Cons — Neo iDSD2’s Amp section is not powerful enough to drive inefficient headphones
– aptX Adaptive performance can be device dependent
– iPower X could be included in the packaging given the asking price
– Background hiss at the highest gain setting

INTRODUCTION

It is update season again, with iFi overhauling parts of its lineup. First up was the hip-dac 3, then the Diablo2 — and Neo iDSD2 arrived in tandem.

I reviewed the original Neo iDSD almost 3 years ago, and found it to be lacking in the amp section. The DAC performance was excellent, but the meek amp output held it back from being a universal recommendation. iFi has taken the sweet time to refine all “controversial” aspects of the original.

The amp section is noticeably improved with better power delivery into high impedance loads. Meanwhile, the noise issue with sensitive loads has been taken care of by the inclusion of IEMatch. Moreover, the general build and finish has become further refined, with a new UI and display, extra buttons on the front for easier control, and external app support for OTA updates and more.

Sounds like a winner so far, but then you look at the… upgraded price tag, which is almost $150 extra over the OG version, placing the Neo iDSD2 near the kilobuck range. In the days of measurement-topping budget gear, the Neo iDSD2 needs to have a few unique trick up its sleeve to justify the extra dough.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. IFi Audio was kind enough to send the Neo iDSD2 for evaluation.

IEMs and headphones used: Symphonium Crimson, Campfire Holocene, Sennheiser IE 900, Sennheiser HD 800, Hifiman HE-6se V2
Price, while reviewed: $900. Can be bought from Amazon.

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

iFi Audio bundles practically everything you will need to get the Neo iDSD2 up and running. Aside from a 12V iPower V2 power adapter, you get a pair of RCA Cables, a USB cable, a handy remote control, and a stand to vertically orient the Neo IDSD2.

The only thing I’d change about the packaging is the supplied power adapter. The iPower X is noticeably “quieter” than the entry-level iPower adapter that’s bundled with the Neo iDSD2, and given the premium pricing, I’d have preferred the more “upscale” adapter.

BUILD QUALITY

The basic design language is similar to the OG Neo iDSD, with a sleek, sandblasted aluminum frame; a large, multi-functional rotary encoder placed in the center, while the display and the headphone outputs flank it on both sides.

One of the key elements of the design is the vertical orientation capability. With the supplied stand you can easily prop up the Neo iDSD2 on your desk, leaving horizontal space to place your speakers or other amps. There’s a built-in accelerometer as well that automatically rotates the display.

The central rotary encoder stands out with its knurled finish and excellent tactile feedback. There is still some wobble when you try to press it inwards. Frankly, only way to avoid that would be to use a more complex setup where the outer ring and the inner “button” needs to be separated. iFi tried to keep things simpler here I guess.

The buttons have been improved from the OG Neo iDSD it seems, with a more defined feedback and less wobble than before. They are still a bit stiff so the remote is better for most operations. Do note that you have to aim the remote directly at the Neo iDSD, otherwise the infrared signals are not picked up well.

The sides now have an opaque acrylic “cut-out” for better RF signal transparency, which should improve BT reception and transmission performance. Another readily noticeable aspect over the first version is the weight of the unit, which feels more substantial. The OG Neo iDSD feels somewhat hollow and less rigid in comparison.

Overall, excellent build quality and industrial design, as expected from iFi.

INPUTS AND OUTPUTS

The Neo iDSD2 does not skimp on the input options at all. In fact, there are a few surprises here.

First of all, you have the power input that accepts 9V to 15V AC-DC adapters. The USB 3.0 type-B port is there, alongside the coax and optical inputs. Then there is a 10 MHz external clock input (via BNC) which is somewhat rare in the under USD$1000 range of sources. On paper, it should provide even better jitter performance when combined with an external clock.

Lastly, there are the analog/pre-amp line-outs in the form of both single-ended RCA and balanced 4-pin XLR. Strangely enough, there is only a single-ended 3.5mm line-in and not the usual 4.4mm analog input that iFi tends to have in their amps.

It’s a strange omission given the amp section is marketed as fully balanced internally, so there needs to be an additional single-ended to balanced conversion in the signal path if iDSD2 is used in amp only mode.

The headphone outs are all placed in front, with both 6.35mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced outputs available. They have auto “IEMatch” enabled at the lowest gain setting, taking care of hiss with sensitive IEMs.

TECH SPECS AND INTERNALS

Let’s get the spec sheet out of the way first:

The iFi Neo iDSD2 uses a Burr-Brown chip as per tradition. The BT5.4 is one of the highlights of the product and has both LDAC and the newest aptX Lossless codec support.

iFi also uses a new proprietary PureWave topology where they go for a dual-mono setup with shorter signal paths than their previous designs. The default firmware is GTO-enabled by default. I am happy to see that iFi has brought back the xBass and xSpace features, both of which work exceptionally well here.

The internal components are all high quality as expected: TDK/Murata caps, FET-based switching to mute those annoying “pops” you encounter on some DAC/Amps, and native MQA full-rendering support. I confirmed the latter by setting up Tidal on Windows in exclusive mode and playing MQA Master files, which were seamlessly handled by the Neo iDSD2 (indicated by displaying MQA on the display). At this juncture I should mention that it’s advised to install the iFi Neo iDSD driver package if you’re on Windows (Mac version coming soon). You can get it here.

The Bluetooth performance in LDAC was excellent. I did not notice any dropouts and not much fidelity was lost over wired USB connection. However, aptX support was a bit iffy with Samsung phones, likely due to Samsung’s somewhat poor implementation of the codec over other manufacturers.

One last note regarding amp specifications: the power rated is likely “peak” power, as I do not find the balanced output to provide 620mW of current into a 600 ohms load. The very high rated current delivery into lower impedance loads (max of 5.5W into 32 ohms) also did not really translate to real world usage, as certain planar magnetic headphones needed the 3rd gain setting to be driven properly. iFi’s FAQ section is also somewhat vague about the exact methodology used.

Speaking of gain, there are 4 different gain levels, with the first one being for sensitive IEMs, the second and third one for most headphones and IEMs out there, and the last one for very difficult to drive loads. The last gain level has audible hiss with even somewhat sensitive IEMs and headphones, so caution is advised while using that one.

IFI NEO IDSD2 SOUND CHARACTERISTICS

It’s always difficult to describe the sound of a source in isolation because, well, you are going to use it with a pair of IEMs, headphones, or speakers in the end, which have their own “coloration”. Moreover, the additional effects like xBass, xSpace, and even the IEMatch can affect the sound somewhat.

Nonetheless, I would describe the general tuning of the Neo iDSD2 as neutral with a hint of warmth. Notes are slightly rounded off, resulting in a softer presentation that works well with somewhat “edgier” sounding headphones and IEMs. Staging is not intimate or claustrophobic, rather the instruments are naturally spread apart.

The filters have subtle sonic changes, but in the end I preferred the DXD filter for the most part which is a sort of “oversampling” filter that sounds engaging with my Tidal library. You can also try the Bitperfect filter for a slightly different flavor.

PAIRING NOTES

Sennheiser HD 800

The Sennheiser HD 800 are extremely “amp-picky”, with the wrong pairing often verging on unlistenable as the treble peak tends to be too distracting. Fortunately, the Neo iDSD2 displays no such issues, with the HD 800 showing their usual transparency without veering into “analytical” or “sterile” territory.

The xBass switch helps here as well, since the HD 800 has a linear bass response with sub-bass roll-off. The driver performance is still one of the best around, so pushing the sub-bass a bit with the xBass does not hurt performance and fidelity at all. The xSpace makes things too airy for me, however.

In general, the Neo iDSD2’s amp section pairs well with high impedance dynamic driver headphones, so if you primarily plan to drive such headphones, this one is a great fit.

Hifiman HE-6se V2

The Hifiman HE-6se V2 proved to be a difficult challenge for the Neo iDSD2. These notoriously difficult to power headphones have a sensitivity of about 83 dB/mW at 50 ohms of impedance. Some even use speaker amps to drive these, which is bordering on the absurd.

Even at the highest gain level, the HE-6se V2 do not show the bass slam and macrodynamics they are capable of displaying. The volume got loud enough for me, but the subtler details felt missing.

The modern Hifiman planars like the Arya or the Ananda tend to fare much better, however, as they have relatively efficient drivers. The Arya Stealth especially was phenomenal on the Neo iDSD2, so try to audition them together if possible.

Campfire Audio Holocene

The Campfire Holocene magnify the slightest amount of source hiss and as such, most desktop amps are a no-go to drive them. The auto IEMatch and the dedicated low-gain IEM mode on the Neo IDSD2 comes to the rescue. There is no noticeable hiss with the Holocene, and the FR did not skew noticeably.

On the other, the Symphonium Crimson are another pair of difficult to drive IEMs, with an astoundingly low 6 ohms of impedance and a sensitivity of only 84dB/mW. These factors combine to somewhat “choke” the amp section of the Neo IDSD2 which is not designed to handle such low impedance loads it seems.

The Crimson, just like the aforementioned HE-6se V2, are anomalies, so it’s not an inherent “con” if an amp is not designed around their specific needs. As a reviewer, I yearn for that true “all-in-one” solution though, and it’s always a bit of a letdown when that doesn’t happen. Ah well.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The Neo iDSD2 is still unique in the market, three years after the first version came out. I cannot think of another DAC-Amp combo with such a sleek design and rich connectivity options. The amp section is much improved over the first version, and the already excellent DAC section makes this sequel a great upgrade all around.

The market has not sat still in the meanwhile, with the likes of Topping DX7 Pro+ offering higher output power, better “measurements”, and a cheaper price tag. The Neo iDSD2 have the latest BT codec and version to offer, alongside handy extras like xBass, xSpace, IEMatch, a nicer display, and an analog line-in for amp-only usage.

Most of all, the Neo IDSD2 got the looks and the vertical orientation may be preferred by those with small desk space. All these considered, I can recommend the Neo iDSD2 for desk usage if space is a premium and you need an all-in-one solution with exceptional BT connectivity. Just keep in mind that this is not an amp you use with power hungry planars, as there are other options for that particular use case.

Contact us!

DISCLAIMER

Get it from Amazon or WODAudio

Our generic standard disclaimer.

PHOTOGRAPHY

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post iFi Neo iDSD2 Review – A Proper Upgrade appeared first on Music For The Masses.

The Sennheiser IE 600 are the company’s V-shaped signature iem for the aspiring audio aficionado – and a lower-priced alternative to their IE 900 flagship with a wider appeal.

This analysis is based on >4 months of auditioning. I thank Sennheiser USA for this opportunity.

Introduction

Sennheiser headphones have been my first love in the late 1970s, when I picked up a pair of the legendary HD 414 with their shiny yellow ear pads at a flea market. Through the years, my collection grew, first by the company’s famous M-series earbuds, later by their early earphones that cropped up simultaneously to the iPhone.

While Sennheiser’s headphone have been a standard staple for a long time – their still current HD 25 go back to the late 1980s used for noise isolation on the Concorde ultrasonic airplanes) – and their HD 600 have been a favourite since 1997. The company’s first “worth writing home about” earphones may have appeared around 2015 with the “Momentum In-Ear” model, which were sonically limited by their bassy, overly V-shaped tuning.

Their 2019 Pro series [IE 40, 400, 500 ] was also rather a mixed bag in the eyes of many. Sennheiser were stubbornly holding on to the dynamic driver principle whereas the world was going “hybrid”, that is implementing a combination of several balanced armature drivers with (or without) a dynamic driver as a woofer. These hybrids may achieve a better clarity but also sound less natural and frequently incoherent, as they rely on crossovers.

Sennheiser countered their doubters with their 2021 introduced IE 600 and pricier IE 900, and even an excellent budget model in the IE 200 in 2023.

Specifications Sennheiser IE 600

Physical Things and Usability

The Sennheiser IE 600 shares a lot of physical features with the big IE 900 brother such as shells, drivers, cable type and other accessories. The biggest difference is the shells’ material, the lack of a 2.5 mm cable, and the tuning.

In the box you find:

The precision-milled and anodized aluminium housings follow the company’s IE 900, IE 200 and (discontinued) IE 300 models, shape wise….and therefore comfort wise. Fit and comfort have highest priority for me, and the small earpieces score 10/10.

Unfortunately, all these models have the same silicone eartips which don’t fit my ears at all; I used long-stemmed Azla SednaEarFits (“toilet plungers”) instead, which also produce an excellent isolation.

Two cables are included for single-ended 3. 5mm, and balanced 4.4 mm circuits. They are pretty non-descript in their visual appeal but pragmatic. The MMCX connectors are slightly different from the standard ones, you have to be careful when fitting third-party cables.

Tonality and Technicalities

The Sennheiser IE 600 has a warm-neutral V-shaped signature charactered by a punchy, authoritative low end and an energetic midrange, tuned to please the affluent mainstream listener. You may call it “feel-good tuning”, I’d call it “more-of-the-same” well done. Since I am a big fan of the “flatter tuned” IE 900 and IE 200, I have been struggling with the IE 600 a bit…a luxury problem?

As the human ear hears the whole frequency spectrum in context, the graph deceives the low-end perception a bit: there is lots of sub-bass with superb extension, and lots of mid-bass, which, coupled with the elevated upper midrange, moves the IE 600 into classic V-shaped territory.

Low-end has lots of rumble, lots of extension, and the midbass has a small hump, which results in a bit an exaggeration (“compared to natural”). The bass could be a bit crisper, cleaner, harder, and speedier, and threfore less thick.. I’d call it “pleasing’ but also a bit “perfumed”.

With the Azla eartips in my ear canals, the mid-bass definitely smears a bit into the lower midrange and affects vocals. I occasionally find that a bit “ordinary”, though most listeners may like that. This is very high level criticism.

Nevertheless, the smear affects midrange transparency and clarity but delivers an extra serving of dynamics and pizazz without being overwhelming.

On the upside, vocals are richer in the IE 600 compared to the IE 900, reinforced by the mid-bass influence. Male and female vocals are organic, full, and a bit back, but the mid-bass rounds the corners maybe a bit much. I’d like to hear more midrange clarity and transparency. Even the treble is overshadowed by the bass rumble. Perceived treble extension and treble resolution are just average. Cymbals could be better carved out.

Treble is also a bit subdued with cymbals resolving reasonably well, but way behind the IE 900. I find them a bit tizzy.

Soundstage is average in all dimensions, Resolution is definitely behind the IE 900. Overall, the IE 600’s tonality is somewhat “common”, middle of the road at a luxury level.

Your money is again in the timbre and cohesion, as with so many Sennheiser models. The IE 600 just sound natural and out of one mould. I’d prefer them any day over similarlly priced hybrids.

In comparison, the easier-to-drive IE 900 have a tighter, less thumpy low end and a leaner midrange, which results in a better separation between the two, and also in better midrange resolution and clarity. The IE 900 also have a much superior (perceived) treble extension and resolution, and a much wider soundstage. It appears that Sennheiser have tuned the IE 600 for the mainstream popster and the IE 900 for the purist.

The Sennheiser IE 200 may be technically inferior to the IE 600, but they also have a “flatter” frequency response graph, which I prefer. The final E5000, in comparison, may be a pig to drive, but when they get enough electrical current, they offer fuller voices, more bass, but less treble than the IE 600…and a narrower stage.

To me the IE 600 have one big problem: the existence of the much more exciting IE 900. And the aficionado has the problem of the price difference between them.

Concluding Remarks

Many “influencers” assign the IE 600 Sennheiser’s flagship status [never believe an article with a headline ending on a question mark]. I completely disagree. When listening to more sophisticated music (classical, jazz), the IE 900 are far superior in the accuracy of musical reproduction imho. However, they are also far more expensive.

Hence, the IE 600 are the next best thing. My bias aside, the IE 600 are great earphones that will appeal to mainstream listeners of pop and rock owing to their punchy, V-shaped tonality. They are the logical upgrade of the IE 200, and pretty much unparalleled in their class. Although I personally much prefer the more expensive and expansive IE 900 (excuse the pun), most listeners will not agree with me. In any case was it a treat being able to audition the IE 600 and IE 900.

Until next time…keep on listening!

The post Sennheiser IE 600 Review – Luxury Mainstream appeared first on Music For The Masses.

The Sennheiser IE 900 are a fantastic sounding single-dynamic driver earphones characterized by a neutral-bright, coehesive tonality with a natural timbre an incredible upper extension quality that will please the advanced audiophile for years to come.

The IE 900 are on our Wall of Excellence.

I thank Sennheiser USA for this loaner, which they generously let me use for 4 months. I thank Kazi for the measurements (kazi.squig.link/)

Introduction

I once ended up at the CES show at the Venetian in Las Vegas. This was rather coincidental, and I had been attracted more to the “adult fare” at the same hotel – also coincidentally. Having no tickets for either, I was restricted to the peripheral overflow suites. In one of them played a sophisticated stereo setup…lots of tubes and LEDs, monstrous cables and very large speakers. A huge system. The small crowd was ooh-ing and aah-ing.

Out of the speakers came…choral music by a choir. Very subtle and unspectacular. But it sounded natural and realistic. So much gear, so much investment, for so little result? I was scratching my head…and wrongly so.

What could be better than reproduction as close to the original as possible? We sit in modern concert halls listening to chamber music and symphonies, which never sounds flashier than nature allows. Isn’t that what audiophilia is all about?

I have listened to >$1000 earphones that sounded spectacular but also unrealistic: “perfumed”…and “glassy” to my ears. How good is a resolution beyond natural?

Sennheiser, a company established out of Germany’s ashes in 1945, have always stood for natural sound. My first headphones were the HD 414, today I treasure the HD 600 (introduced in 1997) and the HD 25 (introduced in 1989). Natural sound is obviously never obsolete.

In terms of in-ear monitors, Sennheiser came relatively late out of the starting blocks. They can pride themselves of inventing the earbuds (their famous M-series ), and added their first in-ear monitors parallel to the introduction of the iPhone…which had a very mushy bass.

In terms of technology, the company relies entirely on single-dynamic drivers for reasons of sonic cohesion and minimization of distortion: no BAs, no crossovers used.

Their 2015 Momentum in-ear had a decent V-shaped sound with too much bass and too little vocals for my taste. In 2019, Sennheiser introduced their pro line for musicians, which I analyzed to the hilt. In retrospect, I could only recommend the middle model Sennheiser IE 400 PRO as the best sounding of the lot.

The $350 Sennheiser IE 300, introduced in 2021, was aiming at the “consumer crowd”. At the time, Sennnheiser had experimented more with the sound chamber for improved clarity, which probably was the nucleus of their IE 600 and IE 900 developments, which reached the market in 2021. As a bonbon for the budget conscious, the 2023-introduce $150 Sennheiser IE 200 impress even the most critical listener – and they run circles about the IE 300.

Therefore, if you like the IE 900 (or IE 600) but can’t afford them, get the IE 200.

Specifications Sennheiser IE 900

Physical Things and Usability

I don’t want to be repetitive. You get information on the technical aspect in the above space, on the Sennheiser website, and right here in Alberto’s very thorough IE 900 analysis.

In the box you find:

The precision-milled and anodized aluminium housings follow the company’s IE 200 and (discontinued) IE 300 models, shape wise….and therefore comfort wise. Fit and comfort have highest priority for me, and the small earpieces score 10/10. No need for custom-made shells.

Unfortunately, all these models (and the IE 600 also) have the same silicone eartips which don’t fit my ears at all; I used long-stemmed Azla SednaEarFits (“toilet plungers”) instead, which also produce an excellent isolation. Sennheiser offers custom-made silicone eartips – but in Germany only.

Three cables are included for single-ended 3. 5mm, and balanced (2.5 mm, 4.4 mm) circuits. They are pretty non-descript in their visual appeal but pragmatic. The MMCX connectors are slightly different from the standard ones, you have to be careful when fitting third-party cables.

Tonality and Technicalities

The Sennheiser IE 900’s sonic signature can be characterized as neutral with a tinge of bright, organic, and close to the truth, with realistically rounded corners….meaning, a cello sounds like a cello and a trumpet like a trumpet: the note decay is just right. They excel with complex music (let’s say, by an orchestra) played on naturally amplified instruments (e.g. strings, wind instruments) and are truly is an iem for the purist.

What strikes me first whenever I plug the IE 900 into my ears is the fabulous treble extension and resolution, in a quality I have not experienced in an iem before. I typically don’t care much about treble, but this one is a real treat.

The low end is as it should be imho: nicely enveloping with a VERY deep extension, no mid bass hump, good composition down to the lowest frequencies. Good rumble down there, but not too thick. The bass is impactful and speedy, yet not smearing into the lower midrange. Great separation between them.

Always a good test for bass tightness is Ladi Geisler’s “Knackbass” in early 1960s Bert Kaempfert recordings (marvels of Germany sound engineering). And the IE 900s deliver it as it should be…bass guitars and drums are tight and crisp but without being overwhelming.

Voices are perceived as lean by some in the IE 900, but not to me. Male voices are certainly not fat, also not sharp, but rather realistic, well rounded, nuanced, and three-dimensionally well sculptured. The midrange also comes with great resolution, clarity, and transparency.

Female voices are full and well rounded/articular to my ears, and forward, more forward than in the HD 600 headphones. One of my standards is Stevie Nicks in “Dreams” from the Fleetwood Mac Rumours album.

Treble is one of the IE 900s outstanding features: very well resolving, very accentuated, cymbals come out better on the IE 900 as in all other earphones I have tested. They are in stark contrast to the robotic cymbals in planar-magnetic iems.

Trumpets, strings, electric guitars and pianos in the upper midrange are discreet and unobtrusive, fitting well into the mix.

Soundstage is very wide (“widescreen”) and tall, and somewhat deep, but not s as deep as, let’s say, the Dunu Zen. 3D imaging and microdynamics are excellent, you can really map the musicians on stage in 3D rather accurately.

When it comes to timbre, I cannot think of any Sennheiser headphone or earphone that hasn’t excelled in this respect. The IE 900 deliver music as close to the source as could be. Excellent clarity and transparency contribute to this without the artificial “glassiness” of most BA or hybrid earphones.

Bringing it all together, the IE 900 excel through their cohesion…the whole frequency spectrum is well balanced, nothing it overdone or neglected. Your money goes into realistic natural sonic production: music as is.

In comparison, my beloved Dunu Zen are easier to drive, bassier, therefore also narrower but deeper, stage wise, with a much spicier upper midrange. However their cymbals disappear in a hole compared to the IE 900. The final E5000 are harder to drive, warmer, have fuller male/female vocals, are bassier, but the bass is generally fuzzier (depending on source). They have a narrower stage and lack the IE 900’s treble extension.

The IE 600 are bit harder to drive than the IE 900. They are bassier, punchier, more V-shaped, and therefore more spectacular with a broader mass appeal…but they are also somewhat cruder (particularly in the treble) than the more finely woven and better imaging IE 900. The IE 600 are the exuberant teenager, and the IE 900 the more mature, laid back, older brother.

The Sennheiser IE 200 are harder to drive than the IE 900 with softer notes, a less intimate imags, and without the IE 900’s spectacular treble extension. They are nevertheless overall darn good and produce vocals very well, for example.

Concluding Remarks

The Sennheiser IE 900 are for purists, for listeners who want to enjoy music as close to the truth as possible. They don’t exaggarate and therefore don’t wow on a first listen (apart from the treble), they linger…and keep doing so. The IE 900 are clearly for the advanced listener, who dip deep into rather complex orchestral, vocal, and jazzy music.

The IE 900 may be pricey but they will hold their relevance and therefore value over the years to come. Similar to the HD 600 headphone series before, they are an investment in the future.

Until next time…keep on listening!

The post Sennheiser IE 900 Review (2) – From A Single Mould appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Die Sennheiser IE 900 sind ein fantastisch klingender, dynamischer Kopfhörer, der sich durch eine neutral-helle, zusammenhängende Tonalität mit einem natürlichen Timbre und einer unglaublichen oberen Erweiterungsqualität auszeichnet, die dem erfahrenen Audiophilen für die kommenden Jahre gefallen wird.

Die IE 900 hängen an unserer Wall of Excellence.

Ich danke Sennheiser USA für dieses Leihgerät, das sie mir großzügig für 4 Monate gebent haben. Ich danke Kazi für die Messungen.

Einführung

Ich bin einmal bei der CES-Show im Venetian in Las Vegas gelandet. Das war ziemlich zufällig, und ich war mehr von der “Erwachsenenkost” im selben Hotel angezogen worden – auch zufällig. Da ich auch keine Tickets hatte, war ich auf die peripheren Überlauf-Suiten beschränkt. In einem von ihnen spielte ein ausgeklügeltes Stereo-Setup… viele Röhren und LEDs, monströse Kabel und sehr große Lautsprecher. Ein riesiges System. Die kleine Menge war ooh-ing und aah-ing.

Aus den Lautsprechern kam… Chormusik von einem Chor. Sehr subtil und unspektakulär. Aber es klang natürlich und realistisch. So viel Ausrüstung, so viel Investition, für so wenig Ergebnis? Ich habe mich am Kopf gekratzt… und das zu Unrecht.

Was könnte besser sein, als die Reproduktion so nah wie möglich am Original zu sein? Wir sitzen in modernen Konzertsälen und hören Kammermusik und Symphonien, die nie auffälliger klingen, als es die Natur erlaubt. Ist es nicht das, worum es bei Audiophilie geht?

Ich habe mir >1000-Dollar-Kopfhörer angehört, die spektakulär, aber auch unrealistisch klangen: parfümiert… und “glasig” in meinen Ohren. Wie gut ist eine Auflösung jenseits der Natürlichen?

Sennheiser, ein 1945 aus der Asche Deutschlands gegründetes Unternehmen, hat sich schon immer für natürlichen Klang eingesetzt. Meine ersten Kopfhörer waren die HD 414, heute schätze ich die HD 600 (eingeführt 1997) und die HD 25 (eingeführt 1988/89?). Natürlicher Klang ist offensichtlich nie veraltet.

