I have no freaking idea what the people at Aful did, what magic they used, but since the Explorers arrived a week ago, my Astrals, Volume S, Martilo and Horizon didn't saw a daylight. Now I understand why Explorers are the (one of) most discussed IEM on Reddit.
After some AB testing FLAC vs AAC, I found out I'm lucky I can't hear the difference in sound quality. So I converted all my FLAC music to AAC 320kbit, and my 1TB Samsung, which was almost full, is now more than half empty and ready for another ~30K of music files.
You're going on a two-week vacation, show us what you use to pack all your gear.
After reading countless reviews, I have my eyes set on the Tanchjim Nora and Fiio FD15. Or should I look elsewhere?
A few weeks ago, I asked on Reddit about the power efficiency of several popular music apps. Most people said the app doesn't affect the battery. However, it turns out they were probably wrong.
How did I conduct the tests? I connected the Fiio M33 to a PD charger with a charging power display. I enabled Desktop Mode and played the same local FLAC file on different apps, screen off, same IEM (Ziigaat Horizon, on 4.4 ), medium gain, volume 40.
Here are the results (values fluctuated):
Fiio Music: 1.0 to 1.3 watts
Poweramp: 1.0 to 1.4 watts
UAPP: 1.5 to 2.1 watts
Symfonium: 1.4 to 1.8 watts
Meringo: 1.0 to 1.5 watts
Seems that UAPP needs 2x more energy than Fiio Music or Poweramp in high peaks.
***
Edit: added Musicolet to the list. Here are the results (fresh install, default settings):
on Musicolet decoder 0.9 to 1.4 watts
on System decoder 0.8 to 1.6 watts
***
Edit2: Here is Apple Music:
online, streaming, lossless: 1.2 to 1.8 watts
offline, downloaded music, lossless: 1.0 to 1.7 watts
I asked ChatGPT and this is what came back:
"On the FiiO M33 R2R, the general battery-efficiency order is usually:
I'm not so sure about bluetooth coz on my M33 it drains battery as fast as with Phone Out or even faster.
What do you think guys?
I love the Aether's rounded yet highly detailed highs and controlled, fast bass, though I wish there was more sub-bass. The mids, especially vocals, could be more defined and warm. Which IEM should I buy if I want a boosted Aether? Budget is 350$
Hi everyone! Love the Hd 550, especially the incredible midrange and tight textured bass (although I would be happier with a little more sub and mid bass coz I'm kinda basshead).
But now looking for a pair of closed back headphones. Looking for owners of both headphones to hear some opinions regarding SQ mainly. If the HD 620S can't be called closed back version of HD 550 then what other headphones could be? My budget is around 300$