[bigshot]

The good thing is that it's a lot easier to tame rumble with EQ than it is to bring back sub bass frequencies that have been rolled off.

 

[RamblerBoy]

That sounds wise. Thanks.

 

[reginalb]

Maybe that is what it is..
X7ii's fr curve shows a roll off below 50 hz with a 32 ohm load (fiio's website) while X5iii has it below 15-16 hz.

Mojo too has a slight roll off in the sub bass.
Is it right to believe that this the reason why i am getting increased rumble with the x5iii? And the reason why people find x7ii cleaner?
They all have more or less the same fr at around mids and highs though.

That could very well be the source of the rumble you're describing.

I suspect people find the X7ii to be "Cleaner" because it's more expensive.

 

[RamblerBoy]

That could very well be the source of the rumble you're describing.

I suspect people find the X7ii to be "Cleaner" because it's more expensive.

I am thinking the same too.. and the same reason why i feel that mojo is clearer compared to fiio. Maybe because it is more expensive and maybe because i think too much because as i have mentioned earlier, the fiio is just fine when i don't brood upon it. It's like when i am looking for something, it suddenly becomes a lot more visible.
Thank you so much for your valuable inputs. Guess i will stick with x5iii if its fr remains somewhat stable with the shures.

 

[castleofargh]

I seem to remember the Mojo has crazy low impedance, so even close to 1ohm for another source would mean a warmer sound than the mojo into the 846(because of the 846's own impedance curve and stupidly low impedance at some point, I think it goes as low as 5ohm ).
the X5III is marked as <1ohm, but of course that can mean 0.9ohm or 0.1ohm, without a practical reference we can't even pretend to estimate the signature change.

the DAPs' own responses to critically low impedance could also deserve actual measurements. you can count on vague ideas like higher impedance DAP will make this particular Shure warmer. and that the balanced option for devices that have it, would probably be warmer still on that IEM as they usually have higher impedance balanced. beyond that I wouldn't dare to say much about specific results without the devices in my hands to test a bunch of things.

 

[RamblerBoy]

Thanks a ton. I am starting to feel that i'll never find something that puts out a truly flat response with the shures.

 

[castleofargh]

truly flat is a VERY relative idea. we don't know what source impedance Shure intended when designing this IEM, then which filter is the right one? and in the end, what does it matter if to you it doesn't sound right? ^_^
to me, at least so long as we're discussing BA drivers, acoustic filters, EQ or added impedance, they're 3 tools to reach the same goal, a frequency response we enjoy. filters are very limited as one filter = one response and you don't have many filters.
extra impedance can be tailored with different DAPs, but also with extra resistors in series, sadly the shape of the resulting EQ will still be determined by the IEM itself so that's a big limitation too.
as for a digital EQ, they will be as good and versatile as the implemented EQ will be in the DAP. sometimes it's pretty good, sometimes it's very limited or simply sounds like crap.
for more fun we can think of mixing all those options for even more variations. in the end the real issue is to have a clear idea of the signature we desire. which can be an adventure in itself.
all we really try to do with some objective approach is to limit the risks of stuff going bad, and making some sort of preselection of the things to try. but as a true neutral signature for IEMs is tied to the user himself, we end up at the same place. what we like, or what feels neutral to us.

 

[Niouke]

here is the freq response of the Fiio X5-3, I'd be surprised that the X7-2 was any different. The Blue line is when the ultra slow rollof is enabled.

 

[reginalb]

Thanks a ton. I am starting to feel that i'll never find something that puts out a truly flat response with the shures.

You can correct it with EQ. I can even tame the old HiFiMan DAPs with the Rockbox PEQ. Once you measure your FR, it becomes easier. Very few DAPs have as effective an equalizer as Rockbox, but if you start a lot closer to flat, you should be able to tame anything too egregious.

Also, my Merlins have had issues with some dedicated DAPs, but my Nexus 6 cell phone didn't have any issues (everything was +/- .5dB up through the audible bands). The Schiit Fulla (a $100 DAC/amp) performed perfectly with them.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the...utorial-in-post-2.800208/page-5#post-12963308

You'll be alright, but some DAPs are going to give you issues. But even some phones can be just fine.