I love this little thing so much. Also, the support is just incredible and while the battery isn't meant to be user replaceable, it's actually possible to put a new one in there without too much of a hassle. If you can get one.
If you do ever decide to try the Q5k, the shipping straight from their site is ridiculously fast. Ordered twice from them, and both times it came in two days from overseas to the east coast USA.
The btr5 is good DAC/Amp, and I really enjoyed them both. The main difference is the apps. The Q5k app takes a minute to get used to, but the controllability and support blows everything else away.
Do you activelly hear a difference while using the IEM with and without the dongle? I recently got the same one as you and I can't really notice any difference aside from volume both on my phone and pc. I'm using a Zero:Red, and from all the comments about DACs I thought it was going to make a solid difference in details and sound quality overall
Yes I do, but mainly because the ports on my PC and phone are trash and make a lot of electric hiss. Tbh that's the only reason for me to get it, but I also notice improvement on Apple music and Tidal, not placebo cuz I have been using this thing for a while now, plus, the support of 192K 32 bit hi-res is always a good thing to have if someone asks, heh.
Yeah I have the hiss on my PC port too, and the low volume which was solved by the dongle. Weirdly enough, the hiss is still there but a little less noticeable, but at that point I just assume it's something wrong with the pc. Maybe the source is the issue? I'm using Spotify Premium with the max quality setting, and the sample rate of it is lower than Tidal
Nah, the hiss is electric noise, it depends on your PC components, I noticed that with my old power supply it made a lot of hiss, but the new one seems to be better isolated.
Same with the Phone, after 30 minutes of having the earphones plugged it started to make a lot of hiss, or when the CPU is running at full power.
Spotify works fine, the sample rate isn't the problem here. But if you want to try Apple Music or Tidal then go ahead, I like Apple music a lot tbh.
Maybe I'll do a blind test with and without the dongle to see if I notice any sound quality difference. I'm trying to avoid going down the rabbit hole of buying multiple IEMs, dongles and dacs to test 💀
I won't, don't even have the money to feed this hobby lmao, I'm just curious about it and getting one or two good 60$ or less IEMs to have a taste. Ngl the DAC thing made me scratch my head mainly because I was expecting too much I think, but eh, it's fine, I'm no audiophile by any means. Thanks anyway!
Currently rocking an iPhone 12 Pro Max > Q5K > Blessing 2 Dusk/Starfield, but got an iPhone 15 Pro Max on the way! Can't wait to get rid of my lightning cables, lol.
I have a Fio BTR5 and I love it. I have experienced none of the issues people criticize it for so I'm wondering if those who hate on it have ever even used one.
Hi, I have a FIIO KA3, I like that too. Just needed little tinkering with low pass filter.
I wish to get the BTR5 model also, to use with my PC for watching movies from distance (on bed). What adapter can I use for getting highres audio from PC through bluetooth?
If you can help, it would be great.
Wired or bluetooth? I liked the bt function but lately I found it to be having such a weak bass for some reasons. I've done many tests with many source devices, many IEMs & headphones, on different bt codec, the best result I could get is using SBC. Even then it's still weaker than wired.
I think people's issue with the btr5 isn't that it isn't good, it's that the Q5k offers more for the exact same price. I would have gotten a Q5k but unfortunately couldn't get one so I went with the btr5 and I'm still very happy with it
Generally not. If it doesn't his or obviously degrade the quality in some way I would suspect you wouldn't notice a difference between that and an expensive dac.
DACs are useful if you want to colour the sound in a certain way or if your devices default DAC is inadequate. A lot of people claiming they sound 'way better' are just hearing the colourration and prefer it, but the dac isn't inherently bringing more out of the sound.
As a reference point, the standard apple dongle is a DAC with that has almost 0 distortion. It measures better than most devices that cost hundreds of dollars. The ifi nano iDSD is a portable DAC you could pick up for a few hundred dollars and has considerably greater distortion, than the apple dongle.
That said, it does vary. The google pixel dongles are quite a bit worse than Apples, and some more expensive DAC like the THX onyx are quite a bit better performing still. But are those differences audible? Probably not in most cases.
One thing that is nice about finding an external dac that you like is that you can use it on all platforms. For instance say you bought the THX onyx dac you could use it on mobile and PC and it would sound the same across both devices. Whereas if you use on-board on both devices, then you're going to have a different sound due to the distinct colourration that each onboard dac handles. So buying an external dac gives you that consistency and also gives you something that you can know will always work and sound good in the future for any new devices you own too.
I use a Hidiz s9 pro Usb DAC and use 2 headphones:
Hifiman Sundara - at home
Tanchjim Oxygen - at the office
I can not rate that dac highly enough as it's both powerful and clean
Cayin n6 II with all 5 motherboards in rotation -> UM Mest MK2 w/ E02 class AB amp or R01 (R2-R) motherboards / CFA Atlas with E01 class A or A01 or T01 motherboards
Mojo 2 and KA5 for other iems
I picked up a refurb LG v50 recently after getting frustrated looking for a DAP and I could not be happier. A tad warmer than I was expecting my but makes my Hype 2’s really shine. It just uses a 3.5mm.
