[Damz87]

The only “IEM” that leaves the house are my powerbeats pro and/or AirPods Pro lol. I’m way too scared to take an expensive IEM to the gym or anything outdoors. I suppose it kinda defeats the purpose of them being portable though...

 

[toaster]

The only “IEM” that leaves the house are my powerbeats pro and/or AirPods Pro lol. I’m way too scared to take an expensive IEM to the gym or anything outdoors. I suppose it kinda defeats the purpose of them being portable though...

Yup, kinda : )

I’ve walked around nyc with some nice iems (back when there used to be other people outside,) and being immersed in your audio bubble when there’s noisy chaos around you is a really fun experience.

 

[mvvRAZ]

Yup, kinda : )

I’ve walked around nyc with some nice iems (back when there used to be other people outside,) and being immersed in your audio bubble when there’s noisy chaos around you is a really fun experience.

Best feeling ever and also why I love IEMs so much. There’s just such peace in being able to listen to exactly what you want exactly how you want it while everything around you is in a constant state of chaos

 

[gLer]

My preciousssss IEMs won't go further than 3 feet from this box, which doesn't leave my house. Ever. For everything else there's the BLON-03 and my phone.

 

[mvvRAZ]

My preciousssss IEMs won't go further that 3 feet from this box, which doesn't leave my house. Ever. For everything else there's the BLON-03 and my phone.

What case is that? It looks awesome

 

[gLer]

What case is that? It looks awesome

It's the Miter DAP case. Just got it in for review. So relieved I managed to fit my 8-wire PW cables in there!

https://www.amazon.com/Carrying-Earphone-Handmade-Standing-Earphones/dp/B086WZWNXM

 

[Wyville]

I commend you for your courage. I would treat my kit with white cotton gloves in a dust-free room if I could

And if I took the Trio with me to gym I would not need to train; the HR would be elevated so much from the stress and anxiety that it would burn more calories than a spinning class.

I always feel that expensive gear needs to be built like a tank and able to take a bit of a beating. I even find it adds character when gear shows signs of use. That is why I was rather disappointed with my EE Phantom, which had hairline cracks when I first got them and after repair I ended up babying them. My DITA Fealty I would never worry about and stuff them in whatever pocket is available. I even bought my first setup (AK70 - CustomArt Ei.3) specifically so I could take it around London to work.

Yup, kinda : )

I’ve walked around nyc with some nice iems (back when there used to be other people outside,) and being immersed in your audio bubble when there’s noisy chaos around you is a really fun experience.

Oh, nothing quite like having well-isolating CIEMs on the London Tube. It makes such a huge difference and I was amazed how low I could keep the volume while still being in this calm, blissful music bubble. Of course you are still packed in like sardines, there is no such thing as personal space or fresh air for that matter, but at least it is quiet.

 

[Damz87]

Yup, kinda : )

I’ve walked around nyc with some nice iems (back when there used to be other people outside,) and being immersed in your audio bubble when there’s noisy chaos around you is a really fun experience.

Sounds like it would be Since having kids, my opportunities to walk around town in an audio bubble are few and far between. I’ll try it in a few years

 

[ranfan]

One of the reasons, or perhaps main reason for me going with IEM + player is that so I could listen to some music at the end of the day, while laying on my bed before going to sleep. Something headphones can't provide. I really like the calm and comfort that IEMs can give. And also the intimacy that you can feel and hear. It brings me joy every time, and makes me feel more than content with each day to be able to listen and graced by the voice of my favourite singers. Plus it's usually so quiet during the night, that you can hear more details than otherwise. A prelude before dreaming I guess.

 

[ranfan]

Another thing that I've learned is that synergy plays a very important role towards your enjoyment. And that price doesn't always reflect the quality of experience you can get out of your system. The thing to consider may range from the genre of the song you're listening, to the sound output by the combination of your player and monitors. It took a lot of tries in my experience to get them just right together. Some people love the sound from their phone, or laptop for example, more than a $3000 portable player. The search may be endless, but it's good to try

 

[gLer]

Another thing that I've learned is that synergy plays a very important role towards your enjoyment. And that price doesn't always reflect the quality of experience you can get out of your system. The thing to consider may range from the genre of the song you're listening, to the sound output by the combination of your player and monitors. It took a lot of tries in my experience to get them just right together. Some people love the sound from their phone, or laptop for example, more than a $3000 portable player. The search may be endless, but it's good to try

Couldn't agree more. And synergy follows on from the first and most crucial part of the search: your preferred sound.

Seems easy when you think if it. I mean, we all know what 'sound' we like, right? But it's actually one of the hardest hills to climb, to properly understand how your favourite music sounds with what's available, and what it is about that sound that makes it click for you.

Once you know what pushes your buttons - in terms that make sense in the hobby (warm, bassy, neutral, bright, spacious, etc.) - then it's just a matter of putting the right pieces together so they fit.

Most of the climb is fumbling around with different gear and chancing on something that sounds good, then spending way too much money trying to improve on it until you eventually grasp what it is you're chasing, and go straight to the gear that gives it to you.

