[twister6]

Quick question, is the Hiby R5 meh compared to everything else? I'm really looking for something pocketable since my R2R2K bricked itself

streaming support? driving something demanding? 2.5mm or 4.4mm? budget?

 

[Fsilva]

Could be. From what I remember from discussions a while back the Hugo 2 is not great with sensitive IEMs though.

Have seen the Quloos a few times, but I haven't looked into it yet. The DX220 Max was firmly on my radar until I found out it was a limited run. I need time to save up because I still owe my wife that puppy first and from what I have seen it looks like the Max is pretty much sold out already. Shanling has an interesting alternative coming up with their M30. I think they will show it off next month.

Yeah, the Elise looks really, really good and based on the description I might prefer it over the more neutral Euforia. My ideal budget solution would be the Echo amp with perhaps the new Schiit Modius DAC and either the Atticus or Eikon. That probably would not work for IEMs, but it is not a priority anyway. I also love the look of the Auris Audio Euterpe.

I have seen a lot of those around and it is indeed a great option, as is perhaps the Mytek Liberty DAC.

If you have the chance to audition the RME ADi-2 DAC fs you will love it, everyone that bought/has one doesn´t have any regrets, myself included!
As for Hp´s the Heddphone is a great demonstration of price/performance from an experienced company!
With this setup i think you will be settled for sometime...just my 2 cents!

 

[hshock76]

My current high end portable/transportable setup!

MAX-EX (extensively modified) + Horus Octa + Universal 18S. I like the colors but I love what’s its belting out even more. Every listening session is like a “Live” session.

 

[Wyville]

If you have the chance to audition the RME ADi-2 DAC fs you will love it, everyone that bought/has one doesn´t have any regrets, myself included!
As for Hp´s the Heddphone is a great demonstration of price/performance from an experienced company!
With this setup i think you will be settled for sometime...just my 2 cents!

Thanks! I probably won't have a chance to audition the RME because I have yet to find it at a brick and mortar store in the Netherlands and don't know anyone who owns it. I can only find it online.

The Heddphone I know very little about. I have seen a lot of positive comments, but also saw that it was huge and heavy (718g). ZMF are already quite heavy, which is something I do worry about because I tend to be quite sensitive to that. So going straight for one of the biggest and heaviest cans around would be a risk. Plus, I would prefer closed back (I think...). Sound wise I think the ZMF Atticus and Eikon are most likely to fit my preferences, while in terms of price, design and ease of driving the Focal Elegia keeps popping up, with the Tago Studio T3-01 as a wildcard. Of course if money was no object I would go for the Stellia and call it a day.

 

[arijitroy2]

Thanks! I probably won't have a chance to audition the RME because I have yet to find it at a brick and mortar store in the Netherlands and don't know anyone who owns it. I can only find it online.

The Heddphone I know very little about. I have seen a lot of positive comments, but also saw that it was huge and heavy (718g). ZMF are already quite heavy, which is something I do worry about because I tend to be quite sensitive to that. So going straight for one of the biggest and heaviest cans around would be a risk. Plus, I would prefer closed back (I think...). Sound wise I think the ZMF Atticus and Eikon are most likely to fit my preferences, while in terms of price, design and ease of driving the Focal Elegia keeps popping up, with the Tago Studio T3-01 as a wildcard. Of course if money was no object I would go for the Stellia and call it a day.

Same here, need a closed back now. Had open backs and my gf is not a huge fan! specially since those setups were on my bedside

What about HD820? I had the MrSpeakers AFO, that was pretty solid combined with RME.

 

[arijitroy2]

So i am re-organizing my music collection that i have ripped over the years, few were bought too online. Guys who have music in TB or near that, how do you manage to carry them with a DAP? Do you use a combination of external drive + microSD? Or you only carry around a fraction of collection?

