General Headphone Audio
- Thread starter garyfl
- Start date
Caporegime
- Joined
- 20 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 77,668
- Location
- Wish i was in a Ramen Shop Counter
i5 is now sold online in stores.
$650 in US or 560 Euros.
That's more than i thought.
fosiaudio.com
$650 in US or 560 Euros.
That's more than i thought.
Fosi Audio i5 Open-Back Planar Magnetic Headphones
Fosi Audio i5 Open-Back Planar Magnetic Headphones with 97mm Ultra-Large Diaphragm, CNC Metal & Walnut Wood, Audiophile Wired Studio Headphone for Multi-Source Devices
fosiaudio.com
Contrary to a lot of people I prefer in-ear buds rather than the ones which go into the ear canal, sadly not a lot around these days that are decent, decided to pick up some Fiio FF1:
Surprisingly good for what they are - clean clear sound but a little bit bass bias which makes them sound a tiny little bit unnatural, imaging is good, very good - I'm actually blown away how good it is for earbuds - I've only heard better from very high end IEMs or like the HD800s, soundstage is intimate but well defined.
I think the FF3 would be more suited to my tastes given what people have said who've reviewed both but I'm not in a hurry to spend £80-90 on earbuds.
EDIT: One downside the sound changes a lot depending on attachments and how they are positioned in your ears and likely the shape of your ears, when they are sitting just right they are really good.
Surprisingly good for what they are - clean clear sound but a little bit bass bias which makes them sound a tiny little bit unnatural, imaging is good, very good - I'm actually blown away how good it is for earbuds - I've only heard better from very high end IEMs or like the HD800s, soundstage is intimate but well defined.
I think the FF3 would be more suited to my tastes given what people have said who've reviewed both but I'm not in a hurry to spend £80-90 on earbuds.
EDIT: One downside the sound changes a lot depending on attachments and how they are positioned in your ears and likely the shape of your ears, when they are sitting just right they are really good.
Last edited:
Price is bang in the range I suspected it would be. So yeah Arya Stealth is the better option for those wanting better sound.i5 is now sold online in stores.
$650 in US or 560 Euros.
That's more than i thought.
Fosi Audio i5 Open-Back Planar Magnetic Headphones
Fosi Audio i5 Open-Back Planar Magnetic Headphones with 97mm Ultra-Large Diaphragm, CNC Metal & Walnut Wood, Audiophile Wired Studio Headphone for Multi-Source Devices
Interesting that the upgraded 4.4mm cable is not the same as the one that comes with the upgrade kickstarter edition:
4.4mm Upgraded Cable for i5 Planar Magnetic Headphones
The Fosi Audio Visualizer, Music Rhythm Ambient Light effortlessly blends retro charm with cutting-edge technology. With its intuitive customization options, you can quickly adjust the rhythm of the spectrum, creating a dynamic and personalized music experience that enhances every beat and note.
fosiaudio.com
Notice it says nothing about being cryogenically treated or being infused with graphene like the kickstarter one was, it also has black grips instead of copper coloured. I think the asking price for it is too high as a result and would much rather use a Tripowin Granvia.
Hold on to that cable if you got one with Kickstarter as it's now completely unique!
Last edited:
Caporegime
- Joined
- 20 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 77,668
- Location
- Wish i was in a Ramen Shop Counter
Hexa arrived today.
The bass is less than my EW300 and I can see what they are talking about being more "analytical" with the higher treble. But I don't feel that at all. With the bass as it is, i find it having less pressure in my ear and actually feels more relaxing, less fatigue and the analytical aspect becomes more separation and I know it is cliche but I swear I am hearing more than my Nothing Ear (2), much more.
Got a really good seal too with the stock tips (2nd size up), to the point that I didn't hear my phone ring which is next to me.
I did get a separate cable from Tripowin though as I know the one that comes with gets tangled easily.
I can see why people would want more bass to it though, like they would find the HD600 lacking bass but the trade off would lose that high end which I am really liking.
The bass is less than my EW300 and I can see what they are talking about being more "analytical" with the higher treble. But I don't feel that at all. With the bass as it is, i find it having less pressure in my ear and actually feels more relaxing, less fatigue and the analytical aspect becomes more separation and I know it is cliche but I swear I am hearing more than my Nothing Ear (2), much more.
