[ClieOS]

so for my ciem, a 5BA 1 DD, you think it's a worthy up? cause i do know from zeos the amount of driving power in it, but do ciem even need as much power?

Power is the sum of voltage and current. For most multiple drivers IEM, you don't really need a lot of voltage but you will benefit from more current and low output impedance, which a good source will have. Proper driving power will give more control over the transducers, result in what we commonly refer as a 'tight' sound. It doesn't however mean you are getting a louder sound, but a more refined sound under the same volume.

 

[rkw]

Power is the sum of voltage and current.

Slight correction: power is the product (multiplication) of voltage and current.

 

[DanWiggins]

Slight correction: power is the product (multiplication) of voltage and current.

For most headphones (single dynamic drivers) this is generally true, but with multi-driver IEMs out there, and highly complex impedances, we do have a bit more to do. Power is actually voltage times current times the cosine of the phase angle between current and voltage.

I would submit, though, that if you have to worry about this, then either you have way too little power in the first place, your headphone/IEM is very poorly designed (there is NO reason to have such a complex impedance where you're going to get more than 5 degrees of phase angle between voltage and current), or both.

It is surprising, at least to me, how many badly engineered IEMs and headphones there are out there, with impedances that swing an order or more in magnitude (and thus a corresponding phase angle between current and voltage) in the audio range. Absolutely insane, and results in an IEM/headphone that DEMANDS a high quality amp between your source and the device. About as non-consumer-friendly as you can get.

In the speaker world, we deal with high impedance swings by adding networks (commonly called Zobel networks) to make the impedance seen by the amp nice and flat, and eliminate this issue. You can do the same thing in an IEM - without affecting sound quality - if you really cared about this issue.

 

[JM22681]

Anyone try the iFi xCAN? Looks like it’s a year old, MSRP around $300.

 

[Lohb]

Anyone try the iFi xCAN? Looks like it’s a year old, MSRP around $300.

This thread is for smaller single unit dongles

 

[episiarch]

Also re the power discussion, all we're usually given to go on are single measurements (e.g. 50mW into 32 ohms) yet in the real world the transducer's load, the amplifier's response to it, and the amplifier's own output impedance combine in complicated ways as ClieOS and DanWiggins have pointed out. So the gadget's rated output doesn't necessarily directly translate to a clear answer about how nicely it will drive a particular earphone. With that said, my experience is that rated power output is still often a useful proxy for whatever the amp qualities are that do matter to music reproduction as I hear it.

 

[monsieurfromag3]

I don’t think there’s been mention of the Whooshi on this thread.
AptX HD and AAC, unspecified 32-bit Cirrus Logic DAC, SE output only, USB DAC mode. Looks slick. About $65 to $80.

 

[ClieOS]

I don’t think there’s been mention of the Whooshi on this thread.
AptX HD and AAC, unspecified 32-bit Cirrus Logic DAC, SE output only, USB DAC mode. Looks slick. About $65 to $80.

Added to the list. No LDAC support is quite unfortunate since the hardware they used is fully capable of it. Also I am not sure how accurate the listed spec is, judging from the hardware it used.

 

[monsieurfromag3]

Added to the list. No LDAC support is quite unfortunate since the hardware they used is fully capable of it. Also I am not sure how accurate the listed spec is, judging from the hardware it used.

No LDAC is fine by me if there’s aptX HD, my hypothesis is that LDAC doesn’t bring anything to the table in itself but is often tuned via DSP to boost the ranges that give “sparkle”, “airiness” and “detail” to please technical listeners. I mostly miss a 2.5mm balanced output, but judging from their design and marketing that’s not a concern of their main target demographic. Which sucks because I’m just tangential to their target, I enjoy good design and they included fine hardware but stopped just short of where it would win me over.

 

[ClieOS]

No LDAC is fine by me if there’s aptX HD, my hypothesis is that LDAC doesn’t bring anything to the table in itself but is often tuned via DSP to boost the ranges that give “sparkle”, “airiness” and “detail” to please technical listeners. I mostly miss a 2.5mm balanced output, but judging from their design and marketing that’s not a concern of their main target demographic. Which sucks because I’m just tangential to their target, I enjoy good design and they included fine hardware but stopped just short of where it would win me over.

