[m4rkw]

The Fiio one is still too long, and I want something a bit more sturdy really.

 

[kolbo]

@kolbo:
I don't think it's a good idea to increase the analog volume.
Keeping both the digital volume and the preamp at 0dB would give you the best performance.
WS

After playing with it I agree - overall quality seem a bit worse once I engage the equalizer.

 

[waynes world]

@waynes world:
Just launched in Canada.
WS

Ask and ye shall receive! Thanks & ordered

I just ordered one. I'll ask for forgiveness later. She took my BTR1 so that's an excuse right?

Sounds like a perfectly valid excuse to me! I'll be interested in your thoughts of the BTR1 versus the ES100. I wished that the BTR1 had more battery life, so the ES100 will make me happy in that regard. The BTR1 sounded great to me in APTX, and if the ES100 sounds as good in APTX I'll be happy (but I have a suspicion that it will sound better). And it seems to have so many other interesting features and options. And it is more future-proof for me in that it supports balanced output and APTX HD (for whenever I get a phone that supports it). Oh yeah, and I can use it as a phone or laptop dac if I want. Sheesh - now I'm getting more excited for this little beast!

 

[antdroid]

The Fiio one is still too long, and I want something a bit more sturdy really.

This is too long? Its 60cm
http://www.fiio.net/en/products/70

 

[m4rkw]

way too long

 

[antdroid]

way too long

The ones I'm ordering on AliExpress are 50cm. Thats a little bit shorter. I have no idea when it'll come though. I also bought some 2.5mm connectors to make them balanced.

 

[grogg]

I would like to hear someone's thoughts on the ES100 sound quality vs the BTR1. Getting close to putting in an order for the ES100 but I want to know if the $60 CDN price difference will be worth it.

 

[waynes world]

Wow, I didn't know about the Radsone Hi-Res Player app. Seems quite sophisticated, and I have a lot to learn (will have to go back and re-read posts about DCT etc).

My S7 edge (exynos) has a "Adapt sound" feature and makes the S7 edge sound great for wired headphones (not so great without it turned on). I was surprised to find that the adapt sound feature also seemed to improve the SQ when using the the BTR1 (I thought that with the BTR1 having it's own dac, that the adapt sound feature wouldn't affect it). I'm not sure what my point is, except that it will be interesting to see how that feature interacts with the ES100, and it will be interesting to see how the Radsone player and DCT etc affects things.

 

[Soaa-]

I would like to hear someone's thoughts on the ES100 sound quality vs the BTR1. Getting close to putting in an order for the ES100 but I want to know if the $60 CDN price difference will be worth it.

My own experience with the BTR1 was that it put out a ton of noise. I'm hoping that the ES100 will be much quieter.

 

[wslee]

This is too long? Its 60cm
http://www.fiio.net/en/products/70

It's just a 3.5mm single ended MMCX.
I suggest buying a 2.5mm full balance MMCX cable.
WS

 

[wslee]

@Soaa:

As you know,
High sensitivity means that the unit can deliver much more acoustic loudness with lower electrical power.
High sensitivity can be achieved by using very light-weighted and robust diaphragm and strong permanent magnet,
so that lower electric power to the coil can generate wider physical movement eventually.

Just like a light-weighted vehicle, the most advantage of high sensitivity unit is efficiency.
It consumes less electrical power and fits for the most portable use case, in case of the same unit impedance assumed.

Due to the limited output power and battery life of many smartphones,
it seems that many makers started to release the high sensitivity IEMs.

For example,
with an AMP output power 10mWatt and the same unit impedance,
A 16-Ohm IEM with sensitivity 80dB SPL/mW provides just 90dB SPL, which is not enough,
while a 16-ohm IEM with 120dB SPL delivers 130dB SPL, which is too loud.

The blind spot is that 130dB SPL is too loud.
Eventually, you always need to get the volume down at some lower level for a high sensitivity unit.

In digital volume control,
as you lower the volume down, you will get less bit resolution, eventually getting poor sound quality.

Also, system noise floor is critical to high sensitivity IEM,
because small electrical noise can make the diaphragm moving.

In summary, IMHO,
the analog volume control is more critical to high sensitivity IEMs,
than the output impedance, maximum output power, and THD+N specification of an amplifier.