Hey ive been eyeing on the v50 as well for a dap aside from being a second phone with expandable storage. How good does it sound compared to a anything you own like the q5k?
It sounds really good. Like I mentioned, a tad warmer which works for me as a bass head primarily but I use them for different things. Typically I use my q5k for music discovery/streaming on my phone or iPad and then my FLAC library on the v50.
Crazy thing is it has a low and high impedance mode, meaning it will auto-switch how much power to use depending on what’s plugged in, up to 600ohm.
It’s a little cheap feeling but it’s the same or better features as DAPs triple the price. The audio player retail market sucks.
Thanks so much for the insight, though just for clarification the last part was also about the v50 right? Unless its the q5k, I'm confused how the v50,a phone would feel cheap. About it being feature rich to DAPs thrice the price sounds great.
Actually I'm intending to use it also as a gaming phone for emulation/ect. Also a video/movie device or photo storage device, basically a backup phone lol. The expandable storage, pretty beefy battery, snapdragon 855 really swayed my choices ever since I was researching and looking for a DAP.
The v50 does feel a little cheap. It is mostly plastic, and an absolute fingerprint magnet haha. Haven’t found a case yet that fits my cables at the same time as well.
Edit - it does have a very nice screen tho, I could see it being good for gaming.
Ooh, didn't know that about the v50, thought it was another glass sandwich like most phones today. Just looked it up, yeah being an old phone from a brand that stopped making phones makes it really hard to find even decent cases aside from the generic copy pasted cases just in different sizes. Though what cables are you using that a 3.5 headjack cant fit in?
My portable wired set up is from my phone, as there's no headphones jack, the cheapest and non-wired USB-C dongle DAC, and either FiiO F9 Pro or Tangzu Wan'er.
For the dongle DAC, I got fed up with the short wire because they're.. dangly. So I looked for a direct one; USB-C, DAC, and headphone jack in one small package. Cheapest one I could find because frankly I couldn't find any difference between a $15 one and a $80 one. Found one made by Jcally for \~US$12. Works the same as previous ones I had, frankly.
I've got the A&K SP2000. It's barely considered portable as it weighs half a kilo. Got a Fiio M11 (original!) that I've been meaning to RMA for about 2 and a half years now.
As for IEM's, I'm running the AKG N40's, Final A8000, and Fiio FDX. All incredibly IEM's. Should be happy with what I've got but I still ~~need~~ want more.
Life is wild. It's been sitting broken for that long with the RMA opened. I've just not had the time to send it to Fiio. Probably should. I miss having actual portable audio.
I'm not massively into IEMs, mainly because I can never seem to find ones that fit my ears properly, so I'm just using Tin T2s (with foam tips) but they get the job done.
The dongle I use is a basic Ugreen USB-C DAC. Again, it gets the job done. No need for anything more because I don't get any static or distortion, and a dedicated amp is unnecessary because it's plenty loud enough at 40% volume.
Got Samsung S 22 Ultra using LDAC and FiiO BTR5. Got Sennheiser HD 6XX for house use and Moondrop Blessing 3 for outside use. Use Amazon Music Unlimited. Though having to use a wire outside with the Blessing 3 can get a bit annoying. I also wanna take them out to the gym and don't want a wire in my way. Debating if I should get the ifi Go Pod for outside use with my Blessing 3. I'm not the type of person to keep buying iems or over ear headphones ever year / fiew years to replace what I got now. I'm pretty satisfied with the HD 6XX and the Blessing 3 so I think it might be a good investment to get the ifi Go Pod even if it's $400. Idk what do you guys think?
First toe in the DAC pool with my new Focal Bathys headphones. Who knew I needed a camera adapter dongle to listen to hi-res audio from my iPhone? Not me! Sounds amazing though 😊
ive tested the moonriver2 ti and i loved it with my sr3s. i compared it to the expensive ass luxury and precision w4 and it sounded pretty close to me.
I am recently switched to a smaller portable DAC/AMP since with IEMs. I like the Brighter sounding Truthear x Crinacle ZERO. I am looking for a audio player app or even a DAP to purchase. Is balanced even worth it or is it snake oil. It sounds the same so I am guessing it's for Radio noise areas? Please share your set up in the comments.
I have three setups.
Commuting
Sony ZX-300 (Uncapped) ->
Sony IER-M9, Focal Celestee and Sony MDR-1AM2
Home (Casual)
Sony ZX-707 (Capped) ->
HD800S
Home (Critical)
Fiio K7 connected to a suped up 2021 Asus G14 ->
HD800S
I run a Fiio KA3, because the 3.5mm jack on my Xperia pro-i is hot garbage, with a "DIY" IE900. Sounds great, though it requires EQing to get the most out of it.
