[BenF]

Thanks for an amazing answer BenF! Are there any alternatives for an O2 that one can order from Ali? I would first buy an amp and then choose a DAC if I'm not satisfied with a result.

Also, gonna give a try to GM200 still. I ordered these priorly for gaming, I just wanted them to be able to play music on a great level as well for fast listening. Maybe elevated bass is not bad cuz bass guitar would be more audible. Maybe it is bad. We'll see.

The most important thing you said is that Pro 82 are suitable for music like Dream Theater. That's worth a second pair!

You are welcome!

I can't think of another amplifier as good as O2 in this price range (or any other price range, really).
You'll be better off buying Khadas first - it will make more of a difference compared to a PC/laptop output.

 

[BenF]

Hilidac Audirect Beam 2 review

I bought Beam 2 in search of another synergy combo, mainly to replace the SMSL Idea (in the O2+Idea combo), now that Idea has been unavailable for months.
I even ordered the red one, just like 2 out of 3 my Ideas - I ordered all three in red, but in the last order the store ran out of red
Beam 2 costs a lot more than Idea - 140$ vs 85$, so my expectations were high.

Build/package:
Idea was based on the ESS ES9018Q2C chip, and supported PCM up to 32bit/768kHz and DSD up to DSD512
Beam 2 is based on dual ESS9281C Pro, and supports up to 32bit/384Hz and DSD up to DSD128, but adds MQA rendering (but not decoding!) and a balanced 2.5mm output.
Beam 2 specifies much higher power - 110mW into 32Ohm, compared to 36mW on the Idea.
Beam 2 has no physical buttons, only the Type-C port and the 2.5/3.5mm ports, it's controlled purely from your laptop/smartphone.

The indicator light is supposed to change color according to the music format - red is SD audio format, blue is HD master audio format, and rose red is MQA master audio format.
However, playing MP3s from Foobar2000 the indicator was blue - "HD master audio format"

Beam 2 comes with 3 short cables - Lightning to Type-C, Type-C to Type-C, and Type-C to Type A.

Sound Quality:
I started my test on the laptop, running Beam2 with O2.
Beam 2 seems to sound better with 192/24 instead of 96/24, even when listening to MP3s.
Using it with O2 doesn't make much difference, except for a very slight improvement in bass texture (which is already very good). It is a quite powerful device, meant to be used standalone.

Sound wise, I would rate it around the level of Sabaj DA3, below SMSL IQ. Compared to Sabaj DA3, Beam 2 has better bass texture, worse timbre - especially in vocals.
There is no synergy with Pro 82, it's just an above average sounding DAC/amp.

I didn't test MQA rendering or the balanced output.

Conclusion:
I am baffled by Beam 2 - who is this device for? Judging by the inclusion of Lightning and Type C cables, it's targeting mobile users.
But I can't imagine myself using my smartphone with a wired DAC and a wired headphone - it's too limiting.
Excellent Bluetooth adapters that provide same or better SQ cost only about half as much - Earstudio ES100, Shanling UP2, FIOO BTR3/3K, and they can also be used as USB DACs.

I regret buying Beam 2, should have gone for Shanling Q1 - it doesn't support MQA rendering and doesn't have 2.5mm output, but supports the same PCM and DSD rates.
Q1 is based on ES9218P, costs 20$ less, is a full fledged lossless music player and supports 2-way Bluetooth, including LDAC support as a receiver. Of course, it can be used as a USB DAC too. Much better value proposition than Beam 2.

Is MQA rendering (but nor decoding) really such an important feature, that people will pay 140$ for it? If Beam 2 can't beat SQ of much cheaper devices with FLAC/MP3 files, will it suddenly sound much better with MQA? I doubt it.

Here is the DAC/Amp comparison post: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/tak...ns-and-discussion-thread.849965/post-13501419

 

[BenF]

Boom

 

[klogg4]

Wow, that's amazing! How are these in BT mode?

I'm so hyped for these headphones, if they're not much worse than Pro 82, I'll definitely buy them as soon as they are on Aliexpress. Having quality portable sound is a priority to me.

 

[jasswolf]

Boom

Beyond the basic BT sound signature and quality, I'm looking forward to reading about their aptX functionality (HD and low latency), as well as how these are tuned for wired analogue, and if they offer a wired USB mode.

If they do USB wired and aptX LL, these might be a sleeper hit depending on the tuning done for the high end.

 

[ARPortugal]

Here are some active coupon codes for the Summer Sale on Aliexpress (active in all stores):
"get6"coupon for 6$ off 50$
"AMSUMMER7" coupon for 7$ off 50$
"AMSUMMER10" coupon for 10$ off 100$
"get10" coupon for 10$ off 100$
"get15" coupon for 15$ off 150$
Important - you have to use the correct case in the coupon codes!
All the coupons are probably for a one-time use.