In Bezug auf In-Ear-Monitore kam Sennheiser relativ spät aus den Startblöcken. Sie können stolz darauf sein, die Ohrhörer (ihre berühmte M-Serie) zu erfinden, und fügten ihre ersten In-Ear-Monitore parallel zur Einführung des iPhone hinzu… das einen sehr matschigen Bass hatte.

Ihr 2015 Momentum In-Ear hatte einen anständigen V-förmigen Sound mit zu viel Bass und zu wenig Gesang für meinen Geschmack. Im Jahr 2019 stellte Sennheiser seine Pro-Linie für Musiker vor, die ich bis zum Anschlag analysiert habe. Im Nachhinein konnte ich das mittlere Modell Sennheiser IE 400 PRO nur als den besten Klang der Menge empfehlen.

Der 350-Dollar- Sennheiser IE 300, der 2021 eingeführt wurde, zielte auf die “Verbrauchermenge” ab. Zu der Zeit hatte Sennnheiser mehr mit der Schallkammer für eine verbesserte Klarheit experimentiert, die wahrscheinlich der Kern ihrer Entwicklungen IE 600 und IE 900 war, die 2021 auf den Markt kamen. 

Als Bonbon für die budgetbewusste beeindruckt der 2023 eingeführte 150 $ Sennheiser IE 200 selbst den kritischsten Zuhörer – und sie führen Kreise über den IE 300.

Wenn Sie also die IE 900 (oder IE 600) mögen, sie sich aber nicht leisten können, holen Sie sich die IE 200.

Physische Dinge und Benutzerfreundlichkeit

Ich möchte mich nicht wiederholen. Informationen zum technischen Aspekt erhalten Sie im obigen Bereich, auf der Sennheiser-Website und genau hier in Albertos sehr gründlicher IE 900-Analyse.

In der Box finden Sie:

Die präzisionsgefrästen und eloxierten Aluminiumgehäuse folgen den Modellen IE 200 und (abgesetzt) IE 300 des Unternehmens, formtechnisch … und damit komfortmäßig. Passform und Komfort haben für mich höchste Priorität, und die kleinen Ohrhörer punkten 10/10. Keine Notwendigkeit für maßgeschneiderte Muscheln.

Leider haben alle diese Modelle (und auch der IE 600) die gleichen Silikon-Ohrstöpsel, die überhaupt nicht zu meinen Ohren passen; ich habe stattdessen langgestiemte Azla SednaEarFits (“Toilettenkolben”) verwendet, die auch eine ausgezeichnete Isolierung erzeugen. Sennheiser bietet maßgeschneiderte Silikon-Ohrstöpsel an – aber nur in Deutschland.

Drei Kabel sind für einzelnde 3,5 mm und ausgeglichene (2,5 mm, 4,4 mm) Schaltkreise enthalten. Sie sind ziemlich unscheinbar in ihrer visuellen Anziehungskraft, aber pragmatisch. Die MMCX-Anschlüsse unterscheiden sich geringfügig von den Standardanschlüssen, Sie müssen beim Anbringen von Kabeln von Drittanbietern vorsichtig sein.

Tonalität und technische Details

Die Klangsignatur des Sennheiser IE 900 kann als neutral mit einem Hint von hell, organisch und nah an der Wahrheit charakterisiert werden, mit realistisch abgerundeten Ecken….das bedeutet, ein Cello klingt wie ein Cello und eine Trompete wie eine Trompete: Der Notenausklang ist genau richtig. Sie zeichnen sich durch komplexe Musik (sagen wir, von einem Orchester) aus, die auf natürlich verstärkten Instrumenten (z.B. Streicher, Blasinstrumente) gespielt wird, und sind wirklich ein Iem für die Puristen.

Was mir zuerst auffällt, wenn ich den IE 900 in meine Ohren stecke, ist die fabelhafte Hocherweiterung und Auflösung, in einer Qualität, die ich noch nie in einem Iem erlebt habe. Normalerweise kümmere ich mich nicht viel um die Dress, aber dieser ist ein echter Leckerbissen.

Das niedrige Ende ist so, wie es sein sollte: schön umhüllend mit einer SEHR tiefen Verlängerung, kein Mittelbass-Humpfel, gute Komposition bis hin zu den niedrigsten Frequenzen. Gutes Rumpeln da unten, aber nicht zu dick. Der Bass ist wirkungsvoll und schnell, schmiert sich aber nicht in die untere Mitte. Große Trennung zwischen ihnen.

Immer ein guter Test für die Bassdichtheit ist Ladi Geislers “Knackbass” in den frühen 1960er Jahren Bert Kaempfert Aufnahmen (Wunder von Deutschland Sound Engineering). Und die IE 900s liefern es so, wie es sein sollte… Bassgitarren und Schlagzeug sind eng und knackig, aber ohne überwältigend zu sein.

Stimmen werden von einigen im IE 900 als schlank wahrgenommen, aber nicht für mich. Männliche Stimmen sind sicherlich nicht fett, auch nicht scharf, sondern eher realistisch, gut abgerundet, nuanciert und dreidimensional gut skulpturiert. Der Mittelklasse kommt auch mit großer Auflösung, Klarheit und Transparenz.

Weibliche Stimmen sind voll und gut abgerundet/artikulal zu meinen Ohren und nach vorne, mehr nach vorne als in den HD 600-Kopfhörern. Einer meiner Standards ist Stevie Nicks in “Dreams” aus dem Fleetwood Mac Rumours Album.

Treble ist eine der herausragenden Funktionen der IE 900: sehr gut lösende, sehr akzentuierte Becken kommen auf dem IE 900 besser heraus wie bei allen anderen Kopfhörern, die ich getestet habe. Sie stehen in krassem Gegensatz zu den Roboterbecken in planar-magnetischen Iems.

Trompeten, Streicher, E-Gitarren und Klaviere in der oberen Mitte sind diskret und unaufdringlich und passen gut in den Mix.

Die Klangbühne ist sehr breit (“Widescreen”) und groß und etwas tief, aber nicht so tief wie, sagen wir, das Dunu Zen. 3D-Bildgebung und Mikrodynamik sind ausgezeichnet, man kann die Musiker auf der Bühne wirklich ziemlich genau in 3D abbilden.

Wenn es um das Timbre geht, kann ich mir keinen Sennheiser-Kopfhörer oder -Kopfhörer vorstellen, der sich in dieser Hinsicht nicht ausgezeichnet hat. Der IE 900 liefert Musik so nah an der Quelle, wie sie sein könnte. Ausgezeichnete Klarheit und Transparenz tragen dazu bei, ohne die künstliche “Glasigkeit” der meisten BA- oder Hybrid-Ohrhörer.

Wenn man alles zusammenbringt, zeichnet sich der IE 900 durch seinen Zusammenhalt aus… das gesamte Frequenzspektrum ist gut ausbalanciert, nichts, was es übertrieben oder vernachlässigt. Ihr Geld fließt in realistische natürliche Klangproduktion: Musik, wie sie ist.

Im Vergleich dazu sind meine geliebten Dunu Zen leichter anzutreiben…mit mehr Bass, daher auch schmaler, aber tiefer, stufenmäßig, mit einem viel schärferen oberen Mittelbereich. Ihre Becken verschwinden jedoch im Vergleich zum IE 900 in einem Loch. Die letzten E5000 sind schwieriger zu fahren, wärmer, haben einen volleren männlichen/weiblichen Gesang, sind Bassiser, aber der Bass ist im Allgemeinen fuzzier (je nach Quelle). Sie haben eine schmalere Stufe und es fehlt die Doppelverlängerung des IE 900.

Der IE 600 lassen sich etwas schwieriger antreiben als der IE 900. Sie sind bassigzer, druckvoller, V-förmiger und daher spektakulärer mit einer breiteren Massenanziehungskraft… aber sie sind auch etwas grober (insbesondere in den Höhen) als die feiner gewebte und bessere Bildgebung IE 900. Der IE 600 ist der überschwängliche Teenager und der IE 900 der reifere, entspanntere, ältere Bruder.

Der Sennheiser IE 200 ist schwieriger zu treiben als der IE 900 mit weicheren Noten, weniger intimen Bildern und ohne die spektakuläre Doppelverlängerung des IE 900. Sie sind dennoch insgesamt verdammt gut und produzieren zum Beispiel den Gesang sehr gut.

Abschließende Bemerkungen

Die Sennheiser IE 900 sind für Puristen, für Zuhörer, die Musik so nah wie möglich an der Wahrheit genießen wollen. Sie übertreiben nicht und begeistern daher nicht beim ersten Hören (abgesont der Doppel), sie verweilen … und tun es weiter. Die IE 900 sind eindeutig für den fortgeschrittenen Zuhörer, der tief in ziemlich komplexe Orchester-, Gesangs- und Jazzmusik eintaucht.

Der IE 900 mag teuer sein, aber er wird seine Relevanz und damit seinen Wert in den kommenden Jahren behalten. Ähnlich wie bei der vorherigen HD 600-Kopfhörerserie sind sie eine Investition in die Zukunft.

Bis zum nächsten Mal…keep on listening!

The post Sennheiser IE 900 Rezension – Aus Einem Guss appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Introduction

Vision Ears are a boutique company out of Cologne, Germany that offer a plethora of interesting premium earphones. Audioreviews.org authors had the chance of analyzing their products in the past and the Vision Ears Elysium made it onto our Wall of Excellence. The EXT is one of Vision Ears’ many premium models.

As always with premium products, they are short-term loaners that don’t come in retail packaging. I therefore focus on the sonic performance

Specifications Vision Ears EXT

Tonality and Technicalities

Please note that I had the EXT (and PHöNIX) only for 7 days as part of a Head-Fi tour. I feel that was too short for a definitive evaluation of these iems. Hence take my comments with caution – and look at other opinions, too.

The EXT is sonically built on the Elysium, the best iem I have ever heard. The Elysium has a midrange of godly quality and its BA bass was the only criticism. In general, Vision Ears do midrange particularly well.

I recently reviewed the Vision Ears PHöNIX, characterized by its mellow and soothing presentation. The EXT is quite different in that is features a sharper and leaner sound, particularly in the midrange, and a thumpier, punchier, but also tighter bass at the better extended low end. And it is requires a more powerful source than the PHöNIX.

I’d describe the EXT’s signature as close to neutral with a tad of warmth, and an extra serving of bass.

Yes, there is bass, and lots of it. Quite a rumble down there (“es brummt da unten”). Lots of oomph with a realistic decay, but it could still be more composed and tighter. It is not thick but thump. Mid bass is pounding mercilessly against my eardrums. Some love it, others can’t handle it.

The bass smudges into the lower mids, causes some congestion, and masks them to some extent, sadly. To me, the bass is like too much ketchup on the burger, which overwhelms and drowns the taste. A very intense low end.

The midrange is the star of the show. Vocals in the lower midrange are organic, a bit recessed but show good note definition, medium note weight and subtle rounding but also a healthy edge. They are overall more towards the lean side, but in a good way. Very well done, going towards perfection…weren’t they affected by the bass.

Midrange resolution and clarity are very good when little of no bass is present in the music. Even the highest piano notes are lively, well resolving and 100% natural. Just bad that the midrange is competing against the bass – and frequently losing.

Lower treble is rather humble. I find the presentation of cymbals somewhat metallic, tizzy, and dry. Decay could be slower. From memory, the Elysium was close to perfect in the upper registers but the EXT cannot deliver that.

Imaging is good: 3D space is nicely re-created. Layering is also good: the musicians are placed well on stage. Soundstage is not very wide owing to the that rumble in the (low-end) jungle. Dynamics is good.

Concluding Remarks

The VE EXT didn’t blow me out of my sandals like the Elysium that belong to my all time favourites.

Until next time…keep on listening!

The post Vision Ears EXT Review – The Short Answer appeared first on Music For The Masses.

I can anticipate I had a very big pleasure in the encounter, and I hope I’ll be able to properly convey my take on the many pluses and few minuses of this set, together with some comparison hints with their lower cost (but not lower quality) sisters IE600 and more.

IE900 currently sell in Europe for € 1499.00 including VAT. Main official product page, with direct purchase possibility here.

At-a-glance Card

Full Device Card

Test setup and preliminary notes

Sources: Questyle QP1R, QP2R, M15, CMA-400i / Lotoo Paw Gold Touch + Cayin C9 / Sony WM-1A / E1DA 9038D, 9038SG3 – INAIRS AIR1 foam and/or JVC SpiralDot silicon tips – Stock cable – lossless 16-24/44.1-192 FLAC + DSD 64/128/256 tracks.

Signature analysis

Tonality

IE900’s general tonality is bright-neutral. The timbre is slightly lean, especially in the mids, and you can tell from the very first audition that this is a product aimed at rendering trebles in the most organic, detailed, engaging at the same time non-distorting way as possible, while in the process never leaving bass less attended to. And – boy! – if they succeeded at this!

From a more tech-involved angle standpoint, what I also very interesting to note is that they chose not to closely follow, let alone chase, any most en vague target curves out there… More on this, maybe, much later on.

Sub-Bass

One of Sennheiser’s 7mm dynamic driver’s qualities – perhaps not the most important one, but the most readily apparent to me for sure – is its extension capabilities, something very hardly heard before on IEMs, at least from my modest hobbyist’s ears.

As a direct consequence of that bass reaches as deeeep as you can possibly hear. You can safely bet the limiting factor in this case is more your hearing than anything else.

In terms of volume some elevation is present, but a modest one at that. IE900 definitely are not made to satisfy so-called bassheads, not even “educated” ones. Even for the tastes of die hard acoustic jazz lovers like me, there are times when I concede to the pulsion to adding a +3dB low shelf at 50 Hz, but that’s really occasional: in most situations IE900 sub bass is just perfect for my (quite specialised – mind you!) library.

I’ll reach even further, actually, and I would say that although not so high in elevation it’s presence is anyhow so consistent and predictable that the net effect is similar to adding a subwoofer to your nearfield setup, keeping it at a modest sound pressure level, just for “background support”, so to say.

Mid Bass

IE900’s mid bass is fast, even sculpted, yet fully textured and very expressive, emotional. This is one of the sets that renders Andrew Cyrille’s kick drum with the highest level of realism I ever auditioned.

This weren’t enough IE900, and very particularly its bass line, scale incredibly well with amping power and quality.

While in general IE900’s sensitivity is not low, so as to make them driveable to already outstanding results by relatively modest powered mobile sources, you will be totally astonished by the difference – emerging particularly in the bass section – when driving them from high quality, much higher specced amp sources.

One inter alia: Cayin C9, which I happen to have access to. Mid bass and low bass notes come up in body, viscerality and slam in a totally surprising way. It all sounds (pun intended) as if you’re sitting in a mixing studios listening to on those high end monitors hanging in there. Really, really, REALLY significant. Oh and by the way: even in such “exalted” situation, mid bass never, ever takes over on the low mids…!

Mids

Mids feel slightly recessed, if nothing else because the other parts around them (bass, and most of all high mids and trebles) come across with even bolder personality, so to say.

On the other hand their general timbre is very good if a bit lean especially in the high part, yet feels spot-on in most if not really all cases for my library.

The passage from middle to high mids easily reminds me what happens on Final’s A3000 – another, much lower tier, single-DD set featuring a remarkable (within its price class) quality single dynamic driver. And, another virtuous example of totally surprising results based on a not so common, off-choir even, tuning curve.

The passage is very smooth, of course consequence of the one driver employed, and also of the sensible taming applied to the 2-4Khz region which, thanks to driver elasticity (and, in IE900’s case, of who knows what other aspects liaised to the triple resonance chamber milled into their housings – more on this below), does not translate into overly tamed feedback in that region, oppositely it delivers a very lively, detailed while unoffensive experience.

As I mentioned before, if one remark the high mids segment calls for is some relative leanness to the notes. I feel some “butter” missing on central piano octaves, and on female vocals, to match my personal perfection. I’m not of course expecting to find the same focus on that region here that you can get from specialised sets like Final F7200 to just name one, yet as I said just a tad more of lipids would have rendered the dish even more flavoury.

Male Vocals

IE900 render baritones and bass humans with organicity and authority, and tenors, too, with just a bit of relative leanness commencing to appear on their higher registers.

Female Vocals

Female vocals are well presented, textured, clean and quite engaging. As mentioned above, they do lack a bit of body to their central notes to be astonishing.

Highs

These, together with some of the technicalities, are evidently the stars of the show on IE900.

The result is so outstanding that you can bet this must be the consequence of something really special the developers had to put in to get there: energy, expression, body, details and air, all together, while never scanting into sibilance, shoutyness let alone zinging.

A wonderful litmus paper test for this is Lee Morgan’s trumpet phrasings from 1 up to to 2 minutes into Art Blakey’s & The Messenger’s monumental 1958 Moanin’ take, from the homonymous album. Morgan instrument’s sound is full bodied yet perfectly textured, but most of all powerful yet not piercing, and far from splashy or shouty.

Such result does vary a bit in accuracy depending on eartips selection (more on this below).

Incidentally, I could only hear one other set doing better to date, but it did so only on this very particular aspect and failed in others in comparison to IE900, bass being first: a German-made multidriver unit. Oh and that’s priced 3X over our today’s reference .

Technicalities

Soundstage

IE900 stage projection is probably the widest I ever heard in an IEM, and while I think about that I would also put all closed-back overears I heard in, for good measure. There’s significant height and good depth, too !

This is another situation where IE900’s huge treble extension shows its good deeds: as many know of course we can hear sounds up to 16Khz (well… when young! ) but frequencies above such mark are not useless at all, as they contribute carrying information about the time it takes for sound to come back (or not come back) from the “walls around the room” – thereby helping on “drawing the stage”.

This is of course only evident when the source digital material does contain such higher frequency information, and the DAC is indeed capable of reconstructing it – which is luckily the case for much of my library, and a few of my sources .

Imaging

Macrodynamics are extremely precise, positioning cues are spot on at all times, along all 3 axes.

Details

Detail retrieval from the high mids and especially from the treble is nothing short than superb, twice as much if again we remember we are in presence of a single DD set.

I like to believe this is one consequence of those Sennheiser’s claimed designs efforts focused on sound modelling obtained via those cavities inside the housings (more on this below).

Let me add that, as an old western-economy industry bear myself, I also like to think that in addition to the positivity on the obtained result this way of proceeding is also much less prone to be “easily replied” by of some of those chifi usual suspects – building practical reproduction hurdles into one’s physical product arguably representing an even more effective method, supplemental to “mere” legal patenting, to better protect one’s industrial invention efforts in our globalised world lacking cohesive governance.

Instrument separation

Layering and instrument separation is another field where IE900 surely excel, once again especially so when considering we are talking about a single driver set.

Even on busiest (acoustic) tracks you never get a sense of congestion or mixture between voicings coming from the same spot on the stage, and the sense of depth is always granted. At times, it seems as if IE900 are able to render virtually infinite layers, such is their capability in keeping overlapping but heterogenous sounds apart from one another.

I could only hear one other IEM set till now able – on equal source gear and tracks, of course – to present me with a superior readability on low volume and/or background sounds, and that’s Softears Turii – which other technicalities, and the tonality before them, are however quite different from IE900’s so I wouldn’t easily cast a better/worse score between the two, frankly.

Driveability

As en passant I previously mentioned, IE900 are quite easy to drive exploiting the power of so many at least decent mobile sources on the mainstream market, most dongles included. Their 123dB/V (corresponding to approx 105dB/mW) at 18 ohm are not a huge requirement in facts, and that’s surely a big plus in terms of crowd accessibility.

On the other hand, IE900’s note body will dramatically improve when the source happens to have the guts to push up on current delivery, this with particular regards to mid bass and mid tones.

While listening to IE900 directly paired to a Lotoo Paw Gold Touch DAP is already a lushy treat – for many reasons, first and foremost LPGT’s quite special proweness on subtle microdynamics reconstruction – you should wait until you’ll hear what you get having LPGT’s output pass through a further amplification stage, e.g. a Cayin C9 mobile set: then you’ll be in for a strong experience … .

Such situation can, and should, be reported both as a pro and as a (relative) limitation of the set.

Physicals

Build

I suspect not to be the only one whose first eye-impression when shown a pair of IE900 has been something like: “inconspicuous”.

Actually handling them such impression – well, at least my impression – changed radically: IE900’s housing are in facts CNC-milled off a solid piece of aluminium, which incidentally is a wonderful material I happen to know the positive properties of due to my professional involvement with it, on a completely different market.

Long story short, IE900’s housings are at the same time extremely solid and sturdy, and very lightweight.

I also do approve the choice for those thin engraving lines on the outside, which – if anything on the aesthetical level – result in a pleasant, if a bit mitteleuropean-industry-flavoured, “unglossy” finish style, and avoid overexposure to fingerprinting.

On the solidity and shock resistance there’s no question: a solid piece of aluminium gives more than the required warranties for this use case. I’m ready to bet that trampling over these ones (with their cable removed) with a car would leave them a bit dirty, but in shape.

Apart from all this, what is surely most interesting is what cannot be appreciated from the outside, and that is the internal shaping given to the housings – always by CNC-milling them – and the specially developed ultrawide range-capable 7mm dynamic driver.

The DD is responsible for offering coverage for an exceptionally wide range of frequencies for a single driver: from 5 to 48KHz.

That being not enough, taken alone, to deliver the wanted sonic result, tonality shaping is carried out by way of tree small resonator chambers, i.e. appropriate “carvings” milled into the very piece of solid AL making the housings, in-between the driver and the nozzle. Furthermore, some specialty shaping and internal surfaces finishing is put in there, to take care of smoothening excessive treble energy – and I must say with excellent results, based on my audition (see above).

Fit

Kudos to Sennheiser also for the just incredibly effective ergonomics they conceived for the shape of their IE series, which includes IE900 of course.

Even if for some reason you wouldn’t tell when seeing that somehow uncommon form for the first time, it takes seconds after wearing (any of) them the first time to vibrantly love them, and the one(s) who designed them.

On the flip – read negative – side two things are worth noting.

One: in some cases – me included – the main housing body may be a (decisive) tad too lean to match those magical proportions which fill your outer ear just enough to gain perfectly stable positioning while never feel like a swollen bean is nagging at you from out there.

It’s of course then evident that you can’t possibly design a one-size solid structure that’s so precisely fitting into everybody’s body, no matter human diversity. And in doubt, of course you’ll have to do it smaller vs bigger ! So this ain’t defect of course, yet it’s definitely an issue to manage, when it arises.

Two: again, in my case, the supply of stock tips (both silicon and foam) for one reason or the other falls short of being adequate.

Stock silicon tips have a very soft umbrella, 100% studied to get the best intended sound out of the IE900. Too bad that on the “mechanical” front it happens that, housings being too lean to stay put in my concha’s, I instinctually tend to regain firmness by pushing them deeper in. When that happens silicon tips’ umbrellas fold on themselves, totally losing the seal.

Sadly, the problem about stock tips falling short of properly fitting my canals (left one in particular) affects foamies too! Again, I suspect that’s liaised with me needing to get a higher stability by pushing shells deeper in, thereby reaching a wider segment of my ear canal, which those foamies can’t adequately fill up, not even the supplied L size.

I shared this issue with Sennheiser, and the answer has been enlightening for the sake of clarifying the origins of this situation.

First and foremost, in Sennheiser’s design intention IE900 tips should ideally “feel as if they disappear” in the ear canal, precisely the opposite of the sensation you get from bullet style IEMs, and/or triple-flanged eartips. Hence, the thinner umbrella the better, of course.

Flipping the coin, however, superlight tips intended for such precise aim will not be the best choice if for whatever reason a user prefers, or needs, to achieve a deeper fit.

I do confirm all : if – disregarding stability for a moment – I wear IE900 in a shallower position, indeed their stock silicon tips do keep the seal, and they deliver a very pleasant “feathery” sensation, or even virtually no sensation at all – as per intention.

And by the way, were it possible and handy for me, I would actually prefer such shallow fit, not being myself a die-hard fan of deep insertion – even when I use bullet-shape IEMs (which nevertheless – Sennheiser friends will forgive me – I don’t find so devilish counter-ergonomic as they reckon).

Be as it may, this finally reveals what the entire real problem is in my case: housings’ stability.

Again, in Sennheiser’s design intention, in cases like mine where the person’s ear structure is a bit too big and can’t grab the housings firm by itself, that’s where those easy-shape earhook sheaths installed on the cable (more on them below, under “Cable”) should do the trick, mechanically retrofitting the set so to say, and delivering the required stability.

So that is precisely where the game fails in my case (and not my one only).

No, to me those shapeable earhooks are super-comfortable, but not resilient enough to compensate for the housings’ eventual wobbling. That’s why I can’t personally “afford” a shallow fit, and rest comes with it.

Curtain fall ? Nevah !

First possible workaround: browsing the internet I found some sort of third party “gel outfits” – of course made some place in China. I call them “gloves”: imagine little-finger sized equivalents to a silicon smartphone back-cover. Or, similar to those winged rings you fit onto TWS drivers to help them stay firm in place. Something like this, but there are others around too.

I tried a friend’s ones and indeed those perfectly fit IE900’s housings, granting them that small body size increment that results into fitting my ear in a perfectly stable and comfortable way. And then, yes!, I can afford shallower fit and the whole stock tips game works as per design in my case too.

Alternative workaround: use third party tips .

Well as you can imagine I would have gone through the long tips exploration session anyhow, but in this case it was let’s say double motivated.

This article is getting already lengthy and I don’t believe that adding further smalltalk to it would make it better so my eighteen readers will I hope understand if I won’t indulge in the full report here about how I found each of the probably 15 different tip models I tried.

