[morndewey]

I’m looking at copper plated silver and gold plated silver cables. Lot of options, but came across a brand called Plussound. Are they reputable or any good?

Plussound is great. Head fier here recommended (Tristy). Got my first cable from them this week, x6 copper, paired with B2. Gorgeous cable, hi quality, put B2 right into optimal sound zone. Oh and excellent customer service

 

[stersa]

Good synergy with Khadas Tone 2..

Best Regards

Sisco

 

[BobJS]

This thread (and a couple others) is part of a conspiracy to make me quit a couple other hobbies so I can fund my need for an audio fix. Holding firm for now in my resolve to remain a Renaissance man, hahahaha. Retreating from summit-fi to mid-fi about 8 years ago was easy; not sure why the temptation is kicking my butt so hard now.

Because the summit is much higher now?

 

[feverfive]

Because the summit is much higher now?

I dunno...relative to mid-fi, I don't think its any higher than it ever was. The mid-fi of today is light years ahead of mid-fi back then, IMO. It's unreal the quality/performance one can get below the $1,000 mark these days.

 

[snapandslide]

I dunno...relative to mid-fi, I don't think its any higher than it ever was. The mid-fi of today is light years ahead of mid-fi back then, IMO. It's unreal the quality/performance one can get below the $1,000 mark these days.

Out of curiosity, what IEMs do you have?

 

[CL14715]

I dunno...relative to mid-fi, I don't think its any higher than it ever was. The mid-fi of today is light years ahead of mid-fi back then, IMO. It's unreal the quality/performance one can get below the $1,000 mark these days.

It absolutely is. I believe that is because of the intellectual and physical property infringements. It’s easy to copy someone else’s hard earned R&D until you find a configuration you can mass produce for much less. That’s why I believe it’s fair that the hard charging innovators in this space deserve their premiums.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

It absolutely is. I believe that is because of the intellectual and physical property infringements. It’s easy to copy someone else’s hard earned R&D until you find a configuration you can mass produce for much less. That’s why I believe it’s fair that the hard charging innovators in this space deserve their premiums.

I think one of the big reasons that midfi is so much better is the discovery of preference curves. You can avoid having a master tuner in your company who is basically an artist in short supply. By tuning an IEM to a preference curve, you get a nicely tuned product that is far below the cost of the higher end products. And, as driver technology gets better, the chifi companies just figure out which drivers the higher end companies are using and then they use them, too. But, copying a product is not enough. What is actually surprising to me is that these chifi companies are actually introducing better usability in their DAPs as well and innovating on their own with new technology. This all bodes well for us as customers. Makes it harder to make a profit for the manufacturers. In 10 years, I think that the Chinese audio companies will be like the Korean flat screen technology companies. Most of the best companies for audio will be Chinese.

 

[PoSR77]

So, not to go too off-topic, but since inexpensive portable amps/dacs have recently been mentioned, is there a consensus on any benefit for getting one if you would be using it with a mid-fi DAP?

I have the iBasso DX160 and have been wondering about getting a Lotoo Paw S1, Earman Sparrow, or Luxury Precision W1/W2 (or maybe some ifi model) for awhile to use with it just to see if a separate amp/dac would 1) give me a similar level of SQ but with a different presentation or 2) actually improve overall on the SQ of the 4.4 DX160 out.

I've also just thought about going over the 1k mark for a DAP, but I have no problems with the DX160's performance in terms of usage, so I would only scale up if there was a clear improvement with the SQ...but I could avoid that if I would only need to buy an inexpensive amp/dac to go with the DX160 if it improved the SQ level to that of a 1k+ DAP.

Any input is appreciated, and I will say that I do very much like the SQ of the iBasso DX160 so maybe I should just rest content with it (unless, in the future, after I get my Odin, I find it not sufficient for that IEM; both my MEST and Solaris 2020 it drives well and pairs well with).

 

[proedros]

So, not to go too off-topic, but since inexpensive portable amps/dacs have recently been mentioned, is there a consensus on any benefit for getting one if you would be using it with a mid-fi DAP?

