[Mimouille]

Studio V 3rd is à cheaper option.

 

[AmberOzL]

Sorensiim, I found that line from the Fiio X3 thread: 

Output Impedance：

<0.5 ohms

 
I believe that means it should be ok? Also they say up to 300 ohm impedance it can easily drive most headphones and earphones. Tzar has 350 but I think it is not gonna be that bad? Maybe I should go crazy and get R1 amp and Tzar 350 with Fiio X3. Oh my student wallet... I should have believed them when they told me sorry about the wallet.
 
I don't if I am asking too much but if you could check Fiio X3 specs quickly and related to your experiences can you tell me how do you feel about that combo?
 
Originally Posted by JamesFiiO 

Main feature of X3
Color：	Black
Weight：	122g
Size：	55 X 109 X 16 mm
Screen：	2.4 inch TFT，240X320
Power supply：	Micro USB 。
Firmware upgraded：	Through TF card。
Build in Memory：	8GB 。
Extra Memory：	TF card（Micro SD card），support up to 64g ( must be formatted as FAT32)。
Data transfer：	USB 2.0 High Speed, Write/Read 4.5 MB/S。
Audio Output：	3.5mm headphone out，3.5mm Line Out, 3.5mm Coaxial out。
Sample rate：	32K/16BIT~192K/24BIT。
Audio Format：	WAV, APE,FLAC,MP3,WMA,OGG,ALAC(M4A),ACC,AMR。
Music play Back：	Play All, Folder Play, Album Play, Artist Play, Genre Play, My Favorites.
Memory Play：	Last song track or Last position of sound track.
Sound Track manage:	Deleted, Custom “ Favorites Play List.
Sleep Mode：	Auto Power Off from 15 to 60 mins.
Screen Auto Off：	Custom.
Display Brightness：	Custom.
CUE Support：	Auto Separate Sound Track, Support Next/Previous, Fast forward/Backward；
Play Display：	Album Cover,  Lyric，ID3.
Gapless Playe：	Supported
Hardware Bass：	+/-10dB, Frequency Center 100Hz
Hardware Treble：	+/-10dB, Frequency Center 10Khz
Volume Setup：	Custom start Up Volume
Listening Protect：	Custom Maximum Volume.
Balance：	L10~R10
Output Protect：	Mini Relay protect circuit design, DC protect, Over Current Protect
Headphone plug off：	Auto Pause
Battery：	3000mAh 3.7V Lithium Polymer Battery
Hardware：	Soc: Ingenic Z4760， DAC：WM8740，Amp：AD8397
Charge Time:	3 Hours by 1.5A USB Power, 7 Hours by USB Port in PC
Battery Life:	10 hours in Engineer sample and may reach 12-15 hours when the firmware is optimized
Line Out Specifications ( Initial
Output Level：	>1.5Vrms
THD：	<0.001%
Frequency Response：	20-20KHz, Less than 0.3dB
SNR：	>100dB
Crosstalk：	>90dB
Headphone Out Specifications ( Initial )
Output Power：	>300mW@16 ohms； >200mW@32 ohms
Frequency Response：	20-20KHz, Less than 0.3dB
THD：	<0.001%
SNR：	>100dB
Crosstalk：	>72dB@32 ohms
Output Impedance：	<0.5 ohms
Output Capacitor：

 

[Mimouille]

Damn...you are in a furious panic on three threads. Do you have the 350 ? If you do, the best thing to do, instead of worrying about figures, is try them with various sources. You have to trust your ears foe the synergy, because people will have very different tastes.

And of you want to carry it around, Dap plus amp is a hassle, trust me.

Finally, you have no idea when you will be able to get your hands on a X3...there might be delays and a huge amount of orders. In the short term the best bet is.to try out ak100 or Studio.

 

[AmberOzL]

Quote:

Damn...you are in a furious panic on three threads. Do you have the 350 ? If you do, the best thing to do, instead of worrying about figures, is try them with various sources. You have to trust your ears foe the synergy, because people will have very different tastes.

And of you want to carry it around, Dap plus amp is a hassle, trust me.

Finally, you have no idea when you will be able to get your hands on a X3...there might be delays and a huge amount of orders. In the short term the best bet is.to try out ak100 or Studio.

Well, I would like to try them all and decide later but unfortunately I am still a student and I am not earning money. So when I buy something I am gonna stick with it loooong time and I won't have luxery to change it often. I am sorry for making a mess but, in my situation I have only 1 chance to get what I want. I don't want to make a bad decision simply because I won't be able fix it for a long time.

