[Aleynaajazz]

Hello I would like to ask which is better?

Fiio KA5 or iBasso DC04 Pro

Im worried about the battery drain from the device after prolonged use

 

[marekm]

Truthear SHIO is on its way to me from Shenzhenaudio

I do not use dongles much, but wanted to have one with balanced 4,4mm. Internet reviews are positive (aren't they all) and the price was good.

Anybody have any experience with this dongle ?

 

[Fourier transformer]

Truthear SHIO is on its way to me from Shenzhenaudio

I do not use dongles much, but wanted to have one with balanced 4,4mm. Internet reviews are positive (aren't they all) and the price was good.

Anybody have any experience with this dongle ?

The Truthear SHIO has CS43198 but no opamp it seems, like the jcally AP98. How is it possible that the AP98 sounds bad, but the Truthear SHIO good ?

 

[baskingshark]

Truthear SHIO is on its way to me from Shenzhenaudio

I do not use dongles much, but wanted to have one with balanced 4,4mm. Internet reviews are positive (aren't they all) and the price was good.

Anybody have any experience with this dongle ?

It is quite a decent dongle for the price, not the most technical, warm neutral dongle. Organic, with good timbre. Doesn't get hot, and has gain options + 4.4mm/3.5mm.

If you want something analytical and technical, then perhaps the E1DA family is better.

 

[Ichos]

Truthear SHIO is on its way to me from Shenzhenaudio

I do not use dongles much, but wanted to have one with balanced 4,4mm. Internet reviews are positive (aren't they all) and the price was good.

Anybody have any experience with this dongle ?

I liked it a lot, you are not going to regret it.

https://ichos-reviews.com/truthear-shio-review/

 

[marekm]

The Truthear SHIO has CS43198 but no opamp it seems, like the jcally AP98. How is it possible that the AP98 sounds bad, but the Truthear SHIO good ?

I have no idea. Hasn't arrived yet.

I would not use a dongle for critical listening. I need it when on the move. For 70$, it looked like a good deal. Need to wait and see

 

[Fourier transformer]

I liked it a lot, you are not going to regret it.

https://ichos-reviews.com/truthear-shio-review/

You will regret it unless you have low-demand gear, i.e : super sensitive IEM. Which makes sens because there is no opamp inside SHIO, there is the CS43131 for that matter.

It handles most IEMs and low-demand gear easily, but the acid test comes when the SHIO faces some fickle behemoths like the infamous Final E5000 (low sensitivity) and Sennheiser HD650 (high impedance).

The E5000 has a bloated and nebulous bass when it isn’t powered well, and sadly that appears to be the case here, even on the SHIO’s balanced output and high gain setting. Likewise, the HD650 sounds tame in dynamics and boring.

https://www.headphonesty.com/2023/02/review-truthear-shio/

 

[marekm]

WHAT WE LIKE:

• Solid build, with detachable cable.
• 4.4mm (balanced) and 3.5mm (single-ended) outputs available. Low and high gain options.
• No EMI.
• Does not get hot with long listening sessions.
• Warm analogue signature, fatigue-free musical tuning.
• Natural timbre.

[Source: Headphonesty]

Sounds good enough to me (at least at the price and for intended purpose)

 

[Fourier transformer]

Sounds good enough to me (at least at the price and for intended purpose)

There are plenty of better dongles at lower price

 

[marekm]

There are plenty of better dongles at lower price

Point me to balanced 4.4mm.

 

[Fourier transformer]

Point me to balanced 4.4mm.

idk all your requirements, JCALLY AP10 ? https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005149661523.html ? https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005310727211.html ?

 

[Ichos]

You will regret it unless you have low-demand gear, i.e : super sensitive IEM. Which makes sens because there is no opamp inside SHIO, there is the CS43131 for that matter.


https://www.headphonesty.com/2023/02/review-truthear-shio/

You must be really naive to buy such a dongle for driving the HD650 or hard to drive earphones or expect high end performance for your expensive IEMs.

BTW, do you have personal experience with the SHIO or the other dongles you mentioned in your posts?

 

[Fourier transformer]

You must be really naive to buy such a dongle for driving the HD650 or hard to drive earphones or expect high end performance for your expensive IEMs.

This is false since 1) dongles with proper design manage to drive the HD650 2) some dongles have terrible noise floor hence are not suitable for sensitive IEM

 

[Ichos]

This is false since 1) dongles with proper design manage to drive the HD650 2) some dongles have terrible noise floor hence are not suitable for sensitive IEM

This certain dongle is not for such use and the manufacturer never advertised as such.

Of course there are more powerful dongles at the sub $100 range, like the Fosi Audio DS1 but this is irrelevant.

We are talking about the SHIO and I don't remember the OP asking to drive the 650 something similar.

The SHIO has good sound quality, it is lightweight, efficient, it has low noise floor and it can drive the 660S.

I am pretty sure that there are other good options too but this is also irrelevant.

So I don't know what are you talking about and the point of this discussion.

 

[Fourier transformer]

We are talking about the SHIO and I don't remember the OP asking to drive the 650 something similar.

and i don't remember the OP asking to drive only sensitive stuff, and the HD650 is not particularly hard to drive, but the SHIO is just a DAC without AMP. So yeah people will probably regret it especially with the advertising "SHIO can carry most earphones on the market" on their website.