jwilliamhurst
Headphoneus Supremus
This is an amazing song! The entire album is worthwhile IMO! I agree with your sentiments
The Watercooler -- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first page. All welcome.
- Thread starter Rockwell75
- Start date
The Bird's mids are some of the best I've ever heard. Bass is solid, but not the best.
The Jewel is not better than the Traillii in any way in my opinion. Ymmv
Shawnb
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2012
- Posts
- 1,208
- Likes
- 1,341
Looking at the Mentor now and Mason FS
Last edited:
Mentor is really solid, though a bit pricey. If you want soundstage, the Mentor is good. If you want good mids, the Ronin and Traillii and Trifecta are my favorites. Good bass? Trifecta and Rn6. Ymmv
I played around with the Hiby R6Pro2 today. I purchased this potentially as an EDC so I'll focus the most on useability.
Unboxing: The packaging of it is pretty minimal but appropriate because this is a $750 device.
The dap was located at the top of the case but unlike DX320 Max, it didn't have padding at the top. For re-sale, I would wrap foam on top of the box.
The bottom layer contains a usb cable, leather case and screen protectors:
I noticed chargers usually don't come with the usb cable. I guess DAP manufacturers like phone companies are assuming everyone already has one.
The back side has a quirky aesthetic. From the pictures I thought it would be rubber but it's ribbed metal which is functional for better grip. I like the build quality here more than something like the Fiio M17 which was hard plastic. As far as the design language goes, I would have personally preferred if it was either: 1) All carbon fibre 2) All purple 3) Purple with the gold diamond portion being black or charcoal. I find the gold to not contrast enough against the purple. It doesn't matter though because the included case looks like this:
I like the mauve / amethyst case that stands out amongst other DAPs. Since audiophiles use cases with their daps most of the time, I wonder if manufacturers should put more resources making it look higher end. For example, A.K SP3K is my favourite looking device under the hood but it's a shame that it has to be covered by the blander looking moss green stock case:
Shanling M9+ (left) Astell and Kern SP3K (right)
On the top left, a side opens like a flap (with a decent amount of resistance) to allow the player to slip inside. This feels quite secure. This seems like a low bar in 2023 but I feel confident that the player won't fall out of the case. No need to buy an aftermarket case (which is good because a Dignis would cost 20% of the R6P2 itself).
The music player has curved edges which adds some character and a place for the fingers to wrap around for extra grip. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a volume wheel. I'll see how much this bothers me. There are three side buttons which powers on / volume Up / volume down.
The profile is slim not much thicker than my Samsung S22 Ultra.
Samsung S22 (left) Shanling M9+ (right)
R6pro is around 30% lighter than M9+. Even though the M9+ is thicker, it has a curved profile with cut outs on the case which actually makes it easier to grip.
Screen / Speed: The screen panel is quite crisp and nice, much better than 320 Max and N8ii ($3K+). Scrolling the menu and swapping programs is a slightly choppy (Less smooth with lower frames rates) vs M9+ but not to a distracting point.
Battery life: This doesn't have the best battery. I got roughly 7.5 hours while streaming / partially using SD card with the screen on a decent amount of the time.
Sound profile: R6pro2 reminds me a bit like a mini Shanling M9+ with its warm musical profile. It's got a nice tonality for vocals and instruments. Having tried N8ii and 320 Max, I think I prefer AKM over ROHM chips. I noticed a stage compression coming from M9+, transients felt more crowded. I liked the pairing with Grand Maestro to iron out some of its intensity and add bass slam and meat to its vocals. Overall, while using this during a walk around a park, my mind wasnt thinking too hard what I was missing back at home. I'll get a better picture of its technicals once I A/B test against other DAPs this weekend.
Unboxing: The packaging of it is pretty minimal but appropriate because this is a $750 device.
The dap was located at the top of the case but unlike DX320 Max, it didn't have padding at the top. For re-sale, I would wrap foam on top of the box.
The bottom layer contains a usb cable, leather case and screen protectors:
I noticed chargers usually don't come with the usb cable. I guess DAP manufacturers like phone companies are assuming everyone already has one.
