New Custom-to-Universal IEMs: InEar StageDiver 2/3

[pinoyman]

Whats the difference between the sd2 and the sd2s?

 

[xaddictionx]

Whats the difference between the sd2 and the sd2s?

Both are essentially the same except sd2s is smaller in size.

 

[MuZo2]

InEar StageDiver has new flagship product 8-driver which is configurable using two switches. One to adjust lows and one to adjust highs.
Had a brief listen and was impressed. Spacious sounding and very detailed. Watch out for this product.

 

[bartzky]

ProPhile-8 thread: http://www.head-fi.org/t/820797/new-inear-prophile-8#post_12877872

 

[Il Pio]

Hello guys, I own a pair of stagediver 2 and I use them with a fiio X5II. Christmas is coming so I decided to search for a new DAP player and i found this Onkyo DP-X1. Anyone owns it?! Is it a great step forward or wouldn't be much difference between them? Also, is the original cable of the SD2 good enough compared to the earbuds? Thanks a lot to anyone could answer. Bye

 

[headdict]

Hello guys, I own a pair of stagediver 2 and I use them with a fiio X5II. Christmas is coming so I decided to search for a new DAP player and i found this Onkyo DP-X1. Anyone owns it?! Is it a great step forward or wouldn't be much difference between them? Also, is the original cable of the SD2 good enough compared to the earbuds? Thanks a lot to anyone could answer. Bye

What kind of improvement are you looking for? DAPs and cables rarely make a huge difference. In case you want to change the sound signature significantly you may want to look into parametric EQ. Only very few DAPs support it, but those that do offer you you a lot more control over the sound.
 
Definitely stay away from any DAP or amp with an output impedance > 2 ohms to avoid nasty treble peaks.

 

[Il Pio]

What kind of improvement are you looking for? DAPs and cables rarely make a huge difference. In case you want to change the sound signature significantly you may want to look into parametric EQ. Only very few DAPs support it, but those that do offer you you a lot more control over the sound.

Definitely stay away from any DAP or amp with an output impedance > 2 ohms to avoid nasty treble peaks.

Thanks. Well.. I think the DAC and AMP quality is pretty important for a dap. During these months I've seen brands as Astell&Kern, Acoustic Research and others throw out huge improvements over their daps and I ended up looking for a better quality dap without spending 2-3k euro. Onkyo X1 should be a good improvement in sound quality since my fiio X5II is good but has some small limitation that makes me want to go for a even more neutral and natural sound. I connected my fiio to an hi-end system (20k euro) and it sounded good with the vocals but overall a bit muffled and close (I hope it does, since otherwise there wouldn't be any competition in the market :-D). At first I was looking at AK 100II, then I saw the A.R. M2 (class A amp and best DAC in the market) and then the cheaper Onkyo X1 which seemed to be a good compromise. Speaking about the Stagediver SD2, I can't deal with the problem they have: after trying different tips I found the Comply foam tips to be the best to reduce the little harshness they have (it seems like there's a spike on some high frequencies) but they don't last very long time. Could you guys suggest me some other valid tips??? I really like the Shure olive foam, but I can't find it for my SD2. I don't know if I will solve the problem with a new dap but I just want to achieve a better overall sound quality and hopefully reduce that shrilling sound I have on some song, because I really can't find any other major issue (fiuuu... :-D).
I usually listen to classic music, rock, country, jazz, blues, acoustic music.

 

[headdict]

Thanks. Well.. I think the DAC and AMP quality is pretty important for a dap. During these months I've seen brands as Astell&Kern, Acoustic Research and others throw out huge improvements over their daps and I ended up looking for a better quality dap without spending 2-3k euro. Onkyo X1 should be a good improvement in sound quality since my fiio X5II is good but has some small limitation that makes me want to go for a even more neutral and natural sound. I connected my fiio to an hi-end system (20k euro) and it sounded good with the vocals but overall a bit muffled and close (I hope it does, since otherwise there wouldn't be any competition in the market :-D). At first I was looking at AK 100II, then I saw the A.R. M2 (class A amp and best DAC in the market) and then the cheaper Onkyo X1 which seemed to be a good compromise. Speaking about the Stagediver SD2, I can't deal with the problem they have: after trying different tips I found the Comply foam tips to be the best to reduce the little harshness they have (it seems like there's a spike on some high frequencies) but they don't last very long time. Could you guys suggest me some other valid tips??? I really like the Shure olive foam, but I can't find it for my SD2. I don't know if I will solve the problem with a new dap but I just want to achieve a better overall sound quality and hopefully reduce that shrilling sound I have on some song, because I really can't find any other major issue (fiuuu... :-D).
I usually listen to classic music, rock, country, jazz, blues, acoustic music.

I have no luck with foam tips unless inserted very deep, which is not possible with SD2. So I can't recommend any such tips as a treble spike remedy.
 
You seem to be one of the few people that complain about harshness with SD2, but I think I know what you mean. Using sine sweeps I can easily identify some peaks around 5 kHz (probably due to my ear canal resonance), 9 and 13 kHz.
 
I solved the issue (to a certain degree) using a parametric EQ. A TOTL dap won't help you in this regard unless it features a parametric EQ. I would prefer almost any dap with parametric EQ (even a super cheap rockboxed Sansa clip zip!) to any super high tech dap without it. It's my top priority feature of any dap. Like you I'm after a neutral and natural sound. I don't know of any other way to achieve it!

