just to note the realtek i have is from 2008 . i also had the chance to try out newer realtek models. But did not find much differences in SQ.
I believe they are all in the "in between average to excellent" SQ quality category
I’m more talking about the general opinion of onboard dac’s which are criticised for not having a ‘black’ or silent background sometimes due to components not being shielded as well as on a dedicated dac amp.
It may be a low background hiss, usually more audible on high sensitivity iems/buds especially at higher volumes. Even some dacs are criticised for noise but it’s not quiet as severe as on some pc’s/laptops. Of course this isn’t the case for all pc’s. If you have one that sounds ‘good’ (subjective obviously) and you cannot hear any hissing on quieter tracks then you’re probably all good but aside from sound quality noise is a general issue raised with pc audio.
yeah i did notice this hiss or background sound u referring in the old realtek but it is hardly noticeable or distracts the sound in any way. DId not notice it in the conexant.
yeah i did notice this hiss or background sound u referring in the old realtek but it is hardly noticeable or distracts the sound in any way. DId not notice it in the conexant.
well for some people if the background is not dead silent or ‘black’ as they say, it takes away from the overall SQ. It makes sense as the music would not sound as crisp and defined.
Like how listening to earbuds in a loud environment just sucks lol
If you’re wondering if an upgrade in dac/amp shows noticeable improvements id say yes... but it’s not proportional to the cost increase. The €70 i spent on the hifime sabre dac was apperantly not enough! And it’s not guaranteed that your buds or sound preferences will agree with the new source.
I’m going to return my hifime sabre dac i got on amazon. I’m not loving the sound now, it didn’t withstand the test of time I guess and the praise I gave it was short lived as switching between my laptop and it was suprisingly not a big upgrade at all.
There’s something about it I dislike, the sound appears warm and lively but it’s quiet empty and lacking weight behind it. My laptops internal dac actually provided more body but slightly less detail so it’s abit disappointing.
So ive decided to return it, bought the lg v20 as my new ‘DAP’ and will see how that goes. Maybe I expect too much, we’ll see!
If you’re wondering if an upgrade in dac/amp shows noticeable improvements id say yes... but it’s not proportional to the cost increase.
And it’s not guaranteed that your buds or sound preferences will agree with the new source.
I’m probably going to return my hifime sabre dac i got on amazon. I’m not loving the sound now, it didn’t withstand the test of time I guess and the praise I gave it was short lived as switching between my laptop and it was suprisingly not a big upgrade at all.
There’s something about it I dislike, the sound appears warm and lively but it’s quiet empty and lacking weight behind it. My laptops internal dac actually provided more body but slow less detail.
So ive decided to return it, bought the lg v20 as my new ‘DAP’ and will see how that goes.
Soundblaster live (1999) : sound is bright and wide with precise positioning and imaging . SOund is flatter . Depth is average and not fantastic. details is good. Articulation is pretty average. soundstage is pretty good.mostly wide. Clarity is average
Realtek ( 2008) : bright, warm and wide with good wide soundstage and details. bit harsh but imaging is just average. Articulation, body and depth is average. Clarity is not fantastic
Conexant (2016) : Better tonality , fluidity , articulation depth and transparency and overall soundstage expand all ways. imaging and details is slightly better than Realtek. Slightly more darker signature but treble is more sparkly. Clarity is better than the others.
Audio master: The lasting brilliance of AR Rahman’s ‘Dil Se’ The score for Mani Ratnam’s terrorism-themed thriller has no lows, only highs.
by Manish Gaekwad
Published Oct 31, 2015 · 11:58 am Updated Jan 03, 2017 · 03:00 pm.
When students of the Berklee Indian Ensemble performed for AR Rahman at a concert in his honour, they began their performance with a song that filled the auditorium with deafening hosannas – it almost drowned out the voices of the singers and musicians on stage. The song was Chaiyya Chaiyya from Dil Se (1998). It remains one of his most popular songs, and not just in the country. The track has been featured in the Hollywood film Inside Man and in the American TV shows Smith and CSI: Miami.
All this from a flop film.
Despite its poor reception at the box-office, Dil Se has acquired a cult following over the years that is both a gift and a curse for the film’s music director. Rahman’s score is considered a milestone, and almost everything he has done after it is measured by the standard of whether it is as good as Dil Se.
Rahman has certainly done enough. Among his top ten soundtracks in Hindi films are Roja, Bombay, Rangeela, Taal, Lagaan, Rang De Basanti, Guru, Delhi-6, Slumdog Millionaire and Rockstar. But none of these soundtracks has an all-songs hit rate like Dil Se. There are no highs and lows with Dil Se, no dips and crescendos. All the songs are trailblazing masterpieces in terms of musical arrangements and the poetic lyrics by way of Gulzar, all set by director Mani Ratnam to fabulous visuals. Ratnam was inspired to shoot the songs in the most trying conditions – atop a train or even a precariously lodged monastery in Ladakh.
Fans of Rahman's music have even put up the background score of Dil Se on YouTube. Connoisseurs will agree that not enough has been written about Rahman’s background music, which is equally or sometimes even better than some of his songs, but we’ll hold that discussion for another time.
Here’s why you should re-visit the soundtrack of Dil Se.
Chaiyya Chaiyya/ Thaiyya Thaiyya Sukhwinder Singh singing Chaiyya Chaiyya as Thaiyya Thaiyya, originally written by Sufi poet Baba Bulleh Shah in Punjabi and re-imagined by Gulzar in Hindi and Vairamuthu in Tamil. The chugging, locomotive spirit of the visuals and the forward-seeking drum beat create a pulsating energy, rhythm and tempo that will not allow you to remain motionless.
