How does the technical performance compare to a dedicated table top DAC? Speaking of which…what is your table top rig? Or are you strictly running on portable gear? Great content as usual!
Thanks! In terms of dedicated standalone Amps and DACs, definitely there’s a significant difference mainly in terms of noise floor, dynamics, and technicalities Nevertheless, once I got my Kensei it kind of suprised me that this alone I would say triumphs even some basic standalone amps which doesn’t make sense
To give you context on what I meant : when using the Kensei on low volume, sometimes I need to double check if I even changed the source to the Kensei because it is that wide
I just bought the Kensei after using the if Go bar, RU6, RU7, and mojo2, and wow.. there’s magic going on inside the Kensei. It elevates everything I pair it with. Increasing the resolution, staging, dynamics and it does it effortlessly, idk how to describe it. It’s expensive but well worth the money if you’re invested in this hobby like me lol
I’m listening to a pair now. It’s neutral-ish, with detailed, extended but non fatiguing treble. The vocals are detailed, and has good timbre accuracy with male and female. Bass is neutral with a good balance between sub bass and mid bass. Soundstage has good height. It sounds open, clear and transparent. It walks a fine balance between musical and clinical.
@@zeissiez harsher in the treble, if you wanted more on that part then that’s the difference Also gives you a good idea thay despite both have the same specs, they can articulate it to have different enough tunings Hence why I generally just don’t see specs
I do, I use that and GTO combined with only Xbass on if im outputting Speakers I only switch it off if im reviewing stuff with it but even without it on the prowess of the Kensei is already phenomenal
Yeah it would sound good, but I’d personally go for something like the onix xi1 alpha or qudelix 5k for $100 and spend the rest on something else. Ifi products do have a nice analogue bass boost though, so if you want that go for it. Fiio ka17 is also a good buy for $150 msrp. That, like the qudelix, has a peq function and loads of power for a dongle. Or if you want the ifi sound go for the go bar for like $250, or the hipdac 3.
I recently bought Questyle m15 and I noticed that when first streaming high quality music or after pausing and resuming there is a slight 1 second muting before the song gets to the correct volume. I notice the muting when switching music tracks if songs are in different bit/sample rates too. Is this normal behavior for dac amps as I’m a bit new to the hobby? My Apple dongle does not exhibit this behavior. Wondering if the ifi does the same thing I described above?
This is more specifically towards the M15 due to its low-power consumption mode, but yeah this and the fact it constantly switches off is the only gripe about the M15 for me On the plus side it actually saves your battery on your phone The Kensei drains it quite abit (from friends' testing it for me, I use it mainly on my desktop so I can't coment on that)
It confuses me as to why you think you're reviewing the DAC when all you're describing is the characteristics of the amp. A DAC has veeery little influence on how stuff sounds. Basically, any basic modern DAC is indistinguishable from another. A DACs finest job is to translate coordinates to sinewave as close to "true" as possible. We're talking within <0.0001% of "true"... So claiming to hear a vast difference is simply buffoonery.
true dat presentation is important, but once you've been into the hobby for a while, a nicely wrapped box can only make you feel satisfied for so long - its what the actual product that counts
Do you, by chance have any experience with the M15i version of this mobile dac? I'm curious to know what your take is as i value your opinion on these matters. Comparing the m15 vs m15i is there a noticeable difference that justifies shelling out the extra coin? For context I use apple music service on my phone which is android based. I'm looking to buy my first significant purchase of a mobile dac and I'm curious what pick of the litter your choice would be? 1) m15 or m15i 2) #1 mobile dac of your choice Thank you for your time and greetings from America
sorry haven't tested it before, from what I know it's just an added Apple compatibility thing, tho i have seen people in reviews claimed to have slightly better performance albeit its quite all over the place.
I had both the m15,m15i,the go bar, and the kensei. Now in truth he is spot on in this review. i sold the m15i because there wasnt a difference between it or the original. And to be honest, i felt the same way about the kensei and the original go bar. so now i have the originals only. The m15 is hooked up to my gaming pc with the ifi zen can hifiman edition. They sound great together. The go bar is my portable of choice and i listen to it with my galaxy. I run the 4xx, XS, and the s12 pro with it. simply amazing. you cant go wrong with either of them. but if you can, try both. happy shopping.
