Redcarmoose
Headphoneus Supremus
Much of the time our own mistakes can get us the biggest learning. A short while ago a member sent me an EQ profile to try and re-EQ the Sony XBA-Z5 and give it the sound of the Sony XBA-N3. So to be friendly I put the EQ settings in my Apple MacBook Colibri player and (since I own both the Z5 and N3) went and gave him my personal opinion as to how the Z5 may in fact sound like the N3.
Well to make a long story short, I don't use EQ except for just a tiny bass add on one IEM in my collection, and even then it's minimal. So this write up is not about EQ, as most reading this will already have their attitudes set on EQ.
Basically I told him how to me the Z5 didn't actually sound improved with the EQ setting taking place. I think he may have thought that the N3 while coming out later was more advanced in sound than the XBA-Z5. He was on the fence at the time and eventually did buy the XBA-Z5 and review it. I explained that in my view the XBA-Z5 had dramatic differences ( in comparison) due to the DD size and implementation concerning the two drivers. 9mm is the size of the XBA-N3 driver and a whopping 16mm is the size of the XBA-Z5 DD driver. I continued to explain to him that before you decide to buy the XBA-Z5 that the fit is atrocious. But........the fact that the Z5 has this fully worked out gigantic DD authority, most likely of course due to 16mm...............HELLO......16mm!
Ok now here is the good part............... and this is where massive learning took place. I never EQ ColibriFLAC in the MacBook and will use the MacBook 3.5mm out only as I guess it would be of interest nowdays for people who just want to travel and use minimal equipment. There is something to be said for great IEMs that simply sound wonderful from the MacBook..............especially due to ease of use and ergonomics in play.
So what covers me is I also use iPods for reference. So my testing will be from two desktops and the Walkmans primarily, with the MacBook and Alpen 2 just for reasons of completeness and to see how much an IEM with show personality of the different DAC/Amps in use. As stuff normally plays out many IEMs show big differences and of course there seems to be a few that rebel to show differences. These differences are by far a side judgment in how an IEM gets rated as there is always synergy at play where one or two combinations will seem to gel and sound like the products were made for each other. Then of course there is the IEMs that sound great across the board and others which seem destined to only have one DAC/Amp they get along with.
OK, this is where stuff starts to get real!
I go about my after test using of an IEM. This would be a situation where I'm simply using an IEM in daily use and not really even judging it. The review has been written and the IEM is simply sitting around being rotated in and out of casual daily use or lack of use.
I plug the IEM into the 3.5mm port of the MacBook Air running Colibri FLAC. "WOW' this sounds really bad! The MacBook amps and DAC is way way more brittle sounding than I remember? Glad I never use it!
A day or two goes by and again, casually I take out the FiiO E17K Alpen2 plug the USB into the MacBook Air and listen? WOW? WOW? Those guys at FiiO really put color into the Alpen2 DAC/Amp? I always knew it had a personality yet, I must be getting better at this because the E17K sounds dramatically colored now? Wild........Lol.......lol.
So the MacBook remains something that I simply don't use for music. Then one day I start to use it again with the Alpen2 as I'm curious as to what my perception of the Alpen 2 would be. The last time I used the Alpen 2 it was way different and actually entertaining that it sounded so different? Not necessarily that bad but not the style I ever remember it to be, thus I was both confused and curious.
So you can maybe guess where this is going?
The Alpen 2 would not play so I started to look at settings. This I never do as stuff always works and I never EQ. So looking back at me with the biggest shock of reality was the prior N3 EQ setting made to modify the end sound of the Sony XBA-Z5. So what ever those EQ changes were they were both the same form of different in listening to the MacBook 3.5mm out and the FiiO Alpen2 E17K output.
The fascinating thing was the MacBook was judged as horrible yet the FiiO E17K Alpen2 was judged as having an off frequency response combined with the understanding of color! The same different EQ unknowingly used resulting in two opposite assumptions?
Of course I eased the EQ settings and will check it now every time I use Colibri FLAC.
Well to make a long story short, I don't use EQ except for just a tiny bass add on one IEM in my collection, and even then it's minimal. So this write up is not about EQ, as most reading this will already have their attitudes set on EQ.
Basically I told him how to me the Z5 didn't actually sound improved with the EQ setting taking place. I think he may have thought that the N3 while coming out later was more advanced in sound than the XBA-Z5. He was on the fence at the time and eventually did buy the XBA-Z5 and review it. I explained that in my view the XBA-Z5 had dramatic differences ( in comparison) due to the DD size and implementation concerning the two drivers. 9mm is the size of the XBA-N3 driver and a whopping 16mm is the size of the XBA-Z5 DD driver. I continued to explain to him that before you decide to buy the XBA-Z5 that the fit is atrocious. But........the fact that the Z5 has this fully worked out gigantic DD authority, most likely of course due to 16mm...............HELLO......16mm!
Ok now here is the good part............... and this is where massive learning took place. I never EQ ColibriFLAC in the MacBook and will use the MacBook 3.5mm out only as I guess it would be of interest nowdays for people who just want to travel and use minimal equipment. There is something to be said for great IEMs that simply sound wonderful from the MacBook..............especially due to ease of use and ergonomics in play.
So what covers me is I also use iPods for reference. So my testing will be from two desktops and the Walkmans primarily, with the MacBook and Alpen 2 just for reasons of completeness and to see how much an IEM with show personality of the different DAC/Amps in use. As stuff normally plays out many IEMs show big differences and of course there seems to be a few that rebel to show differences. These differences are by far a side judgment in how an IEM gets rated as there is always synergy at play where one or two combinations will seem to gel and sound like the products were made for each other. Then of course there is the IEMs that sound great across the board and others which seem destined to only have one DAC/Amp they get along with.
OK, this is where stuff starts to get real!
I go about my after test using of an IEM. This would be a situation where I'm simply using an IEM in daily use and not really even judging it. The review has been written and the IEM is simply sitting around being rotated in and out of casual daily use or lack of use.
I plug the IEM into the 3.5mm port of the MacBook Air running Colibri FLAC. "WOW' this sounds really bad! The MacBook amps and DAC is way way more brittle sounding than I remember? Glad I never use it!
A day or two goes by and again, casually I take out the FiiO E17K Alpen2 plug the USB into the MacBook Air and listen? WOW? WOW? Those guys at FiiO really put color into the Alpen2 DAC/Amp? I always knew it had a personality yet, I must be getting better at this because the E17K sounds dramatically colored now? Wild........Lol.......lol.
So the MacBook remains something that I simply don't use for music. Then one day I start to use it again with the Alpen2 as I'm curious as to what my perception of the Alpen 2 would be. The last time I used the Alpen 2 it was way different and actually entertaining that it sounded so different? Not necessarily that bad but not the style I ever remember it to be, thus I was both confused and curious.
So you can maybe guess where this is going?
The Alpen 2 would not play so I started to look at settings. This I never do as stuff always works and I never EQ. So looking back at me with the biggest shock of reality was the prior N3 EQ setting made to modify the end sound of the Sony XBA-Z5. So what ever those EQ changes were they were both the same form of different in listening to the MacBook 3.5mm out and the FiiO Alpen2 E17K output.
The fascinating thing was the MacBook was judged as horrible yet the FiiO E17K Alpen2 was judged as having an off frequency response combined with the understanding of color! The same different EQ unknowingly used resulting in two opposite assumptions?
Of course I eased the EQ settings and will check it now every time I use Colibri FLAC.
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