BLitt
New Head-Fier
Maybe sell one of them and fly First Class
Safe travels.
Just saying’…..
Maybe sell one of them and fly First Class
Safe travels.
Maybe sell one of them and fly First Class
Safe travels.
The Watercooler -- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first page. All welcome.
- Thread starter Rockwell75
- Start date
Just saying’…..
The joy is infectious.
wolfstar76
Headphoneus Supremus
The tight space on United
Flying the friendly skies with some gear.
.Great effort! It sounds very promising now.Cross posting from Effect Audio thread:
Thanks to Effect Audio and @Sebastien Chiu, I got a chance to demo two mystery prototype cables from EA. Though soon after the tour started, we learned what those two cables are, and I will directly use the official names for those two prototype cables.
Before I start my impression of those two cables, a little background for myself. I am relatively new to the cable rolling business and as matter of fact, this is my first time to demo high-end cables (with the recent inflation, cables are becoming much more expensive and people may argue that at this price, they are not technically “high-end”. However, I would say that they are a steal at this price point given their high-end performance. I am not just saying that, but I will soon order one of those cables as my first “high-end” upgrade cable). In the past I have purchased more than 10 upgrade cables for my IEMs, but they are mostly for the purpose of ergonomic improvements, and none of them are over $250. I did have chance to use more expensive cables, mostly PWAudio cables as stock cables from UM Mentor, Merst, etc. Frankly, I did not find any of those cables make significant impact on the sound quality of the IEMs.
Therefore, even though I am not in the camp of cable non-believers, I am also not a strong believer of cable as well, well, until recently.
The two cables from Effect Audio are code 24 in beautiful deep ocean blue, and its little sister code 24c limited in purple. Most of my impression, however, will be on the big sister code 24 since I spent most of my time on it and I just can’t take it off my ears, sorry.
When I took out the cables from the small package, I happened to take the blue one out first without any knowledge of which is which and what are those cables. When I switched the stock cable to the blue code 24, I had been listening to music with the stock cable for hours since the time I picked up the FedEx package was in the evening.
Even though I did expect some sound signature change, I was totally unprepared for what was about to come, and my jaw dropped the moment the music started.
I must tell you that if I were doing this as part of a blind test, I would definitely believe I were listening to a much, much more expensive IEM since everything changes, I mean EVERYTHING!
Okay, let’s start with the first thing I noticed: the bass, yes, that BASS. The first IEM I happened to use is Oriolus Isabellae, which has good bass but mostly renowned for its sweet midrange. Instantly, the bass performance was brought to the next level, sweet Isa immediately exhibited Sony IER-Z1R level of bass. Not only I could hear deeper, more impactful bass, but also higher quality more textured bass. The sub-bass reached deeper, and the mid-bass was more prominent.
The second thing I immediately noticed is the clarity: the resolution suddenly increased, more information was there, just like magic happened. I have no idea why this is happening, but it may have something to do with the “super-tweeter effect” after I did some research on code 24 from Effect Audio website.
The next thing I noticed was the sound stage: Isa is not renowned for its sound stage, but with code 24, I did feel a much-opened sound stage, almost to the level of grand. With a grander sound stage, I also noticed that code 24 brought better instrument separation and you will notice the music become more layered.
Later, I found out what those two magic cables are. Code 24 is a silver-plated copper cable with 16.5 AWG, 13 multiple size core bundles. The cable is thick, visually much thicker than its little sister 24c. I haven’t used EA’s code 23 before, but it has been mentioned numerous times in the watercooler thread I hung out. To some fellow coolers with code 23, code 24 is 23 on steroid. I can definitely testify for the excitement code 24 can bring to your IEMs.
Both code 24 and 24c comes with EA’s ConX Basic Set, which comes with both 2pin and MMCX connections. I must emphasize it again, the fact that you don’t have to buy a separate cable for IEMs with a different connection is another huge saving in your cable investment.
Unfortunately, the prototype cables we received for this tour do not have the entire ConX basic set, they only have 2pin connection. Because of that, I did not have the chance to try it on IEMs with MMCX connection.