Suffice it to say that in the end I’m torn between two options, featuring some differences : INAIRS AIR1 foams, and JVC SpiralDot silicons.

INAIRS offer a firmer fit sensation, and their M size actually well fills my external ear canal up, thereby effectively contributing to hold those slim housings firm(er) in place for me. They also grant me better passive isolation, and a sort of delicate “softening” to some note edges (which, in itself, is not always a welcome addition).

SpiralDots feature stiffer silicon umbrellas compared to stock tips but won’t go as far as mechanically compensating housings movements, so their adoption does require either a deeper fit, or those “gel gloves” I mentioned before. The good news is that they are sturdy enough not to lose the seal when pushed deeper. Their wide bore positively contributes to IE900’s already good bass, and they yield a more crystalline timbre compared to foams.

Runnerup silicon options worth mentioning are Radius Deepmount – even better than Spiraldot on bass definition and speed, but tend to turn trebles a bit too hot – and Final E (strictly CLEAR version – black and other-coloured ones making low bass a bit “hazy”) – which deliver more body in the mids but lose some detail and precision in the treble and bass.

Last but absolutely not least, Sennheiser and their mother company being deeply involved with medical grade hearing aids and technologies, a custom eartips production service is made available – sadly only to German residents for now though .

It’s called Custom Comfort Tips. The rationale seems very simple in its complexity: by realising an elongated silicon tip, custom shaped following your own ear canal shape and size on one end, and perfectly slapping onto the IEM’s nozzles and neighbouring shell part on the other, you get extremely close to eliminate that personal fit variation that makes each one’s sound experience with that particular driver too much “potentially different” from its intended goal.

The program is also very well streamlined in terms of enduser fruition. It’s all centrally managed by Sennheiser, you don’t have to “look for” anything your own: place the order centrally, geoloc the supporting audiologist shop nearest to your location from a link on Sennheiser’s site, take an appointment and have your canals measured there (their service is part of the price paid to Sennheiser), wait for a few days and receive your tips at home.

The very same tips can be swapped onto IE900, IE600 and IE200. The tips’ fee is currently included with the price of an IE900 package, and a discount is offered to IE600 owners.

Those friends (lucky bastards individuals) who, residing in Germany, already could get their custom tips confirm they are indeed absolute game changers. The rest of us need to come to terms with a impatient wait .

Comfort

IE900’s shape is designed for very easy and natural fit and this immediately traduces into supreme comfort even for very protracted period of time.

In case the housing turns out to be a bit too “slim” for one’s ears (like in my case) there’s a chance the consequent instability may be somewhat fastidious. Longer story above about the origins of this. Consequences: compensating instability by reaching down for a deeper fit may turn out to be a bit uncomfy in medium/long sessions; adopting “gel gloves” of appropriate thickness may be the best way to go.

Isolation

When perfectly fitting, IE900 offer good levels of passive isolation – even more if equipped with foam tips.

In “fat concha” situations like my case, the same result is quite easily obtained by outfitting the housings with with “gel gloves” or such (see above).

Cable

It’s certainly pleasing – if after all in line with expectations vis-a-vis the package price, one may say – to find 3 different cables inside the box, each with a different hard-wired termination: single ended 3.5mm, and balanced 2.5 and 4.4mm, covering I would say 99.9% of possible needs.

Also, the freely mouldable TPU sheath applied towards to cables housing’s end allows you to shape them into the most precisely matching and comfortable earhooks you can get, exactly following your ear root line.

It’s the first time I encounter this offering, and it’s a very welcome feat – even if, as reported under “Fit” here above, it does not get as far as solving the problem of housings being too lean for my particular outer ears.

On another important note: Sennheiser’s IE-line MMCX connectors are not “everyday MMCX” fixings in reality. So be prepared: hardly any of your (my!) existing MMCX cables will fit, or safely fit .

Sennheiser’s MMCX implementation (in some documents tagged as “MMCX Fidelity+”) is indeed proprietary. Looking closely, the male connector coming off the tip of the cable has an additional “lip” compared to ordinary MMCX plugs. Such lip, plus a deeper, and more deeply recessed female connector, are responsible for significantly improving on connection firmness.

All good so far, the less good news however being the following two.

One I already mentioned: 99% chances are that you won’t be able to pair your IE900 with any loved individual off your thick existing herd of however good – and expensive! – MMCX cables.

The other is safely identifying the genuinely licensed (!) third parties, which would therefore be in condition to supply reliably compatible cables. Fact: between a few friends of mine and myself we experienced a few 3rd party cables sold as IE900-compatible, most of which turned into wobbly, unreliable connections. Tread lightly when shopping for cables here!!

Specifications (declared)

Comparisons

Sennheiser IE600 (€ 799,00 – currently on sale for € 549,00)

Even if very similar aesthetically, and equally based on a single dynamic driver, IE600 and IE900 are quite different at the technological level from one another.

Sennheiser confirmed to me that the dynamic driver inside IE600 is a different variation (although part of the same main project) from that adopted for IE900. The same applies for the driver inside IE200, by the way.

In addition to that, housings’ builds and their internals are also quite different.

Unlike IE900’s earpieces – CNC-milled from a solid piece of aluminium and featured with 3 specially designed resonance chambers inside – IE600’s housings are 3D-printed from a special zirconium alloy by Heraeus Amloy Tech, and featured with two sets of 2 internal chambers. Such structure internal to IE600 (D2CA: Dual 2-Chamber Absorbers) focuses on treating overlapping notes coming for different instruments at the same time, helping on dramatically improving they separation, and layering.

With all this said, the sound experience offered by IE600 is for some respects similar, for others quite different from that granted by IE900.

Similarities stay in rendering clarity, and in outstanding layering and separation proweness.

The main difference is in the tonality : unlike IE900, IE600 are quite evidently V-shaped, although maybe a “wide V” at that. A more mainstream indulging tuning choice if you wish, vs IE900’s off the choir one.

Bass is equivalently speedy on IE600 and IE900, but on IE600 it is much more evident, elevated, and I refer to mid bass and even more to sub bass here. In spite of such higher elevation, bass is still perfectly readable at all times, very well textured, and stays consistently separated from low and central mids – as it definitely should – in IE600 no less than in IE900.

Another part where the two sets diverge is in the high mids, and – I would say al least in part consequently – in their treble.

IE600’s 2-4K frequencies are way more forward and pulpy, with this bringing guitars and female vocals the “butter” which is a bit left behind on IE900. However an important taming is imposed on 6KHz on IE600, I assume to avoid that their composite output would scant into shouty and/or fatiguing. As a consequence, treble detail retrieval and overall “airiness” is quite obviously less on IE600 vs IE900.

Quitting all this tech talk : choose IE600 for prog rock, hard rock, electronic music and general purpose, while – money not being a hurdle – go blind-eyed with IE900 for acoustic jazz and most of all classical music.

Such separated applicative indications, paired with ultimately equivalent proweness in doing, each one, what they are designed to do, calls for refraining from positioning IE600 and IE900 one on a higher step vs the other, and I rather recommend them as different tools to reach different pleasures, so indeed complementary to each other.

Campfire Andromeda 2020 (discontinued, was € 1099,00)

I feel this is a quite interesting comparison not only due to the reputation Campfire Audio as a manufacturer, and the various iterations of their Andromeda set deservedly conquered over time, but especially vis-a-vis the under many respects opposite design philosophies behind Andromeda and IE900.

As everybody may remember, Andromeda are a full-BA multidriver sets, vs IE900 single-DD choice.

As a further testimony to the successful results obtained by Sennheiser on their sole dynamic driver, I would readily note that if one of the two sets may be found to deliver a tad less bilateral extension that is… Andromeda. Differences on this are small, however.

Other aspects which are very similar between Andromeda and IE900 include treble detailing, and the tuning choice to keep their 2-4KHz regions tamed down to help deliver a smooth, unshouty yet energetic overall highmid+treble section, which is indeed the case on both sets, and probable the key reasons why treble is equally delicious – beyond within some differences – in either situation.

Other similarities, or real equivalences are about stage size and three-dimensionality, with Andromeda being probably a tad deeper but less high and wide, and about layering and separation.

Tonalities are instead quite different: Andromeda is obviously warmer, consequence of some more power impressed onto 2-400Hz and some taken off from 1-2Khz. IE900 offer more airiness up above, not much resulting in terms of better clarity but rather in terms of a more realistic spatial sensation.

The most obvious differences however stay on bass note body and microdynamics: Sennheiser’s model attains to a higher level altogether, especially on the latter part – IE900 microdynamics are a very thick step above Andromeda.

As for driveability Andromeda require much less power to shine at its full potential, but conversely they require so little of that, and at such a low impedance, that many if not most sources will make them hiss, and that will of course be audible through quiet musical passages.

Beware of counterfeiting !

It is sadly worth noting that the market is literally flooded with fake / counterfeited IE900, and IE600, and many other Sennheiser sets – and not since yesterday.

Sadly the criminals involved with this are quite skilled on delivering aesthetically near-identical products (from the boxing down to the actual items), thus posing a serious threat to the casual user when it comes to choosing and giving trust to their vendors, especially considering the important price tags we are talking about.

I happen to have access to a fake IE900 sample, which I could therefore compare with the guaranteed-genuine one coming directly from Sennheiser’s headquarters.

Sound quality wise I must say I expected a much bigger difference between the two sets. What surprised me the most was in particular the fake unit’s remarkable bilateral extension, roughly in the same ballpark as the genuine one – and that’s saying something. In terms of bass definition, note body and microdynamics, however, genuine IE900 are just straight better.

Visual counterfaiting is really staggering for how realistic it is, and how much attention and careful observation was required to discover the clues indicating the two units did not come from the same ultimate source. I took a few pictures, and shared them with Sennheiser personnel to have confirmation of my findings, and here is my report, with the hope that it might be useful to someone to avoid being frauded.

First and foremost, there was no way to spot any difference whatsoever about the printed carton box sleeve, not on the box’s internal structure and elements, the paddings etc. All apparently identical.

By closely assessing product details however some differences started to come up.

1) Cables’ earhook sheaths are not freely reshapeable on the fake unit I checked – they stay much firmer on their pristine curvature for how much you try to model them. Genuine Sennheiser sheaths are pliable almost like plasteline, and they stay in your wanted shape quite reliably while you wear them.

2) Cables’ chin sliders feature a Sennheiser logo sticker. The genuine one carries an S-logo hologram, the counterfeit one is a very obvious flattened, non-holographic, clumsy imitation. Genuine cable is sitting on top in the following picture.

3) Genuine cable’s main sheath features a smooth, uniform, solid external finish. This fake unit’s sheath carries some sort of twisted wires appearance. You can appreciate this difference, too, from the picture above – where, again, the counterfeit cable is the coiled one, below the genuine one.

4) Assessing nozzle ends, genuine IE900 should look “pitch black”, while this counterfeit sample reveals silver colour inside through a wider mesh structure, as shown by this picture.

5) The pinned plastic plate carrying stock tips should show glossy S M L size letters, not matte ones. Furthermore, genuine foam tips have quite flat tops, not bulging ones. Based on this information, try yourself to spot the genuine set in the following picture .

It’s of course worth noting that I could assess just one fake unit, so there is no certainty, let alone guarantee, that the above hints do apply to other cases.

Sennheiser recommends to buy new units exclusively from fully trusted, official Sennheiser distributors – and that’s a no brainer.

For second hand units – while of course remembering that channels like ebay or similar need to be taken with two grains of salt (always better than one) – a good idea is to have the seller send a picture showing the unit serial number in advance, and get in contact with Sennheiser Consumer Hearing support services: they will check if the number is reported as legit.

Considerations & conclusions

I tried to outline the multiple reasons why I believe IE900 are a beyond-outstanding product, particularly suitable for classical, and acoustic music in general, and I feel like adding some considerations at a more general level here.

What is seems from the outside is that Sennheiser did this by going back to the design board, and restart from assessing the wanted target, asking themselves how to reach it – “reinventing the wheel” if need be, and/or using more “usual” parts and competences, purging their minds from “assumed-well-established existing solutions” bias in advance.

Of course I have no real clue about their internal processes and how the real story went, but if it were a plot for a movie about an industrial success story, it might probably go as follows.

IE900’s dynamic driver itself is proprietary, made to deliver a sensibly wider range extension compared to other high quality dynamic drivers on the market. Why? Because multidrivers do struggle with tonal coherence – all of them – and, let’s face it, for good reasons too. On the other hand, existing single drivers are all “short blankets”, so to say.

So point #1 : let’s design a “wiiiiiide blanket” driver. Period. Then we see the rest.

Oh by the way: let’s do it without employing marketing-buzzword-level raw materials.

IE900’s is in the end a plastic membrane driver – such an “obsolete sounding” technology, inn’it? – yet it loops dozens of circles around others made of “newer materials”. Guess why?… .

I must say I feel empathic on these topics as they can’t fail reminding me that within the infinitely more modest scope of the small industrial company I currently serve in as a marketing and sales manager I often listen to my agents recursively pointing at certain innovative-name-sounding products from the competition. Transeat. Back to our plot.

Once you have an eXtra Wide Range transducer, you are still supposed to shape its sound to manage its behaviour, avoid excesses, and bend its tonality to a specific wanted target sound. This is usually done by a mix of shaping IEM shells, adding vents, filters, foams, meshes etc.

As for us: we will primarily “shape the shells” – and good luck to those who will try to precisely copy them.

Inside IEx00 housings there are milled or built (depending on the specific model’s production process) micrometrically formed spaces (“chambers”). They even got as far as studying how wrinkled their internal surfaces need to be to get the right wanted effect on sound waves passing by.

I can only remotely fathom the complexity of such a research, and the level of competences, skills, tools and budgets (!) you need to put on the table to even commence spinning such a project up. Well they did it – and succeeded.

Last but not least: once you have those grand IEMs done, based on a superbly extended driver, and tuned to consistently output the exact wanted timbre and tonality onto… lab measuring equipment (!) how about maximising the chance the same or at least a very similar result is actually appreciated by anybody’s ears – which sadly (for engineers, and luckily for philosophers) are all “guaranteed different” from the most advanced acoustic coupler mockups employed at the lab ?

Yes, you can try closing the gap by filling the commercial package with countless alternative eartips, or…

Our mother company is a leading multinational involved in hearing aids and acoustic implantations. Let’s roll out a custom eartips program!

I presume this very long stream of considerations, and their fictionalized dressings, can be summarised as follows: the old saying “when the game gets tough, the tough get playing” is of course in general an abstraction – it does take for the tough to actually be willing to get playing ! But when they do… .

Sennheiser for decades did deliver undisputed top-class headphone models (do we need to remember that HD600 originally came out in 1997?) yet they flew much lower in the rankings of IEM proposals until recently.

With their IE900 / IE600 / IE200 program they took a wholly-renovated approach to the segment, and results do show.

These 3 models lead their corresponding price brackets, and debating whether they deserve #1, #2 or #3 entry in their specific subclasses is surely very important for Sennheiser’s product marketing, their numbers etc, but for us, the users, it’s now probably just funny, loud coffee bar discussions. IE200, IE600 and IE900 are, all of them, absolute winners, and each one can easily be taken as the sole IEM one may want to own given that budget and/or that musical preference.

IE900 are light years far from being yet-another high quality high priced single DD IEMs. They can and should be narrated as a successful reinvention of the entire IEM experience, instanced onto the specific preferences of classical and other acoustic music lovers.

Sennheiser created a monumental product with IE900, and while its price tag is no doubt demanding, not a cent of it lacks justification in the multifaceted quality it offers.

IE900 is dutifully tagged on our Wall of Excellence.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post Sennheiser IE900 Review (1) – Classical Reinvented appeared first on Music For The Masses.

INTRO

It’s IEMs like the $629 BGVP DM9 that make listening enjoyable and ruin the lower tier IEMs. BGVP came to prominence with their DM6 and DMG back in the day and made their forum victory laps for a while until new toys came out. There have been several iterations of the DMx family, although they were above my typical shopping price range, a quick survey says they have been well liked. 

The BGVP DM9 is a nine driver hybrid with famed balanced armatures from the market leaders Sonion and Knowles, and the newer technology of EST. The BGVP DM9 bathes you in uber detail and resolution, with a lively energetic treble while not pounding you to pulp with overblown bass in a wavy Harman plus tune.

DESIGN

With a 4 way electronic filter circuit, the BGVP DM9 separates the bands starting with a 9.2mm liquid silicone dynamic for bass, Knowles BA RAD, Sonion 2300 for the midrange, Sonion E50 series for the treble, and finally the Sonion EST65QB02 extending that final octave at the top. 

BGVP does not stop there, some of the sound tubes use a resistive filter to smooth out the resonances and act as further filtering. The tubes ensure the sound is controlled all the way to the exit and reduces interference inside the shell.

COMFORT / ISOLATION

The BGVP DM9 comes in a custom painted wooden shell in two colors, green or blue/purple. The latter is definitely more eye-catching, but I opted for the less boisterous but still beautiful green. The shell is on the larger side, and does not fit as snugly as the Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk. For longer periods of time I found the top of the shell has a slight edge that creates unwanted pressure on my ear. YMMV.

BGVP DM9 isolation is above average, however fitment creates some cavities that tend to amplify wind caught at the wrong angle. The BGVP DM9 did stay firmly planted during walking, so that is always appreciated. I trade minor discomfort for constant readjustment any day of the week.

PACKAGE CONTENTS

The leather carrying case of the BGVP DM9 is plenty roomy and the ease of opening and closing was strangely satisfying to my wife. It is on the larger size, so bag and coat packet friendly, but side-eye glances will ensue if stuffing it down your pants pocket. There is also a handy cleaning tool with a loop for scooping out the gross gunk and the other end is equipped with a brush and small magnet.

Three full sets of different eartips are included, plus a bonus set of U shaped medium sized eartips guaranteed to increase the midbass region and almost forgotten- a singular set of foamies. Two of the sets are labeled “Bass” and the third set are ”Vocal” type. Of the “Bass” sets, the clear stemmed ones are less firm, have a shorter stem for closer placement to your eardrum, and a larger opening. I had to ask BVGP if these were meant to be called reference,  atmosphere or balanced, but alas they said no they were definitely “Bass” tips.

 The other bass set has a longer stem, firmer, a smaller opening and worked better for sealing in my experience.

The vocal set of ear-tips were a combination of the two bass sets. They were basic level of firmness, short stem, and a smaller opening.

The set of foam eartips are useful for taming the upper treble if too bright. It tilts the plateau of treble in a downward trajectory to make them more appealing for a more traditional tune.

BGVP DM9 comes with a detachable MMCX 6N OCC braided cable with swap-able 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced connectors. The connection is not as tight as the Kinera Golden 2.0, but is not so loose it falls off. It will disconnect at that connection point before the 3.5mm/4.4mm plug if pulled on. I have not paid much attention to cable technology these days, but BGVP managed to combine graphene in the strands as well. No way to test this, so just take their word for it.

SOUND

Tested with the LG G8, HIDIZS AP80 Pro-X, Shanling UA2+, and SMSL DO100/HO100.

The BGVP DM9 does so many things well, but I wanted to start at the top. It drenches you in so much splashy upper treble that is hard to find in lesser capable sets. The detail is quite exquisite, and controlled, maybe at times slightly overdamped if I had to nitpick. While this might sound like too much treble, it is well spread out evenly with some strategically placed dips to average it out. 

Compared to the 7Hz Timeless which also plays fast and loose with the treble, the Timeless sounds more concentrated in a smaller band of frequencies.The BGVP DM9 on the other hand is like looking through a microscope at the level of detail across the entirety. Acoustic guitars really pop due to a peak at 5Khz, it gives rock music a very live concert feel. 

Listening to some of the only classical I enjoy from US pop culture, Back to the Future Overture washes a whole orchestra across your face.. Other sets sound very flat, the BGVP dimensionally layers the different parts of the orchestra to sound very dare I say the cliche life-like. The price of admission comes at the cost of sitting in the front row for the symphony.

Paramore’s original hit Misery Business has new ife as if it would ever go out of style. Lesser qualified IEMs will just reproduce as another pop song sounding busy and crowded. The  BGVP DM9 loafs through, allowing all parts to shine and feel effortless which is ironic for a punk rock band where raw grit is the goal. Pink Panther by Henry Mancini is another song that just sounds light and airy as cymbals and chimes traverse gently through.

Vocals are pleasant and not recessed, sounds balanced and never strained. The middle band of the frequency response never really catches my attention, but bookended by such wonderful treble and excellent controlled articulate bass, it does not ever feel lacking.

The BGVP DM9 pushes authoritative bass with a purpose that knows what it wants to be. Well damped in the mid bass with a nice rounding out of lower registers, haptic is light. The boost is well centered, pianos sound percussive and full without sounding bloated. Purists will probably think there is a sprinkle of too much warmth, much like arguing over a heating setting of 70F/21C vs 68F/20C. 

Bass guitar slaps and bass plucks are well defined, and not just lost in the resonation of it all. I did find a hiccup in the set sent to me so only a sampling size of one. Channel imbalance in the bass by ~2,5db. I can feel it pull a little, this is near the threshold of detection. Probably a minor blockage in the shell vent on the inside, unfortunately I have no way to determine which channel has the tuning level BGVP was aiming for, or if other sets will have this anomaly.

UPDATE: BGVP was concerned about the channel imbalance so they sent a new set. The second set had better channel matching, with only a 1dB channel difference in the bass which is undetectable when listening. This is a company that honesty cares about their product and takes criticism seriously.

FURTHER TECHNICAL

In the name of detail sometimes it can be too much depending on the recording. It would be unfair to label it as too much of a good thing, instead what it does is expand the gap between good and bad recordings. Sometimes a set of earphones will really uplift everything without drawing too much attention to what might be wrong in a recording. 

The BGVP DM9 is the friend you want to give it to you straight.  The House is Rockin’ by Brian Setzer Orchestra gets a little hairy. I would give it a trim and tighten it up. The triangle sounds garbled and overdamped in  Mountains O’Things by Tracy Chapman, but on Pink Panther by Henry Mancini it rings true. This is an example of really accentuating the aspects of the recordings. Listening further to Pink Panther and some Chesky drum improvisations the resolution and detail of cymbals is ear tingly excellent.

There were a couple of tracks that sounded so realistic I startled myself during a walk thinking something was actually nearby. These would make excellent gaming headphones where you might want to hear in extreme detail with wide positional aspects. They do have excellent depth with layering, but run overall forward with peaks around 2K and 5K anchoring staging close. 

The BGVP DM9 can deliver micro-dynamics with sheer ease, so much so that I can hear hidden details in songs (cliche), but also hidden noise in electronics. In casual Spotify listening, I was either hearing some electronic noise from my external DAC or from the Spotify itself during song transitions.

Jumping back and forth between different gear and sources, the LG G8 can sound more bassy while the SMSL DO100/HO100 sounded more even keeled. It’s wonderful yet troublesome to have at your disposal something with greater resolution. Some of these nuances can be picked out for better or worse.

COMPARISONS

BGVP DM9 ($629) vs Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk ($329)

Sorry not exactly swimming in flagships, the BGVP DM9 against the Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk is the best I can do. The Moondrop is highly regarded, and lacks the airness the BGVP DM9 puts forth. Even the tuner himself Crinacle admits this is perhaps the only missing piece of the Dusk for cost reasons. Crinacle also prefers a thinner sounding lower midrange, so the BGVP DM9 sounds fuller and warmer with extra bass guitar and piano percussion. 

Just like the HIDIZS MS5 comparison, the DM9 has a more forward stage compared to the Moondrop Dusk. Resolution and clarity are equals, but the DM9 is going to extract more zing from metallic instruments that need room to really activate the harmonics. As we get older this information might be lost on us. I am not there yet, so I fully appreciate it.

HIDIZS MS5 ($399) vs BGVP DM9 ($629)

Bass is thicker and fuller still on the HIDZS MS5 and more haptic rumble (graph below), the BGVP DM9 is faster sounding by a toe in a foot race. Midrange sounds a notch more mature with the DM9, however the treble sounds more even with the MS5.

Where the BGVP comes out on tops again is that extra harmonics and air in the final octave, the MS5 has a subduction past 10Khz, but then pops again at the threshold of where our hearing drops off, the BGVP DM9 keeps the party going until 4am with that sweet treble extension. It’s like having a ribbon super tweeter. MS5 is warm and thick, BGVP is analytical and energetic.

I am not sure if these are equals, if you are shopping for $400 earphones, is $600+ also something worth considering? I feel like people shopping for the MS5 have budgets in the $300-500 range, and the BGVP DM9 is sitting with folks shopping for $600-1000.

These are arbitrary price ranges, but I feel like this is how they might stack up for prospective buyers. At this price you can find heavily used, uncomfortably shaped Campfire Andromeda. It has been a few years since I last heard a set. This would be a fun comparison, I specifically remember snare drums really standing out.

OUTRO

BGVP DM9 is highly detailed, resolving throughout, and tuned to deliver a healthy dose of treble with enough bass and midrange to not be forgotten earning its flagship moniker. It follows the spirit of Harman tuning but with some ripples in the treble, and additional super tweeter air added with the Sonion EST’s adds just enough.

If you prefer a diffuse field tuning that portrays a stage pushed further away like the Moondrop Blessing Dusk 2, the BGVP DM9 might have too much energy in the 5kHz region making for a uneven stage. I enjoy being drenched in microscopic dynamics so it is an extremely fun and lively listen.

Build quality is excellent from the outside, but I am bothered by the bass channel imbalance. At this price I expect that to be caught during End -Of-Line testing, but perhaps the cost is in the parts and design and not necessarily in further QC activities.

It’s not a deal breaker for me because they are still exceptional at what they do, but it is in the realm of differential threshold audibility. The super tweeter ESTs ratchet up the price for value to take a hit, but then again there are plenty of kilo-buck IEMs to also keep it in perspective.

