[FranQL]

Perhaps VE megatron attached to a phone?

I look for a DAP because the dongle+phone combo is kind of annoying in practice: get tangled, disconnecting, random crackling sound, etc.

I have megatron, but I only use it for buds and above 150 Ohm, for less impedance, more sensitive buds or IEM has a noise floor, it is not designed for this.

VE Megatron is the best value for money for Buds (IMO) hands down. But carrying it in your pocket... I don't think it's the best because of its size + the phone or dap, on the fly I will bet on btr7 or IFI go blue

 

[o0genesis0o]

I have megatron, but I only use it for buds and above 150 Ohm, for less impedance, more sensitive buds or IEM has a noise floor, it is not designed for this.

VE Megatron is the best value for money for Buds (IMO) hands down. But carrying it in your pocket... I don't think it's the best because of its size + the phone or dap, on the fly I will bet on btr7 or IFI go blue

If you have Android phone, I think BTR7 is a very good idea. LDAC or any fancy Apt-X codec produce very good sound quality. If you have iPhone, I would reconsider a bit. Personally, I hear a noticeable drop in separation and soundstage when using BTR5 with iPhone via AAC. Would BTr5 sound bad with iPhone? No, it's perfectly alright. But there is a noticeable gain with wired connection.

 

[ttorbic]

I have bought on @JAnonymous5150 recommendations and they are always spot on!

I also own a bud made by @tgx78 so can also attest to how good they are though I have not heard either the Serratus or Alpha. However I just purchased both on the recommendation of other head-fiers that I trust!

Nice, congrats! I'm pretty certain that you will enjoy them both

 

[o0genesis0o]

Spoiler: Fiio FF3 eye candies

(Putting photos into spoiler tag to reduce bandwidth, as @WoodyLuvr explained)

 

[JAnonymous5150]

I have megatron, but I only use it for buds and above 150 Ohm, for less impedance, more sensitive buds or IEM has a noise floor, it is not designed for this.

VE Megatron is the best value for money for Buds (IMO) hands down. But carrying it in your pocket... I don't think it's the best because of its size + the phone or dap, on the fly I will bet on btr7 or IFI go blue

I own a couple expensive DAPs, but I freely admit that I mostly use them for local playback and I never use them for anything but music so security and the most up to date Android version isn't necessary. I even have a separate google account that I use only on my DAPs and for their music and absolutely nothing else so that if they were ever to get hacked/compromised there won't be credit cards, sensitive passwords, or other info attached to them.

A powerful dedicated DAP allows me to use a range of over ear headphones and high impedance earbuds on the go on the same device that I can then use sensitive IEMs on all without tying my phone up or unnecessarily draining my phone's battery. A dedicated DAP is as close as you can get to the abilities of a desktop rig in a portable form.

Certain high power portable combos like the ifi Gryphon, Diablo, etc are beginning to change that, but even a combo that can run that range of transducers isn't as flexible because with our current tech they all drain your phone noticably faster and/or tie up your phone in ways that make using it for much else useless.

Thus, as a guy who uses his phone a lot for business, head-fi, and tons of other stuff ranging from important tasks to nonsense a good, powerful DAP that I use only for music (no internet cruising. period!) and take proper privacy/security precautions with remains my go to option for mobile listening. I'm also lucky enough to be in a financial position where I don't have to limit myself to a single form factor for mobile listening. I also use various dongles and portable combos for when I don't want two devices and/or for short trips where phone battery and calls aren't likely to matter much.

I have to admit that my recent experience with some non-Android DAPs has me looking for powerful, high end, non-Android players to potentially eventually replace my Android DAPs with versions based around purely local playback abilities. The problem is that then I would be unable to open the Qobuz app for instance and download a newly created playlist of brand new releases when I am on a secure network (home for example) for playback throughout the day and would instead limit me to playing only files in my current collection and specifically files on whatever SD card I have with me of that I have transfered to the DAPs internal memory.

So as you can see, even with a user who limits the features they use, an Android based DAP can be a very useful and cool thing for a music lover to have. Maybe relating all this will help you think through how you want to proceed with buying or not buying a player for yourself since you and I definitely share some of the same concerns when looking at these devices. I hope so anyways. Good luck and happy hunting!

