I used to own K5 Pro and Topping E30/L30 at the same time. To my ears K5 Pro (AKM) sounded sweeter than the Topping pair which was way too clinical and cold for me. Even e30->K5 Pro combination was better than e30/L30 combo, which tells me that Fiio makes good amplifier section, regardless of...
Honestly, if a good measuring DAC with super low distortion and jitter sounds dry and lifeless while poor measuring DACs can sound wonderful and musical to one's ears, who is to say the poor measuring DAC is inferior to super precise DACs ? I find myself analyzing music using clear and detailed...
Search for TDA1305 DAC on Aliexpress. Such as https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2251832644932185.html
Most are under 50 bucks... and are AWESOME. This DAC is as smooth as Denafrips Ares 2.
Sorry for my ignorance, but if we have to limit bandwidth in the ultrasonic frequency range via filter, then shouldn't NOS DAC be subjected to this rule also? NOS DAC also surely generates image beyond Nyquist frequency, no ?
One remarkable thing about these headphones is that they are never fatiguing. They are even more laid back than my 600/6XX/r70x. I admit this is mostly due to the fact that the drivers are small and dynamics are lacking, being a cheap product. Quite often, overly dynamic phones are too energetic...
About shrill highs and lackluster bass - DV disappointed me at first but after a month or so of use, the tubes were nicely broken in and the sound became creamy and bass got punchier (and wetter, not tighter).
Which set up would result in more classic tubey sound? (Given similar amount of money invested)
1) DAC -> tube buffer -> SS amp -> headphones
2) DAC -> tube amplifier -> headphones
There are really cheap tube buffers out there costing around $50 with good reviews. So why not pipe it to your...
I'm curious about this as well. I hear that on V30 this setting is gone. I hope this means the phone auto-adjusts the mode for external devices, so that I can pipe it to an amplifier without worrying about amplifying any noise coming from the phone's amplifier itself.
When I got into audiophile I bought a bunch of headphones from a Koss to a Sennheiser and Fiio K5 Pro DAC/AMP combo. I always listened in ASIO mode on Windows (or using Macbook core audio). I never bothered to listen with my iPhone 8 Plus - until today. WTF, my iphone + lightning DAC/AMP dongle...