The discovery thread!

[r31ya]

yea I remember UA5, for my case, iPhone is as weak as newborn deer from even from the brand new, the battery is getting weaker and weaker as new models get released. So my 2 year old 12 Pro can only lasts few hours when streaming hi-res lossless and powering dac dongles

See the consumption graph below, it lost 50% in 2 hours.


So my urgent need is to have a serious power-bank while having a faint hope in that external power source does any good to final sound output.

times like this, i long for my old Xiaomi phone where even the cheap road side handphone repairshop could replace the battery for $20~25 in less than an hour.

 

[AmericanSpirit]

Just ordered this. DD hifi product so at least that’s for audio!

As Dac dongle sucks battery so fast on already half-dead iphone that I’m using, and I recently got motivated from Cayin RU6 to invest further effort into a practical portable solution for dac dongle with portability.

1: I need an external battery to supplement
2: Maybe a better performance on DAC dongle than weak iphone BUS-power? I don’t know so I’m gonna try it myself.




for iphone folks(iphone is moving to USB-C as well maybe from next model?)
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mLAIyeC

for android folks:
https://a.aliexpress.com/_m0mpxnq

Anyway, I ordered one for lightning.

Let‘s see a myth of “external power source mixed to DAC dongle” would do any job to the sound output.

That’s a hope, but at least half of my problem “ battery drain” shall be solved

Any 3D print genius, please make a universal case

1: holds most of DAC dongles
2: holds high capacity replaceable mobile battery which is wirelessly chargeable
3: make the case easily detachable
4: make it sleek and stylish, maybe with leather skin
5: make it breathable as dongles generally heats up while operating, need a proper ventilation, maybe consider air cooling structure

Make it a cloud funding and I surely will invest!

 

[shez.]

Just ordered this. DD hifi product so at least that’s for audio!

As Dac dongle sucks battery so fast on already half-dead iphone that I’m using, and I recently got motivated from Cayin RU6 to invest further effort into a practical portable solution for dac dongle with portability.

1: I need an external battery to supplement
2: Maybe a better performance on DAC dongle than weak iphone BUS-power? I don’t know so I’m gonna try it myself.




for iphone folks(iphone is moving to USB-C as well maybe from next model?)
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mLAIyeC

for android folks:
https://a.aliexpress.com/_m0mpxnq

Anyway, I ordered one for lightning.

Let‘s see a myth of “external power source mixed to DAC dongle” would do any job to the sound output.

That’s a hope, but at least half of my problem “ battery drain” shall be solved

Why not use the magsafe charger or powerbank?

I’m thinking to stop using the dongles with my iPhone and switch to iFi Gryphon instead…

 

[AmericanSpirit]

Why not use the magsafe charger or powerbank?

That’s another plan, I already ordered 70x65x11 magsafe battery for that.

But this option only supplement the power consumption, the dac dongle will be still solely powered by bus-power.

I’m trying both ways to see if there is any audible difference, if power addition to dac dongle does benefit, hey why not

If not, the simple magsafe wireless battery shall be better.

 

[shez.]

Let‘s see a myth of “external power source mixed to DAC dongle” would do any job to the sound output.

If you connect external power source with battery (powerbank) it should increase the performance, iPhone can’t give the constant more than 5v when external lightning source sucks more than 0.1A. Hi-end dongles sucks around 0.15A (except LP W4, that works under 0.1A) and iPhone for that matter drop the voltage to lower than 5volt that effect to the sound quality. However, if you connect the external AC source, even if dongle gets all needed power, electric interference could make sound even worse.

 

[AmericanSpirit]

Simgot 4+1 EM6L early bird gets 666CNY
(92USD) in Chinese domestic market.

Oh hey! That’s newsx

If they can do same price here, that’s gonna be a smash hit especially after EA500.

 

[AmericanSpirit]

If you connect external power source with battery (powerbank) it should increase the performance, iPhone can’t give the constant more than 5v when external lightning source sucks more than 0.1A. Hi-end dongles sucks around 0.15A and iPhone for that matter drop the voltage to lower than 5volt that effect to the sound quality. However, if you connect the external AC source, even if dongle gets all needed power, electric interference could make sound even worse.

Thanks, hopefully the adapter won’t make the sound worse

DD hifi is a proper audio equipment company, I’d bet my odds on their advertising, we will see.