 

[Il Pio]

Ok, then I'll be looking for a dap with parametric EQ. But I still think there's a lot more to achieve in terms of sound quality, coming from a fiio X5II. The SD2 are really good sounding IEMs and I'd like to get the most out of them. Waiting for anyone who could help me choosing a proper dap (I also need to change it because I have a brother that wants my fiio since i bought it) and a good and long lasting pair of foam tips. Comply are too high-priced and last 1 month per pair. Thanks!

 

[skalkman]

  Ok, then I'll be looking for a dap with parametric EQ. But I still think there's a lot more to achieve in terms of sound quality, coming from a fiio X5II. The SD2 are really good sounding IEMs and I'd like to get the most out of them. Waiting for anyone who could help me choosing a proper dap (I also need to change it because I have a brother that wants my fiio since i bought it) and a good and long lasting pair of foam tips. Comply are too high-priced and last 1 month per pair. Thanks!

I picked up a Astell&Kern AK100II used on here for 500USD (a real steal) and it's a really great option for the SD-2's. I run my balanced with Forza AudioWorks hybrid cables straight out of the AK.
I was on the FiiO X7 beta tour and the AK won by ha large margin (unbalanced, since the balanced modules for the X7 weren't out yet). I for one don't care about EQ at all, if your setup doesn't sound right out of the box you have the wrong parts, personal opinion of course but you get what i'm on about. And for foam tips i have no idéa whats out there other than comply, i use ortofon silicone tips myself.
 

 

[Il Pio]

Hey, thanks a lot for replying! I totally agree with you. I need some hardware that works perfect straight out of the box. I was about to buy the AK 100II but then I saw this Onkyo DP-X1 which seems to be one of the best value dap in the sub-1000€ market. I still don't know what to do. I'm emailing Spinfit to ask if their tips are good to solve my problem and also Moon Audio for their black dragon cable that seems the right one to get what I want in terms of sound quality. Do you think a new cable would be important to achieve my goal?! This one costs almost 170€ in Europe. How about yours? Is it good? How does it sound compared to the stock one? Also I read the AK 100II has an higher output impedance than Fiio X5II, meaning a bit more of spike in high frequencies. But how does your complete chain sounds like right now? Thanks a lot!!

 

[skalkman]

  Hey, thanks a lot for replying! I totally agree with you. I need some hardware that works perfect straight out of the box. I was about to buy the AK 100II but then I saw this Onkyo DP-X1 which seems to be one of the best value dap in the sub-1000€ market. I still don't know what to do. I'm emailing Spinfit to ask if their tips are good to solve my problem and also Moon Audio for their black dragon cable that seems the right one to get what I want in terms of sound quality. Do you think a new cable would be important to achieve my goal?! This one costs almost 170€ in Europe. How about yours? Is it good? How does it sound compared to the stock one? Also I read the AK 100II has an higher output impedance than Fiio X5II, meaning a bit more of spike in high frequencies. But how does your complete chain sounds like right now? Thanks a lot!!

Regarding the dragon cables: Black for bass, silver for highs/detail.
 
I got my Forza cable instead of a dragon since i couldn't afford the dragons with the options that i wanted at the time. I absolutely love my setup as it is now and i have stopped looking for new gear since my forza cables arrived. Balanced the ak has a sub 1ohm impedance but the single ended output has the 2ohm one.
 
My setup as it is now is really great for just about everything, the one thing that's really stellar though is well recorded clean vocals especially female vocals.
It has a good bit of punch for aggressive music like rock and metal, enough extension in both ways for ambient electronica and a great tambre for vocals and wind instruments and plenty of detail to go around everything.  
 
It's not the most accurate setup in the world but for pure enjoyment it can't do you wrong.

 

[bartzky]

Speaking about the Stagediver SD2, I can't deal with the problem they have: after trying different tips I found the Comply foam tips to be the best to reduce the little harshness they have (it seems like there's a spike on some high frequencies) but they don't last very long time.

If you find the SD2 to be a little to harsch you really should keep an eye on the output impedance of the DAP and the resistance of the cable.
This shows how the SD2 reacts on a 33 Ohm output:

(Note that this is not a FR. Read this as something like an EQ that applies to the SD2 when playing on a 33 Ohm output.)

As you can see a higher output impedance will stress the treble and reduce the bass. So I would definitely recommend to get a source with near to 0 Ohm.

Additionaly I've measured the original cable to have a resistance of about 2 Ohm. This kind of adds to the output impedance of the source. So it's possible to reduce a few ohms there as well and make the SD2 sound darker.
Some people report that the FiiO replacement cable has a resistance of about 0.3 Ohm btw.

 

[headdict]

...
Some people report that the FiiO replacement cable has a resistance of about 0.3 Ohm btw.

I tried it (not being aware of its lower resistance) and found it way too microphonic.

 

[Il Pio]

If you find the SD2 to be a little to harsch you really should keep an eye on the output impedance of the DAP and the resistance of the cable.
This shows how the SD2 reacts on a 33 Ohm output:

(Note that this is not a FR. Read this as something like an EQ that applies to the SD2 when playing on a 33 Ohm output.)

As you can see a higher output impedance will stress the treble and reduce the bass. So I would definitely recommend to get a source with near to 0 Ohm.

Additionaly I've measured the original cable to have a resistance of about 2 Ohm. This kind of adds to the output impedance of the source. So it's possible to reduce a few ohms there as well and make the SD2 sound darker.
Some people report that the FiiO replacement cable has a resistance of about 0.3 Ohm btw.

Hey, thanks a lot for replying! Than I think I'll get a new cable before anything else, since the Fiio X5II player has 0.5 ohms output impedance which seems quite nice compared to other players. Any suggestion for low impedance and great value for money cables out there?! I was looking at this Black Dragon cable but it's very expensive; also I live in Italy and I think there are no retailers here.