I did a short demo of code 24c, which initially I thought could have another flavor. But I was wrong. Code 24c is a pure copper cable, which is thinner than code 24 and much easier and flexible to handle. But the pro stops here. Code 24c has very good bass but with less bass impact than code 24, that will be the first and foremost impression you will notice. Even though both cables have the same deep reach in sub bass, the bass quantity decreases in code 24c, some people may like this if they put more emphasis on vocal and midrange. But for me, I strictly prefer code 24 even though 24c is much cheaper. As matter of fact, I don’t have to think for another second to decide which one I will buy, it is code 24. To put it in a simple way, code 24c limited is the little sister with a similar sound signature.
However, code 24/24c do not have the same impact on your IEMs. Since I haven't done very extensive test, my conclusion might be wrong. Given what I learned, code 24/24c have the largest impact on IEMs with dynamic drivers, either single DD, or multiple DDs. However, for IEMs with hybrid drivers, such as tribrid with DD, BA, and EST drivers, the impact on bass is still very high, but on not as high in term of resolution and sound stage.
Here are some of the music I used during my demo using my desktop gears. Unfortunately, I am in a process of re-organizing my gears, I don’t have a chance to use tube amp. All listening below is from solid state desktop amp, R2R little RU6 dongle. I did spend several hours outdoors with the cable using my Sony WM1A with local music library, but since I was listening with shuffle mode I did not remember the music I was listening to.
Mark Lettieri - "Pulsar" (Deep: The Baritone Sessions, Vol. 2) Official Video
The bass guitar and the string strokes are heaven from code 24 (they are wonderful with stock cable, but man, I have to say code 24 just rendered it much, much, more lively
Caro Emerald Live - A Night Like This
Live performance in a small concert, code 24 just gave its performance in a grander scale sound stage.
Cory Wong Call Me Wild (feat. dodie)
Cory Wong’s performance is always great, but the vocal from dodie in this collaboration brought some interesting flavor to the music and with code 24, I enjoyed it even more.
Santana - While My Guitar Gently Weeps
What can I say, the master guitar performance and the vocal is one of the best covers beside the original for this classical song. Again, code 24 brought the string stroke in a much vivid way.
Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms
One of my favorite songs from Dire Straits, you may notice much more details coming from the beginning of the song with code 24.
In the end, I would like to say something about the ergonomics of those two cables, even though originally I did not want to talk about since I only received the prototypes, not the cables in final production. I believe the final products will be in a much refined form and will be more ergonomic. With the prototypes I got, even for code 24c which is thinner, they will be much thicker than most of your stock cables. With flagship performance, the high-end cables unfortunately will be much thicker and will be more challenging to use. For code 24, each time I put them on, I had to spend some time to bend the cable to the shape I would like them to have. It is not very convenient but still doable. I am not sure if the finished cables will have ear hook, but the prototypes I received did not have any hook. However, I had some bad experience with Z1R ear hooks, which I wish they did not have. As matter of fact, some owners took the pain to cut the plastic hook open and took them away to improve the ergonomics. I still decide to order code 24 anyway without knowing the ergonomics of the finished products. As someone said before, if it was a tradeoff I have to make, I would pick much better sound quality over slightly more ergonomics.
timeslip
500+ Head-Fier
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Please let me know what they respond with. I would love to do the same for mine.
I just asked Andrew @ MT what the cost would be to re-terminate my horus octa to conx.
- Joined
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I’d buy it for you but I’m not stated to go to Japan until after CanJam SG
MaggotBrain
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I bit the bullet and decided to try the Apx from PMG audio. The design is unlike anything I’ve encountered to date: eleven custom-built drivers: one Rectangular Planar for the bass in conjunction with one 10mm DD, 8xBA for the mids and one Round Planar for the treble.Thank you so much!
