Coming back to portable Hi-Fi audio after a while - advice needed on hi-res DAP + IEM

May 17, 2021 at 5:45 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 4
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Abadd0N

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Hi everyone!

I was into portable hi-fi a decade ago but then switched to iPhone and sold all equipment but want to come back. Back those days it were Shure, Etymotics, iRiver and iPods main kids on the block but now it seems to be changed significantly, so I'd appreciate some advice.

First, some inputs:
  • I live in Vienna, Austria so Amazon.de is the preferable shopping destination for me. Ordering from China is quite complicated - firstly due to long delivery time, secondly because of requirement to pay 20% VAT for anything above 20EUR
  • I mostly listen to guitar heavy but not extreme music (like some metal core, nu metal) so speed and details matters, plus some punchy bass and mids. I also listen to other genres for sure but I will be able to live without warmth and clarity which is needed for Jazz or Classics
  • I'd like to use both offline Hi-Res files and streaming, eg. Tidal
  • I intend to use equipment mostly at home with headphones but also I want to connect it to my stereo receiver (via RCA in) and car (via AUX) during long car trips
  • I also listen music quite loud, so I'd like my IEMs to be 'closed' in order to avoid disturbance of my colleagues if I listen to the music in the office
  • I also own Sony WH-1000XM3 to use during commuting and AirPods Pro to use for conference calls so over-ear headphones or something TWS is not required as of now.
My budget is ±500 EUR for DAP and ±250 EUR for IEMs.

So far I noted Fiio M11 (here I hit pause until M11 plus is announced) and Fiio FH5 because of reviews praising it bass response and overall wow factor for it's price and both being available on Amazon. Is this a good combo or there's something better for a buck? I also see Shure SE535 for 269EUR on official website. It was a beast 10 years ago but what about nowadays? Is it still worth it or there're significantly better contenders in this price range?

What else I would need to connect it at home and in the car - maybe any special cables? I'm quite confused here cause I know 3.5mm jack and that's it but there are so many others being discussed here, balanced, 2.5, 4.4 mm, things are getting more complex :)

Thanks!
 
May 21, 2021 at 7:54 PM Post #2 of 4
Abadd0N said:
Hi everyone!

I was into portable hi-fi a decade ago but then switched to iPhone and sold all equipment but want to come back. Back those days it were Shure, Etymotics, iRiver and iPods main kids on the block but now it seems to be changed significantly, so I'd appreciate some advice.

First, some inputs:
  • I live in Vienna, Austria so Amazon.de is the preferable shopping destination for me. Ordering from China is quite complicated - firstly due to long delivery time, secondly because of requirement to pay 20% VAT for anything above 20EUR
  • I mostly listen to guitar heavy but not extreme music (like some metal core, nu metal) so speed and details matters, plus some punchy bass and mids. I also listen to other genres for sure but I will be able to live without warmth and clarity which is needed for Jazz or Classics
  • I'd like to use both offline Hi-Res files and streaming, eg. Tidal
  • I intend to use equipment mostly at home with headphones but also I want to connect it to my stereo receiver (via RCA in) and car (via AUX) during long car trips
  • I also listen music quite loud, so I'd like my IEMs to be 'closed' in order to avoid disturbance of my colleagues if I listen to the music in the office
  • I also own Sony WH-1000XM3 to use during commuting and AirPods Pro to use for conference calls so over-ear headphones or something TWS is not required as of now.
My budget is ±500 EUR for DAP and ±250 EUR for IEMs.

So far I noted Fiio M11 (here I hit pause until M11 plus is announced) and Fiio FH5 because of reviews praising it bass response and overall wow factor for it's price and both being available on Amazon. Is this a good combo or there's something better for a buck? I also see Shure SE535 for 269EUR on official website. It was a beast 10 years ago but what about nowadays? Is it still worth it or there're significantly better contenders in this price range?

What else I would need to connect it at home and in the car - maybe any special cables? I'm quite confused here cause I know 3.5mm jack and that's it but there are so many others being discussed here, balanced, 2.5, 4.4 mm, things are getting more complex :)

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I am not sure if any of this (except Fiio from what you are saying), but honestly you picked a fantastic time to come back into the portable Hi-res devices. The mid-tier devices from iBasso, Hiby, Fiio, and Cayin are all fantastic for around $300 to $500. The good part is that this is the category that currently has the most competition. They are all pushing the boundries of quality/features to price ratio. All of these DAPs are android, and so are a lot like smart phones (without the cellular antenna), and have all the features of a smart phone such as; BT, WiFi, USB-DAC (in), and USB-Audio (out). Some even can not only send BT but can also recieve it. I have not heard them all, but have done a lot of research in my search for one last year. Also keep in mind that all of these can output 1W or better (which is huge for driving those high impedance (low sensitivity) over ear headphones). So you no longer need a portable amp to listen to stuff like that.

As for my research, I landed on the iBasso DX160, and have not regretted it. I came from the Fiio X5 (first gen) and the Fiio X3II, paired with a Fiio E17K Alpen 2 portable amp, and this is way better than those pairings. There are a lot of connectors to contend with on the new DAPs, but with the DX160 for instance, there are 3. 3.5mm which does line-out, headphone out, and SPDIF from the same jack. Then there is the 4.4mm balanced, and the USB port to use the device as a DAC or as USB-Audio out. So, depending on the connection your car stereo takes you can pretty much cover it all. If it has 3.5mm you can just stick with that if you want. Same goes for your home stereo if you want.

For IEMs that is trickier as I don't know what type of sound you prefer, fitment, etc... But I will recommend (all day long) the TinHifi P1. They are planar, which gives them VERY fast transients, and well defined details, has very good treble detail, but is also easy to listen to any sort of metal (for instance). Those are a universal recommendation on my part and they are pretty cheap (@ $160 US). Others depend on what type of signature you like best.

Hope at least some of this is helpful to you!
 
May 21, 2021 at 10:01 PM Post #3 of 4
Last edited:
May 21, 2021 at 10:14 PM Post #4 of 4
Oh Yeah! Left out Shanling. Also have heard many good things about the Moondrop Blessing 2, But equally good things about LZ A7. TinHifi makes many other good ones for a cheaper price. AudioSense has some really good (8BA) IEMs for around that price range too AudioSense T800.
 
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