[o0genesis0o]

I think type C to Lightning converter is better, because laptop, pc or other music player of mine is main source so type C is more important.

How about the FiiO KA5? It has both cables inside, and you wouldn’t have to worry about compatibility issue. The S9 Pro is quite picky about cables. It either outright refuses to work on iPhone, or with lower sound quality than UsB C

 

[Mars Club]

How about the FiiO KA5? It has both cables inside, and you wouldn’t have to worry about compatibility issue. The S9 Pro is quite picky about cables. It either outright refuses to work on iPhone, or with lower sound quality than UsB C

Thank you, I will consider it Lightning pain will disaapear soon btw

 

[samandhi]

I don't know if 4.4mm is better than 3.5 with no concern to switch all my earbud to 4.4mm, maybe I just doesn't hear enough to feel the difference

I think, that for the buds we are talking about here, 3.5mm should be just fine. There is the matter of crosstalk when going from SE to balanced, but the more important factor (mostly) considered for SE vs. balanced is the amount of power that 4.4mm and 2.5mm can output over what SE can do on a portable device. This is not always the case, but something like 95% of portables have much more power on a balanced output.

So with the buds we are talking about here, it comes down to: do they scale with more power? If the answer is yes, then balanced is a winner. I personally don't find the FF3 or the FF5 to scale TOO much with more power (though they do just a bit) to make it a priority. Just my opinion on the matter...

 

[o0genesis0o]

I think, that for the buds we are talking about here, 3.5mm should be just fine. There is the matter of crosstalk when going from SE to balanced, but the more important factor (mostly) considered for SE vs. balanced is the amount of power that 4.4mm and 2.5mm can output over what SE can do on a portable device. This is not always the case, but something like 95% of portables have much more power on a balanced output.

So with the buds we are talking about here, it comes down to: do they scale with more power? If the answer is yes, then balanced is a winner. I personally don't find the FF3 or the FF5 to scale TOO much with more power (though they do just a bit) to make it a priority. Just my opinion on the matter...

IMHO, it’s more because manufacturers implement 4.4mm better than 3.5mm deliberately rather than some technical reasons. Even on my M6U, the 4.4 sounds slightly better than 3.5. Only G5 sounds the same. And you know what? The 4.4 is “fake”

 

[samandhi]

IMHO, it’s more because manufacturers implement 4.4mm better than 3.5mm deliberately rather than some technical reasons. Even on my M6U, the 4.4 sounds slightly better than 3.5. Only G5 sounds the same. And you know what? The 4.4 is “fake”

You could very well be right.

 

[JAnonymous5150]

IMHO, it’s more because manufacturers implement 4.4mm better than 3.5mm deliberately rather than some technical reasons. Even on my M6U, the 4.4 sounds slightly better than 3.5. Only G5 sounds the same. And you know what? The 4.4 is “fake”

Wouldn't surprise me at all. From all the gear I have compared side by side, past and present, I can say that a well designed single ended rig can sound every bit as good as a well designed balanced rig. Furthermore, as you might expect, a well designed single ended setup will trump a mediocre/poorly designed balanced competitor and vice versa. Basically, after years of owning plenty of single ended and balanced gear, I've quit worrying about specifically considering gear based on which it is. I just look for quality gear that sounds good whichever it is and sort out the cables/connections as needed.

 

[Black-Wolf]

Congrats on the new buds! I'm glad I made some helpful suggestions. I think the Hidizs S9 Pro that @o0genesis0o rec'd is a very good dongle. Another that comes to mind because I find it to be a particularly good match with the FF3s and to be very dynamic in general would be the Moondrop Dawn 4.4mm version (I haven't tried the 3.5mm version). The only drawback would be that it only has the 4.4mm balanced output so if you have transducers wired for 3.5mm it won't work. The Moondrop Link app that you use to control the Dawn lets you choose gain setting as well as filter settings to tailor the soubd a bit and I find the Dawn to be pretty easy on the battery for being a relatively powerful dongle.

The Hidiszs S9 Pro est very good Indeed, and objectively mesures very well.

Another very good choice would be the E1DA 9018D (or 9018S if you prefer balanced).
Very good measurement, very clean dongle, still one of the most powerful on the market
and no hiss: it can drive from sensitive IEM like Etymotics ER4S, UP to low impédance and low sensitivity like Tin Audio P1 or on the contrary high impedance headphones like the Senn HD650...with, for the unbalanced version, 155mw at 32 ohms and 20mw at 300 ohms without any audible distorsion, it is quite a lot of power!)

Two caveats:
-you can have both balanced and unbalanced out, it's on or the other.
-quite sensitive to EMI, especially the unbalanced version

With either this one or the S9PRo, one can't go wrong.

It does not do many things, but does it very well, superb engineering.


Edit about the Topping G5: it is a very well engineered DAC/amp, it may even be (one of) the best engineered portable DAC/AMP of the market, but indeed, it not a true balanced architecture at all, the 4.4 has the same characteristics as the 3.5 output.

 

[imackler]

Without purchasing it, I'm having a hard time getting a sense of the FF5. For strings and orchesta, is there a way in which the FF5 excels that the FF3 doesn't? Or is the FF3 as good as Fiio gets and to really excel at strings/orchestra/acoustic pass the FF5 and go straight to Chaconne? I'm getting the sense that the FF5 won't become a classic like the FF3 appears to be... (BTW, really enjoying the FF3, but curious if it can be bettered since I mostly listen to classical (or sometimes acoustic jazz) at work, where I do most of my listening. Thanks all!

