[bzfrank]

Anyone knows the voltage the stock Zishan drives its op amp? I think I read its 9V?
 
I think I try the BB OPA2107 in it too, its a bit borderline voltage-wise but I surely like its signature in the LB4 - natural, clear, detailed and rich/smooth. No harshness at all coupled with very good separation and - voices from heaven.

 

[neog007]

  This is a combo where this little bugger sounds simply GREAT!
 
Zishan + Little Bear 4 portable tube amp (modded to OPA2107) @ Shockwave III
 

 of course as it should be, let me guess.. the little bear adds a more natural and warmer sound and that earphones are known for being best in class.
 
Do you prefer the zishan to the ihifi 990?

 

[bzfrank]

On its own... no, the iHifi990 smokes the Zishan. No only sound wise but also from a user perspective. Its a much more refined product/DAP.
 
But sound wise compared to above combo... yes, the Zishan/LB4(rolled to OPA2107, not the default NE5532)/SWIII sounds a tad better than the iHifi990/SWIII alone. Also its adds a nice glow from the tubes....

 

[weedophile]

Dang, i actually had to retype the whole chunk of text on my mobile (due to super cramped commute ride that had me close the tab accidentally).

Either way, i bought the stock version of the Zishan from Ghost Audio DIY and i have owned Sansa Fuze for ard 6 years and Benjie S5 for ard 2 days.

Build wise i think the player feels pretty solid, and the edges are well filed and not sharp. The buttons are nice and the thing i like the most is the volume knob which gives a very nice feel to it. The screen isnt very levelled but i can live with that.

UI is clean and smooth and the preset EQ that we can choose from is pretty neat (tho i get headache on most of it as it emphasise on bass too much). The navigation is pretty fool proof oh and i have not done the upgrade of the firmware yet.

What i dont like is the way this player randomise songs where everytime u go to the previous song, it will shuffle to some random song (on shuffle mode) and when u skip a song, u will miss the first 0.5s to 1s of the intro which sucks (idk if anyone else experience the same).

Either way i only spent 2 hrs last night on it with my Benjie stock earphones and just now on commute i had my Tennmak Pro and it drives both of them really well. Now at work i am using my TY Hi-Z 32ohms with it so i will share more after i have heard more. But why i said it doesnt wow me is coz initially the music felt distant to me but just now when listening to Metallica and Jack Johnson with the isolation of the Tennmak on commute, i must say the SQ is pretty damn good.

Oh last thing is the player becomes warm after use, is this normal as i dont own any hifi players previously. Thanks!

 

[neog007]

Either way i only spent 2 hrs last night on it with my Benjie stock earphones and just now on commute i had my Tennmak Pro and it drives both of them really well. Now at work i am using my TY Hi-Z 32ohms with it so i will share more after i have heard more. But why i said it doesnt wow me is coz initially the music felt distant to me but just now when listening to Metallica and Jack Johnson with the isolation of the Tennmak on commute, i must say the SQ is pretty damn good.

Oh last thing is the player becomes warm after use, is this normal as i dont own any hifi players previously. Thanks!

Yes it's normal it becomes a little bit warm since it's amplifier circuit is a pretty decent one that gives an energy to the sound that Benjies and company can't. Zishan's sound will improve after several hundreds of hours of burning and you can always modify it's sound signature by rolling oamp that's something the more commercial players don't offer. But you are right the zishan is about sound not UI when cheap player can be superior.

 

[neog007]

  On its own... no, the iHifi990 smokes the Zishan. No only sound wise but also from a user perspective. Its a much more refined product/DAP.
 
But sound wise compared to above combo... yes, the Zishan/LB4(rolled to OPA2107, not the default NE5532)/SWIII sounds a tad better than the iHifi990/SWIII alone. Also its adds a nice glow from the tubes....

the zishan is 9v yes. I'd try smoother oamps with it to partially neutralize its cold sound. It resulted great with muses01/02

 

[neog007]

Gad mini a1 with a hi-res DAC USB stick and the heavily modded Sony mdr-z7. High levels of transparency and energy great combination so far.
The a1 is the class A companion zishan's amplifier.

 

[Draknodd]

Has anyone compared the zishan with the xduoo x10? The price is quite the same. Thanks

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

  On its own... no, the iHifi990 smokes the Zishan. No only sound wise but also from a user perspective. Its a much more refined product/DAP.

 
If you like the ihifi990 sound you might consider this dac/amp which should improve on the 990 in every way: https://world.taobao.com/item/525012548911.htm
 
Only costs under $160 delivered with mistertao.com
 
WM8741 Dual Mono, Class A biased amp with very nice transistors and caps, +/-12.5v PSU, Line In + Out, and very nice receiver chips, AK4118 coaxial, SA9227 usb.
 
With 4x changeable opamps you could actually change them to mirror the 990 opamps, but the stock 3x Muses8920 don't need changing as their awesome, just possibly change the 1x OPA2604.
 
 
I'm tempted to get one but I wouldn't use it, I'm a dap person and dislike stacks.

 

[hakuzen]

some measurements i did on my stock zishan, and on GAD mini A1 amp, if anyone interested:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/800208/the-rmaa-rightmark-audio-analyzer-source-and-audio-device-measurement-thread-measurements-in-post-3-tutorial-in-post-2/135#post_13107744
http://www.head-fi.org/t/800208/the-rmaa-rightmark-audio-analyzer-source-and-audio-device-measurement-thread-measurements-in-post-3-tutorial-in-post-2/135#post_13107386

 

[neog007]

  Zishan DSD
(...)
Unloaded, phones out, line out, DAC modes "Sharp roll off" and "Short Delay Sharp roll-off" (phones out):

(...)
Everything is alright with this DAP/DAC, unloaded flat extended response, even impedance variation for critical IEMs is acceptable (...)

 
Thank you for such a great job. As I Always though the zishan is very well built for the sound and just the sound, as well as very precise but being really powerful at the same time, such a hard to get combination. Now it speaks. People that appreciate more fancy UI or other considerations shouldn't go for it IMO.
 
Id like to add this measurements in the main post if you let me.

 

[weedophile]

Hi, i cant really understand the graphs that u guys have showed. Seem consistent for the stock Zishan? Anw loving this player day after day!

 

[neog007]

Yes t's referred to the stock zishan. There's no roll-off the curve is plain just at the end has some variation due to the coupling capacitors used. The output impedance makes it suitable for all kind of earphones . The results are quite good.

 

[anyone007]

Any comments/ feedback regarding the Mini A1 amplifier? Is it neutral tonal balance (uncolored) and transparent? Thanks!

 

[bzfrank]

If I may add, the frequency response of the Zishan is not particular outstanding, check e.g. with the iBasso DX90
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/697035/dx90-2x-sabre-1st-page-downloads-info-inst-lurker0-fw-mod-link-1st-page-new-fw-2-3-0/12090#post_11544625
 
Any 'good' DAP should show a similar flat response.
 
I believe its not possible to ascertain a particular audio signature from these curves (except for strong treble roll-off) - you need to listen to it on the respective headphones.