With analog volume control,
you can get the volume down without dropping any bit resolution,
while having the noise floor move down following the volume level.

ES100 may not be able to give you enough sound quality that you expected.
But please keep the above in your mind when you make a choice on any amplifier for your IEMs.

Thanks and Regards,
WS

One more comment.

In case the DAC/AMP has the analog volume,
and with single-ended output,
the high sensitivity IEM would be a better option.

The amplifier doesn't need to work hard for a High Sensitivity IEM,
because lower output power would deliver enough loudness.
Eventually, the less current flow, less heat, less overload, and less ground noise would help the amplifier perform the best,
providing the better THD+N and channel separation.

Especially, because the PCB is very small, the ground reference is physically very tiny.
Ideally, the ground should be fixed at zero,
but in reality, it vibrates slightly in accordance with the output power.
And that makes common mode noise to L and R.
L~GND, R~GND feed to each ear unit and common GND makes both ear units slightly move together.

That's why we need to use the full-balanced 2.5mm output,
which use L+/L-, R+/R- without any common ground,
for better sound quality.

Anyway, If well conditioned with the analog volume and assumed the same loudness,
the amplifier would deliver the better THD+N and channel separation to a high sensitivity IEM.

Hope this helps you.
WS


Thanks and Regards,
WS

 

[Roll]

At the time, I thought this was too short re the cable that Radsone sold as an add-on.

https://www.kickstarter.com/project...rst-studio-quality-bluetooth-re/posts/1905531

There is a link to the manufacture on the 2.5mm MMCX Cable 19 inch

 

[PiSkyHiFi]

I got my 2.5mm balanced cable from https://www.dysonaudio.com/ - I think you can request cable length. Mine is also too long, but I use it with non-bluetooth devices too, so I manage.

I then bought a small 2.5mm balanced to 3.5mm converter for other devices similar to this:

https://www.amazon.com/FI10015-L26-...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=MDQT2HW7X7MV3KSRKMZT

 

[zolom]

Got a 60cm braided copper balance cable, with 2.5 connector, made by Ted Allen.
See my posts #177 and #181 above.

Connecting either SE846 or (mostly) FiiO F9 Pro IEMs.
Length and comfort are optimal for me. Very satisfied with it.

 

[antdroid]

Got a 60cm braided copper balance cable, with 2.5 connector, made by Ted Allen.
See my posts #177 and #181 above.

Connecting either SE846 or (mostly) FiiO F9 Pro IEMs.
Length and comfort are optimal for me. Very satisfied with it.

A few things:

I got the ES100 today. Some initial impressions and comparison to BTR1:

The build quality is alright. I think the BTR1 is built better and feels better which is saying something at half the price. The ES100 is extremely light weight, but it is plastic vs aluminum. That said, sound quality is excellent on the ES100. I built my own balanced cables this morning, but I'll just put my impressions of SE vs SE and I think the ES100 wins on this one. It's very subtle though. I am listening on a pair of Audeze Sines and iSine 10s. I think the ES100 has slightly more power and it shows. Listening to Norah Jones, it sounds a little more full bodied in the ES100 and less harsh when I raised the volume. The detail levels are very similar, but the ES100 seems to smooth out any harshness that the BTR1 has. Again, its very subtle. The ES100 can get much louder than the BTR1 with my Audeze Sines. It's even more loud using my DIY balanced cable.

Speaking of which, I made a balanced 2.5mm cable for both the Sine and iSine today. The iSine one was made short (under 2 feet) for travel purposes:
https://imgur.com/a/Ue80t

It seems like using Apt-X HD drains battery on the device quite fast. The android interface on the app is very useful. I like that this device is sort of a DSP which is extremely useful for the iSine which needs EQ to shine. Anyway, I'll post some more when I get a chance to listen to it more. I really like my BTR1 and have been using it off and on for months, but it may be time to part ways with it.

On a side note: The BTR1 is Apt-X while running the ES100 in Apt-X HD. I dont know if the slight harshness difference is due to compression differences or not...


One more thing, just trying this on USB Audio via my Android. Output seems a lot quieter than via Bluetooth. I tried both Poweramp and Hiby Player as well as Spotify. Am I doing something wrong?