“My” Principles of Audiophilia
Dr. Headphones HQ – Korea’s Head-fi equivalent (community / distributor)
Myriad of gears and prototypes – infinite thanks and gratitude for all the times I’ve spent here
There’s so much to unravel as I want to share everything I’ve learned throughout the past three years as a self-reflection to how much I’ve grown today. I write this looking back at the perilous journey of ups and downs I’ve had with so many “failed” purchases, which would quickly end up on Classified or sent back to the vendor for a partial refund. I’m sure this is an obstacle we’ve all faced at least once, but I’ve met a handful who would find themselves discouraged and call it quits due to expectations not being met relative to the amount of money they had spent. All these feelings are relatable, which is why I write this as we’re all meandering in somewhat of an audiophile labyrinth.
In the most idealistic scenario, it would be practical to first try out a gear then assess whether there’s any value to committing to its purchase. But as many of you guys are aware, audiophile shops are globally sparse and tour demos are highly limited and not idealistically practical. For this reason alone, we often rely on the word of mouth from trusted members of the community and hope that our impressions will align when we throw a blind hail mary.
Considering the circumstances, this methodology is ideologically most sound and reasonable. But it is still vulnerable to purchase remorse if our impressions do not align with the alleged positive reviews. We may also end up riding a roller-coaster of polarizing impressions and find ourselves lost within a depth of conflict – Just take a look at
CA Trifecta and how it briefly divided our community.
Therefore, I believe that the best we can do for ourselves is by first recognizing the fundamental principles of audiophilia and make critical assessment of what we can do with the available gears at hand, then analyze what element we may need in order to improve our setup. This will help narrow down our purchase decisions because not everything we hear is a result of the transducer alone. Having an understanding of all factors that affect our listening experience will guide us toward a more linear path so as to ensure that we don't run around in circles ruminating in endless thoughts.
Fundamental Principles –
What we hear is an embodiment of variables that accumulate to one 'chain of gears', which can be interpreted as (but not limited to) :
Source (dap; dac/amp) → transducer (headphones/iem/earbud) → cable → eartip
And our experience with the above chain can be affected by the subjective consideration of :
- Condition of health
- Environment
- Brain fatigue
Alongside objective factors, such as :
- Burn-in of cables, transducers, and sources
- Batteries / source of electricity (as well as cables to transmit those electricity if applicable)
- Proper seal
- Audio playback; encoding of music files and application used for playback
- Music genre; indicative of which sound frequencies your songs are mostly comprised of
- SD Cards
- Grounding plugs
Rs8 → Yatono Ultimate IC → Tsuranagi → Murakumo 6 → Sound Tiger Pure (Sony Cycle Energy batteries) → Orpheus Shielding → Viking Ragnar → Eletech Baroque (+ Wiredream grounding plugs)
This is one particular ‘chain of gears’ that I enjoy listening to.
I’ve come to learn that everything within the ‘chain of gears’ matters. And when I say everything, I mean literally.
Everything. Going beyond the conventional understanding of cables and amplifiers affecting the audio chain, I’m speaking in regards to even the minute details of which plug you insert into the DAP & amplifier if your IC is terminated with two different types of plugs (ex. gold-plated OFC / rhodium-plated copper). If your amplifier requires a set of batteries to be embedded in, the type of batteries you use can have an impact on the overall tone and dynamics of your listening experience. Even the type of wires soldered onto the transducer of your iems can shape the overall sound signature more so than you could imagine.
Having started out this hobby with a modest Btr5 and Blessing 2: Dusk recommended to me by the Youtube algorithm, I’ve gone through all the trials and tribulations that surrounds the mass controversy of cables, burn-in, and amplifiers first hand. And so, I empathize with many who claim these things as nothing more than a “scam” or “placebo effect” as this is the general speculation that is pushed forth by the mainstream reviewers. Starting out my journey with a mediocre budget gear and gradually climbing up the price bracket, I’ve only begun noticing the audible effect of the
peripherals (regarding
everything outside of the transducer) once I attained a competent enough source within my chain of gears. A good source allows
both your iems and cables to scale, which in turn helps accentuate the audible effect of the peripherals to a microscopic level. For this reason alone, I always recommend people to look into a competent source
before looking into any transducers. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been disappointed by an iem, only to find myself later impressed when revisiting it with a different set of sources. Not all iems are created to cater to the same audience. And not all iems play to their expected competence when plugged into a mediocre source. A good dac/amplifier can make or break the game. It’s important to cover the foundation when building your bridge of audiophilia.
