The discovery thread!

[povidlo]

That's awesome you found these just laying around lol I did the same today with the Sonicast Dirac +MK2. I was digging for an adapter in my closet and i found them in a random box. Not too bad a pair. Lacks bass weight though. A little bass EQ boost with the RE-00 will do the trick.

Oh and now you got to put them on your signature list.

Bought RE-00 together with HE-350 when they first came out! Moded the latter and still gets playtime weekly.

Remember that didn't like RE-00 initially, too thin and quiet, and they've been dusting for years.

Fortunately they're back in rotation due to your post .

Swapped out the stock double flanges, awful fit for me.

Turns out they're a bit demanding, eh? I'm up to 115/150 volume on my SR25 dap. Reba sounds sexy as hell though, with that power enabling full, silky mids.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Bought RE-00 together with HE-350 when they first came out! Moded the latter and still gets playtime weekly.

Remember that didn't like RE-00 initially, too thin and quiet, and they've been dusting for years.

Fortunately they're back in rotation due to your post .

Swapped out the stock double flanges, awful fit for me.

Turns out they're a bit demanding, eh? I'm up to 115/150 volume on my SR25 dap. Reba sounds sexy as hell though, with that power enabling full, silky mids.

They are demanding, because out of the R5 directly, the volume is up above 50, where as it was about the same volume at 35 with the R2/FD1 combo.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Bought RE-00 together with HE-350 when they first came out! Moded the latter and still gets playtime weekly.

Remember that didn't like RE-00 initially, too thin and quiet, and they've been dusting for years.

Fortunately they're back in rotation due to your post .

Swapped out the stock double flanges, awful fit for me.

Turns out they're a bit demanding, eh? I'm up to 115/150 volume on my SR25 dap. Reba sounds sexy as hell though, with that power enabling full, silky mids.

Btw, nice rig there. Look very nice.

 

[audio123]

For me, along with the many other wonderful attributes, what probably impressed me most was the soundstage and especially imaging. I’ve never heard such holographic imaging from a single DD until the NM2+. I wonder how the Oxygen compares with imaging, since it reportedly is good with it as well.

I concur. I feel the NM2+ is a baby Acoustune HS1695 TI. The NM2+ is more open sounding than the Oxygen and the note is less thick. As for imaging, I feel NM2+ has the edge.

The NM2+ better than my Moondrop KXXS?! Well, that not saying too much as it's not a favorite of mine to begin with, as i think the bass is kinda undefined and forward and the treble is the dreaded relaxed type that just isn't my friend, but some good friend's of mine swear by the NM2+, so it might be an interesting future purchase if i end up selling my JVC FW01's soon?

Agreed. It is not a favourite of mine too. If we agree that KXXS is blunt sounding with undefined bass and relaxing treble, I think you will be in for a treat with the NM2+. NM2+ blows it out of the water.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

the relaxed treble is what turned me off to the Moondrop Kanas Pro. That boring ass treble. it was just a boring earphone, and i got the KXXS for a great deal right here in the classified hoping it would be an improvement over the Kanas Pro with more air and tighter bass, and just more fun, and it turned out to not be the case. It's why i decided to skip the Starfield. Though I do love my Crescents when they aren't suffering from channel imbalance.

 

[povidlo]

rather than going for the KSC75, I'd rather buy an Edifier H185: similar and more stable sound, much cheaper, smaller footprint, less finicky to fit (the KSC75, as comfortable and easy as it is to wear, would be finicky for some to get a good bass response with).

i use a modded mmcx one with a BT20S Pro and never look back at another KSC75, or other earclips for that matter

Both KSC75 and H185 are extreme price/value bargains. Very musical and easy to listen to.

I find KSC75 to sound richer and warmer, especially with Yaxis on.

H185 isolate better and sound brighter due to better treble extention.

Google'd H185 mmcx and it looks great. Too bad I don't see available on AE.

 

[unifutomaki]

I might have found a deal I couldn't pass up...

I think with this I have fully scratched the DAP itch for the year ahead and even beyond.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

I might have found a deal I couldn't pass up...

I think with this I have fully scratched the DAP itch for the year ahead and even beyond.

Which one is that?

 

[unifutomaki]

Which one is that?