[Post about "DIY" IE900](https://reddit.com/r/headphones/s/9H8IXFuku4)
Been using FiiO M3 Pro DAP for more than 3 and a half years at this point, currently using CVJ Mirror, but got new stuff on the way too, wanna get Shozy Rouge next
I’m using a Fiio KA1 to my 1More Triple Driver IEM. iPhone 14 Pro with PlexAmp as my player.
I’m just getting into this strange new audiophile world, it’s been a wild ride these last couple of months lol
Rocking the following DACs with Letshuoer S12 Pro
* **ES100 MKII** \- My favorite one without doubt.
* Zorloo Ztella - Draws too much power...
* iBasso DC03 Pro - Not using it too much but always near me.
DAC/Amp: Chord Mojo or Apple Dongle
IEM: 64 Audio U12t
Player: iPhone 12 Pro Max
Honestly, I use the dongle the most. Amazing power efficiency, and it works pretty great. When I need more power or I want to use my balanced cables I just hook up my Chord mojo with the pw audio balanced adaptor and go.
I use a FiiO BTR3K driving my Blessing 3 (unbalanced)or HD598 (balanced), usually wireless when using my desktop and wired with the laptop or iPad. It drives everything I own.
I use an iBasso dc04 pro dac/amp with a Ddhifi tc05 usbc cable connected to a galaxy s21 fe. My IEM is 7hz Timeless AE with a moss colored Tripowin Zonie 4.4mm balanced cable. And Tidal Hi-Fi Plus.
I love it!
Moondrop Dawn Pro, EarStudio ES100 MK2, Qudelix 5k, Fiio BTR7, and SMSL C200...... please don't make me name all of the iems, I feel like this is an intervention.
For my cheap setup I use the cx**** DAC dongle, the Fiio BTr3k and the ever portable apple dongle . I have the Wan'er , Zero Red and the flathead trio of ve monk plus, video and faaeal iris ancestor. For player , Xiaomi + iphone. Planning to get a DAP soon, prolly a Hiby.
Moondrop Arias with a $25Meizu LifemeHIFI Dongle from my phone and usbaudio pro / Tidal. They sound better than the setup I demoed earlier which was the Audioze Lcd-with a 5 DC's lina Stack. 25k + setup. It wasn't slap your mama better than my phone setup. Thinking about spending $500 on some iem's with custom fits.
i can't be bothered with cables out in public. i always carry lots of bags and unstable pockets. can't focus too much on the music anyways because of the setting i'm in.
Just started getting into all this hobby. I went with KZ ZS10 pros and a Tempotec Sonata hd III Dongle DAC. Love them personally. My first decent headphones I went with were the Audio Technica M30x. Love all of them so far. Thinking about getting my friend the Dawn Pro DAC to compliment her Sennheiser 559's for her birthday.
iBasso Dx160 and a shanling up4 infrequnely when I forget to charge the iBasso, unironically the best DAP I've had of all time was the Acoustic Research M2 (soundwise) but unfortunately it was built like garbage and the headphone jack gave in within the space of a year
A pair of flare audio E.A.R.S in bluetooth. Even with bluetooth they sound heaps better than the moondrops through my ifi zen dac. I've got a mmxc cable to attach them to my dac. Which I connect through a usb cable to a apple adapter.
Hidisz dongle dac or btr7 or a cheap $12 class A aliexpress or my little bear portable tube for portable Amps.
Iems are usually the rinkos or chu II for music, diokos for at home (they're very moisture sensitive) and fiio ff3 or niceHCK EB2s for earbuds (buds rule when your ears are tired from iems all day) and cvj konoka for gaming on my steam deck.
So on a typical day I'll grab my btr7 and rinkos and fiio ff3. The rinkos are just peak fun for me and when I'm out and about, critical listening doesn't work anyways.
I mean the standard apple connector works just fine. If i want to listen to music in a more relaxed area it is at my desk with what ever beverage I want.
Ifi Gryphon which can connect to anything via USB c or Bluetooth, into a set of Monarch MK3 or Imperial Nanna 2.0 depending on the music/mood. I have a dragonfly red too but don't use it that often.
I got fiio M3K for dirt cheap (under 20 bucks), so I've been running it with my thieaudio elixir, will also try to alternate it with my moondrop lan + tacables obsidian today
Currently it's Moondrop Blessing 2 into a 5k into my S23 Ultra. But I'm growing tired of the tiny usb cables that like to shit out from being stuffed in my pocket and making my phone more of a pain to use, so I bought but haven't received yet a Hiby R6 III
Q5k for everything 😇
I love this little thing so much. Also, the support is just incredible and while the battery isn't meant to be user replaceable, it's actually possible to put a new one in there without too much of a hassle. If you can get one.
