[faichiu]

Yes, you are paying $700 for all-in-one device.  Nothing else.
Quote:

It's a " portable " device, so the difference should be heard with IEM's as well. I know I didn't pay $700 for an AMP.

 

 

[shyeung]

Some say A is better than B and some say the opposite.
 
Should a Ferrari outperforms a Honda Civic if someone drives them on downtown streets with heavy traffic? Well, the outlook will definitely wins by a big margin, but it can go any faster. But it this comparison fair? For those who do such comparison really have the technique to justify? I don't know.
 
In hifi stuff, the above happens everywhere in every forum. The good thing is, in some days, we can figure out who in the forum have a good pair of ears, and others can trace back who is trustworthy. The important thing is, we need to listen to the stuff directly to make a good judgment.
 
Just like anything in any forum, any product will be attacked or praised with or without reason, no matter that reason is a fact or not!

 

[Tronz]

Quote:

I sometimes wonder...
If music files were EQ-ed (foobar) to make them sound "tubie" and "roll-off", will they sound even closer to certain high-priced player?
Tronz, you still have HM-801, can you try that on iPod Touch?

I just activated the " treble reducer " EQ setting on my iPod and viola I've got 2 Hifiman HM-801's now, but one's thinner.

 

[Achmedisdead]

Quote:

I just activated the " treble reducer " EQ setting on my iPod and viola I've got 2 Hifiman HM-801's now, but one's thinner.

And about $600 cheaper!

 

 

[dippyboy_87]

I'm listening to my own Hifiman right now. Err...  actually its the hifiman in the ipod's skin...
But do i prefer the ipod over the hifiman Tronz.

 

[anadin]

Quote:

One of the things about photos on here is that they're invariably done macro-style and make things seem bigger than they are. When I first saw the Arrow amp in real life I had to laugh because it was much smaller than photos on here had me believe. I guess it depends on your definition of portable. The 801 isn't something that's going to fit in your trousers/pants (unless you're wearing cargos), but it's still portable in that it'll fit in a small bag and can be held in the hand, or a larger coat pocket. Indeed looking at the 'Show Us Your Portable Rig' thread, many people have set ups that clearly require something other than a trouser pocket.

 
I'm not a fan of stuffing my pockets, or think that strapping a small bag over your shoulder robs you of your masculinity, so portable to me is anything that can be carried comfortably and used without needing a place to set it up . 
 
Anyway, on topic. Interesting. I know for a fact, night and day, that my S:Flo2 was blatantly better than my iPhone 3GS (with the same mid-range IEMs) and would be supremely confident anyone else would be able to tell the difference themselves, as it wasn't subtle, it was obvious stuff, e.g. using a dubstep song with very low sub bass, it wasn't even audible on the 3GS but clear as day on the S:Flo2, less veiled sounding overall,bigger soundstage etc. Several other owners considered moving to the 601/602 an upgrade in SQ (e.g. Anaxilus), although they may be kinder to IEMs and IIRC many 801 owners who have IEMs use a portable amp as well (which is ridiculous given the 801 is meant to be an 'all in one').

 
I've played with the HM-801 on numerous occasions and know its size and bulk well, in my eyes theres no way it can be classified as portable at least not in the true meaning of the word.
 

 

[Tronz]

Quote:

 
I've played with the HM-801 on numerous occasions and know its size and bulk well, in my eyes theres no way it can be classified as portable at least not in the true meaning of the word.
 

Laptops are portable and are much larger and heavier than the HM-801.
 
 

 

[Tronz]

Quote:

No wonder a 3G Touch sounds better with a multidriver IEM. The Hifiman 18ohms output impedance grants that any multidriver IEM driven by it will show a pretty skewed frequency response since that device is too far from feeding the iem with an undistorted fr.

The love for the Hifiman is kind of esoteric since science does not back its performance (at least with balanced armatures)

This pretty much explains what the OP hears

http://www.markuskraus.com/RMAA/hm801/data.htm

Hey, do you know the links to the RMAAs for other DAP's?
 
 

 

[Satellite_6]

Quote:

Some say A is better than B and some say the opposite.
 
