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Jeff-D
205
May 1, 2018
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I was skeptical about how much of a difference I would actually hear since the X1S is my first real DAC/Amp other than my computers on board audio and LG V20. I use the MEE Audio PX to listen to my music. They make an obvious improvement from my old non HIFI earphones but this thing has really unlocked their potential.
First the X1S has some serious power I barley have it on and its loud enough. I'm confident I could destroy my IEMs if I turned this on on high volume so be careful. I can hear each instrument more clearly; they stand out from each other. I can hear some parts of songs that I barley noticed before and there are even some sounds present that I could never previously hear. Even the sound that I always noticed easily before is just on a different level Its so much fuller and clearer. There is simply more of everything that you want to hear.
Im very glad that I purchased this DAC/Amp its incredible! I promise you wont be sorry if you buy this .
Feel free to ask questions.
MasudRana
39
May 5, 2018
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Jeff-DDo you think it would be a good pair for HD6xx? Someone I know said x1s is too bright and it doesnt go well with 6xx.
May 5, 2018
Jeff-D
205
May 5, 2018
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MasudRanaI dont have my 6xx yet so I cant say for sure. When I get my 6xx in 29067548 years Ill let you know. what I do know is with my current earphones it sounds spectacular. I wish I could be more help.
May 5, 2018
MasudRana
39
May 7, 2018
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Jeff-DReceived my x1s today, my athm40x is finally singing like a canary lol. This thing sounds awesome. Hopefully it will pair good with hd6xx too. Do you plan to get that X7s too?
May 7, 2018
Jeff-D
205
May 7, 2018
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MasudRanaI might eventually but I want to hear a balanced amp before I buy one to see if I can really tell the difference.
May 7, 2018
Evshrug
3764
Community
May 13, 2018
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Jeff-DThis is a nice quick review! You should put it in the reviews section next to discussions... people love easily finding gear impressions.
@MasudRana , I’ve not heard this Aune, but I have three amps I would consider a bit bright and no problem with the HD 650 I have (though the amps are a bit rough with my brighter IEMs). Some people would say that a brighter amp will synergize better with an HD 650, because it highlights the detail the HD 650 produces while the headphone keeps things smooth. When I see people write that an amp is bright, I often find on audition that the amp isn’t so much brighter but actually suffers from a bit of glare. @Jeff-D can clarify better than me on the Aune’s character, but so far he hasn’t pointed out any “glaring issues.” 😁
Regarding balanced amps... I think this 2014 article from Tyll Hertsens (before retiring this weekend) has some interesting things to say about balanced amps in general: https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/canjam-rmaf-2014-showstopper-sonys-proposed-new-industry-standard-headphone-plugs
I found it interesting that he found his first balanced amp as something of an attention-grabbing gimmick... but it had real benefits in “the loss of the common ground, effective doubling of slew rate, and slight reduction in harmonic distortion do make it a superior, though more costly, way to drive headphones.“ Fortunately, balanced amps aren’t as expensive anymore, but the race is pretty close.
May 13, 2018
MasudRana
39
May 13, 2018
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EvshrugI think when people says this amp is bright or that amp is warm, its quite relative (they make that impression based on whatever drivers they are listening to) and based on their own personal preference. The way I see it, a good dac is a good dac, and all good dacs are suppose to sound the same. A decent solid state amp wont go far from the standard curve either (tubes are whole other thing I guess).
I can tell you this, every where I have seen people talking about how X1s is bright and how SHP9500 is bright. So when I was pairing those two I was worried about my brain blowing out. It didn't. X1s actually kept SHP9500's extra highs in check within tolerable limits.
Obviously I am no audiophile. I think, for most of us, general home users who just wants to enjoy good music, we really dont need to go into all that clinical debate on which sounds a tad bit that way than others. Am I going to notice the difference between a X1s and Jot? meh, I dont know.
May 13, 2018
Evshrug
3764
Community
May 13, 2018
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MasudRanaHa! Very fair, people constantly evaluate and reevaluate their values.
