The discovery thread!

[Dobrescu George]

This is actually a good subject, I heard from Opus sometime in 2020 - 2021 and they were saying they have one new product incoming but haven't heard anything since.

Good to know that their DAPs are still available, some of them were pretty cool sonically, and with good ergonomics. I have a friend who is still using an 1S and is happy with it, he didn't plan to make an update yet to anything else so far, which is surprising, he said he prefers it as a DAP over M11 PRO and R5. I have not heard R5 yet sadly

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

This is actually a good subject, I heard from Opus sometime in 2020 - 2021 and they were saying they have one new product incoming but haven't heard anything since.

Good to know that their DAPs are still available, some of them were pretty cool sonically, and with good ergonomics. I have a friend who is still using an 1S and is happy with it, he didn't plan to make an update yet to anything else so far, which is surprising, he said he prefers it as a DAP over M11 PRO and R5. I have not heard R5 yet sadly

I have the R5, and it's a decent DAP. On the warm side, with great details, but the top end isn't the most extended. Above average stage, but not the most efficient. you gotta crank it sometimes.

 

[Dobrescu George]

For all those old-times who love a simple portable music player with basic functions but a beautiful sound, Dethonray decided to go all in with their Prelude DTR1+ Music Player.

This is a minimalistic music player with all the basic functions, and the sound they managed to give to it is outstanding. To say that it sounds analogue-like would be an understatement, so if you're into warmer and clean sounding DAPs, it should be perfect for you!

I can't promise it will do all the things you dream of, but I can say for sure it plays music well. I include comparisons, pairings and details about the Prelude DTR1+ from Dethonray and my journey to using a simple yet beautiful sounding DAP in my full written review on a proper successor to QLS and other minimalistic DAP makers.

https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2...de-dtr1-music-player-beautiful-music-box.html

 

[baskingshark]

That graph on the Astrotec box looks more dipped in the lower mids than the other graph, kinda makes me nervous.

The graph doesn't correspond to the actual listening for sure, haha rule no. 1, don't trust store provided graphs!

The subbass is quite rolled off and there is a peak around the 6 - 8 kHz regions on actual listening for the Astrotec Vesna.

I have actually bought a IEC711 graphing rig and am waiting for the slow journey from China, I hope to measure the astrotec once it comes and put the graph here!

Hi @Jmop , I've managed to take a graph of the Astrotec Vesna.

IEC711 compliant coupler. 8 kHZ area is a resonance peak.

There is indeed a subbass roll off and a peak around 6 kHz on listening. 8 khz is a resonance peak. Haha lesson learned is not to trust store provided graphs.

I think if we can EQ away the 6 kHz region, or use foam tips/warmer sources, that 6 kHz area will not be so splashy for cymbals and highhats.



BTW Many thanks to @bryaudioreviews , @Vannak , @RikudouGoku and KopiOKaya for helping and giving advise on measuring rigs!

 

[unifutomaki]

Brief notes on the Technics AZ70:

Technics is the upscale brand for Panasonic audio products and they used to be a household name in home audio. The AZ70 have been on the market for a while and I’ve always been curious about them, but they were always priced a tad high vis-à-vis the competition. While scrolling through Amazon one evening I saw that they were going for 200 SGD, which is not a bad price for a TWS IEM with active noise cancellation and all that. Having been a tad bored with the WF1000XM4’s sound for a while now (it’s not *bad*, it’s just… more of a consumer-friendly tuning that optimises for the commute use-case), I decided to bite.

I should state that my particular set of AZ70 are back with Panasonic customer care at the moment as it shipped with outdated firmware and simply refused to update successfully to the latest version despite numerous factory resets, pairing resets and swapping devices. Nonetheless, I managed to listen to them a fair bit over the weekend and in short, I’m pretty sold and I can’t wait to get them back so that I can continue listening to them. This is the first time I’ve felt this way about a TWS set i.e. it’s a pair of Bluetooth earphones that I want to listen to for musical enjoyment reasons and not just for the sake of convenience or features.

I bought these with my own money, so I’m not afraid to point out the negatives:

• SBC and AAC only, but as an iPhone user, anything else is lost on me
• ANC is not as effective as the WF1000XM4. Low frequency noises are deadened as one would expect but lots can still get through.
• Battery life is not as good as the WF1000XM4, which has the ability to keep going and going somehow.
• They stick out of my ears more than the WF1000XM4 and are not as comfortable to use as earplugs to sleep with.
• The touch controls have an overly large activation radius, which makes music start and stop inadvertently when I’m just trying to adjust them in my ears.
• The English voice prompts sound a bit cringey, but the Japanese ones are decent

So, you might be thinking, these are just worse than the XM4 in every metric, so why even bother?

