[JaeYoon]

it seems like the htcu11 might be even better than the 10 in this since they've improved the phone all around.

I will definitely keep my eye on it! I can see how some do prefer the 10.

I mean I'm not too bothered about the look of HTC U11. I kept my HTC 10 in a leather case anyhow XD.

 

[RockStar2005]

It's been like that for a long time. Shanling M5 with single AKM4490 in the way it was built with skill. Blows away a lot of DAPs in it's range that have dual DACs sabre and what not. Completely black background.

I also supported HTC10 I think last year. Their Aqustic DAC/AMP was put in a way, where it's got good shielding and kinda warm sound that I really liked about it! HTC 10 AMP is pretty powerful too imo.

Interesting. So you've compared it to other DAPs in its price range yourself or is that just based on what you've read? Looks cool too. Nothing better than a completely black background!

Nice. The 10 actually has its own CUSTOM audio codec with Aqstic being only added in as a backup, per HTC. Also, dedicated DAC AND dedicated headphone amp.........more on that here. Very good article. Yes, the amp is VERY strong! 1.009 volts max output. That's WAY above average. Compared to the V20, I found it to be somewhere in between the V20's 2nd and 1st loudest impedance modes, and no special adapter necessary either!

 

[RockStar2005]

it seems like the htcu11 might be even better than the 10 in this since they've improved the phone all around.

It's possible. The amp is strong on both..........confirmed. I'm still waiting for more feedback on the 10's DAC to say whether or not its as good as the 10's though. I hope so, or that it's better.

 

[RockStar2005]

I will definitely keep my eye on it! I can see how some do prefer the 10.

I mean I'm not too bothered about the look of HTC U11. I kept my HTC 10 in a leather case anyhow XD.

Yeah I prefer my 10 overall vs. the U 11, which is why I'm not upgrading. No phablet, headphone jack present, unlocked 10 is T-Mobile certified for VoLTE, CONFIRMED (U 11, not sure yet), metal matte back looks nicer to me than shiny glass back of U 11, and no need for case either, etc.

Sony being too cheap to certify VoLTE (which includes HD Voice) for their unlocked phones was a MAJOR factor in me switching from them to HTC.

I see. I have a case for my 10 which I got 6 mos ago, but 2 mos ago I decided I liked it better w/o the case. Easier to take calls on when pressed against ear, and more pleasant to look at. Just gotta be extra slow when taking it out or putting it back in my pocket. lol

 

[JaeYoon]

Interesting. So you've compared it to other DAPs in its price range yourself or is that just based on what you've read? Looks cool too. Nothing better than a completely black background!

Nice. The 10 actually has its own CUSTOM audio codec with Aqstic being only added in as a backup, per HTC. Also, dedicated DAC AND dedicated headphone amp.........more on that here. Very good article. Yes, the amp is VERY strong! 1.009 volts max output. That's WAY above average. Compared to the V20, I found it to be somewhere in between the V20's 2nd and 1st loudest impedance modes, and no special adapter necessary either!

Yeah I have, I've traded my Mojo for a Onkyo DP-X1 including Opus 1 and AK70 and had some touches on Pioneer 300R and some other DAPs within that price range. I have been eyeing at Cayin I5. But N5 and N3 sound so similar to each other, andykong mentioned all the players do have that similar cayin house sound. I've tried so many daps within that price range last year and have pmed some members here who also have M5.

Also nice info on HTC 10. I don't remember seeing that! So there are some specs.

I found my old post here in this thread. I haven't visited this thread in so long until I heard of HTC 11.
https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/r...d-integrated-dac.807570/page-13#post-12658612

 

[RockStar2005]

Yeah I have, I've traded my Mojo for a Onkyo DP-X1 including Opus 1 and AK70 and had some touches on Pioneer 300R and some other DAPs within that price range. I have been eyeing at Cayin I5. But N5 and N3 sound so similar to each other, andykong mentioned all the players do have that similar cayin house sound. I've tried so many daps within that price range last year and have pmed some members here who also have M5.

Also nice info on HTC 10. I don't remember seeing that! So there are some specs.

