[JerryLeeds]

Has anyone compared the FLC-8S to the Campfire Dorado?

 

[Nalin]

I immensely enjoy listening to my FLC8s with my Shanling M2, but since I got Tidal HiFi I am looking for a smartphone which enables me to stream and download albums from Tidal. I have been to the threads about audiophile-friendly smartphones and found the HTC 10 to receive a lot of praise. Does anyone know about the synergy with the FLC8s? I am also open to other suggestions.

I am currently using mine with le max x900. It matches perfectly with flc8s. It provides good mid bass with really wide soundstage. End result is bassy sound coming out of my flc8s even with an all grey filter combination. You can look for any smartphone which has ess chip in your budget. Regarding htc 10 people say it's good but i am not sure. You should rather look at lg v20.

 

[readandshine]

You should definitely check out the upcoming LG V30!

While the V30 is indeed very interesting from a sound perspective, it appears to be too big for my taste (and available pocket space.) Furthermore, I think it is priced extremely high. At that price point, I would go for an iPhone SE + Oppo HA-2 combo.

Ive used my flc8s with lg g6 (quad dac), galaxy s6 and s7 edge.

To be honest its not too source sensitive, which is one of its strengths, so its sounds pretty good regardless.

The only caveat id have is with crappy pc sound cards or noisey docks. I do get a bit of hissing when listening through my work laptop dock.

Currently I am driving it with an iPhone 5 when I don't have my M2 handy or I am exploring new music. Comparatively the iPhone is an ok source which drives a lot of IEMs worse. However, in terms of seperation and clarity it always makes me wish I was listening on my DAC. So, if my new phone would cover the sound aspects just fine while being pocketable, I would be a very happy man. You mention the quad DAC g6 - how does it compare to the more conventional DACs you have listened to? From what I read Quad DACs remain to be a new development which still has to prove its worth.

I still hope to hear from someone driving the FLC8s with an HTC 10.

 

[readandshine]

I am currently using mine with le max x900. It matches perfectly with flc8s. It provides good mid bass with really wide soundstage. End result is bassy sound coming out of my flc8s even with an all grey filter combination. You can look for any smartphone which has ess chip in your budget. Regarding htc 10 people say it's good but i am not sure. You should rather look at lg v20.

Any particular reason why ESS chips are favourable? This would narrow the number of recommended devices listed in the hifi-smartphone-thread quite a bit.

Le Max, unfortunately, is too big for my pockets. I am after the most compact device I can find.

 

[Nalin]

Any particular reason why ESS chips are favourable? This would narrow the number of recommended devices listed in the hifi-smartphone-thread quite a bit.

Le Max, unfortunately, is too big for my pockets. I am after the most compact device I can find.

No favour to any particular chip. You can go with any of the devices mentioned in that thread. In compact segment there are not many options i am afraid to say. Perhaps lg g6 if you like its sound signature.

 

[readandshine]

The G6 ticks a lot of boxes. Unfortunately, the EU version does not feature the Quad DAC. There is another premium version announced, but it has not been released yet and I guess it is going to be too expensive the months after release. I could easily get a Tidal-ready FIIO X5 III AND a nice compact smartphone for the money.

 

[FlyingRhino]

While the V30 is indeed very interesting from a sound perspective, it appears to be too big for my taste (and available pocket space.) Furthermore, I think it is priced extremely high. At that price point, I would go for an iPhone SE + Oppo HA-2 combo.



Currently I am driving it with an iPhone 5 when I don't have my M2 handy or I am exploring new music. Comparatively the iPhone is an ok source which drives a lot of IEMs worse. However, in terms of seperation and clarity it always makes me wish I was listening on my DAC. So, if my new phone would cover the sound aspects just fine while being pocketable, I would be a very happy man. You mention the quad DAC g6 - how does it compare to the more conventional DACs you have listened to? From what I read Quad DACs remain to be a new development which still has to prove its worth.

I still hope to hear from someone driving the FLC8s with an HTC 10.

I can only really compare the sound across phones as i only really use iems when im on the go.

With the flc8s, the lg is more detailed with better separation than the Samsungs and is also brighter and more analytical sounding. I find the bass to be reduced on the g6 as well. Ive been told it has the 'sabre' sound. Try the lgg6 thread as they have a lot of comparisons.