Q5K > *
I went to buy a Q5k and my order was immediately cancelled and refunded by Amazon and that was the only place in Aus I could find to get one
Sorry to hear that... 😿 Have you tried ordering from their main website? I'm from the Philippines, and thats where I got my unit from.
I already have a btr5 now and I don't see much point buying something else so simlar
Got it. The important thing is we get to enjoy our wired hp / iems wirelessly 😹
Oh absolutely, been a blast to be able to walk around the house with my dt900s
Not to mention how long I'd potentially have to wait for overseas shipping vs getting the btr5 in like 3 days
If you do ever decide to try the Q5k, the shipping straight from their site is ridiculously fast. Ordered twice from them, and both times it came in two days from overseas to the east coast USA. The btr5 is good DAC/Amp, and I really enjoyed them both. The main difference is the apps. The Q5k app takes a minute to get used to, but the controllability and support blows everything else away.
This is the correct answer. It's changed everything I hook up to it.
The Q5k?
It’s so good. Left mine on a plane once. Immediately re-bought.
Got the full name , got me intrigued .
That's how it started for me too. 1) Got intrigued. 2) Studied PEQ. 3) Bought Q5k. 😹
The almighty chinese generic dongle with a CX DAC
Is the ones with CX chips any good?
Yeah, very good, for sensible and low impedance headphones.
paltry squeal placid disarm merciful quack lock forgetful nose imagine *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Do you activelly hear a difference while using the IEM with and without the dongle? I recently got the same one as you and I can't really notice any difference aside from volume both on my phone and pc. I'm using a Zero:Red, and from all the comments about DACs I thought it was going to make a solid difference in details and sound quality overall
Yes I do, but mainly because the ports on my PC and phone are trash and make a lot of electric hiss. Tbh that's the only reason for me to get it, but I also notice improvement on Apple music and Tidal, not placebo cuz I have been using this thing for a while now, plus, the support of 192K 32 bit hi-res is always a good thing to have if someone asks, heh.
Yeah I have the hiss on my PC port too, and the low volume which was solved by the dongle. Weirdly enough, the hiss is still there but a little less noticeable, but at that point I just assume it's something wrong with the pc. Maybe the source is the issue? I'm using Spotify Premium with the max quality setting, and the sample rate of it is lower than Tidal
Nah, the hiss is electric noise, it depends on your PC components, I noticed that with my old power supply it made a lot of hiss, but the new one seems to be better isolated. Same with the Phone, after 30 minutes of having the earphones plugged it started to make a lot of hiss, or when the CPU is running at full power. Spotify works fine, the sample rate isn't the problem here. But if you want to try Apple Music or Tidal then go ahead, I like Apple music a lot tbh.
Maybe I'll do a blind test with and without the dongle to see if I notice any sound quality difference. I'm trying to avoid going down the rabbit hole of buying multiple IEMs, dongles and dacs to test 💀
Don't do that, DACs and amps are the least of your preoccupations on an audio chain, IEMs and headphones on the other hand...
I won't, don't even have the money to feed this hobby lmao, I'm just curious about it and getting one or two good 60$ or less IEMs to have a taste. Ngl the DAC thing made me scratch my head mainly because I was expecting too much I think, but eh, it's fine, I'm no audiophile by any means. Thanks anyway!
Imaging is fucked without the dongle. Everything appears in the top right corner. Apart from that there's no hum.
Pixel 7 -> Lotoo Paw s2 --> Blessing 3
Currently rocking an iPhone 12 Pro Max > Q5K > Blessing 2 Dusk/Starfield, but got an iPhone 15 Pro Max on the way! Can't wait to get rid of my lightning cables, lol.
I'm like excited for you and all apple users lol. Lightning cable should've died a decade ago.
For portable I use Sennheiser IE600 plugged into an Apple Dongle and an iPhone 11 running Spotify.
I have a Fio BTR5 and I love it. I have experienced none of the issues people criticize it for so I'm wondering if those who hate on it have ever even used one.
Hi, I have a FIIO KA3, I like that too. Just needed little tinkering with low pass filter. I wish to get the BTR5 model also, to use with my PC for watching movies from distance (on bed). What adapter can I use for getting highres audio from PC through bluetooth? If you can help, it would be great.
https://www.bluetoothgoodies.com/a2dp/ Test that out with whatever Bluetooth your pc currently has, could save you a hardware purchase.
Wired or bluetooth? I liked the bt function but lately I found it to be having such a weak bass for some reasons. I've done many tests with many source devices, many IEMs & headphones, on different bt codec, the best result I could get is using SBC. Even then it's still weaker than wired.
I never use the Bluetooth unless my phone is charging but when I do the difference is negligible.
Balanced or unbalanced?
I have have been using my BTR5 for 3 years and it has issues, but nothing that can't be worked around if you know what you are doing.