Should a Ferrari outperforms a Honda Civic if someone drives them on downtown streets with heavy traffic? Well, the outlook will definitely wins by a big margin, but it can go any faster. But it this comparison fair? For those who do such comparison really have the technique to justify? I don't know.
 
In hifi stuff, the above happens everywhere in every forum. The good thing is, in some days, we can figure out who in the forum have a good pair of ears, and others can trace back who is trustworthy. The important thing is, we need to listen to the stuff directly to make a good judgment.
 
Just like anything in any forum, any product will be attacked or praised with or without reason, no matter that reason is a fact or not!

It terms of performance the HiFiMAN is like. . . a Prius.
 

 

[Tronz]

Quote:

It terms of performance the HiFiMAN is like. . . a Prius.
 

No, it's an 18 wheeler mack truck with a Prius's engine.
 
 

 

[Satellite_6]

Quote:

No, it's an 18 wheeler mack truck with a Prius's engine.
 
 

 
ROFL, you win. xD

 

[customNuts]

I bought the hm 602 and was shocked by it's lack of performance. I compared the line out with my iphone 3gs line out and the 602 failed miserably.  
I posted my concerns about lack of clarity/detail and plenty of fanboys where trying to convince me that the "nos" phillips dac was just so smooth that it 'gave the impression' there was litltle detail, while there actually was plenty. ie the smoothness was disguising the fidelity.
Needless to say I sold it straight away.

 

[Austin Morrow]

Hmm, very interesting read, thanks for the honesty. My take on everything. I DO believe there is a sound quality difference between different DAP's depending on what's on the internals, DAC, chips, stuff like that. It also depends on what you are using. That being said, I'm not huge on high impedance cans that are apparently what the HM-801 are made for. I am perfectly content listening out of my iPhone 4 when I am on the go with my low imp. IEM's. That being said, when I am at home in my silent room, I can very clearly hear a difference in what DAP I am using, and so for higher end stuff, I use my Studio-V. I don't however think that cables make a difference in sound quality, it's all BS. I have tried some $200 plus cables from various stores vs. my cheap little FiiO LOD and my Audinst LOD and have not noticed any difference AT ALL in sound, just build quality and badass looks.
 
Here is my sum up of what I think (my complete respective opinion):
 
•The HM-801 is meant for cans and IEM's that need a little bit more juice to drive, some of the more higher end stuff.
•iPhone 4, HM-601, and all of the other players, IMO, are good for portable use and more regular cans & IEM's, but some can drive high end stuff.
•$200 "audiophile" cables = marketing scam.

 

[Tronz]

Quote:

Hmm, very interesting read, thanks for the honesty. My take on everything. I DO believe there is a sound quality difference between different DAP's depending on what's on the internals, DAC, chips, stuff like that. It also depends on what you are using. That being said, I'm not huge on high impedance cans that are apparently what the HM-801 are made for. I am perfectly content listening out of my iPhone 4 when I am on the go with my low imp. IEM's. That being said, when I am at home in my silent room, I can very clearly hear a difference in what DAP I am using, and so for higher end stuff, I use my Studio-V. I don't however think that cables make a difference in sound quality, it's all BS. I have tried some $200 plus cables from various stores vs. my cheap little FiiO LOD and my Audinst LOD and have not noticed any difference AT ALL in sound, just build quality and badass looks.
 
Here is my sum up of what I think (my complete respective opinion):
 
•The HM-801 is meant for cans and IEM's that need a little bit more juice to drive, some of the more higher end stuff.
•iPhone 4, HM-601, and all of the other players, IMO, are good for portable use and more regular cans & IEM's, but some can drive high end stuff.
•$200 "audiophile" cables = marketing scam.

I used the Westone ES5. A top tier custom IEM with 5 separate speakers for each ear. The HM-801 to my ears drives that IEM no better than my iPod Touch. Also, the test where I realized I fell prey of placebo was done in my bedroom which was very quiet.

 

[Austin Morrow]

Quote:

I used the Westone ES5. A top tier custom IEM with 5 separate speakers for each ear. The HM-801 to my ears drives that IEM no better than my iPod Touch. Also, the test where I realized I fell prey of placebo was done in my bedroom which was very quiet.

Ah, but what are the specs on the ES5?