General Headphone Audio
- Thread starter garyfl
- Start date
Every review I watched said that they were not much (if any) of an upgrade so I turned my attention to the Aune SR-7000.
Ordered a new pair of Voarmaks memory foam pads for the HE1000se, these have become a bit softer now after a year+ of use as they were the ones I carried over from the Arya Stealth/Nanos. At £16 odd they are easy to replace yearly tbh.
Been using the HD600 whilst waiting for them to arrive and actually enjoying music more so than with the HD650, the vocal timbre especially ion songs like:
The veil is certainly more evident too, it's the only thing that is hiding some of the sparkle that's missing which the Arya/HE have in spades, but everything else is really nice, including sub-bass,m surprisingly.
Been using the HD600 whilst waiting for them to arrive and actually enjoying music more so than with the HD650, the vocal timbre especially ion songs like:
The veil is certainly more evident too, it's the only thing that is hiding some of the sparkle that's missing which the Arya/HE have in spades, but everything else is really nice, including sub-bass,m surprisingly.
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Just thought too that it could also be that I am now on better amplification than what I was on with the HD650, so this may well play a roll in how the HD600 is sounding, it certainly feels right at home with the K13 R2R too and in medium gain there's loads of loudness at under 60% volume. The HE1000se gets louder at the same gain at around 45% volume, though to be expected since 35ohm vs 300 is at play.
I actually prefer the 600s through the R2R than the X9, though the 1000se has a bit more of an edge on the X9 with the way the sparkly details are better sounding in a more natural feeling resolution if that makes sense.
Undecided on if I prefer OS or NOS though yet, there is a difference, but I don't know yet which I prefer. Will be interesting to see if the linear power supply makes that decision easier or not.
Also, Warmer DAC is out!
www.fiio.com
£328, much cheaper than I thought, but then looking at the specs, aside from the tube buffer stage, the R2R board is the same as on the K13 R2R, which makes me wonder, given the price, will the K13 R2R sound as good or better than WARMER when the new linear PSU is used, just without the tube stage obviously.
Have to say, I was expecting it to be much higher spec considering the words from FiiO reps during early rumours where they said they wanted to go all out with a pure R2R/Tube DAC. I suppose it's for those who have a headphones/pre-amp of solid performance already and want to add tube/R2R into the setup.
Nice to see it's the same size as K15/17 though, desktop friendly.
Edit*
I emailed FiiO about the new linear PSU and they still have no info on when it is coming, but did say they will send me the Warmer, so now I'm in a position to decide what to do when that arrives. Also noticed Schitt has just released the Jotunheim 3 which has XLR in and out, this is exactly what I would need so will probably just order that in anticipation of Warmer's arrival, plus be good to have such a unit around anyway for future connectivity of new devices for testing and whatnot. Jotunheim 3 seems to be a powerful headphones amp too so if it's good at that then maybe even replace the K13/X9 with it and go fully simple setup stack with toggle switches and dials which I really like interacting with anyway. I will order without the new mesh DAC board as no need for it, can always buy the board on its own from Schitt if needs be in future anyway. Weirdly the black colour is £30 cheaper than silver...
www.schiit.com
The X9 only has RCA for analogue input, so no way to bypass the DAC on either K13 R2R or X9 without using RCA on the X9, K13 is only digital inputs so a no-go there.
An exciting time the next month and a half will be.
Undecided on if I prefer OS or NOS though yet, there is a difference, but I don't know yet which I prefer. Will be interesting to see if the linear power supply makes that decision easier or not.
Also, Warmer DAC is out!
Desktop R2R Tube Buffer and DAC-WARMER R2R
The WARMER R2R draws its inspiration from the legacy of the timeless Hong Kong band, the Wynners. As its name suggests, the WARMER R2R DAC aims to infuse music with an invitingly warm and beautiful tube sound. From the mesmerizing sway of the vintage warm-hued VU meters to the golden pairing of...
www.fiio.com
£328, much cheaper than I thought, but then looking at the specs, aside from the tube buffer stage, the R2R board is the same as on the K13 R2R, which makes me wonder, given the price, will the K13 R2R sound as good or better than WARMER when the new linear PSU is used, just without the tube stage obviously.
Have to say, I was expecting it to be much higher spec considering the words from FiiO reps during early rumours where they said they wanted to go all out with a pure R2R/Tube DAC. I suppose it's for those who have a headphones/pre-amp of solid performance already and want to add tube/R2R into the setup.
Nice to see it's the same size as K15/17 though, desktop friendly.
Edit*
I emailed FiiO about the new linear PSU and they still have no info on when it is coming, but did say they will send me the Warmer, so now I'm in a position to decide what to do when that arrives. Also noticed Schitt has just released the Jotunheim 3 which has XLR in and out, this is exactly what I would need so will probably just order that in anticipation of Warmer's arrival, plus be good to have such a unit around anyway for future connectivity of new devices for testing and whatnot. Jotunheim 3 seems to be a powerful headphones amp too so if it's good at that then maybe even replace the K13/X9 with it and go fully simple setup stack with toggle switches and dials which I really like interacting with anyway. I will order without the new mesh DAC board as no need for it, can always buy the board on its own from Schitt if needs be in future anyway. Weirdly the black colour is £30 cheaper than silver...
Schiit Audio: Audio Products Made in USA
www.schiit.com
The X9 only has RCA for analogue input, so no way to bypass the DAC on either K13 R2R or X9 without using RCA on the X9, K13 is only digital inputs so a no-go there.
An exciting time the next month and a half will be.
