[mark88888]

Dang it! You and @aaf evo are making me curious to try it out. Also having first experienced Oculus 10yrs ago as well as access to every Oculus product since I support and work with them, I did not buy into the hype yet. I haven't found a use case that makes me want to keep a VR headset on me for more than an hour at the most. I did find the Quest Pro to be pretty good as a second monitor, but my eyes just felt overwhelmed after some time.

I might have to buy a vision pro to try now.

FWIW, I hear you about feeling overwhelmed with VR at about an hour. After I use my Quest 2 for 45 min to an hour, I feel like its time to stop. But that said, you can have a lot of fun in an hour. For example I play a game called Population One a lot. I'll never be able to enjoy a flat screen shooter again. Also Google Earth VR (through PC VR) is really incredible. VR Chat can also be fun.

I plan to try the Vision Pro but Ill wait for the next iteration to buy... if theres good gaming

Those of you taking the plunge and buying it now, please post your impressions!!

 

[Doug2507]

I was in a WhatsApp group where @Sajid Amit said that portables are moving towards transportables. It was ingenious because I realised this after purchasing the Onix Mystic XP1.

Therefore, as a seasoned audiophile he is focussing on listening to IEMs from his desktop at home, which is something I have been doing for the past few days and thinking that it is so much better. The headspace, dynamics, darker background etc are just phenomenal.

I had been eagerly wanting to buy the IBasso D16 + PB5 stack and decided against it on the spot.

I truly feel that either something is portable or a desktop, transportable is not the fine line in between but much rather an expense, which does not seem worth its while.

I can get a custom made Tube Amp in India for $800, which "could' actually be a lot better than PB5.

Denafrips / Musician / Ladder / Gustard R2R DAC at a similar price of D16 would "probably" perform a lot better.

Any comment for or against this?

For me PB5 is potentially a winner as I'll be able to sit down anywhere in the house and have great SQ for In Ears (like I used DMP for) and also take it to work with me in a back pack. Having that along with a DAP gives me two options of SQ and mobility.

Sure, if I want the best experience then it'll be sat at my desk but I don't always want to be sat in my office / be anti social with family in the evenings.

I can understand why some people (like yourself) wouldn't see any value in it but there's clearly a big market for transportable devices such as D16 / PB5.

And as for portables moving to transportables, that's purely down to demand. Better and better reproduction for end user is the demand, producing that means bigger boxes. Pretty sure you'll still find extremely good DAPs within a companies product range that are still perfectly suited to being called portable.

To each their own...

 

[FooFighter]

I was in a WhatsApp group where @Sajid Amit said that portables are moving towards transportables. It was ingenious because I realised this after purchasing the Onix Mystic XP1.

Therefore, as a seasoned audiophile he is focussing on listening to IEMs from his desktop at home, which is something I have been doing for the past few days and thinking that it is so much better. The headspace, dynamics, darker background etc are just phenomenal.

I had been eagerly wanting to buy the IBasso D16 + PB5 stack and decided against it on the spot.

I truly feel that either something is portable or a desktop, transportable is not the fine line in between but much rather an expense, which does not seem worth its while.

I can get a custom made Tube Amp in India for $800, which "could' actually be a lot better than PB5.

Denafrips / Musician / Ladder / Gustard R2R DAC at a similar price of D16 would "probably" perform a lot better.

Any comment for or against this?

Have been thinking about this too as I went for the transportable stacking option but I think it depends alot on use case.
I do have a stationary setup at my home office desk and am running my Overears there.
In bed it's mostly about IEMs and eventually running ZMF VC so I am not disturbing my wife.
The transportable option is
- just small enough to keep in bed and not needing to put on desk and get in trouble with IEM cable length (have tried this before at my night desk but I was almost falling out of bed running IEMs.)
- something like D16, PB5 has lower impedance than some desktop solutions and are therefore better suited for IEMs (though some desktop sources like Topping also could do that just fine)
- transportable is still enough to carry between places like bed to couch etc
- you could still decide to keep only one part of the stack like D16 and have less weight than DX320 Max and somehow okish footprint being fed from your mobile phone
- if running TOTL IEMs / headphones getting these transportable bridge devices could bring TOTL results for a "reasonable" price compared to some MRSP of TOTL All-in-one DAPs
Still your argument that desktop gear could perform even better for less money if the synergy is there is still valid

 

[CodenameBK201]

I am glad that I won't see you in the street wearing this and pinching with your fingers in the air when I visit Dallas.

Before anyone says "the Simpsons predicted this", ATHF beat Apple to it

 

[aaf evo]

I am glad that I won't see you in the street wearing this and pinching with your fingers in the air when I visit Dallas.

Never say never! Once there’s more native apps I’ll likely rebuy one.

 

[timeslip]

Never say never! Once there’s more native apps I’ll likely rebuy one.

For now, I have two Quest Pro (work and personal) that sit on my desk looking pretty and collecting dust. I am at the point that the HW matters less and I want the software integration.

 

[maegnificant]

FWIW, I hear you about feeling overwhelmed with VR at about an hour. After I use my Quest 2 for 45 min to an hour, I feel like its time to stop. But that said, you can have a lot of fun in an hour. For example I play a game called Population One a lot. I'll never be able to enjoy a flat screen shooter again. Also Google Earth VR (through PC VR) is really incredible. VR Chat can also be fun.

I plan to try the Vision Pro but Ill wait for the next iteration to buy... if theres good gaming

Those of you taking the plunge and buying it now, please post your impressions!!

