Great video as always! I really wonder how the HiBy FD3 is faring in the market as it’s only $79 and at least on paper it’s packing a lot of great tech and specs.
Thanks for such review, Josh. These dongles are getting riddiculously good. I recently almost completly switched from desktop dac/amp (nothing fancy, Topping L30 and Fiio K9 that i had for a couple of months) to Fiio KA13. It has 550W at 32 ohm from balanced output and man, it just sounds so good, i almost cant tell a difference between USB dongle and basic desktop dac/amp.
What's a good small DAC to go with the Google Pixel 8 Pro? I've seen people online have issues with the iFi Go Link and the Moondrop Dawn staying connected on this specific phone model.
My personal experience: the best I’ve heard the IE600 (balanced) with (better than DX3 Pro +, Fiio K7, Fiio M11, Moondrop Dawn Pro) and also better with the HD800 than my Fiio K7 on balanced in my opinion. The power is incredible. From my pc it’s at 10/100 with the HD800 on balanced and high gain for my listening volumes. With some IEMs I can’t go over 6/100 on low gain balanced. Highly recommend it :)
To this day and time, the R2R dongle exists that I know of. It is the HiBy FC6 USB Headphone R2R DAC/AMP with Darwin Architecture NOS/OS. So audiophiles may need to check out this one as well.
I wonder what you think of this M15i with easy to drive planar magnetics such as the Hifiman Ananda Nano or Edition XS... I tested it and they seem to run beautifully with it, but then I do not have a desktop amp.
I love this dac amp. I use it with my Cayin Ru7 & Shanling Ua5. The Q15 is analytical with decent power. The Ru7 is more analogue in sound with more power than the M15. Unfortunately, it drains battery power faster than the other 2 dangles. The Ua5 sound signature is smoother but adequately detailed. It also has the benefit of connecting with the iPhone as it has a built-in in battery, hence not drawing power. Thanks for the review Josh.
It’s great. Sounds neutral just like nearly every other little dongle dac. It’s just as clean as this but with more features. Good features too. The app is second to none. Many other (more pertinent) reviews exist on the tube. Much more detailed and accurate information than what Josh generally expresses
Wow this sounds like the perfect semi portable semi desktop wired amplifier for when you have the mythical IEM thst requires some amplification but not too much and you want to pay $200 to add a little inconvenience to hour life
What would be better for mobile audiophiles, something like this or a mobile audio player like something from Sony or Astell & Kern? Been really wanting something that really brings the audio quality that I can bring with me on the go.
High end digital audio players from Sony or A&K still perform better but they cost so much more. Biggest problem with these expensive audio players is the batteries as they will degrade over time and there's no way to replace them. A premium dongle DAC like the M15 can compete with a lot of mid-range audio players for much cheaper, you can still use your phone (which runs far smoother than any audio players) and don't have to worry about battery degradation. Downside is the dongle is a bit awkward to use on the go.
I love my fiio btr 5, I don’t currently have any high impedance headphones that require a ton of power. I pair it mostly with my Timeless 7HZ and it sounds amazing! For headphones I use it with either Meze 99, Grado SR225x, or B&W P7 & it does a great job at bringing out the best in each
Josh, I've got a pair of Beyer DT770 and I simply LOVE them, I use them with a Douk U10 and they sound incredible. I'm planning on moving forward and getting something better, do you think a move to a DT1990 would be nice? Taking into consideration what I've already heard with the 770, do you think it would be a nice upgrade? Would you recommend something else? Maybe changing the amp as well? Best regards for your family!
Just seems like the old dragonflys really - good sound in a small form factor but a pretty limited use case. I'm much more of a fan of stuff like the Fiio BTR range of the Qudelix 5K as you get a nice sounding device with a lot of extra functionality. Maybe some people want a more simple device but then paying more than a more feature-rich product just doesn't make sense to me.
This amp is nice and all but it's just too expensive compared to other portable dac amps that are the same size and do the same thing with little to no sound quality difference. Most of the time these companies have one manufacturer and they buy from these manufacturers and then put their own name brand and price on it while this one actually costs like, $30 from the factory if not cheaper. You just have to find similar products in some sites especially chi-fi.
Anyone willing to give recommendations for a portable dac/amp fitting these criteria- -Bluetooth 5.1 minimum (5.2^ preferable) -6 or more hours of battery life on single charge -Independent Volume Control -a 3.5mm port -a very neutral sound -24 bit or higher audio option
Qudelix 5K Bluetooth range is far superior to the FiiO Btr 3 (I owned both..), and then the Qudelix app is just on a completely different level, offers pre-set tunings by Crinacle/Oratory/Super Review for just about every IEM on the market, or custom equalizer. Great battery life, it’s really a gem at an affordable price.
one of the most sad things when I got my amp was the fact I cant really use it with items bcs of the noise floor being so loud :'( I wish more amp/dac reviews had that into consideration
this dongle exist 2y ago....non apple way. and its true. it cant drive planar IEM (dont be dumb and even state it can for headphones that...ridiculous)... this dongle is great for non sensitive or non hard to drive IEMs. i have both version.
@@robertmurray2340 yea they would be from people like you who don’t know shit about audio. If your gonna buy an amp over another because one has .00004 thd over one that has .0004% and not look at all the other aspects that make up quality of sound then your pretty ignorant as far as your knowledge of audio science
@@antonhelsgaun yea I heard but he’s still trying to make a point of it. As if it has some sort of implication because he brings it up in nearly every video discussing an amp. I’m not saying it doesn’t matter but less so in today’s market where even a potato 🥔 has low distortion numbers. It’s a fact really not worth mentioning
The HD560s is Not the solution for everything. It's Not even the best price to Performance Ratio HP. And the Apple dongle (depends where you live and to which device ITS connected) isnt even the best dongle price wise due to Power limitations in some cases. If your Happy with what you have, ITS fine. But please Stop saying that "overpriced" stuff is crap. Why dont you Just get some 20bucks IEMs? Like the tangzu Waner or moondrop chu? It's an in ear but will u get 80-90 percent of the music experience.... Why spend more Money? Or get for 70 bucks (half the price of the hd560s) the fiio jt1 closed Back HP. Better p/p and closed Back, siu can Take that shit even to work or in the Bus. What im trying to say is, Ur usecase might fit Well with the 560s and the apple dongle but its Not the best and doesnt fit everybody.
gotten one way back when DMS introduced, and yes, the [ purists ] will love it, but if one needs more oomph for the bass, else where like soundblaster with the AKM chip Clean and loud is the way to describe it, without distortion. Pairing with Aful, or with my current run, Hype4s, its just pure bliss. Would be looking forward to save up for the monarchs Just size [ portable ] , looks and utility is more than enough for me to recommend to anyone starting into DAC/AMP, for those who are trying to test, with m15 and without, might wana head over to [ THE FIRST TAKE @The_FirstTake ] all the range of vocals, and especially those familiar with older gen of singers or their fav artists will immediately notice how clean they sound through.