The ZX300A. Basically a ZX300 for the Chinese market (though still built in Malaysia) that had 16GB internal storage rather than 64GB (which I don't care about). Nailed this mid-2019 unit for the equivalent of 220 USD, an absolute bargain for what it is, and ready to handle any transducer out there with its 50mW unbalanced and 200mW balanced outputs!

It is such a beautiful object that I could cry.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

The ZX300A. Basically a ZX300 for the Chinese market (though still built in Malaysia) that had 16GB internal storage rather than 64GB (which I don't care about). Nailed this mid-2019 unit for the equivalent of 220 USD, an absolute bargain for what it is, and ready to handle any transducer out there with its 50mW unbalanced and 200mW balanced outputs!



It is such a beautiful object.

Getting a Sony of this caliber for $500 off, and the condition it looks to be in, it's a no brainer. i'm a Sony fanatic myself. I've saved all my Sony's (five over the last 12 years), even the dead ones. They are in a box. can't throw them away/ they've always given me so much pleasure, so well done, and let me know how you like it and if it's worth pursuing?

 

[unifutomaki]

Getting a Sony of this caliber for $500 off, and the condition it looks to be in, it's a no brainer. i'm a Sony fanatic myself. I've saved all my Sony's (five over the last 12 years), even the dead ones. They are in a box. can't throw them away/ they've always given me so much pleasure, so well done, and let me know how you like it and if it's worth pursuing?

I sure will! There is definitely a difference in sound going to the (stock) ZX300 from even my firmware-modded A55 that comes across even with my lowly KZs - it's like a veil has been lifted, and we aren't in Kansas entry-fi land anymore...

 

[hmscott]

OMG, no!!

"...Ultimately, the blaze was extinguished around midnight on October 23, a full 82 hours after it began. According to IC industry news site SemiMedia, the entire factory is now offline and is expected to take a minimum of six months to restore production.

Chinese semiconductor distributor CGoC Industrial Electronics publicly noted that it expects various AKM DAC series (AK4332, AK4331, AK4432, AK4382, AK4385, AK4373, AK4396, AK4431, AK4456, AK4490, AK4493, AK4495) and possibly ADC series (AK5384, AK5385, AK5386, AK5397, AK5534) to be affected, but in fact, the factory produced far more than that.

“Every AKM part we use—ADCs, DACs, ASRCs and Receivers—is made exclusively in the Nobeoka plant,” said Millennia’s La Grou. “Of course, all AKM audio parts immediately disappeared from front-line distributors [such as] Digikey, Mouser, etc. And now the after-market brokers are selling AKM parts at horrific mark-ups. We saw one $5 AKM part being offered at $110 each.”"

No more DAC's, or any device that integrates a DAC as part of it's operation... motherboards? I better get that new x570 motherboard now.... sigh, I was gonna wait till Feb 2021, but if it takes 6 months to get back to production - probably optimistic estimation given the world situation right now - it could be a full year before we see new hardware with DAC parts.

Of course there's probably enough parts in the distribution system to keep some existing products running for quite a while...hmmm.... what to do?

Spoiler: Article text in case it disappears or changes

AKM Factory Fire—A Pro-Audio Industry Disaster
A 82-hour fire in AKM's semiconductor factory is already hurting numerous top pro-audio manufacturers around the globe.

BY CLIVE YOUNG ⋅
PUBLISHED: OCTOBER 29, 2020

AKMNobeoka City, Japan (October 29, 2020)—In the wake of a massive three-day fire at the Nobeoka City factory of semiconductor producer Asahi Kasei Microsystems (AKM), pro-audio manufacturers around the globe are now facing anticipated shortages of crucial DAC and ADC chips used in their products. “It’s probably the most disruptive event in my 40 years of audio industry experience,” said John La Grou, CEO of Millennia Media. “Devastating is not too strong a word. Can 2020 get any worse?”

Millennia is just one of many high-end pro-audio companies with major products designed around AKM chips; others include Solid State Logic, TASCAM, miniDSP, Merging Technologies, SPL of Germany and RME, to name only a few.