Have the Quest 3 and can play for 2-3 hours at a time no problem (when there is no jank going on, which there is sometimes a lot)
We are very close to true mass-market appeal with these devices, the lenses are a quantum leap ahead compared to the Quest 2, where I got sick very fast.

 

[Alexzander]

I used Divinus Velvet tips and Azla Sedna Regulars. Haven’t heard Aura but from memory, I found the Annihilator stage to be wider than the Trailli.

Traillii definitely worth trying auditioning using stock tips

 

[deep2285]

Have been thinking about this too as I went for the transportable stacking option but I think it depends alot on use case.
I do have a stationary setup at my home office desk and am running my Overears there.
In bed it's mostly about IEMs and eventually running ZMF VC so I am not disturbing my wife.
The transportable option is
- just small enough to keep in bed and not needing to put on desk and get in trouble with IEM cable length (have tried this before at my night desk but I was almost falling out of bed running IEMs.)
- something like D16, PB5 has lower impedance than some desktop solutions and are therefore better suited for IEMs (though some desktop sources like Topping also could do that just fine)
- transportable is still enough to carry between places like bed to couch etc
- you could still decide to keep only one part of the stack like D16 and have less weight than DX320 Max and somehow okish footprint being fed from your mobile phone
- if running TOTL IEMs / headphones getting these transportable bridge devices could bring TOTL results for a "reasonable" price compared to some MRSP of TOTL All-in-one DAPs
Still your argument that desktop gear could perform even better for less money if the synergy is there is still valid

The custom made Tube amp can be adjusted to have 0 - 8, 16, 32....300 ohms impedance. Would that make a difference.

 

[FooFighter]

The custom made Tube amp can be adjusted to have 0 - 8, 16, 32....300 ohms impedance. Would that make a difference.

I guess so.
Not sure about things like hissing etc
But as mentioned, would you put that custom tube amp onto your bed sheets in order to listen to your IEMs with their expensive super short cables?

 

[freeryder05]

I was in a WhatsApp group where @Sajid Amit said that portables are moving towards transportables. It was ingenious because I realised this after purchasing the Onix Mystic XP1.

Therefore, as a seasoned audiophile he is focussing on listening to IEMs from his desktop at home, which is something I have been doing for the past few days and thinking that it is so much better. The headspace, dynamics, darker background etc are just phenomenal.

I had been eagerly wanting to buy the IBasso D16 + PB5 stack and decided against it on the spot.

I truly feel that either something is portable or a desktop, transportable is not the fine line in between but much rather an expense, which does not seem worth its while.

I can get a custom made Tube Amp in India for $800, which "could' actually be a lot better than PB5.

Denafrips / Musician / Ladder / Gustard R2R DAC at a similar price of D16 would "probably" perform a lot better.

Any comment for or against this?

Personally, this seems a bit much for me. I can use my RS6 or my Dongle in bed or on the go and use my desktop stack at my desk. At a certain point, I can only inconvenice myself so much for marginal improvements in sound.
If you're using IEMs, I doubt the difference between say a Fiio Q7, RS6, 320MAXTi would be that different then some "transportable" rig.

 

[FooFighter]

Personally, this seems a bit much for me. I can use my RS6 or my Dongle in bed or on the go and use my desktop stack at my desk. At a certain point, I can only inconvenice myself so much for marginal improvements in sound.
If you're using IEMs, I doubt the difference between say a Fiio Q7, RS6, 320MAXTi would be that different then some "transportable" rig.

Oh it is
TOTL DAPs and the big stacks are definitely a bigger improvement for IEMs and not just marginally.
But I d also say with the right desktop synergy you could potentially get that performance for way less budget but one has to find the right synergy.
Sometimes it can sound "too much" on IEMs and not natural anymore.

 

[wolfstar76]

For me PB5 is potentially a winner as I'll be able to sit down anywhere in the house and have great SQ for In Ears (like I used DMP for) and also take it to work with me in a back pack. Having that along with a DAP gives me two options of SQ and mobility.

Sure, if I want the best experience then it'll be sat at my desk but I don't always want to be sat in my office / be anti social with family in the evenings.

I can understand why some people (like yourself) wouldn't see any value in it but there's clearly a big market for transportable devices such as D16 / PB5.

And as for portables moving to transportables, that's purely down to demand. Better and better reproduction for end user is the demand, producing that means bigger boxes. Pretty sure you'll still find extremely good DAPs within a companies product range that are still perfectly suited to being called portable.

To each their own...

Kinda related but I also found many DAPs are under increasing pressure from both ends. From the lower end, dangles, such as my RU6 when connected to my laptop, are even better than my Sony WM1AM2 in term of playing streaming and YouTube music. From the higher end, D16/PB5 probably will also outperform most of the DAPs.

 

[drftr]

I can get a custom made Tube Amp in India for $800, which "could' actually be a lot better than PB5.

Not everything custom made is better or even good.

Not all tube amps are better or even good.

Now combine the 2 sentences and you may end up with something you truly dislike. Or love to pieces.

drftr

 

[stacey]

I was in a WhatsApp group where @Sajid Amit said that portables are moving towards transportables. It was ingenious because I realised this after purchasing the Onix Mystic XP1.

Transportable is meant for those who may have cash for top notch equipment but not necessarily the space for a full desktop gear setup, who may want to commute between home and office with their gear and still small enough to travel to various locations

Honestly the best travel solution would be a cable that combines a DAC with a microphone, but that isn’t happening. I’d pay for a W4 as a USB-C cable/DAC combo that I could pair with IEMs and a source like a phone or laptop.