[jmills8]

Today, I did some more extensive listening this time together with my wife, on Focal Stellia. I think for transparency, details and extension, MAX is the king. R8 is still great and with denser textures and fuller sound, but MAX is the MAX for a reason. But it is a weird Frankenstein's monster with dual chargers etc., heavy body and slow system. I wanted to sell the MAX, but I cannot. First time I am deciding to keep two DAPs.

But thats with a headphone lacking good treble.

 

[arijitroy2]

Today, I did some more extensive listening this time together with my wife, on Focal Stellia. I think for transparency, details and extension, MAX is the king. R8 is still great and with denser textures and fuller sound, but MAX is the MAX for a reason. But it is a weird Frankenstein's monster with dual chargers etc., heavy body and slow system. I wanted to sell the MAX, but I cannot. First time I am deciding to keep two DAPs.

I can relate. I absolutely love the sound of DX220+AMP8Ex paired with Oriolus BA300S JP, but its hard to navigate the damn UI smoothly.

I so want to sell that but the sound is making me keep it!

 

[DarginMahkum]

But thats with a headphone lacking good treble.

I don't think it is a pairing issue. I don't even think there is an issue.

But thats with a headphone lacking good treble.

I don't think it is a pairing issue. And the difference is not big, we both had to back and forth several times for a conclusion. R8 is for me the best sounding portable. But MAX does not have the dynamics of R8 - it just sounds more fun than MAX but it is a bit behind in the details.

 

[jmills8]

I don't think it is a pairing issue. I don't even think there is an issue.



I don't think it is a pairing issue. And the difference is not big, we both had to back and forth several times for a conclusion. R8 is for me the best sounding portable. But MAX does not have the dynamics of R8 - it just sounds more fun than MAX but it is a bit behind in the details.

Im saying if you had say the utopia which is more of a reference sounding headphone then the R8 will give you more.

 

[gLer]

Im saying if you had say the utopia which is more of a reference sounding headphone then the R8 will give you more.

I agree that headphone makes more of a difference than source, but the differences between R8 and Max sounds like the differences I've read about between the R6 Pro and DX220. HiBy is more meaty, slightly warmer whereas iBasso is more 'reference', more neutral, slightly drier. All depends which tuning you prefer, and both should be paired with a headphone that gets you closest to your preferences.

I also think the Max and R8 are targeted at different users. Max isn't a dap in the true sense of the word, it's more a desktop replacement. I thought the R8 was as well but it's clearly designed to be more portable and practical.

 

[DarginMahkum]

Im saying if you had say the utopia which is more of a reference sounding headphone then the R8 will give you more.

I think R8 has great treble, it is not lacking anything at all. I mean, I never felt that it is missing anything. I guess if you would compare the N8 to MAX, MAX could still be winner for treble extension (I might be wrong). I don't like the Utopia much, as the upper mids are too aggressive for me. I would like to give it another try someday, maybe even buy and see if my brain can burn-in to its sound.

I agree that headphone makes more of a difference than source, but the differences between R8 and Max sounds like the differences I've read about between the R6 Pro and DX220. HiBy is more meaty, slightly warmer whereas iBasso is more 'reference', more neutral, slightly drier. All depends which tuning you prefer, and both should be paired with a headphone that gets you closest to your preferences.

We did some more listening and the dynamics on R8 are really good. The mids are dense and very detailed, and not in your face. I am a bit tired of the comparision thing, as it does not makes sense, really with these two top notch devices. What R8 slightly loses for the treble detail makes up for the great mids and fuller sound which makes it more fun, too. Two different but both great signatures - which is why I would like to keep them both.

 

[jmills8]

I think R8 has great treble, it is not lacking anything at all. I mean, I never felt that it is missing anything. I guess if you would compare the N8 to MAX, MAX could still be winner for treble extension (I might be wrong). I don't like the Utopia much, as the upper mids are too aggressive for me. I would like to give it another try someday, maybe even buy and see if my brain can burn-in to its sound.



We did some more listening and the dynamics on R8 are really good. The mids are dense and very detailed, and not in your face. I am a bit tired of the comparision thing, as it does not makes sense, really with these two top notch devices. What R8 slightly loses for the treble detail makes up for the great mids and fuller sound which makes it more fun, too. Two different but both great signatures - which is why I would like to keep them both.

