[Tayyab Pirzada]

Any update? I'm curious.

Apparently Brainwavz couldn't ship due to restrictions cuz of Covid from Hong Kong. So I just ordered the regular microsuede ones on Amazon. Might get the gaming pads as well later on.

 

[iFi audio]

Ifi Zen Dac over 4.4mm balanced pentaconn and I must say that it really improved the sound by a lot.

Yes, that makes quite the difference

 

[CTR640]

Any difference between 2.5mm and 4.4mm balanced? Currently using only Fiio K5 Pro but only 6.3mm so what would be the best? Get the iFi ZEN CAN with 4.4mm? Or get the 3.5mm silver upgrade cable and to 6.3mm adapter and stick to Fiio?

 

[iFi audio]

Get the iFi ZEN dac with 2.5mm or 4.4mm?

ZEN DAC comes only with 4.4mm plus 6.3mm

 

[CTR640]

ZEN DAC comes only with 4.4mm plus 6.3mm

Yes, I read the description. Any other differences between ZEN DAC and ZEN CAN?

 

[iFi audio]

Yes, I read the description. Any other differences between ZEN DAC and ZEN CAN?

Although it has a nice in-built headphone amp, ZEN DAC is primarily a DAC, whereas ZEN CAN is a more powerful standalone headphone amp.

Both these products are fully balanced, which is quite unusual given their price.

 

[TrollDragon]

There should be absolutely no difference in sound between a balanced amplifier and a single ended when both amps are volume matched.

There are shady manufacturers who compromised the SE circuitry so the balanced output would sound much better, they did that to promote the sales of balanced output and those are few and far between. If you have a properly designed SE amp, there is no need for balanced unless you are running into power limitations.

 

[CTR640]

There should be absolutely no difference in sound between a balanced amplifier and a single ended when both amps are volume matched.

There are shady manufacturers who compromised the SE circuitry so the balanced output would sound much better, they did that to promote the sales of balanced output and those are few and far between. If you have a properly designed SE amp, there is no need for balanced unless you are running into power limitations.

Yeah, that's why I've been extremely cautious with that bs. All my devices are with 3.5mm and the K5 Pro being the only one exception of having only 6.35mm input.
I could buy the ZEN CAN right away but that's like flushing money down the toilet. And not to mention my desk is gonna be a mess with two dacs.

 

[TrollDragon]

Yeah, that's why I've been extremely cautious with that bs. All my devices are with 3.5mm and the K5 Pro being the only one exception of having only 6.35mm input.
I could buy the ZEN CAN right away but that's like flushing money down the toilet. And not to mention my desk is gonna be a mess with two dacs.

I still run the FiiO E09K/E17 on my desk, I might have to look into the FiiO K9 Pro when it gets released and see how it fares. All my headphones are modded for removable cable so it would be easy to convert to balanced if I had the need to. It would be interesting to hear the T50RPs on an amp with a few watts to spare, and if the K9 Pro (1.5W SE) puts out double or more balanced, I'd be interested.

Amazon Prime is an easy way to test out gear to see if a balanced amp will do anything for you.

 

[CTR640]

I still run the FiiO E09K/E17 on my desk, I might have to look into the FiiO K9 Pro when it gets released and see how it fares. All my headphones are modded for removable cable so it would be easy to convert to balanced if I had the need to. It would be interesting to hear the T50RPs on an amp with a few watts to spare, and if the K9 Pro (1.5W SE) puts out double or more balanced, I'd be interested.

Amazon Prime is an easy way to test out gear to see if a balanced amp will do anything for you.

Oh nice, I had no idea there is Fiio K9 Pro to be released.

It's about time for Fiio to release a new one with more than just only 6.35mm input. Too bad no 2.5mm as it's very popular too but I guess 4.4mm will do fine too but still no 3.5mm lol. Although the 4.4mm is not something you see every day. But built-in bluetooth?? Nice! I own the Amiron Wireless Copper so bt is a nice addition.
That power plug though...

So far I don't see any reason to get another dac as I'm happy with my K5 Pro. Just waiting for the 3.5mm silver cable to be restocked for my Meze 99C.

 

[TrollDragon]

Oh nice, I had no idea there is Fiio K9 Pro to be released.