I’ve seen arguments floating around that whether we are
capable of hearing the subtleties of the peripherals is entirely subjective as human experiences cannot be standardized across all people. My take on this is that –
The degree of
how much each part of the chain making an audible impact is subjected to
both the
competence (or ‘quality of performance’) of the gear and
sensitivity of an individual. But when it comes to the question of whether they can make an objectively observable and audible difference – to that, I’d dare say with the utmost confidence –
yes. Most definitely, yes they can.
SoundAim HQ – stacks and stacks of sources
Being an audiophile is to become the master of your own kitchen. You concoct a recipe with the given tools and ingredients at disposal and assemble a piece that works best for your subjective needs. No chef blindly adds an ingredient if it does not work together with the food that is in the making.
Synergy is the key word here. In today’s market, there is a lot less “wrong” than there is “right.” You can take a $50 iem and tailor it to your desires to be preferable over a $500 iem that is poorly utilized. Audiophilia is a state of art.
How you put together a ‘chain of gears’ is significantly more impactful than blind purchasing the most expensive iem you can find.
A little over a year ago, I sent an Orpheus tour amongst a number of reverent Cooler members. This was a cable that had me in shock and I wanted others to experience the same joy as a way of celebrating my finding. I received a variety of impressions with some finding the cable to be borderline “shouty” while others finding it sublime with a smoothened treble. I thought to myself whether the varying impression was due to the subjective nature in the differences of our hearing. But now having been an owner of Orpheus for over a year, I’ve encountered both the aforementioned “shout”, while most other times the more expected sublime and smooth signature depending on the setup I was using.
I distinctly remember the very first time I listened to UM Multiverse Mentor. The setup I was using was N8ii with its stock cable and Spinfit W1 eartip. I curiously swapped out the cable to Orpheus and there I occasionally heard a borderline shout in the female vocals. Orpheus is a cable that puts forth the midrange in a hyper transparent and revealing manner. In this case, when all other parts of the chain were tailored to highlight or vivify the midrange, what came conclusively was an occasional instance of shout due to what I presume was an over-vivified midrange.
The moral of the story is – you can put together very expensive pieces of equipment and still come out relatively unhappy. If you’ve ever experienced this yourself, it’s more likely that the lack of
synergy is the primary culprit than the individual gears being inherently incompetent or incompatible. The very first time I listened to Noble Viking, I winced being pierced by unassailable sibilance. That was also with the N8ii, stock cable, and Spinfit W1 eartip. And yet, it is now by far the longest iem I’ve had the pleasure to own as I’ve found a better working synergy since then.
Shanling H7 → Gothan 11031 XLR IC → Burson Soloist 3XGT → custom Pandora cable → Pandora Audio Power Bank (DC output)
Keynote –
Four key factors to building up
synergy :
- Source (DAP / DAC / Amplifier)
- Delta-sigma vs. R2R
- Solid-state vs Tube amp
- Power / battery (if applicable)
- Transducer (IEM / Earbuds)
- Single driver-type vs. Hybrid (or multi-driver) setups
- Dynamic Driver (DD) vs. Balanced Armature (BA) vs. Electrostatic (EST)
- Exotic driver types (Piezo, MEMs, Planar, Magnetostatic, AMT, Tia open driver)
- Cable
- Copper vs. Silver vs. Alloy (mixture of different metals combined)
- Shielded vs. Unshielded ← refers to the type of insulator used
- Eartip
- Wide-bore vs. Narrow-bore
- Deep-fit vs. Shallow-fit
- Silicone vs. Foam vs. Hybrids
By combining all four of these variables, we’re able to create one ‘chain of gears’ amongst
thousands of different combinations out there.
Once you dive deeper in as a mania, you’ll come to discover there are a lot more subtleties within each variable to play around and tinker with. The listed bullet-points above
only touches the tip of the iceberg. But once you discover something new, you’ll be rewarded with an immense ‘aha!’ moment which will have you mindlessly theorizing endless new possibilities till you exhaust out of creativity.
This epiphany is the manic drug that has kept me in this hobby.