 

[Hustler]

In my opinion the Tri Starlight’s design and implementation was their pinnacle and the thought process of the Starshine (let’s remove the DD and see what happens) was when KBEar started setting up the waterski ramp and threw some chum in the water.

Almost forgot the Tri i3 debacle. Let’s literally downsize the Tri i3 and call it a Pro.

Reverse KZ protocol (keep adding drivers and DIP switches)
I’m seeing a trend, if it’s a success, take away an aspect of the original and see who bites.

They downsized I3 and IMO screwed up the sound, as I had an I3 Pro and sold it quickly, but original I3 were still intriguing. Finally I found them for sell in Germany and now they're one of my favourite IEM-s.

It's kind of sad because KBEar/TRI had a lot of good models in their lineup. I had KBEar KB04, Diamond, Lark and they were competitive in their price range. Also their cables were really good. I remember when I bought the Diamond and the included cable was just stunning. Ok, Stellar earbuds were trash.

 

[Ichos]

In case anyone interested here is my LETSHUOER Galileo review.

Beautiful looking and good sound for the price.

 

[MVVp]

They're probably too heavy for my ears.

6.2 grams per ear piece, doesn't feel heavy to me. (this is about Fiio FW3.)

Edit:
I have been using them for 4 hours now, connected to my Windows PC (I don't use them for phone calls or other stuff) and they are at 58 and 56 percent battery capacity left.

 

[baskingshark]

Time flies! I remember celebrating the New Year with some wine and a Truthear HEXA just an eye blink ago, but we are now almost in the middle of 2023. Many hypetrains have come and gone since then - maybe about 80% of hypetrains have crashed and only a few legit ones are still talked about 3 months post release?

What are some of your favourite budget gear (USD$100ish and below) that were released so far this year? Well, I know 2 weeks is an eternity in CHIFI land, such is how fast the industry moves, that a new Pokemon IEM comes out the next day, so there are surely gonna be more gems for the 2nd half of 2023.

But FWIW, here's a ittle list of the more memorable budget releases I've tried in 2023 so far:


1) Simgot EA500 - Melds the 3Ts of timbre, technicalities and tonality into a nice mirror-like finish. Has 2 tuning nozzles to vary the sonics slightly between a neutralish bright tone and a Harmanish curve. Can be a little hot in the upper frequencies, but otherwise it truly has good price-to-performance ratio and is one of the benchmark budget single DDs of this year.

(Actually, the EA500 was released around sep 2022 last year in China, but only came to the west in early 2023, but I'll still leave it on this list haha).

Spoiler: EA500 Graph

2) Fiio FD11 - well dosed V-shape single DD with consumer friendly tuning. Big sub-bass due to special conch snail like acoustic shell, decent technicalities and timbre. Unfortunately, has a recessed 2-pin connector on the shell, so not all aftermarket cables can fit. There's a dearth of accessories too.

Spoiler: FD11 Graph

3) 7Hz Legato - Big Bombastic Baddass Basshead visceral jaw rumbling will greet the listener. The Legato may not be the most technical IEM, but it surely is a very fun-sounding set, and something different from the run-of-the-mill Harmanish spam out there.
The Legato is reminscent of floor speakers of bygone years, and is very unique. Bassheads must give it a try, though perhaps for non-bassheads, it might not be your cup of tea.

Spoiler: Legato Graph

4) Tripowin Piccolo - an underrated hidden gem. Balanced U-shaped tonality with solid technical chops. Can be a tinge bright and soundstage isn't the most expansive, but it certainly belies its cheap retail price. Great price-to-performance ratio.

Spoiler: Piccolo Graph

5) BLON HBB X Z300 - warm and smooth bassy L-shaped pair. One of the best budget IEM stock cables I've seen too. Thick note weight, non-fatiguingtuning, though perhaps below average in technical chops.
Most of the BLON releases after the legendary BL-03 were flops or at best mediocre sidegrades (perhaps with the exception of the BL-05s), but the Z300 is one of the good BLONs and could this be the start of a redemption arc for BLON?

