[fokta]

So it pairs with your phone for streaming, correct? Any sound degradation?



Spotify offers FLAC? I can really hear a difference with this one on my HD650 atm.

No, Spotify didn't offer FLAC, it's just I have the flac file to listen, but to give the idea to others, i just put a link.

I forget who recommended this cable https://www.aliexpress.com/item/8-c...743.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.64e64c4dx6TtJy. I bought it since it was so cheap for a pure silver cable and it sounds very good. The only con I can give is the MMCX connector covers are cheap and the right left channel marking is not obvious. The right channel is marked by an indented ring on the connector.

I'm current using it with my Vega since that's my commuter IEM.

it was @Dsnuts
quite thick cable for me.

 

[fokta]

@rutter / @Kitechaser Guess it depends on whether you can hear the difference between the two.

This isn't a "DSD is good / DSD sucks" rant, by the way, so please take this just as an observation, not a criticism or endorsement. Some people are able to tell the difference between DSD and FLAC files on the same gear on a blind ABX test, some can't. Hearing is the same as eyesight - some people just have sharper hearing than others.

Best way to find out if the LDAC streaming will make a difference to your enjoyment is to get hold of a DSD download of a file you already have ripped at 320kbps or FLAC (a well recorded one), and test it out on your current gear. If you can reliably tell the difference between the two when listening (look up ABX testing of you want to be really thorough), then the stresming quality of LDAC will be a bottleneck on the WM1A if you want to stream higher than FLAC files to it. If you can't, it won't matter to you.

I say this as someone who can pass a 320kbps / FLAC test pretty reliably (although not 100%), but not anywhere near reliable at dining the same with FLAC and DSD or other higher res formats. I'm happy to have some of my music in DSD or hi Res, but the vast majority is in CD quality FLAC as that's where my ability to make a clear distinction reliably stops.

For people who can, then that's cool - for those of us with slightly less golden ears, it's really down to whether you can tell the difference.

a very Solid statement...

IMO, DSD will be different if you manage to hear the separation... usually instrumen / acoustic song will have beneficial with DSD.
But if you listening song with a lot of beat, Low will be very tight, it seems like the fun is gone....
so listening Dance/beat music with 320 kbps will be more enjoyable.....
so really depends on music u listening...
IMO, good Separation comes from the source (DAP and song file). Hiss have to be manageable.

 

[Rockwell75]

Solaris in the sunshine...

 

[Currawong]

I'm getting some interesting variation based on source and even through where I'm listening. My ipod is terrible with these. It's where I get pretty lean sound that's probably off in multiple ways. The portable amplifier I have does nothing. My desktop computer is supposed to have a better than average DAC on its motherboard, perhaps the fact that I'm plugging through the top rather than the back might have something to do with it, but I'm getting better sound going out of a laptop (and I get a subtle high pitch sound when nothing is playing out of my desktop). The Solaris doesn't come with a 1/8 to 1/4 adapter so I can't see what the Magni may do. If I keep these I'll probably end up getting a Fiio M11 dap in a couple of months.

I've missed a few weeks of the discussion, so I'm not sure where you ended up, but I got as far as a Hugo 2 with the Solaris. However, with none of your comments that I read (and I've missed a lot) did you say what music you were listening to. I have a whole playlist here which is stuff that sounded great in the car when I discovered it on Radio Paradise, but is audibly compressed and distorted on my main system. With that music, more expensive headphones, IEMs and other components are a waste. With the good recordings I have, the differences are extremely clear. I mention this because one of the biggest issues in discussion on Head-Fi is not only people not mentioning what music they listen to, but also how loud they listen. Both things are fundamentally important to one's experience.

Tried out nearly all worthwhile contenders at E-earphone in Tokyo (Hifi heaven, wow) including the Ier-Z1r which is actually on sale thru 3/31 for ~$1500ish... long story short I think Solaris is still king, at least to me. Z1r is pretty sweet in midrange but not as airy and transparent on treble, really solid IEM though. The other IEM I heard for the first time and left impressed was the UM masons. Personally I still use Flamenco over Solaris but it's a toss up. Still think Solaris is incredible for the price.

If you're still in Japan and have time, you could come down and visit me in Fukuoka too.

 

[rutter]

I've missed a few weeks of the discussion, so I'm not sure where you ended up, but I got as far as a Hugo 2 with the Solaris. However, with none of your comments that I read (and I've missed a lot) did you say what music you were listening to. I have a whole playlist here which is stuff that sounded great in the car when I discovered it on Radio Paradise, but is audibly compressed and distorted on my main system. With that music, more expensive headphones, IEMs and other components are a waste. With the good recordings I have, the differences are extremely clear. I mention this because one of the biggest issues in discussion on Head-Fi is not only people not mentioning what music they listen to, but also how loud they listen. Both things are fundamentally important to one's experience.



If you're still in Japan and have time, you could come down and visit me in Fukuoka too.

What options do I have for hi-res music?

 

[WhatToChoose]

Solaris in the sunshine...

Gold in the sunshine.....whew that is beautiful

I see these golden nuggets have replaced your cat for your profile pic?

 

[Rockwell75]

Gold in the sunshine.....whew that is beautiful

I see these golden nuggets have replaced your cat for your profile pic?

Yup...lol. That other pic had the Atlas in it (along with the cat) which I've since sold. Ideally I'll be able to get a new pic with Mango (the cat) and Solaris...who incidentally are the same color so it should make for a neat pic if I can pull it off.

 

[Kitechaser]

@rutter / @Kitechaser Guess it depends on whether you can hear the difference between the two.

