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disco_g OP t1_j65bgvk wrote

Hi there, long time audio nerd here.

I'm just getting into IEMs so I've been watching a lot of product videos and trying out new stuff. One thing I noticed is that a lot of the talking heads in the IEM world blather on and on about all the minute differences in sets but then go on to say that using the Apple dongle is just fine. So that's how I started out, but I instantly noticed a difference between listening on my desktop setup and with the Apple dongle.

So today I got this DDHiFi unit and instantly it was a very noticeable upgrade to the Apple dongle and put the detail and clarity on par with my other systems.

Yes the Apple dongle is great for what it is and fine for a budget setup. Yes it has no right sounding as good as it does for being so small and cheap. But the difference between that and a better dongle DAC is far from snake oil, even on mid price IEMs.

rant over

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Tanachip t1_j65f0gi wrote

That's great that you noticed a difference because I cannot tell a difference between the Apple Dongle and the Topping DX3 Pro+ and FiiO KA3, all three of which I own.

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loli_popping t1_j65flr9 wrote

Theres measurable differences between them. ASR has a SINAD chart for dacs but I'm pretty sure people can't hear the difference.

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disco_g OP t1_j65gvuj wrote

I'm not sure there's much difference in the DAC part but in the amp there sure is.

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ThelceWarrior t1_j65opi3 wrote

erm what IEMs are you using exactly where the US Apple dongle is not enough, if I may ask?

Like for real even my EU one is plenty enough.

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disco_g OP t1_j65pzyy wrote

So far I have Hook X and Elixir. Nothing crazy and both low impedance. It's not that it's not loud enough.

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Mysterious-Evening-7 t1_j67bayg wrote

My EU Apple lightning dongle doesn’t power my Ety ER4SR to high volumes in classical recordings (i.e. not normalised/compressed by loudness wars) in any but the louder sections. It has a sensitivity of 97 dB (45 Ohm impedance). I’d love to have that dongle without the EU constraints.

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blorg t1_j67lo4e wrote

The ER4SR is particularly low sensitivity, I think this is because Etymotic use a resistor to tune the BA in them. There are a handful of IEMs like this, Final E5000 and Symphonium Helios are two other examples, they are even lower sensitivity. These are really outliers though, the vast, vast majority of IEMs are easy to drive.

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Mysterious-Evening-7 t1_j67r1tq wrote

I also have the E5000, but never tried them with a proper amp. Always thought these were just boring, treble hating stuff

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blorg t1_j67shai wrote

I find them dark and veiled as well. They do need a certain amount of power but they are still dark and veiled whatever you run them off, that doesn't change.

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disco_g OP t1_j65glpa wrote

That's interesting, maybe I have a bad Apple dongle? I didn't think it sounded particularly bad on its own but when switching around the difference is pretty clear. It's like the high end is relatively slushy and undefined. I'll have to pick up another one of these days.

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dongas420 t1_j679zpl wrote

I've had one go bad and screw up the sound before. There's no ESD protection apart from the plastic casing, so the DAC can potentially accumulate damage in an audible way. The difference between it and the replacement I got was night and day.

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Karoleq00 t1_j660e5h wrote

I drived my dt990 250oohm for months with qudelix5k, and then I got fiio k7 (a proper desktop amp/dac combo) and the difference is stunning, it's not massive its just better suited for the headphones really, Idk they got mellowed and more lively with k7. As always it's subjective but i feel like more power is not necessarily better but the guts you are paying for are actually better. And yes testing them back to back with my laptop and q5k they sound harsher compared to fiio so I can actually enjoy them now.

Sound is so subjective man, one's will say it's awesome and other will shit all over your purchase, you like it that's great money well spent you don't like that return it or stop shitting on someone else's choice, some people have problem with that.

That being said, my kinera Idun 2.0 that i absolutely adore sounds the same with Apple dac as well q5k and fiio k7, no joke i can't hear a note of difference between any of them balanced or se. Some iems or headphones react differently to sources so that might be it.

Either way have fun in the hobby. Just don't spend money on stupid shit like another dongle, the one you have is great haha

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disco_g OP t1_j662lu7 wrote

I will for sure not get another dongle DAC. I didn't want to have to buy this one but I'm glad I did. Not sure I will buy any more IEMs either, at least for now. What I have is good for on-the-go fun but I think only headphones will get me what I want in my home studio. I have an order in for Ollo S5X and hopefully that will do it so I'm not tempted to spring for Audeze MM-500.

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koszorr t1_j65i3jn wrote

I might try and write up a comparison as soon as my moonriver 2 gets in. I got one used for $130 and I think that was a pretty good deal. Wanted something slim and without an internal battery (less to worry about recharging)

Been using the apple dongle with the b2 dusk

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psh99527 t1_j67lqf0 wrote

I've worked in live sound reinforcement and mixing for 5+ years. Most of the people on this sub have never actually done any professional audio work, or know how to listen critically (i.e mix, master, record).

I'm convinced a large portion of the users here listen more with their eyes reading FR graphs than their actual ears. Look at the comments on the recent HD 660S v2 posts... The headphones haven't even come out yet and people already think they have a good idea of what it sounds like just by looking at a FR graph.

I believe you when you say that there is a difference in the two dongles. I also would wager that a large portion of users actually cannot tell the difference between most DACs and amps simply because... their hearing is not good enough.

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roenthomas t1_j66yp9g wrote

I think people are missing that the USB-C Apple dongle tested well, the lightning one was just ok.

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blorg t1_j67lf5h wrote

I think they are both the same, they have the same DAC and same internals. Ken Rockwell measured the lightning version and he got identical measurements on THD (0.0011%) as ASR got with the USB-C version (also 0.0011%).

Lightning version also doesn't have the volume issue the USB one has on Android, although this is a function of what you are plugging it into rather than the dongle.

Do you other have test/measurements that directly compared them?

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Marathalayan t1_j67tguf wrote

Apple dongle measures accurate as any other dac should be. So if you are hearing differences, probably your other dac isn’t measuring accurately and hence they sound different. And difference can be a an improvement or downgrade depending on how you see that.

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TheGildedNoob t1_j67ywlu wrote

This is why people (myself included) still like tubes. They add distortion, but in a way that is pleasant to a lot of people.

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G_pea_eS t1_j69bcn8 wrote

> So today I got this DDHiFi unit and instantly it was a very noticeable upgrade to the Apple dongle and put the detail and clarity on par with my other systems.

Please post your test results! That is interesting!

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