bluestorm1992
Headphoneus Supremus
Wish you were in the US so that I can send you my LP6 to try out.
flinkenick's 17 Flagship IEM Shootout Thread (and general high-end portable audio discussion)
blotmouse
Headphoneus Supremus
Thanks for clarification.
Wow, that's pretty impressive. Just goes to show, house sound of sorts in the chip itself does not exists.
Every Sabre implementation up to this point I have heard is 180º to R2R character. Bright thin grainy highs and filter glare over the midrange with truncated reverb tails.
The epitome of digital reproduction.
The M17 certainly hasn't got the other bits, but thin, grainy highs still apply in this case.
Thank you, Daniel. You saved my walletThe M17 certainly hasn't got the other bits, but thin, grainy highs still apply in this case.
They've dressed it up well, to be fair, with the mids and lows. But, yeah, it's an unfortunate flaw. On the bright side, it's a good hit on R2R from the Delta-Sigma gang, and I look forward to seeing the battle intensify over the next few months/years.Thank you, Daniel. You saved my wallet
Mine too!Thank you, Daniel. You saved my wallet
davidmolliere
Headphoneus Supremus
Unfortunately Cayin decided to go a different route for the upcoming N8ii... this being said, the Rohm IV MUS-IC dac is unheard of in a DAP and probably a refreshing different option with NuTubes on top. R2R has a lot of potential, and I am not sure we would have seen that many implementation if not for the AKM factory fire...
My ears must be getting older... this sounds awful luckily I don't hear itThe M17 certainly hasn't got the other bits, but thin, grainy highs still apply in this case.
I much prefer this over the DX220 Max which was sure more refined up top but it really did no sit well with me... I guess I am not into the brighter flavor there
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It'd sound awful if it was a prominent component of the signature, but, like I said, FiiO cleverly dressed it up with a bigger midrange and bottom-end. The highs were more of a background element by comparison, so that thin quality didn't translate to brightness or abrasiveness of any kind. What it did leave were qualities like three-dimensionality, tangibility and texture fairly lacklustre, to my ears. It just tizz'ed and left, as I said.Unfortunately Cayin decided to go a different route for the upcoming N8ii... this being said, the Rohm IV MUS-IC dac is unheard of in a DAP and probably a refreshing different option with NuTubes on top. R2R has a lot of potential, and I am not sure we would have seen that many implementation if not for the AKM factory fire...
My ears must be getting older... this sounds awful luckily I don't hear it
I much prefer this over the DX220 Max which was sure more refined up top but it really did no sit well with me... I guess I am not into the brighter flavor there
So, it isn't a major offence, really; just a slightly weaker component of an otherwise strong sound.
riverground
Headphoneus Supremus
It looks like the SpiralDots SF. They’re also my go to tips for EE IEMs.
davidmolliere
Headphoneus Supremus
Got it!It'd sound awful if it was a prominent component of the signature, but, like I said, FiiO cleverly dressed it up with a bigger midrange and bottom-end. The highs were more of a background element by comparison, so that thin quality didn't translate to brightness or abrasiveness of any kind. What it did leave were qualities like three-dimensionality, tangibility and texture fairly lacklustre, to my ears. It just tizz'ed and left, as I said.
I find the M17 so engaging, especially with the EXT and Elysium after all this is what matters
Quick note... I know it can be controversial but I have been playing with All to DSD A/B'ing on and off for quite a while and I must say it reminds me of my former LPGT, the M17 is more nuanced... and in the case of M17 this is much more apparent as it's significantly less forward : you loose a bit of bass power and energy in the mids but the overall result is more refined to my ears with a more balanced presentation. Despite the battery drain and heat I think I am going to run it that way from now on it's really a step up to me.
We have two impressions of M17, guess we need one more to break the tie. But no one can second guess what someone else is hearing. I just knew from all of the FiiO stuff that I have heard it would be a big departure from the norm if it didn't have a little bit of frailness and brittleness in the signature.
davidmolliere
Headphoneus Supremus
Frailness and brittleness I fail to hear really... it's full sounding, smooth (maybe too much for some) and incredibly powerful but to each his own, I'd be curious to have your take if you have a chance to audition. I have heard frail and brittle sounding ESS (good old Pioneer XDP100R) and M17 is not to me at least... haven't heard M11, M11 Pro or M15 for that matter so I can't comment on differences.
There are impressions from DX300 Max owners that also got M17 on the M17 thread, actually what got me pulling the trigger on M17
, after my ownership experience with DX220 Max it was clear what I didn't want.
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I would like to hear it as I said before, but I am not sure where I would do that. The M15 was okay on a short listen, that is the last FiiO gear I have heard. Its faults, to my ears, weren't readily heard from short listen. If Daniel is hearing faults on a brief listen, I can only assume at some point, you will hear it. That said, if it is a signature you like that is cool. All of this is opinion anyway, nothing more, nothing less. Some folks will buy it from your opinion, after all, you own it and have logged some time with it. And some won't buy it based on Daniels brief listen. Such is Head-Fi.
davidmolliere
Headphoneus Supremus
Absolutely it's important to have different takes and I trust @Deezel177 completly I blind purchased so much (flagship) stuff from his reviews without even an audition (and never regretted it)
But I have listened almost 24h in two days and if there was something to ear I don't like, I would have. I have owned so many DAPs : WM1A, WM1Z, DX200, DX220, DX220 Max, DX300, LPGT, LP6K, R8, M8, N6ii and N6ii Ti, RS6... None wowed me like M17 in a jaw dropping way so that says something. My last FiiO was X7II and it was not a very good experience...But things I value and am willing to compromise are not what someone else will... also remember I don't own or have owned sedentary as it doesn't fit my use case so desktop like amplification is bound to impress me more than the average as well (each time I had the opportunity to audition good amp like ICAN Pro with flagship IEMs I was wowed as well... there is something to the additional headroom that changes the game). I think FiiO has done something special with its THX amp and power design. Would that be even better with something like R2R or AKM DAC? Maybe! ESS9038 Pro is no slouch though and pretty capable already and IMHO it falls down to implementation and tuning more than the chip, I do get the ESS past history but I think we're past what made the bad rep honestly. I don't see people saying the AK that run ESS9068AS (SP2000T among them) or ESS9038 Pro are frail and brittle... or DX220 Max either which runs 9028 Pro (like DX200/220) too so maybe FiiO suffers from a bit of bias (which I trust Daniel hasn't BTW) based on past history as well? Dunno...
I know why I couldn't keep DX220 Max but some people love it! M17 is basically the opposite philosophy in terms of tuning, so personal preferences highly come into play. What those super sized DAPs share is desktop like amplification and it takes them a notch further in terms of driving power... The form factor (untypically) fits the bill for my home listening. I even wished more manufacturer would go there offering more options.
In the past I had only one DAP but I have come to believe I need more that one to have different sources (Next up will be N8ii for sure
).But really, it's hard to go back to lesser amplification or else I'd need to go desktop.
Maybe once I have moved from appartment to house which should be sometime this year.
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Oh man an old school Can-jam style impressions post...this makes me nostalgic for 2019. I'm fascinated with the look of this Acoustune-- it's possibly the most audacious looking IEM I've ever seen.
