[samandhi]

The opamp circuit design is generic enough that it works for all opamps that have the same pinout as the venerable NE5532P. I actually tried the NE5532P (included), OPA2134 (add-on purchase), LME49720NA, MUSES02 and last, but definitely not least the Burson V6 Vivid. Regardless of what some people may say you can definitely hear differences between different opamps. I know you guys won't hold me to a double blind ABX test and I wouldn't do it anyways... In the end the Burson V6 Vivid was my choice.

You are right, different opamps do indeed change the sound. But, then again, so does changing most things in the chain. Some believe that, and some don't. I have heard first hand that they do (for my ears).

If I was gonna upgrade the caps, I would get better coupling caps, just because they are in the signal path.

Changing caps can make a pretty noticeable difference in the sound as well.

There is a guy over on the DX300/DX320 thread that is modding the amp cards put out by iBasso. It has caught on so much, that a legitimate store has picked up doing this (with permission), and while I haven't heard those specifically, there has been some amount of hype over these. Now, whether it is truly better, or just different, I can't really say. It is all subjective in the end anyhow right?

While you seem to not really need ANY help, I could put you in touch with the guy and you could compare notes on parts and pieces?! His name is @ Whitigir.

Sorry to get so far off topic...

 

[mt877]

Right on! Thanks for the breakdown. You're right, I was asking because I was wondering if you upgraded anything beyond the op amp. I have a Douk U3 mini headphone amp that I have modded the heck out of over the 3 years that I've owned it and I have the amp/DAC combo I built this summer so I'm always interested to hear how people build their projects and ehat tweaks and mods they have done to them.

I was also wondering because that looks like a pretty cool little amp so I was thinking about ordering the kit to build one myself when I have some time. It sounds like a fun/cool project to do. How long would you say it took to complete?

Probably a month. Just because I had so many ideas for the project, finding the extra parts I wanted and waiting for the stuff to arrive. Some parts came from Amazon, which was quick delivery and other stuff came from AliExpress which was a bit slow. I soldered all the components on the board over a weekend and waited for the other parts to arrive.

One of the things I wanted with the build was clean aesthetics. You can see some light piping for the 18 volt led and the USB C power leds on the extra USB C battery charger board. I used 1/8 inch acrylic rod for the light pipes. The reason I went that route was because I wanted to go above the typical build. It takes a little extra work, but it looks nicer. Most people would just drill a hole and glue the led to the end cover and run wires to the board. While there aren't a lot of wires in the build I took some time to braid and twist the cables for a cleaner look. All the wires soldered to the sockets and the volume pot are heat shrinked. Just those little touches took a little extra time, but well worth it.

Edit: In the DIY thread I linked some of the parts I used if you're looking to use some of the same parts.

 

[mt877]

You are right, different opamps do indeed change the sound. But, then again, so does changing most things in the chain. Some believe that, and some don't. I have heard first hand that they do (for my ears).

Changing caps can make a pretty noticeable difference in the sound as well.

There is a guy over on the DX300/DX320 thread that is modding the amp cards put out by iBasso. It has caught on so much, that a legitimate store has picked up doing this (with permission), and while I haven't heard those specifically, there has been some amount of hype over these. Now, whether it is truly better, or just different, I can't really say. It is all subjective in the end anyhow right?

While you seem to not really need ANY help, I could put you in touch with the guy and you could compare notes on parts and pieces?! His name is @ Whitigir.

Sorry to get so far off topic...

Funny you mention that... Whitigir saw and liked my amp build and asked me where he could source the kit and parts. To keep on topic, I did tell him the amp was driving my DIY 500Ω earbuds fantastically.

 

[Gifting]

For the DIY’ers out there, what are your thoughts on plugging the fake vents with foams or Blutack (or something similar)? Do you use it on your buds often? I’ve seen talk about it cutting down “resonance” on the DIY thread. That means it makes the sound “cleaner” right?
Edit: Might it cut down soundstage too?

Never mind, I found my answers in the DIY thread. I initially searched “fake vents”, “faux vents” and got very few results. But when I typed in “resonance”, there was a whole lot more. Sorry for this mini-wall of text.

 

[samandhi]

Right on! Thanks for the breakdown. You're right, I was asking because I was wondering if you upgraded anything beyond the op amp. I have a Douk U3 mini headphone amp that I have modded the heck out of over the 3 years that I've owned it and I have the amp/DAC combo I built this summer so I'm always interested to hear how people build their projects and ehat tweaks and mods they have done to them.

I was also wondering because that looks like a pretty cool little amp so I was thinking about ordering the kit to build one myself when I have some time. It sounds like a fun/cool project to do. How long would you say it took to complete?

It does look like a really cool project. If I weren't so darned lazy, I might look into something like this...

Also, don't forget about the much beloved Bottlehead Crack which is another kit OTL amplifier. Though it is really meant for higher ohm head gear (200ohms+). This could be another fun project to mess around with (which uses full sized tubes). Just a heads up (if you didn't already know, which I'm sure you probably did).

 

[JAnonymous5150]

It does look like a really cool project. If I weren't so darned lazy, I might look into something like this...