I ask you to approach everything with an open-mindset, as it will take a lot of trials and errors before landing on something that meets your desired standard.
Did you know the type of cables used to charge your device can affect the sound quality of your device? (Wiredream Zeus 7% pure gold + silver alloy usb-c to c) It’s a mind blowing experience.
Objectivity vs. Subjectivity
This is a pretty common debate that I see emerge every once in a while. The endearing question of what is
objective vs. subjective as there is a misaligned perception amongst audiophiles of what is objectively measurable (or perceivable) and the question of whether those objectives are innately subjective because no single person can speak for all humanity. I believe this is one of the most common debates as it touches upon the heart of audiophilia – in which, we try to decipher and understand everything we hear.
I’ve briefly touched upon this in the previous paragraphs and concluded that the minute ‘peripherals’ (alluding to variables outside of transducers)
can indeed be audible given you have a competent enough source.
But what about FR (frequency-response) graphs? How ‘objective’ are they to characterize the
entirety of an iem’s sound performance?
Here is where many audiophiles tread on fine-lines as there is no definitive value when reading these graphs.
The classic example is seeing a mountainous peak in the 8k treble and assuming it’ll translate to a definitive
sibilance. Or seeing a substantial pinna-gain in the 1~3k region and assuming it will be
shouty.
Neither of these will be true without taking the entirety of the ‘chain of gears’ into account. Meaning, FR graphs should realistically be viewed as a
relative tonal graph,
which indicates which part of the frequency is accentuated relative to its whole.
For those who consider themselves a “bass-head”, seeing a 10db elevation sub 300hz will not guarantee an earth-shattering visceral performance if your transducer is simply not able to keep up with the task. There are other means of attaining a better bass performance – such as upgrading your amplifier (or source) instead.
FR graphs
do not tell the whole story.
Purchasing an iem solely based on the fact that it follows closely in line with a reviewer’s
target curve will not guarantee the audiophile bliss that you may be looking for. A
target curve is nothing more than a
preferential curve and should
not be interpreted as an
“absolute target where the ideal headphone must land.” (Thanks @jude for this 1 hour in-person lecture. Go check his video as he speak about this in depth – 0:50~1:30)
IRL Lessons :
Empires Ears Raven (black)
Empire Ears –
Several months back, I had an opportunity to sit down with
@Jack Vang and Dean (Empire Ears founder) as they had made a visit to South Korea. After sharing a warm greeting, I was presented with three different Ravens to demo, all sounding different, with the only variable being the faceplate and its internal plating.
- Black Raven
- Black Raven with internal chrome-plating (prototype)
- Gold-plated Raven
This all took place before the official release of Raven to the public.
They were all tuned the same, yet sounded different due to the usage of different materials that were in contact with their bone-conduction driver (as it was attached to the faceplate). The Raven with chrome-plating was noticeably
brighter than the original Black Raven, which Dean nodded in agreement. And the Gold-plated Raven was technically more impressive with a wider soundstage by a good margin than both the Black Ravens.
The application of different faceplates to go in conjunction with their BCD isn’t unique to Empire Ears alone. Unique Melody also goes through the same process of testing out different faceplate materials as their BCD works in a similar fashion.
In regards to
why this may be is a question that transcends our understanding of audio in today’s time period. I’m inclined to believe that certain conductors have an acoustic timbre and property that are inherent and intangible to itself –
try comparing a pure silver to a pure copper cable and observe the night-and-day difference. If you don’t believe in cables, observe how violins can sound different by the type of wood and treatment it uses.
Whatever your beliefs may be, the fact remains unchanged that we could tune an iem to different flavors without modifying its FR target.
Soranik MEMs-3 : Hybrid of MEMs & Dynamic Driver (Open back, 2-pin compatible)
Soranik Energizer - Tuned specially for MEMs-3
Soranik –
About a year back, I found myself befriending one of the most creative and intelligent connoisseurs while browsing through SG Canjam lobby. I was introduced to Soranik by the grace of Hieu (
@nhat_thanh) who allowed me to demo several of his prototype iems. Amongst many, his MEMs showcased the most promise, which I'm proud to say I have now witnessed all the different variations it had undergone over the past one year.
Having had access to early prototype modules, my impressions wandered all over the place as they showed signs of inconsistent performance and distortion in genre-specific songs. What I initially thought of as a defect specific to the iem was proven otherwise when Hieu sent me a more capable energizer equipped with a new set of capacitors.
