If you are sensitive to hiss at all, be very contentious about what source you choose as the 334 hisses like a
madman with lots of sources. The only hiss free sources I have so far are the "COWON J3", the "iPod Touch 4th generation", and my “ODAC + OBJECTIVE 2” setup (which BTW is absolutely magnificent).
I wouldn't be surprised if all of your candidates would hiss quite a bit (“Cypher Labs Theorem 720”, “ALO the International”+ and the “Centrance Hifi-m8”), and you really don't need an AMP for the 334. A great DAC, yes, and of course then you'll need an AMP as well!
Oh, and did I mention the 334 is very,
very prone to hiss!?
I've contemplated the ODAC + OBJECTIVE 2 setup, but I'd really like something portable because my job will require me to be in different locations quite a bit, so being able to carry it easily along with work documents and a laptop would be quite important to me. I'd agree that this setup is really awesome and works great with the TG334 though as I've had the chance to demo it. I've heard great things about the CLAS -db and hence thought the Theorem would be a good way to go since it uses the same DAC chip. But reports of it hissing have put me off quite a bit, hence looking to explore my options.
Hi all, I have an urgent question regarding the 334s. Can anyone provide further comparison between the TG334s and SE846s? I have read the comparison from AnakChan, but need to decide whether to buy a pair of SE846s that have come up for sale or wait and save up nearly twice as much for the 334s. I listen to a very wide range of genres, but centre around rock, blues, jazz and funk with very little electronic or classical.
I'd really appreciate your recommendations and thoughts
I've recently owned the SE846 before selling it and moving on to the Fitear TG 334! Granted, these impressions are from memory and I was using different cables with both earphones (TWcu on the SE846 and TWau reference on the SE334, although I did try the stock cables, but only fleetingly), so take them with a pinch of salt. Sources used was my iphone 5s, with music ripped at 320kps to 16bits/44.1kbps.
The first thing I must comment on is the lows of the SE846, I think what Shure has done with the lows of the SE846 is nothing short of a miracle, and in my opinion, trumps that of the Fitear TG334 in terms of quality, depth and oomph. The bass of the SE846 to me, is well-rounded and punchy, and hit very low indeed. Bass is also well controlled, with fairly slow decay, yet maintains a lot of its detail. Despite this though, I never experienced any bass bleed into the midrange. I think this stands as testament to the quality of the low pass filter that Shure has implemented. However, I find that because of the quantity of the bass, my ears tended to get a little fatigued after extended listening. YMMV. The bass of the Fitear TG 334 are just a touch more than what I'd consider to be neutral. It can hit low when called on, and it can pack a punch where the music calls for it. The detail and texture of the bass is amazing, and I don't find it as fatiguing as that on the SE846
As for the mids, I find that although both have very lush mids, I tend to prefer the presentation of the TG334! It feels more intimate, and sounds more upfront. Vocals are absolutely heavenly on the TG334. I also tend to perceive more detail on the TG334, which may stem from the bass volume on the SE846 clouding out some of the detail on the mids.
I find that the SE846 has more laid back trebles than the TG334, resulting in a somewhat darker sound. Both are detailed and articulate, but I find the TG 334 has that bit more sparkle which lends life to the trebles, resulting in a signature I prefer.
All said and done, I think I have no regrets selling out on the SE846 and buying the TG334.
this why I said "prone to" and "picking up" hissing!