I have the iBasso DX160 and have been wondering about getting a Lotoo Paw S1, Earman Sparrow, or Luxury Precision W1/W2 (or maybe some ifi model) for awhile to use with it just to see if a separate amp/dac would 1) give me a similar level of SQ but with a different presentation or 2) actually improve overall on the SQ of the 4.4 DX160 out.

I've also just thought about going over the 1k mark for a DAP, but I have no problems with the DX160's performance in terms of usage, so I would only scale up if there was a clear improvement with the SQ...but I could avoid that if I would only need to buy an inexpensive amp/dac to go with the DX160 if it improved the SQ level to that of a 1k+ DAP.

Any input is appreciated, and I will say that I do very much like the SQ of the iBasso DX160 so maybe I should just rest content with it (unless, in the future, after I get my Odin, I find it not sufficient for that IEM; both my MEST and Solaris 2020 it drives well and pairs well with).

sony wm1a , with its new stellar FWs by @MrWalkman is a bargain now , imho

you can buy a used one for 700$ - great sound , beast battery and works as usb/dac

and it should pair great with your odin , with my zeus XR is a great combo so with odin it should be even better

 

[Deezel177]

So, not to go too off-topic, but since inexpensive portable amps/dacs have recently been mentioned, is there a consensus on any benefit for getting one if you would be using it with a mid-fi DAP?

I have the iBasso DX160 and have been wondering about getting a Lotoo Paw S1, Earman Sparrow, or Luxury Precision W1/W2 (or maybe some ifi model) for awhile to use with it just to see if a separate amp/dac would 1) give me a similar level of SQ but with a different presentation or 2) actually improve overall on the SQ of the 4.4 DX160 out.

I've also just thought about going over the 1k mark for a DAP, but I have no problems with the DX160's performance in terms of usage, so I would only scale up if there was a clear improvement with the SQ...but I could avoid that if I would only need to buy an inexpensive amp/dac to go with the DX160 if it improved the SQ level to that of a 1k+ DAP.

Any input is appreciated, and I will say that I do very much like the SQ of the iBasso DX160 so maybe I should just rest content with it (unless, in the future, after I get my Odin, I find it not sufficient for that IEM; both my MEST and Solaris 2020 it drives well and pairs well with).

I personally don't think so. The point of a DAP, to me, is to avoid stack-fi; whether it be a phone and a DAC/amp, or a phone and an amp, etc. Something like the DX160 should perform just as well (if not better than) a portable DAC/amp anyway, so I don't think you should be concerned there. @proedros's recommendation of the WM1A is a good shout. But, unless you find the DX160 lacking in any way, I wouldn't be in a rush to replace a well-working DAP before it's necessary.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

So, not to go too off-topic, but since inexpensive portable amps/dacs have recently been mentioned, is there a consensus on any benefit for getting one if you would be using it with a mid-fi DAP?

I have the iBasso DX160 and have been wondering about getting a Lotoo Paw S1, Earman Sparrow, or Luxury Precision W1/W2 (or maybe some ifi model) for awhile to use with it just to see if a separate amp/dac would 1) give me a similar level of SQ but with a different presentation or 2) actually improve overall on the SQ of the 4.4 DX160 out.

I've also just thought about going over the 1k mark for a DAP, but I have no problems with the DX160's performance in terms of usage, so I would only scale up if there was a clear improvement with the SQ...but I could avoid that if I would only need to buy an inexpensive amp/dac to go with the DX160 if it improved the SQ level to that of a 1k+ DAP.

Any input is appreciated, and I will say that I do very much like the SQ of the iBasso DX160 so maybe I should just rest content with it (unless, in the future, after I get my Odin, I find it not sufficient for that IEM; both my MEST and Solaris 2020 it drives well and pairs well with).

I would check out the Cayin C9 amp. Evidently, it does a great job of pairing with a DAP to improve its sound quality. It has both line out and Preamp modes so you can preserve the sound signature of your DX160.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

I personally don't think so. The point of a DAP, to me, is to avoid stack-fi; whether it be a phone and a DAC/amp, or a phone and an amp, etc. Something like the DX160 should perform just as well (if not better than) a portable DAC/amp anyway, so I don't think you should be concerned there. @proedros's recommendation of the WM1A is a good shout. But, unless you find the DX160 lacking in any way, I wouldn't be in a rush to replace a well-working DAP before it's necessary.

