#donglemadness 

hi! can test Shanling H2 please?

@@mvasiliev I would love to, but no promise when I can get one. Thanks

Hello, high gain means desktop mode. Asked fiio about it You should try it in norms low gain mode

@@mokisan To be specific, on FiiO devices, they offer Hi and Low which is selectable on the menu, the Desktop Mode toggle enable Super High Gain which is separate. For example, on Q15, if you enable Desktop Mode, then you will get Ultra High Gain which is the highest

Thanks. I really appreciate this

this is that I love from andy's channel, this is how i'm helped to figure it out to another dongle and i think this channel most complete explain about dongle

Thanks!

Thank You, much appreciated! that made my day 😁

My pleasure

ขอบคุณ! ขอขอบคุณการสนับสนุนของคุณ

Thank you! Enjoy your music!

Thanks!

Thanks. If I have the funds, I might go. But otherwise no plan

Precisely, Endgame is what your ears like the most, for your pleasure. KA17 surely is among the best of the best, Admittedly, there are others too, but they serve for variance of taste and preferences

You're welcome 😊

My pleasure. LOL, we are no EQ gang hahaha

btw i read that the iphone doesnt provide enough power for desktop mode on the Fiio. maybe thats interesting for specially Americans, as most of them use iphones @@donglemadness

Thank You. Really this made my day. Enjoy your music there!

Thanks. It is kind of difficult for me to talk about a feature I personally don't use and have zero knowledge about, so I focus only on the things that I do know, but yes I take this into consideration

Glad it was helpful!

My pleasure. Cheers

Thanks. Cheers

Thanks. Come back later after I test the Desktop Mode off battery endurance

My pleasure 😁

My pleasure 🙏 Thank you!

Thanks. This is a real issue when using wall adapters, they tend to be very volatile

Totally can understand your situation, and products like this KA17 or Qudelix 5K and a few more will surely provide the means to tune things up to suit the needs. And thanks for being here, I hope my insights would be helpful

Thank you!

Thanks, the 2nd Camera is my Sony Xperia 1 iV doing close up footage

You are right, many devices now natively offer clean USB 3.0 power, even some mobile phones like Sony Xperia series or Samsung Galaxy S series, with true PD 3.0 (above 900 mA), so using the auxiliary is practically redundant if the main USB was already efficient and clean, but it does help with conserving energy on the host, drawing power from the Aux USB instead of the main connection

😂

Thanks!. My MP145 and A5000 uses NICEHCK MixPP 6N OFC

Thanks. SX Fi on the Timbre chart would be in the same section as FiiO KA13/KA5/DAWN Pro/AP10 etc :D

Thanks for the heads up. I will check it out

My pleasure 🙏

😁

Thanks, yes objectively I would say KA17 is transparent enough for monitoring. But honestly, I would not use it personally when I have more transparent uncolored choices like FiiO BTR15 or EPZ TP50, I prefer the dynamics to be as uncolored/un-enhanced as possible when I am in "monitoring" mode, when using my Sony MDR7506 or Sennheiser HD600. To me KA17 is more for Audiophile listening for indulgence rather than monitoring accuracy

Timbre and tonality, aside from the differences I already mentioned between the two of them in this video, BTR15 is closer to analog/organic timbre and les colored with the tonality

Thank you!. Honestly I haven't tried the Ti version of Moonriver 2 so it will be hard for me to compare it with KA17 directly. But knowing that MR2 OG was already an amazing dongle, I would imagine that Ti version would be superior and on that account, I will say that at this level, usually the differences between top performing dongles are marginal, technically they are already comparable, the differences tend to be focused on how they handle timbre, dynamics and features. On features alone, KA17 is one of the very best, no doubt about it. So you need to determine if you feel anything you find lacking in your current setup? are you happy with what you hear? do you need extra features? then you will find your answers

@@donglemadness Thank you for the detailed reply! Will def take that into consideration

Yes to me the differences are evident, no mistaking the extra energy KA17 offer with heightened sense of dynamic vibrancy, as opposed to the smooth transparent nature of BTR15 - entirely enjoyable in their own ways