 

[JAnonymous5150]

Without purchasing it, I'm having a hard time getting a sense of the FF5. For strings and orchesta, is there a way in which the FF5 excels that the FF3 doesn't? Or is the FF3 as good as Fiio gets and to really excel at strings/orchestra/acoustic pass the FF5 and go straight to Chaconne? I'm getting the sense that the FF5 won't become a classic like the FF3 appears to be... (BTW, really enjoying the FF3, but curious if it can be bettered since I mostly listen to classical (or sometimes acoustic jazz) at work, where I do most of my listening. Thanks all!

If you're looking for a bud that is going to be truly special for your preferred works and beyond what the FF3s can do I would skip the FF5s and look to higher end buds like the Chaconnes, the DQSM Turandot, and possibly some others. The FF5s are a good pair of buds, but there are buds that do what the FF5s do, but better. I am currently unaware of any buds that can do what the FF3s do, let alone do it better.

Depending on the piece the FF5s might offer you a different presentation that you find more enjoyable or potentially clearer given their greater treble extension and lower levels of bass, but these differences will be comparatively small and some may not be improvements at all depending on your preferences. Thus, IMO, it just makes sense to invest in a true/bigger step up in performance both timbral/tonal and technical. Something like the Chaconnes, Turandots, etc certainly offers that.

 

[wolfen68]

Do you guys have any experience with portable dongle, sometimes I can't bring G5 with me so I think dongle will help a little bit

I'm using an iFi GoBar's balanced output with the FF3 and it sounds fantastic. As noted earlier the Questyle M15 is also a great choice.

 

[gylyf]

If you're looking for a bud that is going to be truly special for your preferred works and beyond what the FF3s can do I woukd skip the FF5 and look to higher end buds like the Chaconnes, the DQSM Turandot, and possibly some others. The FF5s are a good pair of buds, but there are buds that do what the FF5s do, but better. I am currently unaware of any buds that can do what the FF3s, let alone do it better.

Depending on the piece the FF5s might offer you a different presentation that you find more enjoyable or potentially clearer given their greater treble extension and lower levels of bass, but these differences will be comparatively small and some may not be improvements at all depending on your preferences. Thus, IMO, it just makes sense to invest in a true step up in performance bothel timbral/tonal and technical. Something like the Chaconnes, Turandots, etc certainly offers that.

I'm intrigued by the Turandot, since the PK is my favorite shape and I'm thinking of upgrading from the FF5 for my DX320, but it seems sold out on Ali. Has it been discontinued? Anyone know of other places to order? I'm hitting a wall in my search...

 

[dnolan227]

I'm intrigued by the Turandot, since the PK is my favorite shape and I'm thinking of upgrading from the FF5 for my DX320, but it seems sold out on Ali. Has it been discontinued? Anyone know of other places to order? I'm hitting a wall in my search...

I’ve been curious about that too - can’t seem to find any for sale but really want to try them out. I’ll be watching to see if anyone has a lead on any.

 

[JAnonymous5150]

I'm intrigued by the Turandot, since the PK is my favorite shape and I'm thinking of upgrading from the FF5 for my DX320, but it seems sold out on Ali. Has it been discontinued? Anyone know of other places to order? I'm hitting a wall in my search...

It can be a bitch to find them. I always forget that when I start mentioning them and recommending them. I got mine from a private party. NiceHCK had some a while back, but they must have sold quickly because when I went back like a week later to buy them they were out of stock.

I don't know if they're discontinued or not, but I was told that it has always been difficult to get them. That's why the guy I got mine off of had purchased two pairs. When I was looking for them I set up alerts on eBay, Hifishark, and Audiogon. FWIW, they do seem to come up for sale sometimes. It's really a shame that they aren't more widely available for whatever reason because they are an awesome pair of earbuds.

Edit: It looks like a couple stores on Taobao still have them. I might actually grab a pair or two to have a backup and possibly some to sell or gift since they're getting more difficult to find.

 

[JAnonymous5150]

I'm intrigued by the Turandot, since the PK is my favorite shape and I'm thinking of upgrading from the FF5 for my DX320, but it seems sold out on Ali. Has it been discontinued? Anyone know of other places to order? I'm hitting a wall in my search...

BTW, if you're looking for really good buds in PK style shells, you might want to check out the Simphonio Dragon Series. I have owned the Dragon 2+, Dragon 3, and Dragon 3+ and have been nothing but impressed with them. They're definitely expensive though. If it wasn't for a friend who's opinion I value highly telling me that I absolutely needed to acquire the Dragon 3s I probably wouldn't have tried them because of the steep price tag for a fairly basic build. That said, I did try them and they back that price up by being some of the best buds I have heard. I'd still like them to have a more premium build for the price, but it is what it is.

 

[mt877]

It can be a bitch to find them. I always forget that when I start mentioning them and recommending them. I got mine from a private party. NiceHCK had some a while back, but they must have sold quickly because when I went back like a week later to buy them they were out of stock.

I don't know if they're discontinued or not, but I was told that it has always been difficult to get them. That's why the guy I got mine off of had purchased two pairs. When I was looking for them I set up alerts on eBay, Hifishark, and Audiogon. FWIW, they do seem to come up for sale sometimes. It's really a shame that they aren't more widely available for whatever reason because they are an awesome pair of earbuds.

Edit: It looks like a couple stores on Taobao still have them. I might actually grab a pair or two to have a backup and possibly some to sell or gift since they're getting more difficult to find.

Ya'll ain't lookin' hard enough, hehe.

DQSM Turandot in stock AE store 1
DQSM Turandot in stock AE store 2