I come from the DAC/AMP world. I just placed an order for the LP W2 because I like the idea of using my iPhone as a DAP. If the iPhone was a more open system like Android and offered more features for audio developers to enable it to be a true audiophile OS for new feature and app development, I would never buy a DAP. But, Apple has too much of a vice grip on IOS and we can't get the Apps we want. To me, a DAP is an OS for apps, storage and streaming like a computer, but highly tuned for audio. The most obvious app is the music player, but there are also apps like Wavelet and Toneboosters that allow EQ and DSP. It's why I bought a HIBY R6 2020 as it runs Android 9 and has decent processing speed. I would rather run a stack and pair my DAP with a C9 so that we don't have to overstuff a single device with everything really required for great sound quality because the cost of miniaturization dramatically increases the cost of equivalent sound.

 

[bigbeans]

I come from the DAC/AMP world. I just placed an order for the LP W2 because I like the idea of using my iPhone as a DAP. If the iPhone was a more open system like Android and offered more features for audio developers to enable it to be a true audiophile OS for new feature and app development, I would never buy a DAP. But, Apple has too much of a vice grip on IOS and we can't get the Apps we want. To me, a DAP is an OS for apps, storage and streaming like a computer, but highly tuned for audio. The most obvious app is the music player, but there are also apps like Wavelet and Toneboosters that allow EQ and DSP. It's why I bought a HIBY R6 2020 as it runs Android 9 and has decent processing speed. I would rather run a stack and pair my DAP with a C9 so that we don't have to overstuff a single device with everything really required for great sound quality because the cost of miniaturization dramatically increases the cost of equivalent sound.

Awesome, congrats on the W2! If I hear correctly, you may get a C9 in the future?

I can attest, C9 works splendidly as both desktop and transportable 2 in 1 device. It elevates iems and headphones to their maximum potential, but with Odin I'd advise IEM Match. I'm receiving iFi Zen DAC Signature today to complete the desktop setup.

 

[Deezel177]

I come from the DAC/AMP world. I just placed an order for the LP W2 because I like the idea of using my iPhone as a DAP. If the iPhone was a more open system like Android and offered more features for audio developers to enable it to be a true audiophile OS for new feature and app development, I would never buy a DAP. But, Apple has too much of a vice grip on IOS and we can't get the Apps we want. To me, a DAP is an OS for apps, storage and streaming like a computer, but highly tuned for audio. The most obvious app is the music player, but there are also apps like Wavelet and Toneboosters that allow EQ and DSP. It's why I bought a HIBY R6 2020 as it runs Android 9 and has decent processing speed. I would rather run a stack and pair my DAP with a C9 so that we don't have to overstuff a single device with everything really required for great sound quality because the cost of miniaturization dramatically increases the cost of equivalent sound.

I personally stopped using my phone as my audio player because of storage and battery issues. They aren't really relevant now that I've upgraded my phone, but I still much prefer using a DAP; of course, for the sound quality increase as well. Stacks are just too much of a fuss for me on-the-go. I'd happily use them when I'm in a café or something, but not on the train or on the trot.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Awesome, congrats on the W2! If I hear correctly, you may get a C9 in the future?

I can attest, C9 works splendidly as both desktop and transportable 2 in 1 device. It elevates iems and headphones to their maximum potential, but with Odin I'd advise IEM Match. I'm receiving iFi Zen DAC Signature today to complete the desktop setup.

Audiophiles come up with all kinds of reasons to rationalize their purchases. I am no different. I always buy more product than I need. I may as well just admit it.

Anyway, I have been using my Hugo 2 as a second desktop system in my home. I use it to get a transparent sound, to drive low impedance headphones and IEMs and EQ by connecting it to my laptop. My other desktop system is based on my Bottlehead Crack and Bifrost 2. That gives me the tube sound for my high impedance headphones.

But, I've determined that the best pairing my my Odins is the Hugo 2. So, I am going to reconnect my 2Go to it and use it as a dedicated source for the Odins. So, I need a replacement for my second desktop. I am going to use my Hiby R6 2020 and a C9 for that purpose. When I want to EQ, I will use the W2 in line out mode connected to the C9. Well, that's the theory. If it sucks, I'll do something else.