[bavinck]

I don't think the bass is thin at all. I actually find the bass is nicely textured on the es100.

 

[Lurk650]

I think you may have a mentally challenged neighbour who keeps trying to connect to your ES100 haha.

Yeah I have no idea. It's really weird. This time though he Pause button on the device itself actually worked

 

[Elzizo]

My Fiio BTR3 came today. I'll try to do a write after a few days of listening to it. Some pictures and size comparison below. If you click on the last image it's a gif of both devices on:

 

[zerolight]

@Elzizo I'm interested in how similar they sound. Is the app out? How's the EQ?

 

[tim0chan]

@Elzizo I'm interested in how similar they sound. Is the app out? How's the EQ?

no eq or app whatsoever. thats why the es100 still exists. its not perfect but its the best we can have now

 

[Elzizo]

@Elzizo I'm interested in how similar they sound. Is the app out? How's the EQ?

So far, sound is very similar to the ES100. No app yet from Fiio, but apparently one is in the works. No independent EQ yet till the app is released.

Edit: after listening for a few hours, I'd say the Fiio is a touch on the brighter side compared to the ES100. Mids and Treble seem a little more forward. Bass seems about the same. My comparison IEM is the Audiofly AF1120, which is quite possibly the most neutral IEM I've ever heard.

 

[J The Killer]

So far, sound is very similar to the ES100. No app yet from Fiio, but apparently one is in the works. No independent EQ yet till the app is released.

Edit: after listening for a few hours, I'd say the Fiio is a touch on the brighter side compared to the ES100. Mids and Treble seem a little more forward. Bass seems about the same. My comparison IEM is the Audiofly AF1120, which is quite possibly the most neutral IEM I've ever heard.

Which one resolves better or has more detail?

 

[georgelai57]

The iPhone DAC isn't going to produce a true Lossless output though, 24 bit.

Thanks for the reply. I am trying to understand what I get via the ES100 as compared to the HO and indeed as compared to the DFR I have. For lossless ALAC.

If I was enlightened on that, then I’d quickly get one off Amazon.

 

[MyPants]

Thanks for the reply. I am trying to understand what I get via the ES100 as compared to the HO and indeed as compared to the DFR I have. For lossless ALAC.

If I was enlightened on that, then I’d quickly get one off Amazon.

The iPhone headphone output is limited in two ways vs the ES100. As far as I know, the iPhone can only output 16-bit audio, and its output power (and CURRENT) will be less than that of the ES100. So if all of your files are 16-bit, you're not getting any resolution bump at the DA stage. However, the DAC implementation in the ES100 is more sophisticated than the iPhone's so it should sound better between that and the increased amp power. As a side note, the iPhone also can't output to 2.5 mm balanced, so if that's something you're interested in, the ES100 is a very affordable option.

 

[Elzizo]

Which one resolves better or has more detail?

After a full day of listening back and forth between the 2, I'd have to say the Fiio BTR3 resolves better than the ES100 when strictly comparing 3.5mm unbalanced. The BTR3 is just a touch on the bright side, so female vocals and guitars really "pop", where they sound like velvet on the ES100 playing the same track. They really are pretty different devices the more I listen to each of them.

 

[trellus]

Joining the club, ordered it on Amazon today... excited!

 

[Elzizo]

Joining the club, ordered it on Amazon today... excited!

Welcome to the party! Just remember to run the latest firmware update first thing.

 

[C_Lindbergh]

Combine the BTR 3 design/material with the software/hardware of the ES100 Would be the perfect mobile bluetooth dac.

 

[crazyeva]

Combine the BTR 3 design/material with the software/hardware of the ES100 Would be the perfect mobile bluetooth dac.

 

[SubMash]

Just checked once again - EQ has a bug and in flat settings, it decreases volume... I don't hear any compression (I don't have test rig available now), but it's apparent volume change. I was wrong.
Filter selector still has a bug and after firmware, reinstall shows 2 options selected at the same time.

Also finally understood how this 2x voltage works - UI should be changed, it just increases maximum voltage if you set volume beyond -3dB to +2dB. Finally, I have enough SPL for HD650.
This is very unintuitive and really should be redesigned @wslee. For example, make an additional slider for overdriving (like another 12dB), but limit volume slider to what is actually possible with current output and settings selected. And while you are there - use only overdrive instead of EQ preamp, but make sure EQ settings change would never clip signal. User definable maximum volume also useful - one day I will burn SE846 by accident.

Switching between 2 ES100 on the same phone is annoying - it doesn't even show which device is which (only MAC).