In a way yes KA17 is a direct upgrade to DS1 especially considering the wealth of features KA17 offers. But to be realistic, DS1 was already a great dongle sound wise and you need to set your expectations moderately

My pleasure. To match the natively bright, slightly metallic sound of HE400SE, I absolutely recommend strong organic analog dongles like HIBY FC6 (which you can run 3.5mm SE), Colorfly CDA-M1P, EPZ TP30, Lotoo PAW S2 or Aune Yuki (you need to run on 4.4mm BAL on them). They are organic smooth and rich with sound texture, yet analytical at the same time

Thanks for the suggestion, it makes sense

Thanks, assuming you run your HE400SE on 4.4mm BAL, KA17 without a doubt. I can't recommend KA11 as it has failed on me and not working anymore, plus it will heat up easily when subjected to heavy loads

Good day to you too, Soundstage width is still DC04Pro, Cayin RU7, L&P W4 and BTR15 dominance

@@donglemadness thank you for the fast reply bro

So the dc04 pro is $77 and its better?

Thanks!. Unfortunately I haven't tried BTR7 so I really have no idea how they would compare. Perhaps soon I can get a BTR7 to play with. Cheers

Thanks. I have no experience with K7 or BTR7. But I can share with you comparison vs K9, BTR15 and Q15. The dynamic handling and quality of KA17 is on par with K9 ESS, with K9 being slightly better on sound richness and texture (but very closely matched), soundstage basically similar for anything under 300 Ohm and K9 will offer better headroom and headstage once you push beyond 300 Ohm or under 100 dB of sensitivity (planars). Versus BTR15, KA17 is not as wide or open sounding as the BTR15, BTR15 is also more neutral and transparent, while KA17 as noted in this video offers enhanced/mildly colored dynamics, making it appearing more vibrant and energetic. Q15 on the other hand is outright superior with both dynamics and natural tonal balance, Q15 is also richer sounding with the body of sound with improved maturity, but I would say without comparing, KA17 is very close to what Q15 offers

Thank you so much for that detailed answer!! I am a bit surprised though that you did not test BTR7. I only plan to use it with IEMs so maybe difference in stage performance will not be that noticeable. Maybe I just need to order both BTR15 and KA17 and keep the one I like best 🤔

That would be rare, AUX is basically Audio In capability and I have never seen any dongles that offer that, they are like 100% USC digital input device. But you may still get that from portable amps (just analog amplifiers of course). Perhaps the closest you can get on this, have a look at Venture Electronics Prime DAC or the older Megatron, perhaps it has what you looking for

You can check my review on Q15. I mentioned there that Q15 is comparable to CEntrance DACport HD and FC6 in terms of rich analog sound tuning that exhibit excellent analytical resolution and prowess. Q15 is like a more open sounding FC6 or DACport HD. I would even say that Colorfly CDA-M1P also exhibit similar tuning to Q15

@@donglemadness thank you!

Hahaha. Terima kaseyyy

Thanks. KA17 is very well tuned for both highly sensitive and demanding partners, so it is not overkill. You goanna get top notched technicalities in addition to best in class dynamic transient handling from KA17. I have used KA17 with something way more sensitive than iE600 so no worries there

Alright, Thanks a lot for the answer! Look forward to get the KA17 now :)

Oh, 1 more thing I'm still wondering Sir. If I'm getting a KA17, and I want to buy cheap phone like redmi13C as streamer for Tidal Max files. Is it correct that sound quality wouldnt be compromised? I want to separate my main phone from my "music" phone/player. And getting a cheap phone + ka17 Would still be cheaper than getting a mid-fi DAP.

Thanks!. If you watch the comparison table in this video, you would see that KA17 is clearly better with Dynamics, Sound Richness and Technicalities versus KA13. While the difference may not be day and night, comparing them side by side will exhibit audible differences. But I must also note that KA13 is more neutral and does not appear to be dynamically enhanced like KA17

Thanks!. KA3 was built on ES9038Q2M and tuned differently, slightly warmer and musical. KA17 is outright superior with technicalities vs KA3

As a big fan and user of BTR15, and you also use EA500, you are not missing anything really. BTR15 offers more transparent and open sound, but if you want different tuning, spice things a bit and have more energy, sharper imaging, yes KA17 offers something different, but not necessarily better

@@donglemadness thanks a ton andy! I'll keep using BTR15. Will wait for another DAC in the future to use along with my Btr15.