The back side has a quirky aesthetic. From the pictures I thought it would be rubber but it's ribbed metal which is functional for better grip. I like the build quality here more than something like the Fiio M17 which was hard plastic. As far as the design language goes, I would have personally preferred if it was either: 1) All carbon fibre 2) All purple 3) Purple with the gold diamond portion being black or charcoal. I find the gold to not contrast enough against the purple. It doesn't matter though because the included case looks like this:
I like the mauve / amethyst case that stands out amongst other DAPs. Since audiophiles use cases with their daps most of the time, I wonder if manufacturers should put more resources making it look higher end. For example, A.K SP3K is my favourite looking device under the hood but it's a shame that it has to be covered by the blander looking moss green stock case:
Shanling M9+ (left) Astell and Kern SP3K (right)
On the top left, a side opens like a flap (with a decent amount of resistance) to allow the player to slip inside. This feels quite secure. This seems like a low bar in 2023 but I feel confident that the player won't fall out of the case. No need to buy an aftermarket case (which is good because a Dignis would cost 20% of the R6P2 itself).
The music player has curved edges which adds some character and a place for the fingers to wrap around for extra grip. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a volume wheel. I'll see how much this bothers me. There are three side buttons which powers on / volume Up / volume down.
The profile is slim not much thicker than my Samsung S22 Ultra.
Samsung S22 (left) Shanling M9+ (right)
R6pro is around 30% lighter than M9+. Even though the M9+ is thicker, it has a curved profile with cut outs on the case which actually makes it easier to grip.
Screen / Speed: The screen panel is quite crisp and nice, much better than 320 Max and N8ii ($3K+). Scrolling the menu and swapping programs is a slightly choppy (Less smooth with lower frames rates) vs M9+ but not to a distracting point.
Battery life: This doesn't have the best battery. I got roughly 7.5 hours while streaming / partially using SD card with the screen on a decent amount of the time.
Sound profile: R6pro2 reminds me a bit like a mini Shanling M9+ with its warm musical profile. It's got a nice tonality for vocals and instruments. Having tried N8ii and 320 Max, I think I prefer AKM over ROHM chips. I noticed a stage compression coming from M9+, transients felt more crowded. I liked the pairing with Grand Maestro to iron out some of its intensity and add bass slam and meat to its vocals. Overall, while using this during a walk around a park, my mind wasnt thinking too hard what I was missing back at home. I'll get a better picture of its technicals once I A/B test against other DAPs this weekend.
I need the battery to last a couple hours longer and it'd be about perfect. Oh, and no weird software glitches that require me to reboot it.I played around with the Hiby R6Pro2 today. I purchased this potentially as an EDC so I'll focus the most on useability.
Unboxing: The packaging of it is pretty minimal but appropriate because this is a $750 device.
The dap was located at the top of the case but unlike DX320 Max, it didn't have padding at the top. For re-sale, I would wrap foam on top of the box.
The bottom layer contains a usb cable, leather case and screen protectors:
I noticed chargers usually don't come with the usb cable. I guess DAP manufacturers like phone companies are assuming everyone already has one.
The back side has a quirky aesthetic. From the pictures I thought it would be rubber but it's ribbed metal which is functional for better grip. I like the build quality here more than something like the Fiio M17 which was hard plastic. As far as the design language goes, I would have personally preferred if it was either: 1) All carbon fibre 2) All purple 3) Purple with the gold diamond portion being black or charcoal. I find the gold to not contrast enough against the purple. It doesn't matter though because the included case looks like this:
I like the mauve / amethyst case that stands out amongst other DAPs. Since audiophiles use cases with their daps most of the time, I wonder if manufacturers should put more resources making it look higher end. For example, A.K SP3K is my favourite looking device under the hood but it's a shame that it has to be covered by the blander looking moss green stock case:
Shanling M9+ (left) Astell and Kern SP3K (right)
On the top left, a side opens like a flap (with a decent amount of resistance) to allow the player to slip inside. This feels quite secure. This seems like a low bar in 2023 but I feel confident that the player won't fall out of the case. No need to buy an aftermarket case (which is good because a Dignis would cost 20% of the R6P2 itself).
The music player has curved edges which adds some character and a place for the fingers to wrap around for extra grip. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a volume wheel. I'll see how much this bothers me. There are three side buttons which powers on / volume Up / volume down.
The profile is slim not much thicker than my Samsung S22 Ultra.
Samsung S22 (left) Shanling M9+ (right)
R6pro is around 30% lighter than M9+. Even though the M9+ is thicker, it has a curved profile with cut outs on the case which actually makes it easier to grip.