The lesson here was that certain driver types (MEMs in this context) require a set amount of power and that if underpowered, can cause unwanted distortion or a degradation in performance. Not everything we hear is the product of iem and sometimes, it may be the sources that are not doing us the right favor.
With the current iteration in hand, I’m hearing a lightning fast presentation with the most impressive detailed treble I have heard to date. There is a future to this technology – a reminder that we are progressing ceaselessly and never idly stagnant.
Fiio FD11 – open-unit ready for modification
Fiio –
Several months back, Ken (
@KKNAYANA) gifted me a little surprise with Fiio’s FD11 after seeing how much I enjoyed the set when I sat demoing it at Dr. Headphones HQ. This was a trend-setting iem that had Korean modders opening up the shell to extrude out the 2-pin socket (as it is recessed) and change out the internal wires to individual’s customized wires.
By now, I’ve heard at least five different FD11, all sounding different by the virtue of using different wires and solders.
Some sounded warm and bassy. While others were comparatively bright and lean. The perception of stage changed as well, which also seemed affected by how tightly insulated the shells were when glued back together. Mine has a little gap in between the shells, which have inadvertently opened up the stage by an appreciable margin. I suspect this was the result of different sound chambers that are crafted into the shells, which may have been affected during the process of modification.
To summarize,
It’s imperative to understand that numerous objectives come into play when shaping and molding our listening experience.
What is “subjective” only lingers within the varying sensitivity of our hearing, which is easily affected by environment, conditions of health, brain fatigue, and competency of our gears. One’s limited experience should not be used as a framework to put down other people’s findings as I’ve seen this debate go on perpetually. It has devolved to becoming a battle of ego in some instances, so I urge everyone to approach this hobby with an open mindset and not be conditioned by any premature horizons.
Growing as an audiophile is no different from growing as an adult.
The deeper I dive into this hobby, the more I become conscious of my absent understanding in everything that pertains to audio.
Fiio FD11 (modded) → Eletech Raphael (custom CINQBES plug) → Cayin N30LE
The Practicality of Burn-in
“Burn-in” is a topic that easily gets brushed aside as there is not a definitive way to quantify the efficacy of burn-in as it is impossible to measure the differences that occur on a single unit and is solely reliant on the trust of our fallible memory. From my anecdotal experiences, the efficacy of burn-in can range vastly from making a
significant difference to almost
negligible. And that inconsistency seems to be the result of varying specification of the measured gear –
as well as the mileage of usage upon receipt.
For example, I’ve noticed larger and thicker gauge cables tend to benefit more from burn-in than smaller and thinner gauge cables. And DD-based iems tend to benefit more from burn-in than all BA iems.
As it is impossible to assess how much improvement there is to gain by engaging in this practice, I keep a standardized routine of burning-in all my equipment for
at least 30~40 hours, as I found this number of hours sufficient enough for all “could-be” audible changes.
The theory of burn-in is quite simple and straightforward.
In regards to the burn-in of iems –
It is very much in line with the properties of mechanics, in which when there is a constant level of stress and motion exerted to the diaphragms, the diaphragms undergo wear and tear at a microscopic level, allowing them to perform at a more free-flowing condition that is more ideal and efficient than right out of the box.
And as for cables and sources –
Electrons find more efficient pathways when traveling across any conductors or transistors over a period of time. A more efficient and free-flowing pathway would result in a higher and more optimal performance, which
can be discernible to our ears.
Burn-in is not a magic solution that will fix all your problems, but it
can change your perception of gear and redefine how much value it may have for you. It has definitely changed my perception of a lot of gears with an absolute confidence that overrides any concern of a placebo effect. My sincere recommendation is to not judge
anything right out of the box and give it adequate time before reaching any conclusions.
Lastly, having a burn-in playlist
can accentuate the speed/efficacy of burn-in
(specifically for iems), so I highly recommend compiling a playlist of songs that make use of the
full-range of frequency to ensure that all the transducers within an iem is getting utilized to the fullest extent.
