[AsciiJC]

Made some 3d printed PK shells! Needs a lot of adjustments and so, but theyre nubbad!

 

[passie42]

Hey guys,
I want to buy some Fiio earbuds but I have some doubts which one to choose. This thread is very long so I was hoping on some advice instead of reading this thread several days
I have the Fareal ancestor and I like them. One time I had the FF5 but they had not enough bass for my taste. I don’t think I am a treble nor basshead but if I had to choose it would be more bass.
So which one would be the better deal, the FF3 or the FF3S? I will mostly use them lying in bed so the weight is no problem.
Thanks in advance!

 

[h8uthemost]

Yeah, Rosemary 4.4 is 12,5 USD and X6 is 10,5 USD. My only doubt now is if Moondrop Dawn Pro can power it. My main use is portable (apparently if balanced it can. Not sure yet).

The Moondrop Dawn will be plenty to run them. I'm getting them and I probably won't even use an amp. I'll be getting the 3.5mm. I'll run it straight from my phone from its 3.5mm phone jack. Or if that doesn't get them to listenable volume them I'll listen to it from one of my tablets with the cx31993 dongle(which is a DAC/amp). So if my phone can't properly run them, then I'll just use the dongle which I know will be more than enough for 150ohm. Hell I'm going to be getting the Qigom White Lotus and it's a 300ohm bud. But it's high sensitivity which I believe the Rosemary is as well. I think Rosemary has a sensitivity of 106?

So yes, your dongle will power it with ease. But I'd wait until the 18th to order it. It'll be two or three bucks cheaper then.

Edit: So anyways, i got these in yesterday, which I linked them to in a previous post(forgive be for the low quality snap). And I've had 36 hours with them now, and I'm in love. I'm love with the detail, soundstage, and instrument separation. I haven't heard a soundstage as big on buds until these, and haven't heard the type of separation until these. These are very well tuned and I recommend them to anyone.

 

[samandhi]

So, I decided to mess around with the Smabat M5 Pro (Golden 150ohm driver) because I hated to see them collecting dust, and because they have some really top notch bass (with the right driver intalled) IMHO.

First, I changed the cable which gave it a bit warmer and fuller sound (though still very much in the "ice pick" territory). Then I commenced to making a decent EQ setting. The cable is an FDBro SPC 8 core 4.4mm balanced cable. As for the EQ, I am using the built-in DSP app from Neutron Music Player (known to be one of the best DSP apps in the business) on my iBasso DX160.

One thing of note (and another reason I love the DSP in Neutron so much) is that with their EQ app, you can use either PEQ, EQ, or a mix of the two (you just choose settings for any of the frequencies, and change it to PEQ or EQ from there). I have set 3 bands. Two are EQ, and one is PEQ, which will be noted as either BW (EQ), or Q (PEQ):

• 1.5kHz BW=2 Gain=-8dB
• 2kHz BW=1 Gain=-5dB
• 8kHz Q=1.414 Gain=+5dB High Shelf (this is to offset the lack of perceived treble when you lower the overly boosted presence region)

It really is a shame that this has to be done with this beautiful set, but at least now it does indeed have top notch sound, if not as good of technicalities because it can't breath. Though, that maze structure is a truly marvelous innovation on Smabat part. It allows for some really big bass on earbuds without muddying things up in the mids, or being a "one note" sound. OH! Also, I am actually using the SO (Super One) 100ohm driver with this set (not quite the quantity of bass the 150ohm offers, but is much more controlled, punchy, and textured). Another tragedy; Smabat drivers have some of the best bass in all earbuds..... it is the rest of the frequencies that ruin it for me..

Spoiler: iBasso DX160 > FDBro 4.4mm balanced SPC cable > Smabat M5 Pro (Golden 150ohm)

 

[mt877]

Hey guys,
I want to buy some Fiio earbuds but I have some doubts which one to choose. This thread is very long so I was hoping on some advice instead of reading this thread several days
I have the Fareal ancestor and I like them. One time I had the FF5 but they had not enough bass for my taste. I don’t think I am a treble nor basshead but if I had to choose it would be more bass.
So which one would be the better deal, the FF3 or the FF3S? I will mostly use them lying in bed so the weight is no problem.
Thanks in advance!