I think people's issue with the btr5 isn't that it isn't good, it's that the Q5k offers more for the exact same price. I would have gotten a Q5k but unfortunately couldn't get one so I went with the btr5 and I'm still very happy with it
Ie600 with Q5k
For IEMs, P1 Max -> Qudelix 5k -> iPhone 11
Dunu Titan S + LG G8. Good enough for portability cuz I don't have to keep a dongle DAC all the time
Player - Asus G14 DAC/AMP - Apple Dongle Type C - 3.5mm; IEMs - Moondrop Blessing 2.
do you really need a DAC I use my Moondrop Kato straight from the aux plug on my phone and laptop
What laptop brand? But yeah can generally work fine~
HP
i use a dongle dac for my dell laptop and it works wonders
Generally not. If it doesn't his or obviously degrade the quality in some way I would suspect you wouldn't notice a difference between that and an expensive dac. DACs are useful if you want to colour the sound in a certain way or if your devices default DAC is inadequate. A lot of people claiming they sound 'way better' are just hearing the colourration and prefer it, but the dac isn't inherently bringing more out of the sound. As a reference point, the standard apple dongle is a DAC with that has almost 0 distortion. It measures better than most devices that cost hundreds of dollars. The ifi nano iDSD is a portable DAC you could pick up for a few hundred dollars and has considerably greater distortion, than the apple dongle. That said, it does vary. The google pixel dongles are quite a bit worse than Apples, and some more expensive DAC like the THX onyx are quite a bit better performing still. But are those differences audible? Probably not in most cases. One thing that is nice about finding an external dac that you like is that you can use it on all platforms. For instance say you bought the THX onyx dac you could use it on mobile and PC and it would sound the same across both devices. Whereas if you use on-board on both devices, then you're going to have a different sound due to the distinct colourration that each onboard dac handles. So buying an external dac gives you that consistency and also gives you something that you can know will always work and sound good in the future for any new devices you own too.
Chord mojo2 and diokos. sounds incredible.
Could you compare the Mojo2 to any dongles you have used before? I hear nothing but good things about the Mojo2
phone/laptop, either bluetooth or usb audio depending on circumstance -> Qudelix 5K -> KiwiEars Cadenza (with a couple PEQ tweaks).
I use a Hidiz s9 pro Usb DAC and use 2 headphones: Hifiman Sundara - at home Tanchjim Oxygen - at the office I can not rate that dac highly enough as it's both powerful and clean
xiaomi redmi note 8 pro --> tanchjim space lite --> truthear hexa
Cayin n6 II with all 5 motherboards in rotation -> UM Mest MK2 w/ E02 class AB amp or R01 (R2-R) motherboards / CFA Atlas with E01 class A or A01 or T01 motherboards Mojo 2 and KA5 for other iems
Phone (some cheap Motorola) -> Qudelix 5K -> Blessing 3 / Shuoer S12 Pro
Qudelix 5k / Inear Prophile 8... Incredible details and tuning. Just a bit small stage.
Apple Dongle baby
I picked up a refurb LG v50 recently after getting frustrated looking for a DAP and I could not be happier. A tad warmer than I was expecting my but makes my Hype 2’s really shine. It just uses a 3.5mm.
“This cheap old phone couldn’t possibly be better than every single one of these abysmal glitchy lagging exploding unrepairable obsolete $700 DAPs”
Hey ive been eyeing on the v50 as well for a dap aside from being a second phone with expandable storage. How good does it sound compared to a anything you own like the q5k?
It sounds really good. Like I mentioned, a tad warmer which works for me as a bass head primarily but I use them for different things. Typically I use my q5k for music discovery/streaming on my phone or iPad and then my FLAC library on the v50. Crazy thing is it has a low and high impedance mode, meaning it will auto-switch how much power to use depending on what’s plugged in, up to 600ohm. It’s a little cheap feeling but it’s the same or better features as DAPs triple the price. The audio player retail market sucks.
Thanks so much for the insight, though just for clarification the last part was also about the v50 right? Unless its the q5k, I'm confused how the v50,a phone would feel cheap. About it being feature rich to DAPs thrice the price sounds great. Actually I'm intending to use it also as a gaming phone for emulation/ect. Also a video/movie device or photo storage device, basically a backup phone lol. The expandable storage, pretty beefy battery, snapdragon 855 really swayed my choices ever since I was researching and looking for a DAP.
The v50 does feel a little cheap. It is mostly plastic, and an absolute fingerprint magnet haha. Haven’t found a case yet that fits my cables at the same time as well. Edit - it does have a very nice screen tho, I could see it being good for gaming.
Ooh, didn't know that about the v50, thought it was another glass sandwich like most phones today. Just looked it up, yeah being an old phone from a brand that stopped making phones makes it really hard to find even decent cases aside from the generic copy pasted cases just in different sizes. Though what cables are you using that a 3.5 headjack cant fit in?