Eletech Baroque (left) vs Spiral dot ++ (right). Highly recommend picking up Baroque if you haven’t already
The wonders of a craftsman’s table – @Bosk showcasing his expertise
Finale
I’ve learned that being an audiophile is an endless journey and that the “holy grail” of audio is nothing more than a theoretical idealization shaped by the depth of our perception and limited experience. The truth is, there is no ‘be-all and end-all’ as what we find immediately pleasurable becomes subject to the inevitable philosophical concern –
“Can this experience be further elevated? What else could I possibly be missing?”
Are we responding to the carnal desire of hedonistic greed? Or is it a reflection of intelligence as we incessantly pursue excellence?
I don’t mean to dive into existential concerns, but I’ve come to realize that
content and
happiness is ultimately subjected to
how we respond to the gears that we have in hand. Sometimes, you’ll come to discover that there’s happiness to be found in the little things. Not everything must venture into the flagship segment, and it is perfectly fine to choose your instrument in a more price appropriate category.
The market has been maturing at an exponential rate over the past several years, and the biggest takeaway for me has been how much the technical floor has risen up within the budget price sector. I would attribute this to the democratization of higher-end materials, which have been allowing businesses to sell gears at a tremendous value that speaks for itself from a sheer performance standpoint. The level of excellence I’ve seen today far exceeds the technicality of the ZS10 Pro that once dominated the entry segment when I began my audiophile journey.
I don't mean to exaggerate, but I can happily temporarily retire with a “meager” FD11 (albeit with mod. + choice of cable). Bought myself another FD11 on sale for $23 out of sheer value proposition.
Thank you @HiFiHawaii808 for the elegant badge
There are so many more things I’d love to talk about, but I can’t turn this forum into my own personal journal. I still haven’t shared my findings of all the intricacies of cables, which I purposely left out due to the overwhelming amount of content I’d feel the need to cover. There’s also the fascination of SD Cards, which
@Bosk had expertly explained to me in depth about –
and yes, I can confirm it is audible. Strangely subtle on certain devices and more pronounced on others. Moondrop also showcased a new flagship iem, which I have no idea if it will ever be made public – embargoed as a prototype but briefly making its appearance in Korea.
Taking part in this quest has been one of the most ambitious adventures I’ve ever experienced. And this journey would not have been the same if it weren’t for all the companionship and the banters I’ve shared with you guys.
I think this is where I now close one chapter in my journey. Life is so full of mysteries and I’m still wondering where it will take me next. Just typing this feels surreal to me.
Thank you for having been a part of my life.
Miss you
@Natesdailies
Let us find richness in our soul.
Money comes and goes, but wealth lasts for generations to come.
- Steve
Table of Content (Brainstorm before writing) -
- IEMs and transducers
- Implementation
- Acoustic chambers
- Housing material
- Resonance
- Empire Ears Raven
- Internal chromium-plated version
- Gold vs. black faceplate
- Soranik Basilica
- Fiio FD11
- UM Mentor
- Different faceplates meticulously chosen to reduce as much variability in sound as possible amongst different versions
- Cables and wires
- Wires
- Geometry
- Shielding/Insulator (used interchangeably)
- Plugs
- Solder
- DAC/Amps and capacitors
- Software Decoders
- Music-playback applications
- PCM vs DSD
- SD Card
- Burn-in
- Brain burn-in
- Actual burn-in (increased efficiency for electrons to pass through wires and transistors)
- Dynamic driver burn-in
- Cable burn-in
- Amp burn-in
- Scalability
- Perceived scalability because an iem cost “x” amount of $
- Usage of amplifiers
- Scalability in iems
- Scalability in cables
- Objectivity vs Subjectivity
- FR graphs
- Graphs are NOT everything. It should primarily be read as an indicator of tonality
- How certain part of frequency will sound relative to its overall FR spectrum
- “Target-curve” is nothing more than a “preferential curve”
- Fallibility of Human memory
- Taking consideration of all parts of the audio chain and understanding that what we hear is a culmination of many
- QC issues and variability of iems and cables
- This is heartbreaking to say, but variability amongst units is a real thing as not all iems are manufactured to a standardized degree. The unfortunate reality is QC is a real issue the industry faces from my honest observation.
- Traces of glue leaks
- Tightness of 2-pin holes, leading to cracks in resin shells
- Usage of different internal components without informing its customers
- Variability in sound that is not only audible to human ear, but is observable through the measurement of graphs
- Poor soldering of connectors and plugs in cables, leading to breakage of sound or channel imbalance