Also, don't forget about the much beloved Bottlehead Crack which is another kit OTL amplifier. Though it is really meant for higher ohm head gear (200ohms+). This could be another fun project to mess around with (which uses full sized tubes). Just a heads up (if you didn't already know, which I'm sure you probably did).

I have actually already built a Crack w/ the Speedball upgrade once as a project with my nephew. I ended up giving it to him when he got into headphones and audio a few years ago because I didn't use it much. I find that I generally prefer solid state and tube hybrid amps over OTL and other tube powered designs. It is a super fun build to do and as long as you have decent soldering skills you can knock it out. Especially now that there are so many video and photographic tutorials, you don't even need to be able to follow an electrical diagram or schematics or anything.

If you enjoy tube driven headphone amps, you should definitely give it a go. Once you're done you have a pretty good quality tube headphone amp for much less than most manufactured equivalents would cost you. There are also tons of mods and tweaks (aside from the various upgrades offered) that you can add to tailor the build to your liking.

 

[ttorbic]

Thought folks here would be interested in this review of FF5:

 

[Mr.HiAudio]

My RIOBuds vs stock mx500 shell.
"Alpha" - 3 tubes;
"Beta" - 1 long tube(3 in one).
Titan driver.

Hmmmmm

 

[davjac84]

This isn't the heaviest cable that I have had on an earbud, but also not the lightest. Here is a picture of the RW3000 and the Smabat M2s Pro, which DOES have the thinnest/lightest cable (also using the super soft type of outer jacket). When I first got this pair I thought that this cable was way too thin and wouldn't last very long. Turns out it is a whole lot more durable that I gave it credit for being. At one point I even contacted Smabat to see if I could buy this cable (by itself) for some of my other buds. BTW! The answer is no, they don't sell them separately...

Spoiler

Okay. That's a shame, I had a MMCX cable I liked and wanted buy separately from the included bud, but it was not possible
My best cable I have right now may be this one:

It's extremely lightweight, durable and non microphonic. But it coiles up easily and are prone to tangle.
This one I had custom built by Bag-o:

It's very nice, but I prefer lighter cables. It has silicone insulation, very good.

 

[samandhi]

Thought folks here would be interested in this review of FF5:

Fantastic review bro! I agree with all that you have said on these. Even the bits about the cable markings, and the modular system. While it is great that it exists, it could have been implemented a bit better.

Here's little bit of trivia for you on the pronunciation of the FiiO. I used to pronounce it the same way (as does many even still)... Back in 2013 or so, when I had the FiiO X5, I used to frequent the official FiiO forums and I asked the question of how to pronounce it. After much debate from the members there, James Chung CEO FiiO posted that the closest approximation in English would sound like F-eye-o.

 

[samandhi]

My RIOBuds vs stock mx500 shell.
"Alpha" - 3 tubes;
"Beta" - 1 long tube(3 in one).
Titan driver.

Hmmmmm

WOW! That is a big swing. Those titans look to be (almost) a bass-heads dream... But, boy are they boosted in the presence region...

Okay. That's a shame, I had a MMCX cable I liked and wanted buy separately from the included bud, but it was not possible
My best cable I have right now may be this one:

It's extremely lightweight, durable and non microphonic. But it coiles up easily and are prone to tangle.
This one I had custom built by Bag-o:

It's very nice, but I prefer lighter cables. It has silicone insulation, very good.

Other than the controls, I really really like the looks of that first cable. Having said that, the second cable is VERY sharp looking. It is definitely a looker. Are the (volume) controls on that one for android or IOS?

 

[ttorbic]

Fantastic review bro! I agree with all that you have said on these. Even the bits about the cable markings, and the modular system. While it is great that it exists, it could have been implemented a bit better.

Here's little bit of trivia for you on the pronunciation of the FiiO. I used to pronounce it the same way (as does many even still)... Back in 2013 or so, when I had the FiiO X5, I used to frequent the official FiiO forums and I asked the question of how to pronounce it. After much debate from the members there, James Chung CEO FiiO posted that the closest approximation in English would sound like F-eye-o.

Haha that review wasn't by me! All credits go to Prime Audio Reviews - he also reviewed FF3, so do check out his YouTube channel

P.S. That's a great piece of trivia! Everyone is pronouncing it wrong then haha

 

[samandhi]

Haha that review wasn't by me! All credits go to Prime Audio Reviews - he also reviewed FF3, so do check out his YouTube channel

P.S. That's a great piece of trivia! Everyone is pronouncing it wrong then haha

LOL! Apologies, I thought that was done by you... It's still a great review though. I'll check out the review of the FF3.

Thank you!

 

[davjac84]

WOW! That is a big swing. Those titans look to be (almost) a bass-heads dream... But, boy are they boosted in the presence region...

Other than the controls, I really really like the looks of that first cable. Having said that, the second cable is VERY sharp looking. It is definitely a looker. Are the (volume) controls on that one for android or IOS?

The first cable is available without mic/remote too. (That picture shows cable for Xelento gen 1, there's a new gen out, gen 2, may be so that gen 2 have replaced gen 1...)

Yes I think so too. Remote works on both android and IOS i believe

 

[Ronion]

Quote added below.