Got a really good seal too with the stock tips (2nd size up), to the point that I didn't hear my phone ring which is next to me.
I did get a separate cable from Tripowin though as I know the one that comes with gets tangled easily.
I can see why people would want more bass to it though, like they would find the HD600 lacking bass but the trade off would lose that high end which I am really liking.
I picked up a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X for laptop gaming use. Wanted something similar to the DT 880 Pro in comfort and soundstage for gaming.
Very happy with them, so damned comfortable as well just waiting for a 1.2M Mini-XLR cable from custom lynx.
Next I need to replace the headband pad on my (aging) Sennheiser HD650.
Brings the current list to:
Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X
Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro 250ohm
Sennheiser Momentum 4
Sennheiser HD650
Sennheiser HD25-1 II
Apparently I like German headphones.
Very happy with them, so damned comfortable as well just waiting for a 1.2M Mini-XLR cable from custom lynx.
Next I need to replace the headband pad on my (aging) Sennheiser HD650.
Brings the current list to:
Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X
Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro 250ohm
Sennheiser Momentum 4
Sennheiser HD650
Sennheiser HD25-1 II
Apparently I like German headphones.
Last edited:
K13 R2R landing page:
www.fiio.com
Desktop DAC and Headphone Amplifier -K13 R2R
24Bit fully balanced R2R DAC and headphone amplifier K13 R2R
www.fiio.com
Last edited:
K13 R2R landing page:
Desktop DAC and Headphone Amplifier -K13 R2R
24Bit fully balanced R2R DAC and headphone amplifier K13 R2R
Seems to indicate the dac section is the same as the k11 which is a shame, I was hoping they would create a new one with tighter tolerance resistors but i guess it is only 300. Or they could just be reusing the marketing from the k11 page as 90% of it seems to be copy pasted images and all.
Last edited:
Another X9 review:
He did miss a few things though does provide a correction mid way through, but the conclusion still remains which does colour the verdict a bit if you didn't catch the correction at the start. Another thing is he says you can't have multiple PEQs loaded for the same headphone, you can! Seems like he just glanced at the app and didn't actually use it. He does state though that the sound is "perfect" when using bypass mode, which as it turns out, is my fav mode for both headphones and speakers, just not with the LCD-5 for reasons already known.
The end conclusion is that no other device does what the X9 does, and prior to that he said the K17 sounds basically identical to the X9 and the choice would come down to the more nuanced differences. Both are AKM Velvet, so this makes sense.... Though the K17's discreet OpAmps do give it the slight edge (quite literally) as the X9 sounds smoother, whilst the K17 has the upper end edge. This bit comes down to personal preference on sound signature obviously and the headphones being used . I think with the Hifimans, smooth/warm amps are where they are best suited.
So with that in mind, more eager to hear the K13 R2R and how smooth that is.
He did miss a few things though does provide a correction mid way through, but the conclusion still remains which does colour the verdict a bit if you didn't catch the correction at the start. Another thing is he says you can't have multiple PEQs loaded for the same headphone, you can! Seems like he just glanced at the app and didn't actually use it. He does state though that the sound is "perfect" when using bypass mode, which as it turns out, is my fav mode for both headphones and speakers, just not with the LCD-5 for reasons already known.
The end conclusion is that no other device does what the X9 does, and prior to that he said the K17 sounds basically identical to the X9 and the choice would come down to the more nuanced differences. Both are AKM Velvet, so this makes sense.... Though the K17's discreet OpAmps do give it the slight edge (quite literally) as the X9 sounds smoother, whilst the K17 has the upper end edge. This bit comes down to personal preference on sound signature obviously and the headphones being used . I think with the Hifimans, smooth/warm amps are where they are best suited.
So with that in mind, more eager to hear the K13 R2R and how smooth that is.
Caporegime
- Joined
- 20 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 77,668
- Location
- Wish i was in a Ramen Shop Counter
Hexa into x9 (I also tried it with the DX5 II).
Lack of Bass no more! That sub bass is certainly there and very nice too, not overpowering. I think it sounds better than my i5 when listening through an amp as opposed to the Apple dongle.
