o0genesis0o
Headphoneus Supremus
Mojo2 is incredible, with or without onboard DSP. I thought it’s some kind of outdated overpriced gear that makes no difference, so I borrowed a well loved unit from a friend. Blown away.
Precog's IEM Reviews & Impressions
- Thread starter Precogvision
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Welcome in the club! It hits at DAPs at $1500, and can be a desktop device
FujiwaraMokou
New Head-Fier
I see. So you sold off DX300 because you prefer dongles for better convenience? But on the other hand, I was considering a DAP for convenience thou instead of dongles.
zootx
New Head-Fier
Around the home, I see a DAP as more convenient. Traveling with limited packing space, I see a dongle as more convenient.
FujiwaraMokou
New Head-Fier
It is just me with a phone with terrible battery life, or I would separate batteries for music and phone. Despite that, I still struggle to find the DAP for me.
Think below $1000 nothing beats Mojo2 and Hiby RS2.
Phone + Dongle doesnt do it for me for a few reasons:
1) its awkward to use except for an apple dongle type thing, but even then, feels awkward and i feel like im going to break it, and i cant charge and use at same time because....
2) drains my phone battery, which i dont want to do
3) phone notifications interrupt music, and i still want to be notified.
i only use my phone for tws music listening and podcasts. i love gbuds and airpod series.
1) its awkward to use except for an apple dongle type thing, but even then, feels awkward and i feel like im going to break it, and i cant charge and use at same time because....
2) drains my phone battery, which i dont want to do
3) phone notifications interrupt music, and i still want to be notified.
i only use my phone for tws music listening and podcasts. i love gbuds and airpod series.
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o0genesis0o
Headphoneus Supremus
Dongle + phone in pants pocket is a nightmare, usability wise. Longevity of the dongle, cable, and USB sockets are also questionable. Another issue with dongle that most reviews rarely mention is that they drain battery even when no music is playing.
To me, dongles are just too much of a hassle for inferior sound quality compared to a good DAP or battery powered amp. I keep a pair of UTWS5 with a good IEM for use cases that DAPs are not suitable.
These are really good points and I agree with everything you said.
Where I found dongles useful is to allow me to try different types of DAC architectures at a fraction of the cost. R2R and 1-bit DACs like the RU6/RU7 are 1/3rd to 1/10th the price of a quality DAP using the same architecture.
As someone wanting to try the different types and their resulting sounds, I found dongle DACs made it (relatively) accessible.
People demanding the very best will likely use a DAP and/or a desktop setup and I think there’s a target market for dongle DACs as well. They may not necessarily overlap.
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Andrew_WOT
Headphoneus Supremus
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Wireless BT dongle is great middle ground solution.
nihalsharma
500+ Head-Fier
Totally echoing my thoughts. I don’t know why few people go crazy for dongles when there is an absolute compromise on the sound quality - something which is noticeable quite easy. Nevertheless, they have their own reasons.
nihalsharma
500+ Head-Fier
I would love to hear few names. Which are the best BT dongles available in the market - price no bar?
o0genesis0o
Headphoneus Supremus
BTR7 is very solid. I A/B BTR7 with AAC bluetooth (the worst possible configuration, IMHO), and it does not fall behind my Shanling M6 Ultra playing local FLAC that much. Staging is similar, dynamic is similar, but micro detail especially in the upper treble is worse with BTR7.
I went with UTWS5 after more than an hour of A/B/C. Close enough BTR7 and M6 Ultra setups, vastly better than my BTR5 2019 version over AAC, and the most convenient.
Andrew_WOT
Headphoneus Supremus
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Second for FiiO BTR7, very solid LDAC implementation, this is what I use it with. Hardly any difference between USB and BT connection, even when using UAPP.
There’s a simple explanation for this - price.
Not all hobbyists are deep-pocketed or are willing to drop 1k+ on a DAP or other individual components of the audio chain.
There’s a passionate budget audiophile crowd that intentionally or through their budgetary constraints aims to spend as little as possible while attaining the highest possible quality audio at that price. $20 IEMs, $30 DACs, etc.
There’s simply no DAP to be had in that price range.
There are also other reasons why people may not want a DAP. Some people aren’t willing to carry around an entirely separate device for audio, even if that means compromising on sound.
DAPs can get pretty bulky and weighty and the UI can be lacking on many DAPs. DAPs also don’t retain their value well compared to other parts of the audio chain.
There are many ways to enjoy this hobby. There’s no need to impose onto others the way *you* enjoy the hobby, even if theirs is different from yours.
Not all hobbyists are deep-pocketed or are willing to drop 1k+ on a DAP or other individual components of the audio chain.
There’s a passionate budget audiophile crowd that intentionally or through their budgetary constraints aims to spend as little as possible while attaining the highest possible quality audio at that price. $20 IEMs, $30 DACs, etc.
There’s simply no DAP to be had in that price range.
There are also other reasons why people may not want a DAP. Some people aren’t willing to carry around an entirely separate device for audio, even if that means compromising on sound.
DAPs can get pretty bulky and weighty and the UI can be lacking on many DAPs. DAPs also don’t retain their value well compared to other parts of the audio chain.
There are many ways to enjoy this hobby. There’s no need to impose onto others the way *you* enjoy the hobby, even if theirs is different from yours.
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