The Watercooler -- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first page. All welcome.

[mgsu]

There is a fix for this and unless most of the recommendations on this thread it costs about $12: Liquid Tape. I have the same issue with my Orpheus and through trial and error found this to be the best solution. I have used this for months without any negative consequences for my IEMs.

You can buy it at your local hardware store or on Amazon. Here’s what you do: have access to some toothpicks or q-tips. Anything that can be thrown out - because the supplied brush is way too big. Keep in mind this stuff is meant to serve the function of electric tape in corners or other areas where taping is difficult. When I got my Fei Wan I used a stray French fry under my car seat because I didn’t have anything else. Put your IEMs on a paper towel. Gently coat the area between the IEM and the cable - it has the consistency of pancake batter so take your time as this is the tricky part. Take off the excess so the coat is thin. Wait about 20 minutes for it to fully dry. If you missed a spot or just want a thicker coat feel free to put another coat on and wait 20 minutes.

It comes off super easy, like Scooby Doo ripping the mask of the nefarious criminal. You just use your fingernail and tug (or you could use a toothpick if your nails are too short. No residue remains - it does actually feel like tape when it dries. Hope that helps!

That sounds good. I have to find some equivalent in Germany.

We have here something called "Sugru"
It is an moldable adhesive and has the consistency of Play Doh. You form it like Play Doh and put it around the connector and then it hardens out and became elastic after couple of hours. This should work.

Thanks for the headsup!

Here is video of Sugru, it can be used for various things.

 

[wolfstar76]

Can anyone recommend a desktop DAC/AMP that has at least the same performance in terms of sound quality as the SP3000? I assume these DAPs are so expensive because of the technology and because they are an "all-in-one" portable device. So I assume that something like a desktop DAC/AMP can be cheaper and yet better. Any tips?

In the past, I have tested the CA1000T, Hugo2, Hugo TT2, ADI-2 (Pro SE) and others and they were not "better" for me, not even "equal" in sound quality.

Hifiman has EF400 on sales for only $309 (open box), though it is R2R, sound not the same as delta sigma SP3000.

 

[kaeswiss]

Yes, ESS or AK DACs usually have no delay in my experience. In this price range, however, I would prefer to buy the Ru7 - which also has no delay and works quite well. But my aim is to have something on a par with the SP3000, but as a desktop DAC/AMP.

The RU7 is a great portable DAC/AMP, but have you thought about using it as a desktop DAC? With its line out function in both 4.4mm balanced or 3.5mm SE, you can use it with any desktop amp. That's how I currently use my RU7.

Having never listened to the Cayin N7, I'm curious on how the two would compare (N7 vs. RU7+amp) since they both use discrete 1-bit DAC tech.

 

[jkx0547]

One of?

Yah, have 2 new units on the way, couldn't decide which colour to keep so got both. Will sell the other one.

 

[phiemon]

The RU7 is a great portable DAC/AMP, but have you thought about using it as a desktop DAC? With its line out function in both 4.4mm balanced or 3.5mm SE, you can use it with any desktop amp. That's how I currently use my RU7.

Having never listened to the Cayin N7, I'm curious on how the two would compare (N7 vs. RU7+amp) since they both use discrete 1-bit DAC tech.

Right, I had forgotten the "desktop" performance, which of course the Ru7 doesn't have - certainly not for my HD800S.

 

[kaeswiss]

Right, I had forgotten the "desktop" performance, which of course the Ru7 doesn't have - certainly not for my HD800S.

You'd be surprised with how it sounds with headphones when hooked up to an amp. It isn't as good as my Gustard R26 DAC, but it's better than the sub-$300 desktop DACs I've tried.

 

[fejnomit]

You'd be surprised with how it sounds with headphones when hooked up to an amp. It isn't as good as my Gustard R26 DAC, but it's better than the sub-$300 desktop DACs I've tried.

Agree that the RU7 is a fantastic source. I keep trying to upgrade to 'mid-tier' daps to replace all the spaghetti of the a dongle but can't find anything, even the N7 wasn't better, only different....

 

[aaf evo]

I've not seen much about this set but I just blind bought the Craft Ears Omnium in universal to try out with their Black Friday promo pricing. I've known about Craft Ears for a while but I've never tried any of their IEMs.

It's 1 DD for lows, 1 planar for mids, and 5 BA for highs. I'm keen to see how the coherency is on this set as my experience between planar driver IEMs leave them with a distinct timbre that is quite hard to keep coherency top notch with other driver types, but we'll see how it goes! Here is a picture of the FR sent to me from Jed himself. The tuning of this to me looks rather Elysian-esc in the mids and given my like for Elysian IEMs my interest in this set grew a substantial amount after he sent this to me.

