[chapter11]

Hi there,

I am a newbie who has no experience on hifi audio devices before. I am thinking to buy my first one. After long searching, right now a&k kann cube+campfire solaris looks good to me.
Would anybody give me some your thoughts about this combo? Really appreciate it. (Budget<$3K)

My interests:
The overall performance is enough for a starter like me based on the information from internet&reviews.
The design looks great.

My concerns:
Does 2.5mm balanced really annoy people?
As I has no experiences before, maybe there is something I didn't notice yet?


Thanks!!

 

[serman005]

What exactly are your goals with this budget? You are looking for an IEM and a digital audio player? Is that it? Nothing strictly of a non-portable nature or just for the home? Do you know what sort of sound signature you tend to prefer? Neutral/balanced? Mids forward? Bass- or treble-emphasized? Anything you particularly don't want it to sound like? What do you listen to? This type of information will help us better assist you.

 

[chapter11]

Thank you serman005.

Yeah I am looking for a combo of an IEM and a DAP. Need a bit portability (need to move the device between home&office daily)
For sound signature, I have no idea...not a bit...
I mostly listen to jazz(from the trumpeter Al Hirt), pop(various artists, mostly Michael Jackson), classic(Johann Strauss II)

I am not sure this is enough for making a decision...but this what I can have in my mind right now...
Any suggestions of other combo under my budget is appreciated.

 

[Raketen]

Username checks out

Kann Cube is kind of overkill if you won't be using full sized headphones... while listening away from a desk or inbetween office and home you may find yourself dreaming of fanny packs, the thing really is gargantuan. Solaris also large for an IEM, you may find yourself dreaming of elephants.

(Since you're jumping head-first into the proverbial deep end- consider asking local hi-fi shops if they have any IEM demos, or taking a weekend trip to somewhere that does. Some online sellers also do loaner units for a deposit & restocking fee (including Campfire themselves IIRC).

 

[xandermaus]

The Kann Cube may be overkill, but it is what CA uses to demo the Solaris. The Solaris is 10 ohms, and in my experience, they can't be driven well by some amps, like the Dragonfly Red and Fiio M11. My guess is that in your price range, anything you buy will be fine. My own musical tastes are indie, neo soul, r&b, electronic, chill... ethereal, trippy, jazzy, lots of vocals, with a dance beat, but not serious basshead music. Basically, not too unlike your own, and I think the Solaris are spectacular, BUT! personally, I would prefer the Solaris had some emphasis in the bass. The Solaris signature is neutral, and in that context, the Solaris low end is fine, and a lot of people really like it. But, there are a number of us on Head-Fi who wish the bass was kicked up a notch.

 

[BananaOoyoo]

I'd take the trip over to a CanJam or any audio stores to demo as many different IEMs as possible, and if that's not possible, I'd make use of manufacturers/distributors with good demo/return policies to do so.

Neither of your picks are bad in a vacuum - the Kann Cube is probably overkill for your use case, and the Solaris sound may not be for you, but both are pretty capable products. My personal recommendation would be to invest more into the IEMs and less into the DAP, but others may disagree.

 

[serman005]

You really have a ton of potentially excellent options in this price range. Like @BananaOoyoo, I would strongly urge you to try to get a listen to some of those options before purchasing. Everyone's tastes are different, which is a huge and maybe the primary reason something like Headfi works as well as it does. Unfortunately, there do not appear to be a whole lot of demo'ing options in the state of Arizona. Not sure about your upcoming travel schedule, but a visit to a CanJam is, I agree, really going to be your most fruitful option. You can check the upcoming CanJam schedule and see if any of those are a possibility for you. February is often a very nice month in which to visit NYC.

 

[BananaOoyoo]

To add to my last post, you might want to reach out to the guys over at headphones.com, since they're supposed to have a 365 day return policy. Between the Andromeda/Solaris, Valkyrie/Phantom/Legend X, U12t/Tia Trio, Khan, and LCD-i4, they have a pretty wide range of flagship-level products that you could try/return as needed.

 

[chapter11]

You really have a ton of potentially excellent options in this price range. Like @BananaOoyoo, I would strongly urge you to try to get a listen to some of those options before purchasing. Everyone's tastes are different, which is a huge and maybe the primary reason something like Headfi works as well as it does. Unfortunately, there do not appear to be a whole lot of demo'ing options in the state of Arizona. Not sure about your upcoming travel schedule, but a visit to a CanJam is, I agree, really going to be your most fruitful option. You can check the upcoming CanJam schedule and see if any of those are a possibility for you. February is often a very nice month in which to visit NYC.

I'd check if I am free to have a trip to visit some shops/shows and check those devices. It's true that there no much options here in Arizona. Some people suggests the headphones.com because it has a good return policy. I'd check that as well.

At least I have understood, from your posts, that the sound signature delivered by the devices may fit a person's taste. Thanks, it helps!

 

[chapter11]

To add to my last post, you might want to reach out to the guys over at headphones.com, since they're supposed to have a 365 day return policy. Between the Andromeda/Solaris, Valkyrie/Phantom/Legend X, U12t/Tia Trio, Khan, and LCD-i4, they have a pretty wide range of flagship-level products that you could try/return as needed.

I'd check headphones.com. Thanks!

 

[rfernand]

2.5mm did not annoy me at all. NewFantasia makes a good XLR adapter. On the annoying side however....

Bluetooth is spotty. WiFi struggles switching in a mesh. Built in TIDAL does not do downloads. Android apps on open service are annoying to maintain.

But the sound quality and battery life more than make up for anything else.