Couldn't say I've tried the highest ends of audio amplifiers, but i've tried amps from the apple dongle to the balanced output of a thx 789. From the lighting apple dongle, I can definitely hear a difference from let's say my e10k-tc, since even with Iems, I have to max out my phone to get decent volumes.

But when comparing the e10k to other higher end and expensive amps, the only time I heard a meaningful difference was when the e10k either wasn't loud enough or had no headroom. This is with both iems, and open backs (though I don't own anymore open backs, as I sold them).

My question to you though would be have your volume matched, and blind tested your amps? Without that, placebo can very well be in play.

Pretty much. Packaging looks cool though lol.

The only way a headphone can benefit from more power is either having more headroom, or you just cranking it up louder than usual. Which for most headphones, from the low to high end, can be achieve with amps in the 100-200 dollar range/

Most modern solid state amps don’t make much of an audible diffrence to most headphones. As long as you have enough volume headroom and the distortion is under audible levels (which almost all amps are, unless they are meant to distort), most solid state amps are going to sound the same.

Basically they 100% make a diffrence, but those diffrences are usually so small, they don’t matter to the normal person with normal ears

Moondrop Quark Dsp, and the soon to be release Moondrop Jiu (which has the same shell and cable as the chu)

That question is kind of an oxymoron when it comes to audio lol

I’ve heard litterally nothing super negative about these so far, except for the usual “everything apple does is an affront to my life” people

Definitly doable-able, but if you don’t already have a soldering iron and heat shrink, it would just be cheaper to buy a new cable

You forgot the /s

Probably not, but it just feels off to me when I wear them like that

based

The problem with chus is that the cable likes to throw itself off your ear unlike say a bullet iem. And unlike a bullet iem, you can’t wear the chu’s cormfortably with the cable down. People would be much less mad if they atleast gave it a pre formed earhook.

No, just a recolor

with improper seal

First it was just to experience my games and music better

Now it’s just an expensive collection hobby

nothing i said had anything to do with the fact that impedance and sensitivity are importantly distinct

and while we can argue about if a headphone loud enough with decent “to loud” headroom is still underpowered, you can’t in good faith say that if you dislike an headphone, a linear amp with more power would change the sound enough to sway that opinion

I’m just going to say this. If your headphone gets loud enough on a source, with some headroom, then any amp upgrade will not make the headphone sound better (or better enough that the upgrade would make you like it more).

Saying that a headphone that sounds mediocre can be fixed by an amp when the problem isn’t the volume makes no sense when all modern amps are made to be linear.

I’m starting to think this isn’t sarcastic 💀

You do know that any sound output has a buikd in amp right?

1. Like everyone is saying, it’s probably because you are listening to source louder than the other. Louder usually equals better, especially in the bass region

2. The reason why we know that a hd650 sounds diffrent than an hd600 is because there are a multitude of graphs published by established sources with industry equipment that show those 2 headphones are diffrent

i’m not skeptical, what i’m saying is that your defense doesn’t in any way disprove that what you are hearing is placebo. I’m not giving any opinion if what you are hearing is placebo or not

And fyi, while what the redditor you are quoting is right, what he is saying doesn’t apply to you since the Quedlix has the same output impendance from the balanced and unbalanced port, meaning it wouldn’t be a factor. He was using a complelty diffrent amp as an example.

You do realize that it could be your brain just believing the bass is tighter, hence it being placebo?

Like not trying to be an ass but saying "the bass is tighter I hear it" isn't a very good defense to someone saying that what you hear is placebo.

nice

I would personally look at rtings for things not related to sound performance. Things like mic quality, comfort, durability are factors that I think they present well and accurately.

Their raw fr graphs are good to, but the reason I would use squig or crinacle over them is because, unlike rtings, you can change the target response.

In my experience yes, but I still vastly prefer anything from the 600 series to the sr850.