 

[csglinux]

While the V30 is indeed very interesting from a sound perspective, it appears to be too big for my taste (and available pocket space.) Furthermore, I think it is priced extremely high. At that price point, I would go for an iPhone SE + Oppo HA-2 combo.

I hear you on the size and price issues. I wish there were more than one vendor offering a phone with a quality DAC and amp. I'd stay away from iPhones though, because that risks trappng you in an ecosystem which, at some point in the near future, is likely to offer no solutions at all with 3.5mm headphone sockets. iPhones are (or used to be, when they had headphone sockets) ok sources (their bass could be a little elevated because their output impedance is a little high), but their main problem is they're not future-proof. If you get trapped with Apple, eventually you'll end up having to drink their koolaid and swap your FLC8S for a pair of Bluetooth Beats headphones. Think what a tragedy that would be...

 

[readandshine]

I hear you on the size and price issues. I wish there were more than one vendor offering a phone with a quality DAC and amp. I'd stay away from iPhones though, because that risks trappng you in an ecosystem which, at some point in the near future, is likely to offer no solutions at all with 3.5mm headphone sockets. iPhones are (or used to be, when they had headphone sockets) ok sources (their bass could be a little elevated because their output impedance is a little high), but their main problem is they're not future-proof. If you get trapped with Apple, eventually you'll end up having to drink their koolaid and swap your FLC8S for a pair of Bluetooth Beats headphones. Think what a tragedy that would be...

I would be surprised if Apple went as far as eradicating the possibilty of connecting external DACs. The only way I see this happening is them getting rid of all ports. For the most part, I don't mind the Apple ecosystem. It has served me well on (jailbroken) iPhone, iPad and Macbook so far. This might change in the future, though.

Apparently, LG is going to release a G6+ featuring the Quad DAC. This might be a good compromise. However, having read over at the G6 thread, the HTC 10 seems to be the more linear choice of the two.. This whole thing is causing me a huge headache. Might just as well sell my Shanling DAP and replace it with the FIIO with android.

 

[TSFHfan]

shanling up + a cheap phone?

 

[readandshine]

shanling up + a cheap phone?

I am sort of reluctant to go this route as I own the Shanling M2 and according to the spec sheet, it is supposed to work as a DAC for my phone, too. Haven't found a way of getting it to work properly. Granted, I haven't tried it with the Apple CCK.

 

[readandshine]

I worked myself through the G6 thread and it does receive a lot of praise - however, mostly for running higher ohm headphones. The quad DAC is said to cause noise on sensitive multi-BA IEMs. Can anyone confirm this? Otherwise, I am one satisfied FLC8s owner's report away from jumping on the G6+. It is reasonably priced at about 410 pounds in the UK and does not only feature the quad DAC but also 128GB storage and wireless charging.

 

[csglinux]

I would be surprised if Apple went as far as eradicating the possibilty of connecting external DACs. The only way I see this happening is them getting rid of all ports. For the most part, I don't mind the Apple ecosystem. It has served me well on (jailbroken) iPhone, iPad and Macbook so far. This might change in the future, though.

Apparently, LG is going to release a G6+ featuring the Quad DAC. This might be a good compromise. However, having read over at the G6 thread, the HTC 10 seems to be the more linear choice of the two.. This whole thing is causing me a huge headache. Might just as well sell my Shanling DAP and replace it with the FIIO with android.

I used to love my jailbroken iPhones too But increasingly, you can't rely on there even being a jailbreak with the newer iOS versions or hardware I'm sure you're always going to have the ability to connect an external DAC, but if you're only going to use the phone as a transport and you're willing to carry a second device, you could buy almost any phone. Why not get a phone that has a good quality DAC and amp? That way, you aren't forced to carry dongles or external DACs?

 

[csglinux]

Has anyone compared the FLC-8S to the Campfire Dorado?

Please ignore the glitches in the Dorado data at 65 Hz and below. That was a problem with my measurement setup. Higher frequencies should be good. Also, I'm not matching at any particular frequency here - just trying to match OASPL. The Dorados aren't bad. They have better ergonomics (more rounded, longer nozzles) than most of the other Campfire products.

Obviously, the above just shows one possible setup for the FLC8S. And of course, you can't tune the Dorados. I prefer the FLC8S - I tend not to like narrow-band peaks in the treble.

 

[Nalin]

@csglinux

It looks like dorado is more v shaped against more balanced flc8s, am i right?

Have you come across any other iem that is even more balanced then the flc's yet more resolving..