Spoiler: Z300 Graph

6) KZ D-FI - if KZ had put a Waifu with the D-FI, consumers might be the none the wiser that this is actually a KZ - it has a graph that is closer to a Moondrop curve than the traditional banshee V-shaped KZ house sound.
Has 4 tuning switches to theoretically give 16 permutations in sound signature, but the changes are very subtle, with just a 4 dB difference in bass between the most extreme of switch tunings.
Tonally pleasing, though technically weak, but perhaps a sign to come for KZ improving their tonal balance?

Spoiler: D-FI Graph

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

FW3 that good?

Hmmm!

The charm is the spatial qualities. The soundstage and imaging. Technically, they are good. Good timbre and decent details with decent bass and treble, but it's something that Ds said earlier, these are great for just walking, resting, gym, or on the go. Now if you want to do technical or detailed listening, then no. Wired is way superior, but for that special sauce stage and spatial width and depth and just freedom of wireless, then YES. They are very good.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

They're probably too heavy for my ears.

Heavy?? AU CONTRERE! @Dsnuts will back me up. They are very light! You pick them up, and you wonder "is there anything in these things?"

 

[DynamicEars]

DAC dongle’s portability issue part, half solved.

Just coincidence, my perfect solution for dongle dingling has arrived.
Late discovery for me but I'm impressed!


1 Hour impressions out of the box :

Wasting my first 10 minutes to figure out connecting it via LDAC codec, turned out that Fiio app can manage all the fiio products

Pros :
+Sound Quality is on par with dongles / mid class DAP, im really impressed with the details, technicalities and sound quality. I heard the BTR5 before and this is a huge leap from that.
Sound characteristic is following Fiio recent flagships products, neutral with some dynamics, just like my big M17 rather than my M11 plus ESS. Not cold, but neither warm, just really on neutral with just little hints of analytical that helps technicalities.

+4.4mm balanced jack really useful, a rarety on similar Bluetooth dac devices

+drive power is great for the size, using high gain, it can drive Mest without problem, with still plenty of headroom

+LDAC supports, connected to apple music lossless make a chain of great source

+relatively small (even it is bigger than competitors), still very pocketable, easily grabbed on palm, or using clip to shirts or lanyard.

+good bluetooth chip.

Some cons i found :

-price is more expensive than competitors

-battery life is "only" 6 hours on paper (haven't measure it myself)

-have to buy separate clip case (or mod it). The default case doesn't have clip on it




Overall I'm very happy with the purchase. And as a bonus, I tried streaming services like netflix and youtube, with balanced connection to the Mest, while lifting up my phone, without anything attached, but at the same time hearing 3D detailed great imaging with very minimum lag. Almost lag free experience.

 

[shez.]

Just coincidence, my perfect solution for dongle dingling has arrived.
Late discovery for me but I'm impressed!


1 Hour impressions out of the box :

Wasting my first 10 minutes to figure out connecting it via LDAC codec, turned out that Fiio app can manage all the fiio products

Pros :
+Sound Quality is on par with dongles / mid class DAP, im really impressed with the details, technicalities and sound quality. I heard the BTR5 before and this is a huge leap from that.
Sound characteristic is following Fiio recent flagships products, neutral with some dynamics, just like my big M17 rather than my M11 plus ESS. Not cold, but neither warm, just really on neutral with just little hints of analytical that helps technicalities.

+4.4mm balanced jack really useful, a rarety on similar Bluetooth dac devices

+drive power is great for the size, using high gain, it can drive Mest without problem, with still plenty of headroom

+LDAC supports, connected to apple music lossless make a chain of great source

+relatively small (even it is bigger than competitors), still very pocketable, easily grabbed on palm, or using clip to shirts or lanyard.

+good bluetooth chip.

Some cons i found :

-price is more expensive than competitors

-battery life is "only" 6 hours on paper (haven't measure it myself)

-have to buy separate clip case (or mod it). The default case doesn't have clip on it




Overall I'm very happy with the purchase. And as a bonus, I tried streaming services like netflix and youtube, with balanced connection to the Mest, while lifting up my phone, without anything attached, but at the same time hearing 3D detailed great imaging with very minimum lag. Almost lag free experience.

I'm also thinking of moving away from dongles. Using dongles with iPhones is not a solution. Even with more energy-efficient dongles like Penon Tail or LP W4, the battery of my iPhone 12 still dies fast. I have a friend with a FiiO BTR7, and I must borrow it for a test. Thanks for the impressions!