 

[FranQL]

I own a couple expensive DAPs, but I freely admit that I mostly use them for local playback and I never use them for anything but music so security and the most up to date Android version isn't necessary. I even have a separate google account that I use only on my DAPs and for their music and absolutely nothing else so that if they were ever to get hacked/compromised there won't be credit cards, sensitive passwords, or other info attached to them.

A powerful dedicated DAP allows me to use a range of over ear headphones and high impedance earbuds on the go on the same device that I can then use sensitive IEMs on all without tying my phone up or unnecessarily draining my phone's battery. A dedicated DAP is as close as you can get to the abilities of a desktop rig in a portable form.

Certain high power portable combos like the ifi Gryphon, Diablo, etc are beginning to change that, but even a combo that can run that range of transducers isn't as flexible because with out current tech they all drain your phone noticably faster and/or tie up your phone in ways that make using it for much else useless.

Thus, as a guy who uses his phone a lot for business, head-fi, and tons of other stuff ranging from important tasks to nonsense a good, powerful DAP that I use only for music (no internet cruising. period!) and take proper privacy/security precautions with remains my go to option for mobile listening. I'm also lucky enough to be in a financial position where I don't have to limit myself to a single form factor for mobile listening to I also use various dongles and portable combos for when I don't want two devices and/or short trips where phone battery and calls aren't likely to matter much.

I have to admit that my recent experience with some non-Android DAPs has me looking for powerful, high end, non-Android players to potentially eventually replace my Android DAPs with versions based around purely local playback abilities. The problem is that then I would be unable to open the Qobuz app for instance and download a newly created playlist of brand new releases when I am on a secure network (home for example) for playback throughout the day and would instead limit me to playing only files in my current collection and specifically files on whatever SD card I have with me of that I have transfered to the DAPs internal memory.

So as you can see, even with a user who limits the features they use, an Android based DAP can be a very useful and cool thing for a music lover to have. Maybe relating all this will help you think through how you want to proceed with buying or not buying a player for yourself since you and I definitely share some of the same concerns when looking at these devices. I hope so anyways. Good luck and happy hunting!

I currently use sony nw-a105, and it is very curious what you have commented on the google account or the importance you give to security, paranoid I do exactly the same.

this dap doesn't tick all the boxes, the battery life is ridiculously short and the power output is... let's leave it at what it is... so that's why I'm going with the more expensive daps...

Maybe as you said and also as recommend me @jeejack , a non-android DAP could be enough, sticking to local files and giving up the streaming music that I have become fond of over the years.

 

[JAnonymous5150]

Maybe as you said and also as recommend me @jeejack , a non-android DAP could be enough, sticking to local files and giving up the streaming music that I have become fond of over the years.

The a105's battery life is notoriously bad and, having demoed one myself, I agree that the power isn't great though I thought it sounded pretty good.

As for the non-Android DAPs, I'm not convinced yet that I want to give up the ability to use streaming services or even just to access the full catalog available with those services on my DAP just yet. Right now I'm just seeing what's out there as far as high end and powerful non-Android players just to see what options are available if I do decide to switch.

Either way, I'm sure you'll figure it out.

 

[ttorbic]

Just picked up the VE Megatron, and while it works well with my MacBook, it does not play audio properly through my Google Pixel 6a. I had read online that some of the older Pixels were incompatible with the Megatron, but I had hoped that this would be addressed in 6a and Android 13. Apparently not...bit sad, but I'll most likely list it for sale on the classified ads page.

Edit: Fix found! Turning on the developer setting resolved the issue! Now I can use the Megatron with my Pixel 6a

 

[mt877]

No, no. It is all good, and I would be ashamed if my posts were mostly consisting of one-word posts or the like. And, thank you for the complement BTW! I always try my best to help others when they ask (though sometimes I DO like to just chat about stupid stuff lol).

I tend to post more on this thread than others not only because I really love buds, but the people here are much easier to talk to than on some other threads. Head-Fi still has some of those "elitists" that it used to be known for, and those threads are full of (argumentative or passive aggressive) tension at the best of times; outright arguing at their worst. Here I feel relaxed and don't mind sharing my thoughts. I don't feel like someone is going to get nasty with me for sharing information (whether it be right or wrong) because it is only EVER meant to be helpful rather than "showing off" like some people tend to like to do.

Anyhow, I am not sure if you ever got a chance to test with the M4, but have you had a chance to change out filters? If so, what are your thoughts on the differences and with which driver did they make the most difference? I would be very interested in hearing your impressions on them. I still haven't ordered them, but I may throw them in the cart if/when I order the rest of the drivers that I didn't this time around.

