I believe all of them with acrylic shells, and probably the higher end ones with silver shells (although not sure on that). I've never seen a universal-only model other than the Eden and Galaxy models, although Sammy has even done those in customs. No idea how he does a pure silver shell custom...it probably involves some sort of chemistry that is too complicated for me to understand.
I realise this might be the wrong thread to ask considering it's about IEMs and portability, but it might also be the perfect place haha
So far the only desktop DAC that I have listened to that worked really well with my small jewels is the RME ADI 2 DAC
Do you guys think you could recommend some desktop DACs to be used exclusively with IEMs? I read some pretty good stuff about the Brooklyn DAC+ but I'm honestly not sure
I tried my most sensitive IEMs, the Custom Art FIBAE ME. There was no hiss from either the XLR or 4.4mm.
The FI in FIBAE stands for Flat Impedance, so you wouldn't expect a change in sound due to high output impedance. But hiss can be serious issue with these. There was none on Low Gain.
To test out how the high output impedance might affect a non-FIBAE IEM, I tried the Empire Ears Legend X. These aren't super sensitive, but there was a chance they'd be altered. They sounded perfect.
So I went further. Noble Audio Encore is another I'd call super sensitive. Picks up hiss like a mofo. And obviously, it possesses no Flat Impedance tech. Well... not only is there zero hiss, but its signature hasn't been skewed in any way I can detect.
No no, I’m just looking for a second DAC for my other home and I wasn’t sure whether to get another RME or if there were some hidden gems that paired especially well with IEMs
I believe all of them with acrylic shells, and probably the higher end ones with silver shells (although not sure on that). I've never seen a universal-only model other than the Eden and Galaxy models, although Sammy has even done those in customs. No idea how he does a pure silver shell custom...it probably involves some sort of chemistry that is too complicated for me to understand.
No no, I’m just looking for a second DAC for my other home and I wasn’t sure whether to get another RME or if there were some hidden gems that paired especially well with IEMs
I probably would, but from what I recall, it's a Massdrop/Drop exclusive. I was an early Massdrop user, but I realized that sometimes the msrp is artificially inflated. I bought a pair of headphones they listed as $300 and said the drop would bring it down to $120. A few weeks after it shipped, the price on Amazon was at $120. I felt a little lied to so I stopped using the service.
While I am here I had the opportunity to listen to some interesting stuff today at Paris Audio Video show...
One surprise was the Earsonics prototype of their future hybrid lineup (name and specs including driver count is unknown... only two models one around 500 and the other 1500€, both feature shell with a premium alloy - can’t say more don’t have info). I spent a bit of time with the higher priced hybrid and I liked very much what I heard there... I was happy to discover Earsonics was going hybrid and introduce some DD goodness as well as experiment with different shell materials
In fact this wasn’t really planned from Earsonics, they decided to test reaction to their upcoming lineup because Franck felt the proto was good enough for public consumption... and I can vouch that it is
The top level hybrid is very much up to par with the Solaris which in my book is high praise as you can imagine... (that pic illustrate the fun I had, this pic courtesy of @lafeuill) it’s not as spectacular as the Solaris subwoofer like subs or sparkly lower treble but it’s a bit more natural sounding and more relaxed. Soundstage is great, the shell is heavier that the Solaris while not reaching Erlkonig level either. I prefer the Solaris shell shape I had a bit of an issue on the right ear fit but nothing proper tips couldn’t compensate for.
I also had the opportunity to listen to a bunch of nice gear including LCD-1 (very comfortable and lightweight, linear and reference signature pretty nice sounding), LCD i3 (not far from the LCD i4 performance wise, easier to drive and I found the medium more natural), Rai Solo (very very nice, not as technical as the Penta and not as clear but fuller sounding and very coherent, very good value for price IMHO) and a long overdue of Meze Empyrean out of iFi audio Pro iDSD (magnificent DAC btw, and I love the Empyrean...).
Of note was the audition of Cowon Plenue L, a fantastic match to the FIBAE7 really musical DAP very compact but I feel a bit to pricey for the features it provides. I simply hated Jet Effet and turned off to Normal was the best sound.
Oh my. I didn't know that. That's great to hear. It's been frustrating using the FIBAE ME in reviews, because DROP rarely ever had it on sale, so it made for a useless recommendation.
I’m pulling the trigger on the Rai Solo in the next few days as its first shipment is arriving in various parts of Asia. The shipment arrived in Taiwan today but too bad the local dealer had to overcharge it by 30% of its MSRP (and they tell me that’s their “discount pricing”, unbelievable) . I’ll be looking at some HK shops that ships to Taiwan for this.
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