I think it's more a coupon type of deal thing...wich look very interesting like 5$ coupon for 50$, 8 for 100 purchase etc....gotta see if the seller will pump up their price tough.
Anyway, will be ON IT for sure!

 

[Majin]

  So i'm back, kind of....don't have my own computer yet and because of my MacCrapBook die on me it's hard to keep it up here...but I will try to update the best-off list and read all what I miss.
 
I heard other earphones too, never stop this.
**** UE custom: Bassy, mids centred and vast soundstage, not very detailed but engaging and fun sound.
 
**** UES custom with BA and DD driver: Smooth and kind of dark but with good treble sparkle and micro details and impressive instruments separation and airy soundstage, the soundsignature grow on me and I really love this earphones, very easy to listen and with good amping the bass come alive (never bassy tough).
 
Great 10$ earbuds discovery: FAAEAL DIY 64ohm!!!
Incredible sound for the price, airy soundstage and great instrument separation, good bass and impact in sound, near as good as the MrZ Tomahawk at 4 times the price!!
 
KZ ZS3 did not sound bad but form factor is strange....
 
 
WHAT I'M CURIOUS ABOUT
 
KZ ZST DD-BA dual drivers....anybody heard them???
 
Urbanfun hybrid DD-BA?
 
**** PT15 earbuds with detachable cable?
 
Union A8?
 
Sendiy M1?
 
Irock A8 (same earshell than Tennmak Pro)???
 
If anybody heard or know reviews of one of thoses please tell me.
 
Cheers and I will send pics in no long!

 
KZ ZST didn't impress a lot of people 2-3 said they were growing on them.
 
Urbanfun does get mentioned here and there for being one of the better and cheaper hybrid IEM and gets the highest score on a russian website beating ostry and some other more expensive IEMs
 
PT15 has been on pre-sale there are a a lot of headfi people that bought them.

 

[TSFHfan]

So guys i'm looking for a sub $100 android compatible minimal size usb dac.

It needs to support at least 24/96 flac.

I've gone to this thread as i'm from hong kong, and chinese products means minimal shipping costs (the dragonfly black costs 80usd to ship).

I've looked at the hifime android 9018 dac, the zuperdac and the hrt dsp.

Apparently the ess 9018k2m chip has the V and U versions, and apparently the version thr hifime 9018 dac uses cuts out the start of the music which is said to be the problem of the 9018k2m chip.

Is that true? And does this also happen to the zuperdac which also uses the 9018k2m chip?

Also, the zuperdac apprently has a 4.6 ohm impedance and I will use it with a flc 8s hybrid iem with a Rated Impedance of 11 Ohm and sensitivity of 93 dB/mW. Apparently the high impedance of the zuperdac screws up the upper mids and low trebles of low impedance iems like thr shure 846. So will the zuperdac perform poorly with my flc 8s?

And lastly, how do the 3 dacs compare and are there other dacs of similar quality around the 60-80usd price range?

Thanks in advance!

 

[jescereal]

So i'm back, kind of....don't have my own computer yet and because of my MacCrapBook die on me it's hard to keep it up here...but I will try to update the best-off list and read all what I miss.

I heard other earphones too, never stop this.
**** UE custom: Bassy, mids centred and vast soundstage, not very detailed but engaging and fun sound.

**** UES custom with BA and DD driver: Smooth and kind of dark but with good treble sparkle and micro details and impressive instruments separation and airy soundstage, the soundsignature grow on me and I really love this earphones, very easy to listen and with good amping the bass come alive (never bassy tough).

Great 10$ earbuds discovery: FAAEAL DIY 64ohm!!!
Incredible sound for the price, airy soundstage and great instrument separation, good bass and impact in sound, near as good as the MrZ Tomahawk at 4 times the price!!

KZ ZS3 did not sound bad but form factor is strange....


WHAT I'M CURIOUS ABOUT

KZ ZST DD-BA dual drivers....anybody heard them???

Urbanfun hybrid DD-BA?

**** PT15 earbuds with detachable cable?

Union A8?

Sendiy M1?

Irock A8 (same earshell than Tennmak Pro)???

If anybody heard or know reviews of one of thoses please tell me.

Cheers and I will send pics in no long!

What do you mean by the UES being slightly dark? I find them to be as great as you mentioned, just with a very balanced sound. Great clear highs and good mids. More highs than the UE900s. My UE900s sound veiled in comparison.

 

[peter123]

So guys i'm looking for a sub $100 android compatible minimal size usb dac.

It needs to support at least 24/96 flac.

I've gone to this thread as i'm from hong kong, and chinese products means minimal shipping costs (the dragonfly black costs 80usd to ship).

I've looked at the hifime android 9018 dac, the zuperdac and the hrt dsp.

Apparently the ess 9018k2m chip has the V and U versions, and apparently the version thr hifime 9018 dac uses cuts out the start of the music which is said to be the problem of the 9018k2m chip.

