[Surdzo]

Got to demo this alongside the Questyle M15 and the RU6 (on an IE600 and Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max, just in case that matters). Please take whatever I say with a great big heaping pinch of salt - I've gone through so much gear this weekend that I'm damn near completely fatigued and everything's beginning to sound the same + I'm new to the hobby so I don't know anywhere near as much as I should in order to be authoritative/reliable.

Between the RU6 and the RU7, I don't think there's any reason why you'd go for the RU6 now.
Between the RU7 and M15, both are very detailed and resolving listens though I notice the M15 is perhaps very slightly cleaner, whereas the RU7 is a slight touch warmer sonically, very natural-sounding with great transients and musicality. Very noticeably, decay on the M15 sounds too fast (which is not necessarily a bad thing in itself) to the point of being incredibly abrupt when compared next to the RU7 - on a track where I noticed very natural decay & reverb of certain instruments on the RU7, on the M15 the decay was much faster and abrupt - was wondering where half of what I heard on the RU7 is.

Something I noticed and I'm not sure if it was just that unit, or if this is replicable - if I lock my phone while listening, or exit the Apple Music app while listening, audio cuts out for a brief moment. Not sure if this is an issue with that one specific unit and/or my phone, or if this is replicable, but figured I'd bring it up anyway.

I have exactly same gear M15 RU6 IE600 and Iphone 11 pro max, I was wondering should I purchase RU7 despite I already have M15 and RU6. After your opinion (and others for that matter) I realize that I should skip this dac because it seems to me that RU7 is sonically about half way between R2R and delta sigma and after purchasing RU6 I found that I solely use RU6 after maybe a month of AB testing (M15 and RU6). So perhaps I like and prefer R2R sound signature more than digital no matter that M15 technically wise is superior than RU6 but overall RU6 is better sound experience for me at least and the music I listen dominantly.
I even created blind test experiences for few friends who are into music for ages and have much more experience than me with different gears including professional ones and interesting enough for me was that every single one of them chose RU6 sound signature over M15. At least on IE600 and even on cheap gear like 7hz zero
Didn’t have any warm (dark) IEM for testing maybe they will pair better with M15 but for me IE600 and Cayin RU6 is endgame match.

Don’t get me wrong M15 great DAC and is completely different beast but I now use M15 only for critical listening not for casual or when I just want to disconnect myself and enjoy music.

Thanks for sharing.
Cheers

 

[Polky74]

I have exactly same gear M15 RU6 IE600 and Iphone 11 pro max, I was wondering should I purchase RU7 despite I already have M15 and RU6. After your opinion (and others for that matter) I realize that I should skip this dac because it seems to me that RU7 is sonically about half way between R2R and delta sigma and after purchasing RU6 I found that I solely use RU6 after maybe a month of AB testing (M15 and RU6). So perhaps I like and prefer R2R sound signature more than digital no matter that M15 technically wise is superior than RU6 but overall RU6 is better sound experience for me at least and the music I listen dominantly.
I even created blind test experiences for few friends who are into music for ages and have much more experience than me with different gears including professional ones and interesting enough for me was that every single one of them chose RU6 sound signature over M15. At least on IE600 and even on cheap gear like 7hz zero
Didn’t have any warm (dark) IEM for testing maybe they will pair better with M15 but for me IE600 and Cayin RU6 is endgame match.

Don’t get me wrong M15 great DAC and is completely different beast but I now use M15 only for critical listening not for casual or when I just want to disconnect myself and enjoy music.

Thanks for sharing.
Cheers

lol... how diverse is the human mind...
just making the same considerations as you, having also both the M15 and the RU6, I decided to close the circle by buying the RU7, also because I wanted to completely get rid of the idea of buying a dap. Spending 880 euros in a month I got the DC04PRO, the RU6, the M15 and the RU7... with the same amount I wouldn't have been able to get (in my opinion) even a single dap that could surpass even one of these dongle by a good margin. So in the end I took 4 dongles at the cost of half a dap and immediately discarding the W4 which would have eroded a large part of the amount spent, the only difference with your situation is that having the IER-Z1R it has much more synergy with the M15 than with the RU6.

P.S. however having the M15 and RU6 you are more than covered in my opinion.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

and immediately discarding the W4 which would have eroded a large part of the amount spent

Reason for discarding technically superior dongle is the price alone?

EDIT: Never mind, saw your reasoning in another thread.

 

[Jimmy34]

lol... how diverse is the human mind...
just making the same considerations as you, having also both the M15 and the RU6, I decided to close the circle by buying the RU7, also because I wanted to completely get rid of the idea of buying a dap. Spending 880 euros in a month I got the DC04PRO, the RU6, the M15 and the RU7... with the same amount I wouldn't have been able to get (in my opinion) even a single dap that could surpass even one of these dongle by a good margin. So in the end I took 4 dongles at the cost of half a dap and immediately discarding the W4 which would have eroded a large part of the amount spent, the only difference with your situation is that having the IER-Z1R it has much more synergy with the M15 than with the RU6.