The AKM fire broke out at the semiconductor manufacturing plant on Tuesday, October 20, and took three days to put out. While no one was hurt, reportedly 400 employees were evacuated when it began. Parts of the building structure, including sections of walls and the roof, collapsed on October 22 after another fire broke out on the factory’s fifth floor. Throughout the blaze, a chemical odor emanated from the building, thought to be hydrogen chloride generated by the coatings of electrical cables on fire.

Ultimately, the blaze was extinguished around midnight on October 23, a full 82 hours after it began. According to IC industry news site SemiMedia, the entire factory is now offline and is expected to take a minimum of six months to restore production.

Chinese semiconductor distributor CGoC Industrial Electronics publicly noted that it expects various AKM DAC series (AK4332, AK4331, AK4432, AK4382, AK4385, AK4373, AK4396, AK4431, AK4456, AK4490, AK4493, AK4495) and possibly ADC series (AK5384, AK5385, AK5386, AK5397, AK5534) to be affected, but in fact, the factory produced far more than that.

“Every AKM part we use—ADCs, DACs, ASRCs and Receivers—is made exclusively in the Nobeoka plant,” said Millennia’s La Grou. “Of course, all AKM audio parts immediately disappeared from front-line distributors [such as] Digikey, Mouser, etc. And now the after-market brokers are selling AKM parts at horrific mark-ups. We saw one $5 AKM part being offered at $110 each.”

Millennia caught at least one break—the company’s HV‐316 remote‐controllable microphone preamplifier, which was introduced in September, is based around AKM ADCs, but the company purchased a year’s worth in advance to meet expected demand. La Grou anticipates Millennia will be able to ship the HV-316 with AKM ADCs until 4Q21, by which point the Nobeoka factory may be back online. Nonetheless, faced with a dearth of AKM chips for the foreseeable future, Millennia has begun redesigning all its impacted products, including a number in development.

Millennia Media is hardly the only pro-audio manufacturer affected by the AKM fire, however. Numerous well-known brands use AKM chips in their products, such as SPL of Germany’s new Control One and Marc One monitor controllers, introduced just last week; Solid State Logic’s popular SSL 2+ USB interface; RME’s ADI-2 Pro AD/DA Converter; multiple Merging Technologies Horus & Hapi and Anubis AD/DA interfaces; miniDSP’s SHD streaming audio processor; and others.

“There’s a rumor that AKM will pivot their IC masks to independent fab houses,” La Grou noted hopefully, “so perhaps we’ll see some AKM devices before the main plant is again operational.”

I hope everyone is ok at AKM, and that they are able to pivot the production through other resources...

A quick follow up, in order of date:

AKM is preparing for outsourcing production
November 4, 2020
http://www.semimedia.cc/?p=8574

"...The fire caused no personal injuries to employees, but the impact of property and business performance is unclear...

"AKM said that the fire broke out in the second manufacturing department of AKM's production center, which mainly produces analog/digital LSI. In addition, AKM emphasized that its other factories are not affected by the fire, including the manufacturing department of the first production center and the third manufacturing department of the production center.

According to the supply chain, AKM's products have begun to experience shortages in supply and soaring prices. Industry insiders said that the shortage will be difficult to solve in the short term, which will become the biggest chip supply difficulty encountered by the audio industry over the years."

AKM Fire Fallout: What’s Pro Audio’s Next Move?
NOVEMBER 6, 2020
https://www.prosoundnetwork.com/business/pro-audio-ponders-akm-fire-fallout

"Two weeks after a three-day fire-ravaged AKM's factory that produces high-end DAC and ADCs, the pro-audio industry is still determining what to do next."

"...I still have close to zero information as far as the AKM prognosis is concerned,” said Chris Hollebone, sales and marketing manager at Merging Technologies. “As far as we are concerned, we are taking stock, literally, over the weekend and trying to ascertain whether an order that was about to be delivered was destroyed in the fire or might still make it…. We have enough parts in-house to keep us going for a while, but not knowing when any production might start may cause us headaches down the line..."

For now, the pro-audio industry awaits news from AKM.

