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Mar 4, 2016 at 9:08 AM Post #407 of 1,605
ultrainferno said:
Videos are so 2010
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For reviews? I personally think it gives consumers idea how a certain device works. Sometimes, a video is better than photos especially when showing user interfaces of different devices.

Sent from my SHV-E300S using Tapatalk
 
Mar 4, 2016 at 9:25 AM Post #408 of 1,605
You may have a point, but at the same time I always joke videos are for lazy people. Let's stay on topic though.
 
L3 balanced with UM Meestro: volume 0! at night is more than loud enough. Incredible
 
Mar 4, 2016 at 3:14 PM Post #411 of 1,605
I pledged a few days ago with the 2nd tier pricing. I was very intrigued with the L5Pro but the price of the L3 and feature set just won me over! I hope I could receive my unit soon!...
 
Has anyone tested a 200GB card on L3 yet?
 
Mar 4, 2016 at 3:19 PM Post #412 of 1,605
Done more testing with L3 (after 75hrs of burn in) and compared it to L5 Pro.
 
With L3 vs L5, I hear L5 bass being a little more lifted (especially in mid-bass area) while L3 actually having a slightly better sub-bass texture.  I went back'n'forth multiple times, and always come back to the same conclusion with different IEMs, L3 low end is more balanced and its sub-bass textures is better in comparison to L5 Pro.  Mids are the same between these two, and when it comes to treble, I feel like L5 Pro is slightly rolled off while L3 is a bit lifted.  To my ears and with my L3 beta test unit, L3 sounds brighter, even in comparison to some other DAPs while using the same pair of IEMs for test reference.  I don't know if anything going to be adjusted in the final production version, quite possible it will, but as of now I prefer L3 more with neutral and warmer IEMs/CIEMs and full size.  Also, keep in mind, I'm not a big fan of bright analytical sound, so take my subjective comment with a grain of salt
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In terms of layering and separation of sound - L5 Pro has some advantage, but nowhere near night'n'day difference.  And this "advantage" shrinks down to minimum once you move to 2.5mm balanced output of L3.  I'm not just talking about more expanded 3D sound and improvement in soundstage width, I'm actually hearing improvement in sound quality with more airiness between sound layers, more details, even some improvement in sound dynamics.  I'm not kidding when I say L3 going to be my go-to balanced source.  Just keep in mind, L3 is intended for efficient headphones and IEMs/CIEMs in general, and L5 Pro has a lot more power to drive more demanding headphones.
 
Not going to say that 2.5mm balanced HO of L3 will step all over 3.5mm single ended HO of Lotoo PAW Gold, but soundstage width is nearly the same between 2.5mm TRRS of L3 and 3.5mm TRS of LPG (LPG has a wide soundstage).  LPG is still technically more superior in every sound aspect (it's better be for $2k vs $299), but it's not really by a mile when you compare to 2.5mm TRRS of L3.  Keep in mind, I'm comparing balanced output of L3 which I found to outperform its (L3) 3.5mm single ended output.
 
In terms of touch interface, it's as responsive as L5 Pro, the same touch tapping with navigation which could be conveniently accelerated by using transport control buttons on the right side.  There is also this mysterious big upcoming fw update, promised toward the end of this month... ;)  The leather case is the same as used in L5 Pro (the same material, cut, fit).  The build and finish are solid, though there are a few nitpicks but not worth mentioning since this is a beta test unit which I have to return back for a final production one in a few weeks anyway.
 
Mar 4, 2016 at 4:16 PM Post #416 of 1,605
twister6 said:
 
In terms of layering and separation of sound - L5 Pro has some advantage, but nowhere near night'n'day difference.  And this "advantage" shrinks down to minimum once you move to 2.5mm balanced output of L3.  I'm not just talking about more expanded 3D sound and improvement in soundstage width, I'm actually hearing improvement in sound quality with more airiness between sound layers, more details, even some improvement in sound dynamics.  I'm not kidding when I say L3 going to be my go-to balanced source.  Just keep in mind, L3 is intended for efficient headphones and IEMs/CIEMs in general, and L5 Pro has a lot more power to drive more demanding headphones.
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I agree with you for the most points, the bass impact and depth really outshines L5 Pro.
 
As for the sound stage width and depth, they are relatively close between L5 Pro and L3. However, for imaging and separation I prefer L3 over L5 Pro. It is not a distinct answer of who is better, but rather CS4398 and AK4490 present their sound(especially imaging) some what differently, and I prefer the CS4398 a little more. Vocals are very well separated from any background music/instruments. Especially with schiitty recordings, L3 sounds more lively than L5 Pro(perhaps due to L5 Pro being slightly more revealing).
 
Haven't try any full-sized headphones with L3 though, maybe it is worth trying it on balanced out.
 
EDIT: Switch out the word ****ty as headfi mutes it, so... oh well.
 
Mar 4, 2016 at 4:47 PM Post #417 of 1,605
johnyang said:
   
I agree with you for the most points, the bass impact and depth really outshines L5 Pro.
 
As for the sound stage width and depth, they are relatively close between L5 Pro and L3. However, for imaging and separation I prefer L3 over L5 Pro. It is not a distinct answer of who is better, but rather CS4398 and AK4490 present their sound(especially imaging) some what differently, and I prefer the CS4398 a little more. Vocals are very well separated from any background music/instruments. Especially with ****ty recordings, L3 sounds more lively than L5 Pro(perhaps due to L5 Pro being slightly more revealing).
 
Haven't try any full-sized headphones with L3 though, maybe it is worth trying it on balanced out.
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I tried the ak380cu for a few weeks but ultimately decided to return it, I found the sound to be a bit too "thick" to my liking when paired with EE Zeus. Since it also uses the AK4490 dac like the L5 Pro, how similar do they sound even L5 has just 1 inside? And the AK240 (which I never heard) uses dual CS4398 just like the L3, does anyone have any opinion on how their sound may be similar or different? Thanks!
 
Mar 4, 2016 at 8:23 PM Post #420 of 1,605
whitigir said:
Isn't L5 pro has no Balanced out ? When compared to L3 on Balanced ? Wouldn't it make sense to have Balanced > SE ? I think so according to my Experiences
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Maybe in terms of power, balanced will give you more, but from my experience I wasn't too impressed with balanced output of AK120ii, N5, PAW5k.  L3 was the first one to raise my eyebrows.  I can't speak for standalone desktop amps and their balanced vs single ended outputs driving 600 ohm or some demanding planar magnetic headphones, my experience is only with DAPs and more efficient headphones.  Also, I never tested Pono or Sony where I heard dual TRS 3.5mm balanced output was more impressive than their SE.
 
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