In a way yes, both favors highly dynamic transient energy. The main difference being KA17 has more outright power and also edges closer towards analog timbre while DC03Pro favors the more modern vibrant energy temperament. Both equally well executed with these that they sound energetic but never offensive

@@donglemadness thanks for your honest answer, appreciate it 🙏

Yes I would, KA17 offer the sort of dynamic grace and power to bring the articulation of fast transients the headphones will appreciate immensely, just make sure you run them on 4.4mm BAL

@@donglemadness thank you!!!

You can get at least FiiO JT1 for budget options, or get Aune AR5000 if you want to spend up to $300

If I had to choose between aune ar5000 or fiio fh7s which one?

Thanks. If you look again at the comparison table, and if you just wondering on the sound aspects, you can see the score are better by a point on some of them for KA17. How audible are those? they are marginal truthfully because KA13 and KA5 are already great devices on their own right. So I can only say, always remember the rule of diminishing returns we talk about differences among items which are already operating at high levels

@@donglemadness thank you very much! i'll take note on this.

Any power bank will do, battery power is always cleaner than wall power because they operate in closed loop. But you may want the ones offering PD3.0 or Qualcomm Quickcharge. The benefit of Power Bank is that you prevent KA17 from draining your phone battery, otherwise Power Banks have no effect on sound quality

Moving from Moondrop DAWN Pro? let's just clarify that DAWN Pro is already great as it is. So when you look to get something "better". at this level you need to factor in the Rule of Diminishing Returns, just like many other things in life. Like making a choice to upgrade from Audi R8 to either Mclaren or Lambo, all three cars are already exotic but the small differences could spell huge variance in price for marginal performance and comfort differences - all of them can easily tread over 200 Kmh. Now going back to your question, the direct upgrade to DAWN Pro would be iBasso DC-Elite, Colorfly CDA-M2 or Aune YUKI - I consider them as having similar transparent sound with open airy neutral timbre. But if you want something different, then you can consider looking at iBasso DC06Pro, FiiO KA17 or Shanling UA4 for a more modern sound with strong dynamic expressions. Or if you are like me, a purist of analog sound, then there's HIBY FC6. Cayin RU7 and Colorfly CDA-M1P (I just mention a few)

Let's recap what I have mentioned on Q15 vs KA17 from 23:29 onwards, I did mention that Q15 presents better overall balance of being musical and analytical than both KA17 or BTR15, it has richer dense sound and truer to analog timbre - so it is clear from my perspective Q15 is superior. But if you ask someone else, they might say differently - because if technicalities is paramount to that person, then I would say KA17 is comparable to Q15 in that aspect. You can't go wrong with any one of them really, you just need to understand what's your priorities are

I would recommend SIVGA Nightingale headphone, for IEMs something like Simgot EM6L or AFUL P5 for your genre of music, also KZ Castor Bass version

@@donglemadness thanks and wich dac amps? i was looking for fiio ka17. thats how i found your channel btw

It seems that for your preference you will like KA17 more, while I personally like EPZ TP50 more. KA17 has stronger emphasis on being technical and holographic and modern sounding

@@donglemadness sweet thanks senpai! Thanks a lot for the fast reply. I hope your channel grows. Deserves much more followers. Is there like a physical meetup for Malaysians who are audio crazy that you go for? No one I know is as obsessed as me lol. Would be good to meet others. When I talk about sound most people I know just roll their eyes.

DC04Pro has wider staging

The fact is, anything I rated 80/100 and above all has been tested with driving 300 Ohm headphones and two type of magnetic planar headphones, so KA17 is not unique with this power, you can expect Yuki to be equally great with power too

For my SIVGA Nightingale and Sennheiser HD600, I always use Fast filter, for Etymotic ER2XR, Kinera Idun Golden, Hidizs MP145 and Final Audio A5000, I use Slow filter

Both of them uses NICEHCK MixPP 6N OFC. Amazing cables

TP50 for me all the way

@@donglemadness And do you think with TP50 I gonna loose something of the analog magic of M12i or M1P or even FC6? That is my biggest concern. Thanks for all

Nothing much to tweak really, KA17 is already superb for gaming out of the box, just use it normally

Yes it will pair well with DT770

They are NICEHCK MixPP 6N OFC cable. Suitable to tone the sound of A5000 and MP145 to be less bright and more dense with organic sound, less metallic

​​@@donglemadness thanks my sifu ...