• The tuning. The AZ70 has what I’d characterise as a slight sub-bass and mid-bass emphasis, certainly much more restrained than the XM4, which transitions into a bright, detailed midrange and extended treble. Even with the supposed limitations of AAC compression, I’m hearing a sense of air and brilliance which the XM4 never really provided even after EQ. This helps with perceived resolution a lot, which leads me to the next point:

• Soundstage and imaging (for a Bluetooth TWS IEM). It’s really decent, at least when ANC is off. Obviously my A4K is still significantly ahead in this regard, but I’m pleasantly surprised to find a TWS IEM that can provide a “beyond the head” listening experience with no need to faff around with Spatial Audio tracks/virtual surround modes or anything like that.

• Comfort. They don’t sit as snugly in my outer ear as the XM4s (this can perhaps be a negative depending on your POV, especially in terms of passive isolation), so they don’t cause as much discomfort when listening for long periods.

• The charging case. Larger and thicker than the XM4, but built way better and more befitting of a premium product. Solid hunk of aluminium, brushed top, the cover shuts with a soft thunk, and doesn’t creak.

 

[Nimweth]

You may find my review of the Fiio x Jade Audio JH3 here:
https://audiosolace.com/fiio-jh3-review/

 

[InvisibleInk]

You may find my review of the Fiio x Jade Audio JH3 here:
https://audiosolace.com/fiio-jh3-review/

Nice review. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I'd like to know if the JH3 is a clone of the FH3?

 

[Nimweth]

Nice review. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I'd like to know if the JH3 is a clone of the FH3?

Thank you. I don't know if the JH3 is a clone, though.

 

[jant71]

Nice review. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I'd like to know if the JH3 is a clone of the FH3?

JH3 has a 13.6mm driver and FH3 has a 10mm Be driver so they aren't the same innards.

 

[Dobrescu George]

What do you need to do, to have a good TWS headset? Today I take a look at an older model, the S80 TWS from Astrotec, trying to help you figure out whether this one works alright for you, and how it compares to a few other TWS models!

https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/01/astrotec-s80-freedom-but-at-what-cost.html

 

[Dobrescu George]

Today we're going to talk about streamers, and whether they might influence sound or not. I'm a big fan of open subjects, and while on cables, the unanimity seems to be on one side of the question, I wonder if you feel like streamers can influence sound, so I made a review on Mano Ultra MK2 from Magna Hifi!

Since this is one of my early reviews on streamers, I also study why listeners can feel that the sound is different when you include a streamer, so for I hope my review is fun to read, regardless whether you believe in the effect of streamers or not, and as always remember to enjoy the music~

https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2...ra-mkii-streamer-digital-to-digital-muse.html

 

[W0lrince]

The infamous Dee tee 6 is back with new attachment "MAX" (why?) priced at 50$
12.5mm DLC DD + 31736 BA + 6 layer piezo

Edit: forgot the link: m.tb.cn/h.fP3g4FN?sm=97fbf4 声菲尔DT6MAX压电陶瓷圈铁混合入耳式耳机有线HIFI娄氏动铁单元

 

[SomeEntityThing]

The infamous Dee tee 6 is back with new attachment "MAX" (why?) priced at 50$
12.5mm DLC DD + 31736 BA + 6 layer piezo

Swappable male ends just like on the newer version of the nine, that's cool! I wonder if all three types shown in the picture will come in one package, which would be a sweet deal. Nice looking shell shape too, but it's interesting that after the six and the six pro which have a metal build, these seem to be plastic...

 

[W0lrince]

Swappable male ends just like on the newer version of the nine, that's cool! I wonder if all three types shown in the picture will come in one package, which would be a sweet deal. Nice looking shell shape too, but it's interesting that after the six and the six pro which have a metal build, these seem to be plastic...

Yes and they come with this fancy box

 

[SomeEntityThing]

Yes and they come with this fancy box

Whaaaaaaat?! That looks like the same box as their three hundred (amazing set of IEMs) and the five hundred, which seem to be their premium models! I would have thought that package was reserved only for their TOTL stuff, but... wow, that's really really cool! If it really is the same size, it's gonna be quite the looker for storing a bunch of things in it! I haven't removed the foam inserts on mine though, haha! Thank you so much for sharing all this info!