Reply With QuoteI use TIDAL for streaming which is classed a high res, it's just lossless really so the same as CD quality
Are there any audiophiles about here?
Wondering if anyone else is into good IEMs and Hi Res music as I seem to be gong down a rabbit hole....
I use TIDAL for streaming which is classed a high res, it's just lossless really so the same as CD quality
My high res is SACD & vinyl. Got a mate who is massively into streaming and owns many TB's of music, he is often pushing me to join him but I am a Luddite I guess, I just dont like the idea of computers and networking getting betweeen me and music. I just dont have the patience for it or see the upside.
What is an IEM?
A few years I did a lot of research into IEM's and you're right it is a (very expensive) rabbithole. In the end I picked 1964 ears (V3) via this crowd:
http://www.custom-inearmonitors.co.uk/
At the time they seemed the best balance between SQ and cost. I listen to CD's burnt in FLAC on a Fiio X5 and the sound (to me) is amazing.
In ear monitor - moulded earplugs which contain multiple drivers etc...
I've got tidal lossless, and have been trying the HD service with is true hi res 24 bit but I can't trek the difference without a better player/amp.
I've tried a fritters A&K player with tidal HD and the difference is incredible.
IEM - In Ear Monitor (fancy headphone basically)Originally Posted by mondie
Yip I've been down that rabbit hole!
I stopped when I bought the UERM (ultimate ears reference monitors) as I felt that any more money spent was just a diminishing return
However lately I have been thinking of getting a pair of truly wireless iems. Most likely gonna pull the trigger on the jabra 65t
I use 64audio V4 IEMs on gigs. Mine were supplied by the same Company. The v4s have 2 bass drivers so are deliberately bass heavy for playing live music. I'm very happy with them. They have a patented 'apex' system that is supposed to reduce pressure on the ear drum.
Considering some custom art 8.2s currently. Very torn on a portable player - tidal is important to me... is the X5 any good to use?
Ah, no wonder I was clueless. As a fan of big woofers and HE speakers, headphones have never given me the same adrenaline rush and emotional connection with music. But in the right circumstances I can certainly understand why they would be a good option.
Inclined to agree with you about woofers etc. Headphones can only stimulate the one sensory modailty whereas big volumes of air being moved by woofers often give a visceral sensation too, which I find adds to my enjoyment of the music.
I understand you can't carry a pair of speakers around with you but I'd personally keep headphones for listening on the move only. Appreciate that others may take a different position.
Yeah they are designed mainly for the music industry and I had to be careful which one I went for. But I'm more than happy with the SQ of the V3's (I prefer an open relaxed sound with detail and more up front mids than being real heavy on the bas)
I went from a Cowon J3 and I'm more than happy with the X5 gen 2. I think I'd have to spend a lot more money to get any noticeable SQ improvement. Plus you can bang in x2 256Gb micro SD cards.
The x5ii can use both tidal and spotify can't it?
Do you find it is fast enough to use without frustration as I've heard mixed report s on the user interface....
I honestly couldn't tell you about streaming services as I don't use them. The UI on these takes a little getting used to and its not as slick as say an ipod etc but compared to the Cowan I had its a marked improvement. I had read the same sort of comments about the UI being a little flaky or slow. Day to day life I have no issues at all with it but I don't continually jump from album to album or track to track. To me bang for buck I think you're hard pushed to find a mp3 player that sounds as good and can accept such large storage. I was looking at the x7 with changeable amp modules but just couldn't justify the cost of what is probably a small jump in SQ. I honestly have no issues with recommending it
IEMs are probably not the best thing for Hi res audio. Too much coloration and microphonics from the cables.
I'd recommend an open backed pair of Sennheisers ; HD600s and later models. Amazingly open and detailed but not cold and harsh, never tiring , utterly comfortable and cool on your ears ( and I've got big uns).
I ran a pair for over 10 years then replaced the cushions , headband and cable and they would have been good for another 10 before I gave them away.
I also use Beyer Dynamic DT250s (250 ohm) for when closed back isolation is required.
I picked these as they had the closest frequency response to the HD600s but closed back for better isolation.
