[ImperialBlade]

  Anybody out here who has tried both Spiral Dot and Spinfit tips on the Z5?
I really like the Spiral Dots but I'm still a bit curious how the Spinfit tips compare to them...
(Btw, I already saw Dopaminer sells them for $10 a pair)

Hello Kerouac,
 
I am awaiting my Z5 to ship to me. When I receive it, I can compare them, using a Pono Player as source. I just got the Spinfits yesterday and I already have Spiral Dots from my JVC HA-FX850.
 
Regards,
Eric

 

[Kerouac]

  Hello Kerouac,
 
I am awaiting my Z5 to ship to me. When I receive it, I can compare them, using a Pono Player as source. I just got the Spinfits yesterday and I already have Spiral Dots from my JVC HA-FX850.
 
Regards,
Eric

Aaah, that's great! Thanks in advance Eric...

 

 

[RedJohn456]

Sp I got back my Z5 with the modified custom tips and now the sound bore is wider to match the iem. Sounds much better and the treble is back to normal. This thing sounds so good its not even funny. The tips improve the sound over the stock tips instead of changing it for worse. Definitely worth it to get these tips and they work on basically most normal sized iems! Next step is to get a good matching amp for my Z5

 

[ImperialBlade]

  Sp I got back my Z5 with the modified custom tips and now the sound bore is wider to match the iem. Sounds much better and the treble is back to normal. This thing sounds so good its not even funny. The tips improve the sound over the stock tips instead of changing it for worse. Definitely worth it to get these tips and they work on basically most normal sized iems! Next step is to get a good matching amp for my Z5

RedJohn456,
 
Many folks who have the Pono Music player are reporting fantastic results when using the Z5 in balanced mode.
I can report my own findings next week when I get my Z5 to try on the Pono.
Might be an option for you!
 
Regards,
Eric

 

[RedJohn456]

  RedJohn456,
 
Many folks who have the Pono Music player are reporting fantastic results when using the Z5 in balanced mode.
I can report my own findings next week when I get my Z5 to try on the Pono.
Might be an option for you!
 
Regards,
Eric

Thanks Eric. I was set on getting the Pono until I realized that they can't be used as a usb dac/amp for laptops. I stream most of my music so a strictly offline player wouldn't be feasible for me. I do have some offline music but most of my listening is done on the computer so a computer mode would be great for the Pono. 

 

[dweaver]

If the Pono sounds good enough why bother using your computer?

I will give feedback when my Pono arrives.

 

[ImperialBlade]

 
Thanks Eric. I was set on getting the Pono until I realized that they can't be used as a usb dac/amp for laptops. I stream most of my music so a strictly offline player wouldn't be feasible for me. I do have some offline music but most of my listening is done on the computer so a computer mode would be great for the Pono. 

Hello RedJohn456,
 
You are correct, you stated this in earlier posts. I missed that, my apologies.
Not knowing your budget or bitrate requirements here are a few options for you:
Matrix Mini-I
Audioengine D1
Emotiva XDA-2 Gen2
TEAC UD-H01
 
Regards,
Eric

 

[dweaver]

I quite like my Audioengine D1, it is powerful enough to drive my gear and sounds very nice for a reasonable price.

 

[JiggaD369]

Hey guys,
 
In a slight dilemma here.
 
My XBA-40 (my beloved) just died and now I need a replacement.
 
I was looking into ATH-IM03, XBA-A3, and XBA-Z5.
 
Are the Z5 clear favorites? DO they sound $200 better than the A3?

 

[Dobrescu George]

 
Thanks Eric. I was set on getting the Pono until I realized that they can't be used as a usb dac/amp for laptops. I stream most of my music so a strictly offline player wouldn't be feasible for me. I do have some offline music but most of my listening is done on the computer so a computer mode would be great for the Pono. 

Had you considered a fiio DAP, X5II or X3K?... they are cheap and sound quite nice, and can be used with computers, and some android devices

 

[RedJohn456]

If the Pono sounds good enough why bother using your computer?

I will give feedback when my Pono arrives.

 
I use spotify premium for most of my music so without a usb dac mode it would be useless for me  I wonder if they can add it via a software update? The beta units had the feature from what I read.
 

  Hello RedJohn456,
 
You are correct, you stated this in earlier posts. I missed that, my apologies.
Not knowing your budget or bitrate requirements here are a few options for you:
Matrix Mini-I
Audioengine D1
Emotiva XDA-2 Gen2
TEAC UD-H01
 
Regards,
Eric

 
Thanks for the suggestions will look into them 

 

[RedJohn456]

  Had you considered a fiio DAP, X5II or X3K?... they are cheap and sound quite nice, and can be used with computers, and some android devices

I was hoping to get something with balanced output preferably actually. othewise those would be excellent suggestions
 
I was all set for the LH Labs GO V2+ as it has balanced output at a reasonable price but it seems they seem to have really screwed the pooch as it were Drama going on in the LH threads 

 

[Dobrescu George]

 
I was hoping to get something with balanced output preferably actually. othewise those would be excellent suggestions
 
I was all set for the LH Labs GO V2+ as it has balanced output at a reasonable price but it seems they seem to have really screwed the pooch as it were Drama going on in the LH threads 

I have no ideea what happened, i do not follow LH Labs in general, i am... more content with non aggresive marketing.. to say the least, i like to not take down your competition.
 
I guess that unless you want specifically balanced, X3K would fit the bill with the best price, while x5II has the best quality. There is a X7 coming from fiio, which will have balanced, but it is a long way to come, Android is hard to manage and debug.
 
As curious as i am about what happened, i guess that this would be derailing the thread, thing which is looked down around headfi.
 
Anyways, if you ever need advice about a fiio product, i know quite a lot about them (i have zero connection with them, but they are the only products that are avalaible in Romania, and for a fair price, DX90 is 30% more expensive than fiio x5, while the quality of sound is comparable, at least in my view)

 

[BlinkST]

  Are the Z5 clear favorites? DO they sound $200 better than the A3?

Some have compared the two, and say no, the Z5 isn't exactly $200 better [Considering the Z5's msrp is $699] than the A3, although there is a notable difference in sound quality. Though some have paid as little as $550 for them, depending on where you buy. The Z5 though, needs sufficient burn-in and the PHA-3 to sound its best, so keep that in mind.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/733404/sonys-new-2014-flagship-iem-xba-z5/75#post_10895797
http://www.head-fi.org/t/733404/sonys-new-2014-flagship-iem-xba-z5/300#post_11005873
http://www.head-fi.org/t/733404/sonys-new-2014-flagship-iem-xba-z5/345#post_11011166
http://www.head-fi.org/t/680119/sony-xba-h1-and-xba-h3-hybrid-dynamic-and-ba-iem/2955#post_11290229

 

[cuiter23]

  Hey guys,
 
In a slight dilemma here.
 
My XBA-40 (my beloved) just died and now I need a replacement.
 
I was looking into ATH-IM03, XBA-A3, and XBA-Z5.
 
Are the Z5 clear favorites? DO they sound $200 better than the A3?

 
Just picked up my A3s, 3 day shipping from Tokyo! How did you XBA-40s die? Now you got me scared about my XBA-4s...