The song is believed to have influenced Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier to shoot Bjork in an sequence for Dancer In The Dark (2000).
Ae Ajnabi Perhaps the only other track in Rahman’s oeuvre that can match its melancholy is Tu Hi Re (Bombay, 1995). That Sukhwinder Singh won a Best Playback Filmfare trophy for Chaiyya Chaiyya and not Udit Narayan for this soulful number is a contestable idea.
Jiya Jale Lata Mangeshkar’s voice does not age one bit. For a change, this version by the Berklee students introduces the instruments that created the melody.
Satrangi Re Mirza Ghalib’s couplet, “Ishq par zor nahi, hai yeh woh aatish Ghalib, jo lagaye na lage aur bujhaye na bane” (There is no force over love, it is that triumphant fire Ghalib, it cannot be sparked off easily nor burns once extinguished) sung by Kavita Krishnamurthy in a deep, husky tone luring a high-pitched Sonu Nigam is a mesmering siren call. Rahman uses all the instruments in his armour – flutes, drums, pipes – to create an exotic blend of eastern and western influences that is dervish in spirit and hypnotic to the untrained ear.
Dil Se Re The title track in Rahman’s early voice (when it did justice to the song) with Anuradha Sriram, Anupama and Febi Mani backing him on chorus is indubitably what Rahman excels at – a rock song at heart throbbing with a searing intensity hard to ignore.
I received the Samsara since a couple of days. I finally get a sense of what "lush mids" means. In that way, most earbuds mids sounds kind of bright next to these
To me the samsara remind me of campfred or eking for its analog-ness, addictive and authoritative sub bass. But still with the technicity of chinese "factory build" earphones, if that make sense. Treble is clear and fast, (perhaps a bit grainy? Not sure but maybe less resolution in the treble than other parts). Mids are very inviting, bass and subass so big for an earbuds (again) with still control and quality. the soundstage is small but imaging excellent to my ears.
Amping is very rewarding with these, they do scale and can be unforgiving with poor source.
the sound is quite energetic and a rather dark colored - it feels like listening to tapes- love it or hate it. Imo it's a very nice complement if you have some earbuds that are kind of polite and flat. (me i have the ps600)
the build quality is excellent and the most fancy earbuds i own with the blurs.
if you can grab them for around 100usd it's a no brainer imo.
Nice one. I'm biding my time, having a listen to the stuff I have before deciding the next step. Thinking Blur / Zen / Cypherus / Lyra / maybe something else?
I received the Samsara since a couple of days. I finally get a sense of what "lush mids" means. In that way, most earbuds mids sounds kind of bright next to these
To me the samsara remind me of campfred or eking for its analog-ness, addictive and authoritative sub bass. But still with the technicity of chinese "factory build" earphones, if that make sense. Treble is clear and fast, (perhaps a bit grainy? Not sure but maybe less resolution in the treble than other parts). Mids are very inviting, bass and subass so big for an earbuds (again) with still control and quality. the soundstage is small but imaging excellent to my ears.
Amping is very rewarding with these, they do scale and can be unforgiving with poor source.
the sound is quite energetic and a rather dark colored - it feels like listening to tapes- love it or hate it. Imo it's a very nice complement if you have some earbuds that are kind of polite and flat. (me i have the ps600)
the build quality is excellent and the most fancy earbuds i own with the blurs.
if you can grab them for around 100usd it's a no brainer imo.
I had a listen to mine after getting them and suddenly felt quite disappointed in the sound, but after a little burn-in, they seemed to kick it up a gear. Was listening to them for a little while last night and was impressed. I would agree with your synopsis. I'm going to burn them a little longer.
You can buy it from whoever gives you the best price. I'm not sure that there are variances in the Samsara from seller to seller. I had to send 2 of them back as the first unit I had had a driver issue and the second had bubbles in the finish. Hopefully the third time is a charm. Look at Nicehck and ask for a better deal. Hope that helps.
Audio master: The lasting brilliance of AR Rahman’s ‘Dil Se’ The score for Mani Ratnam’s terrorism-themed thriller has no lows, only highs.
by Manish Gaekwad
Published Oct 31, 2015 · 11:58 am Updated Jan 03, 2017 · 03:00 pm. .
Could you please chill with the AR Rahman video and article links? It is difficult to find discussion about earbuds while having to scroll through all the pictures and video links. One or two would have been okay, but it has gotten to be too much. Thanks.
That is my Cayin N3 stacked with a Topping NX1s amp. That case which come with the N3 is more of a true red in most lighting... not quite so orangy. It is made of silicone and matches whichever color player you buy (red, cyan or black). I really like it..., the player and the case. The little amp is only a few days old... I got it to experiment with using my higher impedance headphones with the Cayin because the Cayin has become my favorite most used player. In my profile you will see what else I have. I probably don't need the amp with the graphenes but a little extra power never hurts. It had set it up like that because I had received the EB200 yesterday and figured they would need some driving power. There are, of course, more powerful amps. I just like how small and light this one is. New toy.
I have not listened with the graphenes yet... they only arrived a couple of hours ago and I have been busy with a few things... including taking photographs They are the new graphenes. I do expect to like them despite what a couple of people have said.. They look pretty. The cable is nice. The red foams were already on them when they arrived... in their nice NiceHKC case.
Now... time to make a cup of tea and listen to some music!
Could you please chill with the AR Rahman video and article links? It is difficult to find discussion about earbuds while having to scroll through all the pictures and video links. One or two would have been okay, but it has gotten to be too much. Thanks.
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They are the new graphenes. I do expect to like them despite what a couple of people have said.. They look pretty. The cable is nice. The red foams were already on them when they arrived... in their nice NiceHKC case.
