Best compact headphone listening solution?

[RTHerringbone]

These FiiO FT7 headphones and this desktop setup are bloody good. I've just bought a new record (Liquid Skin by Gomez) which I listened to downstairs on the main system.

You need to listen to it to understand it - basically some very talented musicians / singers having fun with real freedom and creativity. It sounded fantastic downstairs and I'm listening upstairs now on the new setup to try to gauge how good it is, and it's really impressive.

Obviously headphones can't and won't recreate a Hi-Fi soundscape, but they're having a damn good go and manage to handle the various tones and wide variety of instruments expertly - instrument positioning is all very tangible too. Superb stuff.

 

[Jasonovich]

These FiiO FT7 headphones and this desktop setup are bloody good. I've just bought a new record (Liquid Skin by Gomez) which I listened to downstairs on the main system.

You need to listen to it to understand it - basically some very talented musicians / singers having fun with real freedom and creativity. It sounded fantastic downstairs and I'm listening upstairs now on the new setup to try to gauge how good it is, and it's really impressive.

Obviously headphones can't and won't recreate a Hi-Fi soundscape, but they're having a damn good go and manage to handle the various tones and wide variety of instruments expertly - instrument positioning is all very tangible too. Superb stuff.

I love the intimacy you get with headphones.
Planars can sound like near field speakers and very good at spacing of instruments. My Hifimans have tamper, a lot of layers, which are hard to find on dynamic headphones.

Very glad you're pleased with your FiiOs, it's worth the investment. 😊

 

[RTHerringbone]

I've just come back from the audiologist. No changes to my hearing so she just updated the software on my hearing aids, got the app reinstalled on my phone and more importantly, added a "Listening To Music" mode after I mentioned my Hi-Fi obsession. She also told me off and said that everyday sounds only sound weird to me because I'm not wearing hearing aids all the time - I encouraged and appreciated that honesty.

The "Listening To Music" mode is just a type of EQ really. I commented to her that the software she used looked exactly like the FiiO EQ UI and she said that's all her job basically is - identify which frequencies to tweak, in which direction and by how much in volume terms. It does sound better than on the "Automatic" setting and she's also saved me a good £2k by saying there's no point buying new hearing aids as the ones I have are perfectly fine. She said "you can spend £10k on hearing aids if you want, but they still won't make a difference if they're in a drawer at home" 😆

Money back into the Hi-Fi pot 🎉🥳

 

[Shrek]

FiiO DAC / amp is here and up and running. I'm not looking at anything like PEQ or the NOS / OS options just yet. It's totally different to the headphone amp in the Ultra. Everything carries so much more weight and it feels fuller and more powerfully conveyed. Zero brightness and without achieving that to the detriment of high end detail. It has the warmth I wanted and that's immediately clear.

And look at the match to the Ultra - it's perhaps 10-20mm smaller on width and depth and sits happily on top. The stock cable with the FT7 is a bit overkill though. I don't notice it when sat on the sofa downstairs beside the main Hi-Fi, but it's more noticeably weighty here.

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I want one 🙈

 

[Shrek]

will it be a improvement on my iFi Amp ? Its very good looking. will match my set up looks wise very well ...mmm more money .

 

[RTHerringbone]

will it be a improvement on my iFi Amp ? Its very good looking. will match my set up looks wise very well ...mmm more money .

To be honest: I doubt it. They're not miles apart price-wise and we're always told that all DACs sound the same, and I'm sure many apply the same base logic to DAC & Amp combos.....

 

[Shrek]

Still i prefer the look of it .

 

[RTHerringbone]

My sole criticism of the K13 is that the remote is not good. Very plasticky and on occasions the button mapping seems to be confused. I suspect that not much money was spent on that part of the package.

 

[Angle Poise-Lamp]

and we're always told that all DACs sound the same, and I'm sure many apply the same base logic to DAC & Amp combos.....

After buying my Focal Elegias I felt something was missing, that they had more to give so, decided to replace my Audiolab M-DAC. When I started listening to it's replacement, the Pathos in my sig, the difference was like night and day, not just more detail and clarity, it brought my music to life. I certainly don't believe all DACs and amps sound the same.

 

[RTHerringbone]

After buying my Focal Elegias I felt something was missing, that they had more to give so, decided to replace my Audiolab M-DAC. When I started listening to it's replacement, the Pathos in my sig, the difference was like night and day, not just more detail and clarity, it brought my music to life. I certainly don't believe all DACs and amps sound the same.

Yeah, it's not my view but certainly that of one or two on my Ignore List

Am I right in looking at your signature to assume that you've basically got two separate headphone setups and three sets of headphones on rotation between both systems?

 

[Jasonovich]

After buying my Focal Elegias I felt something was missing, that they had more to give so, decided to replace my Audiolab M-DAC. When I started listening to it's replacement, the Pathos in my sig, the difference was like night and day, not just more detail and clarity, it brought my music to life. I certainly don't believe all DACs and amps sound the same.

I agree. I'm kind of having the same sentiments.

Since upgrading to Hifiman He1000V2 Stealth, I'm toying in my head to replace the SingXer SA1 headphone with either Gustard H39 or Yulong Da'art A39 both pure class A. The Yulong has R2R volume resisters, which is far more linearity than the best volume mechanical potentiometers.
Looking at the Gustard innards is like a work of art, twin toroidal PS.

I know from the many reviews, these are great headphone amps but is it worth twice the price, is it twice as good? Am I too weak, I should resist, do cold turkey, stop looking at YouTube. Temptation is such a b1tch!

I'm getting about 6w into 32 Ohms from the SingXer, so they're not short on power. I suspect I going to get either the Gustard or the lesser know Yulong

This is probably the smoothest class A headamp you can buy - SA2 is on the market now with better power delivery: certainly a favourite with some of the reviewers. Love Z's honesty and colourful choice of words. 🙂

View: https://youtu.be/qLEqPv3m2WE?si=CsVCiAZKD2kRVSv2