It looks quite good, tell people its a short run designer edition.

I buy FLAC from both Bandcamp and Bleep. You can choose from 320kbps mp3, FLAC or WAV, I choose whatever seems appropriate for the type of music. They also sell physical media like vinyl, cassettes, CDs, even music for Gameboy Advance.

I also stream and download stuff from Tidal.

I've used a couple of portable DAC/amps with AKM chips and others with ESS chips, they sound different and in close line with how their characteristics are often described. The AKM devices also sounded noticeably warmer than using the headphone socket on my phone. I now use two DAC/amps from IFI mostly, one has Cirrus chips the other has Burr Brown, similar but not the same sound. I don't claim that the chips are solely responsible for the sound difference, manufacturers may voice their products in some way, I would expect this in a competitive market.

When awake I have earphones in or sometimes headphones on. Occasionally when asleep too depending on intoxication level. I swap IEMs a few times a day.

I use it to play FLAC I've bought from Bandcamp, Bleep and other stores. I'm using an android phone so need something that plays FLAC well through a DAC/amp without messing about with it. I also use Tidal to stream music, I can use it in exclusive mode or use UAPP, the UAPP interface is a bit clunky but not such a great hassle. I think its good value.

I notice a difference between different portable DAC/amps and I have a strong preference for two devices from the same manufacturer but, I wouldn't describe the difference as like night and day, more like good and a bit better, I can enjoy the other devices that I rarely use. Maybe they get more out of their gear than I do, I wouldn't like to assume that they're deluded, if there are people who think that all headphones sound identical, there are probably people who pick up on very subtle differences between devices.

Anecdotes by Joanna Newsom. Very busy track with a lot of acoustic instruments, a varied vocal, some warm synth pads near the end. This is one of several tracks I try with new headphones, I don't actually know if it gives a good indication of how they will perform but I'll notice immediately if they trip up.

The sensitivity is the most important factor, a high impedance pair of headphones can be easier to drive than a pair with low impedance if the sensitivity is high enough. Very few IEMs need more power than the average phone headphone socket puts out, I can only think of a handful, the Final e5000, Tin P2 are among them. I don't know why so many people only consider the impedance though, some headphone reviewers and retailers also overlook the sensitivity and a few only list the impedance in the specs.

IEMs almost always have very low impedance so you need only refer to the sensitivity.

Older recordings were they got a bit too enthusiastic with stereo panning are very distracting. I don't listen with one bud in but switch to mono when I hear that.

Sony sbh24.

A tiny, basic but decent bluetooth receiver which includes their mh750 earphones. I often recommend this over any cheap wireless buds because of the simplicity of the design and ability to use any earphones if the included pair are damaged. I bought mine in UK for £24 last year and didn't expect much but was pleasantly surprised. It can be bought for as little as €16. The earphones have a bassy, warmish neutral sound.

Some of my favorite IEMs are single DD models, the Final A4000, Final E5000, JVC HA-FX1100. The pair I use the most is the Sony XBA-N3 which is a hybrid, it has a single DD and a balanced armature. I have some other hybrids that have a lot more drivers that I rarely use. I'm currently very interested in all balanced armature IEMs after trying one recently.

The only IEMs I've had problems with were two sub $120 ChiFi models I bought almost three years ago. Both were well reviewed and recommended, neither sounded great for the money, both had faulty connectors and one only played for an hour a day. I haven't bothered with cheap Chi-Fi IEMs since.

A bad recording can sound bad on cheap earphones. I think this issue of headphones being too revealing might be overblown, unless you're into a genre that is nearly always particularly poorly recorded I wouldn't worry about it. Sometimes rough audio is part of the charm with some types of music. I've seen some comments claiming that a headphone was so revealing that their favorite classical piece sounded terrible, I checked it out and that particular recording sounds rough on cheap headphones and IEMs. The hd600 series headphones all sound really nice with a wide variety of music, if you mostly listen to very bass heavy music open headphones might not be the best option.

You'll hear that good quality gear reveals problems in recordings but, someone might interpret that as you need hi-res/lossless files for good audio, that is not the case. The production and mastering that takes place in the studio is the most important factor, if its recorded well it will sound great on a 320kbps mp3 and maybe a little better as lossless though the differences can be very subtle. If its not well made it will be more obvious with better gear. I have some albums I bought as 320kbps mp3 files that sound really great, I have lossless stuff that doesn't sound as good. You should definitely buy the best headphones you can afford.

Hi-res is appropriate for some music, I don't think its some kind of scam but, its a daft distraction sometimes.

I've seen so many conflicting opinions about the bass on the dt770, some say they're bass cannons, others say they're bass light. I think you may be right about the type of music or individual recording, some people complain about lack of bass on a headphone or IEM thats well known for above average bass but, when asked what they're listening to its music with very little bass in it or its a more subdued tone.

I stream from Tidal and buy music from Bandcamp and Bleep.