[monsieurfromag3]

Count me in! A+ b-stock making its way to Paris.
I’m looking to replace or repurpose my Nuforce HEM8, which are reference to a fault - the fault being piercing highs sometimes (also their sound tube is so tiny that even with large tips I have trouble finding a seal). So I was wondering about the return conditions, since I’m afraid of the highs on the R1 following a couple of reviews. Shot an e-mail to IMR at 2:08pm, to which Bob himself replied at 2:11 informing me that there is a 30-day return policy on this. Quite the support all-round!

 

[robervaul]

Count me in! A+ b-stock making its way to Paris.
I’m looking to replace or repurpose my Nuforce HEM8, which are reference to a fault - the fault being piercing highs sometimes (also their sound tube is so tiny that even with large tips I have trouble finding a seal). So I was wondering about the return conditions, since I’m afraid of the highs on the R1 following a couple of reviews. Shot an e-mail to IMR at 2:08pm, to which Bob himself replied at 2:11 informing me that there is a 30-day return policy on this. Quite the support all-round!

New model? I assume

 

[monsieurfromag3]

New model? I assume

The 30-day return is offered for b-stock too! Pretty amazing policy. The warranty is only 1 year instead of 3 for new models; still better than what many stores offer in such cases.

 

[arkhos]

It's only a week I received my B-stock (A- level) IMR and I am in no way an audiophile, hence my impressions has to be taken with a grain of salt. First and unrelated to music, I want to acknowledge Bob's stellar service. He overcame elegantly a couple of nasty things related to shipping (on my side: first time in my life, I imputed a wrong address, on british post side; the parcel got lost in Latvia) by offering straight away a second attempt shipment.
In terms of my impressions, I would agree with the mass of comments I read along the discussion. Great versatility, insane sound-stage, crisp high and very flexible basses - all things I highly appraise. I am currently happy with the pink filters
Now my questions:
1) Is there a way to lock in the cable to the headphones? I already incurred twice in the risk of losing one IEM due to a loose end.
2) In case of negative answer, is there any update with regards to recommended alternative cables in the range of 20-30 USD?
I would like to have a mic in it but I also aknowledge I can't expect a balanced cable.
Thanks.

 

[Cactus108]

Just got my R1s shipped for $240!
Any portable dac amps recommended for under $250? Looking at the dfr and oppo ha2se right now, but the ha2se is almost impossible to find.

 

[Dobrescu George]

Just got my R1s shipped for $240!
Any portable dac amps recommended for under $250? Looking at the dfr and oppo ha2se right now, but the ha2se is almost impossible to find.

Increase your budget to up at least FiiO Q5 and you'll thank me later, it really is worth the effort

 

[woye263s]

Increase your budget to up at least FiiO Q5 and you'll thank me later, it really is worth the effort

I'm wondering how q5 stack up against xdsd. I'm torn between these two devices and I like both brands. I use galaxy note8 so I dont think there will be connection problem with the xdsd..

 

[Dobrescu George]

I'm wondering how q5 stack up against xdsd. I'm torn between these two devices and I like both brands. I use galaxy note8 so I dont think there will be connection problem with the xdsd..

xDSD is on its way to me, I will surely be comparing those two when xDSD reaches me

 

[monsieurfromag3]

Just got my R1s shipped for $240!
Any portable dac amps recommended for under $250? Looking at the dfr and oppo ha2se right now, but the ha2se is almost impossible to find.

My R1 was shipped earlier today so I can’t yet comment on the pairing, but as a warm-ish source with plenty of energy Sony’s PHA-1A should fit the bill. Amazon.com still sells it for $300 but in Europe it can be found new for about 200€. It’s been favorably compared with the Oppo.

The DFR should be good too, with body and control, and a tamed treble

The iFi products I auditioned sounded... clangy? Powerful and resolving but not very sophisticated. I’m looking forward to @Dobrescu George ‘s impressions though but from I read of the R1 the xDSD may not be the best fit. I’m not a huge believer in sources much more expensive than the gear they feed anyway, so I find your budget reasonable.

 

[Koolpep]

I have the xDSD and I to my ears the xDSD sounds extremely good with it! I am deeply in love with the xDSD, really amazing device.

Having said that - the R1 likes power, but not overly so, which means there are a lot of options. I also found the R1 to sound pretty spectacular with the Sony A45, and that player can be had for only $150 these days on Amazon.

