The discovery thread!
Dec 6, 2021 at 7:16 AM Post #61,096 of 98,032
A new week starts, and I hope you received some awesome presents from Saint Nicholas! Christmas is coming soon as well, so I prepared a review that should prep you up for it, on one of the most raved about IEMS in the entire world, the 7Hz Timeless from Linsoul Audio!!

I really like the sub-bass, strong treble, and good soundstage! The detail is incredibly good too, and if you're looking for comfort, they are comfortable, despite the awkward coin-like outer design. I invite you to read more about comparisons, pairings, and other personal observations about the Timeless Planar Magnetic IEM!!

I also updated the Hall Of Fame page of Audiophile-Heaven, as well as every sub category page, so all new products will be included in the top list, and navigation should be even better on my webby :)

https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2021/12/7hz-timeless-planar-iems-linsouls-ace-card.html

7Hz-Timeless-Planar-Magnetic-IEMs-Earphones-IEM-Review-Audiophile-Heaven-Linsoul-20.jpg
 
Dec 6, 2021 at 7:39 AM Post #61,097 of 98,032
Thanks for the info.

Just for general knowledge, for our Amps/DAPs that use Li-Ion or LiPo, for the purposes of prolonging battery life, what do you guys recommend?

Like avoid fast charging? Charge and top up whenever possible? Or wait till it fully depletes? Don't charge to 100%?
There is no general rule about it, really. Because, it all depends on how the manufacturer of that device implemented the charging procedure and most importantly the voltage cut off. Typically for a LiPo single cell: Never below 3.5V and never above 4.2V. Things get dicey if multiple cells are used (parallel to increase capacity - in series to increase voltage). Here a so called balanced charger is a must have. That said, except for my RC charger I have never seen a consumer product with a balanced port for charging. Maybe the balancing is done within the product (cell phone, tablet, laptop, whatever) and maybe not. Laptops catching fire or batteries swelling in amps, cell phones etc indicate a total failure (or absence) of that security measure.

The best advice would be:
1. Use the charger the device came with
2. Do not charge the device unattended (meaning have it in eyesight)
3. Have a bucket of sand somewhere ( I am serious - this is the only way to put out a Li based battery fire. )

Cheers.
 
Dec 6, 2021 at 8:08 AM Post #61,098 of 98,032
Thanks for the info.

Just for general knowledge, for our Amps/DAPs that use Li-Ion or LiPo, for the purposes of prolonging battery life, what do you guys recommend?

Like avoid fast charging? Charge and top up whenever possible? Or wait till it fully depletes? Don't charge to 100%?
I agree with what @redguardsoldier said but I'm going to add a few things here an there.

Some quick tech stuff important to my explaination;
Li-Ion: min 2.4V, nominal 3.7V, max 4.2V. Max discharge rate 1~5C (dependent on the construction of the battery, C = capacity)
LiPo: min 3.0V, nominal 3.7V, max 4.2V. Max discharge rate 5~200C (dependent on the construction of the battery, 100C+ only with pulse discharge)
Normal phone, tablet and DAP discharge rate is <0.20C under normal use.

Fast charging
Li-Ion and LiPo can only safely be charged at a max of 1C or 1x capacity. This does in theory mean that you can charge these batteries in 1 hour but in practice this is 1 hour 15 minutes as the last 5~10% has to be done at a significantly slower rate. Fast charging (anything over 10W) can be done without damaging the battery if you keep to this rule. Even if a charger is rated at say 24W this doesn't mean the device will charge at 24W, the device regulates itself and only takes what it needs.

To make this easy when you can and can't fast charge:
1C charge [W] = nominal voltage [V] x battery capacity [A] (mAh/1000)
So a 5000 mAh battery in should be charged with a max of 3.7x(5000/1000)=18.5W. This isn't that much as these days fast chargers are already at 120W.
FYI battery capacity for 1C charge at 10W is (10/3.7)x1000=2703 mAh. If you're below this you should never ever use a fast charger.

Balanced charging is also a thing but this only needs to be done when a battery consists of more than 1 cell. Phones and DAP's only use 1 cell but some tablets and all Laptops use multiple cells either in parallel for more capacity or series for a higher voltage (laptop). This should be handled by the device itself if the batteries are charged internally.

Topping up whenever possible
Can be done in a pinch but should never be done regularly. Always let the battery go down until at least 70% charge before charging again.
Batteries don't like to be topped up all the time.

Fully depleting the battery
Don't do this. This is when the battery gets unstable. Any LiPo should never be discharged under 3.2V per cell and Li-Ion never under 3.0V. I usually set my own safety cut of at 3.5V per cell in RC stuff. In modern phones, tablets and DAP's the 0% battery should be set at >3.3V by the manufacturer but this is not always the case so it's good to never let it deplete past 10~15%. I normally charge when they go under 30% just to be sure.

Charging to 100%
Has to be done every once in a while to keep them in shape but the should be depleted to 90% over the next 24 hours to be safe.
Technically the you can keep a LiPo at 100% for a little over a week without problems or lasting effects but it's advised not to do so.

Storage
Often overlooked but important. Any Li-Ion or LiPo battery that is not used for more than 2 weeks should be given a storage charge. This means the voltage of the cell should be between 3.6V and 3.9V or 45% to 60% charge. With RC batteries this is easy as our charger can do this for us, but with other stuff you've got to do this yourself.
Both Li-Ion and LiPo batteries lose capacity when they are not in use for extended period of time but having them on a storage charge reduces this by 80% for Li-Ion and 90%+ for LiPo. This is at room temperate, high temperatures (40 °C+) will always degrade the battery at a considerable rate.
 