There's no shortcut to gaining the necessary experience to get there, but learning from those that have done the climb and know what they're talking about helps immensely.

 

[subguy812]

Naaa a good totl dap still sounds good guys come on hehe. Are you saying buy ibasso dx160 and call it a day?

I dont think so, but neither the less sony came up with zx507 and I seem to like it a lot lol. I sold my wm1z and now on the verge maybe selling wm1a and keep zx507

Oh yea and I am the guy who had few modified wm1z as well.

But yes a totle dap may still bring better performance it also depends what you listen to and what your after...

I agree. When you pair specific TOTL DAPs to your IEMs or Headphones you can achieve incredible sq. The biggest benefit of the stationary desktop system is power, and power does create an illusion of quality. I am not saying that there aren't sq differences between some of the higher end desktop setups and the TOTL DAPs. With quality DAPs such as Max(transportable, not portable), R8 and SP2K,Cube, QA361 and so on the gap has narrowed. It comes down to the pairing and their synergy

I can remember reading something about streaming services, dealing with Spotify vs. Tidal, and the volume level of the signal received and perceived quality.

I have three super powerful DAPs presently and drive anything I have at around 50% volume. Understand, I search for the proper HP's to be able to achieve this. I prefer to always be portable even when I am at home. I do not sit at my desk to listen or even tote a laptop around the house with me. Would I rather spend 2K-3K on portable and search for the correct pairings, yes. This is only a preference. I went down the desktop rabbit hole quite a while ago.

 

[KuroKitsu]

As @mvvRAZ put it: "I like buying new stuff" There really is a thrill of the hunt in getting new ToTL gear that you haven't tried before.

For all my talk of bang for buck, I'll had to admit I was stuck in that vortex until I was out of work and other things took priority. Honestly, if the Odin was announced a year prior I would have had a FE in hand. Now I can satiate the itch with a demo (at least with whatever Charles brings in), rather than buying to demo and then selling. The novelty of the hunt has worn down.

Getting the high end stuff feels like more of a doing it because you can thing, more so than any huge tangible benefits. IE. I'd previously had the RME as my desktop setup and sold it because to free up funds, I'd still want to get it again, but I'm fine with my 789 and E30 stack.

 

[mvvRAZ]

As @mvvRAZ put it: "I like buying new stuff" There really is a thrill of the hunt in getting new ToTL gear that you haven't tried before.

For all my talk of bang for buck, I'll had to admit I was stuck in that vortex until I was out of work and other things took priority. Honestly, if the Odin was announced a year prior I would have had a FE in hand. Now I can satiate the itch with a demo (at least with whatever Charles brings in), rather than buying to demo and then selling. The novelty of the hunt has worn down.

Getting the high end stuff feels like more of a doing it because you can thing, more so than any huge tangible benefits. IE. I'd previously had the RME as my desktop setup and sold it because to free up funds, I'd still want to get it again, but I've fine with my 789 and E30 stack.

I'm reaching a similar point as you. I've found a trio that really, really works for me right now (Sultan, Thummim, A18S), and the only real expenditure left is to get a mad tuned up Sultan with some insane faceplates. I'm shipping @Damz87 my Sultan (or well now his Sultan) tomorrow or so, because I'm crazy obsessed with visuals and want to see how far I can take that too

I'll be sharing more about the HP side of things in my thread, but I believe I may have found the first of a few endgame setups (that being Diana V2 into GSX Mini into Hugo2), but it needs some more testing before I can 100% confirm it's a "complete" setup, and also to try it out with some cheaper DACs to see if I will lose out on any performance in the process. I'll definitely be jumping into HP reviews from the perspective I mentioned above - how far can I get a TOTL pair of HPs with a not so TOTL amp and DAC - one of the main things that was stopping me from getting into HPs was the very fact every other dude recommends a 5000$ amp and I personally just refuse to believe that's how it is

 

[Green Golden Retriver]

I'm reaching a similar point as you. I've found a trio that really, really works for me right now (Sultan, Thummim, A18S), and the only real expenditure left is to get a mad tuned up Sultan with some insane faceplates. I'm shipping @Damz87 my Sultan (or well now his Sultan) tomorrow or so, because I'm crazy obsessed with visuals and want to see how far I can take that too

I'll be sharing more about the HP side of things in my thread, but I believe I may have found the first of a few endgame setups (that being Diana V2 into GSX Mini into Hugo2), but it needs some more testing before I can 100% confirm it's a "complete" setup, and also to try it out with some cheaper DACs to see if I will lose out on any performance in the process. I'll definitely be jumping into HP reviews from the perspective I mentioned above - how far can I get a TOTL pair of HPs with a not so TOTL amp and DAC - one of the main things that was stopping me from getting into HPs was the very fact every other dude recommends a 5000$ amp and I personally just refuse to believe that's how it is

Yeah I just use the a90 with Susvara and found it to be ok. But every time I check headfi someone would recommend me very expensive amp or the Susvara would not be sounding it’s best some costing more than the headphone itself. I hope the difference will be minimal. I’m afraid to try the Susvara on more expensive amp at the store because if I find it to be much better than the a90 then it would make me itch again ><