Radsone EarStudio ES100
Sep 21, 2018 at 12:38 AM Post #2,777 of 6,673
This is a little off topic, but this was posted on /r/headphones the other day and it was a really interesting watch. Compares streaming services and the quality they offer in an A / B test with the master track.

Which STREAMING SERVICE SOUNDS the BEST?:

With my own testing I could barely tell a difference between Spotify Hi and Tidal, what won me over is that Spotify UI and music selection is much, much better
 
Sep 21, 2018 at 2:11 AM Post #2,778 of 6,673
Spotify is working on an hifi service. A little bird told me it would launch during this summer but I have not heard anything after that.
 
Sep 21, 2018 at 4:19 AM Post #2,779 of 6,673
This is a little off topic, but this was posted on /r/headphones the other day and it was a really interesting watch. Compares streaming services and the quality they offer in an A / B test with the master track.

Which STREAMING SERVICE SOUNDS the BEST?:

Silly test - he should asked the owner of the record label if they submitted a different master to Apple iTunes maybe cause of "Mastered for iTunes".
If you look at the waveform of his master the louder part seems to be very loud (not saying brickwalled) and the Apple Music one is not as loud as his master by far on these parts. - So either they did a completely different master or at least reworked his submitted project before handing it over to Apple.
<edit> And as this video shows, he was doing his projects only in 48 kHz until recently while at least 96 is standard since looong time:
And other Videos show he has many old-school opinions. (tending to compressing and limiting)</edit>

It's logical that the whole subtracting one Waveform from the other and listen to differences only is giving comparable results you can work with, when both Waveforms should be the same. - But that isn't if the master is completely different....
..and he never says if it sounds better or not - only different.


<Another Edit>
My ranking of streaming Services Audio quality
Total number 1: Qobuz Sublime+
--big gap-
2. Tidal Masters with MQA Hardware unfold
3. Tidal Masters with Software unfold
--gap--
4. Qobuz Hifi + Tidal Hifi + Deezer Elite
5. (sometimes 3 1/2) Apple Music (Uses often different Masters and these ones are often even better than the once at place 4)
6. Qobuz Premium + Deezer Premium+
7. Spotify, Amazon Music unlimited, Google Play Music (or whatever it is called now)
8. Soundcloud, Pandora and others
9. Youtube
 
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Sep 21, 2018 at 11:09 AM Post #2,780 of 6,673
<Another Edit>
My ranking of streaming Services Audio quality
Total number 1: Qobuz Sublime+
--big gap-
2. Tidal Masters with MQA Hardware unfold
3. Tidal Masters with Software unfold
--gap--
4. Qobuz Hifi + Tidal Hifi + Deezer Elite
5. (sometimes 3 1/2) Apple Music (Uses often different Masters and these ones are often even better than the once at place 4)
6. Qobuz Premium + Deezer Premium+
7. Spotify, Amazon Music unlimited, Google Play Music (or whatever it is called now)
8. Soundcloud, Pandora and others
9. Youtube

I think I'll just go along with your ranking - it looks like it makes sense. Now for the ongoing wait for Qobuz to be available in Canada. Hmm, I see though that Qobuz Sublime is 350€/year (ie $590CAD). I had Tidal hifi for a while, but the $20/month pricetag wasn't doing it for me (when combined with the $10/month subscription for Frisky Radio), so I went back down to the $10/month regular tidal. So I'm a a "7" right now, and might get back up to "4" someday. How depressing lol! But I think I'll probably have to win a lottery and get some better ears before I become a "1"! :)
 
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Sep 21, 2018 at 1:06 PM Post #2,781 of 6,673
I don't have the ES100, but tonight I'm gonna see if I can notice a difference in my Poweramp app between 24/48 and 24/96. So far two people on here have claimed 24/48 sounds more natural and has more punch which I like, while the 24/96 sounds great but adds more air to the song, which some may like too. We'll see.

I tried switching between the two last night on a few songs, but could NOT tell a difference on my end. Though that doesn't mean I wouldn't be able to hear a difference via the ES100.
 
Sep 21, 2018 at 2:59 PM Post #2,782 of 6,673
Yeah it's through YT, we won't hear a difference. I went to Spotify and listened and it sounded way better (of course). Don't have Tidal anymore to test. Either way. I love Spotify music discovery and I love the ES100
 
Sep 21, 2018 at 3:24 PM Post #2,783 of 6,673
It's funny he is using a track with a highly processed vocal, which would make it harder to hear differences anyway.

This is a little off topic, but this was posted on /r/headphones the other day and it was a really interesting watch. Compares streaming services and the quality they offer in an A / B test with the master track.

Which STREAMING SERVICE SOUNDS the BEST?:
 
Sep 21, 2018 at 4:34 PM Post #2,784 of 6,673
I LOVE my ES100 and want to buy a couple of extra charging/data cables. What exactly are these? Proprietary? Thought I knew my cables, but any help is appreciated. Thanks.
 
Sep 21, 2018 at 5:00 PM Post #2,786 of 6,673
Thanks. I just checked and you are correct. I think the snugness threw me off til I put it side by side with another for comparison. I use this on a short 3.5mm cable (5") to my Philips Fidelio X2 and it totally rocks. The single best audio purchase ever! Awesome,Awesome,Awesome!!
 
Sep 22, 2018 at 7:49 AM Post #2,787 of 6,673
I've just posted my review of this amazing little gadget. Enjoy :kissing_closed_eyes:
https://primeaudio.org/earstudio-es100-review/

Radsone Earstudio ES100 IE 800 S.jpg
 
Sep 22, 2018 at 12:40 PM Post #2,788 of 6,673
I've just posted my review of this amazing little gadget. Enjoy :kissing_closed_eyes:
https://primeaudio.org/earstudio-es100-review/


Nice review!

USB DAC
The Earstudio ES100 can be used as an external DAC. It works with Windows, MAC and Linux operating systems. It’s worth noting that the sample rate is restricted to 16 bit 48000 Hz in Windows due to hardware limitations. I believe it does go higher on the MAC but even so, it still sounds great from my Windows PC and is certainly a step up from the onboard audio.

The above should be updated though due to the latest FW updates:

Screenshot_20180922-093832_EarStudio.jpg
 
Sep 22, 2018 at 1:01 PM Post #2,789 of 6,673
Nice review!



The above should be updated though due to the latest FW updates:

Thanks for the heads up. I didn't want to change the firmware mid-review for the sake of consistency (and fear of bricking it in the process haha). I updated to 1.4.2 just now. Time for some testing ^_^
 

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