I think the FF3 would be the better choice if you plan to use them while laying in bed trying to relax and chill out. The bass is phenomenal and can go deep while the high end has good detail, but a little rounded off which makes for non-fatiguing listening sessions. The FF3S has very good bass as well, but expect the mids to high end to be a bit more forward vs the FF3.

Edit: The FF3 will come with 3 differents sets of foams. Bass, Balanced and Crisp (donut foams). So you can select the foams to use that will tune them to your preferences (within the sound signature of the buds themselves).

 

[baskingshark]

Hey guys,
I want to buy some Fiio earbuds but I have some doubts which one to choose. This thread is very long so I was hoping on some advice instead of reading this thread several days
I have the Fareal ancestor and I like them. One time I had the FF5 but they had not enough bass for my taste. I don’t think I am a treble nor basshead but if I had to choose it would be more bass.
So which one would be the better deal, the FF3 or the FF3S? I will mostly use them lying in bed so the weight is no problem.
Thanks in advance!

The FF3 is heavier in weight due to its steel exterior (it weights double of the FF3S). Thus, the former's build seems more robust but it can cause fatigue in the ears with longer sessions, compared to the lighter FF3S.

Both the FF3 and FF3S generally share the same DNA in being bassy and warm buds, but the original FF3 is even bassier but less resolving, losing in technicalities and treble extension. For folks who found the first FF3's bass to be intrusive, the FF3S tones it down slightly here, thus allowing the rest of the frequencies to breathe more. I'm not a bona fide basshead, so I do prefer the FF3S's more versatile AKA balanced sound signature in a way.

The original FF3 has a non-detachable cable, though it also has modular plugs (albeit one can argue that having a proprietary detachable cable in the FF3S isn't a true improvement in this department).

 

[ttorbic]

The Moondrop Dawn will be plenty to run them. I'm getting them and I probably won't even use an amp. I'll be getting the 3.5mm. I'll run it straight from my phone from its 3.5mm phone jack. Or if that doesn't get them to listenable volume them I'll listen to it from one of my tablets with the cx31993 dongle(which is a DAC/amp). So if my phone can't properly run them, then I'll just use the dongle which I know will be more than enough for 150ohm. Hell I'm going to be getting the Qigom White Lotus and it's a 300ohm bud. But it's high sensitivity which I believe the Rosemary is as well. I think Rosemary has a sensitivity of 106?

So yes, your dongle will power it with ease. But I'd wait until the 18th to order it. It'll be two or three bucks cheaper then.

Edit: So anyways, i got these in yesterday, which I linked them to in a previous post(forgive be for the low quality snap). And I've had 36 hours with them now, and I'm in love. I'm love with the detail, soundstage, and instrument separation. I haven't heard a soundstage as big on buds until these, and haven't heard the type of separation until these. These are very well tuned and I recommend them to anyone.

Nice earbuds! What are they?

 

[BenF]

Hey, guys! Me again. Just bought Faaeal Iris 2.0 for $1,20 and Snow Lotus for $4.
Would Yincrow X6 be redundant? They're not as cheap, and if I buy them, I won't be able to buy Temperament X6.

(Remembering I love my EB2S, but they lack bass)

You should get Yincrow X6 over Temperament X6 regardless of other earbuds - they sound better despite lower price.

 

[h8uthemost]

Nice earbuds! What are they?

High there! They're these. I bought the cable from the same store.

 

[Brillig]

So, I decided to mess around with the Smabat M5 Pro (Golden 150ohm driver) because I hated to see them collecting dust, and because they have some really top notch bass (with the right driver intalled) IMHO.

First, I changed the cable which gave it a bit warmer and fuller sound (though still very much in the "ice pick" territory). Then I commenced to making a decent EQ setting. The cable is an FDBro SPC 8 core 4.4mm balanced cable. As for the EQ, I am using the built-in DSP app from Neutron Music Player (known to be one of the best DSP apps in the business) on my iBasso DX160.