Dec 6, 2021 at 8:43 AM Post #61,099 of 98,032
how the hell you manage to open surface without breaking the screen?
Patience. Much patience, and a heat gun and plastic gift cards and more patience than I knew I had!
 
Dec 6, 2021 at 10:46 AM Post #61,100 of 98,032
Patience. Much patience, and a heat gun and plastic gift cards and more patience than I knew I had!
Did you replace the battery or anything else while you had it open?
 
Dec 6, 2021 at 11:24 AM Post #61,101 of 98,032
Dec 6, 2021 at 11:40 AM Post #61,102 of 98,032
Instead of sending out review units to shillers

Reading this, I wonder if someone can come up with a ranking list of reviewers, with most honest and knowledgeable at the top, and most shilling and otherwise corrupt at the bottom.
 
Dec 6, 2021 at 12:12 PM Post #61,103 of 98,032
Reading this, I wonder if someone can come up with a ranking list of reviewers, with most honest and knowledgeable at the top, and most shilling and otherwise corrupt at the bottom.
Intriguing idea. However, who is going to review those reviewers? Another reviewer I suppose...I guess, you know where I am going with this, right? :smile_phones:

Cheers
 
Dec 6, 2021 at 1:14 PM Post #61,105 of 98,032
Astrotec Lyra Nature Limited Edition review: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/astrotec-lyra-nature-limited-edition.25223/reviews#review-27442

Rank: D+

Posting this here since this is a warning to potential buyers.
Yeah, uhm. Not recommended. Instead of sending out review units to shillers, use that money to actually do something good….
Excellent idea!

The question of how accurate the review is, can be determined by anyone. In a sense that option exists already in the comments section under each review.

For my part, as soon as I review the few items I have in my possession, I have no intention of doing regular reviews here on Head-fi. For me, there is too much bad blood here on Head-fi around reviews and reviewers. I spend my paid time in battles for ordinary folks, which make a difference to people's lives, and I would like to keep it that way. No one has questioned my integrity in my profession and if anyone did, I can prove my honesty. Here I am not sure how many ask themselves what the motives of the "snipers" are!

I did not start reviewing with the intention of getting any financial benefit from doing so. I have bought items with my own funds to review and I have received review units on tour, and on loan, all which are more than I have been sent free of charge for review, yet the presumption, in some quarters, is that you are getting some benefit.

Quite frankly, I do not see the benefit in taking all that time reviewing an item, when I could better spend that time listening to my music.

I came into the hobby to listen to my music and I get no time to do so, regardless of how many sets you have acquired, what is the point if you cannot listen to them?

All I can say at this point is, thank you to those who bothered to read my reviews. To others I say, if you care to, please read my reviews and tell me where I am mistaken. I would appreciate it.
 
Dec 6, 2021 at 4:13 PM Post #61,106 of 98,032
Reading this, I wonder if someone can come up with a ranking list of reviewers, with most honest and knowledgeable at the top, and most shilling and otherwise corrupt at the bottom.

Just look for anyone that feels the need to point out how honest they are and how shilly everyone else is. Those are the ones to trust.
 
Dec 6, 2021 at 9:45 PM Post #61,107 of 98,032
Reading this, I wonder if someone can come up with a ranking list of reviewers, with most honest and knowledgeable at the top, and most shilling and otherwise corrupt at the bottom.
Lol, I think everyone should use their own critical thinking skills to evaluate what they’re being told and the extent to which they buy it, instead of relying on someone else to tell them who to trust. I respect reviewers that:

  • Keep the flowery, indulgent, emotionally driven verbiage to a minimum
  • Recognise that by definition, any given product is more likely than not to be average
  • See one’s job as demanding that the product prove it isn’t terrible rather than as justifying why the product is good - we aren’t raising children here
 
Dec 6, 2021 at 10:35 PM Post #61,108 of 98,032
Lol, I think everyone should use their own critical thinking skills to evaluate what they’re being told and the extent to which they buy it, instead of relying on someone else to tell them who to trust. I respect reviewers that:

  • Keep the flowery, indulgent, emotionally driven verbiage to a minimum
  • Recognise that by definition, any given product is more likely than not to be average
  • See one’s job as demanding that the product prove it isn’t terrible rather than as justifying why the product is good - we aren’t raising children here
To add,
  • Give a slight explanation to your sound preference, so viewer could tell what kind of sound you'll like and dislike and how it affect the nuance of the review.
  • If you wanna give scoring give it proper scaling in performance (from the cheapo sub $ten to the $kilobucks) and keep value/performance in different metrics.
I remember watching Z*olt which is good that he review plenty cheap iem, but he's like giving 4 out of 5 to 80% of the product which break the scaling system. whats the point. And recently, Crin make video explaining it.

 
Dec 7, 2021 at 5:16 PM Post #61,109 of 98,032
To add,
  • Give a slight explanation to your sound preference, so viewer could tell what kind of sound you'll like and dislike and how it affect the nuance of the review.
  • If you wanna give scoring give it proper scaling in performance (from the cheapo sub $ten to the $kilobucks) and keep value/performance in different metrics.
I remember watching Z*olt which is good that he review plenty cheap iem, but he's like giving 4 out of 5 to 80% of the product which break the scaling system. whats the point. And recently, Crin make video explaining it.


Highly respectful!
Using the Apple dongle earned my respect as well.
 
Dec 8, 2021 at 11:52 PM Post #61,110 of 98,032
Intriguing idea. However, who is going to review those reviewers? Another reviewer I suppose...I guess, you know where I am going with this, right? :smile_phones:

Cheers
Only way to keep people honest is to invade their privacy and monitor their social network for improper use of social networking. It's one thing to use social network to get ahead, but it's totally different matter when you are conspiring to deceive or harm other people. We need to exercise good sportsmanship conduct.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top