[BenF]

Hey BenF - I've decided to purchase a replacement for the BTR3K charging cable because of the way my desktop is setup, I need a longer cable. Will this suffice? https://shopee.ph/UGREEN-TypeC-2.4A-USB-Cable-to-Type-C-Fast-Charge-Data-Cable-i.64922227.1163586850

I'm not really familiar with amperes or whatnot.

That's a great cable. Any cable of 1A or more will do fine.

 

[vincemeister55]

Thanks, BenF! Also, is the cable of the GM200 replaceable?

 

[BenF]

Thanks, BenF! Also, is the cable of the GM200 replaceable?

Yes, it's compatible with Pro 82 cable

 

[MaxSong]

This combo won't break any detail retrieving records, so if that's what you are comparing - you may not see much difference.
Look in these 3 areas:
1) Bass quality and quantity - use high quality FLAC tracks to test bass - no integrated audio solution will give you the full body and impact that these 2 have.
Here are some tracks I recommend:
"Falling" by HAIM on the "Days are Gone" album - first 8 seconds
"Crystallize" by Lindsey Stirling on the "Lindsey Stirling" album - starting at 0:28
"Weatherstorm" by Craig Armstrong on the "The Space Between Us" album - starting at 0:58
Do not use youtube/streaming versions!
2) The vocal timbre and emotion. It is especially prominent in female voices, especially on emotional songs.
3) Overall presentation - "all forward" kind of presentation, where every part of the frequency range feels accentuated

Thanks, I'll have a try.

I don't think that a light breeze of cold air would cool down the internals of the tube sufficiently.

The tube is just slightly warm at all times. I think we should be worried about capacitors and transistors (which are getting really hot).

Can i ask you, which is your integrated audio?

Just the usual realtek codec.

 

[Hirogoshi]

I've received my FIIO BTR3K today, and have spent a while listening to music and A/Bing it with my Behringer UMC204HD(main-output) used without an amp. So far I'm somewhat disappointed. For it's, still relatively cheap, price I expected a clearer improvement. I mostly listened to classical and jazz tracks, but later listened to the bass tracks BenF mentioned. All FLAC. This is my first really good pair of headphones, and first DAC/AMP, so I am not sure what to listen for, but my amateur impressions so far are that the trebles and mids(maybe) are slightly quieter on the BTR3K, and that the bass is slightly better defined, maybe less 'punchy'. The thump from a kick drum seems to surprise and engage me more with the Behringer. I get a feeling the BTR3K is more 'laid-back' overall than the Behringer, but that might be because the trebles are less loud. I can tell there is a change between these two outputs, but it is at the level where changing the volume by one or two notches on the BTR3K would make a larger difference to the experience. Maybe I'll find it to be less fatiguing than the Behringer after a longer listening session.

I'm finding out that it's pretty annoying not to have a volume knob for desktop use. The volume control it has feels nice, but you have to tap it for every increment, holding it down does nothing, so it's more difficult to change the volume. You don't have any display of what it's currently set to either, in contrast to a knob. Also, the cable the FIIO BTR3K comes with is tiny, so you have to have a usb-port on top of your desk if you don't own a longer cable.

I'm still not sure whether it's better/worse sound-quality overall than my Behringer DAC, but that itself is an indication to me. It's probably not worth spending $60 for maybe a slight improvement over what I already own. Headphone still sounds really great to me regardless.

Keep in mind this is NOT with the V2 Pro 82, but a V1/0.9, so I don't know if that completely changes the purported 'borderline synergy' for this DAC/AMP. I would be interested in knowing if that's the case, as I may not be able to test the V2 I ordered yesterday, before I can return the FIIO BTR3K.

If BenF, or anyone else, has recommendations of more tracks to better understand the differences between my two options, I'd appreciate it. Also, anything about what I should be paying attention to specifically in the sound. Thanks!

 

[OscarPaz]

If BenF, or anyone else, has recommendations of more tracks to better understand the differences between my two options, I'd appreciate it. Also, anything about what I should be paying attention to specifically in the sound. Thanks!

A good track to test bass could be "Limit to your love" by James Blake. Changes in sound from some DACs/amps can be subtle, but in my experience Pro 82 were always "picky" enough as to differentiate between them (I have V1). I've always noticed the largest differences towards the edges of the frequency spectrum (bass/highs).

However, I would not focus exclusively on analyzing specific frequencies per se. Or even the very relevant time-response behavior, such as dynamics or decay (or generally the recreation of transients). Rather, play it for some long time with different songs you really know by heart and judge it on the basis of realism and overall sound coherence. That's my criterion.
Takes time.

 

[Rocker678]

Just the usual realtek codec.

it's the same that i have, very happy to hear that overall it sounds good. Thanks for your reply : )
So after many days you still cant find a substantial difference between stock(realtek) and p10-el-d01 ? Or now your idea has changed?

 

[Rocker678]

@BenF I would like to know your opinion about this video.