UPDATE: BGVP was concerned about the channel imbalance so they sent a new set. The second set had better channel matching, with only a 1dB channel difference in the bass which is undetectable when listening. This is a company that honesty cares about their product and takes criticism seriously. The purple blue color is also very striking and eye catching.

Disclaimer: I accepted these free from BGVP thinking they were sending a set of NS10’s. I am a little giddy these came instead after a deep dive. Unbeknownst during this review we have evolved to “Dad and Mom” graduating from “Mommy and Daddy”. I hope to avoid the formal phase Mother and Father.

SUMMARY

SPECIFICATIONS

Sensitivity:≥110dB SPL/mW
Input Resistance: 30Ω
Frequency : 10Hz-40kHz
Distortion: < 0.5%
Sound Difference: 士1dB
Rated Power: 179mW
Cavity Material: Cured wood
Driver Unit:
Sonion EST65QB02*1
Sonion BA (E50 Series) *1
        Sonion BA (2300 Series) 1         Knowles BA(RAD Series)1
        Liquid Silicone VF DD*1
Cable: 4 Strands OCC Silver Plated Graphene Mixed Cable
Cable length: 120cm士10%

GRAPHS

• Left vs Right
• BGVP DM9 vs Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk vs HIDIZS MS5
• Haptic Bass Extension closeup
• Impedance Plot
• Second Pair with bass imbalance <1db undetectable when listening.
• First Pair (Green Brown) vs Second Pair (Red Blue)-First pair shifted to avoid overlapping graphs of second set.

Contact us!

DISCLAIMER

Get it from any of the numerous distributors on ALIEXPRESS, SHENZHENAUDIO, HIFIGO, ETC

Our generic standard disclaimer.

About my measurements.

The post BGVP DM9 Review – Ear Hairs Will Dance appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — Lacks esprit; presentation too polite for some; not the greatest clarity.

Executive Summary

Introduction

Vision Ears are a boutique company out of Cologne, Germany that offer a plethora of interesting premium earphones. Audioreviews.org authors had the chance of analyzing their products in the past and the Vision Ears Elysium made it onto our Wall of Excellence.

As always with premium products, they are short-term loaners that don’t come in retail packaging. I therefore focus on the sonic performance

Specifications

Physical Things and Usability

The earpieces are big, they are nevertheless comfortable, and the isolation is average.

Tonality and Technicalities

Please note that I had the PHöNIX (and the EXT) only for 7 days as part of a Head-Fi tour. I feel that was too short for a definitive evaluation of these iems. Hence take my comments with caution – and look at other opinions, too.

I’d call its signature gently V-shaped, coloured, balanced, and mellow. Soothing with good cohesion. Relaxed and laid back. An earphone for chilling.

It has a very high sensitivity, which makes it very easy to drive with weak sources. It is also much easier to drive than the Vision Ears EXT. There was some hiss when used with the EarStudio HUD100.

Bass is soft, thick, and fuzzy. It is rumbly at the very low end but the dominating mid bass is somewhat blunt and lacks attack, bite, and definition. Downward extension varies with source but is ok. The low end lacks bite for me.

The midrange is on the warm side and lacks clarity in my setups. Vocals are rich, silky smooth, reasonably intimate, but narrow, somewhat veiled, soft, and occasionally nasal. Notes are overly rounded and lack an edge. Like the bass, they could have more definition and crispness to please. Upper midrange has more energy, in comparison. Midrange clarity could be better.

The PHöNIX has good treble extension, energy, and clean resolution while preserving some of the midranges smoothness. But very high cymbal notes show a fast decay and can be somewhat robotic.

Mellow attack, reasonably holographic Overall, the presentation lacks pizazz, and a combination with a neutral, spicy amp would yield optimal results.

Stage is very well defined in 3D space but narrow to average in width – and it can be crowded. Spatial reconstruction is reasonably holographic and players are placed correctly on the stage. Resolution of a group of musicians is not the greatest, but soloists’s instruments are well resolving.

Overall dynamics is not great, the attack is too mushy, I wished the presentation was more vivid.

Concluding Remarks

The PHöNIX is musical, almost lyrical, but it lacks engagement and excitement to my ears and is therefore uninspiring for me. This is, of course, subjective, and I’m sure its signature will appeal more to other listeners, some with a harder life than mine.

Moving from analytical to recreational listening, the PHöNIX will not be outright unappealing to anybody wasn’t it for the melting credit card when purchasing it.

Until next time…keep on listening!

The post Vision Ears PHöNIX Review – Silk Cut appeared first on Music For The Masses.

The EarMen CH-Amp was supplied by the company and I thank them for that – and for their patience (I tested critically for over 2 months). You can purchase it for $1480 (at the time of writing) from the EarMen shop.

Introduction

EarMen are designers and manufacturers of premium audio products from Europe. They are registered in Chicago however develop and produce in Serbia. They are a young company, but with lots of experience as they are an offshoot of premium manufacturer Auris Audio.

EarMen are confident. They do not offer umpteen models of the same at similar prices. No, one model fits all. And they don’t hand the responsibility of a good sound to the user through countless tweaking options. Their devices sound as good as they should out of the box.

EarMen products have long shelf lives: they are well designed so that the buyer does not have to fear their purchase will be superseded by an “upgrade” anytime soon.

EarMen like puns in their product names: Donald DAC, ST-Amp, and TR-Amp. And now the CH-Amp.

EarMen impressed us first with their dongles, the $129 Eagle and the $199 Sparrow. The former is still the lowest-priced dongle with premium sound on the market in my opinion. And the Sparrow is Biodegraded’s daily driver. It is not only the sound that is impressive but also the design and premium build.

Next, EarMen delighted us with their portable headphone amps, the affordable TR-Amp and the pricier Angel. And then came the Tradutto, their premium DAC designed to go with the CH-Amp. And, boy, does this synergy work.

Specifications CH-Amp

Physical Things

In the box are the actual Ch-Amp, the PSU-3 linear power supply, one 5-pin cable to connect both, and three more standard power cables to connect three more 12 V devices, for example the EarMen Tradutto (which has the same dimensions as the CH-Amp for perfect stacking), a combo remote for CH-Amp and Tradutto, and the manual. These are more accessories than listed in the manual (which you can download here).

A power cord is not included as EarMen are of the opinion that audio enthusiasts have their own preference, worldwide plug standards vary – and everybody has a spare in their drawer anyway. While such a cord is easy to get, a 4.4 mm balanced Pentaconn cable is still a rare thing – and EarMen are advised to offer one in their online shop.

PSU-3, CH-Amp (and even the remote) have appealing, minimalistic industrial designs with clear, straight lines. And they continue EarMen’s tradition of EXCEPTIONAL build quality.

The units are very heavy (3.5 kg combined) and sturdy. The CH-Amp’s printed circuit board is sitting in a one-piece aluminum enclosure with galvanized steel bottom (the same accounts for the PSU-3). Button and dial mechanisms are precise and rugged. Of all devices I have tested, only Burson products have a comparable build quality.

Like the Tradutto, the CH-Amp features an OLED display that indicates the settings.

The CH-Amp is shape wise and technically matched with the Tradutto DAC and essentially relies on this DAC to form the EarMen stack. The CH-Amp’s remote operates both devices.

Features

The CH-Amp is a fully balanced amplifier that comes with a sophisticated linear power supply that handles an additional three devices. The CH-Amp features 2 circuits, a single-ended 6.35 mm one and a more powerful 4.4 mm balanced one. It deploys German quality WIMA capacitors, audio electrolytes in combination with MELF low noise resistors and SoundPlus OPA1642 operational amplifiers.

For balanced operation, the CH-Amp needs to be connected to a balanced DAC such as the EarMen Tradutto. EarMen are forward looking in their choice of 4.4 mm connectivity between DAC and amp for balanced sound…you also need a balanced cable for your headphone or earphone.

The CH-Amp features a safety mechanism to protect the attached equipment and our ears – as described below.

Operation

The CH-Amp features all its controlling features (buttons, knobs, display) in the front, and all its connectivity in the back.

Front Panel

The CH-Amp’s front panel is cleanly laid out and complements the overall shape. It features a 6.35 mm socket for the single-ended circuit, and a 4.4 mm socket for the balanced circuit.

The small OLED indicates the selected input (BAL, L1, L2) and the gain (high, low). If no headphone is connected, it indicates its pre-amp setting “PRE”. It also contains a nifty VU meter. The display is always on and cannot be dimmed, but it is subtle.

The tiny buttons to the right of the display let you select gain and line in. The on-off/volume knob can also be used as a mute button.

Back Panel

The CH-Amp’s back panel contains a 5-pin power input from the PSU-3 power supply, a 4.4 mm balanced socket, and 2 RCA inputs. This means you can connect 3 source devices simultaneously.

For use a pre-amp, the CH-Amp features a 4.4 mm balanced line out and RCA pre-outs. The 4.4 mm circuit is required to keep the stack’s dimensions down (XLR requires a much bigger chassis). The power supply’s back pane is discussed in detail below.

Switching the power supply on welcomes you with a loud “zong”…which is normal. You still have to switch the CH-Amp on individually (and the Tradutto) by pushing its volume knob.

By default, the CH-Amp is on volume level 0/low gain. After selecting the input and gain, you are ready to listen.

In the case you pull the headphone out of the socket, the volume automatically resets to 0. The knob physically moves back into this position under a clicking noise. It is a safety mechanism for protecting your equipment and your ears.

While this can be a cool effect, the gain also resets to low. I would prefer if the gain stayed on the previously chosen setting as it is not a safety requirement (zero volume is zero volume). It would be more convenient if gain selection was included in the remote’s functionality – which it is not.

The Remote

It is actually double remote for controlling the CH-Amp and the Tradutto DAC – and it also switches both devices on and off (but not the PSU-3). The remote is made entirely of metal with quality button mechanisms – and it contains a battery. It charges through any 5V power supply/computer outlet through its USB-C socket. Charger and cable are not included…less clutter.

The haptic is great, certainly much better than my drawer full of flimsy plastic remotes for operating my TV, some DACS, and even my premium Marantz SA8005 SACD player.

What one needs to get used to is the ergonomics (it is just a rectangular box with rounded corners) and the operational challenges. If you stack the Tradutto DAC on top of the CH-Amp/PSU-3, you may find it counterintuitive to have the CH-Amp’s buttons above the Tradutto’s buttons…and may as well sandwich the Tradutto between CH-Amp and PSU-3.

But, obviously, the CH-Amp has priority on the remote, as you may not own a Tradutto at all.

The other challenge is that the selection buttons of the CH-Amp (line ins: BAL, L1, L2) and the selection buttons of the Tradutto (inputs: USB, TOS, COAX, BT) are on opposing sides. All this in the context that the buttons are very close together. As mentioned, a gain control button is not included.

Again, this organization benefits the remote’s size, which is much smaller than any other remote for desktop devices I have – and which is in line with the small-size concept of the EarMen stack.

You may use the remote a lot if your arms are shorter than your headphone cable.

The PSU-3 Power Supply

It is evident that the device advertised as CH-Amp comes in two parts, the bigger and heavier of which is not an amplifier at all: the PSU-3 power supply. It features four power outlets (cables included) and therefore can supply three additional 12V devices other than the CH-Amp (such as the Tradutto DAC, EarMen’s Staccato Streamer, and another device of your choice).

The input voltage can be switched between 115 and 230 V. While it may look bulky, it actually saves a lot of space as discussed in the next chapter.

Power supplies are a very important and frequently underestimated part of our stereo systems. I have tested a few, and in my experience, they make a huge sonic difference – and I mean huge: not by adding sound quality but by minimizing its decay.

Examples are the Tradutto’s stock supply, the ifi Audio iPowerX and the Burson Super Charger, all of which are switching mode power supplies (like our phone/notebook chargers). They are smaller than the PSU-3 unit, which is a linear power supply (LPS).

An LPS is relatively bulky (up to microwave size) and heavy because it contains a big transformer, but it has a great price to performance ratio delivering a cleaner DC through a more stable voltage.

The smaller SMPS are generally noisier and deteriorate the signal more, unless you move into the super premium segment. But even a decent LPS can setup you back several hundred dollars. Easily!

EarMen’s engineers have obviously put a lot of thought into clean power.

If you also own the Tradutto, you can use its stock SMPS for other devices. The PSU-3 is a better power supply that upgrades the Tradutto’s sound, too.

Amplification

The CH-Amp has a maximum power of 3.8 W for its balanced output on high gain @ 32 Ω. See the two tables below for details at other representative headphone impedances. EarMen does not recommend load impedance of 8 Ω (you can work around this by using the IE Match).

Balanced Output (4.4 mm)

Single-ended Output (6.35 mm)

I tested the CH-Amp with the EarMen Tradutto DAC, sourced my a MacBook Air. I mainly used two headphones, the power-hungry 300 Ω Sennheiser HD 600 and the easy-to-drive 16 Ω Final Sonorous III, both with 4.4 mm balanced cables. The CH-Amp’s volume scale ranges from 0 to 30.

With the Senns, I turned the volume to 15 (on high gain) for a “healthy” sound, and to about 20 for loud music. 25 was hurting my eardrums. The Sonorous played already really loud at 9 on the dial (on low gain). 6 was enough for normal listening.

Driving the 32 Ω Beyerdynamic Custom Pro and the 70 Ω Sennheiser HD25 on the single-ended circuit on low gain also was a piece of cake for the CH-Amp.

The CH-Amp will drive any headphone sufficiently (except, perhaps some rare, particularly “hungry” planars).

Sound

I tested with the EarMen Tradutto DAC sourced by a MacBook Air.

The CH-Amp’s sound is essentially uncoloured, maybe with a very slight lift at the low end (depending on source and interconnects). Transparency is excellent, staging and extension vary with transducer: the Sennheiser HD 600 play way more open than the Final Sonorous III.

There is obviously a sonic difference between the balanced and single-ended circuits (apart from power). The balanced circuit adds more depth to the sonic image – and produces an overall more “balanced” sound. It is the 4.4 mm circuit that makes the CH-Amp shine.

I have been listening over 2 months with headphones of impedances as low as 16 Ω and do not register any hiss. One recording I am getting back to again and again is Miles Davis’ classic 1959 Kind of Blue album (in the 2007 digital hybrid SACD SICP 10083 version from Sony Japan), in combination with the Sennheiser HD 600 (with balanced cable). In my experience, it feels like being in the studio: excellent transparency, crispness, resolution, and control. The sound is vivid yet natural and balanced. An addictive experience.

In comparison, the Tradutto with the similarly powerful Burson Funk (with the V6 Classic opamps and the Super Charger power supply) creates a warmer and flatter sound (as it lacks a balanced circuit).

The CH-Amp, in combination with the EarMen Tradutto produces the best sound I have experienced with my headphones. It is a truly complete (balanced) package!

Does Size Matter?

On my desk, space is sparse – and size matters a lot. The Marie Kondo in me wants a setup with the best possible sound and yet the smallest possible footprint — and as little (cable) clutter as possible.

The EarMen stack (Tradutto, CH-Amp, and Staccato streamer) occupies the smallest possible area of any stack in its category. It is building up rather than out, just like skyscrapers in mega cities – and it occupies barely more area than a CD.

Its footprint is further minimized by the lack of cable clutter: the single, short 4.4 mm Pentaconn cables takes way less space than the two bulky XLR ones it replaces. I ordered my megumi copper cable from Hart Audio, who also consider the less cumbersome 4.4 mm cables as convenient.

The third space saving takes place underneath our desks. Instead of needing four wall outlets or a power bar with three additional external power supplies dangling around our feet (which may introduce potential interference issues), the PSU-3 needs only a single power cord/power outlet for supplying the CH-Amp and another three 12 V devices.

If you, let’s say, only use the PSU-3 for the CH-Amp and Tradutto, you can connect any other two 12 V device to it. For example, it works for the TempoTec Serenade X player – and it improves its sound substantially compared to its stock supply (even the Tradutto’s stock power supply makes the Serenade X sound much better).

In summary, “less is more” and the EarMen stack’s size is very handy. With one less problem, I can leave the desk clutter intermittently to books and papers.

Concluding Remarks

In summary, the CH-Amp is characterized by a clean industrial design, clean power, clean sound, and clean cable organization with the smallest possible footprint.

Both CH-Amp and Tradutto make for a fantastic stack, a complete package that made it well worth re-equipping my favourite headphones with 4.4 mm balanced cables (check the “Gallery” below for details.

The EarMen stack is the best best desktop combo I have tested. Period. And it is more than enough for my sonic needs. It is not often that such a great device hits my test bench.

In the end, “We are the CH-Ampions” applies…please excuse the pun.

For best results, pair the CH-Amp with the Tradutto.

Until next time…keep on listening!

Contact us!

Disclaimer

Our generic standard disclaimer.

Gallery

The post EarMen CH-Amp Review – Complete Control appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Der EarMen CH-Amp wurde von der Firma bereit gestellt und ich danke ihnen dafür – und für ihre Geduld (ich habe über 2 Monate lang kritisch getestet). Sie können ihn für 1480 $ (zum Zeitpunkt des Schreibens) im EarMen Shop erwerben.

Dieser Artikel wurde vom Author aus dem kanadischen Englisch übersetzt. Das Original findet sich hier.

Einführung

EarMen sind Designer und Hersteller von Premium-Audioprodukten aus Europa. Sie sind in Chicago registriert, entwickeln und produzieren jedoch in Serbien. Sie sind ein junges Unternehmen, aber mit viel Erfahrung, da sie ein Ableger des Premium-Herstellers Auris Audio sind.

EarMen sind selbstbewusst. Sie bieten nicht zig Modelle desselben zu ähnlichen Preisen an. Nein, ein Modell pro Kategorie reicht. Und sie geben dem Benutzer nicht die Verantwortung für einen guten Klang durch unzählige Optimierungsoptionen. Ihre Geräte klingen so gut, wie sie es aus der Packung heraus sollten.

EarMen-Produkte haben eine lange Haltbarkeit: Sie sind gut durchdacht, sodass der Käufer nicht befürchten muss, dass sein Kauf in absehbarer Zeit durch ein “Upgrade” ersetzt wird.

EarMen mögen Wortspiele in ihren Produktnamen: Donald DAC, ST-Amp und TR-Amp.

EarMen beeindruckte uns zuerst mit ihren Dongles, dem 129 $ Eagle und dem 199 $ Sparrow. Ersteres ist meiner Meinung nach immer noch der preisgünstigste Dongle mit Premium-Sound auf dem Markt. Und der Sparrow ist der tägliche “Driver” von Co-Blogger Biodegraded. Es ist nicht nur der Klang, der beeindruckend ist, sondern auch das Design und der Premium-Build.

Als nächstes begeisterte uns EarMen mit ihren tragbaren Kopfhörerverstärkern, dem erschwinglichen TR-Amp und dem teureren Angel. Und dann kam der Tradutto, ihr Premium-DAC, der für den CH- Amp entwickelt wurde. Und, Boy, funktioniert diese Synergie gut.

Spezificationen des CH-Amp

Physische Dinge

In der Box befinden sich der eigentliche CH-Amp, das lineare Netzteil PSU-3, ein 5-poliges Kabel zum Anschließen beider, sowie drei weitere Kabel zum Anschluss von drei weiteren 12-V- Geräten, zum Beispiel das EarMen Tradutto (das die gleichen Abmessungen wie der CH-Amp für perfektes “Stapeln” hat), und eine Kombi-Fernbedienung für CH-Aamp und Tradutto. Dies ist mehr Zubehör als in der Bedienungsanleitung aufgeführt (welche Sie hier herunterladen können).

Ein Netzkabel ist nicht im Lieferumfang enthalten, da EarMen der Meinung sind, dass Audio-Enthusiasten ihre eigene Präferenz haben, die weltweiten Steckerstandards variieren – und jeder hat sowieso ein Ersatzkabel in seiner Schublade.

Während ein solches Kabel leicht zu bekommen ist, ist ein 4,4-mm symmetrisches Pentaconn-Kabel immer noch eine seltene Sache – und EarMen wird empfohlen, eines in ihrem Online-Shop anzubieten.

PSU-3, CH-Amp (und sogar die Fernbedienung) haben ansprechende, minimalistische Industriedesigns mit klaren, geraden Linien. Und sie setzen die Tradition von EarMen von AUSSERGEWÖHNLICHER Verarbeitungsqualität fort.

Die beiden Einheiten sind relativ schwer (3.5 kg zusammen) und robust. Die Leiterplatte des CH-Amp befindet sich in einem einteiligen Aluminiumgehäuse mit verzinktem Stahlboden (die gleichen Rechnungen für das Netzteil-3). Knopf- und Wählmechanismen sind präzise und robust. Von allen Geräten, die ich getestet habe, haben nur Burson Produkte eine vergleichbare Verarbeitungsqualität.

Wie der Tradutto verfügt auch der CH-Amp über ein OLED-Display, das die Einstellungen anzeigt.

Der CH-Amp ist von der Form und technisch auf den Tradutto DAC abgestimmt und verlässt sich im wesentlichen auf diesen DAC, um den EarMen-Stack zu bilden. Die Fernbedienung des CH-Amp bedient beide Geräte.

EIGENSCHAFTEN

Der CH-Amp ist ein “balanced/symmetrischer” Verstärker, der mit einer ausgeklügelten linearen Stromversorgung ausgestattet ist, die drei zusätzliche Geräte betreiben kann. Der CH-Amp verfügt über 2 Schaltkreise (asymmetrisch/single-ended 6.35 mm und eine leistungsstärkere 4.4 mm balanced/asymmetrisch). Es sind WIMA-Kondensatoren in deutscher Qualität, Audioelektrolyte in Kombination mit MELF-Rauscharmen Widerständen und SoundPlus OPA1642 Opamps verbaut.

Für den “balanced” Betrieb muss der CH-Amp an einen ausgewogenen Digitalwandler wie den EarMen Tradutto angeschlossen werden. EarMen freuen sich auf ihre Wahl der 4.4-mm Konnektivität zwischen DAC und Verstärker für ausgewogenen Klang… Sie benötigen auch ein “balanced” Kabel für Ihren Kopfhörer.

Der CH-Amp verfügt über einen Sicherheitsmechanismus, um die angeschlossenen Geräte und unsere Ohren zu schützen – wie unten beschrieben.

Bedienung

Der CH-Amp verfügt über alle seine Steuerfunktionen (Tasten, Knöpfe, Display) auf der Vorderseite und alle seine Konnektivität auf der Rückseite.

Vorderseite

Die Frontplatte des CH-Amp ist sauber angeordnet und ergänzt die Gesamtform. Es verfügt über eine 6.35-mm-Buchse für den Single-End-Schaltkreis und einen 4.4-mm Anschluss für den Balanced-Circuit.

Das kleine OLED Display zeigt den ausgewählten Eingang (BAL, L1, L2) und die Verstärkung (hoch, niedrig) an. Wenn kein Kopfhörer angeschlossen ist, zeigt er seine Vorverstärkereinstellung “PRE” an. Es enthält auch ein raffiniertes VU-Meter. Das Display ist immer eingeschaltet und kann nicht gedimmt werden, aber es ist subtil.

Die winzigen Tasten rechts vom Display lassen Sie Gain und Line-In auswählen. Der Ein-Aus- /Lautstärkeregler kann auch als Stummschalttaste verwendet werden.

Rückseite

Die Rückwand des CH-Amp enthält einen 5-poligen Stromeingang aus dem Netzteil PSU-3, eine 4.4 mm Balanced-Buchse und 2 RCA-Eingänge. Das bedeutet, dass Sie 3 weitere Quellgeräte gleichzeitig anschliessen können.

Für die Verwendung eines Vorverstärkers verfügt der CH-Amp über einen .,4-mm symmetrische Line-Out und RCA-Pre-Outs. Der 4.4-mm Schaltungkreis ist erforderlich, um die Abmessungen des Stacks niedrig zu halten (XLR erfordert ein viel größeres Chassis). Die Hinterseite des Netzteils wird im Folgenden ausführlich besprochen.

Das Einschalten der Stromversorgung begrüßt Sie mit einem lauten “Zong” … was normal ist. Sie müssen den CH-Amp immer noch einzeln (und den Tradutto) einschalten, indem Sie den Lautstärkeregler drücken..

Standardmäßig befindet sich der CH-Amp auf Lautstärkestufe 0/niedrige Verstärkung. Nachdem Sie die Eingabe und den Gain ausgewählt haben, kann man Musik hören.

Wenn Sie den Kopfhörer aus der Buchse ziehen, wird die Lautstärke automatisch auf 0 zurückgesetzt. Der Knopf bewegt sich unter einem Klickgeräusch physisch zurück in diese Position. Es ist ein Sicherheitsmechanismus zum Schutz Ihrer Ausrüstung und Ihrer Ohren.

Während dies ein cooler Effekt sein kann, wird der Gain auch auf niedrig zurückgesetzt. Ich würde es vorziehen, wenn der Gain auf der zuvor gewählten Einstellung bleibt, da es sich nicht um eine Sicherheitsanforderung handelt (Nullvolumen ist Nullvolumen). Es wäre bequemer, wenn die Gainwahl in die Funktionalität der Fernbedienung einbezogen würde – was nicht der Fall ist.

Die Fernbedienung

Es ist eigentlich eine doppelte Fernbedienung zur Steuerung des CH-Amp und des Tradutto DAC – und es schaltet auch beide Geräte ein und aus (aber nicht das Netzteil). Die Fernbedienung besteht vollständig aus Metall mit hochwertigen Tastenmechanismen – und sie enthält eine verbaute Batterie. Es lädt über jedes 5V-Netzteil/Computersteckdose über seine USB-C-Buchse auf. Ladegerät und Kabel sind nicht im Lieferumfang enthalten… weniger Unordnung.

