[florence]

I think it depends on your usage scenario and personal preference in sound "type"

The micro BL has very powerful amp, better than a lot of desktop mains powered amps in fact, BUT most of that power comes from the inner battery (it uses a mix of USB power and battery to achieve it) so even if you use it as a desktop unit you have all that battery management stuff, which I personally find a bit annoying.

Wish they had put an optional power input to switch to when stationary (maybe powered by their own ipower wall wart).

DAC wise, the chip IFI likes to use is technically inferior for sure. They use it because it sounds very "analog". They say its distortion profile is similar to tubes distortion.

I am personally using the nano BL right now, which has the same dac chip as the micro, and I can conferm it does sound very lush and analog.

However from what I can hear it is not the cleanest or the most resolving dac out there.

iFi guys are very good at implementing it though, minimizing jitter, power and ground noise, etc.

Thanks for detailed reply. Comparing to your opinions regarding how it sounds, I find idsd micro black a bit linear not that much analog or tuby sound, also detailed. And I haven't noticed any distortion to the date since two years.

If D5 is more linear, might be better to head to another DAC then for me. Maybe RME because of EQ features but that's another story. It's doubled price of D5 and I don't know whether it worths to invest $1k in a DAC while there is topping and smsl offerings as well.

The important thing on D5 is ES9038PRO chip that I've never heard of. Still, no idea how it'll sound if I pair it to one of my electrostatic amps. Wish I had a chance to listen to before purchase.

 

[Alboxing]

Thanks for detailed reply. Comparing to your opinions regarding how it sounds, I find idsd micro black a bit linear not that much analog or tuby sound, also detailed. And I haven't noticed any distortion to the date since two years.

If D5 is more linear, might be better to head to another DAC then for me. Maybe RME because of EQ features but that's another story. It's doubled price of D5 and I don't know whether it worths to invest $1k in a DAC while there is topping and smsl offerings as well.

The important thing on D5 is ES9038PRO chip that I've never heard of. Still, no idea how it'll sound if I pair it to one of my electrostatic amps. Wish I had a chance to listen to before purchase.

Oh, so you already have the micro and were unsure if it is worth upgrading. I had imagined you had neither and were unsure which one to buy. Got it now.

Just out of curiosity, have you ever tried firmware 5.2?

My nano with 5.3 sounds very akin to most oversampling dacs, it only sounds "special" (warm/lush) on 5.2

 

[DaaDaa]

optical input => D5 => RCA outputs => MP LS => this thing via pangea headphone cord:

• the only mod relating to sound is adding a pad of Japanese unbleached pure cotton to tame the highs while leaving bass alone.
• the headband is modded with the uncomfortable original small pads cut off, the wires that make up the headband are attached together for added rigidity and then the whole thing is wrapped in sheepskin ZMF pilot pads.
• The ear pads are Audeze vegan pads

it is bass shy compared to my HD650 which is bass shy compared to my ZMF Atticus with is still bassshy compared to my Audeze LCD-2C but still very satisfying, balanced sound. Vocals are on point. no annoying emphasis on 4-8khz band in this song:



I like it better than HFM HE400i or MP M1060C.
so so much more comfortable. lol luxurious leather everywhere.

 

[DaaDaa]

this is a capable $40 headphone but the Audeze vegans are integral to both the bass and the midrage. before the vegans bass was still fine but midrange was a little sucked out, a little thin sounding.

 

[DaaDaa]

this headphone is also indestructible. I have sat on it, stepped on it, sent it flying across the room to hit the wall in a couple moments of frustration but it just refuses to die, i dare ya, do that to your fancy ZMF. If you look too harshly at Fostex T50TP its cord will crap itself and then the cord will end its own life by having a series of painful seizures.


by the end of the day though they still dont sound half as good as HD650 so sound wise it is just not worth putting the Audeze pads on them. I just had all these so I figured why the hell not.

 

[MarCo7]

D5 is on sale now @AliExpress, $371 + free shipping...

 

[Mij-Van]

D5 is on sale now @AliExpress, $371 + free shipping...

The ES9038 Pro for that price is a steal.

 

[MarCo7]

Mine is arriving today
got it for $360 during the AE sale.

 

[MarCo7]

And it's here!!!
I received my D5 today, so excited to put it to use. However, my unit doesn't seem to have an AC voltage selector like I've seen in previous pictures of the unit. That location in mine is covered up by a sticker. Anyone else's has it this way? Do I need to peel off the sticker?

 

[Light - Man]

^ Mine is also 220-240 volts with no voltage selector. What is the voltage of your location?

Even if your location is 110 volts, it will do no harm to your unit but it might not operate at its full potential.

 

[MarCo7]

^ Mine is also 220-240 volts with no voltage selector. What is the voltage of your location?

Even if your location is 110 volts, it will do no harm to your unit but it might not operate at its full potential.

I'm at 220v location so it appears all good. I turned it on without any problems. Letting it warm up a bit before using it.
I'm wondering if this is a hardware revision or has it been this way from the beginning and the pics are not accurate.

 

[adeseaso]

I got one on the sale as well. It's certainly great for $370.

I think it's a bit bright though, and I suspect the amp isn't quite as good as the DAC. I'll let it play a good while before coming to a conclusion.

My old trusty Hugo is not under any threat so far.

 

[Light - Man]

I got one on the sale as well. It's certainly great for $370.

I think it's a bit bright though, and I suspect the amp isn't quite as good as the DAC. I'll let it play a good while before coming to a conclusion.

My old trusty Hugo is not under any threat so far.

How long have you had it?

I thought that mine sounded a bit bright for the first half hour and then it settled down to a balanced sound. Not sure if it was just warming up or the benefits of some burn-in.

Early days for me but I much prefer it to the Chord 2Qute that I had and it is way-way more versatile..................................

Hey Panda @HungryPanda , what do you think of yours so far?

 

[HungryPanda]

I'm loving mine it has dethroned my beloved Fostex HPA4BL amp. Much punchier bass and the power is awesome as I have yet to go over 10. Honestly sounds very full using balanced is excellent

 

[Baten]

Early days for me but I much prefer it to the Chord 2Qute that I had and it is way-way more versatile..................................

Awesome!