Is that true? And does this also happen to the zuperdac which also uses the 9018k2m chip?

Also, the zuperdac apprently has a 4.6 ohm impedance and I will use it with a flc 8s hybrid iem with a Rated Impedance of 11 Ohm and sensitivity of 93 dB/mW. Apparently the high impedance of the zuperdac screws up the upper mids and low trebles of low impedance iems like thr shure 846. So will the zuperdac perform poorly with my flc 8s?

And lastly, how do the 3 dacs compare and are there other dacs of similar quality around the 60-80usd price range?

Thanks in advance!

I've got the Zuperdac and the HifiMe 9018 and both of them works perfectly fine with Android, I've not detected any glitches. Fwiw I'm sure I've heard (maybe even own ) more than ten dac's with 9018(k2m) and I've never experienced the problem you describe so I wouldn't worry about it.


Unfortunately I've got no chance to sit down and do a proper a/b anytime soon but I've used both quite a bit and the short short version is that the Zuperdac is cleaner and more clinical sounding while the HifiMe is warmer and more musical sounding, both are great imo. Despite this they fall shirt as Android pairings for me due to quite heavy battery drain, I don't have exact numbers but I'd be surprised if you could use either if them more than four hours before your phone dies.

For sub $100 to use with Android I'd recommend the SHOZY Lancea, yes it's a bit colored in the sound (slightly boosted mid bass and very smooth top end) but it draw extremely little battery from the transport and overall sound is very detailed and yet easy going.

http://penonaudio.com/SHOZY-Lances-DAC-AMP

Just my 2c

 

[TSFHfan]

hmm thanks for the reply. $99 is a bit too much tho (yes i'm poor) i was looking at the $50-70 range.
 
how much does the shozy draw?
 
the hifime 9018 draws 40-80 mA, the zuperdac draws 70mA, and the HRT DSP draws 50mA.
 
also, is it possible to charge my phone while using the dac for playback?
 
and does high output impedance of the zuperdac (about 4.5ohm) make it unsuitable for low impedance IEMs?
 
also, how does the fiio k1 compare to the hifime 9018 (not 9018d), the zuperdac and the HRT dsp?

 

[harry501501]

   

 
Thanks for sending the ATRs so quickly got a nice surprise when i woke up today. a shame i need to work til 1am before i get a listen.
 
will compare to the ATE S tomorrow

 

[harry501501]

  Of the ones I've heard on your list
 
Monk Plus -  for it's price is a very solid performer, and is highly recommended by almost everyone, easily the best value for cost for many that own it.  It can feel a little analytical and not oriented towards a fun signature depending on tastes
KZ ATE - for me wasn't that enjoyable except when I boosted the bass a ton on it, and then you have a basshead IEM
KS ZS3 - I found to be a lot of fun, and has a decent fit.  I personally feel it's value is really great, plus the detachable cables at it's cost is a lovely feature
Auglamour RX1 - very proficient with vocal based music, but can be a bit boring if you're after bass, also includes a very impressive set of accessories
Pai Audio DR1 - While it's a fun sounding IEM with detachable cables and a good look depending on the design you get, I feel it's value doens't hold up against IEMs like the ZS3, Tennmak Piano, or VSonic VSD3
 
If you can audition every item on your list, I think that'll help you more than any advice we can give.  Just bring whatever you'd listen to them on, and see what you like.  Even if it's something everyone else hates, as long as you like it, that's all that matters

 
Really interesting what you, and couple others said about KZ ATe and bass... the KZ ATE S has a huge bass response, little boomy but with enough power the resolution improves. It wasn't til last night i realised how much power they need as i had the volume up near enough 80-85% on my Xduoo X3. On par with Havi Pro B3 1s in terms of juice needed.

 

[harry501501]

  So i'm back, kind of....don't have my own computer yet and because of my MacCrapBook die on me it's hard to keep it up here...but I will try to update the best-off list and read all what I miss.
 
I heard other earphones too, never stop this.
**** UE custom: Bassy, mids centred and vast soundstage, not very detailed but engaging and fun sound.
 
**** UES custom with BA and DD driver: Smooth and kind of dark but with good treble sparkle and micro details and impressive instruments separation and airy soundstage, the soundsignature grow on me and I really love this earphones, very easy to listen and with good amping the bass come alive (never bassy tough).
 
Great 10$ earbuds discovery: FAAEAL DIY 64ohm!!!
Incredible sound for the price, airy soundstage and great instrument separation, good bass and impact in sound, near as good as the MrZ Tomahawk at 4 times the price!!
 
KZ ZS3 did not sound bad but form factor is strange....
 
 
WHAT I'M CURIOUS ABOUT
 
KZ ZST DD-BA dual drivers....anybody heard them???
 