"Please find attached photo of FR (unfortunately I am out of office, so I have no access to company computer, that is why I have only photo – blue one is correct, 7,3kHz is coupler resonance, you can ignore that peak)"



https://craftears.com/products/craft-ears-omnium-universals

I should have them in about 2 weeks and I'll share some impressions when I have listened to them for a bit.

Plus, they have some stunning CIEM options.

 

[Rockwell75]

I've not seen much about this set but I just blind bought the Craft Ears Omnium in universal to try out with their Black Friday promo pricing. I've known about Craft Ears for a while but I've never tried any of their IEMs.

It's 1 DD for lows, 1 planar for mids, and 5 BA for highs. I'm keen to see how the coherency is on this set as my experience between planar driver IEMs leave them with a distinct timbre that is quite hard to keep coherency top notch with other driver types, but we'll see how it goes! Here is a picture of the FR sent to me from Jed himself. The tuning of this to me looks rather Elysian-esc in the mids and given my like for Elysian IEMs my interest in this set grew a substantial amount after he sent this to me.

"Please find attached photo of FR (unfortunately I am out of office, so I have no access to company computer, that is why I have only photo – blue one is correct, 7,3kHz is coupler resonance, you can ignore that peak)"



https://craftears.com/products/craft-ears-omnium-universals

I should have them in about 2 weeks and I'll share some impressions when I have listened to them for a bit.

Plus, they have some stunning CIEM options.

Will be interesting to see how it compares to Szalayi, which had a similar configuration.

 

[aaf evo]

Will be interesting to see how it compares to Szalayi, which had a similar configuration.

I haven’t heard that one! Maybe I can get a demo from Andrew to compare.

 

[wolfstar76]

I haven’t heard that one! Maybe I can get a demo from Andrew to compare.

It will be even more interesting if it uses Electrostatic for high.

 

[warrenpchi]

Quick bulletin, have listed my XE6 and Jewel for sale

Wait wut? Wut happened?

 

[Neweymatt]

Can anyone recommend a desktop DAC/AMP that has at least the same performance in terms of sound quality as the SP3000? I assume these DAPs are so expensive because of the technology and because they are an "all-in-one" portable device. So I assume that something like a desktop DAC/AMP can be cheaper and yet better. Any tips?

In the past, I have tested the CA1000T, Hugo2, Hugo TT2, ADI-2 (Pro SE) and others and they were not "better" for me, not even "equal" in sound quality.

I've only briefly heard the SP3k so I can't comment on that, but I've been extremely happy with my Schiit Bifrost2/Jotunheim2 desktop rig for driving IEMs like the Z1R, Annihilator and Xe6 that all benefit to one extent or another from a quality high-powered balanced amp. I also really liked Hugo2 with the Annihlator, I'm surprised neither it nor the TT2 worked out for you SQ-wise.

My opinion is that you will have to spend a lot more on stationary equipment. From what I have heard, I recommend DCS Lina or Boulder 812.

My opinion and experience is that you don't.

While desktop gear can get ridiculously expensive, pushing into 2-ch kind of crazy, there's plenty of great options around 1-3k.

I think the question is a valid one, if desktop dacs are so much bigger. They should be able to out perform a dap at lower price?

They do. Or at least they can, as long as you find the right gear and weed out the rubbish. Much like miniaturisation/portability of other tech, for eg desktop PC vs laptop, you pay a premium for the smaller on-the-go form factor.

All Chords have a really big problem for me personally and that's the biggest dealbreaker of all: latency / delay. For example, you can't use it when you want to gaming or to watch a video. The audio signal is always notably delayed. The higher the price class (Mojo -> Hugo 2 -> Hugo TT2 …), the higher the delay.

I wasn't aware of this latency with Chord gear, I've never experienced that with my Schiit-y DACs.

Right, I had forgotten the "desktop" performance, which of course the Ru7 doesn't have - certainly not for my HD800S.

Hmmm, now I'm confused, you've got HD800S and no desktop amp to properly drive it? Seems a missed opportunity/excuse to spend $$$ to me.

 

[bigbeans]

Wait wut? Wut happened?

I’m somewhat indifferent at having them in the collection. They are excellent but I end up using Trifecta and Fusang more often.


Oh…and there’s this iem called Amber Pearl.

 

[warrenpchi]

I’m somewhat indifferent at having them in the collection. They are excellent but I end up using Trifecta and Fusang more often.

You have customs right? It might not even be worth the proceeds from the sale...

Oh…and there’s this iem called Amber Pearl.

Ah, there's the real answer!