sly_bastard

They all seem decent just choose your poison really. Questyle have a good reputation and heard good things about the Burson. The two I would throw in is the ifi ican or the rme ADI 2 DAC which is a great DAC with decent amp. It just depends what you want and your specific needs. Is it's a pure amp you could go with either of the monoprice, drop or smsl THX amp and also improve your DAC which would be my recommendation for less then your noted amps.

I got the Sony 507 now, had the m11 and sold it. There wasn't much in it overall but the 507 handles some music better for my taste. The M11 was lacking in a few departments. Also native play store, smaller and better button layout on the Sony. Negatives are battery and a little initial lag when looking at sd card.

Deals for the extra 10% end today and not sure about the iem reduced price but the ie800s seems like a decent deal. Not sure if they top tier or compare well against something like the Sony ier series but someone might be looking for some at a decent price.

Was looking at the fiio cables from addicted to audio, depending on material they are about $100-$150 so reasonably priced just not sure if they would be much better than what I have although the $150 one is Silver litz. Otherwise satin cables from Vietnam should be about $100.

Anyone else looked at IEM custom tips or got a pair. Seeing I have a set of Sony m7 IEM which are decent but could use a nice fit so looking at getting some custom tips and wondering who others went through. Also thinking about upgrading my cables on my dailies to either a fiio Silver cables or a Alo but not sure about the worth of it. Who has upgraded their cables?

So how many headphones is it classified as to many for a year, are 7 in one year excessive? So last year I bought and sold a few headphones overall since having to go back to public transport due to a job change: Bose qc35 Power beats pro Sennheiser momentum true wireless Sony ier m7 Focal elear Sennheiser hd820 Sony ier z1r I think I have my stable down to 3 headphones ATM although want maybe 3 more to try being the Sennheiser hd800s, Sony MDR z1rs and finish off the set with Sony ier m9. That's just headphones as well, didn't include amps and DAPs. Pictures, just cause.

How you finding them? Looking the sp200, I think it is a great little amp but does get warm.

Great DAC have over myself, day you were also looking at the topping d50s which is a good choice. Sent you a DM Abbott it as well.

A new portable setup for me, a little bit of the bling.

The Sony ier m7 probably the best option at that price, full stop.

Fiio list total mw for device so max 240 in total for both channels. 120mw power per channel.

Let us know how it is. I tried the bt ldac thing and I found it a little flatter sound wise with the m11 but the btr5 might be different. Looking at is specs it lists 240mw max which I assumed was 120mw per channel which isn't terrible but won't power or hungry cans as such. With regard to the m11 v zx507 on default more listening has given some interesting results. I generally like the Sony better but there are songs/genres which I prefer the M11. The Sony is average with male vocals especially with some bad behind it, I would put the equal on female vocals for different reasons. Songs from artists like kygo or rage against the machine seem to sound better on the m11 but generally the Sony is warmer and typically slightly more enjoyable to listen to.

Hmm ok listened to the Sony a little and it's quite nice but is it leaps ahead of the fiio m11 standard edition... Not really but still a little ahead though as expected for almost twice the price but it still loses in certain categories. The sound quality is better, treble is not as harsh, the bass a of a bit more resolving, I would say a little less airy and slightly better soundstage on my daily headphones and maybe on the Sony ier Z1R but maybe not as noticeable. Question is, is it worth the extra from a sound point yes if that's the sound signature you want. Now the issues, to get a decent volume I'm at 85/100 at high gain so not much left and battery drain seems to be quite is mean so far but need to update Android still. The fiio on the other hand high gain I'm at 65/140 I think and battery is 10 hours. The form factor is a plus but obviously is directly related to the above issues, I think it could have done with a smidge more battery overall/power. It also gets physically warm, so the the fiio but less often and less noticeable overall. Tired the z1r and definitely a touch better on the zx507 but depending on your preference could go either way. Volume on both daps was less due to better headphone efficiency. This is also without any burn in on the Sony zx507 expect it to get better. But the z1rs are interesting as sometimes though as hard to get a proper seal so hard to compare apples to apples. If you like the Sony sound it will probably be your choice and the form factor is amazing. The fiio needs more bassy headphones to sound better. It's like a a Sennheiser amp very analytical and if you have the headphones to counter it is quite nice overall. The Sony is amazing on many levels and I would expect can work better with more headphones types overall. Not only in general but also as has system EQ so can counter a bad headphone in Tidal even which maybe a more difficult feat in the Fiio. Also the Fiio app EQ seemed less effective to me overall. On another topic the only reason I would worry about the btr5 is power unless you only plan to use it with iems and I assume it has a very Fiio sound so maybe less likeable overall. TLDR: The Sony is better but not by much dependent what you want in terms of usability and sound quality which makes the price difference dependent on your own needs. The Fiio also comes with a case and screen protector out of box which says a lot as Sony expects you to get your own which increases costs. Also the Sony is lacking power so I would recommend IEM only or low power headphones like the Sony MDR Z1R, the Fiio can go a little higher to mid range power headphones. In the end both are great players.

