fancy

Thank you!

Thank you, in my opinion it sounds very good, I wasn't wanting to spend so much initially, had my eyes on fiio k5 or ifi zen dac combo, however after listening to the topping decided to go with it.

In terms of keeping happy with it, quite difficult when there's a pair of HD800 to steal every now and then, however with the topping is a bit too harsh for my ears so potentially a blessing in disguise.

I have applied an EQ in roon as that is where most of my listening is done (roon with qobuz)

Regarding clamping force, it is fine now and I'm not brave enough to test that, I have seen others perform with some success, but I'm content at the minute. Thank you for the suggestion though.

Try some eq or different headphones instead

Yep. For most people, audiophile headphones and gear are not worth it. You have to be into the hobby and gear to see value in it.

Sell it & get a Qudelix 5K. You can charge while in DAC mode even with iPhone.

DT 770 250Ω are quite hard to drive, substantially harder than something like the Sennheiser HD600, and I would think you probably should be using something more powerful than the single ended out of a KA3, yes.

You could mod them to balanced, or get a more powerful desktop amp. The Douk U3 at $30 might be a good option, it does 1.3W and you can use the KA3 as a DAC into it.

It's scientific that you can push an amp into clipping if it doesn't have the current, although it more typically happens with lower impedance headphones than higher ones.

Volume controls voltage and with low impedance headphones you usually can turn the volume up higher than the amp's capability to supply current, if you do this you do get clipping and a huge spike in distortion.

You can see this in the 16Ω measurements for the KA3 unbalanced, and the 32Ω as well with the balanced. It's not apparent in the 68Ω or 300Ω though, that goes to max voltage without clipping, although distortion does start to rise again above 20mW (not to the level it would likely be audible).

https://www.l7audiolab.com/f/fiio-ka3/

>:)

:)

I've never owned an apple product :)

Sweet, great choice aesthetically and almost definitely aurally too (have not heard exact same, but own HD6XX and HD58X and some Topping).

Try to keep your mind happy with the purchase, easily diminishing returns past that point and you can play with EQ should you desire something more (or less).

Btw. clamping force can be reduced at own risk by carefully un-bending the metal parts of the band after extending them fully, instructions online.

This is likely it. It is at a lower volume and so, people often describe the louder volume as the music being "opened up" or clearer.

The same description that comes from people using amps.

I came from 560s and i had a very long journey. A 660s would sound muffled to you (maybe).

At the end i climbed from Hifiman XS to Hifiman Ananda to Arya. All excellent Headphones and the Arya are the first Headphones that I'm to 93,45% sure this is Endgame.

PS.: The HD700 sound amazing with Auto EQ. If you get them for ~300-400 second hand, try them. I think they are your cup of tea.

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GAS = Gear Acquisition Syndrome

FOMO = Fear of missing out

In other words do you miss something real or do you just want to get something new, to get something new.

If you find the trebles to be overwhelming, you can try swapping the pads with Dekoni Velour. Those did the trick for me for a perfect sound. Whereas the balanced pads made the bass muddy and analytical pad made the treble unbearable. Dekoni Velour is like a balance of both, you retain the good bass but it's not muddy anymore and the treble are tamed so it's no longer sibilant.

Nice!

I disagree, just because HD800S are higher end headphone doesn't mean it'll be better than mid grade, or that OP will like them by default. This hobby is all about doing your research and finding a sound that you like, not the price of the headphones. I've owned severe cans that were better than HD800S (at least to me) at a fraction of the price. Plus, HD560S is <$200, HD800S is $1000 even buying used. The jump is way to big to justify.

A) might not just be your thing, B) the jump might be so big you need time to understand the differences (like jumping from MoonDrop waifus to appreciating the masterpieces of impressionist art), C) the M50x's are laser sharp in the treble and have overdone porridge bass so your ears might be fucked like mine were after using them for a few years that something balanced sounded boring (HD650 for me) and it will take time to readjust, but the M50x's will likely sound horrific afterwards.

The amp is likely fine. An iBasso DC05 or Apple dongle is. I recommend EQ (Oratory1990 preset) to bring the bass up a bit. They're really damn nice headphones for most people. The big soundstage also makes them more diffuse sounding in the bass especially which is a bit less gripping and more ethereal than you're likely used to.

I also have an XM4 and wanted to upgrade. I found that even my XM4 was improved by the Fiio K7. I got the Hifiman Arya Stealth headphones and it sounds great, according to me, an audiophile and a non-audiophile wgo tried it, especially with FLAC 24 bit 48kHz files. If you can try them for free/easy return, it might be worth checking out.

Do you find that the K3 improves sound when paired with your XM4?

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Too similar to the 6XX for you like like them most likely. Edition XS would be the move based on what you described. Don’t be afraid to purchase second hand just make sure the person has some established trade credibility. Big time savings given most people in this hobby take very good care of their headphones and more than likely they have never left their desk.

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The 702 is a great headphone. Especially with a Harman EQ.

That would be the HD 700. I have both and the 700 is better in every way, except the 560s has better sub bass. That being said, the 560s are surprisingly close to the 700 and apparently the 660s uses the same drivers as the 700. I think you should try the 660s in person before committing.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that the HD 700 are discontinued unfortunately. The 660s are similar but idk if the soundstage is similar as well. In that case, the HD 800s would be better for you, if soundstage is a priority.