 

[woye263s]

My B- grade IMR R1 came yesterday and it looks completely new! I was expecting some scratches or dents. Very satisfied with the condition of the unit. I'm using this unit with blue filter and spiral dot tip because black had too much of bass and pink was a little too smooth to listen to rock. blue filter was at the sweet spot when paired with ifi micro idsd. Also, I noticed a dramatic change in stage/depth when I insert the unit deep in my ears like I do with FLC8s. It sounds very congested which was easily fixed by slightly inserting the ear tips. I found the cable to be very nice and I don't feel any discomfort.

With black/pink filter, IMR R1 sounds very similar to Fidue Sirius A91, but I prefer that of A91. It is more refined and has clearer mids and slightly better highs compared to IMR R1 with black or pink filter. With blue filter, IMR R1 is a definite upgrade from FLC8s, although I appreciate FLC8s' (gold filter, red, and gray) emphasized mid for songs with female vocals. Overall, I'm very satisfied with IMR R1.

 

[Dobrescu George]

My R1 was shipped earlier today so I can’t yet comment on the pairing, but as a warm-ish source with plenty of energy Sony’s PHA-1A should fit the bill. Amazon.com still sells it for $300 but in Europe it can be found new for about 200€. It’s been favorably compared with the Oppo.

The DFR should be good too, with body and control, and a tamed treble

The iFi products I auditioned sounded... clangy? Powerful and resolving but not very sophisticated. I’m looking forward to @Dobrescu George ‘s impressions though but from I read of the R1 the xDSD may not be the best fit. I’m not a huge believer in sources much more expensive than the gear they feed anyway, so I find your budget reasonable.

Depends a lot on what you auditioned from them, I only know how iDSD BL Micro and iDSD BL Nano sound like, and from the two, Micro BL surely is impressive.

On that note, there's also FiiO Q5 you can add to your list, since it has multiple AMP modules and it is fairly universal (?)

I wouldn't go with something with a tamed treble with R1, they aren't very bright to begin with (?), something too smooth may make things a tad too smooth

Also, I think I mostly used so far has been pink for its filters (?), with some black filters time, I think those two had the most expressed textures

 

[Koolpep]

My B- grade IMR R1 came yesterday and it looks completely new! I was expecting some scratches or dents. Very satisfied with the condition of the unit. I'm using this unit with blue filter and spiral dot tip because black had too much of bass and pink was a little too smooth to listen to rock. blue filter was at the sweet spot when paired with ifi micro idsd. Also, I noticed a dramatic change in stage/depth when I insert the unit deep in my ears like I do with FLC8s. It sounds very congested which was easily fixed by slightly inserting the ear tips. I found the cable to be very nice and I don't feel any discomfort.

With black/pink filter, IMR R1 sounds very similar to Fidue Sirius A91, but I prefer that of A91. It is more refined and has clearer mids and slightly better highs compared to IMR R1 with black or pink filter. With blue filter, IMR R1 is a definite upgrade from FLC8s, although I appreciate FLC8s' (gold filter, red, and gray) emphasized mid for songs with female vocals. Overall, I'm very satisfied with IMR R1.

Thanks fore reminding me that I own a FLC8S and should give it a spin again

 

[woye263s]

I have the xDSD and I to my ears the xDSD sounds extremely good with it! I am deeply in love with the xDSD, really amazing device.

Having said that - the R1 likes power, but not overly so, which means there are a lot of options. I also found the R1 to sound pretty spectacular with the Sony A45, and that player can be had for only $150 these days on Amazon.

Is xdsd connected via bluetooth? For my portable setup, I'm trying to minimize the size of what I'm carrying (for this reason, I got rid of chord mojo).

 

[monsieurfromag3]

Depends a lot on what you auditioned from them, I only know how iDSD BL Micro and iDSD BL Nano sound like, and from the two, Micro BL surely is impressive.

On that note, there's also FiiO Q5 you can add to your list, since it has multiple AMP modules and it is fairly universal (?)

I wouldn't go with something with a tamed treble with R1, they aren't very bright to begin with (?), something too smooth may make things a tad too smooth

Also, I think I mostly used so far has been pink for its filters (?), with some black filters time, I think those two had the most expressed textures

Yeah I tried the iDSD BL Micro and the iDAC 2 at a show, the conditions were a bit messy and I only tried with my Nuforce HEM8 which may not have been the best match for them.

You got me interested in the Q5. I read your detailed review of it this afternoon. Is it a big step up from the Dragonfly Red?

I’ve read some contradictory things about the IMR R1, I hope my impression of them will align more with yours. I’ve seen your posts on the Final Audio E5000 thread, I’m aware they’re very different beasts but how would you compare them? Your view of both is of particular interest to me as a fellow metalhead.