Thats like competing with hifiman edition xs below and ananda nano above (or maybe similar price open box)
Im pretty sure I saw the fr graph when they announced/released them and it seemed similar to hifimen, the build quality looks waaay better on the fiio and you avoid the shitty build of the cheaper egg shapes and the egg shape all together which im not a fan of until arya levels.
A lot of newer people in the spanish community ask me for recs around that price and I kind of have to recommend the ananda nano because mfs dont want to try the emu teak, no has ever recommended them in spanish seriously, people usually dont trust brands they dont know when they enter this price.
These fiio might be a good option if they sound at least better than the sundara which isnt a huge milestone. Maybe the ft3 was like a test and these ft5 came out a lot better, the build looks amazing for chifi.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve had some issues with some of my power cables having a loose fit in my amps. My interim solution was to wrap teflon tape (normally used for plumbing) around the iec connector to try to help it stay in place, but these plastic sleeves work much better. The 2 “flaps” just get in the way for audiophile cables, so I snipped them off.
I much prefer these to the Sundara’s, but it has been quite a while since I had those. My feelings on the Sundara were that it does everything well and nothing bad. But they also did nothing great.
You can see the iec connector sagging in the first photo, just waiting to slip out. Although it’s not perfectly perpendicular in the second, it’s much better than before, and more importantly, I cannot wiggle it up and down once the sleeve is in place, it’s pretty tight.
It’s amazing how exciting a cheap bit of plastic can be.
If you ever do want to buy some, it looks like buying direct from SF Cable will give you more options than Amazon (black instead of yellow, also the ability to buy the exact number you need instead of bags of 10) and the shipping looks to be a bit less too.
These little IEC fillers are brilliant!
Much better than the silly attempts I’ve been making at supporting the plugs from underneath. Thank you sooo much for finding, trying and posting about them!
@karangovil keep me in mind if you decide to let go of black plate 6l6 tubes, they happen to work well in my Lance Cochrain amp. at least the old Tungsols i have i think may be similar to what you mentioned. I need to see a picture to have a proper clue, i’m a real amateur with tubes.
New-to-me Riviera AIC10-bal in da house. Thanks @orrman!
And my Lampi just came home from a check up in Poland.
First impressions:
It’s a 35 lbs ice block!! We’ve been in the 20s and not sure how long this was sitting in a truck, but taking it out it had to come to room temperature for hours before I even plugged it in.
Interesting comparison with the Nautilus! Full review coming…
After seeing some after effects of quick temp changes on guitar tops and finishes, i would say leave the box in your room for 2-3 hours before even opening it. It is super precautious but i rather not chance it.
Time to better understand what’s going on in my room and expand my understanding of what I’m hearing with speakers. I’ve been reading and watching a lot of 2ch content lately and find it impossible to narrow my options and get more focused. The options are literally endless. I have an idea of the two different sounds I’m trying to achieve but figuring out how to get there will be a more complicated road than headphones where I could just get ahold of them, try out, swap for something else etc (and the same for amplification).
In every HT set up I’ve ever put together for myself using some form of Digital Signal Processing and tuning the sound to what sounded best to my ear in my room basically allowed me to use moderately priced equipment, hit my goals for an audiovisual experience beyond what I had previously and I never looked back until something eventually blew up or it was time to switch rooms.
I have also found that a little bit of DSP in ROON goes a long way in simply enjoying what I’m feeding and have gradually worked into accepting it and using it instead of fighting for purity only. I’m curious to see how you use it and what the end results will be in enjoyment value
at least the old Tungsols i have i think may be similar to what you mentioned. I need to see a picture to have a proper clue, i’m a real amateur with tubes.
