Actually waiting to get it back from loan to see how it jives with my current headphones and iems before I let it go, it’s been gone for a while now.
2 Likes
In my case, I never really went for a DAP because I spent on headphones instead and I figured that the BTR5 already had every feature that I liked, but not enough SQ, so I went with the new ifi GO blu, which arrived yesterday and here’s my extended initial impressions.
I didn’t use xbass and xspace that much, only to compare and when specified.
I had rests between headphone swaps to clear my brain a bit.
Used my phone>ifi GO blu with LDAC only>
Diana Ross - Diana > Tidal MQA > Koss KSC75 SE / Audeze Sine BAL
The ksc75 have yaxi pads and headband mod. Descriptions are about the source, not the headphones.
Intimate soundstage, bassy everything but no bleed, Diana’s voice is good but not warm enough, gets properly warm and overall better with xbass, the lower mids are filled up the way I like.
Treble feels detailed but im getting a sense of dry, which I usually get with new products
and gets fixes with burn in.
I didn’t love that my ksc75 felt a little v-shaped, it was impressive, but definitely not for this record.
Same disc and chain, but with Audeze Sine (over-ear mod) BAL
For those who wonder Audeze Sine sounds 90% like an LCD2C but closed, more impact less detail, same presentation.
Ahh, the treble dryness is gone, the excessive drum kick warmth also gone, much better. This is a good pairing, I finished the second half of the disc with a smile on my face. I like intimate presentations and forward vocals, both were accomplished nicely, good synergy indeed.
Samurai Champloo Music Record - Tsutchie: playlist > PowerAmp MP3 320 > Koss kph30i SE / Nighthawks SE
I figured the kph30i (Grado G pads over stock pads) might have a better synergy, and poweramp is a big warm colored android player.
Most of the record has vinyl hiss sampled over it, when using xspace the vinyl effect sounds noticeably louder.
The treble is dry again, I think the Go blu needs burn in time or maybe my ears are more sensitive to treble this early in the morning, IDK.
Anyway the body of the bass kicks and bass guitar are impressive (specially with xbass), so is the instrument separation, again with an intimate presentation. This could be a killer product for lovers of the warmth and forward like me.
I enjoy this record more on larger soundstage headphones, so on the 6th out of 18 songs I swapped to:
Audioquest Nighthawk SE Velour pads
Oh boy this was enjoyable, it may seem like im just bashing koss’s trebles against better headphones but I truly do enjoy the kosses on portable sources regardless of their competition, so it is what it is.
Liquid sounding (good flowing pans and transcients) with a little bit of emphasis in the upper midrange; synthesizer emphasis rather than drums compared to kph30i.
The bass felt weirdly “not emphasized” for the hawks so I turned the xbass and it wasn’t like bass boost, it was more like the bass was “filled up” if that makes sense, so xbass stayed activated.
This was also the first time I really enjoyed the xbass+xspace combination, I think xspace works really well here to make the presentation feel a bit less intimate and more tridimensional.
Overall chill experience, some licks and sequences had me “damn, thats good texture for a portable amp”
Wednesday Campanella - Watashi wo onigashima ni tsurette > Apple Lossless > Audio Technica wp900 BAL
I recently heard this album with the BTR5, the wp900 is source picky and it sounded decent but never really shone with that amp. I also recently heard this album like 50 times because im fucking addicted to it.
NICEEEEEE, from the first song it has so much body, with the wrong amp the wp900 can sound thin, bloated or both.
The pairing just works, the slight upper mids emphasis helps the vocals come out, the intimacy also helps, because the soundstage is smaller than usually but the body has more weight, and the instrument separation is also there.
On the second track I tested the xbass and xspace and they were too much, I mean they are ok for turning the wp900 into a bass canon, but its usually too much and bleeds, but its something nice to have it when I feel like it.
Xspace also sounded not necessary, like it was adding too much, emm (something?)
So I had a blast with the full album as the wp900 usually doesn’t sound this intimate but its very enjoyable to hear it differently.
Also on the 7th track, this is a track where I always want more, more dyanamics, more fordwardness, more stage, more everything, its a very special track to me; It has 2 huge drops and very trippy vocal arrangements.
So for that track I knew I had to turn on the xbass+xspace… And it delivered, extra punch and extra trippy, it was very fun.
I know the chain order script is a mess, whatever.
That’s it. I’ll see later if this can handle pickier and harder to drive headphones, for now, im satisfied and happy with the purchase.
4 Likes
If he is looking for a basic straightforward player I always suggest a cowon, but he has to be ok with a little eq tweaking and then they punch up for sure.
They go on sale on amazon and the P, L and Mk2 hit near $500ish. The more entry new D2s are nice too. I would avoid the R. I havent looked at the used market for them but I think you could hit the mark.
Reading through this thread, I’m a little surprised to not see the iFi xCAN come up. I have pretty high regard for it’s Bluetooth implementation. I went from Fio BTR5 to iFi xCAN and it was a great step up for Bluetooth usage: sound quality and available power. Downside is no hardline access to the DAC (USB, Coax), so either Bluetooth or external DAC / DAP. But the Bluetooth has been so good I’ve not really suffered much when using it away from the desk.
I don’t have a lot of experience with many DAPs and other portable amps to compare it against. For those with a wider range of experience with portable gear, what is your opinion of the iFi xCAN? Punch above its price point? Or getting a little dated and long-in-the-tooth compared to more modern offerings?
1 Like
Xcan was my first option but then GO blu seemed more appealing.
I dont mind it not having LDAC I think aptx is good enough, if I already had one of those LG V phones for example or a budget DAP thats the route I would have taken, sadly (or not) I needed something that included a dac.
But that 1watt power would have been very useful, based on reviews im sure it sounds very good as well.
2 Likes
Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I think he’s just going to save up for a QP2R. As I said, he needs an actual player rather than a DAC/AMP and he’s just a massive fan of mine.
Felix
3 Likes