I don't have a desktop, but I DO have a computer room or office which I sometimes hook up my laptop to the larger monitor. But normally I use a gaming laptop or a Surface Pro somewhere else in my house (on the couch while watching TV or listening to some head gear for instance). Rarely am I out and am able to get on Head-Fi. Most times if I am out, it is in some mechanical room, or boiler room, and don't get a good phone signal anyhow. So, I quit carrying my personal cell phone into these areas and just leave it out in my vehicle.

BTW! Out of curiosity (and this is for everyone also), when you order a set of buds, and have a choice of connectors which do you prefer? Normally I will get 2.5mm balanced. My DX300 has all three major connectors (3.5mm SE, 4.4mm and 2.5mm balanced), but even if I switch to another DAP, I find 2.5mm to be the most compatible for adapters to size ratio. For one, you can go from SE to balanced out of DAPs, but not the other way around. And having a 4.4mm and trying to adapt that down to 3.5mm SE requires a pretty sizeable/bulky adapter, where 2.5mm to 3.5mm SE is a pretty small (inline) adapter from my experience.

Spoiler: Some of my portable interconnects/adapters

The middle ones are some of my adapters, the top ones are some (not all) of my modular connectors.

I ordered the Super One driver and tuning damper set at the same time. Haven't received the tuning damper set yet.

I posted this graph before, now as a refresher... Factory tuning is M4+type3 damper. Looks like the dampers will be used to tune the upper bass through upper midrange region. It will be a game of finding the right mix of driver and damper to get the "perfect" individual tuning.

In all there are 24 possible driver and damper combinations to try. Then add different types of earbud foams to that mix and you have a smorgasbord of tuning possibilities that are a little mind boggling. It might seem daunting with all the combinations, but having some ability to tune the M4 to individual sound preferences gives the end user control that other earbuds don't offer.

Edit: It's a good thing Smabat made the M4 driver swap so easy. It would be a major pain and risk of damage if you had to solder / unsolder drivers like 1st gen.

40Ω LCP Composite + Type3 (factory tuning); + Type 1; + Type 2; + Type 4
ST10S B&G 150Ω Ti + Type3 (factory tuning); + Type 1; + Type 2; + Type 4
Super One 100Ω + Type3 (factory tuning); + Type 1; + Type 2; + Type 4
ST20Pro Black Coated BioFilm 100Ω + Type3 (factory tuning); + Type 1; + Type 2; + Type 4
ST20 Large Size LCP 50Ω + Type3 (factory tuning); + Type 1; + Type 2; + Type 4
In Ear Fullrange Balanced Armature + Type3 (factory tuning); + Type 1; + Type 2; + Type 4

 

[Ronion]

Just picked up the VE Megatron, and while it works well with my MacBook, it does not play audio properly through my Google Pixel 6a. I had read online that some of the older Pixels were incompatible with the Megatron, but I had hoped that this would be addressed in 6a and Android 13. Apparently not...bit sad, but I'll most likely list it for sale on the classified ads page.

Sorry to hear that.

my maxed out portable rig is to take one of my portable amps attached to a dongle. The FiiO e12 MB, A5, or my little bear B4-X. I never have any compatibility issues and I’ve got all the power I could ever want. The B4-X doesn’t have the greatest batter life, but it lasts long enough for my lunch break or a walk in the park. The e12MB and A5 can last all day without a problem. All these amps really compete with my desktop stuff though I admit they are not quite there.

 

[mt877]

I currently use sony nw-a105, and it is very curious what you have commented on the google account or the importance you give to security, paranoid I do exactly the same.

this dap doesn't tick all the boxes, the battery life is ridiculously short and the power output is... let's leave it at what it is... so that's why I'm going with the more expensive daps...

Maybe as you said and also as recommend me @jeejack , a non-android DAP could be enough, sticking to local files and giving up the streaming music that I have become fond of over the years.

The a105's battery life is notoriously bad and, having demoed one myself, I agree that the power isn't great though I thought it sounded pretty good.

As for the non-Android DAPs, I'm not convinced yet that I want to give up the ability to use streaming services or even just to access the full catalog available with those services on my DAP just yet. Right now I'm just seeing what's out there as far as high end and powerful non-Android players just to see what options are available if I do decide to switch.

Either way, I'm sure you'll figure it out.

