ok, First impressions (just for the audio side, UI will be in the full review):
So far I have tried 2 headphones and 1 earbud with the i5:
Shozy Stardust earbud (hi-end earbud)
The tonality of the cayin blends nicely with the stardust signature, the bass hits hard and the mids has good body and very musical sounding, treble is smooth and not fatigueing, more laid back, relax listening experience, then using AK Jr.
despite the treble being more laid back, details in it still pops out here and there although the mids being more prominent will take your attention away from it anyway, but if you listen to it, it is there.
Mr Speakers Ether Flow
Just tried this today, honestly speaking, it is quite impressive, I didn't expect the unit to be powerfull enough to drive hi-end planars this well.
Bass geats more boost with some more meat in it, while still being tight with nice dynamics, the snap is there and still maintain the speed even on a blastbeat drum attack with death metal tracks.
Mids is push Forward a bit and has longer decays, the pairing provides some more lushness to the mids providing a more intimate experience(the mids is usually a little bit laid back on the ether flow), details are still there.
Treble gets toned down a bit while still having some edges and sparkles when needed, overall good treble, but the mids and bass get my attention most of the time.
comparing to my usual setup, this pairing is quite good and would be happy to use the i5 in a pinch, although my usual set up (Mojo -> Liquid Carbon -> Ether Flow) still beats it handily(and it should).
will try the i5 as DAC before the tour period ends.
Meze 99 Classics
Best pairing of the bunch IMO, very enjoyable experience.
Bass hits hard and deep with excellent extension, the quantity is definitely north of neutral by a decent amount, however it does not disrupt the mids at all. Very meaty and maintains good speed for metal tracks, works very well for metal and EDM.
Mids is again got pushed forward more and is an intimate experience, vocal decay is a tad longer than my usual combo (AK Jr -> meze 99), however it is very musical and engaging, the edges in screaming and growling vocals is smoothened a bit by the longer decay, but there are still plenty of details to satisfy.
Treble is smooth and laid back, cymbal hits is usually heard at the background behind the bass and mids, it never gets fatigueing (I actually feel that the bass dynamic attack is more fatigueing than the treble in the long run).
Overall Conclusion (for now)
Excellent performance in the bass and mids, although the laid back treble can make me question the tonality signature of choice sometimes, if it is too laid back or not I'm still unsure, I mean it is smooth and fatigue free but sometimes treble also needs to be given a chance to shine.
I can buy this unit for 559 AUD atm, for the price the performance definitely punch above its weight, I feel that the performance is about the same level as the X7 when I reviewed it (It was using the IEM module mind you, I never tried the full size hp module), give or take of course.
but the design of the unit is way better than the X7 IMO.
