[jonathanjong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by roxxor /img/forum/go_quote.gif Anyone tried replacing the stock cable with a DOWIN? Any discernable differences?

I dunno what a DOWIN is, but I'm wondering if a cable change will make a difference too. The one that comes with it is so thin, flimsy, and the jack is, erm, not gold. I have no idea if that makes a difference at all, but all my headphone jacks seem to be gold-plated. So: Will getting a new cable improve matters?

 

[espire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonathanjong /img/forum/go_quote.gif I dunno what a DOWIN is, but I'm wondering if a cable change will make a difference too. The one that comes with it is so thin, flimsy, and the jack is, erm, not gold. I have no idea if that makes a difference at all, but all my headphone jacks seem to be gold-plated. So: Will getting a new cable improve matters?

Some, including myself, say that it won't. Many others say that it will. There isn't actually any proof that cables make any change at all (apart from the wire material; copper is adequate), but this is Head-Fi.

The poster below me will surely express their amazement that using a different cable widened the soundstage, added sparkle to the highs, and tightened up the bass. That's fine, but I think that it's all in the mind.

 

[jonathanjong]

Ooh ooh, I wanna be Team Mid-Fi!

Really? Just the mid? But the bass should be tight, the soundstage should be realistic, the highs shouldn't be too harsh, no? The mids should be...detailed?

And yea, I've seen the crazy debates over cables. I'd be surprised if the free flimsy cable is just as good as those thick, fancy ones though... Then again, it could just all be a ruse.

 

[espire]

Hucha, a buddy in my group! Awesome!

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonathanjong /img/forum/go_quote.gif Really? Just the mid? But the bass should be tight, the soundstage should be realistic, the highs shouldn't be too harsh, no? The mids should be...detailed?

Heh, it's Mid-Fi, as opposed to Lo-Fi (iBuds) and Hi-Fi (GS1000)

 

[googan]

I hear a difference

The Fiio was a downgrade to my recabled D1001 using the included IC. With the new IC it is still not an upgrade, but a lateral change. The IC solved some distortion/separation issues that became apparent after the headphone recable.

Rap/Hip-hop/R&B/some harder rock genres/anything with good drum/bass lines can be more fun to listen to with the Fiio (+ decent IC).

That's my story and I'm sticking to it

I trust my ears. Do you?


BTW: I did not buy the IC and I would not recommend purchasing an IC for 3x the cost of the amp you're using it with unless you plan on buying much more capable amps in the future. I bought extra plugs/cable while doing my headphone recable, planning on making an extension cord for my headphones but made an IC instead after hearing how much worse the Fiio sounded with the modded headphones compared to stock. The IC cost me a total of about $1.50.

 

[googan]

OK here is a semi-comprehensive look at my experience with Denon D1001 and the Fiio (which is already a part of this thread if you look closely).

Stock d1001 unamped- decent overall, but bass is a bit bloated, mids are significantly recessed, overall sound is bass veiled.

Stock d1001 + stock fiio - even more bass with a proportional increase in bloatiness, highs a little more rolled off, but more or a less similar in SQ with unamped stock d1001s - just different (more bass).

Recabled d1001 unamped- tighter everything compared to stock, bass better controlled, mids louder/clearer and not as dominated by bass, highs extended a bit

Recabled d1001 + stock fiio - bass/mids/highs all lose control compared to unamped, audible distortion especially in the highs can be heard at times (for example putting an electric guitar distortion effect on the sound of cymbals), separation takes a significant hit/frequencies seem to be melting into each other.

Recabled d1001 + fiio w/ new IC (made of same cable/plugs as d1001's new cable) - the difference the fiio makes here is pretty much the same as what the stock fiio does to the stock d1001. More bass but without degradation in separation and clarity.

This makes sense if you think about it logically (assuming recabling the headphones has an effect), because if recabling the d1001 has a positive effect on the SQ, but then you put a crappy little IC in between the source and the new cable / headphones, the result is a more accurate interpretation of the crappy signal gathered by the Fiio, aka a clearer crappy sound since it is less forgiving.

espire, with all due respect (and at the risk of turning this into a cable debate), have you heard a pair of recabled d1001s? If so, then I respect your opinion and humbly disagree. If not, you're just theorizing (which I respect as well), but you never really know what it sounds like until you try it for yourself. -- hm.. I thought you owned d1001s but I don't see it in your sig. I guess I should ask if you've tried the fiio with a decent IC on a quality pair of headphones.

 

[roxxor]

googan, what about stock d1001 + fiio w/new IC?

 

[googan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by roxxor /img/forum/go_quote.gif googan, what about stock d1001 + fiio w/new IC?

lol I wouldn't be able to tell you that one since I recabled the headphones first.

 

[jonathanjong]

What's an IC? Is that a cable? Heh...

Yeah! Go Mid-Fi! Erm, espire, I think this will explain my comment: I initially read, "It's all in the mids." Perplexed, I asked if the highs and lows mattered. Blind me.

 

[googan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonathanjong /img/forum/go_quote.gif The one that comes with it is so thin, flimsy, and the jack is, erm, not gold. I have no idea if that makes a difference at all, but all my headphone jacks seem to be gold-plated.

gold isn't any more conductive than silver - it's actually the other way around. gold is more resistant to oxidation and thus provides a longer period of consistent performance.

 

[googan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonathanjong /img/forum/go_quote.gif What's an IC? Is that a cable? Heh...

Yup. IC = interconnect.

 

[jonathanjong]

Right, but the Fiio cable jack is not actually silver, surely. It's "silver" in colour, but it's unlikely to be silver-coated, right?

 

[ClieOS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonathanjong /img/forum/go_quote.gif Right, but the Fiio cable jack is not actually silver, surely. It's "silver" in colour, but it's unlikely to be silver-coated, right?

Normal copper jack with Nickel plating. Silver is too soft for making jack plus there is oxidation problem.

Nickel or gold plating on headphone jack is mainly for oxidation prevention, and gold is used because... well, it is gold. Platinum would be even more fun but it is extremely expensive.

 

[jonathanjong]

Ooh...

 

[newskin]

Just received an tried my E3 with my atrio m5 and i have to say i'm very satisfied with the result. It widens the soundstage on the atrios (wich was something i feel they lacked a bit) and tightens the bass even more. The bass boost and volumen boost are both noticeable. I'm very surprised about how well the amp performs with a "dark" phone like the atrio, it powers very nicely the phones character.

I'll try the amp with the AKG K81DJ's and the KSC75 later, hope it performs as well as with the atrios.