Very accurate and analytical but not cold and harsh , arguably a bit duller sounding than theHD600s and not as wide in the soundstage. I often use these for gaming as they are well isolated but still quite comfortable they are not hard to drive even with the high impedance. Every part is replaceable as they are professional studio phones. Headband and cushions all replaced on mine over the years. Very good value for money , curly cable and it emerges from one side which is handy.
On the road I use Shure Se535s. They sound great with fantastic mids but lack a bit of bass and are a little bit harsh in the high frequencies , Very revealing on background noise ( you can hear the noise going up and down as bad samples kick in). Comfortable as anything , I use them on long haul flights. Pretty robust , replaceable cable , Shure give good warranty ( 4 years I think).
All are superb , all are probably up for he job of High res audio.
Over ear phones are generally always going to be better at sound stage etc than in ear ones aren't they mainly due to they are much larger and so provide larger drivers etc I'd have thought. To be honest the '64 ears I have suffer very little from cable microphonics (if at all) and as for coloration I assume you mean the signature sound of the headphone? All speakers and headphones in my experience have some sort of sound signature depending on the manufactures preference and I did a lot of research in to finding 'phones that match my desired signature. Also due to being custom moulded the isolation is superb which improves detail, separation and sound stage quite a lot over my previous headphones (shure and v-sonics). I went for custom IEM's mainly for use on long haul flights and I can easily wear these for 11 hours with little problem. I probably won't go back to off the shelf in ears again though customs are pretty expensive but I've had mine for about 5 years so far so man math says they're a bargain. Horses for courses really isn't it and much like a lot of things these days its all down to personal preference
Is it you buggers that push up the prices of NOS valves for guitar players?
I use Tidal hifi.
I used to love my 530 and 535s. Now using a pair of 846s. Not sure I can tell the difference, if I'm completely honest.
I actually think the 530s were slightly better soundwise than the 535s, However the 530s would break on the cables if you so much as swore in front of them.
I think I went through 2-3 replacement pairs under warranty just for the cables . No wonder they were popular for reshelling.
I think the 535 was primarily so Shure could introduce replaceable cabling . The 530 returns must have been killing them.
846 I’ve never heard but it would take a lot for me to seek an upgrade for the 535.
I use a pioneer x100 hi res player on commute.
Sennheisermomentum 1s over ears for cans.
Controlled via pebble watch
I think I'm between the Fiio X5iii and Pioneer XDP 100r currently. I think you need to kick it up to an A&K SR15 to make the next jump in quality.
There is an an onkyo that is similar to pioneer
Would you say there is any difference in SQ?
At the time a couple of years ago after a lot of reading and headaches I went for the X5 gen 2 based on SQ & storage based against price compared to other models available at the time. Its all a personal thing and I dare say things have moved on a touch since then but it would take a lot for me to consider changing out the Fiio now for what is probably a small perceived jump in SQ.
Good to know, the latest X5iii it's £370, but the A&K AR15 jumps to £600 odd.
It's a bit of a shame that Richer Sounds etc do not carry any in store to listen to and try out side by side.
I do apologise but it is in fact the x5 gen III I have not the Gen 2 (for some reason I forgot about gen 2 with updated buttons on the wheel). One thing to note about Fiio is they listen to the customers. There were complaints after a software upgrade as it affected the SQ too much. Soon after they released another update to correct it. I think I purchased it for £400 or so from advancedmp3players. It is difficult to find stores that carry them, hence spending large amounts of time on various forums trying to decide. Get one, if you don't like it send it back.
Last edited by subseastu; 27th September 2018 at 16:13.
Here's one for the old school iem crowd, I have a xin supermicro IV still working perfectly somewhere on the bookcase, powering a pair of etymotic er4p's with some fancy APureSound cable.
Still sounds superb, when I can find time to give them a listen to every now and then.
I haven't seen a xin amp for sale for a good few years now.
Onkyo and pioneer are the same company now apparently.
I believe the onkyo has 2 dacs compared to the 1 in the pioneer.
Not heard the onkyo so cannot comment on SQ.
Pioneer is damn good and full fat android which was important for pebble connectivity.
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