[Artem]

Hi all,

I've read from the reviews here that every source/amp/IEM has got some of their unique characteristics. Are these things additive?

Like if I use a bight source with a bright amp, paired with a bright IEM, will i get a sound that is overly bright that it sounds harsh? If that is the case, then will a bright source be a better pairing with a warm sounding IEM?

I'm also curious about how all these affects the soundstage too. A review said that the Fiio X3 has got excellent soundstage, so if i pair with an IEM with good soundstage, will I get the max soundstage possible?

Hope I'm coherent enough..

 

[tomb]

Hi all,

I've read from the reviews here that every source/amp/IEM has got some of their unique characteristics. Are these things additive?

Like if I use a bight source with a bright amp, paired with a bright IEM, will i get a sound that is overly bright that it sounds harsh? If that is the case, then will a bright source be a better pairing with a warm sounding IEM?

I'm also curious about how all these affects the soundstage too. A review said that the Fiio X3 has got excellent soundstage, so if i pair with an IEM with good soundstage, will I get the max soundstage possible?

Hope I'm coherent enough..

 
In very general terms, most of what you say is correct.  Still, you're probably better off pursuing sources and amps that are as neutral as possible.  You could end up chasing your tail doing otherwise.
 
One caveat - "sounds harsh" is usually an indication of distortion.  Many headphones have inherent distortion levels that are magnitudes higher than any amp or source.  However, the human ear seems most sensitive to this on the high-end.  If an amp or source is "bright" with a prominent high-end, it can bring this out more than usual.  I wouldn't say it's brightness by itself.  You can have a headphone with a superlative high-end response and never sound harsh - or you can have the reverse.