One thing of note (and another reason I love the DSP in Neutron so much) is that with their EQ app, you can use either PEQ, EQ, or a mix of the two (you just choose settings for any of the frequencies, and change it to PEQ or EQ from there). I have set 3 bands. Two are EQ, and one is PEQ, which will be noted as either BW (EQ), or Q (PEQ):

• 1.5kHz BW=2 Gain=-8dB
• 2kHz BW=1 Gain=-5dB
• 8kHz Q=1.414 Gain=+5dB High Shelf (this is to offset the lack of perceived treble when you lower the overly boosted presence region)

It really is a shame that this has to be done with this beautiful set, but at least now it does indeed have top notch sound, if not as good of technicalities because it can't breath. Though, that maze structure is a truly marvelous innovation on Smabat part. It allows for some really big bass on earbuds without muddying things up in the mids, or being a "one note" sound. OH! Also, I am actually using the SO (Super One) 100ohm driver with this set (not quite the quantity of bass the 150ohm offers, but is much more controlled, punchy, and textured). Another tragedy; Smabat drivers have some of the best bass in all earbuds..... it is the rest of the frequencies that ruin it for me..

Spoiler: iBasso DX160 > FDBro 4.4mm balanced SPC cable > Smabat M5 Pro (Golden 150ohm)

Great post! Do you (or anyone else?) know of an app similar to neutron music player for iOS?

 

[jwilliamhurst]

TGXear Desolation Sound Steel Black Sand

Hey Flathead Friends. I hope you all are having a fantastic weekend. I have had this bud by @tgx78 for a few weeks now and I think it’s time for some impressions as it has totally blown me away.

This is an upgraded version of the Desolation Sound that Jim graciously offered to me and that I paid for. In my opinion this upgrade to Steel shell with black sand dampening really sets the DS apart from its original counterpart and also widens the gap in sound signature from Jim’s other buds in his lineup. I am using the focused full foams that Jim includes with purchase, these are the thinnest foams and my favorite by far for this tuning.

All listening done on Cayin N30LE Hyper mode with Tube classic mode engaged using UAPP to stream Qobuz bit-perfect. As well as, Venture Electronics Prime Dac + Runabout 2BFE amp via MacBook Air running Qobuz via Roon.

For me and my library which consists mainly of well recorded Jazz music and singer-songwriter, folk, world and Classical/OST’s this earbud really hits the spot. Jim has outdone himself and honestly the DS SBS has just about made all my other buds obsolete. I am still using and loving my 600ohm buds i.e. TGX Alpha, Yinman 600, Puresounds 100-600(s) and also my favorite V-shape bud to date Ksearphone 300 Samsara and my VE APWS for specialists.

Let’s get back to the DS SBS. This bud has impeccable imaging and staging. Instruments are well separated and sound authentic. Out of all Jim’s buds, this one has the least amount of mid bass heft, which clears up the midrange allowing the beautiful timbre of tones to come through with ease. I would call this earbud a really well done W shape.

The bass is working as a support and never the focus. Bass lines are well delineated and layered with precise definition and attack. Decay is natural, neither slow nor super fast. It is a perfect amount of warmth to keep in line for a reference tuning. The detail though is really quite captivating. Fingers slapping on the fretboard of an upright bass and hearing each reverberation of the strings and the body of the instrument is an astounding aural experience.

Mids are spacious and detailed with every nuance in the recording coming forth but still with an emotional weight and pulling of the heart strings, Jim’s calling card IMO. Vocals have great center imaging and escape the head. Male and Female vocals alike sound effortless and while they are not the heaviest note weight they are still grounded to the stage and not so transparent to sound like ghosts flying around your head. Guitar strums and drums have great attack and sound like the real deal. Violins, Cello, Viola are breathtaking in realism and emotion. For a reference tuning the “feeling” of the music is not lost. Dynamics are not lacking (this really shines through in classical selections) and this has a great 3-D feel to the staging with an incredible black background thanks to the black sand dampening.

The Treble here is probably the best I have ever heard in any earbud hands down. It is extended, clear and sparkling without peaks or harshness. Cymbal hits, piano strikes, harp plucks, all sound angelic as if they are coming down from heaven with perfect attack, sustain and decay. It’s marvelous to experience and very difficult to put into words.

I won’t say that the DS SBS is a high energy, in your face set, as it is not that. It is a delicate sound that will surprise and delight the longer you listen, a set that is very easy to listen to for hours on end and get lost in pure musical bliss. This is not a set for heavy, fast or RnB, hip hop music IMO. It can keep up with fast music don’t get me wrong as the resolution here is fantastic and totl. However for the above types of music, it does not have enough mid bass. A good V shape bud will work better in my opinion. However I do listen to a lot of indie rock with this earbud and it excels.