Die Haptik ist großartig, sicherlich viel besser als meine Schublade voller billig anmutenden Kunststofffernbedienungen für den Betrieb meines Fernsehers, einiger DACS und sogar meines Premium-Marantz SA8005 SACD-Players.

Woran man sich gewöhnen muss, ist die Ergonomie (es ist nur eine rechteckige Box mit abgerundeten Ecken) und die betrieblichen Herausforderungen. Wenn Sie den Tradutto DAC auf den CH-Amp/PSU-3 stapeln, können Sie es kontra-intuitiv finden, die Tasten des CH-Amp oberhalb der Tasten des Tradutto zu haben… und können den Tradutto auch zwischen CH-Amp und PSU-3 stellen.

Aber offensichtlich hat der CH-Amp Vorrang in der Fernbedienung, da Sie möglicherweise überhaupt keinen Tradutto besitzen.

Die andere Herausforderung besteht darin, dass sich die Auswahltasten des CH-Amp (Line-Ins: BAL, L1, L2) und die Auswahltasten des Tradutto (Eingänge: USB, TOS, COAX, BT) auf gegenüberliegenden Seiten befinden. All dies in dem Kontext, dass die Tasten sehr nah beieinander liegen. Wie bereits erwähnt, ist eine Gain Control-Taste nicht enthalten.

Auch hier kommt diese Organisation der Größe der Fernbedienung zugute, die viel kleiner ist als jede andere Fernbedienung für Desktop-Geräte, die ich habe – und die dem kleinen Konzept des EarMen- Stacks entspricht.

Sie werden die Fernbedienung viel verwenden, wenn Ihre Arme kürzer sind als Ihr Kopfhörerkabel.

Das PSU-3 Netzteil

Es ist offensichtlich, dass das als CH-Amp beworbene Gerät aus zwei Teilen besteht, von denen der größere und schwerer überhaupt kein Verstärker ist: das Netzteil PSU-3. Es verfügt über vier Anschlüsse (einschließlich beigelegte Kabel) und kann daher drei zusätzliche 12-V-Geräte außer dem CH-Amp (wie den Tradutto DAC, EarMen’s Staccato Streamer und ein anderes Gerät Ihrer Wahl) liefern.

Die Eingangsspannung kann zwischen 115 und 230 V geschaltet werden. Obwohl das Netzteil sperrig aussehen mag, spart es tatsächlich viel Platz, wie im nächsten Kapitel besprochen.

Netzteile sind ein sehr wichtiger und häufig unterschätzter Teil unserer Stereoanlagen. Ich habe einige getestet, und nach meiner Erfahrung machen sie einen großen klanglichen Unterschied – und ich meine enorm: nicht durch Hinzufügen von Klangqualität, sondern durch Minimierung der Erosion derselben .

Beispiele sind das Netzteil des Tradutto, das ifi Audio iPowerX und das Burson Super Charger, die alle Schaltmodus Netzteile sind (wie unsere Telefon-/Notebook-Ladegeräte). Sie sind kleiner als die PSU-3 Einheit, die eine lineare Stromversorgung (LPS) ist.

Ein LPS ist relativ sperrig (bis zur Mikrowellengröße) und schwer, weil es einen großen Transformator enthält, aber es hat ein gutes Preis-Leistungs Verhältnis, das eine sauberere Gleichstromspannung durch eine stabilere Spannung liefert.

Die kleineren SMPS sind im Allgemeinen lauter und verschlechtern das Signal mehr, es sei denn, Sie wechseln in das Super-Premium-Segment. Aber selbst ein anständiger LPS kann Sie mehrere hundert Dollar kosten.

Die Ingenieure von EarMen haben offensichtlich viel über saubere Energie nachgedacht.

Wenn Sie auch den Tradutto besitzen, können Sie seinen Standard SMPS für andere Geräte verwenden. Das PSU-3 ist ein besseres Netzteil, das auch den Klang des Tradutto verbessert.

Verstärkerleistung

Der CH-Amp hat eine maximale Leistung von 3.8 W für seine ausgeglichene Leistung bei hoher Verstärkung @ 32 Ω. In den beiden folgenden Tabellen finden Sie weitere Informationen zu anderen repräsentativen Kopfhörerimpedanzen. EarMen empfiehlt keine Lastimpedanz von 8 Ω (Sie können dies mit dem IE Match umgehen).

Balanced Output (4.4 mm)

Single-ended Output (6.35 mm)

Ich habe den CH-Amp mit dem EarMen Tradutto DAC getestet, mit Musik von meinem MacBook Air. Ich habe hauptsächlich zwei Kopfhörer verwendet, den energiehungrigen 300 Ω Sennheiser HD 600 und den weniger anspruchsvollen 16 Ω Final Sonorous III, beide mit 4,.4 mm symmetrischen Kopfhörerkabeln. Die Lautstärkeskala des CH-Amp reicht von 0 bis 30.

Mit den Sennheisern drehte ich die Lautstärke auf 15 (bei “High Gain”) für einen “gesunden” Klang und auf etwa 20 für laute Musik. 25 war für mein Trommelfell zuviel. Der Sonorous spielte bereits sehr laut bei 9 auf der Skala (bei “Low Gain”). 6 war genug für normales Hören.

Das Fahren des 32 Ω Beyerdynamic Custom Pro und des 70 Ω Sennheiser HD25 auf der Single-End- Schaltung mit geringer Verstärkung war auch ein Kinderspiel für den CH-Amp.

Der CH-Amp treibt jeden Kopfhörer ausreichend an (mit Ausnahme einiger seltener, besonders “hungriger” Planare).

Klang

Ich habe mit dem EarMen Tradutto DAC getestet, der von einem MacBook Air mit Musik versorgt wurde.

Der Klang des CH-Amp ist im wesentlichen unverfärbt, vielleicht mit einem sehr leichten Boost am unteren Ende (abhängig von Quelle und Verbindungen). Die Transparenz ist ausgezeichnet, die Inszenierung und die Erweiterung variieren je nach Wandler: Der Sennheiser HD 600 spielt viel offener als der Final Sonorous III.

Es gibt offensichtlich einen klanglichen Unterschied zwischen den symmetrischen und den asymmetrischen Ausgängen (abgesehen von der Leistung). Der symmetrische Schaltkreis verleiht dem Klangbild mehr Tiefe – und erzeugt einen insgesamt “ausgeglicheneren” Klang. Es ist die .,4-mm-Schaltung, die den CH-Amp zum Strahlen bringt.

Ich testete über 2 Monate mit Kopfhörern mit Impedanzen von nur 16 Ω und registrierte kein Zischen. Eine Aufnahme, zu der ich immer wieder zurückkomme, ist Miles Davis’ klassisches 1959 Kind of Blue Album (in der digitalen Hybrid-Version SACD SICP 10083 2007 von Sony Japan), in Kombination mit dem Sennheiser HD 600 (mit symmetrischem Kopfhörerkabel). Meiner Erfahrung nach fühlt es sich an, als wäre man im Studio: ausgezeichnete Transparenz, Schärfe, Auflösung und Kontrolle. Der Klang ist lebendig, aber natürlich und ausgewogen. Eine süchtig machende Erfahrung.

Im Vergleich dazu erzeugt der Tradutto mit dem ähnlich leistungsstarken Burson Funk (mit den V6 Classic Opamps und dem Super Charger-Netzteil) einen wärmeren und flacheren Klang (da ihm ein symmetrische Schaltkreis fehlt).

Der CH-Amp erzeugt in Kombination mit dem EarMen Tradutto den besten Sound, den ich mit meinen Kopfhörern erlebt habe. Es ist ein wirklich komplettes (ausgewogene) Paket!

Spielt die Größe eine Rolle?

Auf meinem Schreibtisch ist der Platz knapp – und Größe daher sehr wichtig. Die Marie Kondo in mir will ein Setup mit dem bestmöglichen Klang und doch dem kleinstmöglichen Platzbedarf – und so wenig (Kabel-) Unordnung wie möglich.

Der EarMen Stack (Tradutto, CH-Amp und Staccato-Streamer) nimmt die kleinstmögliche Fläche eines Stapels in seiner Kategorie ein. Es baut sich eher auf als draußen, genau wie Wolkenkratzer in Metropolen – und er nimmt kaum mehr Fläche ein als eine CD.

Sein Platzbedarf wird durch den Mangel an Kabelsalat weiter minimiert: Die einzelnen, kurzen 4.4- mm-Pentaconn-Kabel nehmen viel weniger Platz ein als die beiden sperrigen XLR-Kabel, die es ersetzt. Ich habe mein Megumi-Kupferkabel bei Hart Audio bestellt, das auch die weniger umständlichen 4.4-mm-Kabel für praktisch hält.

Die dritte Platzersparnis findet unter unseren Schreibtischen statt. Anstatt vier Steckdosen oder eine Netzleiste mit drei zusätzlichen externen Netzteilen zu benötigen, die um unsere Füße baumeln (was zu potenziellen Interferenzproblemen führen kann), benötigt das PSU-3 Netzteil nur ein einziges Netzkabel/eine Steckdose für die Versorgung des CH-Amp und weitere drei 12-V-Geräte.

Wenn Sie beispielsweise nur das PSU-3 für den CH-Amp und Tradutto verwenden, können Sie zwei weitere 12-V-Geräte daran anschließen. Zum Beispiel funktioniert es für den TempoTec Serenade X- Player – und es verbessert dessen Klang im Vergleich zu seinem eigenen Netzteil erheblich (sogar das Standardstromversorgung des Tradutto lässt den Serenade X viel besser klingen).

Zusammenfassend ist “weniger mehr” und die Größe des EarMen Stacks ist sehr praktisch. Mit einem Problem weniger kann ich meine Bürounordnung den Büchern und Papierkram überlassen.

Abschließende Bemerkungen

Zusammenfassend lässt sich sagen, dass sich der CH-Amp durch ein sauberes Industriedesign, saubere Leistung, sauberen Klang und saubere Kabelorganisation mit dem kleinstmöglichen Platzbedarf auszeichnet.

Sowohl CH-Amp als auch Tradutto sorgen für einen fantastischen Stack, ein Komplettpaket, das es sich gelohnt hat, meine Lieblingskopfhörer mit 4.4-mm “symmetrischen” Kabeln neu auszurüsten (siehe die “Galerie” unten für Details.

Der EarMen-Stack ist die beste Desktop-Combo, die ich getestet habe. Basta! Und es ist mehr als genug für meine klanglichen Bedürfnisse. Es kommt nicht oft vor, dass ein so großartiges Gerät auf meinen Schreibtisch kommt.

Am Ende gilt “Wir sind die CH-Ampions”… bitte entschuldigen Sie den Kalauer.

Für beste Ergebnisse kombinieren Sie den CH-Amp mit dem Tradutto.

Bis zum nächsten Mal…keep on listening!

Contact us!

Impressum

Our generic standard disclaimer.

Gallerie

The post EarMen CH-Amp Kopfhörerverstärker – Testbericht aus Kanada appeared first on Music For The Masses.

At-a-glance Card

Full Device Card

Test setup

Sources: Questyle QP1R / Questyle M15 / E1DA 9038D, 9038SG3 – Final B tips – Stock high purity OFC silver plated cable – lossless 16-24/44.1-192 FLAC tracks.

Signature analysis

Tonality

Ara’s timbre is clear and almost crystalline, however at times scanting into ethereal. Tonality is definitely bright, and the general impression is that of technical monitors striving to deliver as much uncolored transparency as possible.

Sub-Bass

Sub bass is extended and rumble is present, although lean and sometimes not authoritative enough

Mid Bass

Midbass is probably Ara’s worst part. Flat, only slightly elevated, and unforgivingly BA-fast, it is sharp, edgy, too snappy, not remotely punchy enough to be credible and most of all often hollow. Due to all this, of course texture is severely lacking.

I am not in audio tuning, you know, but situation makes me wonder what was the intended purpose for the adoption of even four (!) independent BA transducers for the low frequencies. It’s also worth noting that these BA drivers also lack in flexibility/latitude: they react quite poorly to EQing, giving back more/less loudness but hardly any real improvement in tone/musicality balancing.

Mids

Very quick and dry, somewhat lean in the lower part and get more bodied from the center up. Guitars are rendered well for the most part.

Male Vocals

Tenors and even more baritons suffer from Ara’s lack of body in the lower mids. That aside, they sound nice and detailed – they just lack true realism.

Female Vocals

Unlike male voices, female vocals on Ara are a point of excellence. Reasonably bodied, they take advantage of the driver in the right way this time and deliver a night-organic result, with enough room for texturing

Highs

Vivid and energetic, especially up above (brilliance). Ara’s trebles are very crisp and clean, full of air, never zingy – a real good job has been made here. This is of course where the BA drivers give their best in terms of snappy transients (especially attack). The limit gets hit upon raising the volume above comfort level, when some sound gets dangerously close to shoutyness.

Technicalities

Soundstage

Ara project a good stage, mostly in the horizontal and vertical direction, a bit less in the depth direction. The listener tends to perceive the room even grander due to all that air in the treble.

Imaging

Imaging is just stunning on Ara: instruments and voices are cast on the stage with razor sharp precision, there is never any fuzzyness, and most of all there is a lot of “clean air” amongst them. This, and layering, are no doubt the most outstanding features of the product.

Details

Detail retrieval is very very good from the trebles and the high mids, while just average from the bass due to those extrasnappy transients down there, cutting much of the texture and nuances from sounds below 3-400Hz.

Instrument separation

Separation and layering is close to as good as it can possibly get. Ara are capable of virtually telling all members of an orchestra or a chorus apart, however crowded might be the musical passage. Some exception might take place in the treble area, at very high listening volume levels – which I still tend to consider user’s misuse, not a device’s fault.

Driveability

Ara are tricky to properly bias as they carry very high sensitivity (94 dB SPL : 7.094 mVrms, corresponding to circa 118db/mW at their 8.5ohm impedance) which makes them hiss with quite a few different sources, and extremely low impedance, which requires extremely low output impedance pairings to avoid setting the bass tonality off. When paired to a powerful amp, an IFI IEMatch used on Ultra mode may help here.

Physicals

Build

Housings are literally built like tanks, made of titanium and assembled with evident attention to solidity. MMCX connectors exude quality.

Fit

Ara feature quite long nozzles, which is a piece of good news as their housings shape, size and edges might not totally easy to wear by “everyone”. They are also quite tip-dependant, although for once I must clap to the manufacturer for having included really pertinent tips with the product: both the bundled Final Type-E silicon tips and the Campfire foams do pair very well with the Ara. Being a nitpicker I find Final type B tips a tad even better than Type E, but that’s really a subtlety.

Comfort

As I mentioned above, Ara’s housings are not particularly small nor smooth so finding them comfortable is a hit or miss. To me it’s… a half hit. YMMV.

Isolation

After wearing them in a way to make them somewhat comfortable, Ara don’t offer much passive isolation to me

Cable

This part is a bit disappointing. Not much from the cable structure standpoint, as after rotating quite a few alternatives I don’t find the stock litz silver plated copper wire bad sounding at all, rather on the value side: at this point in the market evolution, a high budget product like Ara shuould, or I’d say “must”, be offered with a modular termination plug cable…

Specifications (declared)

Housing	Machined titanium shells. “Tuned Acoustic Expansion Chamber” internal structure
Driver(s)	2 BA for high frequencies, 1 BA for mid frequencies, 4 BA for low frequencies
Connector	Custom Beryllium/Copper MMCX
Cable	Campfire Audio Litz Cable – Silver Plated Copper Conductors with Berylium Copper MMCX and 3.5mm Stereo Plug
Sensitivity	94 dB SPL @ 1kHz: 7.094 mVrms = circa 118 dB/mW
Impedance	8.5 Ω
Frequency Range	10 – 28000 Hz
Package & Accessories	Campfire Audio Sustainable Cork Earphone Case – Final Audio Tips (xs/s/m/l/xl) – Campfire Audio Earphone Tips(s/m/l) – Silicon Earphone Tips (s/m/l) – Campfire Audio Lapel Pin – Cleaning Tool
MSRP at this post time	$1299,00

Comparisons

Campfire Andromeda 2020 (discontinued – was $1099)

Andromeda 2020 have a more neutral-balanced tonality, vs Ara’s distinctly bright-clear sided one. Andromeda have a more elevated bass and sub bass line, although note weight is not heavier by the same amount. Conversely, Ara’s high mids, and female vocals, are obviously more bodied, organic and pleasant then Andromeda’s.

Ara’s technicalities are clearly superior to Andromeda’s which, although very good, don’t really compete especially with Ara’s proweness about layering and imaging. Both drivers are tricky to correctly pair with sources due to their very low impedances and perniciously high sensitivies.

Both suffer from som excessively perceivable BA timbre. At the end of the day Andromeda 2020 is more musical, Ara more technical.

Fearless S8Z ($599)

Very simply put, S8Z can be seen as cheaper, less refined Aras. The two devices have in common a full-BA architecture (8 drivers for S8Z, 7 for Ara), a (too) prominent BA timbre, lack of body in the bass and lower mids, good trebles and both give their best on imaging and separation/layering. The differences are on “how well” the two carry out their jobs, Ara being – well… – better.

In particular, S8Z’s trebles are much less controlled compared to Ara’s and their imaging and layering capabilities, although often very good, are negatively impacted by excessive treble energy and occasional shoutyness.

Conclusions

Campfire Ara are no doubt remarkable IEMs, carrying a strong personality and some truly outstanding features – along with a quite significant price tag however.

The main reason to love Ara is their absolutely theatral capability to put every sound and every voice, however feeble or hidden, in its correct spot on the scene, keeping it separated and intelligible from the others and the ensemble. At the same time some (me included) may criticise their excessively light tone, ethereal at times, resulting in a somewhat aseptic presentation.

Even net of its shortcomings, Ara are anyhow a remarkable piece of audio engineering. Listening to Beethoven’s 9th on Ara is definitely an experience. I recommend anyone liking acoustic music to find a way to at least audition them, at least once…

I am thankful to Campfire for the review opportunity. Ara can be purchased from multiple distributors worldwide, or from Campfire direct shop, here.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post Campfire Audio Ara Review – Everything In Its Place appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — Lacks extension at both ends; not the best note definition, could be a bit edgier.

Executive Summary

The $600 Oriolus Isabellae is a warm, cohesive sounding, well balanced single DD iem with an inviting organic timbre that provides for a relaxed listen.

Introduction

Oriolus is a Japanese boutique manufacturer that has subscribed to high-end audio since 2015. They specialize in in ear monitors but also offer a digital analog player. Oriolus products are only available from hand-picked retailers.

The Isabellae is a well-perceived single-dynamic-driver earphone in the $500 price category. I could test it only for a few days as it was a private loaner.

Specifications

Physical Things and Usability

I did not receive the retail packaging but the bare iem plus cable. But what immediately stroke me was the earpieces haptic: I could not think of a better quality resin. The earpieces felt substantial and superb between my fingers. What’s unusual is the large nozzle thickness. I had to stretch standard eartips with 4.5 mm stems to get them on. Isolation was not great, but fit and comfort were good.

Cable comes with a 4.4 mm pentacon balanced connector. I used a Venture Electronics adapter to connect to 3.5 mm sockets. I could not find any tech information on the cable but it was very flexible and great to handle.

Tonality and Technicalities

Equipment used: Sony NW-A55; Macbook Air + AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt or Apogee Groove; LETSHUOER EJ07M white stock tips.

The Isabellae has an overall warm tonality with a slight V-shape, resulting in a cohesive, organic presentation without irritating peaks. Extension at both ends ist somewhat modest so that the main focus is at the mid-bass to lower midrange. The frequency response is close to the plethora of personal target curves of the usual protagonists. Tuning is safe and there are no unpleasant surprises across the frequency spectrum.

This results in a relaxed, never fatiguing listening experience that is particularly well suited for orchestral/acoustic pieces.

There is a mid-bass boost that is not overbearing (it does not pound against my sensitive eardrums) which adds warmth to the image and adds richness to vocals in the lower midrange. This frequency region is the most obvious/characteristic of the whole presentation.

Mid-bass is of medium speed, well textured, but can come across as a bit fuzzy at times, and it can make vintage recordings sound thick. Although there is some rumble at the bottom, sub-bass extension could be better, which is reflected in decreased soundstage depth.

The lower midrange gets weight from the mid-bass boost and not much energy from the moderate 2-4 kHz area. This results in rich, slightly warm vocals reproduction and the complete absence of shoutiness, but at the expense of midrange clarity. Note definition could also be improved, that is adding some edge. Male vocals have a good weight, more so than female ones, which are more intimate.

The drop starting at 2.5 kHz and increasing just before 5 kHz excludes sibilance and adds to the overall smoothness, but it also adversely affects stage width. Cymbals and hi-hats are typically recessed, though reasonably well resolving.

Soundstage is of average width with average depth. I miss a deeper stage. Macrodynamics is a bit polite for my taste, notes are rather rounded and deserve more bite. This contributes to the opposite of fatigue…after two hours or so, I feel I need a bit more pizazz and a harder kick! Microdynamics could be better at this price tag. I’d appreciate a bit more sparkle.

Spatial cues, layering and separation are good however the usual compromise of a single DD, but the wonderful organic timbre compensates for that. The stage can be crowded when a symphony orchestra plays.

Oriolus Isabellae Compared

Of the iems I know, the Dunu Zen comes sonically closest to the Isabellae. The Zen has a better sub-bass extension, which creates a deeper stage and a more immersive and engaging listening experience. And it has incredible microdynamics. But it also has a glare in the upper midrange that can attenuate and sharpen vocals. Both lack notable treble extension.

The better resolving $600 LETSHUOER EJ07M tribrid at a similar price tag provides a stark sonic contrast with its much drier, leaner, more energetic, less weighty, and more brittle and neutral presentation. It’s bass is also boosted, but faster, tighter, and crisper/snappier/more dynamic, the vocals sharper, leaner, and more energetic. But the EJ07M has the narrower (however deeper) soundstage and the better resolution. You want the smoother Isabellae with its thicker bass and natural timbre for laid back, symphonic listening and the Shuoer for your energetic rock music.

The $350 Unique Melody 3DT with its three (!) dynamic drivers has a sharper, edgier/spicier, and a leaner, cleaner but more brittle and analytical presentation. Notes are better defined but the experience is less engaging though crisper than with the Oriolus. I had to tape the 3DT’s nozzle off to reduce its upper midrange and the danger of shoutiness. Both models could not be more opposite: warm and fuzzy vs. correct and sterile.

The $200 Moondrop KATO has the narrower stage but a clearer midrange and an overall “harder” sound than the Isabellae. It is not as warm and rich as the Isabellas, which probably stems from its comparatively less boosted mid bass. The Oriolus sounds smoother and more mature, the Kato more juvenile and energetic…and borderline shouty.

The JVC HA-FDX1 has a leaner, more neutral, and less bassy presentation. It offers a narrower stage, is more strident in the upper mids, has a somewhat metallic timbre…and is still less analytical than the UM 3DT.  

Concluding Remarks

The Oriolus Isabellae are rather polite playing single-dynamics earphones with state-of-the-art haptic. They will appeal to fans of Final Audio Design products (another Japanese company) and to those who enjoy natural timbre in acoustic sets.

Until next time…keep on listening!

Contact us!

All Our 302 Earphone and Earbud Reviews (with Links)

Disclaimer

This private loaner was kindly provided by Super Best Audio Friend Rockwell – and I think him for that.

Get the Oriolua Isabellae from Musicteck.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post Oriolus Isabellae Review – Japanese Politeness appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — Questyle CMA FIfteen lacks balanced/XLR line-in
– Sparse accessories
– Gain switches hard to reach
– Not the best pairing with very bright headphones

INTRODUCTION

Questyle has slowly become one of the most consistent manufacturers around. Nearly all of their releases are either excellent, or extremely competitive at their respective price-tier.

I have been using the Questyle CMA-400i for the past two years, using it as a reference desktop source. The Questyle CMA Twelve, meanwhile, has managed a place at our Wall of Excellence as one of the best TOTL DAC-Amps around.

Naturally the CMA Fifteen has to bear the weight of high expectations. Anything short of excellence in terms of sonic performance is a letdown. Let’s see if Questyle can maintain the track record with their latest flagship.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. Questyle was kind enough to send me the CMA Fifteen as part of the Review Tour. The unit was sent to the next reviewer afterwards.

Headphones and IEMs used: Final Sonorous III, Sennheiser HD650/HD820/HD560S, HiFiMAN HE-6se V2/HE-400i/Deva Pro, Meze 99 Classics, Dunu Zen, Earsonics Onyx
Price, while reviewed: $2400. Can be bought from HiFiGo.

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

Questyle does not provide a lot in terms of accessories. A remote, a power cord, the CMA Fifteen itself, and that’s about it. The remote is pretty handy esp for volume adjustment and muting, but many of the buttons do not really work (since this is a universal remote for all Questyle products).

BUILD QUALITY

In one word: excellent. The machined aluminium chassis has a solid, dense feeling. The top panel can be unscrewed by removing the 8 screws (do note the differing lengths of the screws at corners). There’s an option to replace the top aluminium panel with a plexiglass panel but I recommend against it since heat dissipation becomes worse that way.

The front of the unit is full of knobs and lights. Some might find it too busy, and I agree. Having four different logos/trademarks do not help either. Questyle does a far better job with the CMA-400i front panel (where additional logos are shifted to the top panel) so I wonder why they did not choose so here.

Most of the controls on the front panel are self-explanatory. The “Function” button switches between using the CMA Fifteen as a DAC-Amp or a DAC-Preamp. This is a very useful function as with a flip of a switch I can go from my headphones to my powered speakers, for example.