Now with these coupons, Pro 82 and GM200 can be had for some crazy good prices:
Pro 82 with the "AMSUMMER7" coupon can be had for just 51$! https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32808454492.html
GM200 with the "AMSUMMER7" coupon can be had for just 53$! https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33012705103.html
These prices are unbelievable for a guaranteed Pro 82 v2 (and not v0.9 that some stores peddle), and a genuine GM200 (fakes without the bass ports have been sold in other stores)

Or if you buy both Pro82 and GM200 (they compliment each other), you can take 16$ off the order with "6$ off 65$" select coupons and "AMSUMMER10" or "get10" coupon, so the average discount per headphone is 8$ - 50$ for Pro 82 and 52$ for GM200.

Sad, the store don't ship to Portugal, i was considering getting the Pro82 black version. Headphoniaks don't have them anymore.

 

[klogg4]

Beyond the basic BT sound signature and quality, I'm looking forward to reading about their aptX functionality (HD and low latency), as well as how these are tuned for wired analogue, and if they offer a wired USB mode.

I guess you're expecting too much. Their official site says only basic aptX is supported and there's no USB DAC. Which is actually OK for portables, the thing is - if headphones themselves are good or not.

 

[XLR8]

@BenF,

We want the early verdict / review.
Feed us....

 

[jasswolf]

I guess you're expecting too much. Their official site says only basic aptX is supported and there's no USB DAC. Which is actually OK for portables, the thing is - if headphones themselves are good or not.

Do you have internal specifications for them? You can't possibly know if there's a USB connection for the DAC without that. You're probably right about which aptX standard, but there's no harm in asking for testing. Given Bluetooth 5.2 is on the horizon, there's always the possibility of a revision which offers better overall support anyway.

But without that USB wired option, the wired audio is at the mercy of whichever codec the headphones were tuned around, which will likely muddy the sound a tad (though not as dramatically as something like ANC headphones tuned for SBC).

Again, you may well be right about both, but going to all the trouble they did with the DAC and NFC for it, I'd be surprised if they opted to forego USB connection.

 

[BenF]

Boom #2:

 

[BenF]

Sad, the store don't ship to Portugal, i was considering getting the Pro82 black version. Headphoniaks don't have them anymore.

Ellie has opened shipping to Portugal.
If anyone needs to open shipping to another country, you can just contact the seller on Aliexpress.

 

[klogg4]

You can't possibly know if there's a USB connection for the DAC without that.

Most Bluetooth headphones don't have it. That makes no sense since DAC is DAC, but that's the way it is. I don't think things will be different here like they are with Hifiman.

And they don't actually need it, cuz if they sound good and DAC is tuned correctly - that's enough. I'm sure they're gonna be worse than Pro 82, but if they're better than, being said, Sony 1000XM3, - that's all I'd gonna need.

P.S. I'm so unpatient, my eye lies on AKG K361-BT and AT M50xBT and my wallet is shaking, but I'm curious about these Takstars.

 

[jasswolf]

Most Bluetooth headphones don't have it. That makes no sense since DAC is DAC, but that's the way it is. I don't think things will be different here like they are with Hifiman.

And they don't actually need it, cuz if they sound good and DAC is tuned correctly - that's enough. I'm sure they're gonna be worse than Pro 82, but if they're better than, being said, Sony 1000XM3, - that's all I'd gonna need.

P.S. I'm so unpatient, my eye lies on AKG K361-BT and AT M50xBT and my wallet is shaking, but I'm curious about these Takstars.

Don't even bother with either of those. The tuning of any low-latency options is basically my line of questioning, but Bluetooth 5.2 products are probably worth waiting for.

 

[klogg4]

The tuning of any low-latency options is basically my line of questioning

Ain't my line though, I only care about sound quality, which includes compensation of sound compression artifacts (which will take place anyway since aptX is just as lossy as SBC 328 kbit/s is). Windows BT stack doesn't support aptX LL, so I don't really dream about low latency wireless. My phone does support aptX LL, but I don't need it there cuz base aptX latency is OK for videos and I don't play games on phone anyway.

 

[BenF]

Beyond the basic BT sound signature and quality, I'm looking forward to reading about their aptX functionality (HD and low latency), as well as how these are tuned for wired analogue, and if they offer a wired USB mode.

If they do USB wired and aptX LL, these might be a sleeper hit depending on the tuning done for the high end.

Here is ML850's spec sheet:

No APTX HD/LL, no USB.
Regular APTX is plenty enough for great sound, B&O H7 sounds fantastic with APTX.