Not really sure where you get the idea of LDAC is tuned via DSP - measurement has been done by a few to show that, at least with LDAC SQ priority, there is some small technical benefit over than of aptX-HD (*while LDAC Standard is more or less than same performance as aptX-HD). The key point is however, there is no real downside for having LDAC with the Whooshi since it already has all the necessary hardware inside. While they will need to pay a license to use LDAC, I don't think it will cost that much since we already know a few BT adapter that are cheaper than Whooshi already supports LDAC. So there is no extra hardware cost and the software cost isn't likely to be significant, then the only conclusion I can draw is that the Whooshi team is either too lazy or not dedicated enough to implement it, since aptX-HD required very little effort to implement as it comes stock with Qualcomm CSR8675. I recalled even Radsone ES100 didn't come with LDAC at first, but they eventually implemented it due to popular demand and that really helps to boost their sale.

 

[Barusu Lamperouge]

Hi everyone, I'm looking for something around $50. I generally prefer balanced/neutral sound and I listen to variety of music genres like Indian and Western classical, rock, punk, metal, pop, hip-hop, EDM and fusion. I'm currently using Redmi K20 Pro that has decent sound output but I want something which helps in turning most of iems into BT without need for iem modules and also improving overall performance. Also, calling support would be a good to have feature. So far Hiby W3 looks like a good option. Any other recommendations? Thanks in advance

 

[monsieurfromag3]

Not really sure where you get the idea of LDAC is tuned via DSP - measurement has been done by a few to show that, at least with LDAC SQ priority, there is some small technical benefit over than of aptX-HD (*while LDAC Standard is more or less than same performance as aptX-HD). The key point is however, there is no real downside for having LDAC with the Whooshi since it already has all the necessary hardware inside. While they will need to pay a license to use LDAC, I don't think it will cost that much since we already know a few BT adapter that are cheaper than Whooshi already supports LDAC. So there is no extra hardware cost and the software cost isn't likely to be significant, then the only conclusion I can draw is that the Whooshi team is either too lazy or not dedicated enough to implement it, since aptX-HD required very little effort to implement as it comes stock with Qualcomm CSR8675. I recalled even Radsone ES100 didn't come with LDAC at first, but they eventually implemented it due to popular demand and that really helps to boost their sale.

LDAC is technically better for sure, but it’s like the difference between CD-quality FLAC and MQA - when it’s beyond audible, well...

On the other hand every manufacturer implements codecs in a different way, and that can have a very noticeable impact on sound.

I’d be wary of dropping the L word without a care, these guys took pains to create an original design with a welcome touch of modern aesthetics, that alone tells me there is dedication. LDAC is probably easier to license now that it’s on every phone, but that’s on the emitter side. Sony, I’ve been told by industry insiders, were until very recently at least much less generous on the receiver side, pressuring their would-be partners for codec exclusivity, and Qualcomm do the same.

 

[ClieOS]

LDAC is technically better for sure, but it’s like the difference between CD-quality FLAC and MQA - when it’s beyond audible, well...

On the other hand every manufacturer implements codecs in a different way, and that can have a very noticeable impact on sound.

I’d be wary of dropping the L word without a care, these guys took pains to create an original design with a welcome touch of modern aesthetics, that alone tells me there is dedication. LDAC is probably easier to license now that it’s on every phone, but that’s on the emitter side. Sony, I’ve been told by industry insiders, were until very recently at least much less generous on the receiver side, pressuring their would-be partners for codec exclusivity, and Qualcomm do the same.

Nothing new on exclusivity there, as that is probably how 90% of tech industry works. If you think you are happy with what Whooshi is offering, then good for you. But I only see generic design, nothing more. Nothing wrong with generic design on its own of course, just that the competitions are better. If a company is making something pretty similar to its competitions, then it should create more value in its product by either offering it on a cheaper price or with an unique feature. The least it can do is offering the same set of features as the competitions, otherwise it is not going to be particularly successful.

 

[monsieurfromag3]

Nothing new on exclusivity there, as that is probably how 90% of tech industry works. If you think you are happy with what Whooshi is offering, then good for you. But I only see generic design, nothing more. Nothing wrong with generic design on its own of course, just that the competitions are better. If a company is making something pretty similar to its competitions, then it should create more value in its product by either offering it on a cheaper price or with an unique feature. The least it can do is offering the same set of features as the competitions, otherwise it is not going to be particularly successful.

You are not reading me properly and that’s okay. Generic design is not “good for me” (very contemptuous turn of phrase by the way). I won't buy a Whooshi, because their technical design is, indeed, just a touch too generic for me. Which is too bad because they insist on their DAC and HD codec, but I don’t think SQ will be any better than what I already have or am expecting. Their aesthetic design on the other hand is a unique feature in a sea of little black rectangles, which is why I am disappointed they didn’t go for more ambitious audio hardware. Adding LDAC would mostly just mean ticking off the usual boxes on the audiophile male checklist though.

 

[JM22681]

Anyone post a W3 review yet?