[Click]

PSA for Tidal users, MQA is dead: https://www.digitaltrends.com/.../tidal-adds-hi-res.../

Dang, gotta wait until August.

"Master" quality/MQA is still available on Tidal. I actually enjoyed MQA, even though so many people hate it. Oh well, I prefer lossless FLAC anyway.

 

[sgtbilko]

You have no idea as to how the Quintet looks in person though? The pictures you show look garish to me, though taste is personal?

FWIW, I think you both take great photos, and am only grateful that yours and others' talents exist to help show us what is out there. Keep it up guys. You rock!

 

[Redcarmoose]

FWIW, I think you both take great photos, and am only grateful that yours and others' talents exist to help show us what is out there. Keep it up guys. You rock!

Well, photos are secondary to sound, at least for me. I just came home and tried the Quintet again and was subsequently blown away. This sucker sounds like a $2000.00 IEM........almost? I will have a review up in a day or two! What has happened is it has a few days of burn-in, the ISN G4 cable in 4.4mm and the Sony WM1A with MrWalkman's firmware. A more expanded mid centric tone is it seems an advantage adding pace and clarity. This song rocks and shows what is up, 100%.

Reason being is all the different elements in how it's displayed. Here voice, the echos, the drums, the rhythm guitar tone and timbre.....etc, etc.



Edit:


Also this song playback is absolutely perfect. Her voice! The fastness of the drums, the fall-off. The drum guitar/bass matrix and tight rhythm.........this IEM is showing an otherworldly value.......once the word it out, the rest is history.

Edit X2:


This, is played back perfect, the sparkle in the guitars, the size of the drums. All three songs 44.1 kHz - 24 bit FLAC.

 

[baskingshark]

Dang, gotta wait until August.

"Master" quality/MQA is still available on Tidal. I actually enjoyed MQA, even though so many people hate it. Oh well, I prefer lossless FLAC anyway.

I think the main issue is that MQA is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

It isn't lossless in the first place, and manufacturers are forced to pay licensing fees for MQA tech on their dongles and DAC/AMPs, and this cost indirectly transfers down to consumers.

 

[sgtbilko]

Well, photos are secondary to sound, at least for me. I just came home and tried the Quintet again and was subsequently blown away. This sucker sounds like a $2000.00 IEM. I will have a review up in a day or two! What has happened is it has a few days of burn-in, the ISN G4 cable in 4.4mm and the Sony WM1A with MrWalkman's firmware. A more expanded mid centric tone is it seems an advantage adding pace and clarity.

Can't argue with you there. I value your sound descriptions too (probably more). But it's hard to complain about your photographic skills

 

[Nimweth]

Why don't manufactures offer removable/swappable face plates?

Some time ago I had a pair of the Trinity Masters. They had three different face plates which you could swap over.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Can't argue with you there. I value your sound descriptions too (probably more). But it's hard to complain about your photographic skills

You're too kind. My photographs are simply to get an idea as to what the IEMs truly look like. No photo studio, just a back yard.

 

[sgtbilko]

You're too kind.

If you get round to it in your review of the Quintet, I'd also love to read your take on it vs the P8. Some have claimed the P8 is almost up there with some kilobuck models. Being a little more grounded, it'd be a more interesting comparison of these two.

 

[Carpet]

Three packages arrived for today. So I now have Audiosense T800, Flo Audio Bluelover and NiceHCK B40 to add to the collection.

OOTB, Bluelover isn't a DT600 with impedance adapter built in, too efficient. To my ear that's how it's tuned though. I do have a SPC/Copper mixed cable on it compared to PurpleSE on DT600. Waiting on an OCC cable for it.

T800 was certainly worthwhile, I thought I'd missed my chance to pick those up. Probably end game for me, sixth and best set from Audiosense. Stage and separation are breathtaking.

B40 is pretty good too. Same ballpark as Yincrow X6 going by first listen.

Need to burn them in over the weekend.

 

[baskingshark]

Three packages arrived for today. So I now have Audiosense T800, Flo Audio Bluelover and NiceHCK B40 to add to the collection.