Lack of Bass no more! That sub bass is certainly there and very nice too, not overpowering. I think it sounds better than my i5 when listening through an amp as opposed to the Apple dongle.
Caporegime
- Joined
- 20 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 77,668
- Location
- Wish i was in a Ramen Shop Counter
That one photographs the best (easiest) since it’s not the brightest and I like the big needle.
I got the Hexa today as well, so I got to compare it to the Pure. After my previous assessment of the Pure being a little dark, and lacking detail, with a harsness as well in the treble, I took a delivery of some of the more popular tips from Ali last week. Tried them, and they were a bit better than the stock tips, up to this point, I feel like my ear canals are small, so I'd been using small tips. The Tang Sancai tips (think those are the ones in the picture above) were nice, as weere the Divinius Velvet. What totally surprised me though were the Dunu S&S tips, which I expected to hate. I didn't like the small at all, I think they're too small for the nozzle, so they do all sorts of weird things to the treble. The mediums though... wow, removed the dark treble I'd had, and smoothed out the harsness in the trerble, which I assume was some sort of acoustic modal thing going on, so perhaps an insertion depth issue going on, resolved by these tips. Tred these tips on the Hexa, whose nozzle is slightly bigger than the Pure, so they were difficult to get on. The Hexa sounds excellent as well, less bass, but only slightly. Midrage is slightly thin, and not as rich. More detail and ever so slightly more air and space in the treble.
Both are neutral sounding, really nice tuning, just slightly on different sides of, for want of a better term, true neutral (I play D&D), within touching distance of each other.
Pure is slightly warm, as it's got slightly more bass and slightly less treble
Hexa is slightly bright, as it's got more treble, and more detail
If I scored them based on balance betrween Bass and Treble, Pure would be 51:49, Hexa would be 49:51. If you want an iem to play fps games online, then Hexa. if you want to play a more cinematic game, with a pumping soundtrack, and great voice acting I'd say Pure.
Edit: Also the Hexa cable.... urghh, the Pure cable is much much better.
Both are neutral sounding, really nice tuning, just slightly on different sides of, for want of a better term, true neutral (I play D&D), within touching distance of each other.
Pure is slightly warm, as it's got slightly more bass and slightly less treble
Hexa is slightly bright, as it's got more treble, and more detail
If I scored them based on balance betrween Bass and Treble, Pure would be 51:49, Hexa would be 49:51. If you want an iem to play fps games online, then Hexa. if you want to play a more cinematic game, with a pumping soundtrack, and great voice acting I'd say Pure.
Edit: Also the Hexa cable.... urghh, the Pure cable is much much better.
Last edited:
Caporegime
- Joined
- 20 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 77,668
- Location
- Wish i was in a Ramen Shop Counter
I didn't even get the Hexa cable out of the box and bought some tripowin one already. So the cost of them, with mix and match ear tips makes it like £80 instead of £50 lol My favourite cable is the one from the EW300...I wish i could get another pair.
The Hexa cable is really bad, it is worse than the £20 Waner 2, which is saying something and those come with tips that are sold for £12 separately!
I am questioning how much better can it sound? Surely it's all about preference from this point onwards.
Last edited:
I'm thinking it's the treble that can be improved, I think Bass is pretty much sorted by Dynamic Drivers, Mids and low treble are pretty much covered by Balanced Armatures. Where i think the Pure/Hexa fall down is the higher up treble, it's a little off of sounding natural, cymbals are tssssy/hssssy, I'm sure there's an audiophile phrase for it. BA drivers in this range seem to be swapped out for either micro planar or electrostatic drivers. Might try Crinacles Daybreak, when it comes back into stock. I don;t think I'm done with experimenting at this point. Hopefully I won;t end up at Theiaudios Monarch IV....
For sub 100 quid though, Hexa?pure are fantastic.
Last edited:
Soldato
- Joined
- 27 Jul 2005
- Posts
- 13,335
- Location
- The Orion Spur
Another person having "volume surges" on their X9 on head-fi, I think this is an issue with the relay volume mechanism, they are from my experience more prone to issues, and I'm not just critiquing Luxin here, I've had three amps with relay controlled volume and they were all a bit 'finicky'.
Last edited: