[Zelda]

nice impressions so far. waiting for my pair now 

 

[goodvibes]

   
The DX50 seems to not work with any 4 pole connectors. 
They work perfectly with my Clip+. Very nice bass - good impact and fast. Mids re very neutral and the treble has no weird spikes and no sibilance. Paired with the Sansa Clip+ it is easily the best rig under $100. 

 
I hate to say it about the Ibasso but I think that's a pretty big flaw in the DX50. This is not a new situation with I-device phones which follow that standard.

 

[tomscy2000]

Did they actually make their own BA driver, or did they custom-order from one of these companies?

 
http://www.hearonic.com/en/index.aspx
http://www.dtscn.cn/home.asp
 

---

 
The point is, there are other companies in China claiming to have "their own" BA driver, including Astrotec with their AM70, which is supposed to be around the same basic price point as the BA100, except lower. I heard it, thought it was okay. Nothing special.
 
I keep wondering if Hisound is collaborating with Astrotec, especially when the E212 looks exactly like the AX7.(I take that back, apparently they have a patent on the casing, and have written a massive explanation detailing the "differences" between it and the AX7...) Well, technically it should come from the same mold as the Acoustic Research S700M...
 
I want to get to the bottom of this.
 

---

 

Well, it has the hisound engraving, but it looks like a DTS driver to me...

 

[goodvibes]

Never thought it would be in house construction but uniquely configured for proprietary use. I like the 36 ohm impedance and 109 db efficiency ratings should be easy to drive and quiet enough for most anything.

 

[Brooko]

  Did they actually make their own BA driver, or did they custom-order from one of these companies?

 
http://www.hearonic.com/en/index.aspx
http://www.dtscn.cn/home.asp
 
Well, it has the hisound engraving, but it looks like a DTS driver to me...

 
I asked Jack direct - and he said they did the design.  Not sure if someone else did the manufacturing - but he was pretty adamant that the design (and assume tuning) was definitely theirs.

 

[tomscy2000]

  I asked Jack direct - and he said they did the design.  Not sure if someone else did the manufacturing - but he was pretty adamant that the design (and assume tuning) was definitely theirs.

 
Setting up a balanced armature manufacturing facility requires at least a rudimentary knowledge of MEMS construction, which goes beyond soldering SMD components onto a DAP. I highly doubt they have the manufacturing capacity. And by design, they might've told whoever they're working with "we need this type of frequency response within this range of impedance" and it could mean that they "designed" it. "Design" is a relative word these days. I'm not saying it's impossible, and it's entirely possible that they provided some input on how to tweak the structure of the driver itself, but I'm only trying to highlight the fact that this is likely not solely a Hisound effort. It may be the culmination of efforts by several companies, and that in the near future, likely many companies will be using the same type of driver, if not the same exact driver.
 
Judging from the construction of the BA driver, it is most likely a collaboration with DTS Acoustics. Remember, this isn't a knock on Hisound --- without a Hisound or whatever, DTS would just be making balanced armatures for.. no one. They need manufacturers' input on what they want out of these things. It looks like the goal is to make a general all-purpose BA that costs next to nothing. They specified a cost envelope, encompassing manufacturing costs, development costs, etc. and from impressions it seems like they achieved what they set out to do.
 
It looks like China is trying to speed up trying not to be reliant on foreign companies like Knowles (US) and Sonion (NED) for parts, and be at the mercy of their prices. What I've heard from several people who have tried and experimented with DTS drivers, though, is that the QC is not up to snuff, so expect L/R mismatches, low frequency drop-out, etc. This type of feedback is not from foreigners. It's from people who are trying to source parts locally, makers from Hong Kong, etc. The verdict from people who have tried locally developed BAs is that they sound quite nice, and if within spec, they perform well, but most of the time QC is abysmal and sometimes 2/3 of a platter is unusable.
 
The crucial aspect here is to see whether Hisound will be strict enough on QCing all their drivers for final assembly. Will they make sure left and right are matched within +/-2 dB, +/-6 dB, or worse? Perhaps they can sell +/-6 dB matched BA100s at the price they're setting it at, but if they set the standard at +/-2 dB or better, they may have to send back entire platters of BA drivers, which will drive up costs.

 

[Brooko]

Thanks for the insight.  I guess only way to tell is to ask Jack direct.  He's been great with communication so far (very helpful) so worthwhile us making the inquiry.
 
Paul 

 

[goodvibes]

I would think normal production tolerance well within a DB for a modern BA. I'm more curious about the construction of the diaphragm portion of the DTS (middle). Is it like a siren but contained within the housing (normally diaphragm exposed) with a circumference surround or or is it a normal BA type with a plate supported on 2 sides instead of the normal levered one.
 
I suspect the former and if it has a full surround and sealed to the back, venting etc could become very effective. It looks like a stronger motor than a siren as well (more like a standard full size BA with a diaphragm instead of lever) so transients and control could possibly be improved. Lots of parameters to be able to change for a unique sig. It all comes down to desired character and execution.
 

