[nc8000]

Just joint the club with the WM1A today here in Saigon. Took awhile to get it loaded up with music and charged up. Now I am gong through all my full size cans to see what each is like. Fresh out of the box in the first 3 hours the HD800S even on high gain has very little volume on SE. The z1R Sony is ok volume on the 4.4. And now trying the Hifiman Edition X v1, still no bass at all. Might need a few days or might be best only with IEM's? I never liked my IEM since I don't like the way it feel inside my ear. I only do full size cans now. Let's see what happens by morning? Any thoughts guys and gals?

Are you using high gain ?

 

[Smileyko]

High gain turned all the way to 120. Mahler symphonies the soft passages are hardly any sound at all. Maybe I leave it all night with the HD800s turn up all the way. Cheers friend.

 

[flinkenick]

So does the balanced amp need to be burned in separately if it's a different circuitry? Or does it use the same amp as SE?

 

[flipper203]

So does the balanced amp need to be burned in separately if it's a different circuitry? Or does it use the same amp as SE?

need to be burned separately

 

[nc8000]

High gain turned all the way to 120. Mahler symphonies the soft passages are hardly any sound at all. Maybe I leave it all night with the HD800s turn up all the way. Cheers friend.

Balanced high gain 120 on my 1Z is loud enough for classical symphonies with HE-6 but they are not well driven but then nobody would expect that as HE-6 is probably one of the hardest phones to drive

 

[gerelmx1986]

So does the balanced amp need to be burned in separately if it's a different circuitry? Or does it use the same amp as SE?

separate burn in required

 

[gerelmx1986]

High gain turned all the way to 120. Mahler symphonies the soft passages are hardly any sound at all. Maybe I leave it all night with the HD800s turn up all the way. Cheers friend.

maybe you need to get some more efficient headphones like MDR-Z7 which are loud enough for classical music with balanced, I've used up to 88 high gain on certain low volume masters

 

[animalsrush]

Have read up a fair bit on the K10 & Encore but some say better, others say just different compared to the SE846's. Will try to test at some point but can't go blind purchase on them as over £1,800 in UK for the Encore. Currently pursuing source improvement over any new IEM's hence my interest in the Hugo 2 vs 1A as the 1Z is too far over my financial comfort zone as can only find new.

Did previously enjoy the excellent Mojo so expecting 1A & Hugo 2 to improve on that (if cost is any indication anyway, which I know it isn't always as I'm finding the Fiio X5III is bargain vs performance).

Note of blind buying .. I bought my K10s blind after reading 20 5 star reviews. I had moved from excellent Westone ES5 and i hated the sound of K10s so much so i was planning to dump them. Did 2 things replaced cable with DHC symbiote and allowed it to burn in 200 hrs .. Then magic happened it opened up and detail retrieval was sooo good and they sound so much fuller that it made my trusted Westone ES5 sound tinny which btw was my fav CIEM for 5 years. So advice on Noble sound you may not like it first but grows on you.. Also have you looked at non IEM options .. I use Oppo Pm3 when i am working and they sound amazing with Wm1z. i think they provide 80% of K10 sound at 1/4 the price .. I also heard Focal Elear is very good .. Just food for thought

PC

 

[kubig123]

Experimenting isine 20 with balance cable.

 

[AnakChan]

I think you have to use each device in it's best possible setting otherwise you might dismiss a device based on far less than wat it can perform

Two parts where I'd have to politely disagree. I believe more in comparing like-for-like and if one is able to do more, that is the bonus.

2nd part is that @EagleWings comparison is really just only comparing the two - I don't believe he's actually dismissing one or the either.

 

[nc8000]

Two parts where I'd have to politely disagree. I believe more in comparing like-for-like and if one is able to do more, that is the bonus.

2nd part is that @EagleWings comparison is really just only comparing the two - I don't believe he's actually dismissing one or the either.

I kind of agree, but in my opinion, at least if the goal is to try and decide which is best, you can't not use what is the best feature of a given piece of kit.

On the other hand if the purpose is solely to decide which is purely the best single ended device then ignoring the balanced is fair enough

 

[EagleWings]

@echineko and @nc8000 , thanks for your kind feedback. I understand that it would be more fair to compare the devices in their fullest potential. I would have been happy to test the 1Z through 4.4mm balanced. Unfortunately I couldn't get my hands on a 4.4mm terminated cable. I definitely have it on my wishlist to try the Balanced sometime.

nc8K, as @AnakChan mentioned, I am not dismissing the 1Z. My message in the last paragraph was, these 2 devices fall in different categories, as they are tuned with different philosophies, and would cater to different crowds. LPG with its brighter tone, better resolution, note articulation and precision, falls on the technical side, in comparison to the warmer and smoother sounding 1Z. I couldn't find a suitable term to describe the category into which the 1Z falls.

I did not want to write: LPG excels in 'technicality' and 1Z excels in 'musicality'. Because I know members here, for whom, a technical sound is more musical. So the word 'musical' is subjective and ambiguous. And words like 'organic' or 'analogous' are loosely defined. That is the reason, I went to the extent of explaining, how 1Z would suit the crowd, who want a more forgiving sound, while retaining the desirable characteristics such as resolution, large stage, separation and layering.

 

[Smileyko]

Good Morning from Vietnam. I will now go through the thread and learn from the beginning. You see here in Saigon being an expat I mostly have to buy blind. It suits me, impulse buyer at large. This is my very first DAP, I really bought it because I will be coming back to LA in June and I wanted an all in one kind of gear. I can see now I need the 4.4 to all my good 3.5 cable adapter. I see Moon has one for $125, I have the silver dragon. Is this a good enough choice? PM me folks with websites that sell this plag with Thanks. Cheers mate.

 

[animalsrush]

Good Morning from Vietnam. I will now go through the thread and learn from the beginning. You see here in Saigon being an expat I mostly have to buy blind. It suits me, impulse buyer at large. This is my very first DAP, I really bought it because I will be coming back to LA in June and I wanted an all in one kind of gear. I can see now I need the 4.4 to all my good 3.5 cable adapter. I see Moon has one for $125, I have the silver dragon. Is this a good enough choice? PM me folks with websites that sell this plag with Thanks. Cheers mate.

Are you looking for adapter or cable.. for adapter there are good ones from plussound.. if you are looking for 4.4 balanced cable options check out effect audio, plussound or Norne audio.. I have one coming from effect audio called lionheart for my CIEM and for my headphone used one from Norne audioPC

 

[Smileyko]

Thanks @animalsrush, I just pull the trigger on Moon Audio very short half a foot cable. I also bought from Effect and Labkable in days past. I email them already. I wanted to try both versions, plugs and the short connection cables. Most thankful.