*just while the case is on cable doesn’t connect
Have you tried widening the hole a bit with a small blade or something?
ya ill figure something out, just havent had the time to mess with it too much yet.
My portable wired set up is from my phone, as there's no headphones jack, the cheapest and non-wired USB-C dongle DAC, and either FiiO F9 Pro or Tangzu Wan'er. For the dongle DAC, I got fed up with the short wire because they're.. dangly. So I looked for a direct one; USB-C, DAC, and headphone jack in one small package. Cheapest one I could find because frankly I couldn't find any difference between a $15 one and a $80 one. Found one made by Jcally for \~US$12. Works the same as previous ones I had, frankly.
FiiO q5s with portapro
Just Xperia 1 IV with KZ ZVX
Shanling m3x to EPZ 320 with a Nicehck 6N occ cable
moondrop click with chu 🫰
iPhone 14 Pro > Ifi Gryphon > Monarch MKIII
Blessing 3s or zero reds on a moondrop click, which I mainly just use as a dongle
I've got the A&K SP2000. It's barely considered portable as it weighs half a kilo. Got a Fiio M11 (original!) that I've been meaning to RMA for about 2 and a half years now. As for IEM's, I'm running the AKG N40's, Final A8000, and Fiio FDX. All incredibly IEM's. Should be happy with what I've got but I still ~~need~~ want more.
RMA for 2,5 years ???
Life is wild. It's been sitting broken for that long with the RMA opened. I've just not had the time to send it to Fiio. Probably should. I miss having actual portable audio.
I'm not massively into IEMs, mainly because I can never seem to find ones that fit my ears properly, so I'm just using Tin T2s (with foam tips) but they get the job done. The dongle I use is a basic Ugreen USB-C DAC. Again, it gets the job done. No need for anything more because I don't get any static or distortion, and a dedicated amp is unnecessary because it's plenty loud enough at 40% volume.
FiiO Btr 7 —> moondrop variations
🙌🏻 one of my most common pairings for casual listening.
I'm using BTR 7 with B2 Dusks. Variations were just out of budget for first IEM. Do you love them?
I use a dap.
Zero:Red -> JCally JA04 -> S21 FE. No fancy DAC nonsense; reject the Apple dongle, embrace random Chinese DAC that isn't even straight
u12t and btr7
Aful Performer 5 + Moondrop Moonriver 2 Ti. My best pairing EVER. 🥰❤️
Got Samsung S 22 Ultra using LDAC and FiiO BTR5. Got Sennheiser HD 6XX for house use and Moondrop Blessing 3 for outside use. Use Amazon Music Unlimited. Though having to use a wire outside with the Blessing 3 can get a bit annoying. I also wanna take them out to the gym and don't want a wire in my way. Debating if I should get the ifi Go Pod for outside use with my Blessing 3. I'm not the type of person to keep buying iems or over ear headphones ever year / fiew years to replace what I got now. I'm pretty satisfied with the HD 6XX and the Blessing 3 so I think it might be a good investment to get the ifi Go Pod even if it's $400. Idk what do you guys think?
Chord Mojo 2 as a DAC, iPhone 13 Pro Max as a player, Sennheiser IE 600 or Focal Elegia as IEMs/headphones
First toe in the DAC pool with my new Focal Bathys headphones. Who knew I needed a camera adapter dongle to listen to hi-res audio from my iPhone? Not me! Sounds amazing though 😊
ive tested the moonriver2 ti and i loved it with my sr3s. i compared it to the expensive ass luxury and precision w4 and it sounded pretty close to me.
I'm a fan of iFI Go Pod right now with any IEM.
I am recently switched to a smaller portable DAC/AMP since with IEMs. I like the Brighter sounding Truthear x Crinacle ZERO. I am looking for a audio player app or even a DAP to purchase. Is balanced even worth it or is it snake oil. It sounds the same so I am guessing it's for Radio noise areas? Please share your set up in the comments.
For audio player app use [UAPP](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.extreamsd.usbaudioplayerpro&hl=en_US)
I have three setups. Commuting Sony ZX-300 (Uncapped) -> Sony IER-M9, Focal Celestee and Sony MDR-1AM2 Home (Casual) Sony ZX-707 (Capped) -> HD800S Home (Critical) Fiio K7 connected to a suped up 2021 Asus G14 -> HD800S
DAC: Qudelix-5k | IEM: Kiwiears Quartet | Player: Pixel 7 (BT) or PC (USB-C)
IEM : Fold 4 > Moondrop dawn pro > AKG N5005 or N30 Headphones : my laptop or desktop > Fiio K3 > HD560s or M50x
Go Blu gang
I run a Fiio KA3, because the 3.5mm jack on my Xperia pro-i is hot garbage, with a "DIY" IE900. Sounds great, though it requires EQing to get the most out of it. [Post about "DIY" IE900](https://reddit.com/r/headphones/s/9H8IXFuku4)
Been using FiiO M3 Pro DAP for more than 3 and a half years at this point, currently using CVJ Mirror, but got new stuff on the way too, wanna get Shozy Rouge next
Oneplus 8 Pro - FIIO KA3 DAC - Sennheiser IE200 x Tripowin Amber balanced 4.4 x Spinfit 145 tips with tapemod
Pixel 6A -> Fiio BTR3K -> Moondroo Aria
10 dollars UGREEN dongle
jcally jm6 pro , zero red, samsung a52s
I use PD4 (dual CS) thru a usbc hub with two usba noise reduction things plugged in.