OOTB, Bluelover isn't a DT600 with impedance adapter built in, too efficient. To my ear that's how it's tuned though. I do have a SPC/Copper mixed cable on it compared to PurpleSE on DT600. Waiting on an OCC cable for it.

T800 was certainly worthwhile, I thought I'd missed my chance to pick those up. Probably end game for me, sixth and best set from Audiosense. Stage and separation are breathtaking.

B40 is pretty good too. Same ballpark as Yincrow X6 going by first listen.

Need to burn them in over the weekend.

Congrats on your T800!

I still harbor pangs of regret in selling my T800 away to fund a new purchase and have thought of buying it again during sales several times.


If you are feeling adventurous, you can pick up a set of Knowles dampers/filters to change the T800's sound - see this post: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/aud...ressions-thread.909718/page-381#post-17160053

Not only do these filters affect the tonality, but they can change the soundstage too. It's a few bucks for the dampers with a video there on how to install it.

 

[Redcarmoose]

If you get round to it in your review of the Quintet, I'd also love to read your take on it vs the P8. Some have claimed the P8 is almost up there with some kilobuck models. Being a little more grounded, it'd be a more interesting comparison of these two.

Thank-you.

I don't have the P8, but you can see by my signature what I have. Anything listed I can compare. That's the thing..........I mean when something like the Quintet comes along, I may (in-the-end) sound like a lunatic when I try to value it realistically? Maybe I should wait a few more days so I don't sound so much like a fool?

 

[Tzennn]

You know what i'm surprised not hearing more about given the relatively accessible pricing?

The Tanchjim Kara.

I mean the train have left it's station long time ago, so either you the guy who impressed by the trait they left (design/esthetic) or you're some leftover guy who still trying to hop on the train (basically me). Still waiting for that one guy can confirm whether Kara mid range is worth buying or not

 

[o0genesis0o]

Well, photos are secondary to sound, at least for me. I just came home and tried the Quintet again and was subsequently blown away. This sucker sounds like a $2000.00 IEM........almost? I will have a review up in a day or two! What has happened is it has a few days of burn-in, the ISN G4 cable in 4.4mm and the Sony WM1A with MrWalkman's firmware. A more expanded mid centric tone is it seems an advantage adding pace and clarity. This song rocks and shows what is up, 100%.

Reason being is all the different elements in how it's displayed. Here voice, the echos, the drums, the rhythm guitar tone and timbre.....etc, etc.



Edit:


Also this song playback is absolutely perfect. Her voice! The fastness of the drums, the fall-off. The drum guitar/bass matrix and tight rhythm.........this IEM is showing an otherworldly value.......once the word it out, the rest is history.

Edit X2:


This, is played back perfect, the sparkle in the guitars, the size of the drums. All three songs 44.1 kHz - 24 bit FLAC.

Which $2000 IEM do you have in your mind? I’m very curious about the bone conduction of this one.

 

[domq422]

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.

Man, it's awesome seeing more people pick up the BTR7. I've used mine almost every day since I got it last October and it's never failed me. It was even run over by a car and it's still working flawlessly, even though it's basically smashed to bits. The battery life could be better, in my testing using the balanced output, low gain, you'll probably see about 5.5 hours of battery life if you're hovering around 50% volume. The PEQ function could also be better, the software on the FiiO app isn't incredible and compared to the Q5K, very limited but honestly, it works perfectly for on-the-go listening.

Enjoy!

 

[carrots99]

I need to ask your help on a particular subject: eartips.

I think finally I found one kind of ear tips for my IEMs where the sound is really great and the fit and seal are perfect: Whizzer ET100 Size M (12mm).

But for some "belly" round eartips, like the Whizzer SS20, I'm using an S size on my TWS (11.2mm), because M size (12.6mm) is a tiny bit too big and the TWS pops out of my ears after a while.

But I wanted to test also some other brands to check how they sound and how they fit, like JVC Spiraldots++, Azla Sedna, Radius, and final E Type, but for those they have a lot of intermediate sizes, like MS, ML, etc.
So, I'm wondering if for those eartips of size S/MS would suffice (from 11.1 to 11.5mm), or if I should go to M instead (from 11.8 to 12.1mm).

Thanks.