[x RELIC x]

Guys, this is his first exposure to this sort of thing. KrumpyCakes is being recommended to be thrown in to the deep end, all the way to the cable side which should be the very last upgrade possible. What do you think is going to happen when this high end revealing gear shows dynamic compression or bit rate compression or poorly mastered tracks he isn't used to hearing in music and can't identify the problem? He'll be very unhappy at the outlay of cash and then spend hours wondering/asking why it doesn't work as advertised.

My advice is to spend $200 US on a FiiO X3 II and listen to that with the Shure SE846 and get used to that first. Coming from a phone you should be pleased at the sound quality possible. You can still hear flaws in the recordings or pick out poorly produced music easily but the frustration will be much less because the outlay is much less. It gets better from there but at massively diminishing returns. After a while KrumpyCakes can have a better understanding of the terminology, exposure to high res files and he can determine for himself if the upgrades are worth it.

I'll just say that without going on the journey one can not appreciate the higher end gear for the nuances they offer. Something like the X3 II is relatively cheap and hits well above its price in performance so it's a fantastic place to start.

Edit: The DAC in the X3 II is the same one used in the AK240, just in single configuration, and is implemented very well.

 

[Whazzzup]

Totaly agree baby steps. For others who have alo cables after sampling a few cables a serious step up in quality and sonic improvement is dhc. Expensive and patience is well rewarded

 

[KrumpyCakes]

Thanks RELIC, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed to be honest haha.

 

[x RELIC x]

Thanks RELIC, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed to be honest haha.

No problem, we've all been there.

 

[HiFiChris]

 

  For example the Logitech UE900 cable.

I think Shure uses a custom MMCX connector that deviates a bit from the standard. My UE900 cables are a bit loose on the SE846 and that results in the sound cutting off almost every time the cable moves in a certain direction. With the stock cables that never happens.

 
Propably minimal production tolerance or another supplier for the SE846. I know quite a lot of people have ordered the UE900 cables for their SE 2xx, 4xx and 5xx and didn't have any issues at all. I could try my 846 with the Logitech cable but I won't as I think it is better not to disconnect the cables if it is not necessary.
 

Feeling pretty dumb, but whats the connector type from the cable to the iems?

MMCX aka Micro Miniature Coaxial. Imo 2-pin and those new T2 connectors are much better and more durable than the MMCX ones.

 

[dolphy007]

Hi All, This is my first post, please be gentle.

Krumpy, I've owned the se846 for two weeks and I have been using them with my AK100 MK2. I think I've hit the sweet spot with this combo. I demoed the se846 with the AK240 and personally I couldn't justify the $3000 price difference.

The only two upgrades I'd like to do is get silver cables and the custom plugs.

Anyone else using the same combo as me?

 

[AndrewH13]

Thanks RELIC, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed to be honest haha.

 
You made the mistake of saying      "Best portable hifi sources? (No budget)"
 
Very dangerous to say that around here!   It's all good fun learning though. You have to decide where you want to jump in, at the top and no need to upgrade, or lower down and enjoy the journey. 

 

[KrumpyCakes]

I'll keep that in mind Andrew, thanks

 

[cvbcbcmv]

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[Sound Eq]

the bass slam is amazing but man sometimes i just can not handle the mids and highs, i do not know what else to do besides using the black filters, and i do not want to sleeves now as i feel maybe that will add to the problem of the highs and mids as the sound will shoot more into my ear canal
 
and i find using different tips makes a huge difference and i have the westone ones various sizes but still i can not find the best tip to suit me, maybe there are better tips than the weston ones
 
also the shure is my only iem i own so i do not know if the mids and highs are all like the shure and that is the best i can get
 
i like warm full bass sound

 

[Caruryn]

  the bass slam is amazing but man sometimes i just can not handle the mids and highs, i do not know what else to do besides using the black filters, and i do not want to sleeves now as i feel maybe that will add to the problem of the highs and mids as the sound will shoot more into my ear canal
 
and i find using different tips makes a huge difference and i have the westone ones various sizes but still i can not find the best tip to suit me, maybe there are better tips than the weston ones
 
also the shure is my only iem i own so i do not know if the mids and highs are all like the shure and that is the best i can get
 
i like warm full bass sound

Get the comply t100 they accentuate the bass but smooth the highs and the treble spikes at the cost of losing slightly upper detail.The star tips are good but boost treble and are rough sounding especially after you mod the blue filter so probably not for you.After experimenting with every tip you can imagine apart from custom i still find the shure olives the most balanced still.

 

[Sound Eq]

  Get the comply t100 they accentuate the bass but smooth the highs and the treble spikes at the cost of losing slightly upper detail.The star tips are good but boost treble and are rough sounding especially after you mod the blue filter so probably not for you.After experimenting with every tip you can imagine apart from custom i still find the shure olives the most balanced still.

i went to t100 site which one shall i choose can u send the link as there many options, as for the westone star tips i already have them

 

[Caruryn]

http://www.complyfoam.com/products/ts-100/
Big bass,musical,toned down highs.

 

[Sound Eq]

  http://www.complyfoam.com/products/ts-100/
Big bass,musical,toned down highs.

thanks what about the tsx100 its more expensive are they better than the ts100

 

[spook76]

I'll keep that in mind Andrew, thanks

My two cents.

Welcome to the crazy world of head-fi. My advice of where to start is quite simple, the source. Start with making your music library lossless (FLAC, ALAC, WAV etc.) as it is the basis of everything we listen to through all the DAPs, DACs, amplifiers and cables and ultimately the SE846.

p.s. Also, when updating a library be very mindful of the master you are purchasing. When buying an album more than 10 years old check for a remastered version and search the Internet to gauge reaction to the new remaster. The same album can sound quite different depending the mastering.