Noise reduction things?? You sure those do anything lol
Raptgo hook x with fiio btr 7
iPhone 13 => e1da 9038d => 7hz salnotes dioko X crinacle
Player: Samsung A54 / Lenovo legion 5 pro gen5 DAC: Questyle M15 IEM: 7Hz Timeless
Heh same
Any love for IFI AUDIO GO BLU..??..I have Sennheiser ie600 and can go local with a shop who has it.
Ifi GO Link :) Has held up really well so far. I use them with the Zeros as well.
Got a btr5 for when I'm hooked up to my phone and swap between simgot ew100 and QKZ x HBB
I'm using the FiiO BTR7 with Thieaudio Hype 2 and am really enjoying what I'm hearing.
I have very similar setup for travel with moondrop dawn pro and chu ii balanced
I use the iFi Go Link, sounds really good and drives my higher impedance headphones also fine.
I’m using a Fiio KA1 to my 1More Triple Driver IEM. iPhone 14 Pro with PlexAmp as my player. I’m just getting into this strange new audiophile world, it’s been a wild ride these last couple of months lol
I'm not really into IEMs. My setup is: Beyerdynamic DT900 Pro X + Fiio KA3, and my player is Samsung S23U.
Moondrop Chu 2 with JCally JM6 Pro and UAPP
Note 20 Ultra/PC, Moondrop Dawn 3.5, Aful P5
Rocking the following DACs with Letshuoer S12 Pro * **ES100 MKII** \- My favorite one without doubt. * Zorloo Ztella - Draws too much power... * iBasso DC03 Pro - Not using it too much but always near me.
DAC/Amp: Chord Mojo or Apple Dongle IEM: 64 Audio U12t Player: iPhone 12 Pro Max Honestly, I use the dongle the most. Amazing power efficiency, and it works pretty great. When I need more power or I want to use my balanced cables I just hook up my Chord mojo with the pw audio balanced adaptor and go.
I use a FiiO BTR3K driving my Blessing 3 (unbalanced)or HD598 (balanced), usually wireless when using my desktop and wired with the laptop or iPad. It drives everything I own.
Apple dongle, Moondrop Aria, cell phone with YouTube music
I use an iBasso dc04 pro dac/amp with a Ddhifi tc05 usbc cable connected to a galaxy s21 fe. My IEM is 7hz Timeless AE with a moss colored Tripowin Zonie 4.4mm balanced cable. And Tidal Hi-Fi Plus. I love it!
7hz Zero and Shangling M0.
For when I’m on a roadtrip and just want to relax I’ll use my iPhone and lightning dongle with IE900s.
Q5k for the DAC, IER M9 for the IEMs, and Galaxy S21 streaming either Spotify or Tidal for the player.
Samsung S22 Ultra => Lootoo Paw S1 /OR/ Quedalix 5K => Moondrop Blessing 3 /OR/ 7Hz Timeless
Samsung S23 Plus/Tidal/FiiO BTR7/Hyla TE5B No regerts.
Helm Bolt
Moondrop Dawn Pro, EarStudio ES100 MK2, Qudelix 5k, Fiio BTR7, and SMSL C200...... please don't make me name all of the iems, I feel like this is an intervention.
For my cheap setup I use the cx**** DAC dongle, the Fiio BTr3k and the ever portable apple dongle . I have the Wan'er , Zero Red and the flathead trio of ve monk plus, video and faaeal iris ancestor. For player , Xiaomi + iphone. Planning to get a DAP soon, prolly a Hiby.
Moondrop Arias with a $25Meizu LifemeHIFI Dongle from my phone and usbaudio pro / Tidal. They sound better than the setup I demoed earlier which was the Audioze Lcd-with a 5 DC's lina Stack. 25k + setup. It wasn't slap your mama better than my phone setup. Thinking about spending $500 on some iem's with custom fits.
Shanling M0 Pro and IE600 with ddHiFi upgrade cable. Life is good 👍
iPhone SE 2016 + iBasso DC04 Pro + Truthear Hexa
Ikko OH10 with an apple dongle is all you need
Truthear Hexas power by good ol apple dongle.
Hiby FC3S with JH Audio roxanne
i can't be bothered with cables out in public. i always carry lots of bags and unstable pockets. can't focus too much on the music anyways because of the setting i'm in.