It's about time for Fiio to release a new one with more than just only 6.35mm input. Too bad no 2.5mm as it's very popular too but I guess 4.4mm will do fine too but still no 3.5mm lol. Although the 4.4mm is not something you see every day. But built-in bluetooth?? Nice! I own the Amiron Wireless Copper so bt is a nice addition.
That power plug though...

So far I don't see any reason to get another dac as I'm happy with my K5 Pro. Just waiting for the 3.5mm silver cable to be restocked for my Meze 99C.

2.5mm is so thin and fragile IMHO, I'd rather have a chunky 4.4mm plug any day. I have no problem with 6.35mm as there are a ton of 3.5mm adapters available, or I just terminate the cable to 6.35 and be done with it.

Good luck with your silver cable, it's way too pricy ($150 CAD) for me here in Canada considering what it would cost to DIY if you could get the slim 3.5mm plugs.

 

[PopZeus]

There should be absolutely no difference in sound between a balanced amplifier and a single ended when both amps are volume matched.

There are shady manufacturers who compromised the SE circuitry so the balanced output would sound much better, they did that to promote the sales of balanced output and those are few and far between. If you have a properly designed SE amp, there is no need for balanced unless you are running into power limitations.

I wouldn't say they're being shady necessarily. Yes, it can be used to upsell audiophiles on cables and connectors. And you're right that the large benefit to balanced is additional power and longer cables with less distortion. But sometimes the company might want to focus on one implementation over the other given their limited resources. Also, some really detailed dynamic gear like the Focal headphones sound cleaner over balanced topologies even if the SE chain is rock solid. There are definitely those who have gimped their SE paths in favor of promoting balanced though.

 

[Tayyab Pirzada]

So I tried my 99 Neos with the Brainwavz Microsuede pads after like half an hour of struggling to figure out how to put them on lol. They are extremely comfortable, even more than the large-size leather pads that came with the Neos I had on before, and don't overheat. The microsuede is extremely soft. As for the sound character, the mids have come forward a bit and sound clearer. It sounds like a slight veil was lifted from all of the audio actually. They sound similar to the Meze 99 Classics I heard in a hifi shop once which made me interested in them in the first place. Soundstage also improved. Bass is still there but reduced...I dnno I kind of liked the huge bass that the original large leather pads produced. But this bass isn't bad, it's still noticeable. Also the sub-bass bleeding into the mids as with the large leather pads is mostly gone now, though still exists on select few tracks (nothing an EQ won't fix though).

Only thing is I wish the earpads were larger and a big deeper.

 

[Tayyab Pirzada]

I should also say they are fairly isolating. Leakage is minimal. Not as much as leather but still adequate for a closed-back headphone.

 

[DoConor]

Out of curiosity, what is everyone using for a portable source with your 99s? Have you found that magical synergy? I just picked up an Oriolus ba300s portable tube amp. Pairing it with my Hiby R5. Seriously sweetened my Classics in a very good way.
It made them a little less warm in the mid bass and low mids, and added some awesome extension to the upper mids. Now less dark than straight out of the R5. Gave them some shimmer, sparkle and air. Soundstage and instrument separation has noticeably improved. No bloom and a bit more linear, but still incredibly fun and engaging. They sound like a more resolving, more expensive headphone now imo. But they haven't lost any of that rich and organic tonality that makes what they are.
J'ai beaucoup échangé avec et sans l'ampli, et le ba300s est un excellent compagnon pour les Classics. De plus, ses dimensions correspondent presque exactement à celles du R5, à part environ un demi-pouce de longueur.
[/CITATION]

Out of curiosity, what is everyone using for a portable source with your 99s? Have you found that magical synergy? I just picked up an Oriolus ba300s portable tube amp. Pairing it with my Hiby R5. Seriously sweetened my Classics in a very good way.
It made them a little less warm in the mid bass and low mids, and added some awesome extension to the upper mids. Now less dark than straight out of the R5. Gave them some shimmer, sparkle and air. Soundstage and instrument separation has noticeably improved. No bloom and a bit more linear, but still incredibly fun and engaging. They sound like a more resolving, more expensive headphone now imo. But they haven't lost any of that rich and organic tonality that makes what they are.
I've been swapping with and without the amp quite a bit, and the ba300s is a an awesome companion for the Classics. Plus it's dimensions are almost an exact match with the R5, other than about a half inch in length.

Ibasso Sr2? I thought it would be the upgrade of my 99 Classics. Am I right?