 

[tomscy2000]

​

Comes in 3.5/25/35 DCR... 36 ohm should be about right with the cable...​

​

​

THD looks funky...​

 ​

 

、产品要点Product Outline:​
1​	型式  Type​	动铁单单元 Miniature balanced armature drivers unit​
2​	外观尺寸​	7.1mm(长)*5.1 mm（宽）*3.3 mm（高）​
Outside Dim.​
3​	标示  Marking​	详见外观尺寸图 Shown as mechanical drawings​
4​	磁铁  Magnet​	AlNiCo48/16  ​
5​	振动片Mylar​	AL+MYLAR​
6​	音圈  Voice Coil​	35Ω   CU​
7​	净重量 Net Weight​	0.25 ±0.02 g​	​
8​	包装 Packing​	120 pcs per tray . 20trays&one cover packed per set(2400pcs)​
（二）、电气规格Electrical Specifications:​
9​	阻抗​	60±15%(4.0)​	At 1.0 kHz ,​	0.155V​
Normal Impedance​
10​	额定输入功率​	1mW​
Rated Input Power​
11​	最大输入功率​	3mW​	Less 1 minute.​
Max.Input Power​
12​	输出音压​	106dB ± 3dB​	以CRY6151，1.0 kHz/1mW。At:10 mm​ （Tube size:inner 1mm，length: 10mm）  ​
Mean Sound Pressure​	All survey Frequency​
​	from100Hz to10KHz​
13​	最低共振频率​	2000Hz ± 10%(200)​	​ At IEC7110.155V​      ​
Lowest Resonance​
14​	有效频宽 Frequency Response​	100 ------ 20 k Hz​

 

[goodvibes]

I usually find that 1k impedance is about 20% higher than DCR but each device is unique. Nice basis for a some tweaks. Can't wait to hear it. If the mids and harmonics line up, it's already good for the money. Distortion curve spectrum is a bit unusual in it's distribution but I don't see any issues with level. Curious to see how the HiSound actually measures in use. These graphs always vary a lot from the finished product, especially if tweaked in some way, but are useful for comparison.

 

[Brooko]

Got some great info from Jack overnight.  I'll post it in about 4-5 hours.  Will clear up what they do with drivers, tuning etc.  Apparently there are also some graphs.  Will update once I egt home for lunch and can clear my inbox.

 

[DimitriTrush]

Any body coming to CanJam at RMAF Audio fest ?
link to official headfi thread
we will have the new Ba from Hisaound audio . Will raffle it so come and join us before it is too late. Only 8 days left
those who can not visit Canjam , drop me a line I can organize a tour  (USA only for now)
 

 

[lin0003]

  Any body coming to CanJam at RMAF Audio fest ?
link to official headfi thread
we will have the new Ba from Hisaound audio . Will raffle it so come and join us before it is too late. Only 8 days left
those who can not visit Canjam , drop me a line I can organize a tour  (USA only for now)
 

 
Nice!
A review should be up by the end of the week since it's the holidays and I have some more time. 

 

[Brooko]

OK - Jack is watching this thread, and emailed me last night and through the morning regarding questions about the BA100 drivers.  If I make mistakes here - then the fault is mine not Jack's.  I'm taking 3 emails and paraphrasing the contents into one post.
 

• He confirms that HSA actually does the design - but they are manufactured by another company - but to HSA's specification.
• There are only 5 companies which currently brand their marks on the actual drivers.  Sonion from Denmark, Knowles from USA, Sony from Japan and Cresyn from Korea.  The 5th company is HSA.  The reason they can do this is because of the proprietary tech inside the drivers.  Otherwise everyone would be doing it (the ones using the generic drivers).
• Because of the proprietary (and different) nature of the drivers - I'm guessing they're covered by patent/NDA here - generic manufacturers can't use the same driver.  The modified one belongs to HSA only.
• Here's a direct quote (for Tom) regarding BA's - "The situation of the BA drivers and BA earphones will keeping the same in long time in the future. For the BA drivers has no progress in this industry,Just as the guy pointed out, the BA drivers are too difficult to control the quality, there are 2/3 are faulted. and normally the L/R difference are 6 DBs. He tell the truth of the industry, but not for our BA drivers and our earphones."  
• Their current production has an average difference per driver of 0.2 db in their production testing (yep - matched THAT closely).  Direct quote again "BA 100 is with only 0.2 db different with most of our testing,but we publicize the L/R difference as 1 DB, You can test it by yourself, most of them are keeping at 0.2 db difference, it is the highest standard at the industry. Who can do it in this field? This is only ask the assembling factory can reach this aim? No, none other brand has this serious standard until today."  
• Here is the graph he showed - sorry - this is what I was given - but it conveys the message:

 
Hopefully this answers a few questions.  I know I'm loving the BA100s so far.

 

[lin0003]

Yeah, the graph basically explains what I'm hearing.