Maybe you guys already saw this, but just in case you or others haven't, check out the High-Res Portable Daps comparison chart 2022. Everything there from Entry level to High-End Pro. The charts make it easy to find that DAP that satisfies the balance of operating system, specific DAC, output connector type, output power and battery life. One other thing I like about the charts is that it shows the location of the output jacks. If you like your jacks at the bottom or at the top of a DAP, then you can look for that attribute as well.

Edited to include @FranQL's post.

 

[dinodogJR]

You guys are such a treasurerable gangs for my questions with analytical informations. Didn't expected many of you are willing to spent so much effort trying to describe the technical parts between High impedance Lower cost Earphones vs Low impedance Premium Earphones. I can't thankful enough for you guys time to refresh your memories and sharing the most accurate impressions from the experience.

Yes, i agree the transducer is the secret to unlock our hearing ability and appreciation in those details and resolution step by step.
Just that I never got the opportunity to try out Premium Model or Higher Ohm in Earphone category. And most of the shops are focused in TWS and IEM models for years.
Years ago i was hunted my first TWS. And i came across a few cubic design IEM that looks like China brand to me. The person in charge kindly asked me to try it out. I had to admit i have zero idea what was Campfire Audio at all in that time... Once i tried out a few of them then until the last one, the golden Solaris just sucked me into the new awe realm of sound. I asked the person in charge what was the price. I was highly interested with its massive sound can already replace as my Headphone without second thought. The price was mentioned and i took them down gently with a breath out~Phew~! And i replied how nice you guys just left these openly on table and let anyone touch it without caring it could be "gone"... haha.

That's the whole new beginning i started to see High Premium earphones is not making fun of their price in its own reason.
Just need with the absolute luck to pick the right one at the right time.
The Best is someone know what they are talking bout, opening the new gate for us into their familiarity world of sound.
Currently I hope to get into one or two models from mid-budget earphones to appreciate the sound technology before i decided all the way up into one of the TOTL in the hunting journey.
RW3000, Yinman600, Fiio FF3...~ At the moment, it's Nice to know a few of these well-descriptive opinions from you guys.
ps : I don't quote the notes from everyone of you cause it would took out the entire thread to scroll down.
I hope i am doing a favor in return for those who read and type on mobile phone with informative essay~. @JAnonymous5150 (I am typing this on my computer and took me with 30mins..already. )

 

[mt877]

I hope i am doing a favor in return for those who read and type on mobile phone with informative essay~. @JAnonymous5150 (I am typing this on my computer and took me with 30mins. )

My wife says to me, "It's time for dinner".
I reply, "Ok, I just need to complete this last sentence in a forum reply".
She says, "You've been typing that last sentence for the last 10 minutes" and walks away.
I reply, "I can't read, so I don't know what the heck I'm typing..." and softly chuckle.

 

[samandhi]

Edit: Also, the whole idea that you can't take single ended cables and run them balanced through an adapter, despite the fact that those adapters are being sold, is an important one. To anyone thinking about such a purchased, that's a quick way to short out your amplifier's balanced circuit! Great point bro!

Well, there IS this one (which I trust as the company has very good reputation, though most of the others I would NOT trust):

Spoiler: DDHifi DJ30A

I completely concur with your assessment of and the comparison between the Yinman 2.0 600 and the Yincrow RW-3000... a warmer tuning by nature generally means that you will lose something a little in the resolution department though this loss can have it's rewards... a smoother, more relaxing, and fatigue-free listening experience


Also concur. Well said and very true. I always encourage people to expand their transducer experience as it will help them better understand and correctly discover their preferred signature and make some surprising discoveries along the way.


It was totally !

That was an awfully strange period of time... happy that it has pretty much stopped now though I no longer maintain my flathead earbud god-tier list as a result of it... oh well, life!

If it were me, I wouldn't worry about the outliers that come and go from here. You are ALWAYS going to have those that know little but profess much. And your experience is invaluable in this world IMHO. I REALLY enjoyed perusing your "God Tier List" when you kept it up.

I for one would encourage you to keep that list going.

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^!

I always value your opinions and views highly and it saddens me to think of an earbud thread/community without your voice and shared opinions to help shape it. You're one of the best, Woody! Cheers

Well said sir! All because someone was too immature to realize that describing sound is NOT an exact science (even using the terms that most have agreed are useful).