Urbanfun hybrid DD-BA?
 
**** PT15 earbuds with detachable cable?
 
Union A8?
 
Sendiy M1?
 
Irock A8 (same earshell than Tennmak Pro)???
 
If anybody heard or know reviews of one of thoses please tell me.
 
Cheers and I will send pics in no long!

Urbanfun is quite bright and upper mids treble are quiet dominant. Bass is tight if not a bit cold. Clarity is excellent, one of the best IEMs for treble response... it's crystal clear

 

[harry501501]

  I just got the FiiO EX1s and if anyone doesn't know already, they're literally just rebranded Dunu Titan 1s for a smaller price. Same everything.
I'll be honest with you, I wasn't expecting these to be half as good as they are. The sound quality is shocking. I haven't done any in depth analysis but the clarity is probably on par with my little etymotic ek5s(the cheaper ones). But with much better bass extension and depth. Also way more comfortable too!
 
They really are incredible, the value is there in droves. 

 
Yeah, Fiio EX 1 are quite well received. I had the Titan 1 and then found the Fiio EX 1 half the price, bought it, compared them and returned the Titan £50 saved, back of the net!
 
I liked them, but I'll be honest after a couple months of enjoying their above average soundstage and attack, i got tired of their aggressive nature. Only foams smoothed them out a bit.
 
I'm glad you like them though, just weren't for me in the end. Still an excellent IEM and for £50 you get £100 sound.

 

[peter123]

hmm thanks for the reply. $99 is a bit too much tho (yes i'm poor) i was looking at the $50-70 range.

how much does the shozy draw?

the hifime 9018 draws 40-80 mA, the zuperdac draws 70mA, and the HRT DSP draws 50mA.

also, is it possible to charge my phone while using the dac for playback?

and does high output impedance of the zuperdac (about 4.5ohm) make it unsuitable for low impedance IEMs?

also, how does the fiio k1 compare to the hifime 9018 (not 9018d), the zuperdac and the HRT dsp?

I'm sorry for the late reply, I'm not following this thread regularly.

The Lancea is rated to draw 10-70mA. From my experience with the HifiMe and Lancea I'd guess that the Lancea draw maximum 50% of the HifiMe.....


Your post the other day reminded me that I still haven't published me Zuperdac review so I'm actually working on it right now and should have it up in a couple of hours. My memory was wrong (as always) about the sound difference but I'm making comparisons for the review right now and will have it all done very soon.

Personally I definitely prefer the sound of the HifiMe over the Zuperdac but the form factor is better on the Zuperdac imo.

 

[loomisjohnson]

  So i'm back, kind of....don't have my own computer yet and because of my MacCrapBook die on me it's hard to keep it up here...but I will try to update the best-off list and read all what I miss.
 
I heard other earphones too, never stop this.
**** UE custom: Bassy, mids centred and vast soundstage, not very detailed but engaging and fun sound.
 
**** UES custom with BA and DD driver: Smooth and kind of dark but with good treble sparkle and micro details and impressive instruments separation and airy soundstage, the soundsignature grow on me and I really love this earphones, very easy to listen and with good amping the bass come alive (never bassy tough).
 
Great 10$ earbuds discovery: FAAEAL DIY 64ohm!!!
Incredible sound for the price, airy soundstage and great instrument separation, good bass and impact in sound, near as good as the MrZ Tomahawk at 4 times the price!!
 
KZ ZS3 did not sound bad but form factor is strange....
 
 
WHAT I'M CURIOUS ABOUT
 
KZ ZST DD-BA dual drivers....anybody heard them???
 
Urbanfun hybrid DD-BA?
 
**** PT15 earbuds with detachable cable?
 
Union A8?
 
Sendiy M1?
 
Irock A8 (same earshell than Tennmak Pro)???
 
If anybody heard or know reviews of one of thoses please tell me.
 
Cheers and I will send pics in no long!

http://www.head-fi.org/products/gemtune-urbanfun-hifi-dual-driver-in-ear-headphones-hybrid-balanced-armature-dynamic-earbuds/reviews/17147

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

What do you mean by the UES being slightly dark? I find them to be as great as you mentioned, just with a very balanced sound. Great clear highs and good mids. More highs than the UE900s. My UE900s sound veiled in comparison.

​Yeah, the sound is very balanced and treble is great without being agressive, I find the sound to be on the warm side, easy to listen and non-fatiguing without being too dull sounding because the highs are sparkling too, very interesting soundsignature that grow on you. 
We talk about UE Dual Driver Hybrid right?
Anyway, i'm not finish to test them, i'm sure they will open up with more than 20h burn in (I burn-in-in-my-ears).
 
I use a silver plated cable with them that is very nice....the Tingo one...just 8$ and I prefer them to the one with ear-hook design. Anybody searching for a MMCX cheap upgrade should check this really nice cable on Ali!