The “bias control” switch meanwhile turns the High Bias mode on or off. More on this later. Also note that all three of the front panel outputs are active at the same time, so I’d advise against keeping sensitive IEMs or headphones plugged in alongside hard-to-drive ones (as once you push the volume for the inefficient ones, the efficient ones will get progressively louder as well).

The volume knob has a cool trick: it rotates accordingly when changing the volume via the remote. The feel and quality of the volume knob is also improved over the previous Questyle DAC/AMps e.g. my Quesytle CMA-400i knob got loose over time. I could fix it by tightening the screw inside again, but it needed some fiddling.

Looking at the back of the device, you have all the expected inputs and outputs. Questyle has a type-C and regular USB type-B input to keep up with modern standards. The USB inputs get the highest priority, but of course you can switch to other inputs with the switch at the front.

The surprising (for Questyle) inclusion is the RCA input. Previous Questyle all-in-ones lacked an analogue input and this made it impossible to use the amp section alone. That’s not the case anymore with the CMA Fifteen, though I’d have preferred an XLR input as well (though space constraint could’ve been a reason for excluding that).

Then we find the stereo outputs and this time XLR-out is available. The line-out can have fixed or variable voltage, and the line-out level can also be adjusted between 14dBu and 20dBu. Lastly, we find the BT module (with LDAC support), a button to pair the DAC-Amp with a BT device, a voltage switch (110V or 220V), and the power input with a fuse underneath.

My only gripe: the gain switch at the bottom. There are four separate DIP switches and you have to individually switch them to the desired gain level. The procedure is annoying as it’s not easy to switch gain on the fly for sensitive stuff. You have to flip the entire unit to gain access. Given that vertical mount does not work here like CMA-400i, you have to fiddle with the unit at times if you intend to use sensitive IEMs and power-hungry planars.

TECH INSIDE THE CMA FIFTEEN

Questyle is known for their clean PCB design and the use of high quality components, and the CMA Fifteen is no exception. The space on the PCB is well-utilized with the DAC, Amp, and PSU components having their separate “grouping”. The components themselves are sourced from reputed brands, e.g. WIMA film caps, Nichicon Fine Gold series caps, DALE resistors, Plitron/Noratel toroidal transformer etc.

The USB controller sits on top the motherboard on a separate “daughterboard” and is connected to the main PCB via a ribbon interface. It’s an XMOS controller, as is the norm nowadays (apart from Schiit who make their own controller).

Another interesting inclusion is the Linear PSU within the unit itself. The CMA-400i lacked this while the CMA Twelve/Twelve Master included a linear PSU as well (though smaller in size). As a result, you won’t have to shell out extra money on external PSUs or “noise filtering” devices.

Finally, let’s have a look at the discrete four-channel current-mode amp section. The voltage-rail caps are on the right whereas the individual amp channels have the DIP switches directly coupled with them at the bottom. This is why you have to switch four different switches just to go from low to high gain, or vice-versa. On the left, you see the ES9038Pro DAC chip, which is the highest performing Sabre chip on the market right now. To learn more about Current-mode amplification, have a look here.

Speaking of the DAC chip, Questyle picked the ES9038Pro since it’s a current-mode DAC chip, and coupled with Questyle’s Current-mode Amp topology, this system can negate the need of IV conversion between the DAC and the Amp, resulting in a more direct signal path. Does this improve the sound quality? Well, that’s hard to gauge, but this is cool from an engineering perspective anyway.

Finally, a list of the technical spec, taken straight out of Questyle’s CMA Fifteen page:

TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

Listening setup: Questyle CMA Fifteen connected directly to a desktop gaming PC and alternatively an Apple Macbook Pro (M1 Max). The Macbook Pro ran on battery during listening test. There was no noticeable difference between sound or noise level between these systems, proving that the noise filtering on the CMA Fifteen is doing a good job.

To describe the tonality in one word: Super-transparent. I’ll describe some general traits here, and then move on to pairing with several headphones/IEMs since when talking about sources, pairings are the only way to judge them properly.

The mids are intoxicating, every slight nuance of vocal delivery or guitar strumming being vividly portrayed. The highs are very resolving without a hint of edginess or grain. Notes are slightly rounded but not overly so.

Soundstage is engulfing and stage depth is exemplary. Imaging is precise and differs slightly from most DACs in terms of panning from center to left or right. It’s hard to describe but center imaging is better on the CMA Fifteen than most solid-state DAC-Amps I’ve tried in the TOTL space.

Bass is not as spectacular as the rest of the stuff, given the uncolored, neutral presentation on that front. That being said, even on headphones with relatively “poor” bass e.g. HD650 the mid-bass punch and note delivery was spot-on. Bass is mostly focused on the dexterity of the delivery rather than having a rich, dense bass response.

This highly resolving signature comes at the cost of one detriment: CMA Fifteen is unforgiving to poor mastering or recording flaws. Moreover, peaks and dips in the frequency response of IEMs and headphones are laid bare to the listener. If you want your source to be on the forgiving side, CMA Fifteen ain’t it.

MQA hardware decoding works, and MQA tracks sounded somewhat better with the HW decoding turned on than off (in the desktop Tidal app). Make of that what you will, but I did a blind A/B and it was that.

PAIRING NOTES

Let’s address the noise level first. There is very faint hiss with the likes of Andromeda or Final FI-BA-SS. Most IEMs are hiss-free and has excellent dynamics. Generally, the CMA Fifteen pairs especially well with planars and high-impedance dynamic drivers (with high bias on). Note that the high bias mode ensures a longer operation in pure class-A mode.

with Sennheiser HD650

One potential issue I found was that the HD650 would sound slightly shouty in Standard bias mode. Turning on high bias solved that for me (and I did a blind A/B testing just to be sure it’s not a placebo). This was the only time when high bias mode made a very noticeable difference, so I think other high impedance headphones might benefit from this mode as well.

Other than that: exceptionally balanced sound from the HD650. The mids were intoxicating in high bias mode, and the treble was extended without being too subdued or up-front. The bass roll-off isn’t addressed, and bass is the weakest link here (to fix that you really need an OTL amp with the HD650). As far as solid-state pairings go, CMA Fifteen drive and pair with the HD650 as well as anything out there.

with Final Sonorous III

The Final Sonorous III are quite susceptible to source changes, and also very efficient to drive so it’s easy to “over-drive” them on a source that’s just all about grunt and little about “finesse”. The CMA Fifteen handles low impedance loads very well, Sonorous III did not have any edginess in the treble (which appears on subpar sources or when being over-driven). As an aside: Meze 99 Classics also paired extremely well with the CMA Fifteen with the bass being less bloomy and bloated than out of an iFi Zen Can, for example.

with HiFiMAN HE-6se V2

The HiFiMAN HE-6se V2 are notoriously difficult to drive with a sensitivity of only 83dB/mW. People are often using speaker amps to drive them (at times in a monoblock config which is nuts) so the CMA Fifteen are up for a challenge.

And fortunately, they pass that challenge with aplomb. The bass slams hard, with the treble being bright and sparkly but not grainy or super-aggressive (which is the case when the HE-6se V2 are underpowered). Staging was improved noticeably over my CMA-400i and the SMSL SP-400. All of this without having to go past the 12 o’clock position in the volume knob (which is very loud for me).

If you own planar magnetic headphones, very few DAC-Amps will perform as well as the CMA Fifteen.

with Dunu Zen

Dunu Zen is a single dynamic driver IEM that’s very susceptible to background hiss/high noise-floor on the source side. Fortunately, CMA Fifteen has a mostly quiet background, with subtle “hum” being evident when no music is playing. Once the music starts playing even that fades away.

In terms of sound, the Zen had excellent dynamics and also benefitted from the midrange transparency that the CMA Fifteen offers. I do find the pairing with Cayin C9 to be even better when it comes to Zen, but that is a different class of device altogether.

SELECT COMPARISONS

vs Questyle CMA-400i

Being my daily driver, I am fairly accustomed to the CMA-400i sound signature. To summarize, the CMA-400i is less resolving, with the mids being not as engaging. The staging is less expansive as well, though imaging is largely similar.

The bass has slightly more weight on the CMA-400i though faster bass sections are better rendered on the CMA Fifteen. Output power is also noticeably higher on the CMA Fifteen with nearly double the current. CMA-400i also has more background hiss with sensitive IEMs.

Overall, the CMA Fifteen is an upgrade over the CMA-400i, though the 3x increase in price make the CMA-400i an even better value-for-money.

vs Questyle CMA Twelve

In terms of feature-set and output power, these two DAC-Amps are largely similar. The CMA Fifteen have analog input which is a plus.

As for sound, CMA Twelve has slightly more warmth and less expansive stage, and the treble is a bit more rounded. The bass has more weight and slam on the CMA Twelve, but the CMA Fifteen can give the sensation of better “separation” between notes. Mids are also more engaging on the CMA Twelve with even better transparency.

In essence, the CMA Twelve is not too far off the performance of the Fifteen. It’s mostly the stage size and the space between instruments that are larger, grander on the CMA Fifteen, and the bass being more nimble than weighty.

vs iFi Pro iDSD SIgnature

The iFi Pro iDSD Signature has more tuning options and better output selection but it sounds less resolving with a more intimate presentation. Separation of instruments are also not as outlined as the CMA Fifteen. Moreover, planars fared better with the CMA Fifteen, with the HE-6 having more slam on the CMA Fifteen while sounding somewhat anemic on the Pro iDSD Signature in default configuration (no bass boost engaged).

That being said, with the right pairing e.g. bright headphones, the Pro iDSD can sound magnificent. Also the bass boost and tube modes are really well-implemented, so if you are into tweaking the sound of your headphones, Pro iDSD Signature has more to offer there.

CONCLUSION

Questyle CMA Fifteen is a solid all-rounder. It sounds great with almost any headphones and IEMs out there, and it sounds exceptional with planar magnetic headphones. The build is very good, the output power is more than enough for almost any headphones, and the size of the unit is petite enough to be put on the desk alongside your PC and powered monitors.

The only complaint I have is the crowded front-panel, a lack of XLR input, and perhaps a way to apply analog tone-control, something iFi Pro iDSD Signature offers. Other than that – nothing, really.

It’s rare that I come across a device so complete, and something that may stop you from purchasing further gears because it does everything so well. The Questyle CMA Fifteen earns my highest recommendation, and also gets a place in our Wall of Excellence, replacing the previous CMA Twelve Master.

Job well done, Questyle!

MY VERDICT

4.75/5

Contact us!

DISCLAIMER

Get it from HiFiGo

Our generic standard disclaimer.

PHOTOGRAPHY

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post Questyle CMA Fifteen Review – The Great Sequel appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — The Gryphon can feel unwieldy when paired with large phones
– Not powerful enough to drive planars
– Slight hiss with extremely sensitive IEMs (without IEMatch)
– Not the best battery life when driving power-hungry cans
– High recharge times

INTRODUCTION

iFi Audio has been hard at work lately as they are continually refreshing their existing models whereas throwing in a new model or two to further flesh out their lineup.

The iFi xDSD Gryphon is their latest portable DAC-Amp and in terms of pricing it sits below the venerable micro iDSD Signature. In terms of features and use-case though, the Gryphon seem to be an evolved xCAN. Moreover, the circuitry has similarities with the desktop all-in-one iFi Neo iDSD (reviewed here).

So, the Gryphon appears to be a mish-mash of several past and present iFi products and seem to have taken the best bits from them, at least on paper. Let’s see if the real-world performance stacks up accordingly.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. iFi Audio was kind enough to send me the xDSD Gryphon as a loaner via WOD Audio.

Earphones/Headphones used: Dunu Zen, Earsonics ONYX, Campfire Audio Holocene, Sennheiser HD650, ZMF Atrium, Final Sonorous III.
Firmware versions: 1.45
Price, while reviewed: 600 euros. Can be bought from WOD Audio.

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

iFi Audio went for a minimalist package with the Gryphon. You get the essentials: a USB type-C to type-C cable (for connecting to phones), a USB type-C to lightning cable (for connecting with iPhones), and a type-C to USB type-A cable for charging. Alongside, you also get a felt carrying pouch.

BUILD QUALITY

Build quality of the xDSD Gryphon is excellent. The housing is sandblasted aluminum with a wavy pattern on top. The volume pot is also color-matched and has distinct “steps” when rotated.

There are two buttons on the right side of the volume pot (xBass II/xSpace switch, and input selector respectively) and two headphone outputs on the left side (4.4mm balanced and 3.5mm single-ended). The volume pot has good feedback when rotated but the press feedback is a bit mushy.

The bottom of the device is extremely busy. From the left, first up is the XBass II adjusting switch. You can tweak the sound of the bass boost or the stage expansion here. Then, there are two type-C ports, one for charging and another for connecting to external devices. Underneath the charging port is a charge indicator LED.

Next to that is the coaxial/optical input, which is rare to find in device of such class nowadays. Finally, there are the 4.4mm and 3.5mm analog input/line-output. It is a variable line-out, which means voltage needs to be adjusted via the volume pot. You can use the Gryphon as a standalone DAC and pre-amp if needed.

The volume pot also acts as a power button and has an LED on top to indicate a range of SPLs (Sound Pressure Level). Another LED on the side also shows the current sample rate and file format. The following image shows all the colors and their corresponding sample rate or format.

Engaging either xBass II or PowerMatch lights up the tiny white LEDs beside the button. At the bottom there is the IEMatch switch that can select between the single-ended or balanced output. Finally, at the top faceplate resides the SilentLine OLED display which can be used to modify settings and cycle between inputs etc.

Overall, excellent build quality with no noticeable room for improvement.

HANDLING

The xDSD Gryphon, at 215 g, is not too substantial in terms of weight. However, due to the 75mm width can be awkward to hold in hand. This becomes more noticeable when you’re stacking the DAC/Amp with a large phone (most modern phones are large anyway).

As a result, I preferred to use the Gryphon with my laptop in wired mode, and while on-the-go, I paired via Bluetooth with my phone. Fortunately, the aluminium chassis provides decent amount of grip, so stacking is possible.

BATTERY LIFE

Clocking at around 8hrs of playback time, the battery life on the Gryphon is decent if unremarkable. This figure goes down further if you drive high impedance dynamics or use it over BT for long periods.

The 3600mAh battery pack could have been increased for higher playback times, but then the device would become thicker. Recharging takes about 5 hours on a typical phone charger, which is extremely high. I wish iFi employed a fast charging circuit because this recharge time means you can’t just quickly top it off once the battery empties.

INTERNAL HARDWARE

iFi Audio are most comfortable with using the BurrBrown chipset and here it appears again on the xDSD Gryphon. This is the same DAC chip that appears in the flagship Pro iDSD Signature (albeit in a quad-DAC config). The BB DSD1793 chipset offers native DSD encoding and with the updated XMOS controller can now decode MQA files at a hardware level. This feature, admittedly, is of little use to non-TIdal HiFi users but it doesn’t hurt to have an extra feature.

The potentiometer is fully analog, thus not facing some of the limitations that digital potentiometers may have. However, being analog in nature, it may degrade over time. The switches used are all from ALPS, . The amp sections remains unchanged on paper, with quad JFET OV4627 op-amps (customized for iFi Audio). The amp circuit also uses a dual-mono design for the balanced output.

Other extras include the xBass feature which is an analog EQ and mostly aims to “fix” the sub-bass roll-off issue on open-back headphones. In reality, many open-back headphones suffer from distortion in those regions and applying an EQ might cause further distortion and clipping. The other feature is the iEMatch switch that adds additional resistance to the signal path for highly sensitive IEMs, blocking hiss in the process.

As for the xSpace, it adds a sense of space to the sound that doesn’t sound artificial or overdone. I found the implementation to be tasteful with IEMs especially so give that one a try. The BT5.1 is one of the highlights of the product and has LDAC support. iFi also uses a new proprietary PureWave topology where they go for a dual-mono setup with shorter signal paths than their previous designs.

Speaking of power outputs, the xDSD Gryphon outputs 1W @ 32ohms from the balanced out and 320mW @ 32ohms from the single-ended output (which also supports their proprietary S-balanced tech). The voltage swing can go as high as 6.7Vrms from the balanced out (with a 600ohm load) and this comes handy when driving high impedance dynamic driver headphones. Output impedance is lower than 1ohm on both (with IEMatch turned off).

The internal components are all high quality as expected. TDK/Murata/Panasonic/Kemet caps, and FET-based switching to mute those annoying “pops” you encounter on some DAC/Amps. The PCB design is excellent and the components are high quality so I have no qualms about the internals of the Gryphon.

XDSD GRYPHON TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

The general sound of the iFi xDSD Gryphon can be summarized as warm-neutral. It has the characteristic iFi Audio warmth with smooth treble and an engaging, transparent midrange. The bass is mostly neutral but can be pushed higher with the xBass switch. Depending on the xBass mode, the bass can sound atmospheric (with slight bloom and reverb) or mostly focus on increasing punch and slam.

Staging and imaging is excellent on the xDSD Gryphon. No, they won’t rival their desk counterparts, but given the portability it is better than most DAPs in this range. Treble also doesn’t exhibit the rather common “glare” you find in many dongles these days. There is a sense of naturalness to the signature that can be addicting. Despite this slight laid-back delivery, the Gryphon is very resolving, bringing out subtle nuances from tracks and doing justice to flagship IEMs with their detail retrieval capacity.

One thing to note is that changing the firmware can bring subtle changes to the sound due to changes in reconstruction filter. I used both the GTO and non-GTO firmwares. The latter had a more laid-back treble and had a slightly wider stage, while the former had slightly more up-front mids and more macrodynamic punch. Biggest difference happens with MQA files on the GTO firmware, so if you are using Tidal, this is the recommended one.

Overall transparency and resolution was very good, with no noticeable roll-off in the upper-treble frequencies. Separation was very good as well, though the likes of Chord Mojo2 does that better. The background hiss with sensitive IEMs is also not distracting, as once the music starts playing you don’t even notice it. Moreover, there is IEMatch to take care of hiss, though that tends to modify the frequency response of some multi-BA IEMs so keep that in mind.

PAIRING NOTES

Sennheiser HD650

The Sennheiser HD650 is one of the few headphones that scale according to the source quality. On paper, the xDSD Gryphon has the required voltage swing to power it, and it does sound good. The HD650 got loud from the balanced out and had some of the dynamics it can display on a more powerful amp. Separation was good as well.

However, you still don’t quite get the “magic” that happens when you connect the HD650 to OTL amps like Feliks Euforia. Granted, that thing is a behemoth and costs over 3 grands. For the size and price, I think the Gryphon did a good job with the HD650, but those headphones can scale higher.

Final Sonorous III

Final Sonorous III is a closed back pair of headphones and are very efficient. Despite the efficiency they are quite transparent to source quality. The Gryphon drove them excellently with no loss in dynamics and the bass was quite pleasant. The mids were transparent, with no evident peaks in the upper mids that tends to creep up on some sources.

I would call the xDSD Gryphon an excellent pairing for efficient dynamic driver headphones.

ZMF Atrium

The ZMF Atrium is a similarly high impedance dynamic driver as the HD650. Their pairing with the Gryphon was surprisingly good. I got great separation, the bass was not loose and had good amount of punch, and the staging was excellent.

The Atrium can scale much higher (with the aforementioned Feliks Euforia for example) but for portable use, the Gryphon are absolutely adequate. Just make sure you use the balanced out.

Hifiman HE-6se V2

On the planar magnetic side, we have the Hifiman HE-6se V2. With 82dB @ 50 ohms efficiency, these are one of the hardest to drive headphones in the entire planet. The Gryphon failed to get them loud enough to be enjoyable, even from the balanced output. These headphones are notorious for bringing amps to their knees and sadly xDSD Gryphon isn’t designed for such workloads.

Dunu Zen and Dunu Zen Pro

The Dunu Zen and Zen Pro both exhibited slight hiss from the balanced out of the xDSD Gryphon. However, the overall sound was quite pleasant. The pairing was very resolving without being “on-your-face”. I especially liked how the Gryphon took some edge off of the OG Zen, which can be a bit peaky near the upper-mids.

In general, the xDSD Gryphon pairs really well with most if not all IEMs. The warm-neutral yet transparent signature complements somewhat analytical headphones and even works well with warmer sounding gear. On the other hand, I would not recommend it for power-hungry planar magnetic headphones, or very high impedance dynamic driver headphones due to the relatively lower voltage swing.

SELECT COMPARISONS

vs iFi micro iDSD Signature

The micro iDSD Signature (reviewed here by Alberto) is priced slightly higher than the xDSD Gryphon, but has a much more powerful amp section and a Dual-DAC implementation.

In terms of physical appearance and handling, the iDSD Signature is noticeably larger and heavier. It’s also more of a transportable DAC-Amp than a portable one. The xBass implementation on the Gryphon is better and offers more fine-tuning. The display is also handy.

Meanwhile, the micro iDSD can replace some desktop amps with the incredible 4W @ 16ohms output. This one is meant to drive full-size cans and apart from the likes of Hifiman HE-6se V2 and Abyss 1266TC, it can drive most headphones including some planars.

On the other hand, the Gryphon offers more flexible connectivity and pairs better with IEMs, which are easily over-driven by the micro iDSD Signature. Background hiss was also comparatively lower on the xDSD Gryphon. Soundwise, the micro iDSD Signature goes for a meatier, denser presentation, whereas Gryphon has better clarity and somewhat laid-back signature.

In short: if your primary use-case is IEMs, then go for the Gryphon. It’s more portable, easier to pair with phones, and there is lower chance of over-driving the earphones. For headphone usage the micro iDSD will be a better fit.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The iFi xDSD Gryphon offers a lot of bells and whistles, and in a sense is more versatile than their desktop DAC-Amp, the Neo iDSD. iFi managed to miniaturize the circuitry in a pocket form, while offering the same output power. That’s remarkable indeed. I wish the Gryphon offered a fixed-voltage line-out but that’s a minor nitpick.

The biggest gripe, for me, would be the slow recharge time. For such a moderate-capacity battery I expected lower recharge time. I had to charge the Gryphon every 3 days during review, and if I forgot to charge it overnight then I couldn’t take it out during commute. Bummer.

Nonetheless, those looking for a battery-powered DAC/Amp for all-purpose use via BT or USB, the xDSD Gryphon is pretty much one of the best under $1000. You do not get absolute output power for headphones, but you get excellent transparency in the sound and fantastic pairing with IEMs irrespective of tuning of driver config. Recommended.

MY VERDICT

4.5/5

One of the best portable DAC-Amps in its price-class for powering IEMs and moderately efficient headphones.

Contact us!

DISCLAIMER

Get it from WOD Audio.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

PHOTOGRAPHY

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post iFi Audio xDSD Gryphon Review (1) – Swiss Army Knife appeared first on Music For The Masses.

This piece is to report my experience with a glorious piece of old world technology, Scottish RHA’s CL2 planar IEMs. A privately owned sample was sent to me by an audiophile friend for assessment, and I now understand his love and jealousy for the item indeed.

Currently discontinued, these IEMs were marketed for around €900 back in their day (some 2-3 years ago).

At-a-glance Card

Full Device Card

Test setup

Apogee Groove+Burson FUN / E1DA 9038SG3-3000 – final E clear eartips – lossless 16-24/44.1-192 FLAC tracks.

Signature analysis

Tonality

RHA CL2’s tuning as it comes out of the box is – simply put – just flawed. Based on a somewhat wide-v general shape, highmid frequencies (2-4Khz) are ununderstandably over excited which inevitably stirs the presentation into a bad sort of shout party. Sub-bass could also do with some more body physicality, but that’s minor in comparison. Highmids, as is, are just undefendable.

That’s bad, but that’s at least as bad as it gets. The great news instead is that RHA’s driver’s elasticity vs even important equalization corrections is close to divine. Using an ordinary PEQ you can push and pull frequencies as you please and CL2 will follow you pretty much into the tonality you exactly want.

The general timbre is that of a (high end) planar driver, so clear, defined and neat, therefore don’t expect what you can’t possibly get, e.g. DD-style attack in the bass, but within that you are free to think to CL2 as a blackboard to draw the tonality curve you prefer on, and that will be nibly delivered.

For my taste fast drivers (like planars) strictly relate to acoustic music like bebop or classical, and that’s why I shaped a sort of mild Vshape, with elevated high mids within the classical DF boundaries on one end, leaving the existing midbass where they are. More on this here below.

Sub-Bass

Sub bass is extended but less prominent than midbass. Especially for acoustic jazz application, a nudge up is really beneficial to standup bass and similar key instruments. A low shelf of +2 / +3dB is recommended.

Mid Bass

CL2 midbass is just great within its planar category. It has pretty much everything you can dream of: speed, definition, texture, detail retrieval – with the sole important limitation of gutt-felt attack which is of course technologically offlimits. Forget any distortion, barred of course that coming from your source so – beware! – CL2 are totally unforgiving on that. Use a clean source, or be ready to hear how dirty your source is. Musically speaking don’t feed them with Pink Floyd, just don’t. Feed them with Andrew Cyrille.

Mids

As previously mentioned, the first thing to do here is removing that elephant from the room: high mids need to be tamed down. I’m putting -3dB around 2.5/3Khz and another -4dB around 4Khz. Then we can talk: mids are now clear, defined, engaging, very detailed and somewhat lean.

Vocals

Vocals are a bit lighter than organic, both male and female although in slightly different ways. An (optional) way to add a bit more body to lower mids vocals in particular is by adding a +3dB high shelf hinged at around 7/800Hz. In such case of course the previous negative bell values at 3 and 4Khz need to be negatively increased by the same quantity. Don’t take notes here, I’ll add an EQ suggestions recap at the end 

Highs

CL2’s trebles are very good, sparkly, detailed, while making sure to stay on unoffensive territory. Even too much. Too much christiandemocrat, if the term makes sense to you. Beyond sonic preference, this is another example where CL’s agility vs equalization offers you an experimentation liberty that’s simply missing elsewhere: go head, adventure into pumping air trebles and last octave up … until you like or can bear. Just push: CL2 will follow, no distortion.