I found my old post here in this thread. I haven't visited this thread in so long until I heard of HTC 11.
https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/r...d-integrated-dac.807570/page-13#post-12658612

Wow the Shanling M5 blows all those away?! Amazing! Only $449 on Amazon too. If anyone asks me for a strong DAP I'll recommend it then perhaps. Thanks!

How is it on battery life? And volume? Does it get loud if needed??

Yeah I've posted that article on here and other sites maybe 80 times at this point?! LOL

Yeah one article I saw said the Aqstic takes over for any non-streaming apps. I had HTC investigate this with their Special Projects Team (one level above Cust Serv), and they concluded that it wasn't true. So I dunno. Either way, it sounds AMAZING! I compared it with my old $299 Oppo HA-2 premium amp/DAC, and it MATCHED if not outdid it in quality and volume, where my old Sony Xperia X Perf did not on both fronts. So I sold the X Perf and HA-2 and now just directly connect my AKG K551s into my 10 directly. LOVE IT! lol

 

[JaeYoon]

Wow the Shanling M5 blows all those away?! Amazing! Only $449 on Amazon too. If anyone asks me for a strong DAP I'll recommend it then perhaps. Thanks!

How is it on battery life? And volume? Does it get loud if needed??

Yeah I've posted that article on here and other sites maybe 80 times at this point?! LOL

Yeah one article I saw said the Aqstic takes over for any non-streaming apps. I had HTC investigate this with their Special Projects Team (one level above Cust Serv), and they concluded that it wasn't true. So I dunno. Either way, it sounds AMAZING! I compared it with my old $299 Oppo HA-2 premium amp/DAC, and it MATCHED if not outdid it in quality and volume, where my old Sony Xperia X Perf did not on both fronts. So I sold the X Perf and HA-2 and now just directly connect my AKG K551s into my 10 directly. LOVE IT! lol

Shanling M5 has a powerful amp, and runs many headphones really well. Battery life is superb, I do remember it going beyond 9 hours - 10 if using mp3 even more.
however it's Achilles heel is that it's a very isolated music player. Completely offline, no wifi and bluetooth and definitely a dealbreaker to many people as Tidal is very popular here on headfi.

Though I would recommend Onkyo DP-X1 over M5 if you absolutely need Tidal and streaming services, wifi/bluetooth. Otherwise if someone wants a phone, I would say HTC 10 should be good enough. I find it competitive to V10 but sound signatures are different so tastes vary.
I'm glad you love the HTC 10 as well!

 

[RockStar2005]

Shanling M5 has a powerful amp, and runs many headphones really well. Battery life is superb, I do remember it going beyond 9 hours - 10 if using mp3 even more.
however it's Achilles heel is that it's a very isolated music player. Completely offline, no wifi and bluetooth and definitely a dealbreaker to many people as Tidal is very popular here on headfi.

Though I would recommend Onkyo DP-X1 over M5 if you absolutely need Tidal and streaming services, wifi/bluetooth. Otherwise if someone wants a phone, I would say HTC 10 should be good enough. I find it competitive to V10 but sound signatures are different so tastes vary.
I'm glad you love the HTC 10 as well!

Very nice!!

Well I could care less about streaming as I mostly listen to my own music, which consists of A LOT of Hi-Res music. Besides (mostly) not being mp3, these tracks are given better masters than what you get from streamed or even regular mp3s, and even CDs too, so they pretty much always sound the best. I prefer to listen from my phone, but there was a time a couple years ago I was into the DAP scene. Had the Sony Walkman A17 for a while. Was great. Even started a thread on here about it. lol

Yeah, the 10 is best for me. But I still like to be "in the know" about what DAPs are out there too. I compared my 10 to the V20 and it sounded just as good, if not better. It also gets pretty loud too. Somewhere between the 2nd and 1st loudest setting on the V20, but without the need for a special adapter. lol

 

[RockStar2005]

Shanling M5 has a powerful amp, and runs many headphones really well. Battery life is superb, I do remember it going beyond 9 hours - 10 if using mp3 even more.
however it's Achilles heel is that it's a very isolated music player. Completely offline, no wifi and bluetooth and definitely a dealbreaker to many people as Tidal is very popular here on headfi.

Though I would recommend Onkyo DP-X1 over M5 if you absolutely need Tidal and streaming services, wifi/bluetooth. Otherwise if someone wants a phone, I would say HTC 10 should be good enough. I find it competitive to V10 but sound signatures are different so tastes vary.
I'm glad you love the HTC 10 as well!

