Most measurements I have seen, including yours, the upper mids look a lot smoother in the AE.

https://timmyv.squig.link/?share=7Hz_Timeless_AE,7Hz_Timeless
https://hbb.squig.link/?share=7Hz_Timeless_AE,7Hz_Planar
https://ianfann.squig.link/?share=7HZ_TIMELESS_AE,7HZ_TIMELESS_OG

Is that difference audible at all? You can see in all these measurements the OG has a very sharp dip at 3-3.5kHz, I have it and mine has that as well. I can't say I really hear it in music, but it seems gone in the AE, smoothed over. Both that dip, and its absence in the AE, seem consistent over multiple people's measurements.

I'd take the Celestee personally, it looks substantially better tuned. The Celestee is the direct replacement for the Elegia, after it was discontinued, and it has been $990 in the US while the Elegia has been selling for much less ($300-400).

If you like the Clear, the Celestee looks closer to that. Elegia is good for the low price but I think EQ is pretty much mandatory, I would not consider it if you aren't going to EQ it. Resolve has a good long term review with EQ profiles if you do go for that.

Oratory has measurements:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fo91u5wo3p3vwh6/Focal%20Celestee.pdf?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ialbitfdqmx2jr4/Focal%20Elegia.pdf?dl=0

That's an insane price. It's actually equivalent to a US price of $400, when you consider that US prices are always quoted ex-tax while Australian prices include tax.

I got the CCA CXS the same day and recommend it if you want a V-shaped IEM, I think it's good, and it's cheap too, and a good quality.

I wouldn't get the Fiio, if you want it for the PR1 Pro, get the KZ AZ09 Pro, it fits that perfectly and sounds great on it too. It's more comfortable and much cheaper too, and the whole package is smaller than the Fiio.

I checked with my MMCX-2 pin adapters, the PR1 will not fit in the case at all with these, it's not possible to squash it in because the hook would be out of the case then. There might be a chance with the angled adapters, but I wouldn't do it when there is a cheaper alternative that fits it perfectly.

Get the AZ09 Pro which is great.

https://imgur.com/a/1SV6vmT

DX5 has an XLR out, it's just not balanced.

If you have stuff wired for 2.5, you can use a XLR-2.5 adapter, this what I use on my main amp for stuff I have wired for 2.5, it has XLR, 4.4 and 6.35. I leave that plugged in as I have stuff wired for 2.5, 4.4 and 6.35 but not XLR.

I also have 6.35->2.5 and 6.35->4.4 adapters, so I can use the balanced stuff on my single ended amps as well. This works in that direction, it's the other direction you can't go (balanced output to single ended).

You need 2.5 for the BTR5 and no desktop amp is going to have a 2.5 output so you need an adapter anyway. Like you usually need a 6.35->3.5 adapter for single ended, they are a bit bigger than those but same idea.

You can also get 3.5->2.5, if you got something like a Topping DX3 Pro+ that only has 3.5.

Great, I don't notice a difference from wired using LHDC.

Balanced or not balanced doesn't inherently matter, balanced is just often an easy way to give much higher power, particularly in small battery powered devices. If a particular device has both, the balanced is often better and usually significantly more powerful. But it's entirely possible to produce a single ended device that outperforms a balanced one. The DX5 would have plenty of power for the Edition XS single ended, it's really in the small portable stuff you benefit more from using the balanced out. Or some desktop amps where the balanced is more powerful, and you have a really hard to drive headphone like the HE6SE.

The 2 pin UTWS3/5 will fit any totally flush IEM fine. It has issues with IEMs that have a recess, even a slight recess. Flush is just fine. I don't recommend the MMCX with adapter thing either, that often means they don't fit will in the case any more and even if they do it messes up the fit on your ear, the MMCX adapter pushes the hook up too far. I have the MMCX version as well and I have tried it with a 2 pin adapter, it's not IMO a good idea.

I have the Monarch Mk2 on it and that's just fine, like /u/yrofddragon I tried the Blessing 2 on it and while it did work it wasn't terribly secure. But literally any flush 2 pin IEM is absolutely fine, and if you have a flush 2 pin, definitely get the 2 pin version rather than MMCX with janky adapter. Although, if you have flush 2 pin, I'd also consider cutting a AZ09 Pro for a lot less money, that works too, and it's actually a lot more comfortable than the Fiio which is bulky and a poor fit. LHDC (900kbps, Chinese LDAC) on the UTWS5 is nice if your phone supports it.

If you are upgrading, I'd get the Qudelix over the BTR7, the PEQ on the Qudelix is much better. The one on the BTR7 is limited, and only had one saved preset vs 20.

The BTR7 doesn't have that much more power than the BTR5 or Qudelix either (300mW vs 240mW @32Ω). This isn't enough that it's going to make any difference, it's under 1dB difference in the max volume which is imperceptible. If you find you need more power, you'd be better off getting a proper 1W+ desktop amp, the amount of power you need to get significantly more volume is exponential (double the volume needs 10 times the power). 1.25x power is an insignificant difference.

Any C Pin / QDC will work on it.

I'd suggest:

• Tangzu Wan'er
• CCA CRA
• CCA CRA+
• KZ EDA Balanced
• KZ PR1 Pro

CCA CXS may also be a decent option, but I haven't heard it yet.

The BTR5 and Qudelix have the same power into low impedances, both are 80mW on the SE and 240mW on the balanced. The Qudelix has very slightly higher power only into high impedances, as it has very slightly higher max voltage (4V vs 3.6V). At the 18Ω of the Edition XS neither is going anywhere near their max voltage, so it's the mW power number that matters and they are the same. Both use the exact same chip in the exact same configuration, so it's the same, BTR5 just puts a cap on the voltage slightly below the max.

Qudelix is IMO a better device but it will not make any difference to the sound or the power.

If you get it, I would put a balanced cable on it. The Edition XS is moderately hard to drive and either Qudelix or BTR5 are IMO OK with the balanced but limited on the SE, even more so if you are going to EQ. You can get a balanced cable for $10-20, no need to spend more than this unless you want to splurge for look/feel. I have a $10-15 FAAEAL cable on it, all the cables in the first pic are suitable for the EXS and except the Tripowin ($30-50) they are all under $20.

A balanced cable is not this big investment, and it's not something you can't just swap out when you want to. You can swap the cable easily if you want to use it single ended, OR you can just use a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter, or for that matter a 2.5mm to 6.35mm adapter, which is what I use. If I didn't use my 4.4->6.35 and 2.5->6.35 adapters I'd be using a 3.5->6.35 so it makes no difference and I just wire everything for balanced.

It's a different experience to the Dusk, it's "bigger" sounding. I don't think it blows the Dusk out of the water, but I don't think anything does really, the Dusk is very good. Edition XS is very good for the price it's at, it's very similar tonality to the Arya Stealth and is like 90% of that IMO for much less money.

> Especially when modded

/r/headphones/comments/o04onc/welp_you_asked_for_it_cat_ear_hd800/

This is a specific issue with Abyss, not planars in general. Hifiman don't have a peak there.

https://crinacle.com/graphs/headphones/graphtool/?share=IEF_Neutral_Target,AB-1266_Phi,Arya_Stealth

The Arya is probably already "high-end" but it's not there in their TOTL stuff either:

https://crinacle.com/graphs/headphones/graphtool/?share=IEF_Neutral_Target,Susvara,HE1000se

Nor do "high-end headphones in general".

https://crinacle.com/graphs/headphones/graphtool/?share=IEF_Neutral_Target,HD800S,Stealth

Audeze (planar) and Focal (dynamic drivers) can have a slight emphasis there, on some headphones, but it's not Abyss level, and it's typically not centered on 1kHz either, it's a bit higher or lower.

https://crinacle.com/graphs/headphones/graphtool/?share=IEF_Neutral_Target,LCD-X_(2021),Utopia_S3

I have two Audeze including the LCD-X and I do think EQ is a must, but it's more to do with the uneven and recessed upper mids than what's going on in the lower mids. I use a slightly tweaked Oratory1990 profile which does EQ down 760Hz but only by 1dB. There is maybe a slight honk that is reduced by EQing this out. But much larger issues in the upper mids where it is very muffled without EQ. Utopia the slight rise centered at ~1.2kHz really doesn't bother me. Both it and the Clear sound very similar tonally to the HD650/HD6XX, just better. HD6XX and Utopia are probably the two headphones I find most usable without EQ.

https://crinacle.com/graphs/headphones/graphtool/?share=IEF_Neutral_Target,Utopia_S3,HD650_S2_(2020)_(fresh_pads)

It depends on the IEM but it's often a separate bit, this does mean it can sometimes be replaced if it breaks, although many IEMs this would be quite involved, possibly involving a full re-shell. Some IEMs can be disassembled and put back together, glued faceplates are common for example, or IEMs that separate into two parts which are glued together. Some use screws. There are modders who take apart IEMs routinely.

https://www.amazon.com/Recessed-Female-Socket-Connector-Monitor/dp/B078YNCFNM

I wouldn't be overly concerned about it, but I would be moderately careful as well. I do have a policy of not frequently disconnecting and reconnecting IEM cables, that does wear them out and they can become loose.

Some 2 pin designs are worse than others, flush can have issues but there are some like the Symphonium Helios where it's a flush 2 pin on the end of a stalk, this virtually guarantees you are going to bend the pins. Also while some IEMs (like the Monarch Mk2) are totally flush, others which look flush (Variations, Blessing 2) are actually slightly recessed and this slight recess probably does help a bit as long as you have a cable that mates properly with it (most 2 pin will, the vast majority of even flush 2 pin cables still have a slight rectangular plastic protrusion that goes into these connectors).

Nine different codecs 100-pass recompression test

AAC wins over 100 decode-reencode cycles. But as /u/klogg4 says it's not likely to matter with a single re-encode. I use the same earbuds as you and I don't really worry about this, I mostly use Spotify and Tidal.

AAC is decoded and re-encoded for BT transmission, it's not passed directly to the earbud. But it's also particularly resistant to generational loss.

He's using Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, they don't do either regular AptX never mind Adaptive.

You're more likely to get distortion running on low gain with something that needs high gain, it can run out of power and clip. This is more likely though on low impedance low sensitivity stuff, generally with high impedance stuff it just won't get loud.

Generally with high gain it doesn't increase harmonic distortion but rather increases the noise floor. If you hear this, it would be as a background hiss, so you might hear this for example on sensitive IEMs.

It's very unlikely you'd hear it on a 300Ω overear like the HD600.

It depends on the specific device too, some devices all the low gain is doing is putting a cap on the max voltage. General rule, high gain has higher noise but some devices it doesn't, or it's tiny, well below audibility.

I don't know about this specific dongle but it uses dual CS43131 DAC chips from Cirrus Logic. Most Cirrus Logic based dongles whether CS43131 or CS43198 (I have several) have insanely good noise and distortion numbers and you really don't need to worry about it. I don't think I've seen a bad one. More likely to get distortion from trying to run something that needs more power off the low gain IMO.

For an over-ear like the HD600 with a dongle, I would tend to use high gain.

For IEMs, I would stick to low gain.

Welcome to ChiFi, they are actually a lot better at making this stuff than writing English marketing materials.

Would you trust companies like Apple, Mercedes-Benz, Coke or Pepsi? They have made similar mistakes translating for the Chinese market.

>1) Pepsi “Come Alive With the Pepsi Generation” Mistranslated into “Pepsi Brings Your Ancestors Back from the Dead”
>2) KFC “Finger Lickin” Good Mistranslated into “Eat Your Fingers Off”
>3) Mercedes Benz Used The Name Bensi Which Means “Rush to Die”
>4) Apple’s iPhone 7 Was Translated as a Sex Organ in Cantonese
>5) Coca-Cola’s Band Name Translates “Bite the Wax Tadpole” Initially

https://limpid-translations.com/2022/02/08/when-chinese-translations-gone/

They are actually voltage figures, and they are accurate. It even says "voltage". Someone added on the mW by mistake, it should be mV, it's a typo. On the device it says 1.8V / 3.8V.

These are typical numbers for a high power dongle, these typically do up to 1V low power SE, 2V high power SE, 2V low power balanced, 4V high power balanced. Max power will typically top out around 200-240mW in high power balanced, they are current limited into low impedances and won't do anywhere near the full 4V. They will do full voltage into higher impedances, 3.8V into 300Ω is only 48mW.

These numbers are just below that, 900mV, 1.8V, 1.8V, 3.8V. That's right for a dual CS43131 dongle.

Monarch Mk2 is close to an upgraded Dusk, with very similar tonality.

https://crinacle.com/graphs/iems/graphtool/?share=IEF_Neutral_Target,Dusk_S2,Monarch_Mk2

I have it and the OG MEST and I prefer the Monarch Mk2. MEST has more "holographic" soundstage though, that's the party trick it does. MEST Mk2 is meant to be better tuning than OF MEST but slightly worse in the technicalities.

Monarch Mk2 still has very decent soundstage for an IEM, just not quite on the level of the MEST, but also arguably sounding more natural. The other technicalities are, possibly even better.

ThieAudio Oracle is even closer tuning to the Dusk, but I think less on the technicalities than the Monarch Mk2. I think. I have both, I haven't A/Bed them. I enjoy the Oracle very much though, the main tonal difference is the Oracle has just that smidge more mid-bass than the Monarch Mk2.

https://crinacle.com/graphs/iems/graphtool/?share=IEF_Neutral_Target,Dusk_S2,Oracle

Oracle has better treble than the Dusk, I think it is an upgrade. But if you want to spend ~$1,000 and want a better Dusk, I think just go straight to the Monarch Mk2, it's the obvious choice.

The Diva looks interesting, I haven't heard it. What I'd be most concerned about with it is the bass, in the min bass, it looks like too little. In the max, too much, although I could see that being a "fun" tuning and I think I would like it with the max bass, but not all the time. The max bass puts the rise in the same place as the Dusk, but it goes up a LOT more, like it's +15dB which is nuts. I have the Variations, and it's nowhere near as much bass as that, and it's sometimes too much, I think as a general tuning the Dusk, Oracle, Monarch Mk2 are better tunings.

While the issue with the half bass, it looks like it is pushed too far down, and just starts the rise too low. I have a few IEMs like this, it almost identically matches the curve on the Symphonium Helios, which is a great IEM with the best treble I have ever heard, but simply sounds too lean due to the bass being pushed so far down.

https://crinacle.com/graphs/iems/graphtool/?share=IEF_Neutral_Target,Diva_Half_Bass,Helios_Sym

The Dioko also suffers from this problem. It's just too far down. Dusk is great, Truthear Zero is also fine. Dioko is too lean. Dusk and Oracle, which are near idenitcal, it's enough further up, it makes all the difference.

The Monarch Mk2 does look pretty close but it's still a little higher. I don't find it problematic. But the Diva is also an all-BA set, like the Helios, and I think this makes a difference, the Monarch bass although it doesn't graph THAT much different from the Helios, it's far more present and impactful, I think because it's DD bass.

>Elear

This is the Quarks DSP, I suspect it will be close. Close to Harman but a little bit more bass and a little bit less upper mids (both of which are probably pluses).

https://timmyv.squig.link/?share=Harman_Target,MD_Quarks_DSP
https://ianfann.squig.link/?share=Harman_2019_Target,MOONDROP_QUARKS_DSP

I think, possibly. I don't have that specific device, but if you were using Equalizer APO and doing the EQ there would probably make sense to have it flat. I think can can chain, like you could have Equalizer APO doing the EQ first and then have the Sound Blaster doing further processing, but generally preferable just to do the DSP in one place I think to keep it simple.

People seem to use it with that, there are even some specific handling software for it:

/r/SoundBlasterOfficial/comments/v2yjve/soundblasterx_g6_issue_installing_equalizer_apo/
/r/SoundBlasterOfficial/comments/dyr2nw/improve_sound_blaster_headphone_audio_for_free/
https://github.com/heftyy/sb-output-controller