Equalization Recs recap

Technicalities

Soundstage

CL2 offer very good space sizing both accross and in depth. Not the “most huge” room I heard yet in line with expectation on this price level, and vis-a-vis the other high quality technicalities on the product.

Imaging

Macrodynamics are very good, instrument placement is correctly executed in all occasions and casting on the stage comes accross as credible an fully natural

Details

Detail retrieval on highmids and trebles is finely granular and inoffensive / unfatiguing at the same time – an extremely difficult and therefore rare balance to achieve per my experience. Very good detail extraction also happens from mids and bass, with the sole already mentioned caveat regarding planar timbre necessarily keeping bass just a shiff south of truly organic, which also impacts on the realism of their details of course.

Instrument separation

Separation and layering are beyond beautiful; precision and definition are really outstanding and fully worth the price tag and much beyond.

Driveability

CL2 are extremely demanding in terms of amplification. They require a “high minimum” in terms of current delivery, and furtherly positively scale with the amp’s qualities. Amongst the multiple and diverse sources I have available in the end only desktop gear gave CL2 some serious glory, with the sole notable exception of E1DA’s 9038SG3 and 9039D. Pretty much everything else I have at hand right now doesn’t “open” them up appropriately due to scarse current delivery.

CL2 also easily pick hiss up from the source (in my case: Burson Fun), while on the other hand they prove quite resilient to FR skewage even when the amp pair offers a sub-idel damping factor (again for my case: Burson Fun).

Physicals

Build

Ceramic shells following the classical RHA shape are at the same time solid, resistant and – for my taste – greatly stylish to look at

Fit

CL2 fit rather well into my outer ears, although they tend to stay not perfectly still especially vs mandibular movements.

Comfort

Comfort is ok once fitted. The shape is not 100% ideal to me, but its rounded surface helps minimising pain points and such. Above average anyway.

Isolation

Passive isolation is rather average.

Cable

The privately owned unit I borrowed came with a third party cable so can’t comment on stock one(s).

Specifications (declared)

Comparisons

7Hz Timeless

An unfair comparison looking at price tags: €200 for this chifi thingie, €900 for the scottish one – the latter better be really good ! Dual unfair insofar as per my previous piece on Timeless I don’t find those particularly brilliant even in their own price class. I’m mentioning them mainly due to their recent hype.

Similarly to CL2, ootb Timeless presentation also comes accross as flawed: a major distortion point at 9300Hz introduces a nigh-ridiculous, very invasive artificial tint to the timbre, which must be eliminated or the product is just unaudible, to me at least. Timeless also can benefit of some further sub-bass elevation, again like CL2 does. End of the similarities.

Timeless’ driver is very obviously less refined than CL2’s (heck! at 1/4th the price…) and this results in a much more pronounced, and unpleasant, “inevitably planar” timbre in the first place, and a dramatic lack of texture and detail in the bass line which is dull, uninspiring.

Timeless’ highmids are less shouty than CL2’s out of the box, but they still need EQ correction. No problem, if not for the fact that when downtamed Timeless’s high mids become dull, while CL2’s stay fully vivid, and extremely pleasant.

Even more importantly than all that precedes, Timeless’ technicalities are a joke compared to CL2’s: instrument separation is underwhelming at the very least on Timeless (even vs some non-planars by the way), microdynamics and detail retrieval are nothing more than average un the highs, inexistant from the bass, and soundstage depth is MIA (as in: Missing in Action), whereas CL2 ticks all those boxes with great competence, with a sole sub-top remark reserved to microdynamics which could be even better weren’t for the superfast driver nature of course.

Campfire Andromeda [2020]

Based on a totally different driver setup (5 x BA vs 1 x Planar) comparing Andromeda with CL2 is significant on 2 counts: their sonic presentation (speed, detail, timbre) and their prices categories (€900 vs €1100) are close enough.

You may read my take in detail on my earlier piece about Andromeda [2020], here let me go straight to the point: beyond their differences, Andromeda and CL2 share an almost magically spot-on balance between detail retrieval and control, resulting in smoothness all accross the board.

Neither are my exact cup if tea in terms of timbre: both is too fast, too technical for me. Of the two, CL2’s planar timbre is less pronounced than the (in itself decently moderately at the very least) Andromeda’s BA. What’s totally stunning on Andromeda, and even more so when directly compared to a single-driver product like CL2, is their tonal and timbral coherence across the entire spectrum, and the 5 different drivers working under the hood.

Conversely, and correspondingly, CL2’s single driver needs not pay any toll to the 5 (say: five) different drivers employed inside Andromeda in terms of bilateral extension, articulation, detail retrieval.

Both on my scoreboard excel on the same macro points: the already mentioned resolution/smoothness balance and timbre cleanness and clarity line up in both cases with superb treble delivery, and beyond good imaging, separation and layering. Again, both show their limits on bass texturing and microdynamics in general – which is of course inherent to the very nature of the driver technology of choice in either case.

Andromeda are much less elastic to heavy eq compare to CL2, on the other hand they require much less as their presentation is way more than viable already out of the box. They require much less “power” to be driven, but not a much “cheaper” source anyway: dealing with their very high sensitivity and very low impedance without turning into hiss or distortion in general is not easy.

Considerations & conclusions

RHA CL2 are just spectacular IEMs and they would still be worth every single cent of their price tag if they hadn’t been discontinued as a part of RHA’s disengagement from the higher segments of the audio market. The sole possibility is now finding a good preloved unit.

They deliver an incredibly refined clear and lifelike presentation – a mixture that’s as desireable as rare to effectively find. They can (and must) be freely equalised to have their tonality shaped precisely as per the user taste, and deliver a nothing short of stunning level of technicalities.

Sincere thanks to Simone Fil for the loan and assessment opportunity.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post RHA CL2 Review – Hands Down The Best Planar Yet appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — Keine Vorverstärker Funktion; kein Kopfhöreranschluss; 4.4 mm Buchse ist derzeit noch selten.

Dieser Artikel wurde vom Author aus dem kanadischen Englisch übersetzt. Das Original finden Sie hier.

Zusammenfassung

Der EarMen Tradutto ist ein natürlicher, quasi-neutral klingender DAC (Digital-Analog Wandler) der sich durch sein minimalistisches, künstlerisches Design und seine stromlinienförmige Funktionalität von der Konkurrenz unterscheidet. Er funktioniert gleichermaßen mit Kopfhörerverstärkern und Stereoanlagen. Ein DAC für den anspruchsvollen Puristen.

Einführung

Traduttore ist italienisch für “Übersetzer”. Tradutto ist offensichtlich ein Wortspiel, da ein Digital-Analog Wandler (DAC) Nullen und Einsen in Klang übersetzt. Und das ist es, was dieses $799 Gerät tut: Es ist ein reiner DAC ohne (Kopfhörer-) Verstärker. Seine Aufgabe ist es, ein hochwertiges Audiosignal zu erzeugen, das dann von einem anderen Gerät verstärkt wird.

Auf der anderen Seite der Adria von Italien aus liegt Serbien, die Heimat der Produktionsstätten von EarMen. Von hier aus produzieren sie “Made in Europe”. Das Unternehmen selbst ist in Chicago, IL, registriert. Es wurde 2019 als Spin-off des serbischen Premium-Herstellers Auris Audio gegründet.

Bisher hat sich EarMen auf wenige Produkte von hoher Qualität konzentriert. Ihr $250 TR-amp ist ein großartiger tragbarer, batteriebetriebener DAC/Amp im Wert, der sogar 300 Ohm Kopfhörern wie dem Sennheiser HD 600 gerecht wird. Ihr $200 Sparrow Dongle verfügt über zwei Schaltkreise, von denen der symmetrische (“balanced”) die größte Klangbühne meiner Testpopulation erzeugt. Beide Geräte befinden sich derzeit auf unserer eigenen Wall of Excellence.

Das Tradutto ist das erste echte “Desktop-Size” Gerät von EarMen, obwohl seine Verwendung nicht auf Arbeitsbereiche oder persönliche Kleinstereoanlage beschränkt ist, sondern auch mit einem Stereosystem in voller Größe eingesetzt werden kann.

Spezifikationen

Öffnen Sie hier für vollständige Spezifikationen

Inputs	BlueTooth QCC5124	Bluetooth 5.1 ( AAC, SBC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX LL )
	USB
	TOSLINK	S/PDIF optical
	Coax	S/PDIF
Outputs	RCA (SE output)	output impedance = 300 Ω
	Balanced 4.4mm	output impedance = 600 Ω
Audio Formats	PCM	up to 768kHz
	DSD	DoP64, DoP128, DoP256, native DSD512
	DXD	up to 768kHz
	MQA	OFS (MQB/MQA Core), MQA,  MQA Studio
	Bluetooth	44.1kHz – 192kHz/16bit – 24bit
Single-end output
	USB input	S/PDIF input/BT
Output Level	2Vrms 0dBFS	2Vrms 0dBFS
THD+N	0.0003%	0.0003%
SNR	>116dB	>116dB
	A-Weighted	A-Weighted
Freq. Response	±0.014dB	±0.006dB
Fully Balanced Output
	USB input	S/PDIF input/BT
Output Level	4Vrms 0dBFS	4Vrms 0dBFS
THD+N	0.0003%	0.0003%
SNR	>120B	>122dB
	A-Weighted	A-Weighted
Freq. Response	±0.03dB	±0.003dB
Dimension LxHxW	150x30x150 mm	5,9″x1,18″x5,9″
Weight	550 gr	1,21lbs

[collapse]

Technologie/Architektur

Der Tradutto beherbergt den XMOS 16-Core-Empfängerchip und den S9038Q2M DAC-Chip. Der XMOS 16-Core (XU216) ist einer der Standards in Premium-DACs für die Verarbeitung der von den USB/S/koaxialen Eingängen empfangenen Daten. Es verarbeitet zum Beispiel die MQA-Dekodierung im Tradutto.

In ähnlicher Weise ist der ES9038Q2M ein bewährter DAC-Chip, der digitale Audiodateien bis zu 32bit/768kHz oder DSD512 verarbeitet. Sie können diesen Chip fast überall finden, vom 2150 $ Burson Conductor 3 (enthält zwei davon), über den 300 $ DragonFly Cobalt und 200 $ Khadas T2 Pro, bis hin zum 80 $ Shanling UA2. Der hauseigene $250 TR-amp von EarMen verfügt auch über diesen Chip.

Die (Un) Bedeutung des DAC-Chips: Keines dieser “ES9038Q2M”-Geräte klingt gleich (ich habe den Burson nicht getestet. Entgegen die Echokammer von “Experten” erzeugt ein DAC-Chip allein keinen charakteristischen Klang, sondern ist hauptsächlich für den Umgang mit Audioformaten verantwortlich. Wie Paul McGowan von PS Audio mir sagte: “Die Art und Weise, wie ein DAC klingt, hat alles mit seiner analogen Ausgansstufe zu tun und wenig mit seinem DAC-Chip”. Aufgrund dieses allgemeinen Missverständnisses und um sich vor Fehlinformationen zu schützen, geben viele Hersteller den verwendeten DAC-Chip überhaupt nicht an (z.B. Sony). Gordon Rankin von Wavelength Audio fügt die anderen Faktoren hinzu, die den Klang erzeugen: Power, Filter, analoges Design, digitales Design, Software usw. Um DAC-Chips zu vergleichen, muss alles andere identisch sein, wie zum Beispiel bei den iPods Classic, die entweder Wolfson- oder Cirrus-Chips enthielten.

Traduttos Klang und Klangqualität werden tatsächlich durch den analogen Teil des DAC bestimmt, der das Ergebnis einer Kombination von verbauten Komponenten und technischer Finesse ist.

Nach dem Filtern des “zackigen” Signals, das aus dem DAC (Chip) kommet, führt die analoge Ausgangsstufe mehrere Aufgaben aus, z. B. Verstärkung, zusätzliche Filterung, Entfernen von Verzerrungen und Rest-DC, Pufferung und Bereitstellung von ausgewogenen und Single-End-Ausgängen.

Die analoge Ausgangsstufe des Tradutto verfügt über deutsche Kondensatoren in WIMA-Qualität “für High-End-Audioanwendungen”, um THD, Audioelektrolyte in Kombination mit amerikanischen MELF-Ren mit geräuscharmen Widerständen und SoundPlus OPA1642 Betriebsverstärkern (“Op-Amps”) von Texas Instruments zu minimieren.

Aber noch wichtiger als die Teile ist die Technik. EarMen behaupten, Jitter (“Paketfehler”) durch die Trennung von DAC und analogem Teil durch die Stromversorgung minimiert zu haben. Die Leiterplatte ist vergoldet für optimale Kontakte. Und das solide Metallgehäuse minimiert externe Störungen.

Der Tradutto enthält den Bluetooth QCC5124 SoC (“System on Chip”) für drahtloses Hören – das dem Bluetooth 5.1-Standard folgt.

Zu guter Letzt verfügt der Tradutto über einen vollständig symmetrischen Schaltkreis, der mit einem symmetrischen Verstärker optimal funktioniert.

Physische Aspekte

In der Box ist viel mehr als in der Bedienungsanleitung angegeben. Neben dem DAC, der Fernbedienung, der Stromversorgung mit Adaptern für den weltweiten Netzzugang, der Bluetooth-Antenne und dem Benutzerhandbuch sind außerdem ein USB-Kabel, eine Netztasche (für das Netzteil) und ein Mikrofasertuch enthalten.

Der Tradutto ist ein sehr kompaktes, aber ziemlich schweres Gerät in einem robusten Aluminiumgehäuse. Die Kombination aus relativ hohen Füßen und der sauberen, quadratischen Form mit scharfen Ecken verleiht ihm eine minimalistische Eleganz mit italienischem Design-Charisma.

Die Designer hatten eindeutig ein optische und haptische Anziehungskraft bis ins kleinste Detail im Auge, einschließlich der Schriftart, die für den Namen auf der Vorderseite ausgewählt wurde. Das Tradutto spricht daher nicht nur unsere Ohren, sondern auch unsere Augen (und Finger) an … und damit alle unsere Sinne.

Funktionalität und Bedienung

Das tut er

• Liefert einen vollen, satten, dynamischen, natürlichen Klang
• Bietet symmetrische und asymmetrische Schaltkeiseakzeptiert
• Akzeptiert eine Vielzahl von Quellen per Bluetooth (Telefon, DAP), USB (Computer) und koaxial/optisch (CD-Player)
• Wird mit einer raffinierten wiederaufladbaren Fernbedienung geliefert

Das tut er nicht

• Verstärken
• Arbeit als Vorverstärker Funktion auswählbare Filter
• work as pre-amp
• feature selectable filters

Vorderseite

Das minimalistische Design wird durch sehr klar angeordnete Betriebselemente auf der Vorderseite ergänzt: 4 Tasten mit einem hörbaren, robusten Qualitätsmechanismus und einem unauffälligen OLED-Display, das Ihnen Bit/KHz-Zahlen für die USB- Verbindung gibt, sowie “COAX”, “TOS” oder “BT” für die anderen Eingabeoptionen.

Kein Drehknopf, keine “tanzenden” Farbdiagramme, keine wählbaren Filter – die Form folgt eindeutig der Funktion. Der Tradutto ist so konzipiert, dass er funktioniert, um Nullen und Einsen in den bestmöglichen, natürlichen Klang zu übersetzen. Keine Verstärkung, keine Kopfhörerbuchse. That’s all.

Rückseite

Die Rückwand verfügt über alle Ein-/Ausgänge (von L bis R): 12 V SMPS- Stromversorgung, Bluetooth-Antenne, S/PDIF-Eingange (koaxial und Toslink) und RCA und 4.4 cm symmetrisch. 4.4 cm ist derzeit noch selten, spart aber Platz im Vergleich zu einer XLR-Buchse. Ein 12-V-SMPS-Netzteil ist im Lieferumfang enthalten.

Fernbedienung

Die vier Tasten der Vorderseite des Tradutto finden sich auf der mitgelieferten Fernbedienung wieder.

Die Fernbedienung ist aus Metall, hat eine großartige Haptik und ihre Tasten haben den hochwertigen Federmechanismus, wie auch am Tradutto selbst.

Sie wird über jede 5V- Stromversorgung/Computerbuchse über seine USB-C-Buchse aufgeladen. Ladegerät und Kabel sind nicht im Lieferumfang enthalten.

Klang

Eine Sache, über die ich bei vielen DACs/Verstärken entsetzt bin, ist die Klangsterilität. Ich bin ein Kind der vordigitalen Ära, die bis in die späten 1970er Jahre zurückgeht, und – mit Kopfhörern – opfere ich gerne Auflösung für organischen Klang.

Einer der größten Mängel von minderwertigen DACs ist ein Mangel an Realismus und Bühnentiefe, aber mit einer Portion zusätzliche Schärfe und einem dünnen Mitteltonbereich. Schließlich tun sowohl ein 4000-Dollar- als auch ein 100-Dollar-DAC prinzipiell dasselbe: Klang (Qualität) zu erzeugen, der dann verstärkt werden muss. Ein Wow-Effekt deutet selten auf Qualität hin: Es ist der langfristige Genuss, der zählt.

Ich habe den Tradutto mit Kopfhörern in einer Desktop Aufstellung und auch mit Lautsprechern auf meiner großen Stereoanlage getestet. Ich konnte den 4.4-mm symmetrischen Schaltkreis (vorerst) nicht testen, da ich keinen passenden Verstärker zur Hand hatte. Das wird aber in den Updates nachgeliefert.

mit Kopfhörern

Verwendete Ausrüstung: Macbook Air (WiFi aus, batteriebetrieben) mit verschiedenen USB-Kabeln (Lager, Belkin Gold, AudioQuest Forest), Questyle QP1R mit optischem Lifatec USA Toslink Kabel, iPhone SE (1. Generation); AudioQuest Golden Gate RCA Kabel; Burson Funk Kopfhörerverstärker; Sennheiser HD 600 Kopfhörer.

Es ist sehr schwierig, den Klang einer einzelnen Stereokomponente in einer Kette zu isolieren, so dass ich durch den Vergleich mit anderen DACs zu meiner Beschreibung kam.

Mein allgemeiner Eindruck ist, dass der Tradutto sehr natürlich, sehr reif, nie analytisch, nie schlank, nie scharf oder aggressiv spielt. Es hat eine natürliche Dynamik und ist über das gesamte Frequenzspektrum hinweg sehr ausgeglichen.

Der Bass ist nuanciert, der untere Mittelton ist reich und voll, es gibt keine unangenehme Schärfe im oberen Mitteltonbereich. Die Klangbühne ist breit mit großartiger Räumllichkeit.

Die Dynamik ist natürlich dosiert, nie überwältigend oder zu höflich.

Ersetzte man Macbook/Tradutto Kombination mit den tragbaren Questyle QP1R DAP (es wird angenommen, dass sein eingebauter DAC mit 500-700- Desktop-DACs konkurriert), gab es einen ziemlichen Klangunterschied: Die Macbook/Tradutto-Kombination hatte eine bessere Dynamik, Klarheit und Klangerweiterung.

Der Austausch des Tradutto durch andere Geräte mit dem ES9038Q2M Chip beseitigte jeden Zweifel an dem allgemeinen Missverständnis über die Rolle eines DAC-Chips für den Klang.

Der $250 EarMen TR-amp (als DAC) klingt etwas wärmer als der Tradutto und ihm fehlt die Höhenerweiterung – aber er kann mit der Bassquantität konkurrieren. Nicht mithalten kann er mit der Klangbühne, der Klarheit, der Trennung und der Detailauflösung des Tradutto. Aber es klang nie scharf oder digital, hart oder schlank. Der Tradutto klingt lebendiger, besser erweitert, mit besser definierten Noten. TR-amp klingt schlanker und weniger dynamisch/energetisch.

Der Khadas Tone2 Pro klingt flacher mit einem gedämpften Mittelton. Es fehlt an Tiefe im Vergleich zu den beiden anderen Geräten. Stimmen klingen schlank und distanziert, was eine luftige Komponente und eine gute Bühnenbreite hinzufügt. Aber es fehlt vergleichsweise an Klangreichtum und Klangkörper.

AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt (ohne dedizierten Line-Out) benötigt mehr von der Verstärkerleistung des Burson als die anderen DACs (ich habe Cobalts Ausgangsvolumen nur auf 80% eingestellt, um Verzerrungen zu vermeiden). Es fehlt ein wenig an Dynamik, klingt aber eher organisch und natürlich – und überraschend voll und reichhaltig. Der Tradutto hat mehr Biss, er spielt größer und klarer…

Zusammenfassend lässt sich sagen, dass keiner dieser DACs gleich klingt.

mit Stereoanlage

Test Equipment: Marantz SA8005 SACD Player mit Cirrus CS4398 DAC; Blue Jeans Coaxial Kabel, Sys Concept 1300 strand Tousling Kabel, AudioQuest Evergreen RCA Kabel; Luxman L-410 Vollverstärker; Heybrook HB1 Lautsprecher & Sennheiser HD 600 headphones.

Mit CDs als Musikquelle konnte ich leicht zwischen dem integrierten Cirrus 4398 DAC des SA8005 und dem Tradutto hin- und herschalten, sowie auch zwischen den koaxialen und optischen Eingängen des Tradutto.

Der Marantz ($1400 CAD im Jahr 2014) ist bekannt für seine glatte, reichhaltige, saubere, ausgewogene Klangqualität und seine natürliche Reproduktion. Es hat ein “süße” Höhen, aber es fehlt ein bisschen Glanz. Sein integrierter DAC ist etwa auf dem gleichen Preisniveau wie der Tradutto, da die Basisversion dieses Spielers damals $550 CAD betrug.

Beim Wechsel zwischen Marantz und Tradutto (koaxialer Eingang) ist der Unterschied … im Wesentlichen Null beim gelegentlichen Hören … und daher für den täglichen Gebrauch ignorierbar. Aber wenn ich etwas Zeit verbringe und mein analytisches Ohr benutze, ist der Marantz ein bisschen bassiger und wärmer mit einem weniger kontrollierten, schlampigeren unteren Frequenzbereich. Dies führt zu einer engeren Bühne und einer schlechteren Auflösung im unteren Mitteltonbereich.

Der Tradutto hat das den kompakteren, schnelleren Bass und die bessere Notendefinition bis zum unteren Mittelbereich. Es spielt auch ein bisschen wärmer als neutral (aber weniger als der Marantz) – was der “Haus Sound” von EarMen zu sein scheint (auch in TR- amp, Sparrow und Eagle zu finden).

Bei den Höhen hat Tradutto (koaxial) eine etwas bessere Ausdehnung und beide bieten einen natürlichen Zerfall von hohen Tönen, z.B. Becken. Und da scheitern mittelmäßige DACs zumeist- sie klingen künstlich.

Sowohl Tradutto als auch Marantz haben keine Dämpfung im Mittelton, keinen schlanken Gesang, sie sind reich und üppig. Die Laute sind im 3D-Raum im Tradutto besser ausgerichtet, das auch die breitere Bühne hat.

Beim Wechsel von koaxialem zum optischen Eingang gibt es einen Unterschied, dass der TOSLINK im Vergleich zu koax etwas langsamere Transienten erzeugt. Die Noten sind abgerundeter und das Klangbild ist ein bisschen glatter – auch im Vergleich zum Cirrus DAC. Aber auch hier sind die Unterschiede gering.

Insgesamt ist der Tradutto über das gesamte Frequenzspektrum etwas besser aufgestellt als der Marantz – der für mein System für den täglichen Gebrauch im wesentlichen keine Rolle spielt.

Ich habe die Ergebnisse mit dem Sennheiser HD 600, der an den Luxman- Verstärker angeschlossen ist, reproduziert.

Was wir lernen, ist, dass der Tradutto natürlich klingt und nicht analytisch oder aggressiv oder zu schlank. Es macht seine Sache sehr gut.

Bluetooth

Der Qualcomm SoC liefert so ziemlich einen vorgefertigten Standard Sound in einer “Black Box”, bei der der Ingenieur den Sound nicht optimieren kann.

I habe Bluetooth vs. koax mit zwei iPhone (bei gleicher Musik) verglichen, eines fest verdrahtet in den Marantz, das andere drahtlos per Bluetooth.

Bluetooth spielt leiser, es verliert etwas an Reichtum und Intimität und ist kantiger, aber es ist immer noch dezent und mehr als gut genug für zwangloses Zuhören.

Die Verbindung war großartig, ich ging um den 1000 Quadratfuß großen Boden meines Hauses (mit dem iPhone) herum und hatte nie Probleme.

UPDATE: Vergleich mit SMSL DO200 MKII DAC(2023- 01-10)

Ich habe kürzlich den 469 $ SMSL DO200 MKII DAC getestet und hatte die Gelegenheit, ihn mit dem Tradutto zu vergleichen. Ich habe sie Seite an Seite auf der Stereoanlage und mit dem Burson Funk Kopfhörerstärker mit Burson Super Charger und Burson V6 Classic Opamps und modifizierten Sennheiser HD 600 Kopfhörern getestet, wie im DO200 MKII-Artikel beschrieben.

Beide Hersteller verfolgen unterschiedliche Philosophien. EarMen gibt Ihnen das fertige Paket, das auf den Punkt abgestimmt ist, der ihrer Meinung nach am besten klingt. SMSL hingegen überlässt dem Benutzer die Feinabstimmung (und damit die Verantwortung für den besten Klang). Der DO200 MKII verfügt daher über mehrere hundert Kombinationen von Filtern und Klangprofilen (“harmonische Verzerrungen”).

