[Polky74]

Thanks, then
I ended up getting an Aceele hub, on the basis of it being available immediately. I think most powered hubs do the trick. Anyway, from my experience, dongles are very likely to benefit from this hack, whereas self powered devices are mostly immune. The RU7 also shines when connected via Brise, the RME desktop DAC sounds the same with the stock cheap looking cable or a more advanced one.
I think I'l start designing a box to hold the hub and the battery in place, just to improve the ergonomics. Do you reckon a battery of 2600 mAh would be enough, or rather aim for a 10000mAh one?

It's not so much the size of the battery but the fact that it is suitable for powering small devices thanks to a control chip. This one I use has it.

https://www.amazon.it/INIU-Compact-...fd-8723-8c3500711d4b&pd_rd_i=B08VD632WJ&psc=1

 

[mikaik]

It's not so much the size of the battery but the fact that it is suitable for powering small devices thanks to a control chip. This one I use has it.

https://www.amazon.it/INIU-Compact-...fd-8723-8c3500711d4b&pd_rd_i=B08VD632WJ&psc=1

That's a good point, I will first make sure the battery powers the hub/DAC over a long time and it doesn't shut down because of the low discharge current. The ones I've tried so far seem to work.
My aim is to devise a system that sounds as good as possible while being easily transportable. Obviously, carrying the amp with me to the office is not practical. The USB hub is rather small and I usually carry a battery anyway, so this combo would not add much to the weight/space in my backpack.
Am I being silly? The W4 alone already sounds very good, surely I don't need that extra bass and soundstage, right?

 

[Polky74]

That's a good point, I will first make sure the battery powers the hub/DAC over a long time and it doesn't shut down because of the low discharge current. The ones I've tried so far seem to work.
My aim is to devise a system that sounds as good as possible while being easily transportable. Obviously, carrying the amp with me to the office is not practical. The USB hub is rather small and I usually carry a battery anyway, so this combo would not add much to the weight/space in my backpack.
Am I being silly? The W4 alone already sounds very good, surely I don't need that extra bass and soundstage, right?

The W4 is undoubtedly one of the best dongles on the market and before the advent of the DC-Elite it was not surpassed by any other dongle by a good margin. Having said that, I love all my dongles and therefore, on the advice of a friend, I chose to use a power bank that respected their energy requirements without exaggerating. I don't want dongles to be damaged by poor quality power banks or to not be able to adjust to the dongle's power demands. Like you, I also avoid bringing additional amplification for dongles to work, relegating that situation to when I'm at home in situations similar to desktop uses. If you love the sound of the W4, try using it with the SLIIVO SL-41s and you will have simply incredible sound at a really low cost.

 

[mikaik]

It's back to basics today. No amplification, no hacks, just brilliant sound. I certainly appreciate the EQ on the W4 as these Artti R1 are too bassy for me. The cable mitigates that a bit, the DAC does the rest.

 

[giangp1]

Just awesome!

 

[qua2k]

I received a used W4 yesterday. putting it through some use today and really like this unit! The scroll wheel has a nice feel to it. The reason why I purchased it, the 4.4mm plug does seem more robust and better constructed than the RU7. Hoping it will stand the test of time with Pentaconn.

 

[musicday]

The W4 with the Austrian Audio the Composer have fantastic synergy and that was trying only the single ended. Volume was 60-70 depending on the music I was listening.

 

[mikaik]

Another day, another winning combo. The Advar are not pretentious, they play nice with every player, be it a fancy SP3K or the modest Sony A306. They don't scale much with more power, but they sound very sweet with the W4. Sound almost like a tube amp. I'd dare say they sound best with the W4, even in low gain.

It's office day again, so simplicity is key, phone->W4->Advar. The USB cable is the one that came with the iFi Griffon.

 

[imacaverage]

 

[makbrown]

Привет)
Which one sounds better?

Cause I own a mojo2 and it is a question if I need W4

 

[mikaik]

Short answer: No, you don't need one. But you probably want one

Long answer:
They are very different beasts, not entirely overlapping, so there is no easy answer.
W4 is smaller, nicer, more mobile and it has a very delicate sound, that to me is the exact definition of hi-fi. It sounds more spacious, more holographic and very detailed to my ears. The bass is very well defined, the cymbals are very sweet, maybe a bit too tame. Not recessed, just delicate sounding, not that ear piercing splash you hear when you're next to the drum set.
The Mojo2 is more aggressive sounding and less holographic. It doesn't shine in a particular regard, but it does everything right. Probably more powerful (you can look for specs online), definitely more EQ options; hell, the shelf EQs are worth the price alone, and doesn't need power from your phone.
Soundwise I prefer the W4, not only to the Mojo 2, but to all of them (see pic), but this applies to my IEMs and my ears and my music.
I haven't tried the W4 with too many HP. I know that Mojo 2 can drive them without problems, no idea about W4. My cans are not power hungry, so I guess it' be fine.

You see, there's no easy answer, maybe you can hear it before buying it, maybe you can hold on to both for a while before deciding which one to let go.

 

[imacaverage]

Привет)
Which one sounds better?

Cause I own a mojo2 and it is a question if I need W4

no need
they have almost the same sound

 

[musicday]

W4 with the AA Composer headphones is very nice. Hopefully others can try this combo.

 

[povidlo]

Short answer: No, you don't need one. But you probably want one

Long answer:
They are very different beasts, not entirely overlapping, so there is no easy answer.
W4 is smaller, nicer, more mobile and it has a very delicate sound, that to me is the exact definition of hi-fi. It sounds more spacious, more holographic and very detailed to my ears. The bass is very well defined, the cymbals are very sweet, maybe a bit too tame. Not recessed, just delicate sounding, not that ear piercing splash you hear when you're next to the drum set.
The Mojo2 is more aggressive sounding and less holographic. It doesn't shine in a particular regard, but it does everything right. Probably more powerful (you can look for specs online), definitely more EQ options; hell, the shelf EQs are worth the price alone, and doesn't need power from your phone.
Soundwise I prefer the W4, not only to the Mojo 2, but to all of them (see pic), but this applies to my IEMs and my ears and my music.
I haven't tried the W4 with too many HP. I know that Mojo 2 can drive them without problems, no idea about W4. My cans are not power hungry, so I guess it' be fine.

You see, there's no easy answer, maybe you can hear it before buying it, maybe you can hold on to both for a while before deciding which one to let go.

I've sold off mojo2, gryphon and ru7. W4 does sound most delicate and natural among them four.

 

[shez.]

Привет)
Which one sounds better?

Cause I own a mojo2 and it is a question if I need W4

W4. I even sold my Sony WM1A after W4.

Using just the basic cable, the sound of the W4 is somewhat rough and dull; Among the budget HiFi USB cables, I recommend the QLS's L03, L&P WY1, and DDHiFi's TC07.

Dispute it low HiFi quality. W4 original cable has better coherency with W4 compared to all these budget cables.

Does anyone notice a popping noise when pressing play/pause with Tidal? It's not a big deal but a little annoying.

Unfortunately, the latest firmware doesn't fix this issue. The only solution that I found is to switch to a 4.4 port instead of 3.5 which makes poping with sensitive IEMs.