My focus was on pairing a player to a headphone. In my opinion all Focal headphones are very overrated.

 

[gLer]

I think R8 has great treble, it is not lacking anything at all. I mean, I never felt that it is missing anything. I guess if you would compare the N8 to MAX, MAX could still be winner for treble extension (I might be wrong). I don't like the Utopia much, as the upper mids are too aggressive for me. I would like to give it another try someday, maybe even buy and see if my brain can burn-in to its sound.



We did some more listening and the dynamics on R8 are really good. The mids are dense and very detailed, and not in your face. I am a bit tired of the comparision thing, as it does not makes sense, really with these two top notch devices. What R8 slightly loses for the treble detail makes up for the great mids and fuller sound which makes it more fun, too. Two different but both great signatures - which is why I would like to keep them both.

I agree, comparisons are evil. We live in an age where most audio is gear is good to very good, and there's plenty of really excellent to choose from too. Just find what sounds good to you and listen to that.

 

[immortalsoul]

I think R8 has great treble, it is not lacking anything at all. I mean, I never felt that it is missing anything. I guess if you would compare the N8 to MAX, MAX could still be winner for treble extension (I might be wrong). I don't like the Utopia much, as the upper mids are too aggressive for me. I would like to give it another try someday, maybe even buy and see if my brain can burn-in to its sound.



We did some more listening and the dynamics on R8 are really good. The mids are dense and very detailed, and not in your face. I am a bit tired of the comparision thing, as it does not makes sense, really with these two top notch devices. What R8 slightly loses for the treble detail makes up for the great mids and fuller sound which makes it more fun, too. Two different but both great signatures - which is why I would like to keep them both.

How would you compare the Cayin N8 with the R8 and Max in sound alone. Do you think it is still competitive in today's market. I found a Cayin N8 black edition at a great price and I am interested in a comparison between the three. I had the Ibasso DX200 with different amps but I didn't like the sound that much, so I don't know if Max is a choice for me but I would welcome a comparison, maybe that is going to help other people too. Thank you!

 

[immortalsoul]

I didn't purchase the Cayin N8 yet, I am still trying to decide, maybe other people can add some thought too. Thank you all

 

[arijitroy2]

I didn't purchase the Cayin N8 yet, I am still trying to decide, maybe other people can add some thought too. Thank you all

I haven't heard N8 though, but I do know the UI of it it's pretty bad, buggy and slow. If that doesn't bother you, then it's fine!!

 

[immortalsoul]

Like I said, my main focus is the sound. If the sound is better than the other two, I can live with a dap that is slow. I am waiting for you guys impression before I decide

 

[iFi audio]

The R6 Pro sounds better than the BL (at least with IEMs)

If I may ask, can you please elaborate a bit ?

 

[gLer]

If I may ask, can you please elaborate a bit ?

Hey @iFi audio - I'm a big fan as you know. For me the advantage of the R6 Pro is in its balanced circuit, which seems to bring out the best in my IEMs (stage is wider, noise floor lower). Compared to the iDSD the sound is also slightly fuller and more detailed. And of course being a dap I don't need another source or extra cables (but that's comparing apples and oranges). None of this is to say the iDSD sounds poor - on the contrary it's one my favourite desktop amps and I readily recommend it to anyone using full size headphones, but the R6 Pro just pips it for IEM use.

 

[iFi audio]

Hey @iFi audio - I'm a big fan as you know. For me the advantage of the R6 Pro is in its balanced circuit, which seems to bring out the best in my IEMs (stage is wider, noise floor lower). Compared to the iDSD the sound is also slightly fuller and more detailed. And of course being a dap I don't need another source or extra cables (but that's comparing apples and oranges). None of this is to say the iDSD sounds poor - on the contrary it's one my favourite desktop amps and I readily recommend it to anyone using full size headphones, but the R6 Pro just pips it for IEM use.

All good! I'm always interested to read what bests our products and why, but I'm happy that you still enjoy your iDSD BL. At the same time I get that you like your iEMS with HiBy R6. It's a great DAP