Absolutely KA17, more resolving and more dynamic sounding that Hip DAC 3

For SR325x, I would be more keen to pair it with something like EPZ TP50 or Aune Yuki, you will get slightly wider and more open impressions of soundstage, so does iBasso DC04Pro and Cayin RU7, I personally think SR325X can sound a bit too energetic/dynamic with something like KA17 (Or Shanling UA4/iBasso DC06 Pro)

Looking forward to test and review it, but no promise when I can get one. I work with what I have now. Thanks!

With EA500LM, very resolving and also a bit more energetic overall, things gets crisper rather than smoother

Just get Ouranos

​@@donglemadnessThanks.I don't just appreciate, also pray for you.

​@@donglemadnessyou are my boss for forever.Blessings

I use Desktop mode like 99% of the time because my IEMs are the type that scales great with power. MP145 and Nightingale especially are planars that love power. But of course when running highly sensitive hybrids, no need for Desktop mode

@@donglemadness thank you so much for the quick reply. got this 👌

@@donglemadness Hi Andy, I am really enjoying my KA17, and I believe you when you say it is one of the best in its class, however i got curious with Q15. Putting aside other functionality advantage of Q15 over KA17, in terms of sound, will there be very noticeable difference between the two? I know that KA17 leans towards analytical and I love it. I am interested how Q15 balanced analog and digital sound..am I missing that much with KA17 when compared to Q15? or is it just marginal? thanks

BT? which BT is this that you are referring to?

oh sorry- I posted this comment to the wrong video! I was wondering about BTR15 sound vs. Yuki, FC6, etc.

maybe I will even expand the question. What is the best BT dongle available in your opinion and how does it compare to the best of the wired dongles?

Only you can decide that, it is for your usage after all. Are you satisfied with what you have now? are you looking for something else? with tons of options out there there's so many to choose from, KA17 is one of the best for sure, but BTR15 is no less stellar

@@donglemadness I am quite satisfied all I have but my curiosity not :) BTW I have Creative X1 usb mini dac too. I am very pleased from BTR15 and what it can capable of. Because of that this little monster is very enticing me. But it is like an ocean as you said there is so many to choose. I think that is enough for me now.. Thank you for your opinion..

Better? only you can decide that. I cannot decide for your taste and preferences as what is the best according to my taste and sonic sensitivity could be vastly different from yours. KA17, M2, Aune Yuki and BTR15 all amazing portable devices which operate at the highest level possible in this form factor. You need to understand your own priorities for what you consider as suited to your needs, is timbre signature important to you, do you prefer Hi-Fi crisp tuning? or do you like Classic/Analog sound? What are you driving? will you be using 4.4mm BAL? just some considerations to ponder on before making your choices. So my advise is that, when you read/watch reviews, try to grasp what are the strengths the device will offer and determine if those are the qualities you seek? at least when it comes to me, I will do my best to describe what those device will offer and what to expect

@@donglemadness Thank u, and again as usual GREAT WORK.I think i got it what i should buy, i will be buying two dacs fiio btr15 and colorfly cda m1p

Yes

If you ask me, I will not worry if I have KA17 or not if I already have ONIX Alpha or PD5 in my possession. But you may want KA17 for the sake of variety, for different sort of tuning focusing on energetic and vibrant (slightly colored output)

Thank you as always, Andy. To be exact, I have a fiio k7 q11 xi1 pd4 plus pd5. I think I can buy the ka17 for about $110. And I want to dispose of the k7. It doesn't feel good to me, and the pd4 plus pd5 xi1 I recently purchased. I really like it. Each has its own personality, so it's great to listen to them in turns. I found out about this good device because of Andy's review.