I'm glad you like them
A few words on how I’ve come to this point. I used to do much of my listening on full headphone rigs - the planar Abyss 1266 TC being my favorite. Foolish me - I thought something with planars would be incredibly hard to drive. But presumably because of the Flat Impedance Balanced Armature Earphone (FIBAE™) tech - it turns out to be more than capably driven by a Fioo BTR7! It definitely has a different presentation than most other inner monitors I’ve tried. In my years of listening to audio equipment, the thing that it reminds me most of my beloved ATCSCM 100 ASL studio monitors. They are extremely quick and responsive and tell pretty much all the details you would want The soundscape is incredible and this is why it reminds me of my speaker set up. The bass is not bloated or woolly, but tight and impactful. It does seem that it scales up with amplification. The pairing of the Orpheus cable does serve to bring some treble taming, and accentuates the bass response in my opinion. I will admit, in all honesty, I am not the most discriminating music aficionado. Although I listen to all genres - mostly, I listen when I’m on the go and mostly when I’m on the go, I’ll listen to up-tempo pop/rock music. So I kind of feel more like Guy Fieri reviewing the offerings of a local diner, then a highfaluting critic doling out Michelin stars, but in my humble opinion, this does a better job with this type of music than anything else I’ve ever heard. Among the DAPS I’ve tried, the N 30 LE Serves as the tube richness taming the treble highs. With the DMPZ1, OMG! You could almost fool me into thinking I was listening to my old Stax 009 rig with how crisp it is, but the low end is even better. And with the LP6 Ti + Tsurunagi it is incredibly punchy. To compare to my other IEMS - it kinda reminds me of the RN6 with the red module in its clarity but with the bass response of the silver. It has a different presentation than the Fei Wan to be sure, not as booming down low but more resolving on the treble.
I grew up in an area of Ohio where a lot of people of eastern European descent came from. I had a neighbor from Poland, who was incredibly kind to me. She was grandmother, taking care of a child with cerebral palsy. She would tell stories about the old country and her struggles, but also of the tight community and family she had back there. She was an astounding baker. She would send me out back to the woods where I would collect blackberries out back and she bake pies for me and my family. She would hand roll and make from scratch these dumplings called pierogis from scratch. She’d fill them with cheese or potatoes and smother them with sour cream. and it was just about the most delicious and comforting thing I can remember. In receiving this wonderful set from Poland, I think back of old Nana growing up next-door and how comforting the music feels - like I have kind of reached the end of a rich meal and can unbuckle the belt a bit and savor what I have. Because while the PMG audio APX may not be the best IEM for everyone, it sure is the one for me.
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Singaravelan
1000+ Head-Fier
You had me chuckling at Guy Fiery line and then got me all warm and mush at that polish Nana recollections. Salaaam! I don't have the iem in question, but you definitely made me remember my late granny!I bit the bullet and decided to try the Apx from PMG audio. The design is unlike anything I’ve encountered to date: eleven custom-built drivers: one Rectangular Planar for the bass in conjunction with one 10mm DD, 8xBA for the mids and one Round Planar for the treble.
A few words on how I’ve come to this point. I used to do much of my listening on full headphone rigs - the planar Abyss 1266 TC being my favorite. Foolish me - I thought something with planars would be incredibly hard to drive. But presumably because of the Flat Impedance Balanced Armature Earphone (FIBAE™) tech - it turns out to be more than capably driven by a Fioo BTR7! It definitely has a different presentation than most other inner monitors I’ve tried. In my years of listening to audio equipment, the thing that it reminds me most of my beloved ATCSCM 100 ASL studio monitors. They are extremely quick and responsive and tell pretty much all the details you would want The soundscape is incredible and this is why it reminds me of my speaker set up. The bass is not bloated or woolly, but tight and impactful. It does seem that it scales up with amplification. The pairing of the Orpheus cable does serve to bring some treble taming, and accentuates the bass response in my opinion. I will admit, in all honesty, I am not the most discriminating music aficionado. Although I listen to all genres - mostly, I listen when I’m on the go and mostly when I’m on the go, I’ll listen to up-tempo pop/rock music. So I kind of feel more like Guy Fieri reviewing the offerings of a local diner, then a highfaluting critic doling out Michelin stars, but in my humble opinion, this does a better job with this type of music than anything else I’ve ever heard. Among the DAPS I’ve tried, the N 30 LE Serves as the tube richness taming the treble highs. With the DMPZ1, OMG! You could almost fool me into thinking I was listening to my old Stax 009 rig with how crisp it is, but the low end is even better. And with the LP6 Ti + Tsurunagi it is incredibly punchy. To compare to my other IEMS - it kinda reminds me of the RN6 with the red module in its clarity but with the bass response of the silver. It has a different presentation than the Fei Wan to be sure, not as booming down low but more resolving on the treble.
