odib
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2014
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Thanks guys just received my Micro. The 24 hour first charging time is killing me =[ lol.
Thanks guys just received my Micro. The 24 hour first charging time is killing me =[ lol.
Sweet thanks for letting me know. Can't wait to try it out =].
Hi iFi, can you make a pdf on the software to play DSD vis Spotify. Would love it. Just like your MP3 to DSd article.
Stay updated on iFi audio at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
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Hi,
Yes for sure because it is about the micro DSD & headphone matching.
Take for example the Remiyo PAT-777 which is a 300B power amplifier. If it was paired with a pair of Magico Q1s, then this combination would sound dull and lifeless. Neither the PAT-777 nor the Q1s are poor products. Far from it in fact.
It is just a simple matter of 7W+7W into 86dB sensitivity speakers being a poor match.
The same principle applies to any amplifier & heaphones.
For example, the HD650 being an average-ish sensitivity headphone would not "sing" if it ran in Eco mode. We would recommend trying
1) Normal + iEMatch off
or
2) Turbo + High-Sensitivity
Ideally get the listening level to 3 o clock is when the matching is for us (the least resistance, hence the most resolution/dynamics), the most ideal. For us, anything <12 o clock is not ideal. Where the volume position is, does not reflect the power.
A lot of people say when the loudness of an amplifier goes to 12 o clock, it has a lot of power. This just isn't the case.
Hi,
Need a bit of help after trying to apply the above.
My normal listening levels are between 55 - 70db (a-weighted) measured with a micw i436 calibrated microphone set between the ear and earphone.
My experience with the IFI Micro DSD and the HD650 (300ohm) is that i can only get it between 12 and 3 o'clock in this volume range on "Eco" with "Ultra-Sensitivity". Needless to say things sound pretty muddy here with little dynamic range or clarity
If i set it to "Normal" and "Off", at 9 o'clock it is already as loud as i would dare listen for any prolonged period (70dba with 85dba peaks), but there's channel imbalance and it's quite outside the normal range advised.
12 o'clock it's already too loud (87dba with 105db peaks). I did not dare go to 3 o'clock.
This was "George Michal - Spinning the Wheel".
So I'm a bit puzzled... What about listening to low volumes to preserve hearing? I can't find any mode that allows me to do that and keep decent sound quality.
These headphones can give out a lot of micro-detail at low volumes where things are safe and non fatiguing for long periods of listening.
By comparison, my crappy 2000$ Onkyo AV Receiver has a digital volume knob that has perfect channel balance at volume level 1 out of 100, and already by 5-6 it gets the HD650 to 55db with lots of dynamic range.
It's certainly light ears away from how the IFI can sound if you compare them volume matched at 90dba from clarity or instrument separation point of view, but that is to be expected; Onkyo probably kept costs minimal when designing that headphone jack.
So what I'm wondering is:
- how can the IFI be used to listen to what i call "normal" listening levels? it seems impossible with a 300ohm headphone, i'm imagining a 50/150ohm headphone would make things ever worse
- why do we need to be plagued with channel imbalance at low volumes? can't there be a better solution to this problem? i'm already paying a lot for this, i would not mind pay a bit more to get proper volume control
- why is digital volume control avoided? it is such a problem for sound quality? digital volume doesn't seem to have channel imbalance at low volumes, nor dynamic range problems outside the "recommended" area.
So far I'm a bit unhappy with my purchase
Hi,
Need a bit of help after trying to apply the above.
So what I'm wondering is: - how can the IFI be used to listen to what i call "normal" listening levels? it seems impossible with a 300ohm headphone, i'm imagining a 50/150ohm headphone would make things ever worse
- why do we need to be plagued with channel imbalance at low volumes? can't there be a better solution to this problem? i'm already paying a lot for this, i would not mind pay a bit more to get proper volume control
- why is digital volume control avoided? it is such a problem for sound quality? digital volume doesn't seem to have channel imbalance at low volumes, nor dynamic range problems outside the "recommended" area.
Stay updated on iFi audio at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
|
Hi iFi, can you make a pdf on the software to play DSD vis Spotify. Would love it. Just like your MP3 to DSd article.
Hi,
Need a bit of help after trying to apply the above.
My normal listening levels are between 55 - 70db (a-weighted) measured with a micw i436 calibrated microphone set between the ear and earphone.
My experience with the IFI Micro DSD and the HD650 (300ohm) is that i can only get it between 12 and 3 o'clock in this volume range on "Eco" with "Ultra-Sensitivity". Needless to say things sound pretty muddy here with little dynamic range or clarity
If i set it to "Normal" and "Off", at 9 o'clock it is already as loud as i would dare listen for any prolonged period (70dba with 85dba peaks), but there's channel imbalance and it's quite outside the normal range advised.
12 o'clock it's already too loud (87dba with 105db peaks). I did not dare go to 3 o'clock.
This was "George Michal - Spinning the Wheel".
So I'm a bit puzzled... What about listening to low volumes to preserve hearing? I can't find any mode that allows me to do that and keep decent sound quality.
These headphones can give out a lot of micro-detail at low volumes where things are safe and non fatiguing for long periods of listening.
By comparison, my crappy 2000$ Onkyo AV Receiver has a digital volume knob that has perfect channel balance at volume level 1 out of 100, and already by 5-6 it gets the HD650 to 55db with lots of dynamic range.
It's certainly light ears away from how the IFI can sound if you compare them volume matched at 90dba from clarity or instrument separation point of view, but that is to be expected; Onkyo probably kept costs minimal when designing that headphone jack.
So what I'm wondering is:
- how can the IFI be used to listen to what i call "normal" listening levels? it seems impossible with a 300ohm headphone, i'm imagining a 50/150ohm headphone would make things ever worse
- why do we need to be plagued with channel imbalance at low volumes? can't there be a better solution to this problem? i'm already paying a lot for this, i would not mind pay a bit more to get proper volume control
- why is digital volume control avoided? it is such a problem for sound quality? digital volume doesn't seem to have channel imbalance at low volumes, nor dynamic range problems outside the "recommended" area.
So far I'm a bit unhappy with my purchase