All in all this is my favorite earbud thus far in my time in the hobby. So much so that I am slowing down and thinning out my collection. I am quite content and I owe it all to the artistry and mastery of Mr. Jim Park, aka TGXear!! Thank you so much for your hard work, craftsmanship, and tuning genius.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.

 

[droenald]

b) Unfortunately the Fiio BTR15 i got is terribly flawed and needs a couple of updates before it might be usable for daily pleasure. The Qudelix 5k to my ears have almost no soundstage depth and layering and the Topping G5 sounds like instruments are shrinked an squeezed in either the center image or two medium blobs left and right.

Because of this I wonder if you could suggest any portable device with LDAC capabilities, that can at least compare with a low to midfi desktop device in soundstage depth, height and layering, oh and did i say soundstage depth?

I dont need EQ or other tricks, just the possibility of either using it as an usb dac or as an LDAC reciever with a stable connection to my BTR30pro or my phone and at least 250mw into 32ohms single ended.
Colouration, resolution, dynamics, details all dont matter the slightest, if it doesnt deliver a proper soundstage depth and height, with multiple layers it wont get the job. So thats my main must have. Wideness to the sides can be as small as it gets, that wouldnt bother me.

You are basically describing the qudelix 5k, regarding output, ldac compatibility... It even has eq, which you don't need. Good thing you have this one already!
Regarding depth and layering I have 2 tips for you:
Choose a song you know inside out and you know where you get better depth and layering on a desktop system. So a song you especially miss the depth and height with the qudelix.
Then go to the dac section of the qudelix app and switch to the dac filter "minimum phase ultra slow rolloff"
For me this filter warms up the sound of the qudelix a fair bit and gives me more depth and height, more 3d. It is not worlds of difference, but a noticable difference for me nontheless. This is also the filter which sounds the most different to the others. I find no discernible difference between most of the other filters... This might do something or nothing for you.
The second tip would involve parametric eq (which the qudelix has ) and experimentally finding out the position of the notch in frequency response (for your personal hrtf) giving you proper frontal localisation and perception of height. If you want to try that let me know - this is going to be a very long post.

 

[ttorbic]

TGXear Desolation Sound Steel Black Sand



Hey Flathead Friends. I hope you all are having a fantastic weekend. I have had this bud by @tgx78 for a few weeks now and I think it’s time for some impressions as it has totally blown me away.

This is an upgraded version of the Desolation Sound that Jim graciously offered to me and that I paid for. In my opinion this upgrade to Steel shell with black sand dampening really sets the DS apart from its original counterpart and also widens the gap in sound signature from Jim’s other buds in his lineup. I am using the focused full foams that Jim includes with purchase, these are the thinnest foams and my favorite by far for this tuning.

All listening done on Cayin N30LE Hyper mode with Tube classic mode engaged using UAPP to stream Qobuz bit-perfect. As well as, Venture Electronics Prime Dac + Runabout 2BFE amp via MacBook Air running Qobuz via Roon.

For me and my library which consists mainly of well recorded Jazz music and singer-songwriter, folk, world and Classical/OST’s this earbud really hits the spot. Jim has outdone himself and honestly the DS SBS has just about made all my other buds obsolete. I am still using and loving my 600ohm buds i.e. TGX Alpha, Yinman 600, Puresounds 100-600(s) and also my favorite V-shape bud to date Ksearphone 300 Samsara and my VE APWS for specialists.

Let’s get back to the DS SBS. This bud has impeccable imaging and staging. Instruments are well separated and sound authentic. Out of all Jim’s buds, this one has the least amount of mid bass heft, which clears up the midrange allowing the beautiful timbre of tones to come through with ease. I would call this earbud a really well done W shape.

The bass is working as a support and never the focus. Bass lines are well delineated and layered with precise definition and attack. Decay is natural, neither slow nor super fast. It is a perfect amount of warmth to keep in line for a reference tuning. The detail though is really quite captivating. Fingers slapping on the fretboard of an upright bass and hearing each reverberation of the strings and the body of the instrument is an astounding aural experience.

Mids are spacious and detailed with every nuance in the recording coming forth but still with an emotional weight and pulling of the heart strings, Jim’s calling card IMO. Vocals have great center imaging and escape the head. Male and Female vocals alike sound effortless and while they are not the heaviest note weight they are still grounded to the stage and not so transparent to sound like ghosts flying around your head. Guitar strums and drums have great attack and sound like the real deal. Violins, Cello, Viola are breathtaking in realism and emotion. For a reference tuning the “feeling” of the music is not lost. Dynamics are not lacking (this really shines through in classical selections) and this has a great 3-D feel to the staging with an incredible black background thanks to the black sand dampening.