If you can sell the K7 then I see no reasons to buy KA17, you will love it

For gaming, KA17 is more suitable. 1K USD for IEM? get I/O Volare AND Tanchjim Origin for $1000 USD, then your IEMs collection would be complete

@@donglemadness unfortunatly we dont have either both iem in my country i have those options ie900. Kinera Imperial Verdandi . Thieaudio Hype 10 . what would you do in this situation thanks.

If you already have M15 and FC6 then you already have the best of dongles for being analytical. KA17 presents another option in the same territory and the key factor to consider if you need something different with sound tuning, KA17 is a bit more colored/enhanced sounding compared to the truthfully neutral M15, FC6 on the other hand is the most analog sounding of them all and offer the richest sound texture. As with many others, at this stage it is all about getting different sound presentation and even that, those differences can be quite marginal once you are accustomed to playing with the best stuffs, all three of them are top dogs for #donglemadness. Also, you may want to get KA17 if you need more features, definitely more features than what M15 offers

@@donglemadness thanks! So its a good third dongle?

@@kazumasatou6124 Yes of course

@@donglemadness thanks!

I understand your point, I have tons of cables and 90% of them terminated with 4.4mm BAL, but I keep two 4.4 to 3.5mm adapters to use my FC6, DACPort HD and M12i, small hassle to enjoy the very best dongles. I would rather the trend for anything other than 3.5mm would have never started in the first place, makes life much easier for the consumers

Yes you can, just make sure to run your HE1000SE on BAL side with desktop mode on, definitely better sounding than directly from your phone

Absolutely

@@donglemadness And Yuki or Q15 for planar iems??

@@FrantaPo-bc5mu If you force me to choose between Yuki and BTR15 purely for synergy for my planars, then I will be taking Yuki

Perhaps you should check with FiiO support on this, they can help since I personally don't use SPDIF output

@@donglemadness Sure, but this was also to inform your followers 🙏 This does not pose a big problem after troubleshooting it.

When driven in Desktop mode, the power pulled from my battery bank is miniscule and thus the battery bank will last for eons without recharge. You can feel the extra boost in this mode. The extra cabling entanglement makes it more messy, though.

What's your budget. If no issues with budget then my automatic recommendation for the very best is HIBY FC6

Thanks Andy 😍 Nice

Yes, it is an upgrade, KA17 is designed to be FiiO flagship dongle so the quality it offers is an improvement over KA13

@@donglemadness ok thanks, this month bought tangzu wu zetian, kind of broke. KA 17 might need to use duit raya to buy 🤣

@@mcaik77 Take it easy

I have no idea that KA17 comes with a different amps (other than THX), I would assume that there might be differences slightly but that's just assumption. Only actual listening tests can verify that

​@@donglemadness thanks

Thanks for this

Which firmware you running? I would contact FiiO support if it is too hot even when not connected to USB power. Sometimes updating the FW solves this issue

This you need to try yourself as different IEMs or headphones will react differently

It emits light so it is optical

@donglemadness thank you so much that's help

I personally prefer TP50

@@donglemadness Gracias Andy, el TP50 con singot EW200 o EA500 irian bien? o me recomiendas otro que esté por ese precio.

Yes I already mentioned that on the Sound & Performance section, power. Both Sundara, HD600 and even the harder to drive Fostex T40RP MK3, all needed only 70/120 volume for proper loudness and then the sound is full and wholesome, even when desktop mode is off, but stronger dynamics when desktop mode is on

Hopefully someone can share their experience on this, I haven't updated ny KA17 yet

Good question, I will fire it up again with Desktop Mode turned off. I always had it switched on because I like it that way, will get back to you on this

@@donglemadness thank you! Hope to hear whats the number for that in your mi9t without desktop mode

@@mokisan Already updated a pinned comment on this. The results are there

@@donglemadness hello, thanks! I have replied you there. High gain = desktop mode, you should try it in low gain mode

Totally okay especially if the Powerbank is rated for PD 3.0 with no less than 30W of USB power (Qualcomm Quickcharge or Xiaomi Turbo Charge certified)

@@donglemadness Thanks for the info and the reply.