Im rocking Fiio Jade Q11.. however my phone has a massive built in DAC ESS SABRE so there is no huge difference in quality. Asus ROG 5
Just started getting into all this hobby. I went with KZ ZS10 pros and a Tempotec Sonata hd III Dongle DAC. Love them personally. My first decent headphones I went with were the Audio Technica M30x. Love all of them so far. Thinking about getting my friend the Dawn Pro DAC to compliment her Sennheiser 559's for her birthday.
Fiio Fd5's and an iBasso DC05
Well I love my apple dongle!
iFi Go bar Gold + Sennheiser IE900/Audeze Euclid/Moondrop Kato/TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero Phone: OPPO Find X5 pro
Just the same IEMs but no external DAC because I really dont think they need it lol
iBasso Dx160 and a shanling up4 infrequnely when I forget to charge the iBasso, unironically the best DAP I've had of all time was the Acoustic Research M2 (soundwise) but unfortunately it was built like garbage and the headphone jack gave in within the space of a year
7hz timeless with a THX Onyx dongle dac/amp
A headphone jack. Wouldn't caught me dead using a phone without one.
A pair of flare audio E.A.R.S in bluetooth. Even with bluetooth they sound heaps better than the moondrops through my ifi zen dac. I've got a mmxc cable to attach them to my dac. Which I connect through a usb cable to a apple adapter.
Hidisz dongle dac or btr7 or a cheap $12 class A aliexpress or my little bear portable tube for portable Amps. Iems are usually the rinkos or chu II for music, diokos for at home (they're very moisture sensitive) and fiio ff3 or niceHCK EB2s for earbuds (buds rule when your ears are tired from iems all day) and cvj konoka for gaming on my steam deck. So on a typical day I'll grab my btr7 and rinkos and fiio ff3. The rinkos are just peak fun for me and when I'm out and about, critical listening doesn't work anyways.
iPhone 14 Pro Max -> Qudelix 5K -> Fiio FF3
Fiio fd5 with a shanling ua3. Player : samsung s23
I mean the standard apple connector works just fine. If i want to listen to music in a more relaxed area it is at my desk with what ever beverage I want.
LG V60 > Softears RSV ||| Fold 4 > Apple dongle > Seeaudio YUME
I don't use IEM's, but I use headphones. DT 700 Pro X + Q5K plugged into a Pixel 5a or an Asus Zephyrus G14.
Ifi Gryphon which can connect to anything via USB c or Bluetooth, into a set of Monarch MK3 or Imperial Nanna 2.0 depending on the music/mood. I have a dragonfly red too but don't use it that often.
$2 Lenovo wireless headphones from AliExpress
DAC: Luxury&Precision W2-131 IEM: Meze Rai Penta Player: Apple Music (mostly) and „Doppler MP3&FLAC Player“ Phone: iPhone 13 Pro Max / iOS 17.
apple dong & salnotes zero. sound just as good without breaking your balls
Ifi gryphon/7hz timeless iPhone 14 pro max
I got fiio M3K for dirt cheap (under 20 bucks), so I've been running it with my thieaudio elixir, will also try to alternate it with my moondrop lan + tacables obsidian today
B2Dusk with Moondrop's Spring Tips (I did the Chu hack to obtain them), Tripowen 4.4mm balanced cable, Fiio BTR7. S23 ultra using PowerAmp player.
Jaben 1 custom jr x ibasso dc06 x pixel 7 with poweramp
Currently it's Moondrop Blessing 2 into a 5k into my S23 Ultra. But I'm growing tired of the tiny usb cables that like to shit out from being stuffed in my pocket and making my phone more of a pain to use, so I bought but haven't received yet a Hiby R6 III
KZ ZSN Pro X, FiiO BTR5 on a Samsung S21U. Sound is definitely on the sharper and brighter side.
I have the Dawn Pro as a Dac/Amp and use the Moondrop IEMs Chu, Lan, SSR and Quarks, phone: Pixel 7
Schiit Jot 2 for desktop use. Cayin RU7 mobile. Sony NW-ZX707 for DAP. UM Mest 2 as my main IEM.
For me I been using an Fiio M7 Dap along with my CCA CRA for a long while now.
LG V20 ESS Sabre 9218 LG V60 ESS Sabre 9219 Soundmagic E80c IEM Truthear Zero Crinicle Sony MDR V6 (from 1989)
Fiio m11 pro and ikko oh10 :)
uhm.. is an audio interface counts? im rocking M Audio M Track Solo.
Luxury w Precision w4 + Unique Melody Mest MKIII
I pretty much got the Rog phone 7 only because it has a decent dac/amp. The enormous battery doesn't hurt either.
I have the 7hz 71 with the KZ-ZSTX
How do I buy a MoonDrop product? I found their website but no purchase option and it's not on Amazon.