I grew up in an area of Ohio where a lot of people of eastern European descent came from. I had a neighbor from Poland, who was incredibly kind to me. She was grandmother, taking care of a child with cerebral palsy. She would tell stories about the old country and her struggles, but also of the tight community and family she had back there. She was an astounding baker. She would send me out back to the woods where I would collect blackberries out back and she bake pies for me and my family. She would hand roll and make from scratch these dumplings called pierogis from scratch. She’d fill them with cheese or potatoes and smother them with sour cream. and it was just about the most delicious and comforting thing I can remember. In receiving this wonderful set from Poland, I think back of old Nana growing up next-door and how comforting the music feels - like I have kind of reached the end of a rich meal and can unbuckle the belt a bit and savor what I have. Because while the PMG audio APX may not be the best IEM for everyone, it sure is the one for me.
I've been so obsessed with my IEMs and music of late, I let the cat get over-furry and forgot it was time for a 2x year shearing
.
Gotta stay on priority!
Before:
After:
. Gotta stay on priority!
Before:
After:
jwilliamhurst
Headphoneus Supremus
OMG!!!! The cutest!!!!I've been so obsessed with my IEMs and music of late, I let the cat get over-furry and forgot it was time for a 2x year shearing
Gotta stay on priority!
Before:
After:
What is your cats name?
I've been so obsessed with my IEMs and music of late, I let the cat get over-furry and forgot it was time for a 2x year shearing
Gotta stay on priority!
Before:
After:
I had to do it. Also, your cat is heckin adorable! (in both configurations)
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I spent a few days with the Hiby R8ii and ending up selling it. I thought I would provide my experience / data point.
The packaging is minimal. No wooden case like M9+. It was wrapped in layers of hard cardboard.
It unfolds sideways from the center like SP3K. Inside is a charging cable and TPU case.
This is an appealing shade of red. It has character without being too bright or bold. The back of the player is accented with Alcantara. I was generally a fan of this material with the dignis aftermarket SP3K case. It is interesting to see it make it to a DAP. Touching it has a velvet-y like texture. A con is it seems to catch dust easily.
Looking at it closer, the player is actually two toned with the Alcantara having being crimson and the metallic portion having more of an orange-blood hue. Like R6P2 there is no volume wheel. The buttons are an improvement though sized bigger and feeling more tactile. This might be a deal breaker to some people. It is less so for me since I attenutate via Mass Kobo 475, most of the time.
I was not the biggest fan of the included TPU case. Functionally, something that was an improvement over RS8 case is that it has a secure fit. R8IIs case doesn't have a flap opening. It has to be forced in via contortion. The TPUs side profile has that same the crimson alcantara. The rest of it is wrapped with a darker cloudy plastic material. In my opinion the TPU cheapens the otherwise "vintage" aesthetic. For me. It would have looked better wrapped in full alcantara. Another thing to note is that the tpu case input cut outs didn't take 4.4 pentacon well. I had to put a modest force to stick it in, chaffing my Brise IC.
R8ii is on the heavy side feeling a bit lighter than RS8 but more than SP3K. As far as button useage / ergo I still think M9+ nailed it with the curved edges and button cut outs. SP3K was my least favourite with how small the buttons were.
Perceived weight: RS8 > R8ii > 320 Max > SP3K > M9+ > R6P2
Battery Life: Battery life was class leading reminding me of RS8. I was able to leave the player burning in at night and use it with 50% battery life remaining.
UI / UX: Speed wise R8ii was on the fast side of the android player. The screen was fairly responsive vs something like 320 Max which ran into problems. Compared to R6P2 however I was surprised to find that it had a slight lag especially a 1.5 second delay after plugging in an IC and hitting play. More on amping later.