I currently use sony nw-a105, and it is very curious what you have commented on the google account or the importance you give to security, paranoid I do exactly the same.

this dap doesn't tick all the boxes, the battery life is ridiculously short and the power output is... let's leave it at what it is... so that's why I'm going with the more expensive daps...

Maybe as you said and also as recommend me @jeejack , a non-android DAP could be enough, sticking to local files and giving up the streaming music that I have become fond of over the years.

The a105's battery life is notoriously bad and, having demoed one myself, I agree that the power isn't great though I thought it sounded pretty good.

As for the non-Android DAPs, I'm not convinced yet that I want to give up the ability to use streaming services or even just to access the full catalog available with those services on my DAP just yet. Right now I'm just seeing what's out there as far as high end and powerful non-Android players just to see what options are available if I do decide to switch.

Either way, I'm sure you'll figure it out.

If it is a security concern, there are ways around that also. I use mine locally for my music, but I also use it for Amazon Music. NOTHING else. I don't install any other apps. For now it works fine, but eventually I will have to update the Amazon app so that it doesn't become "non compatible".

Having said that, there are sandbox apps that can keep your system essentially isolated from the internet even when your version of android is out of date and no longer receives security updates (much like Windows 10 sandbox). There is a lot about it at XDA Developers, but you can read a bit about it here.

As for me, I think that some of the flagship models have caught up to cell phone tech where the software side is concerned. When you have a DAP that runs as fast as your (current(ish)) phone and has more RAM, storage memory, custom OSes, etc... one can relax and worry more about the hardware side of things. And with things such as quad DACs, FPGA-Masters (for jitter), dual batteries (subsequently leading to more max power output, lower output impedance than should be possible with such power, and longer battery power with said power output), system-wide bit perfect playback, THD+N and dynamic range and SNR being better than they have EVER been, there is no reason to spend on portable AND desktop anymore. These become the perfect AIO, IF you understand all the technology (and futurproofing) that has gone into these things.

Yes, the OS will eventually become outdated but that doesn't stop it from running. The way I deal with this is that I DON'T install anything but Amazon Music, Neutron, UAPP, and maybe a software volume app (adding an icon on the desktop to change volume if the volume wheel becomes unusable). I never update any apps (except Amazon Music) as long as there are no updates to the OS itself (ensuring they are always compatible), and I create a separate Google Play account that doesn't even have a CC attached to it. There is nothing there for anyone to hack even if they wanted to or could.

I treat it exactly as it is; a standalone music player. Nothing more, nothing less. My phone does all the other stuff that I might want to keep safe. And if Amazon Music ever becomes outdated to where it won't work anymore on my DAP, I will just use my DAP as a USB DAC from my phone/PC/etc... I can even use reverse BT as a DAC from my phone or TV or PC, etc...

But, I digress, and others won't/don't share my view and that is perfectly fine. I just know that I will have a great AIO setup for years to come, and I don't feel the need to spend any more money. So if you really think about it, I am spending less money in the long run because (as long as I keep the battery changed) it SHOULD last a lifetime. Well, MY lifetime... LOL

 

[samandhi]

You guys are such a treasurerable gangs for my questions with analytical informations. Didn't expected many of you are willing to spent so much effort trying to describe the technical parts between High impedance Lower cost Earphones vs Low impedance Premium Earphones. I can't thankful enough for you guys time to refresh your memories and sharing the most accurate impressions from the experience.

ps : I don't quote the notes from everyone of you cause it would took out the entire thread to scroll down.
I hope i am doing a favor in return for those who read and type on mobile phone with informative essay~. @JAnonymous5150 (I am typing this on my computer and took me with 30mins..already. )

You are most welcome! It really does excite me to be a part of someone's discovery that makes them happy. So, while I DO do it for other people, there IS a bit of selfishness there too.

Well, you could always put those quote behind a spoiler tag like this:

Spoiler: @dinodogJR

ps : I don't quote the notes from everyone of you cause it would took out the entire thread to scroll down.
I hope i am doing a favor in return for those who read and type on mobile phone with informative essay~. @JAnonymous5150 (I am typing this on my computer and took me with 30mins..already. )

My wife says to me, "It's time for dinner".
I reply, "Ok, I just need to complete this last sentence in a forum reply".
She says, "You've been typing that last sentence for the last 10 minutes" and walks away.
I reply, "I can't read, so I don't know what the heck I'm typing..." and softly chuckle.

ROFL You sure you live in a different house than mine?