Is it possible to flash back to latest stock firmware after flashing the balanced one (if I don't like it)?
Tempotec Sonata HD Pro DAC/AMP-> Amazing sound, small size, affordable price!
- Thread starter baskingshark
- Start date
I use BHD firmware but i don't roll back to stock firmware because with this fw HD pro is more powerfull. No need any 3.5 mm adaptor
Sonata BHD firmware work on HD pro. My phone sees him now BHD when i connect it
Looking to get the Sonata Pro after hearing about it from very helpful members here in another thread. I’m just now reading about gain and sensitivity and don’t understand too much. Below are the specs of my iem’s. Based on the info below, should I see improvement over the $9 Apple dongle I’m using now? Back to reading about gain and sensitivity...
Etymotic Research ER4XR Specs
Etymotic Research ER4XR Specs
| Frequency Response | 20 Hz to 16 kHz |
|---|---|
| Sensitivity (@ 1 kHz) SPL at 0.2V | 104 dB |
| Impedance | 45 Ohms |
| Maximum Sound Pressure Level (SPL) | 122 |
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I've not used the Apple dongle, though a few of my friends say it is very good for sound for the price. A few of my friends who have both dongles say they are sidegrades actually.
But I think the Apple dongle (1V output) doesn't have as much power as the Tempotec Sonata HD Pro (2V output if used with a 3.5 mm to 3.5 mm adapter, otherwise it outputs and autoadjusts depending on the impedance of the connected IEM). (Please correct me if I'm mistaken about the Apple dongle output power).
The EU version of the Apple dongle I’m using outputs 0.5V. I’ve ordered the US version which outputs 1V, waiting to get it. Sound is great for the price, but they don’t get loud enough (0.5v version). With the Blon03 it’s fine, listen at 60%, but using the 45ohm er4xr I need to nearly have to max it out 80-90% volume. Do you have any idea what the Sonata outputs at 45ohm (no extension)? If you use an extension it goes into high impedance mode, can it be bypassed? I had no idea. Similar to LG phones, use low impedance iem, get low voltage.
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I have both the BHD and Sonata pro and have upgraded the firmware on both without issue. If I were to flash the BHD firmware onto the Pro, which numbers need to be entered during the flash? Is it the same as with the standard Pro firmware? As I don't have easy access to Windows, I'd rather be prepared before I attempt it.
The same numbers I remember
This data is from @cqtek , very helpful table for the power output with impedance on the sonata HD pro: credit to him. You can read his excellent and detailed review of the tempotec sonata HD Pro here: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/tempotec-sonata-hd-pro.24181/reviews#review-23245
Anyways you were asking about the 45 ohm IEM, so I would presume the voltage is somewhere between 32 ohm and 100 ohm load below.
| Voltage (V) | Power (mW) | |
| No-Load | 2.01 | |
| 32 Ω | 1.853 | 110 |
| 100 Ω | 1.992 | 39.68 |
| 240 Ω | 2.00 | 11.76 |
| 320 Ω | 2.00 | 12.5 |
| 620 Ω | 2.00 | 6.45 |
Thanks @jeejack for the pro tip, I've flashed my Tempotec Sonata HD Pro to the BHD firmware (DO AT OWN RISK!), works like a charm (I used the same numbers as the HD Pro firmware).
Indeed it got louder (ball park I would say 2x louder than the non flashed version), no need for the 3.5 mm to 3.5 mm trick anymore. It does get noticably warmer post BHD firmware, possibly cause more power is used, been using it for a few hours, no other issues so far.
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pk4425
1000+ Head-Fier
I own both the Apple dongle and the TempoTec Sonata HD Pro.
The Apple dongle is a ridiculously good DAC for $9. But it's really not an amp due to its low power, even the 1V U.S. version. It works great with low-impedance, high-sensitivity cans. But don't think for a second it's a replacement for a proper DAC/amp to drive power-hungry or low-sensitivity cans. For example, you're not going to drive a HiFiMan can with any power or fidelity with the Apple dongle.
The Sonata HD Pro is the next step up in tiny, portable amps. Yeah, it won't drive cans like a proper desktop DAC/amp setup, but the high-gain (2V) setting drives my Sennheiser HD 560s and HiFiMan HE-400se just fine from my iPhone, with solid fidelity.
Well, according to the specs above, the er4xr is low impedance, relatively high sensitivity.
I’m waiting for the 1V version, will report back.
pk4425
1000+ Head-Fier
Eh, sort of. They're 45 ohm impedance and 104 db sensitivity. That would be low/high for over-ears, but a lot of IEMs are lower/higher. Still, those numbers shouldn't be too tough to drive.
I use the Apple dongle with my Moondrop Starfields (32 ohm impedance, 122 db sensitivity) with great success. The nice thing about the Apple dongle is that its power is so clean that you will get no audible hiss with high-sensitivity IEMs like the Starfield. I don't think you need to worry about hiss with an IEM at 104 db sensitivity.
I would like to add that these measurements were made with a simple multimeter, without being able to analyse the waveforms, at least with the naked eye. Now, I have a small oscilloscope, how does this improve the measurements? Well, I can't analyse the THD, but you can see if the waveforms are pure or deformed or saturated. That can give you an idea: if the wave is clean there is no visible distortion, the THD will be lower.
I can make a small measurement now, to see if I have a similar impedance...
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Well, I had some time and did a quick measurement of the Sonata HD Pro with my little oscilloscope and some 33 Ohms and 48 Ohms resistors (33 + 15 Ohms) and these are the results:
33 Ohms: As expected, the oscilloscope shows a drop in voltage, which the multimeter is unable to detect. Anyway, almost 1.5V RMS at 33 Ohms is a good figure.
48 Ohms: With this impedance, you can almost use the device, at full volume, giving a voltage of almost 1.9V RMS over the entire range. I think that's pretty good for an SE output in a fairly inexpensive device.
It should be understood that the volume has been set to the maximum that allows the waveform to be seen without visible distortion, in 0.5dB steps, using pure waveforms, amplitude 1, in FLAC 96000 Hz format. For playback I have used the Foobar2000 connected to my Windows 10 PC, under the ASIO driver provided by Tempotec.
To get the maximum power that the HD Pro can give, I used the trick of the 3.5mm male-to-female angled converter, connected to the output (no load) when plugged into the PC. This "tricks" the Sonata into pretending it has a very high load connected and automatically sets itself to high gain.
By the way @baskingshark, thank you for your thoughtful words. I think you think highly of my reviews, but I think you're exaggerating ...
Finally, I think that when the Sonata HD Pro is set to low gain, I don't think it will give less than 1V. This gives 117dB for the Etymotic Research ER4XR. I think that's already a pretty high volume.
And at high gain you can push this headphone to the maximum of its supported power.
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