The Treble here is probably the best I have ever heard in any earbud hands down. It is extended, clear and sparkling without peaks or harshness. Cymbal hits, piano strikes, harp plucks, all sound angelic as if they are coming down from heaven with perfect attack, sustain and decay. It’s marvelous to experience and very difficult to put into words.

I won’t say that the DS SBS is a high energy, in your face set, as it is not that. It is a delicate sound that will surprise and delight the longer you listen, a set that is very easy to listen to for hours on end and get lost in pure musical bliss. This is not a set for heavy, fast or RnB, hip hop music IMO. It can keep up with fast music don’t get me wrong as the resolution here is fantastic and totl. However for the above types of music, it does not have enough mid bass. A good V shape bud will work better in my opinion. However I do listen to a lot of indie rock with this earbud and it excels.

All in all this is my favorite earbud thus far in my time in the hobby. So much so that I am slowing down and thinning out my collection. I am quite content and I owe it all to the artistry and mastery of Mr. Jim Park, aka TGXear!! Thank you so much for your hard work, craftsmanship, and tuning genius.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.

Thanks for sharing this epic write-up!

 

[samandhi]

Great post! Do you (or anyone else?) know of an app similar to neutron music player for iOS?

Thank you very much!

You can actually get Neutron for IOS, unless you knew that but wanted something similar to it. I don't know of any app that is able to bypass the internal limitations, and especially on IOS, that is able to use its own internal DSP (PCM to DSD, upscaling, EQ, Spatial adjustments, etc...) without having to "jailbreak" the device. Just being bit-perfect is a huge advancement for android as well as IOS IMHO.

Honestly, I am not too sure how well even Neutron works on IOS, because I don't have/use any such devices (well, I have a couple old iPod Touches, but only use one because of its connectivity to my stereo on my Harley ). But, just in case you didn't know about it, here is the link for it to try out (Neutron is a paid app, but has a trial to see if you like it): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/neutron-music-player/id766858884

P.S. I DID find this one, and it IS bit-perfect and has an internal (and independent) EQ app for IOS. Plexamp App

Either way, do let us know what you find?! I don't know a ton about IOS except that it is still pretty much as locked down as it used to be on music playing (i.e. using their system-wide EQ app for all music players, and stuff like that). Of course, I haven't had any IOS device since the days of Wolfsen DACs...

Sadly, there is STILL no sign of UAPP (USB Audio Player Pro) being added to IOS. Neutron and UAPP are 2 of my favorites for the feature-set they have; one of which is network sharing/streaming (as a server or a client).

 

[Brillig]

Thank you very much!

You can actually get Neutron for IOS, unless you knew that but wanted something similar to it. I don't know of any app that is able to bypass the internal limitations, and especially on IOS, that is able to use its own internal DSP (PCM to DSD, upscaling, EQ, Spatial adjustments, etc...) without having to "jailbreak" the device. Just being bit-perfect is a huge advancement for android as well as IOS IMHO.

Honestly, I am not too sure how well even Neutron works on IOS, because I don't have/use any such devices. But, just in case you didn't know about it, here is the link for it to try out (Neutron is a paid app, but has a trial to see if you like it): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/neutron-music-player/id766858884

P.S. I DID find this one, and it IS bit-perfect and has an internal (and independent) EQ app for IOS. Plexamp App

Either way, do let us know what you find?! I don't know a ton about IOS except that it is still pretty much as locked down as it used to be on music playing (i.e. using their system-wide EQ app for all music players, and stuff like that). Of course, I haven't had any IOS device since the days of Wolfsen DACs...

Sadly, there is STILL no sign of UAPP (USB Audio Player Pro) being added to IOS. Neutron and UAPP are 2 of my favorites for the feature-set they have; one of which is network sharing/streaming (as a server or a client).

Thanks, as always, for your detailed and excellent research! I had only found the Google app, which said that it required android, so it is very nice to see that neutron is available for iOS as well. I will get it and try it, and report back. AsI have posted before, I really enjoy the app FX Sound for the PC, which is free, and has, for my ears, at least, wonderful DSP. I really enjoy how it makes my Yinman 600s sound with my VE Megatron.