My daily is Sony ier m9 but also have some Sony ier z1r. Also have done Sennheiser hd820 I will probably test on both the DAPs.

This was my main issue about not getting the ibasso and it doesn't have a 4.4mm connection as well as some other issues I seen go around. I ordered the Sony zx507 on the weekend so will compare it to the m11 and see which I'll keep.

I was thinking of getting the Sony as well but the sales are meh ATM. I think a2a are advertising a sale but couldn't really see anything on sale past what they normally do.

Both A2A and Minidisc have pre-order but Sony Australia have it for sale https://www.sony.com.au/electronics/walkman/nw-zx500-series

The Pro only has the advantage of the THX, the M11 normal already has a low sound floor anyway. Unless you using super headphones like the Andromeda it probably not needed to spend the extra money. The pro have a lower floor due to less power. The Sony is out and it's like $1200 and the M15 will be out soon and likely to be over $1500 depending on currency, can preorder for like $1500 american already. When you compare both against the M11 normal at under $700 it makes it look like a bargain. Beat me to it Bengineer. Although the biggest advantage with the Sony you have proper access to the store which I dont need but would like, don't know if the m15 will have it, someone else can advise.

I bought the M11 none Pro. Speaking to A2A they advised was not much difference based on the headphones I would use. Also the none pro version is more powerful and has 2 SD card slots while being cheaper. Money towards my next headphones/DAC. Really like the M11, very detailed have compared to a Sony portable amp PHA2 very different.

A hi fi amp isn't built for that and the sensitivity of headphones. It can cause hiss or affect the sound. Mixers are typically made to this so are usually better. Also gives you some option on eq and balancing the volume of the equipment. That is why the dual input was recommended, get RCA to XLR adaptors about $20 in total and fixed so the amp turns into your switcher as well. It's more expensive then both options, it's less powerful then the drop thx AAA 789 at about $600 and worse for harmonic distortion then both the drop amp and the smsl sp200 which is about $400 delivered.

There are a few options in relation to this way and this maybe both the cheapest and best way unless you just deal with your current amp for cheapness. I would leave the topping behind and either get the drop AAA 789 or the smsl sp200 this one being the cheaper and better option as you don't need to go balanced for more power to the headphones. You could either get a mixer or a decent switcher, maybe a Yamaha mg06 I don't know if I recommend this way as you may get some colour to the signal though but you do have more adjustments depending on the mixer. If you didn't want to do that get more equipment except a cable, this is why I recommended the two amps as you could just get an RCA to balanced cable, although I assume the vinyl runs RCA output of not then the appropriate cable.

The smsl sp200. Small, powerful with a low sound floor. Also cheap easily get it under $400.

No cables provided. Monagi are decent but $50 a single which is relatively cheap compared to others. If you give with cheap then swamp or store dj or DJ City have some as well.

Smsl sp200 amp $380 plus smsl su-8 V2 DAC $350. Better setup as the amp would be way better but same price range. You could skimp on the DAC a little even if you wanted it cheaper as you may not be interested in balanced which is fair enough.

I would recommend seperate amp and DAC. You don't get much difference between decent DACs. The difference would be amp and headphones. If you go combo the smsl is mean to be decent but I'd probably recommend the smsl sp200 as a amp and and decent DAC like the smsl su8 or a topping D50. Overall better power and for future, most would be happy with them as endgame. Another option is like the fiio m11, portable amp DAC combo with Bluetooth, would be decent for most headphones as well. With either combo you have about $300 left for headphones and could get some Sennheiser or Beyerdynamic headphones and be around or under $1000 total.