EarMen sind selbstbewusst und betrachten ihre Produkte als optimiert und weisen ihnen eine lange Haltbarkeit zu – SMSL haben ihren ursprünglichen DO200 innerhalb eines Jahres aktualisiert, so dass der Benutzer nach einer ziemlich kurzen Zeit bereits ein veraltetes Gera4t besitzt.

Baulich ist der Tradutto mit seinem schweren Monoblock- Aluminium-Chassis und seiner Metallfernbedienung robust wie ein Panzer. Es übertrumpft alles um ihn herum (und das tun auch der EarMen Angel und  TR-amp).

Was den Klang betrifft, habe ich den SMSL bei seinen Standardeinstellungen belassen, da die Unterschiede zwischen den Optimierungsoptionen minimal waren. Der DAC klingt sehr gut und schlägt wahrscheinlich die meisten anderen in seiner Preiskategorie. Im Vergleich zum Tradutto klingt der SMSL jedoch etwas weniger offen.

Der Tradutto klingt im Mittelton reicher und ein bisschen viszeraler, aufgeschlossener und immersiver mit einer tieferen Bühne.

UPDATE: Tradutto mit EarMen CH-Amp (2023-02- 20)

Der Tradutto wurde entwickelt, um mit dem EarMen CH-Amp zu harmonieren. Ich habe beide ab der Weihnachtszeit 2022 zwei Monate lang getestet. Der CH-Amp wird mit dem riesigen PSU-3-Netzteil geliefert, das auch den Tradutto (und zwei weitere Geräte) antreibt – und seinen Klang verbessert.

Die Standardfernbedienung des CH-Amp steuert beide Geräte. Die Ingenieure von EarMen konnten die Größe der Gehäuse minimieren, indem sie einen 4.4-mm symmetrischen Anschluss wählten (anstelle des umständlichen XLR). Der EarMen-Stack hat einen Fußabdruck, der kaum größer ist als eine CD – und minimiert Kabelsalat.

Der symmetrische Schaltkreis erzeugt ein tieferes Klangbild als er asymmetrische – abgesehen davon, dass er leistungsfähiger ist. Lesen Sie Details zu dieser Synergie in meinem CH-Amp Artikel.

Abschließende Bemerkungen

Nach 2 Monaten des Testens [jetzt 1 Jahr einschließlich des letzten Updates] komme ich zu dem Schluss, dass der EarMen Tradutto das tut, was er tun soll: ein analoges Audiosignal von höchster Qualität erzeugen. Und es liefert prompt. Er ist klanglich geringfügig vor meinem High-End-Marantz SA8005 SACD-Player und schlägt alle anderen ES9038Q2M-Geräte, mit denen ich ihn verglichen habe, um eine Meile.

Abgesehen von seinen klanglichen Fähigkeiten ist der Tradutto ästhetisch ansprechend (“italienisches Design”) und eignet sich gut, mit hochwertigen Tastenmechanismen und einer wiederaufladbaren Fernbedienung. Nach dem Testen so vieler “EarMen” kristallisiert sich heraus, dass ihre Produkte gut durchdacht sind, daher für eine lange Zeit relevant und von beispielloser Verarbeitungsqualität sind.

Der Tradutto ist ein weiteres ausgereiftes Produkt mit der Erfahrung von Auris Audio dahinter. Es ist klein genug, um auf Ihr Schreibtisch/Stereosystem zu passen, einfach zu bedienen, und es sieht gut aus und klingt großartig. Was wollen wir sonst noch?

Bis zum nächsten Mal….keep on listening!

Contact us!

HAFTUNGSAUSSCHLUSS

Der EarMen Tradutto wurde mir von EarMen für meinen Test zur Verfügung gestellt, wofür ich mich herzlich bedanke. Sie können es im EarMen Shop erwerben. Ich danke Gordon Rankin von Wavelength Audio und Paul McGowan von PS Audio für das Gespräch.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

Galerie

The post EarMen Tradutto DAC Testbericht aus Kanada appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — No pre-amp function/headphone jack; 4.4 balanced output is currently still a rare standard.

Executive Summary

The EarMen Tradutto is a natural, quasi-neutral sounding DAC that distinguishes itself from the competition through its minimalistic, artsy design and streamlined functionality. It works with headphone amps and stereo systems alike. A DAC for the demanding purist.

Introduction

Traduttore is Italian for “translator”. Tradutto is obviously a play on this as a digital analog converter translates zeros and ones into sound. And that’s what this $799 unit does: it is a DAC without a (headphone) amp. Its job is to create a quality audio signal that is then amplified by another device.

Across the Adriatic sea from Italy is Serbia, home of EarMen’s production facilities. From here you get “Made in Europe”. The company itself is registered in Chicago, IL. It was established in 2019 as a spinoff of Serbian premium manufacturer Auris Audio.

So far, EarMen have focused on few products of high quality. Their TR-amp is a great $250 portable, battery-operated DAC/amp that does justice to even to 300 ohm cans such as the Sennheiser HD 600. Their $200 Sparrow dongle features two circuits, of which the balanced produces the largest soundstage of my test population. Both devices are currently on our very own Wall of Excellence.

The Tradutto is EarMen’s first true “desktop size” device, although its use is not limited to workspaces and personal stereo, but it can also be deployed with a full size stereo system.

Specifications

Unfold for Full Specifications

Inputs	BlueTooth QCC5124	Bluetooth 5.1 ( AAC, SBC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX LL )
	USB
	TOSLINK	S/PDIF optical
	Coax	S/PDIF
Outputs	RCA (SE output)	output impedance = 300 Ω
	Balanced 4.4mm	output impedance = 600 Ω
Audio Formats	PCM	up to 768kHz
	DSD	DoP64, DoP128, DoP256, native DSD512
	DXD	up to 768kHz
	MQA	OFS (MQB/MQA Core), MQA,  MQA Studio
	Bluetooth	44.1kHz – 192kHz/16bit – 24bit
Single-end output
	USB input	S/PDIF input/BT
Output Level	2Vrms 0dBFS	2Vrms 0dBFS
THD+N	0.0003%	0.0003%
SNR	>116dB	>116dB
	A-Weighted	A-Weighted
Freq. Response	±0.014dB	±0.006dB
Fully Balanced Output
	USB input	S/PDIF input/BT
Output Level	4Vrms 0dBFS	4Vrms 0dBFS
THD+N	0.0003%	0.0003%
SNR	>120B	>122dB
	A-Weighted	A-Weighted
Freq. Response	±0.03dB	±0.003dB
Dimension LxHxW	150x30x150 mm	5,9″x1,18″x5,9″
Weight	550 gr	1,21lbs

[collapse]

Technology/Architecture

The Tradutto hosts the XMOS 16-core receiver chip and the ES9038Q2M DAC chip. The XMOS 16-core  (XU216) is one of the standards in premium DACs for processing the data received by the USB/S/coaxial inputs. It handles MQA decoding in the Tradutto, for example.

Similarly, the ES9038Q2M is a proven DAC chip that processes digital audio files up to 32bit/768kHz or DSD512.  You can find this chip across the board, from the $2150 Burson Conductor 3 (contains two of them), through the $300 DragonFly Cobalt and $200 Khadas T2 Pro, to the $80 Shanling UA2. EarMen’s own $250 TR-Amp also features this chip.

Tradutto’s sound and sound quality are actually determined by the DAC’s analog part, which is the result of a combination of parts and engineering.

After filtering the signal’s jagged edges coming out of the DAC (chip), the output analog stage performs several duties, for example, amplifying, additional filtering, removing distortions and residual DC, buffering, and providing balanced and single-ended outputs.

The Tradutto’s analog output stage feature German WIMA quality capacitors “for high-end audio applications” to minimize THD, audio electrolytes in combination with American MELF low noise resistors, and SoundPlus OPA1642 operational amplifiers (“op-amps”) by Texas Instruments.

But even more important than the parts is the engineering. EarMen claim to have minimized jitter (“packet errors”) through the separation of DAC and analog part by the power supply. The printed circuit board is gold plated for optimal contacts. And the solid metal chassis minimizes external interference.

The Tradutto incorporates the Bluetooth QCC5124 SoC (“System on Chip”) for wireless listening – that follows the Bluetooth 5.1 standard.

Last but not least, the Tradutto features a fully balanced circuit, which will work with your balanced amplifier.

Physical Things

In the box is way more than stated in the manual. Apart from the DAC, remote control, power supply with adapters for worldwide mains access, Bluetooth antenna, and user manual, further included are a USB cable, a mesh bag for the power supply, and a microfibre cloth.

The Tradutto is a very compact but rather heavy device in its sturdy aluminum enclosure. The combination of relatively tall feet and the clean, square shape with sharp corners give it a minimalistic elegance with Italian design charisma.

The designers clearly had optical and haptical appeal in mind down to the smallest detail, which includes the font selected for the name on the front. The Tradutto therefore does not only address our ears, but also our eyes (and fingers)…and therefore all senses.

Functionality and Operation

It does

• create a full, rich, dynamic, natural sound
• connect to balanced and single-ended amplifier circuits
• accepts a variety of sources per Bluetooth (phone, dap), USB (computer), and coaxial/optical (CD player)
• come with a nifty rechargeable remote

It does not

• amplify
• work as pre-amp
• feature selectable filters

Front Panel

The minimalistic design is complemented by very clean operational elements on the front panel: 4 buttons with an audible, rugged quality mechanism and an unobtrusive OLED display that gives you bit/kHz numbers for the USB connection, and “COAX”, “TOS”, or “BT” for the other input options.

No dial knob, no “dancing” colour graphs, no selectable filters — form clearly follows function. The Tradutto is designed to work, to translate zeros and ones into the best possible, natural sound. No amplification, no headphone jack. That’s it.

Back Panel

The rear panel features all inputs/outputs (from L to R): 12 V SMPS power supply, Bluetooth antenna, S/PDIF (optical and coaxial) in, and RCA and 4.4 cm balanced out. 4.4 cm balanced is not the most common standard but it saves space compared to an XLR socket. A 12 V SMPS power supply is included.

Remote

The Tradutto’s front panel’s four buttons are mirrored on the included remote.

The remote is made of metal, has a great haptic, and its buttons have the quality spring mechanism experienced at the front panel.

It charges through any 5V power supply/computer socket through its USB-C socket. Charger and cable are not included.

Sound

One thing I am horrified of in DACs/amps is sonic sterility. I am a child of the pre-digital era going back to the late 1970s, and – with earphones – sacrifice detail resolution for organic sound.

One of the biggest shortcomings of low-quality DACs is a lack of realism and depth of stage, but added sharpness, and a thin, distant midrange. After all, both a $4000 or a $100 DAC do one thing, and one thing only: create sound (quality), that then needs to be amplified. A wow effect does rarely indicate quality: it is the long-term enjoyment that counts.

I tested the Tradutto with headphones in a desktop setting, and also with speakers on my big stereo system. I could not test the 4.4 mm balanced owing to lack of a balanced amplifier.

w. Headphones

Equipment used: Macbook Air (WiFi off, battery operated) with different USB cables (stock, Belkin Gold, AudioQuest Forest), Questyle QP1R with Lifatec USA optical cable, iPhone SE (1st gen.); AudioQuest Golden Gate RCA interconnects; Burson Funk amp; Sennheiser HD 600 headphones.

It is very difficult to isolate the sound of a single stereo component in a chain so that I arrived at my description through comparison with other DACs.

My general impression is that the Tradutto plays very natural, very maturely, never analytical, never lean, never sharp or aggressive. It has natural dynamics and is well composed across the frequency spectrum.

Bass is tight, lower midrange is rich and full, there is no upper midrange glare, and cymbals at the top decay naturally and are well resolving. Soundstage is wide with great spatial cues.

Dynamics is naturally dosed, never overwhelming or too polite.

When substituting the Macbook/Tradutto source/DAC with the portable Questyle QP1R DAP (its built-in DAC is believed to rival $500-700 desktop DACs), there was quite a sonic difference: the Macbook/Tradutto combo had better dynamics, clarity, and extension.

Substituting the Tradutto with other ES9038Q2M chip devices removed any doubt on the general misconception of the role of a DAC chip for sound.

The $250 EarMen TR-amp (as DAC) sounds slightly warmer than the Tradutto and it lacks the upper extension — but it can compete with the amount of bass. It does not rival the Tradutto’s soundstage, clarity, separation, and detail resolution. But it never sounded sharp or digital, harsh or lean. The Tradutto sounded livelier, better extended, with better defined notes. TR-amp is thinner and less dynamic/energetic.

The Khadas Tone2 Pro sounds flat with an attenuated midrange. It lacks depth in comparison to the other two devices. Voices sound lean and distant, which adds a component of air and a good stage width. But it lacks richness and body.

AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt without dedicated line-out needs more of the Burson’s amping power than the other DACs (I only set its output volume to 80% to avoid distortion). It lacks a bit in dynamics but sounds rather organic and natural – and surprisingly full and rich. The Tradutto has more bite, it plays bigger and clearer…

In summary, none of these DACs sound alike.

w. Stereo System

Equipment used: Marantz SA8005 SACD player with Cirrus CS4398 DAC; Blue Jeans coax cable, Sys Concept 1300 strand optical cable, AudioQuest Evergreen RCA interconnects; Luxman L-410 stereo amplifier; Heybrook HB1 speakers & Sennheiser HD 600 headphones.

Using CDs as source, I could easily A/B between the SA8005’s integrated Cirrus 4398 DAC and the Tradutto, and also A/B between the Tradutto’s coax and optical inputs.

The Marantz ($1400 CAD in 2014) is known for its smooth, rich, clean, well balanced tone quality and its natural reproduction. It has a sweet treble but lacks a bit of sparkle. Its integrated DAC is at about the same price level as the Tradutto as the basic version of this player was $550 CAD at the time.

When switching between Marantz and Tradutto (coax), the difference is…essentially zero at casual listening…and therefore ignorable for everyday use. But when spending some time and using my analytical ear, the Marantz is a tad bassier and warmer with a lesser controlled, fuzzier low end. This results in a narrower stage and less lower midrange separation and resolution.

The Tradutto has the tighter, faster low end and better note definition up to the lower midrange. It also plays a tad warmer than neutral (but less so than the Marantz) – which appears to be EarMen’s house sound (also found in TR-amp, Sparrow, and Eagle).

Towards the top of the spectrum Tradutto (coax) has a slightly better extension and both offer natural decay of high notes e.g. cymbals. And that’s where mediocre DACs fail — they sound articial.

Both Tradutto and Marantz have no attenuation in the midrange, no lean vocals, they are rich and lush. Vocals are better aligned in 3D space in the Tradutto, which also has the wider stage.

When switching from coax to optical, there is a difference in that the TOSLINK produces slightly slower transients compared to coax. The notes are more rounded and the sonic image is a tad smoother – also compared to the Cirrus DAC. Again, the differences are small.

Overall, the Tradutto is slightly better composed across the frequency spectrum than the Marantz — which plays essentially no role for my system for everyday use.

I re-produced the results with the Sennheiser HD 600 plugged into the Luxman amp.

What we learn is that the Tradutto sounds natural and not analytical or aggressive or lean. It does its job very well.

Bluetooth

The Qualcomm SoC delivers pretty much a prefab standard sound in a black “box” where the engineer cannot optimize the sound.

I A/B-ed Bluetooth vs. coax with two iPhones (same music), one hardwired into the Marantz, the other wireless per Bluetooth.

Bluetooth plays quieter, it looses some richness and intimacy, and is edgier, but it is still decent, and more than good enough for casual listening.

Connection was great, I walked around the 1000 sq ft floor of my house (with the iPhone) and never had any problems.

UPDATE: Comparison with SMSL DO200 MKII DAC (2023-01-10)

I recently tested the $469 SMSL DO200 MKII DAC, and had the opportunity to compare it with the Tradutto. I tested them side by side on the stereo system and with the Burson Funk amplifier with Burson Super Charger and Burson V6 Classic opamps and modified Sennheiser HD 600 headphones as described in the DO200 MKII article.

Both manufacturers pursue different philosophies. EarMen gives you the ready package tuned to the point that is sounds best in their opinion. SMSL, in contrast, leaves the fine tuning (and therefore the responsibility of the best sound) to the user. The DO200 MKII therefore features several hundred combinations of filters and sound profiles (“harmonic distortions”).

EarMen are confident and consider their products as final, and assign them a long shelf life — SMSL updated their original DO200 within a year so that the user has superseded equipment after a rather short time. Build-wise, the Tradutto is about as good as it gets with its heavy mono-block aluminum chassis and its metal remote. It trumps everything around it (and so do the EarMen Angel and TR-amp).

As to sound, I left the SMSL on its default settings as the differences between the tweaking options were minimal. The DAC sounds very good and probably beats most others in its price category. However, compared to the Tradutto, the SMSL sounds more constrained and boxed in.

The Tradutto sounds richer in the midrange and a bit more visceral, outgoing, and immersive with a deeper stage.

UPDATE: Tradutto with EarMen CH-Amp (2023-02-20)

The Tradutto is designed to harmonize with the EarMen CH-Amp. I tested both for two months from the 2022 Christmas period. The CH-Amp comes with the huge PSU-3 power supply that also powers the Tradutto (and two more devices) – and it improves its sound.

The CH-Amp’s stock remote controls both devices. EarMen’s engineers could keep the size of the enclosures down by choosing a 4.4 mm balanced connection (instead of the cumbersome XLR). The EarMen stack has a footprint barely bigger than a CD — and minimal cable clutter.

The balanced circuit creates a deeper sonic image than the single-ended circuit – apart from being more powerful. Read details on this synergy in my CH-Amp article.

Concluding Remarks

After 2 months of testing [now 1 year including the last update], I conclude that the EarMen Tradutto does what it is supposed to do: generate an analog audio signal of the highest quality. And it promptly delivers. It is sonically marginally ahead of my high-end Marantz SA8005 SACD player and beats all other ES9038Q2M devices I compared it to by a mile.

Apart from its sonic capabilities, the Tradutto is aesthetically pleasing (“Italian design”) and handles well, with high-quality button mechanisms and a rechargeable remote. After testing so many “EarMen”, it crystallizes out that their products are well thought out, therefore relevant for a long time, and of unparalleled build quality.

The Tradutto is another mature product with Auris Audio’s experience behind it. It is small enough to fit on your desk/stereo system, easy to operate, and it looks and sounds great. What else do we want?

Until next time…keep on listening!

Contact us!

Disclaimer

The EarMen Tradutto was supplied by EarMen for my review and I thank them for that. You can purchase it at the EarMen Shop. I thank Gordon Rankin of Wavelength Audio and Paul McGowan of PS Audio for discussion.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

Gallery

The post EarMen Tradutto DAC Review – It’s Only Natural appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Intro

The Questyle CMA Twelve (how dare anyone substitute a 12) DAC and Headphone amp combo is a solid hunk of amp with a very premium feel and a 2019 premium-ish price tag at $1499. All sorts of options up and down the scale. In my house the closest competitor is a whooping $200 stack of compact DAC and no frills headphone amp Liquid Spark + JDS Labs Atom.

Questyle has a wonderful track record for art and design however there is some not so happy thoughts on their customer service follow-through. The Questyle CMA Twelve DAC and Amp combo naming celebrates a whooping 12 year history in the headphone world. It’s a wonderful piece of machinery with a few minor near misses.

They claim a patented Current Mode Amplification technology sit inside cuddled up to Class A amplification. Sonically it does everything a premium product should do, powerful amplification, transparent noise-floor, butter smooth presentation with exceptional precision, I think I am in love.

Disclaimer

Let me first thank Audio46 for the opportunity to test this out in my home sanctuary. This is outside of the realm of equipment I usually consider so not a whole lot of equivalent equipment to compare it to. This audition audio tour sponsored on Head-fi set me back $20 in shipping, a small 1 week rental fee, how lovely.

Good Traits

• Solid Construction
• Excellent midnight black noise floor
• Resolution and clarity
• Input voltage for the masses, selectable 110/220V

Opinionated Commentary

There are only minor imperfections on the Questyle CMA Twelve

Low volume channel imbalance. It goes away after a few clicks up from 0 and is present on my normal setup as well. It should not a be a deal breaker, unless it exhibits this at listening level someone would actually use. There is also some electromagnetic feedback static induced into the circuit because it is motorized. Just more analog character charm.

The other strange thing I do not understand is if their claim to fame is the current mode amplifier running in their controlled/auto Class A bias mode, why is it not an option to toggle to headphone amp only mode with input from another DAC on the Questyle CMA Twelve?

A proprietary wireless receiver input that is not standard bluetooth. This is Apple thinking that the consumer will buy into a Questyle Ecosystem.

The last oddity is placement of the gain switches, there are 4 since they are independent for each channel (balanced). They are underneath. I understand from a circuit design perspective they wanted to keep it clean, but from a user experience it’s a tad annoying. If you never plan on using this with highly sensitive IEM’s no worries to be had.

Cosmetic Package

The design of the Questyle CMA Twelve has a geek side something that satisfies the more mature crowd without overly bright flashy displays, but instead goes for an engineer’s idea of a piece of lab testing equipment.

The indicator lights are not overbearing and very sharp looking. The toggle switches feel dainty, but my experience with these in my day job will no doubt prove to last a long time.

Power Consumption Tests

Seems silly to care but climate change anyone? No really my curiosity wanted to know how much extra power is used when switching into high bias setting on the Questyle CMA Twelve.

0.14/0.17A Standard vs High Bias
0.16/0.19A after warmed up
12W/15W Volume/load has no measurable bearing on this as expected for a Class A amp.
14W/16W after warm

Sound

The Bias switch does make a difference, I am glad they allow you to switch it on/off just to see the effect-show and tell. Bass has a little more haptic while the treble portrays everything more dimensionally.

Similar to going from a more dead room to a lively room, extremely subtle but still noticeable. The question is does this add coloring or remove coloring? I cannot answer but I would love to believe it makes it more expansive without coloring.

Testing the DAC output to my JDS Labs Atom, there was also a slight improvement in the separation of instruments, but as expected it is the total combination of the DAC and amplifier that are musical and organic.

The Questyle CMA Twelve treble comes off smoother and yet still more detailed. I found myself missing that extra little seismic information that it extracts when I went back to my Atom. Going from memory, I prefer the Questyle CMA also over the SMSL SH-9 due to the sterile cleanliness and the more analog volume control.

Power output should be plenty to drive almost anything, I don’t have anything besides the Sennheiser HD6XX that really needs the super power, but the Oppo PM-3 and JVC HA-FDX1 also benefited from the extra headroom. I pretty much used it in standard gain mode with everything since it was annoying to flip it over to make changes.

Other Fun Features

I am not really equipped to test these functions out but they are part of the Questyle CMA Twelve package for those interested.

• 4.4mm Pentacom or 4Pin XLR balanced output. I don’t have any cables to utilize.​
• Balanced output into an amplifier as a standalone DAC. I have no 2 channel system that would do it justice.​
• Proprietary 5Ghz wireless receiver input.​
• DSD playback, not my thing​
• Studio output, not a music producer/mastering engineer so no gear.​
• The Remote, probably more useful in DAC only mode. Buttons appear to be fuzz magnets.​
• Optical Digital Input
• SPDIF IN/OUT Composite
• AES/EBU input

Final Remarks

The Questyle CMA Twelve is a wonderfully sounding DAC amp combo that extracts the microdetails, plenty of connection options minus the ability to use it as a headphone amp only being the only drawback. If I had the desire to purchase gear over $300-400, this would be on my short list.

Since this product was released in ?2019 it doesn’t utilize the newest DAC chips or boast over the top SINAD numbers, yet it still sounds more musical and more transparent than my limited sampling. A caveat-I don’t want to pile on, but there have been some past complaints about support, and as you go up in price tiers the support is something you hope to never have to use.

Perhaps they will be more responsive if there is an issue, but this is something to consider with any brand in such a niche market. With that out of the way, overall excellent sounding DAC/Amp combo.

Specifications

DAC+Headphone Amplifier Section

Outputs:
4.4 mm balanced headphone jack
4PIN balanced headphone jack
6.35mm headphone jack

Max Output Power(Po):
247mW @ 300Ω; 900mW @ 32Ω(6.35mm headphone jack)
825mW @ 300Ω; 2W @ 32Ω (balanced headphone jack)

THD + N:
0.00070% @Po=100mW, 300Ω
0.00167% @ Po=50mW, 32Ω

Frequency Response:
DC-20kHz(+0, -0.4dB)@0dBFS, 24Bit, 192kHz
DC-80kHz(+0, -3dB)@0dBFS, 24Bit, 192kHz

SNR: 112dB, non-weighting

DAC+Pre-Amp Output Section

USB Type B Input:
Support 44.1kHz-384kHz/16Bit-32Bit PCM and DSD Native DSD64, DSD128, DSD256, as well as DSD64, DSD128, DSD256 of DoP format
(Note: support Win XP, Vista, Win7, Win8, Win10 and Mac OS)

Digital Input & Output:
SPDIF input and output, Optical input, AES/EBU input
Support 44.1kHz-192kHz/16Bit-24Bit PCM

Pre-Amp & DAC Section:
Balanced XLR x1 pair, unbalanced RCA x1 pair
STANDARD 14dBu: XLR: 5.084V RCA: 2.549V
STUDIO 20dBu: XLR: 8.887V RCA: 4.475V
THD+N@STUDIO 20dBu: XLR: minimum at 0.00085% RCA: minimum at 0.00115%
SNR: XLR:>112dB RCA:> 109dB (non-weighting)
(Note: FIX/ADJ: Fixed Output Mode or Adjustable Output Mode of the pre-amp.)

Contact us!

Disclaimer

Since Audio46 loaned this out, you can check out the QUESTYLE CMA TWELVE at their storefront. No affiliate links, no kickbacks.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

About my measurements.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post Questyle CMA Twelve – Blissfully Biased appeared first on Music For The Masses.