 

[Mimouille]

You misunderstood me, I mean find a place to.try them. Do you not have an audiophile store somewhere ?

Well, I would like to try them all and decide later but unfortunately I am still a student and I am not earning money. So when I buy something I am gonna stick with it loooong time and I won't have luxery to change it often. I am sorry for making a mess but, in my situation I have only 1 chance to get what I want. I don't want to make a bad decision simply because I won't be able fix it for a long time.

 

[serious7]

Quote:

You misunderstood me, I mean find a place to.try them. Do you not have an audiophile store somewhere ?

I'm in Canada. There are like no audiophile stores here lol. The ones that do wouldn't be selling the ak100. 

 

[AmberOzL]

Quote:

You misunderstood me, I mean find a place to.try them. Do you not have an audiophile store somewhere ?

Oh, sorry about that, forgive me. That's a very nice question. I am doing a master in Belgium but I am not a real Belgian so I don't know much about the country. I tried to look for places/shops around but kinda disappointed. I found in other cities of Belgium, contacted with them but they don't have the gear I am interested mostly. For the moment, I can trust only the people with experiences and great ears in here. Well, and their reviews too of course. I think Tzar350 is the best answer for what I am looking for but with the correcty synergy, that's why I am running around, asking questions like a headless chicken 

 

[Ultimate Mango]

I am pretty sure that Heir sells the bundle of the Tzar 350 and AK100 together for a very good reason...
Perhaps they are meant to be used together!

 

[serious7]

There's apparently a lot of software glitches associated with the ak100. 

 

[darinf]

Quote:

Oh, sorry about that, forgive me. That's a very nice question. I am doing a master in Belgium but I am not a real Belgian so I don't know much about the country. I tried to look for places/shops around but kinda disappointed. I found in other cities of Belgium, contacted with them but they don't have the gear I am interested mostly. For the moment, I can trust only the people with experiences and great ears in here. Well, and their reviews too of course. I think Tzar350 is the best answer for what I am looking for but with the correcty synergy, that's why I am running around, asking questions like a headless chicken 

 
Quote:

I am pretty sure that Heir sells the bundle of the Tzar 350 and AK100 together for a very good reason...
Perhaps they are meant to be used together!

I had the pleasure of auditioning the AK100 with the Tzar 350's and my 8.A's for a couple weeks while I was taking the photos of the AK100 and the Tzar's for Heir's announcement. 
 
I don't have a lot to compare to, but I can tell you that the AK100 and Tzar 350 combo sounded REALLY great. Compared to my only other portable source, a Sansa Clip+, there was no contest. The AK100 was FAR beyond the Clip+. 
 
Just be warned, that the Tzar 350 is not for everyone. It is VERY detailed and revealing. As has been said many times before, bad recordings sound REALLY bad on the Tzar 350's especially paired with a good source like the AK100. BUt the reward is that good recordings are simply unparalleled. Even then, if you are looking for "fun" rather than accurate, look at the Tzar 90's. I have loved the Ety ER4S's for many years, but always wished for more bass. The Tzar 350's are like Ety ER4S's with bass. The Tzar 350's do not have tons of bass, but it's just accurate. The highs seems slightly elevated, and has TONS of detail. I can hear the tiniest of details in recordings that I cannot hear using other headphones.
 
Because the Tzar 350's are so revealing, you have to have a good recording and a good DAC/source. That's why the AK100 makes a "killer combo" with the Tzar's. I don't really have much to compare to in terms of sources, but the AK100 is a great source. I have not heard a DX100 or Tera Player though to compare. I do think the AK100 sounded better than my iBasso D7 USB DAC being fed from my laptop. My friend who has a heavily modified HiFiMan DAP (with balanced outputs) heard the AK100 for a few minutes and wanted to buy it on the spot. If your DAP is not great, like my Clip+, then the Tzar 350's will let you know if your DAC is not good.
 
I do have a Smyth Realiser and a Stax 407/323 combo to compare. I would say the Tzar 350's have a lot less bass and less smooth, more elevated highs. I would say more detail than the Stax, but it's just a lot different sounding. The Stax have tons of detail too, but smoother. The Stax never sound harsh, even with sub-par recordings.
 