Asahi Kasei Microsystems
https://www.akm.com/us/en/ "

No announcements from AKM, on their site:
https://www.akm.com/us/en/about-us/news/

Fire Destroys AKM Audio Chip Factory: Can 2020 Get Any Worse?
November 13, 2020
https://www.audioholics.com/news/fire-destroys-akm-audio-chip-factory

"One niche in the consumer audio industry that will be particularly hard-hit by a temporary loss of AKM parts is the one that serves high-end headphone enthusiasts. Many of that community’s favorite DAC/Amps and DAPs for both stationary in-home and portable hi-fi headphone listening are likely to feel shortages in the coming months.

Beloved brands like Schiit, JDS Labs, SMSL, Topping, Monoprice and Fiio are all well-known for making excellent products that use AKM chips to bring high-end sound to headphones at a variety of price ranges.

Monolith is well-known among headphone aficionados for its accessories, like the legendary Monolith portable headphone DAC/Amp and is already warning customers about possible shipping delays for select products that feature AKM DACs.

So, if you've been thinking about buying any audio products that are liable to carry AKM's DACs, you'd better check for available stock and act fast, it could be awhile before we see them return to stores."

Comments:
https://forums.audioholics.com/foru...ctory-bad-news-for-audio-supply-chain.119916/

 

[jant71]

More tips. This is becoming like cables and we are gonna need Budget/Mid-Tier/High End tip threads soon.


LIZER LAB will release new models "JIJU-JET" and "JIJU-JET ZERO" of the earpiece "JIJU" that reproduces "out-of-head localization" where the sound is heard from the front by earphone listening on Amazon from November 20th. To be released. The lineup is as follows (both including tax).

"JIJU-JET"

● " JIJU-JET " (L / M / S)
・ 3 size full set (1 pair each): 8,500 yen
・ 1 size (1 pair): 3,680 yen
● " JIJU-JETZERO " (L / M / S)
・3 size full set (1 pair each): 8,000 yen
, 1 size (1 pair): 3,380 yen

Sold as 1 pair of 1 size / 1 pair of 3 sizes

"JIJU" is unique in that it has an ear cup that faces the opposite side of a general earpiece, a metal "phase plug" that adjusts the echo and phase of the sound, and an opening that faces the part called the "ear bead" of the ear. With the structure of, the earpiece reproduces the "out-of-head localization" where the sound can be heard from the front, the deep spatial expression as if listening to a live performance in a concert hall or a live venue, and the sense of presence. The first model "JIJU" has been on sale since November last year .

The unique structure reproduces "out-of-head localization" and a wide sound field that makes the sound heard from the front.

The "JIJU-JET" uses a newly designed phase plug with a significantly reduced overall length and a conical tip. By enlarging the opening at the tip by about 20% compared to the past, the characteristics of the treble range are improved. In addition, by providing a new opening on the side, the sound field is slightly narrowed, but the feeling of density and localization is improved. By shortening the phase plug, the interference with the earphone stem (earpiece attachment part) is also improved.

Uses a new phase plug (left). It is shorter than the conventional phase plug (right), and the number and position of openings are also adjusted.

In addition, the opening of the ear cup facing the "tragus" has a smaller hole diameter of about 30% than before. It is said that the manufacturing cost has been reduced by ensuring a certain bass range characteristic and reducing manual processing. In order to make it easier to understand the orientation of the ear cup opening, the position of the ear cup opening and the position of the phase plug side opening are synchronized.

There is an opening near the base of the ear cup, which is worn toward the "tragus" of the ear.

"JIJU-JET ZERO" is a model with the ear cup opening removed from JIJU-JET. When worn on the ear, it is said that a certain out-of-head localization feeling can be obtained by attaching it to the earphone so that the phase plug opening faces forward. In addition, the feeling of sound omission has weakened a little and it has become tighter, but the degree of sealing and low frequencies have been strengthened.

Although the ear cup opening is eliminated, a certain out-of-head localization feeling can be obtained by attaching the phase plug opening toward the front (direction with the tragus).

Now I don't feel so bad spending that $44 on SF tips now since they are dropping down lower on the price list.

 

[TheVortex]

New release.

 

[baskingshark]

New release.

Wow, their first and last release, the Tripowin TP10, was @RikudouGoku 's favourite screaming banshee. There was radiosilence for 1.5 years since then, I thought Tripowin had closed the company after the TP10, but seems they are back!!!