[UnityIsPower]

Been happy with the Q5K and BTR3K, headphone and car use respectively. One thing missing from the 5K that the 3K has is the ability to rename the device. I was able to give the 3K the name of my car, which is sweet. I would have appreciated AptX LL on the Q5K but reason given is understandable. @ClieOS any recent experience with SBC XQ mate?

Main reason I went with the Q5K on my headphones is the PEQ. While the BTR3K has AptX LL and is slimmer, its glass finish did not allow command strips to adhere properly and the app experience has been suboptimal.

Spoiler: Photos

 

[ClieOS]

... @ClieOS any recent experience with SBC XQ mate?

Last I check, SBC XQ is limited to LineageOS only. Since I don't have any LineageOS devices, I can't tried it out.

 

[DeJaVu]

Last I check, SBC XQ is limited to LineageOS only. Since I don't have any LineageOS devices, I can't tried it out.

Not available anymore in Lineage OS. As far as i recall it got introduced in android 8 based lineage 15 and continued in android 9 based Lineage 16. Android 10 and 11(lineage 17 and 18) dont have the option anymore.
You can also play with SBC bitrate on linux loaded with pulseaudio-modules-bt. Oracle Virtualbox is your friend. @UnityIsPower

​

 

[Mytherion]

hi guys, for BTR5 owner, I hope my question is not OOT, what is your best IEM that you pair BTR5 with? I only have Shozy Form 1.1 and I got a little bit sibilance when the volume is a little bit above average. Music that I listen the most are J-pop, k-pop, ballad and EDM.

I tried to choose different filter but I haven't found any noticeable differences, or maybe you have any tips to reduce the sibilance besides lowering the volume below average? Fyi, my BTR5 volume is 40, while my phone volume is around 2/3 bars.

 

[ClieOS]

hi guys, for BTR5 owner, I hope my question is not OOT, what is your best IEM that you pair BTR5 with? I only have Shozy Form 1.1 and I got a little bit sibilance when the volume is a little bit above average. Music that I listen the most are J-pop, k-pop, ballad and EDM.

I tried to choose different filter but I haven't found any noticeable differences, or maybe you have any tips to reduce the sibilance besides lowering the volume below average? Fyi, my BTR5 volume is 40, while my phone volume is around 2/3 bars.

BTR5 has a flat 20Hz to 20kHz output with very low output impedance (*= little to no impedance interaction) so whatever sibilance you heard is from the IEM. Digital filters can affect subtlety how the music is 'stitched' together, but they don't affect the output frequency response overall and therefore will not cause or reduce sibilance. Again, your IEM is the source of the sibilance. As of why you only notice your IEM's sibilance at certain volume and above - that's because human hearing is not linear. Our sensitivity to certain frequency changes with different loudness, it is referred as equal-loudness contour.

Also, when using multiple devices in-chain and they each have their own volume control (*especially if they have software volume control) - that normal best practice is to set all the devices's volume to max and only use the last device to control the volume, otherwise there is a good chance you will be losing a few (*digital) bits and thus degrading the SQ.

 

[DeJaVu]

or maybe you have any tips to reduce the sibilance besides lowering the volume below average

EQ down at 8kHz and maybe bit on the 4kHz band(as its around 6-8kHz where the sibilants live) if youre using modes that support EQ. Otherwise try different tips, narrower bore will reduce the highs and maybe softer material but imo not to the extent that bore affects the sound. Try foam also if you have it.

 

[Mytherion]

BTR5 has a flat 20Hz to 20kHz output with very low output impedance (*= little to no impedance interaction) so whatever sibilance you heard is from the IEM. Digital filters can affect subtlety how the music is 'stitched' together, but they don't affect the output frequency response overall and therefore will not cause or reduce sibilance. Again, your IEM is the source of the sibilance. As of why you only notice your IEM's sibilance at certain volume and above - that's because human hearing is not linear. Our sensitivity to certain frequency changes with different loudness, it is referred as equal-loudness contour.

Also, when using multiple devices in-chain and they each have their own volume control (*especially if they have software volume control) - that normal best practice is to set all the devices's volume to max and only use the last device to control the volume, otherwise there is a good chance you will be losing a few (*digital) bits and thus degrading the SQ.

thanks for the knowledge, I just realized why it seems I'm missing some SQ.