P.S. however having the M15 and RU6 you are more than covered in my opinion.

I also have the Z1R, and In the market for either the M15, DC04PRO or RU7 running from an Iphone(sometimes a laptop too) let me know how they all sound with the Sony's.

 

[Surdzo]

lol... how diverse is the human mind...
just making the same considerations as you, having also both the M15 and the RU6, I decided to close the circle by buying the RU7, also because I wanted to completely get rid of the idea of buying a dap. Spending 880 euros in a month I got the DC04PRO, the RU6, the M15 and the RU7... with the same amount I wouldn't have been able to get (in my opinion) even a single dap that could surpass even one of these dongle by a good margin. So in the end I took 4 dongles at the cost of half a dap and immediately discarding the W4 which would have eroded a large part of the amount spent, the only difference with your situation is that having the IER-Z1R it has much more synergy with the M15 than with the RU6.

P.S. however having the M15 and RU6 you are more than covered in my opinion.

Hmmmm covered I also have IBasso DC04PRO, dragonfly red, Hiby FC4, Hiby FC1. The point is two main ones (RU6&M15), others for work, sports, travel and vacations.
One more point of purchasing the RU7 besides sound signature was its power since sometimes Im lazy to listen HD650 and Neumann NDH20 in the living room at proper setup and I listen on dongles and PC instead.

 

[Brain Damage]

Currently using my LG V50 phone as a transport with the RU7.
I do not notice any interference or electrical sounds that I heard all too often with phones using the RU6 (not as much with DAPs though).
So far I am really happy with the RU7 and can definitely see it getting more use than my RU6 used to.

Could not agree more. I'm using the RU7 with LGV40 and similar findings. A really brilliant purchase (RU7)

 

[Surdzo]

lol... how diverse is the human mind...
just making the same considerations as you, having also both the M15 and the RU6, I decided to close the circle by buying the RU7, also because I wanted to completely get rid of the idea of buying a dap. Spending 880 euros in a month I got the DC04PRO, the RU6, the M15 and the RU7... with the same amount I wouldn't have been able to get (in my opinion) even a single dap that could surpass even one of these dongle by a good margin. So in the end I took 4 dongles at the cost of half a dap and immediately discarding the W4 which would have eroded a large part of the amount spent, the only difference with your situation is that having the IER-Z1R it has much more synergy with the M15 than with the RU6.

P.S. however having the M15 and RU6 you are more than covered in my opinion.

Considering SQ and power of new generation of DACs, DAPs are pointless and overpriced piece of equipment. Better to spend money on proper desktop setup than DAP in my humble opinion.

 

[Polky74]

I also have the Z1R, and In the market for either the M15, DC04PRO or RU7 running from an Iphone(sometimes a laptop too) let me know how they all sound with the Sony's.

I state that the IER-Z1R have a peculiar tuning and with deep and full-bodied basses and very extended and defined highs, the only thing that is really backward (in my opinion) are the mids, therefore a V sound.
The RU7 hasn't reached me yet but I can give you my opinion on the other two.
If we consider synergy as the only factor I would say the DC04PRO due to the fact that it is one of the dongles with the greatest midrange advance... but there is a but...
The M15 simply has the best sound (by me) heard in a dongle if you set aside the RU6 (too different to compare and incompatible with the IER-Z1R)...on top of that it has a CMA amplifier which is simply a work of art and I'm not talking about the power (only) but above all about the dynamics... which has a priority importance in the sound. Last consideration ... it depends on how you will use it .. the DC04PRO (not to be underestimated) costs half of the M15, has a volume regulator, is very light that you can leave it attached to your smartphone without fear of it detaching and much more usable on the go (assuming you use the IER-Z1R on the go). If, on the other hand, your main use is at home, I would say M15 without any second thoughts.

 

[gabriely]

I have exactly same gear M15 RU6 IE600 and Iphone 11 pro max, I was wondering should I purchase RU7 despite I already have M15 and RU6. After your opinion (and others for that matter) I realize that I should skip this dac because it seems to me that RU7 is sonically about half way between R2R and delta sigma and after purchasing RU6 I found that I solely use RU6 after maybe a month of AB testing (M15 and RU6). So perhaps I like and prefer R2R sound signature more than digital no matter that M15 technically wise is superior than RU6 but overall RU6 is better sound experience for me at least and the music I listen dominantly.
I even created blind test experiences for few friends who are into music for ages and have much more experience than me with different gears including professional ones and interesting enough for me was that every single one of them chose RU6 sound signature over M15. At least on IE600 and even on cheap gear like 7hz zero
Didn’t have any warm (dark) IEM for testing maybe they will pair better with M15 but for me IE600 and Cayin RU6 is endgame match.