 

[mvvRAZ]

I have both the RME and the Hugo2. The RME is really good at its price point, and has a rather neutral and natural tonality. I like the Hugo2 much better though, it’s brighter but much more technical, with a massive soundstage and really good texture despite its forward treble

the only issue is that the Hugo2 makes sensitive IEMs hiss but if your stuff is harder to drive I’d recommend it over the RME any day

 

[arijitroy2]

I have both the RME and the Hugo2. The RME is really good at its price point, and has a rather neutral and natural tonality. I like the Hugo2 much better though, it’s brighter but much more technical, with a massive soundstage and really good texture despite its forward treble

the only issue is that the Hugo2 makes sensitive IEMs hiss but if your stuff is harder to drive I’d recommend it over the RME any day

I did pair Arya with RME, and Arya are harder to drive. Had no issues with RME at all to be honest, had more than enough headroom!

 

[davidcotton]

So i am re-organizing my music collection that i have ripped over the years, few were bought too online. Guys who have music in TB or near that, how do you manage to carry them with a DAP? Do you use a combination of external drive + microSD? Or you only carry around a fraction of collection?

With the advent of 1tb cards I doubt that will be a worry. How much music do you listen to in a day?

In other news I've just discovered the "wonders" of spotify premium offline and be able to download new artists to listen to at work. That's great (and I'm only behind the times by how long?) but I'm a bit concerned that with so much stuff available that I won't give stuff time to grow on me and miss some stuff that otherwise I would have given more time to if that makes sense?

 

[arijitroy2]

With the advent of 1tb cards I doubt that will be a worry. How much music do you listen to in a day?

In other news I've just discovered the "wonders" of spotify premium offline and be able to download new artists to listen to at work. That's great (and I'm only behind the times by how long?) but I'm a bit concerned that with so much stuff available that I won't give stuff time to grow on me and miss some stuff that otherwise I would have given more time to if that makes sense?

Thats the exact dilemma i have so much music I keep discovering with Tidal Radio and the main reason why i keep streaming! its a FOMO.

 

[davidcotton]

I'm getting old. FOMO?

 

[Tristy]

I'm getting old. FOMO?

Fear Of Missing Out.

 

[Wyville]

Same here, need a closed back now. Had open backs and my gf is not a huge fan! specially since those setups were on my bedside

What about HD820? I had the MrSpeakers AFO, that was pretty solid combined with RME.

Yeah, that is a big part of it for me now as well because my wife is working from home and will likely be doing so for several more months while universities continue most of their curriculum online.

The HD820 is interesting, but for me it is beyond my budget. To be honest, I don't really have a budget. Most of it is now going towards the puppy and that is proving to be a lot more expensive than I had anticipated. The puppy himself might well cost around the same as the Stellia and I have foolishly given my wife free rein over the purchase of accessories, dog toys, etc., which by now would have covered a pretty decent tube amp. So I am trying to find out what would work best: going full on budget and buying something like the Ollo S4R, planning longer term and saving up for the ZMF/tube amp route or something in between like the Elegia or indeed the AFO. Not that I am stressed by it, I got plenty of gear to listen to, but I have been getting some tinnitus and discomfort, especially after reviews, and so would like something alongside that is not crammed into my ear.

 

[IEMusic]

With the advent of 1tb cards I doubt that will be a worry. How much music do you listen to in a day?

In other news I've just discovered the "wonders" of spotify premium offline and be able to download new artists to listen to at work. That's great (and I'm only behind the times by how long?) but I'm a bit concerned that with so much stuff available that I won't give stuff time to grow on me and miss some stuff that otherwise I would have given more time to if that makes sense?

Thats the exact dilemma i have so much music I keep discovering with Tidal Radio and the main reason why i keep streaming! its a FOMO.

Hehehe....1st world problems!

Hundreds of cable channels, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+, Hulu.......yet NOTHING to watch!

Sometimes too many choices are almost as restricting as too few choices.

 

[DarginMahkum]

If you have the chance to audition the RME ADi-2 DAC fs you will love it, everyone that bought/has one doesn´t have any regrets, myself included!
As for Hp´s the Heddphone is a great demonstration of price/performance from an experienced company!
With this setup i think you will be settled for sometime...just my 2 cents!

Also the HEDD company is basically a pro-audio company (like RME). I have been to their HQ several times and they use professional studio equipment (the ones I saw were RME, but I don't remember the model - for exhibitions I think they used Hugo2) as their base audition platform, for both for HEDDphone and their TOTL speakers. I am a HEDD fan myself, having bought two of their top speaker sets and I love their sound, though I wished the HP was lighter.