EQ down at 8kHz and maybe bit on the 4kHz band(as its around 6-8kHz where the sibilants live) if youre using modes that support EQ. Otherwise try different tips, narrower bore will reduce the highs and maybe softer material but imo not to the extent that bore affects the sound. Try foam also if you have it.

thanks for the tips, since BTR5 not yet support SQ in LDAC, I had to use Spotify EQ, which only have 4kHz, it really does help me greatly reduce sibilance by reducing it 10db. Although it change the sound signature a little bit, but I can bear with it

another question please, is BTR5 sound signature and quality will greatly different with HiBy R3 Pro Saber since they have different tuning despite same DAC? of course the comparison are using same IEM and codec. I know that they are different devices, but since I might only use it for streaming Spotify from my phone, I want to know if it's worth to buy the DAP, or should I just stick with BTR5?

 

[DeJaVu]

thanks for the tips, since BTR5 not yet support SQ in LDAC, I had to use Spotify EQ, which only have 4kHz, it really does help me greatly reduce sibilance by reducing it 10db. Although it change the sound signature a little bit, but I can bear with it

10db seems bit overkill, especially with spotify EQ with only 5 bands. I never used it, but due to only 5 bands i assume it cuts pretty wide. Maybe try SpotEQ 31 band from playstore, it might work with your setup. Or even better if youre rooted JamesDSP or Viper4Android system wide eq.
Also its a good idea to try using aptx HD, as the tiny bit of quality you would loose due to the codec, might be well made up by the finer EQ that btr5 has and not change your sound signature as much as spotify EQ.

As for getting a DAP... Imo better investment for the price of the R3 Saber would be getting few more different sounding wired/wireless dongles for your phone. Youll never have the freedom of apps you use with a DAP. And for the price of the r3 having 2-5 dac/amps(depending what you go for) with different sound will always win in my book, variety never hurts.

Havent heard the shozy, but from reviews i figure they have fast emphasized bass and emphasized highs(v shape). From what i have i think Hiby W3 could be good pair for them. It will loosen up the bass a bit and give it bit more mass/grandnesss, highs arent that emphasized and has some musicality to its signature(longer note susstain) that will make the BA sound bit softer. Opposed to BTR3K that is more neutral and with bassy iems bass might sound bit out of place to my ears because of the lack of that musicality W3 has.
Shaling UP2 also has that musicality im talking about, and might be a better fit for you if btr5(never heard it) is as dry as the btr3k, but still has the highs so you still might get the sibilance the btr5 gives you with your set, idk. Will bring the mids more to the front compared to W3.

Since youre sort of used to v shape because of your iems, imo best fit for btr5 would probably be single dynamic driver v or slightly v shape signature. Youll get softer highs due to the nature of the dynamic driver, and combined with the detail of the 9218 will probably bring them somewhere in the middle between dynamic and ba.
But again i have to emphasize that my impression is from gathering info, deducting, and assuming that it is tuned in line with same sounding philosophy as the btr3k and having some general specifics of the 9218DAC/amp , not actually listening to the btr5. And someone that has both your set and the btr5 can give you better insight.

 

[Mytherion]

10db seems bit overkill, especially with spotify EQ with only 5 bands. I never used it, but due to only 5 bands i assume it cuts pretty wide. Maybe try SpotEQ 31 band from playstore, it might work with your setup. Or even better if youre rooted JamesDSP or Viper4Android system wide eq.
Also its a good idea to try using aptx HD, as the tiny bit of quality you would loose due to the codec, might be well made up by the finer EQ that btr5 has and not change your sound signature as much as spotify EQ.

As for getting a DAP... Imo better investment for the price of the R3 Saber would be getting few more different sounding wired/wireless dongles for your phone. Youll never have the freedom of apps you use with a DAP. And for the price of the r3 having 2-5 dac/amps(depending what you go for) with different sound will always win in my book, variety never hurts.

Havent heard the shozy, but from reviews i figure they have fast emphasized bass and emphasized highs(v shape). From what i have i think Hiby W3 could be good pair for them. It will loosen up the bass a bit and give it bit more mass/grandnesss, highs arent that emphasized and has some musicality to its signature(longer note susstain) that will make the BA sound bit softer. Opposed to BTR3K that is more neutral and with bassy iems bass might sound bit out of place to my ears because of the lack of that musicality W3 has.
Shaling UP2 also has that musicality im talking about, and might be a better fit for you if btr5(never heard it) is as dry as the btr3k, but still has the highs so you still might get the sibilance the btr5 gives you with your set, idk. Will bring the mids more to the front compared to W3.