Don’t get me wrong M15 great DAC and is completely different beast but I now use M15 only for critical listening not for casual or when I just want to disconnect myself and enjoy music.

Thanks for sharing.
Cheers

I'm glad that my post managed to be of some value and assistance And I really enjoyed reading your response, I am glad you enjoy your RU6 The M15 is great too, but yeah, I completely agree, R2R implementations are just so much fun to listen to.

However I disagree on one point - I am not sure I would call the RU7 "halfway between R2R and sigma-delta", if the implication is that it compromises on some of the good things of an R2R implementation, to retain some of the technical detail that a delta-sigma would otherwise have.
Contrarily, I think it inherits the great characteristics from both. It has the beautiful tonality and musicality of R2R implementation in the RU6, perhaps just that it does not sound... hazy? as a lot R2R implementations come across to me. I don't consider the RU7 to be a compromise between both R2R and Sigma-Delta - it has the character we love from R2R, while being technically halfway between the R2R and Delta-Sigma.

To be sure, if you already have an RU6, I am not sure if it is worth the upgrade from RU7 - I am not trying to shill the RU7 or sell you on the RU7. The point I am trying to make is, for users who don't have a RU6, even if your preferences lean very heavily to R2R implementations over a Delta-Sigma, I would recommend the RU7 anyway.

However, I must also say I am super fatigued, I spent the whole weekend listening to so much gear I don't even know what to do with myself anymore... I will revisit this before pulling the trigger on a dongle myself, again, please do not base your opinions just off what I have to say, even I don't trust myself that much right now hahaha.

 

[Surdzo]

I'm glad that my post managed to be of some value and assistance And I really enjoyed reading your response, I am glad you enjoy your RU6 The M15 is great too, but yeah, I completely agree, R2R implementations are just so much fun to listen to.

However I disagree on one point - I am not sure I would call the RU7 "halfway between R2R and sigma-delta", if the implication is that it compromises on some of the good things of an R2R implementation, to retain some of the technical detail that a delta-sigma would otherwise have.
Contrarily, I think it inherits the great characteristics from both. It has the beautiful tonality and musicality of R2R implementation in the RU6, perhaps just that it does not sound... hazy? as a lot R2R implementations come across to me. I don't consider the RU7 to be a compromise between both R2R and Sigma-Delta - it has the character we love from R2R, while being technically halfway between the R2R and Delta-Sigma.

To be sure, if you already have an RU6, I am not sure if it is worth the upgrade from RU7 - I am not trying to shill the RU7 or sell you on the RU7. The point I am trying to make is, for users who don't have a RU6, even if your preferences lean very heavily to R2R implementations over a Delta-Sigma, I would recommend the RU7 anyway.

However, I must also say I am super fatigued, I spent the whole weekend listening to so much gear I don't even know what to do with myself anymore... I will revisit this before pulling the trigger on a dongle myself, again, please do not base your opinions just off what I have to say, even I don't trust myself that much right now hahaha.

I’m just saying and trying to keep my self spending even more money but eventually I will since curiosity in me never let me alone
About you feeling fatigued, try smell some good coffee (like in parfumerie store)

 

[gabriely]

I’m just saying and trying to keep my self spending even more money but eventually I will since curiosity in me never let me alone
About you feeling fatigued, try smell some good coffee (like in parfumerie store)

Hahahahaha that is fair! I need to keep myself spending too...

Funny you mentioned coffee - I spent a lot of time demoing stuff at Zeppelin & Co. this weekend (amongst other places) - on top of being a great shop for all things head-fi, they are also a cafe. I guess this is the sign that I need to get more coffee orders in when I'm there, hahaha!

 

[Neeoo]

Hello head-fi! To people familiar with these devices, how does the RU7 compare to the Questyle M15 (and RU6)?

I'm currently a new hobbyist with a Fiio K7 - thinking of expanding to have a wired setup on-the-go so am very tempted. Perhaps silly question, but I'd like to also ask how you think these devices will stack up against the Fiio K7 (or a desktop dac+amp at a similar price) - I have the opportunity to demo various devices, but I can't A/B side-by-side in a conducive environment, so am curious to know what you guys think.

Thanks everyone!

I am also new to the audiophile scene. However, I do have the fiio K7, and some other dac/daps like:-
Mojo 2
Tempotec Sonata hdv
RU6
Hip dac 2
Tempotec V6
I will rank Fiio on the top. For iems mojo 2 comes very close.... But my power hungry R70X comes alive with the K7.
I would think about the gear by in currently have and am planning to buy in the near future and try to get the sound signature I am looking for.
I personally like a warm and dark signature.
I like mid bass and less treble.
Also, RU7 does seem quite appealing to me

 

[Polky74]

Who is missing from the family reunion?

 

[musicday]

Who is missing from the family reunion?

W4 !

 

[Polky74]

lol
... anyway I know that in the end I will also take the W4 ... but at least let me believe, for a while, that it is not so ...