Its funny, there was a period where I loved music while I played in my school orchestra and listened to music on CDs and two iPods, but after that at one point I didn’t enjoy music anymore. Audio took a backseat and I just didn’t enjoy music by itself anymore, always had to have something in addition to music to feel entertained. For gaming, I started to get into better gear again for headphone surround, and I started enjoying music again. In retrospect, I realized the laptop and computer headphone jacks and cheap speakers I had at the time where I was “music meh” were actually meh themselves, or even annoying or fatiguing after a few minutes.
So, on the flip side of you wondering if you’ll even notice a difference between the X1s and a Jotunheim, I’ve decided that there’s a lower threshold that’s not even worth listening to. The middle ground is pretty safe 😉
May 13, 2018
Jonesag
3
May 14, 2018
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EvshrugIf you listen to all your music from an iPhone 5 is there any value to a headphones amp ? Currently using EDC in ear monitoring, which are scary good
May 14, 2018
Evshrug
3764
Community
May 15, 2018
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JonesagThe iphone 5 has a pretty decent DAC and Amp, equal to stuff you can buy around $80-$100. Of course, better DACs still sound better, and more layers of depth become apparent with better amps, but the EDC is kinda, uh, at the beginning of the food chain, and you don’t need to get expensive supporting gear.
May 15, 2018
Jonesag
3
May 17, 2018
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EvshrugMany thanks for this reply. Very helpful what would be the step up the food chain ?
May 17, 2018
Evshrug
3764
Community
May 17, 2018
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JonesagUuuuuuuh many options, haha! The IEM market has EXPLODED with variety. I recommend poking around Head-Fi.org or looking for a blog that does IEM reviews. NuForce makes higher end IEMs (EDC3) if you like your EDC and you just want something more refined, my Etymotics have had AMAZING detail and linearity (they just had a drop here), Audio Technica makes good stuff with good reviews (though personally I have only tried their over-ear headphones), Periodic Audio, 1More, I quite like the Sennheiser HD1 In Ears and wireless IEMs (I think their branding had to change from Momentum, HD1 is their new name for the Momentum line, their neckband one is called the HD1 IE BT, IE for In Ear, BT for Bluetooth), just to name a few.
I have an HD1 in-ear bluetooth, which is interesting on several levels. It’s still got a warm sound, but it’s less boomy/blurred than the EDC, a more articulate sound but still a fair dose of fun. Being Bluetooth, it also comes with it‘s own built-in DAC and amp (Bluetooth is digital, DAC = Digital to Analog Converter, and then an Amp is needed to amplify the Analog signal before it reaches the drivers). It’s Bluetooth is actually a touch more advanced than the Momentum 2 Over Ear (now called the HD1, also), because it natively supports AAC audio without re-encoding it for transmission, which means stuff you might have bought from iTunes or stream from Apple Music will playback natively without quality loss, almost like you still have a wired connection. Nice for me and my iPhone 8+, haha (No headphone jack, sad face) Finally, the neckband is wrapped in comfy black leather with red stitching, and the neckband vibrates if your phone gets a notification and the earpieces not in your ears. Sennheiser also makes a cheaper version in black and blue without the leather or vibration, called the CX 7.00 BT. There’s also the ones without the neckband and just a behind the neck wire, called HD1 Free and CX 6.00 BT respectively.
Long description of the wireless In Ear that can’t be used with the Aune, on a drop for the Aune, I know... but maybe it’ll give you something to think about in general. When I think of In Ears, I think about using them straight out of a nice phone (like an older iPhone or LG), Bluetooth, or for maximum quality connected to a DAP (like an iPod, FiiO, Astell & Kern, etc), not so much with a desktop DAC/Amp. Desktop DAC/Amps ARE GREAT, but usually for less sensitive or harder to drive headphones like the HD 6XX or HE-4XX, but a Desktop DAC/Amp used with In Ears are so much more sensitive that you might hear a background hiss that you wouldn’t hear with less sensitive headphones.
May 17, 2018
Jonesag
3
May 17, 2018
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EvshrugWonderful reply ... thanks
thank you for the advice, I am interested that wireless can be high quality and works well with apple music
I will research all the options we have mentioned.... cheers
May 17, 2018
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