Since youre sort of used to v shape because of your iems, imo best fit for btr5 would probably be single dynamic driver v or slightly v shape signature. Youll get softer highs due to the nature of the dynamic driver, and combined with the detail of the 9218 will probably bring them somewhere in the middle between dynamic and ba.
But again i have to emphasize that my impression is from gathering info, deducting, and assuming that it is tuned in line with same sounding philosophy as the btr3k and having some general specifics of the 9218DAC/amp , not actually listening to the btr5. And someone that has both your set and the btr5 can give you better insight.

Tried your advice on lowering the codec into aptx HD and use FiiO EQ, it certainly better than using Spotify EQ. Now I'm comfortable with 35 volume and this EQ in pic. Thanks a lot

For the best single DD IEM around $100-250 to be paired with BTR5, I'm planning to buy Final Audio A3000, but I do concern about the sound signature, since the latest review on this forum said it's not suited for EDM and Pop genre, which are my playlist. What do you think about this? Or maybe do you have any single DD IEM recommendation around that price that suitable for my BTR5 and my genre?

I very appreciate for your answer and suggestions, I actually not planning to buy another bluetooth DAC/AMP if the reason is to find a perfect pair for my Shozy Form 1.1, or having different variety of choice, since I satisfied with my BTR5. The reasons I want to buy DAP are I want the bidirectional bluetooth feature for my future TWS/IEM and bigger battery capacity, since BTR5 can't transmit and only have around 6-8 hours playback.

Sony NW-A55 also one of DAP that I consider, but it doesn't have 2.5 balanced output, and quite big.

 

[maserluv]

Hi any owner can advise if it drive a B&O H6 effortlessly?
Regards Wayne

 

[DeJaVu]

Tried your advice on lowering the codec into aptx HD and use FiiO EQ, it certainly better than using Spotify EQ. Now I'm comfortable with 35 volume and this EQ in pic. Thanks a lot

By looking at the eq, you didnt lower the sibilant area, but you did cover it by increasing the bass frequencies. If you lacked bass then thats one way to do it, if you have too much bass, just reduce 8kHz and maybe tiny bit of 4kHz like i previously said.

For the best single DD IEM around $100-250 to be paired with BTR5, I'm planning to buy Final Audio A3000, but I do concern about the sound signature, since the latest review on this forum said it's not suited for EDM and Pop genre, which are my playlist. What do you think about this? Or maybe do you have any single DD IEM recommendation around that price that suitable for my BTR5 and my genre?

Best is a very subjective term. As for the comment them not being suited for EDM and Pop, i find it pretty strange in general. Maybe if they have lackluster bass response? Otherwise EDM and Pop are not very demanding genres. As audiophilia is about chasing the iems/headphones with which you would get the sound of the instruments as they would sound in real life. And most of EDM and plenty of Pop is basically electronic music, and no real reference to real instruments as you cant know how it was meant to sound, so it comes to subjective prefference of how a certain track sounds.
Only Single DD i have is the Blon 03, and they really shine with Shanling UP2 so i assume theyll be great with BTR5 too. Paired with medium soft medium bore tips(Im using ones that came with QOA Vesper so cant point you to the exact ones, but im sure youll manage to find something similar), and an upgraded cable.
And looking at the EQ you did(increasing the mids too) i think youll love their signature as theyre just slight warm. Great meaty bass which the btr5 should tighten a bit and make even better, very slightly recessed but great vocals, and great soft highs with cymbals sounding just about the right length and no sibilance as far as my hearing is concerned. The increased detail from the btr5 should make them even better.
If you dont have them id say get them, not an expensive venture either way.
As for the Final Audio A3000 im sure theres a thread here, and people that already used them with BTR5, so probably a better place to ask about them.

I actually not planning to buy another bluetooth DAC/AMP if the reason is to find a perfect pair for my Shozy Form 1.1, or having different variety of choice, since I satisfied with my BTR5. The reasons I want to buy DAP are I want the bidirectional bluetooth feature for my future TWS/IEM and bigger battery capacity, since BTR5 can't transmit and only have around 6-8 hours playback.

You might know this but still worth mentioning, TWS wont benefit from a dap sound quality wise, would be same as connecting them to your phone. And at rare situation the btr5 might run out of power you can plug it in your phone(id rather invest those 200$ that you would spend on a dap in a phone with 5000Mah battery), or get a small and cheap powerbank that will be usefull to either top up your btr5 or the phone itself if needed. And if you want the DAP so youre able to transmit aptxHD/LDAC from PC, theres more convenient solutions like Fiio BTA30, or few software based solutions for free if youre willing to put in the time requiered to configure your setup. But up to you what you decide in the end.

 

[Mytherion]

By looking at the eq, you didnt lower the sibilant area, but you did cover it by increasing the bass frequencies. If you lacked bass then thats one way to do it, if you have too much bass, just reduce 8kHz and maybe tiny bit of 4kHz like i previously said.

Strangely, even though the I'm not lowering any 4 or 8kHz on the EQ, the sibilance got much better when I turn on the FiiO EQ, even with normal settings with all 0 dB, the sound signature suddenly change when I turn on the EQ, Idk how that could happened. That's why I just duplicate the Dance EQ in FiiO EQ, which I found a good match for my sound signature and turn down the 4 and 8 kHZ into 0 dB, there are still some sibilance in some song after I listen for hours, so finally I turn it down 2.0 dB for both 4 and 8 kHz. I did miss the perfect cymbals sound though. When I'm using Soundmagic E10C in 3.5mm output, they sound very great without sibilance in any songs and without EQ though.

Best is a very subjective term. As for the comment them not being suited for EDM and Pop, i find it pretty strange in general. Maybe if they have lackluster bass response? Otherwise EDM and Pop are not very demanding genres. As audiophilia is about chasing the iems/headphones with which you would get the sound of the instruments as they would sound in real life. And most of EDM and plenty of Pop is basically electronic music, and no real reference to real instruments as you cant know how it was meant to sound, so it comes to subjective prefference of how a certain track sounds.
Only Single DD i have is the Blon 03, and they really shine with Shanling UP2 so i assume theyll be great with BTR5 too. Paired with medium soft medium bore tips(Im using ones that came with QOA Vesper so cant point you to the exact ones, but im sure youll manage to find something similar), and an upgraded cable.
And looking at the EQ you did(increasing the mids too) i think youll love their signature as theyre just slight warm. Great meaty bass which the btr5 should tighten a bit and make even better, very slightly recessed but great vocals, and great soft highs with cymbals sounding just about the right length and no sibilance as far as my hearing is concerned. The increased detail from the btr5 should make them even better.
If you dont have them id say get them, not an expensive venture either way.
As for the Final Audio A3000 im sure theres a thread here, and people that already used them with BTR5, so probably a better place to ask about them.

I read great things too about BLON-03, definitely one of my watch list for a couple times, thanks for the recommendation, will read more about this IEM for sure before deciding to buy. And I will try to search more thread about A3000 then.

You might know this but still worth mentioning, TWS wont benefit from a dap sound quality wise, would be same as connecting them to your phone. And at rare situation the btr5 might run out of power you can plug it in your phone(id rather invest those 200$ that you would spend on a dap in a phone with 5000Mah battery), or get a small and cheap powerbank that will be usefull to either top up your btr5 or the phone itself if needed. And if you want the DAP so youre able to transmit aptxHD/LDAC from PC, theres more convenient solutions like Fiio BTA30, or few software based solutions for free if youre willing to put in the time requiered to configure your setup. But up to you what you decide in the end.

Actually I did read it somewhere, but I doubt it, but since you mentioned it again, then it's true LOL. Then my main quest will be changed into find more variety IEM to be paired with my BTR5, but if I found cheap preloved HiBy R3 Pro Saber, I might still snatch it though LOL. I do have powerbank to juice up my BTR5, but I feel bad for my BTR5 since charging it while using it will cause quite a heat to it, so I mostly charge it when I don't use it, to preserve it's battery and hardware quality.

After trials and error, I found out the sibilance culprit, it's my TRI Through 4 core single crystal copper 2.5mm balanced cable which increase all frequency range, the Shozy original 3.5mm cable is doing fine as long as the volume is maxed out at 37 at my BTR5.

 

[Nalin]

Anybody here using Andromeda 2020, what will be the best option for them considering Output Impedance and all factors considered.

Earlier used to have Shanling UP2, looking for upgrade in SQ if possible.

 

[Caithang]

With (TinHifi T4 - HZsound Mirror - FiiO F9pro - Sen ie40 pro - Final E2000 - Sony N1ap)

Qudelix5k > Hiby W3 > BTR5 > Up4 > BTR3k

 

[ClieOS]

Shanling is showing off UP5 on an Chinese audio show: Similar design as UP4 but larger, QCC5120 with a small screen, one 3.5mm single-ended, one 2.5mm balanced and one 4.4mm balanced output.