So if you like super accurate, detailed, "brutally honest", sound, then the AK100 and Tzar 350 is a great combo. If you want lots of bass, look elsewhere. Also don't blame me if you need to update your audio library with better quality recordings and you can't listen to sub-par recordings anymore. Or get a pair of 8.A's to go with your Tzar 350's. That's what I have.

 

[uchihaitachi]

Can the clip + even drive the tzar?

 

[darinf]

Quote:

Can the clip + even drive the tzar?

Yes. I have Rockbox and if I turn the gain up, I can get decent listening levels. With the volume maxed out, it's too loud for me. The Clip+ really isn't good enough quality to listen with the Tzar 350's loud anyway. The highs are too harsh.

 

[WNBC]

Very insightful summary of the Tzar 350 and AK100.  Unfortunately your post increased my preexisting desire to hear the Tzar 350 

.  
 
Quote:

I had the pleasure of auditioning the AK100 with the Tzar 350's and my 8.A's for a couple weeks while I was taking the photos of the AK100 and the Tzar's for Heir's announcement.....

 

[AmberOzL]

Quote:

 
I had the pleasure of auditioning the AK100 with the Tzar 350's and my 8.A's for a couple weeks while I was taking the photos of the AK100 and the Tzar's for Heir's announcement. 
 
I don't have a lot to compare to, but I can tell you that the AK100 and Tzar 350 combo sounded REALLY great. Compared to my only other portable source, a Sansa Clip+, there was no contest. The AK100 was FAR beyond the Clip+. 
 
Just be warned, that the Tzar 350 is not for everyone. It is VERY detailed and revealing. As has been said many times before, bad recordings sound REALLY bad on the Tzar 350's especially paired with a good source like the AK100. BUt the reward is that good recordings are simply unparalleled. Even then, if you are looking for "fun" rather than accurate, look at the Tzar 90's. I have loved the Ety ER4S's for many years, but always wished for more bass. The Tzar 350's are like Ety ER4S's with bass. The Tzar 350's do not have tons of bass, but it's just accurate. The highs seems slightly elevated, and has TONS of detail. I can hear the tiniest of details in recordings that I cannot hear using other headphones.
 
Because the Tzar 350's are so revealing, you have to have a good recording and a good DAC/source. That's why the AK100 makes a "killer combo" with the Tzar's. I don't really have much to compare to in terms of sources, but the AK100 is a great source. I have not heard a DX100 or Tera Player though to compare. I do think the AK100 sounded better than my iBasso D7 USB DAC being fed from my laptop. My friend who has a heavily modified HiFiMan DAP (with balanced outputs) heard the AK100 for a few minutes and wanted to buy it on the spot. If your DAP is not great, like my Clip+, then the Tzar 350's will let you know if your DAC is not good.
 
I do have a Smyth Realiser and a Stax 407/323 combo to compare. I would say the Tzar 350's have a lot less bass and less smooth, more elevated highs. I would say more detail than the Stax, but it's just a lot different sounding. The Stax have tons of detail too, but smoother. The Stax never sound harsh, even with sub-par recordings.
 
So if you like super accurate, detailed, "brutally honest", sound, then the AK100 and Tzar 350 is a great combo. If you want lots of bass, look elsewhere. Also don't blame me if you need to update your audio library with better quality recordings and you can't listen to sub-par recordings anymore. Or get a pair of 8.A's to go with your Tzar 350's. That's what I have.

Man, thanks a lot it was really helpful. I know what I want from an IEM, after searching like mad I ended up with Tzar 350 and the more I read about it the more I want it. I am not a basshead but I want a quality bass. Clarity, accuracy and detail.. So Tzar 350 is sure for me, I am gonna try to find another DAP than AK100, I understood you liked that a lot but the player has some problems. Just a basic comment but it is a player for +500 euros and it doesn't even have a gapless playback. I am still not sure but most probably I will look for another DAP more or less around the same level as AK100. Or I might go crazy and buy the bundle from Heir Audio too 

 
Also my files are mostly FLAC, 16 bit.. Can we say it is good enough for listening with Tzar? I have a feeling like mp3s would sound pretty crappy with Tzar 350.

 

[Tamashii]

I desperately need a new player (and maybe amp) for my 8.As. Im torn between 3 choices:
 
1, AK100 with the R1 
2, DX100 (probably by its own)
3, Ipod 5G with the HP-P1 and R1 (I really like the UI of iPods)
 
Or are there any other suggestions?