I would classify R8II was a warm-neutral dap that has a rather stately sound profile. The temperature is between R6P2 and RS8. Out of the box compared to R6P2, it has a reduced sub bass and an increased midbass / treble. R6P2s has sweeter upper mids. R82s luke warm tuning reminded me a bit of a warmer SP3K minus the blacker background.
R8ii / XE6 (Pairing ok
️): It gave XE6 had its conventional mid bassy sound / relaxed signature. I could tell the amp section is great, producing most of XE6' potential. From memory not as wide as 320 Max nor deep as RS8 but had the right balance of width and depth. Transients had the right amount of attack that I would expect from daps like RS8, N30. Another main difference is R6P2 has a colder tonality with less fullness in the low mid range, more of a dynamic V shaped tuning.
Winner: R6P2. Revealing more of XE6' sub bass and leaning the mid bass with more of a saturated contrast-y tuning.
R8ii / 622B (Not ideal): This was the decision maker as far as I viewed R8ii and whether it was elligible for my modest collection. While I generally liked XE6 with R8ii, I noticed the highs stuck out more (mid treble?) with 622b, throwing off the timbre on some tracks. Slightly more elevated, less refined with the dac section which I'll compare next.
Dac Comparisons with MK 475
MPA vs Ak4191eq / AK4499ex
R8ii as stated previously has a great amp sections giving me a "wow" factor for my high impedance earbuds that I've only gotten from RS8, 320 Max and N30. As far as drive goes it's in the ballpark of RS8, falling behind 320 Max.
Unamped while R6P2 drives iems to a satisfactory level, R8ii comes out a tier ahead in terms of staging expansion and dynamics. Amped with 475 was when things got interesting.
Transient response: R8ii is equipped with a discrete custom made 16-DAC system called Darwin MPA. It has a slight R2R soft "haze" that added more decay. For this type of sound, I preferred N7s 1-Bit which came off more organic.
MK 475 + R8ii vs MK475 (PO): Adding 475 not only removed the staging gaps, I found the R6P2 stack to sound more technical. During Alter Bridge - Metalingus with Canpur 622B, notes had more rigidity, denseness to it and speed that the MPA could not keep up. Zooming out comparing it to daps in general, this is not to say the R8ii stack wasn't technical, but I noticed it sounded grainier in comparison. Imaging & layering another aspect I found more diffused. I was able to pinpoint the background instruments more precisely off the R6P2. While I favor AKM chips, if I were to add an R2R Android dap again in the future it would be RS8 since I felt it commited more to R2R.
Packaging & Unboxing
Top layer
The packaging is minimal. No wooden case like M9+. It was wrapped in layers of hard cardboard.
Middle layer
It unfolds sideways from the center like SP3K. Inside is a charging cable and TPU case.
Bottom layer
Design:
Design:
Colour: Bordeaux Red
This is an appealing shade of red. It has character without being too bright or bold. The back of the player is accented with Alcantara. I was generally a fan of this material with the dignis aftermarket SP3K case. It is interesting to see it make it to a DAP. Touching it has a velvet-y like texture. A con is it seems to catch dust easily.
Looking at it closer, the player is actually two toned with the Alcantara having being crimson and the metallic portion having more of an orange-blood hue. Like R6P2 there is no volume wheel. The buttons are an improvement though sized bigger and feeling more tactile. This might be a deal breaker to some people. It is less so for me since I attenutate via Mass Kobo 475, most of the time.
I was not the biggest fan of the included TPU case. Functionally, something that was an improvement over RS8 case is that it has a secure fit. R8IIs case doesn't have a flap opening. It has to be forced in via contortion. The TPUs side profile has that same the crimson alcantara. The rest of it is wrapped with a darker cloudy plastic material. In my opinion the TPU cheapens the otherwise "vintage" aesthetic. For me. It would have looked better wrapped in full alcantara. Another thing to note is that the tpu case input cut outs didn't take 4.4 pentacon well. I had to put a modest force to stick it in, chaffing my Brise IC.