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Hmm so the gist is that almost every single Schitt in the UK has a buzz/hum noise due to our 50Hz power, if you have planars it's not an issue but dynamics will have the issue even if it's slight. Seems Schitt never quite nailed that for overseas users. Other brands that saw some issues with this added a ground lift toggle switch at the back like what Topping do with some units. Schitt does not have this.
Thoughts!
I think the only suitable alternative to the Jotunheim 3 is the Topping L70 or A90D, they too have balanced in and outputs, so perfect to use with the Warmer, and has a display with remote so there is that benefit too using it as a pre-amp, both also have relay volume like the X9 which I like interacting with. Cheaper than the Jotunheim 3 as well whilst having similar (or more if A90D) power.
The other alternative is the Singxer SA-2:
www.magnahifi.com
Various reviews state that both A90D and L70 have a great detailed sound, but the sound signature removes some of the musical immersion that the Singzer SA-1 retains, though is now end of line and SA-2 takes over with more power.
I need a think....
Thoughts!
I think the only suitable alternative to the Jotunheim 3 is the Topping L70 or A90D, they too have balanced in and outputs, so perfect to use with the Warmer, and has a display with remote so there is that benefit too using it as a pre-amp, both also have relay volume like the X9 which I like interacting with. Cheaper than the Jotunheim 3 as well whilst having similar (or more if A90D) power.
The other alternative is the Singxer SA-2:
SINGXER SA-2 Class-A Headphone & Pre-Amplifier
www.magnahifi.com
Various reviews state that both A90D and L70 have a great detailed sound, but the sound signature removes some of the musical immersion that the Singzer SA-1 retains, though is now end of line and SA-2 takes over with more power.
I need a think....
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I know nothing of those amps, although I prefer the looks of the Singxer SA-2, but that's not really a great reason to choose something.
That's said isn't there another option and email Fiio and ask for a K15/17 to go with the Warmer?
Or failing that buy the K15 as it will match the aesthetics of the Warmer perfectly and use RCA out & inputs to connect the two? Isn't that still using the R2R DAC of the Warmer and then the AMP of the K15? Or am I missing something?
Although I notice on the Fiio Warmer product page there is a small picture of a Power Amp, so I assume that isn't out yet?
I know nothing of those amps, although I prefer the looks of the Singxer SA-2, but that's not really a great reason to choose something.
That's said isn't there another option and email Fiio and ask for a K15/17 to go with the Warmer?
Or failing that buy the K15 as it will match the aesthetics of the Warmer perfectly and use RCA out & inputs to connect the two? Isn't that still using the R2R DAC of the Warmer and then the AMP of the K15? Or am I missing something?
Although I notice on the Fiio Warmer product page there is a small picture of a Power Amp, so I assume that isn't out yet?
K15/17 only have XLR out not XLR in, I want everything to be fully balanced you see end to end, so with those I'd still be in the same position as with the X9 (also has RCA in) - The XLR outputs at the back have better specs/performance too so makes sense to keep everything balanced for those benefits, otherwise I would just use the X9 and RCA in from the Warmer R2R.
I think all things considered, the L70 makes the most sense, has all the connections needed here and matches the PA7's styling so would stack right in nicely.
Which picture of a power amp did you see? I have not noticed it! I see what appears to be the K15/17 though in one of the pics on the Warmer page.
Fair enough.
You just have to scroll down a bit to the image of the Warmer with example inputs and outputs and they have it there just above the K15/17 DAC/AMP. I can't find it on their site, so I guess it's new/incoming? Might be more for speakers I suppose.
Yep.
Found it again, it's obviously intended to go with Warmer and a CD player. It's a Class A AMP. It's gone through a few iterations in that thread the Fiio rep started at Head-Fi for 2025 products. Three different colours linked to by the Fiio rep on Head-Fi - looks nice in the off silver colour below.
Yep, reminds me a bit of the 2000s Denon mini systems, although I appreciate the aesthetic is older looking than that. I can't find a name for this Class A AMP or CD player in that thread. So I guess they are probably 2026 products now.
ASR are a blight on the internet, the only time I go there is to have a laugh at the drivel they are posting. I'm still head over heels in love with my Holo Audio Cyan 2 NOS R2R DAC, which they obviously despise, whereas I love the sound and couldn't give a monkey's about graphs or SINAD.
I have ordered the Topping A90 Discrete. It's not the L70 I was originally going for but it has a fuller sound going by the reviews I saw today and made a last minute call before shipment cutoff for delivery tomorrow after watching this:
Edit* Forgot about Z's one too, both of them basically.
So until the Warmer R2R arrives, I will use the K13 R2R as the DAC set to line out mode into the A90 D via XLR, then XLR into the PA7 for the speakers as pre-amp. A90 D also looks to have a powerful pre-amp too so will be keen to see if that has any benefits to the speakers or not. The other thing is it has a very robust current drive for headphones output (loads of watts anyway but that doesn't matter much here) so will be interesting to see how that plays out in terms of planar scalability.
Edit* Forgot about Z's one too, both of them basically.
So until the Warmer R2R arrives, I will use the K13 R2R as the DAC set to line out mode into the A90 D via XLR, then XLR into the PA7 for the speakers as pre-amp. A90 D also looks to have a powerful pre-amp too so will be keen to see if that has any benefits to the speakers or not. The other thing is it has a very robust current drive for headphones output (loads of watts anyway but that doesn't matter much here) so will be interesting to see how that plays out in terms of planar scalability.
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I'm no expert on audio but from reading on ASR they also don't seem to be big fans of swapping op-amps. My ZH3 supports swapping them so it may be something I look into doing in the future but they must change the sound despite what the experts on there say. Reading about them elsewhere there are plenty of people who say they do make a difference.