[PaulMiami]

Oh, I was actually referring to the Music app on an iPhone. Totally forgot there's other apps since I don't really use mine for music
Hard to say what accounts for the difference. For the iPhone I suppose you need one of those lightning to 3.5mm jack adapter. Maybe the lightning protocol doesn't output as much power for headphone out? We'd have to look at the lightning specs for some clues.

The adapter that’s needed to use an iPhone as a Roon endpoint is the Apple lighting to camera adapter that has a USB port, not the adapter with a 3.5mm analogue jack. A USB cable connects the lightning camera adapter to the DAC USB port, in my case, the DAC is the Sony. In this case the Sony sees a bit perfect source from Roon.

But still as I wrote, the Sony sounds better to me with a microRendu as its source, than with an iPhone as the source of data.

In neither case is the analogue signal coming from the iPhone. And yes, of course I would hope the amplifier and DAC in the Sony is better than those in the lightning adapter that has the 3.5mm jack.

 

[candlejack]

The same one person since mid 2016, the name's Rob

Hey Rob! And what is your official role with the company?

 

[iFi audio]

Hey Rob! And what is your official role with the company?

Among many other things, this here. Why ?

 

[candlejack]

Among many other things, this here. Why ?

I was just curious what part of the company is the forum spokesperson coming from. Btw, you better claim some overtime, it's 11 PM in the UK.

 

[Lookout57]

No, they both use the same standard and bandwidth limitations (S/PDIF). Do you have a source for this?

https://www.sony.com/electronics/audio-components/ta-zh1es/specifications

COAXIAL INPUT JACK PCM 2ch; 32/44.1/48/88.2/96/176.4/192 kHz (16/24 bit)
OPTICAL INPUT JACK PCM 2ch; 32/44.1/48/88.2/96 kHz (16/24 bit)

https://benchmarkmedia.com/collecti...rk-dac3-hgc-digital-to-analog-audio-converter

28 to 210 kHz (Coaxial Inputs)
28 to 96 kHz (Optical Inputs)

Those are 2 direct from manufacturers pages.

Google is your friend.

 

[iFi audio]

Btw, you better claim some overtime, it's 11 PM in the UK.

Nah, Head-fi is a pleasure and a hobby thing, which is partially why I've been doing this for so long pretty much daily. Some disagreements here and there are a part of the package

A good TA thread used be here, but this thread now seems to be the Watch, USB, and member insulting thread.

That's a fair point, apologies for hijacking it

 

[darmccombs]

Can anyone point me to a good thread or forum about the TA-ZH1ES? I just got my TA and was hoping to discuss the TA.

A good TA thread used be here, but this thread now seems to be the Watch, USB, and member insulting thread.

 

[Umwelt]

Those are 2 direct from manufacturers pages.

This may be manufacturer-specific though. As far as I understand they should have the same limitations in theory. But otherwise I stand corrected.

That said, in practice I wonder how many sources actually support more than 96khz over a digital coax output.

 

[candlejack]

I just got my TA and was hoping to discuss the TA.

So discuss! What are your first impressions?

 

[bflat]

Nah, Head-fi is a pleasure and a hobby thing, which is partially why I've been doing this for so long pretty much daily. Some disagreements here and there are a part of the package

If you would like to contribute to this thread dedicated to TA, please feel free to get one and try to figure out why it doesn't work with the iFi iGalvanic. If that's not feasible, then I would suggest moving the debate on digital versus analog to the Audio Science thread along with anyone else that wants to debate.

 

[darmccombs]

So discuss! What are your first impressions?

Well, I just got the TA yesterday, so I am still adjusting of course. I currently have (2) RME ADI-2 dac/amp, that has EQ, and similar amp power output. In comparison, the TA is a breeze to configure.

Overall, the TA has a huge soundstage and the mid/high end really open up and a re clear expansive. The RME is more toanaly balanced, IMO, with a little more lower bass range grunt.

I have the MDR-Z1R and the IER-Z1R, and was hoping that the MDR would really shine. I want to use the IER for mobile use (driven by Ipad Pro, Macbook, or iphone) or in the office (with my mobile devices or the RME since the RME is pretty inconspicuous). My first impression is that the IER sounds better on the TA, and the MDR sounds about the same on either the TA or the RME (overall SQ wise).

So, if things don't change, the big cans sound better on the small amp, and the little cans sound better on the big amp. I want small-small and big-big. LOL I hope that makes some sense.

I've done a few sounds tests. Please consider these preliminary.
- IER Balanced slightly better than unbalanced.
- IER better on low gain vs high.
- My old "upgraded" usb cable sounded slightly better to me than the stock one. Please disregard this statement if you don't believe in cables sounding different.
- MDR, still testing High/Low gain settings. Right now have a slight preference with Low Gain, and balanced cable.
- Still playing with DSD upscaling. Undecided.
- I used my RME as a DAC into the TA using some cheap moster interconnects. This sounded better to me than using either device by itself with both the MDR and IER,
- - I will pull better interconnects from my home system to see if this makes the RME->TA setup even better.
- - I won't leave this setup in place. I bought the TA for a separate location. It does tell me that the RME DAC is very good, and that I may want to later by a better amp to go with it.

If anyone has tips/suggestions, let me know.

 

[Umwelt]

I've done a few sounds tests. Please consider these preliminary.

Thanks for sharing your initial impressions!

It's interesting that the MDR and TA were basically designed for each other, but you don't find the MDR to sound that special on it compared to another amp. The IER came a year or so after, right? I'd imagine they expected the IER to be used mostly on the go, so they may have tuned it more with their portable devices, but it's a nice surprise that it works as well (if not better) with the TA.

I'm also not sure what to make of the DSD upsampling (or DS HXEE upscaling for CDs). But Sony has both on by default, so I figure that whatever Sony tells me is good for me has to be good for me lol. I have them on for now. I did turn on the DC phase linearizer, because why not?

I agree about wanting small-small though. I wish Sony came up with a PHA-4 already.

 

[darmccombs]

Thanks for sharing your initial impressions!

It's interesting that the MDR and TA were basically designed for each other, but you don't find the MDR to sound that special on it compared to another amp. The IER came a year or so after, right? I'd imagine they expected the IER to be used mostly on the go, so they may have tuned it more with their portable devices, but it's a nice surprise that it works as well (if not better) with the TA.

I'm also not sure what to make of the DSD upsampling (or DS HXEE upscaling for CDs). But Sony has both on by default, so I figure that whatever Sony tells me is good for me has to be good for me lol. I have them on for now. I did turn on the DC phase linearizer, because why not?

I agree about wanting small-small though. I wish Sony came up with a PHA-4 already.

Thanks for the feedback. And please don't put a lot of weight in my initial impressions. I'm not even putting much weight in them yet. LOL

The RME has a very good EQ and terrific, detailed, DAC. It also has similar output power to the TA, so it's a good competitor for the TA. The RME helps tame bad dips and peaks in the frequency response.

I am surprised like you are, that the Sony and MDR doesn't pair up better. I want to give this comparison more time though, and try the DSD and other settings.

On the other hand, the IER matched up easily with the TA. The soundstage is incredible.

I hope people aren't reading this and think that I'm not happy with the TA. It is doing a lot of things right. I'm just surprised at how well the RME is doing in comparision, especially with the MDR.

 

[Redcarmoose]

How would you guys compare the IER Z1R with the MDR Z1R? and how big is the difference with the IER using it with the TA vs one of their walkmans? WM1Z vs A vs
NW-ZX300?
I'm starting to see the value of listening to music away from my desk

Using the TA with firmware 1.03 and the Cradle and AQCarbon, I simply would listen with the IER-Z1R, then take the plug out put it into the 1Z I was using as a source and turn of the TA to activate the 1Z (firmware 3.02 “J” region) amp.

Really the two are sonically very close. I use that definition to illustrate musical enjoyment and contentment. Basically if something is great, even if it is just so very slightly different; it’s a wash.

Deep down I feel the TA is just slightly technically better. It’s really small but the imaging is clearer and the background blacker. The interestingness was the fact that some notes were placed in slighly different places. So it’s small and almost not noticeable but things are arranged slightly different. I had to go back and forth a bunch of times on the same song. I also chose a song that was very simplistic with just a set of drums at the start and would evolve into singing. So it was the exactly the file played. I have no tester to equalize volume between the two amps but used my ear.

 

[Gamerlingual]

Using the TA with firmware 1.03 and the Cradle and AQCarbon, I simply would listen with the IER-Z1R, then take the plug out put it into the 1Z I was using as a source and turn of the TA to activate the 1Z (firmware 3.02 “J” region) amp.

Really the two are sonically very close. I use that definition to illustrate musical enjoyment and contentment. Basically if something is great, even if it is just so very slightly different; it’s a wash.

Deep down I feel the TA is just slightly technically better. It’s really small but the imaging is clearer and the background blacker. The interestingness was the fact that some notes were placed in slighly different places. So it’s small and almost not noticeable but things are arranged slightly different. I had to go back and forth a bunch of times on the same song. I also chose a song that was very simplistic with just a set of drums at the start and would evolve into singing. So it was the exactly the file played. I have no tester to equalize volume between the two amps but used my ear.

I think you indirectly answered my question. Having the IER with the 1Z means the TA isn’t needed, even with the 1AM2, right?