Screen / Speed: The screen panel is quite crisp and nice, much better than 320 Max and N8ii ($3K+). Scrolling the menu and swapping programs is a slightly choppy (Less smooth with lower frames rates) vs M9+ but not to a distracting point.
Battery life: This doesn't have the best battery. I got roughly 7.5 hours while streaming / partially using SD card with the screen on a decent amount of the time.
Sound profile: R6pro2 reminds me a bit like a mini Shanling M9+ with its warm musical profile. It's got a nice tonality for vocals and instruments. Having tried N8ii and 320 Max, I think I prefer AKM over ROHM chips. I noticed a stage compression coming from M9+, transients felt more crowded. I liked the pairing with Grand Maestro to iron out some of its intensity and add bass slam and meat to its vocals. Overall, while using this during a walk around a park, my mind wasnt thinking too hard what I was missing back at home. I'll get a better picture of its technicals once I A/B test against other DAPs this weekend.
Last night I attended a performance of Rachmaninov's All Night Vigil. You're invited to read about it here.
In terms of quantity I agree. But in terms of quality it is one of the best. Superior to Trifecta and Evo IMHO for example in terms of bass quality ( tightness and speed of bass impact ).
Yeah, quality is good, definitely a little low on the quantity.
You did it! Congratulations!Incoming…
I love me some portable AK goodness, CL dacs, and epic battery life
Traillii and Jewel cannot be considered competitors at all, in my opinion. Traillii is just so special per se (as written earlier): in-your-face and at the same time out-of-the-head with best vocals ever. Accordingly, Jewel is different, rather - sorry for the word, but unfortunately I lack a better one - neutral. By the way, only marginally spontaneous impressions: Jewel has better bass (of course since DD) but Traillii has more quantity, Jewel's soundstage is deeper, but much narrower, better dynamic, maybe a tad better resolution, I liked the treble more. The question now is what one likes more. I rather consider Ronin as a competitor for Jewel.
For info: since DAP and cable play a big role: Trailli, Jewel and Ronin were used with the SP3000 and First Times.
I don't know how it can be. But with Traillii I never feel that it is deficient in any way. It's kind of perfect the way it is. And when I hear it, I think to myself that it couldn't be possible to make something better. Traillii sounds like a real endgame. But of course it is clear that this can't be the case, this proves for me a short comparison with Jewel (as written earlier).
I would love to know more about Mason FS. Does anyone have any experience with it? Opinions? I find strangely nothing about it, although Mason FS is supposed to be flagship next to Mentor.
Last edited:
jwilliamhurst
Headphoneus Supremus
I really enjoy how you compared trailli to jewel. I haven’t heard jewel but I appreciate how you expressed your gratitude towards both without a bias in either direction. I agree with your traillii sentiments as one that has owned it on three separate occasions (yes, please input all crazy audiophile names here, hehe) but the fact I still think about traillii shows it’s unique effect on a number of us. It has shown true staying power.
I owned Mason Fs and I thought it was such a ground breaking iem when it was introduced. Thick mids for days and it reminded me of a single dd right away. Superb coherence and resolution. Lower treble can bite, and smallish sound field but extremely layered with air and pin point imaging. But, ba timbre.
I hope that helps.
Last edited:
Impressions here are spot on from my experience as well, concise and well put.
Yes, I actually disagree that Traillii or Jewel is "better". It's certainly already very clear that I really like Traillii and consider it a must-have. However, I would add to my comparison some important points in favour of Jewel over Traillii (again, both with First Times). Jewel has for me the most unproblematic treble ever; it is so pleasant to listen to that I could listen music with Jewel all day without it bothering me. With Traillii I have to be good on it, it is surely not for night listening sessions, it's less laidback in that respect. I can't explain why quite a few claim that Traillii is laidback, because I don't feel it that way at all. Maybe it's the cable? That's my only explanation.
With the stock cable, Jewel is not even close to be so good as with First Times. It is incomprehensible to me how it can be that with such a sinfully expensive IEM such a cheap and poor sounding cable is included. Jewel loses massive potential, what a waste! I think that's why it's no longer considered in TOTLs heaven. This is probably the just punishment for the ambition of a capitalist mindset oriented to profit. @aromaaudio very, very bad move.
Yep, this really helps, thank you!
Last edited:
Users who are viewing this thread