Tanchjim Space is not a bad DAC from what I recalled As for IEMS, right off the bat : - Tangzu Wu Ze Tian HeyDay edition - Kiwi Ears Quartet - Letshuoer DZ4 - MOONDROP Aria - pre-owned : SonY XBA A3
Spot On! I had the M15 for around a year now and my experience to be the same as what you've mentioned. A little more separation & air would have been the icing on the cake.....but damn! it sounds Great, musical as hell, and I can listen to it for LONG periods. Worth auditioning if You can😇
yeah that's basically bottlenecking Ironically, I can use my Kensei now and pair it with any 20USD chifi and it really just pushes it out to the limit Makes you wonder if sometimes are you listening to the IEMs or the DAC
@@arandomchannel1614 I'm talking about an audio interfaces you plug speakers and a microphone into. I bring it up because many are considerably cheaper than this DAC and probably has a pretty good DAC's in em. You get mic pre amps and other inputs like for a record player as well. Can be found on the used market for under 100 but even new many are under 200. Many will have decent headphone amps and balance inputs in em to
@cxmxc I've had the q5k for a few years now. It has outlasted all other devices I had bought over the years. It's intimidating at first because it was built by a nerds. But wouldn't trade it for another except for the mojo 2 in which they say it gives you more control over the frequency response but that device is around 500 here in America
never tried before the iBasso, but if we were to be more frank, Mojo I would say is a more accepted acquired taste If you aren't like me that just wants details everywhere because of over-fatiguing, then this does the job well
Yes, in terms of technicalities. But like other modern dongle DACs, most of them sound digital, not analog/less fatiguing sound like Mojo. For satisfying your ears in modern music, DC elite really good.
Between mirai x and pilgrim. Which one is have better vocal? In overall sound quality which one is great? I have mirai x, if i buy pilgrim is that good upgrade or only side upgrade? Or i should stick with mirai x? Thanks in advance
Pilgrim hands down overall. Vocals Pilgrim manages to convey slightly more dynamics and body than the Mirai X Personally I would say Pilgrim really has done it well showcasing what an “Elysian house sound” should be so if you know how the usual Elysian sounds like, that’s the gist of it. If you are going to get the pilgrim expect it to be more of an upgrade, since the tuning also slightlt varies with the Mirai X being more bassy overall (with the switches)
@@arandomchannel1614 thanks for the information, it has same price 400usd. If i buy pilgrim it can be another sound signature with mirai x? Like car SUV and MPV. Has different purpose
Hallo fellow Malaysian! Grabbed this as one of my first (bullet) IEM as well. The other bullet variants I grabbed are the Tanchjim ones. Agree with a lot of what you said. Definitely hard to drive this IEM, which is a pity because I'd to crank up the volume to beyond max via Voicemeeter. But otherwise overall a pleasant listening. Tangzu Sancai eartips are really great too.
@@arandomchannel1614 Great! As Volare, Project M, and Pilgrim seem to operate on the ballpark that am eyeing: Bright-leaning detail-extracting technically-cohesive (musical) pieces! There is also that higher-priced FA19, probably. But yeah, want to go for one in that aural domain. Unsure. If Volare is real good, i shall plunge. as of now, M and Pilgrim seem to be side-grades to Aful p8, than real upgrades. Not sure how good is Volare.
Hopefully Randomchannell will respond,; he has talked about Pilgrim's soundstage being better than M. And from what I gathered from other reviews: M is more brighter and has more clarity. Pilgrim has more bass presence and fuller mids. So, depending on your preference ...
@@CrashboomwallopI think you’ve summarised the difference . Again, personally I do not enjoy Project M with the M15 due to the sharp treble, but with Vinyls it’s perfect (given the fact that I used SMSL SH6 ) Project M is still not as technical and detailed as Pilgrim. So if you want the best of the best, might as well save a bit more to get the Pilgrim
Fabulous review(s). Subscribed recently. Dig your 'Y'all' style and more importantly, the detailed nuances in the review. Been pimping your videos on headfi in the recent days! Rock on. I have the Aful P8, and been told that ProjecT M is more a sidegrade than upgrade from em. What would be your recommendation for an upgrade - bright-leaning, treble-rich, quality bass technical (cum musical!) iem. If it's pricey, i shall try to look in used market. 400-500$ would be my budget; anything above I would have dig into the used market, which I would happily do if I can nail the iem. Two of my best IEMs are the wondrous warm-bassy Miroak-ii (From a JApanese artisan, an one-man show at 634ears) and the Aful P8s, and a few cheapies of course. Looking to step-up in that (described) territory. Thanks in advance. LOOKS like FiiO's FA19 could be that perfect iem.
The Fudu's seem enigmatic, devisive & contradictory. Opinions amongst reviewers vary wildly. But seem balanced between love & (not quite) hate. They're a goldilocks pair. Not too little. Not too much. Just right. The one thing everyone agrees on, is comfort. For this very reason, I pulled the trigger yesterday. Middle of the road is where I want to be. No piercing details. No bloated, bleeding bass. Just right. (I hope I am)