I also like that the M5 has a TEN-band EQ vs. 5-band. Just like Poweramp ftw!

 

[PsiCore]

Did anybody of you heard both m8 and m10? How do they differ sound wise?

 

[RockStar2005]

Did anybody of you heard both m8 and m10? How do they differ sound wise?

Most people who compare the two say the 10 (not M10) sounds noticeably better than the M8 on headphones. For speakers it's a different story, because then you're comparing 2 different speaker setups. Most people (including me) prefer the M8's "Classic BoomSound" setup, which is 2 front-facing STEREO speakers, where the 10's "Hi-Fi BoomSound" setup is 1 speaker on the front that handles the mids & treble, and a "woofer" on the BOTTOM side of the phone that handles the bass. I think there is SOME crossover of sound b/t the 2 on the 10, but not that much. I definitely prefer the "Theater Mode" on the 10 too. But the 10 ALSO has a KILLER dedicated DAC and dedicated headphone amp (READ THAT ARTICLE!) as well, which puts it above average vs. not only the M8, but pretty much every other phone out there except the V20, though I still prefer it over the V20 too. The DAC on the 10 does an EXCELLENT job of giving you clarity, soundstage, filtering out more of the hiss, etc. The amp on the 10 for headphones has a rating of 1.009 volts max output, which is definitely at the louder end of the spectrum. The Sony Xperia phones for example only have a headphone volume output of like 0.30-0.39 volts, so the HTC is almost TRIPLE that! I compared it to my old $299 Oppo HA-2 DAC/amp, and it MATCHED if not outdid the Oppo in sound quality. Other phones I'd tried did not.

So you have to ask yourself what's more important? For me, it's DEFINITELY headphone audio, so the 10 is the OBVIOUS choice. But if you listen a lot more via phone speakers, then I'd go with the M8. The 10 is also newer so obviously there are other advantages to having it vs. the M8. If you get the 10 though, I'd wait a week or two b/c the U 11 is about to be released and so HTC will surely lower the price. It's at $599 now, which I think is a lot, but in a week or two I'm guessing it will go down to either $549 or $499. We'll see. I got lucky back in January and found a $100 off coupon on retailmenot.com and so I got it for $499. But those codes don't always work.

Note: Topaz Gold 10 that I got is only available on eBay now, at least in the U.S. Not sure where you reside.

Hope that helps!

 

[PsiCore]

So you have to ask yourself what's more important? For me, it's DEFINITELY headphone audio, so the 10 is the OBVIOUS choice.

I'm only interested in headphone out.

The reason I'm asking is, I compared today M8 to Fiio X5iii. Although HTC was slightly more v-shaped, it had a bit less subbass. As I'm a basshead I don't want to loose Fiios subbass extension, so I was wondering if M10 has more or less subbass than M8.

 

[RockStar2005]

I'm only interested in headphone out.

The reason I'm asking is, I compared today M8 to Fiio X5iii. Although HTC was slightly more v-shaped, it had a bit less subbass. As I'm a basshead I don't want to loose Fiios subbass extension, so I was wondering if M10 has more or less subbass than M8.

Well then you're gonna like my answer lol..............

I can confirm that the 10 is WARMER than the M8, and by warmer I mean MORE BASS. In fact, when I play it in my car, I have to turn my car stereo system's Bass EQ DOWN to like -5 or -6! lol I've never had to do that before!

 

[PsiCore]

Well then you're gonna like my answer lol..............

I can confirm that the 10 is WARMER than the M8, and by warmer I mean MORE BASS. In fact, when I play it in my car, I have to turn my car stereo system's Bass EQ DOWN to like -5 or -6! lol I've never had to do that before!

That sounds good! And what about rest of the spectrum? Is it still a slight V-shaped response or more L-shaped? I'm guessing separation, details etc. are better than on M8?

 

[voxie]

@PsiCore ... RockStar2005 is the go to guy regarding the SQ of the HTC10 LOL. The 10 is a lot more dynamic through the frequency range than the M8. Much better clarity and separation. But then again, it depends on the daisy chain re music files and headphones. I have had more or less every flag ship phone and the 10 beats them all. IMHO