 

[jasswolf]

@BenF I would like to know your opinion about this video.

It was covered a few pages back.

EDIT: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/tak...ns-and-discussion-thread.849965/post-15961382

 

[Rocker678]

It was covered a few pages back.

EDIT: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/tak...ns-and-discussion-thread.849965/post-15961382

Thank you!

 

[Mori511]

How well is PRO 82 against Monoprice 8323. Is it consider and upgrade or downgrade?

 

[BotBroomey]

I have a Syba sonic should I upgrade to a Sabaj Da2 or Fiio BTR3k? I also use a mod mic so unsure if it would be worth it so I though I would ask here. Thanks

 

[BenF]

I've received my FIIO BTR3K today, and have spent a while listening to music and A/Bing it with my Behringer UMC204HD(main-output) used without an amp. So far I'm somewhat disappointed. For it's, still relatively cheap, price I expected a clearer improvement. I mostly listened to classical and jazz tracks, but later listened to the bass tracks BenF mentioned. All FLAC. This is my first really good pair of headphones, and first DAC/AMP, so I am not sure what to listen for, but my amateur impressions so far are that the trebles and mids(maybe) are slightly quieter on the BTR3K, and that the bass is slightly better defined, maybe less 'punchy'. The thump from a kick drum seems to surprise and engage me more with the Behringer. I get a feeling the BTR3K is more 'laid-back' overall than the Behringer, but that might be because the trebles are less loud. I can tell there is a change between these two outputs, but it is at the level where changing the volume by one or two notches on the BTR3K would make a larger difference to the experience. Maybe I'll find it to be less fatiguing than the Behringer after a longer listening session.

First of all, let's make sure that your BTR3K is configured correctly:
1) Windows volume and music player volume should always be set at 100% - volume should always be controlled only by BTR3K
2) Disable all the enhancements:

3) Disable spatial sound

4) Put BTR3K in the "High performance DAC work mode":

5) Tune the bass response to your taste by playing with the low-pass filter:

6) Make sure that you are running the latest v1.3 firmware - https://www.fiio.com/newsinfo/451022.html

I'm still not sure whether it's better/worse sound-quality overall than my Behringer DAC, but that itself is an indication to me. It's probably not worth spending $60 for maybe a slight improvement over what I already own. Headphone still sounds really great to me regardless.

If after doing all of the above you still don't hear an improvement over - that's OK.
Since it's your first good headphone and your first DAC/Amp, you may not be able to distinguish the contribution of the latter at first.
The headphone makes much more difference to SQ than anything else, including DACs and amps.

Your brain needs time to adjust to the new standard of audio cues that it's hearing, before it will be able to tell apart more nuanced differences of DACs and amps.
I would recommend listening to Pro 82 strictly over BTR3K for 2-3 months, and then trying to listen over Behringer again - there is a good chance that you will be hearing a clearer difference as time goes by.

I'm finding out that it's pretty annoying not to have a volume knob for desktop use. The volume control it has feels nice, but you have to tap it for every increment, holding it down does nothing, so it's more difficult to change the volume. You don't have any display of what it's currently set to either, in contrast to a knob. Also, the cable the FIIO BTR3K comes with is tiny, so you have to have a usb-port on top of your desk if you don't own a longer cable.

I too would prefer a knob for desktop use.
However, with v1.3 of the firmware you now can continuously adjust the volume:
"Added holding the volume buttons to continuously adjust volume (available when the button operation mode is NOT set to "Hold volume buttons to skip tracks"); "
https://www.fiio.com/newsinfo/451022.html

Keep in mind this is NOT with the V2 Pro 82, but a V1/0.9, so I don't know if that completely changes the purported 'borderline synergy' for this DAC/AMP. I would be interested in knowing if that's the case, as I may not be able to test the V2 I ordered yesterday, before I can return the FIIO BTR3K.

Uncertainty about your Pro 82 version surely complicates things. If it's a proper v1.0 - that's not a problem, it sounds just as great with BTR3K as v2 does.
If it's v0.9 - all bets are off, can't predict its behavior.

If BenF, or anyone else, has recommendations of more tracks to better understand the differences between my two options, I'd appreciate it. Also, anything about what I should be paying attention to specifically in the sound. Thanks!

As @OscarPaz wrote, it's not really about specific tracks or frequency ranges. It's all about how natural (true to the actual performance) the music sounds.
For me, a great Amp/DAC transports me in time and space to the concert, makes me feel like I'm listening to music, and not a reproduction of music.

About synergy

 

[BotBroomey]

I have ordered the BTR3K from amazon UK to replace my syba sonic as I wanted to see what the hype was about but the takstars aren't 2.5mm to 2.5mm how will I connect them to the balanced port? Have I made the right decision if not I can cancel it? cheers

 

[BenF]

How well is PRO 82 against Monoprice 8323. Is it consider and upgrade or downgrade?

It's hard to find a downgrade for a 17$ headphone
Every review I read on these says they are either "good" or "great", but always with the condition "for the price"...