This isn't a "DSD is good / DSD sucks" rant, by the way, so please take this just as an observation, not a criticism or endorsement. Some people are able to tell the difference between DSD and FLAC files on the same gear on a blind ABX test, some can't. Hearing is the same as eyesight - some people just have sharper hearing than others.

Best way to find out if the LDAC streaming will make a difference to your enjoyment is to get hold of a DSD download of a file you already have ripped at 320kbps or FLAC (a well recorded one), and test it out on your current gear. If you can reliably tell the difference between the two when listening (look up ABX testing of you want to be really thorough), then the stresming quality of LDAC will be a bottleneck on the WM1A if you want to stream higher than FLAC files to it. If you can't, it won't matter to you.

I say this as someone who can pass a 320kbps / FLAC test pretty reliably (although not 100%), but not anywhere near reliable at dining the same with FLAC and DSD or other higher res formats. I'm happy to have some of my music in DSD or hi Res, but the vast majority is in CD quality FLAC as that's where my ability to make a clear distinction reliably stops.

For people who can, then that's cool - for those of us with slightly less golden ears, it's really down to whether you can tell the difference.

This reply is exactly how people should talk about audio.
No one person has the truth, so many things have to be taken into consideration when talking about subjective experiences such as this.
At the end of the day, only your two ears can judge an iem, quality of a file, a song, a cable, a DAP.
Music is what this is all about.
Thanks for a great, well thought out, respectful reply.
Much appreciated.

 

[Jackpot77]

This reply is exactly how people should talk about audio.
No one person has the truth, so many things have to be taken into consideration when talking about subjective experiences such as this.
At the end of the day, only your two ears can judge an iem, quality of a file, a song, a cable, a DAP.
Music is what this is all about.
Thanks for a great, well thought out, respectful reply.
Much appreciated.

No worries! I'm always surprised by people talking in absolutes in this hobby. There are so many variables (even down to the mood of the listener) that it really all does boil down to whether the music subjectively sounds good to whoever is listening to it, through whatever gear they choose. The rest is all debate and opinion.

Like you said, music is DEFINITELY what this is all about. I got into headphones so I could enjoy my music more, not the other way around! Heard a great quote from Paul McCartney recently, when someone asked him if he was an audiophile (he's a huge tech-head, so presume the interviewer thought he would be an audio gear snob as well) - when he was asked what his favourite piece of gear to listen to music on was, he just said "whatever is closest". He went on to explain be grew up listening to songs on an old radio, and if the song was good, he could listen to it on anything and still enjoy it. Sometimes I think it's easy to lose sight of that.

 

[NovaFlyer]

I wonder if anyone has tried this case from Dignis: https://www.dignis.co.kr/product/detail.html?product_no=172&cate_no=88&display_group=1

It seems really versatile as there are compartments to prevent shell clack and also for accessories (tips/dongles).

Looks quite interesting. I'm planning to order a Dignis case for my SP1000M and may just add this IEM case to my order. Understand about the expensive shipping, but considering it's coming from Korea, it's not that bad...

What options do I have for hi-res music?

@rutter here's a link to a summary of hi-res sites - http://hiresaudiocentral.com/get-hi-res-music/

I've bought DSD and hi-res from HD-tracks and Acoustic Sounds, and don't have any complaints.

 

[cytoSiN]

I'm planning to order a Dignis case for my SP1000M and may just add this IEM case to my order. Understand about the expensive shipping, but considering it's coming from Korea, it's not that bad...

I need to find some folks in the NY area that want to go in on an order from Dignis...that shipping is brutal if you're only ordering one Arca case... If I end up with the blue SPKM that I've been ogling, I'm also considering the blue alcantara (why don't they just say ultrasuede?!) case from Dignis...that thing is gorgeous!

 

[NovaFlyer]

I need to find some folks in the NY area that want to go in on an order from Dignis...that shipping is brutal if you're only ordering one Arca case... If I end up with the blue SPKM that I've been ogling, I'm also considering the blue alcantara (why don't they just say ultrasuede?!) case from Dignis...that thing is gorgeous!

I'm looking at the same case. I was just in Tokyo and checked a few shops out to see if they had it...no go there. Contact @szore , he's in the NYC area and is interested in the Dignis case as well.

 

[Rockwell75]

Looks quite interesting. I'm planning to order a Dignis case for my SP1000M and may just add this IEM case to my order. Understand about the expensive shipping, but considering it's coming from Korea, it's not that bad...

I like the look of that case. Is there a way go get that site in English? I can't make sense of it in Korean unfortunately.

 

[aaf evo]

Yeah the shipping from Dignis to the states for me is $21, it’s also why I never purchased the SP1000M case.

 

[BananaOoyoo]

Looks quite interesting. I'm planning to order a Dignis case for my SP1000M and may just add this IEM case to my order. Understand about the expensive shipping, but considering it's coming from Korea, it's not that bad

I need to find some folks in the NY area that want to go in on an order from Dignis...that shipping is brutal if you're only ordering one Arca case... If I end up with the blue SPKM that I've been ogling, I'm also considering the blue alcantara (why don't they just say ultrasuede?!) case from Dignis...that thing is gorgeous!

Yeah I’d offer to ship things for people, but shipping from Korea kinda sucks unfortunately.

(I’m able to use a forwarding service when ordering anything from the US to get $5-10 shipping, but when I try to ship anything via EMS from Korea to the states, it’s always $30+. There are cheaper options, but those can take forever and don’t come with any tracking at all.)