R8ii is on the heavy side feeling a bit lighter than RS8 but more than SP3K. As far as button useage / ergo I still think M9+ nailed it with the curved edges and button cut outs. SP3K was my least favourite with how small the buttons were.
Perceived weight: RS8 > R8ii > 320 Max > SP3K > M9+ > R6P2
Battery Life: Battery life was class leading reminding me of RS8. I was able to leave the player burning in at night and use it with 50% battery life remaining.
Size comparisons. R8ii on the left, R6P2 on the right
UI / UX: Speed wise R8ii was on the fast side of the android player. The screen was fairly responsive vs something like 320 Max which ran into problems. Compared to R6P2 however I was surprised to find that it had a slight lag especially a 1.5 second delay after plugging in an IC and hitting play. More on amping later.
Sound Impressions:
R8ii vs R6P2
Because a dap doesn't have a "sound" I'll do some dap comparisons starting with RS8 (recently owned) R6P2 (A/B) as other daps from memory.
R8ii vs R6P2
I would classify R8II was a warm-neutral dap that has a rather stately sound profile. The temperature is between R6P2 and RS8. Out of the box compared to R6P2, it has a reduced sub bass and an increased midbass / treble. R6P2s has sweeter upper mids. R82s luke warm tuning reminded me a bit of a warmer SP3K minus the blacker background.
R8ii / XE6 (Pairing ok
️): It gave XE6 had its conventional mid bassy sound / relaxed signature. I could tell the amp section is great, producing most of XE6' potential. From memory not as wide as 320 Max nor deep as RS8 but had the right balance of width and depth. Transients had the right amount of attack that I would expect from daps like RS8, N30. Another main difference is R6P2 has a colder tonality with less fullness in the low mid range, more of a dynamic V shaped tuning.Winner: R6P2. Revealing more of XE6' sub bass and leaning the mid bass with more of a saturated contrast-y tuning.
R8ii / 622B (Not ideal): This was the decision maker as far as I viewed R8ii and whether it was elligible for my modest collection. While I generally liked XE6 with R8ii, I noticed the highs stuck out more (mid treble?) with 622b, throwing off the timbre on some tracks. Slightly more elevated, less refined with the dac section which I'll compare next.
Dac Comparisons with MK 475
MPA vs Ak4191eq / AK4499ex
R8ii as stated previously has a great amp sections giving me a "wow" factor for my high impedance earbuds that I've only gotten from RS8, 320 Max and N30. As far as drive goes it's in the ballpark of RS8, falling behind 320 Max.
Unamped while R6P2 drives iems to a satisfactory level, R8ii comes out a tier ahead in terms of staging expansion and dynamics. Amped with 475 was when things got interesting.
Transient response: R8ii is equipped with a discrete custom made 16-DAC system called Darwin MPA. It has a slight R2R soft "haze" that added more decay. For this type of sound, I preferred N7s 1-Bit which came off more organic.
MK 475 + R8ii vs MK475 (PO): Adding 475 not only removed the staging gaps, I found the R6P2 stack to sound more technical. During Alter Bridge - Metalingus with Canpur 622B, notes had more rigidity, denseness to it and speed that the MPA could not keep up. Zooming out comparing it to daps in general, this is not to say the R8ii stack wasn't technical, but I noticed it sounded grainier in comparison. Imaging & layering another aspect I found more diffused. I was able to pinpoint the background instruments more precisely off the R6P2. While I favor AKM chips, if I were to add an R2R Android dap again in the future it would be RS8 since I felt it commited more to R2R.
TLDR:
Pros:- Generally agreeable warm-neutral sound profile.
- Class leading battery life
- TOTL amp section for the price; This could potentionally be a 1 and done unit.
- Hifi screen, fast browsing
- No volume wheel
- Runs on the hot side
- Is on the heavier side
- Alcantara might not be for everyone.
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Crookshanks, named by my then-Harry Potter-obsessed daughter. With a name like that, she gets called "kitty" and "baby" a lot! She, like my iems, provides endless entertainment!!OMG!!!! The cutest!!!!
What is your cats name?
blotmouse
Headphoneus Supremus
I was gonna say, looks like a Crookshanks to me.
