TheOneInYellow
1000+ Head-Fier
Though I didn't purchase that particular power supply model @mekap (which @tomi1976 purchased), I did write a mini review of my experience using an external linear PSU over the FiiO M17's included switching PSU. My external PSU is a battery called Shargeek Storm2.
You can find my mini-review at this link here, or see below:
Hello everyone, and an update; my Shargeek Storm 2 arrived yesterday!
Unboxing pics and pics of my system at the end of the post
After receiving it and putting it through it's paces, I wrote a mini-review of my fully-balanced setup of FiiO M17 with my T+A Solitaire T headphones, and the change of power supplies.
I thought that this maybe appropriate here too, beyond the unboxing pics, so I have slightly modified said post, and posting here; please, enjoy!
Just to those who are unaware, the Solitaire T headphones are both wired and wireless cans, but the wireless electronics can be completely disabled (and fully turned off via physical switches if you wish) if you want to use them passively. This does mean that the internal battery will not be on if you chose to use the cans in wired modes, which is great!
The cans are internally wired balanced, with a single right-earcup input: 2.5mm TRRS connection. The headphones come with two audio cables, both with 2.5mm TRRS earcup jacks; the single-ended cable terminates in 3.5mm TRS jack with adapters for 6.35mm, and the longer balanced cable terminates in 4.4mm TRRS jack.
The makers, T+A, developed and voiced the headphones as wired closed-backs first, then added wireless tech. They further voiced the wireless electronics to, sonically, resemble the voicing of the headphone's passive mode as far as possible. There are audible changes in sonics in any mode used, but the similarity of the voicing is remarkable.
As far as I am aware and in my own opinion, the Solitaire T stands alone in it's voicing across any of it's many modes of use, whether that be USB-C DAC mode, wireless modes (ANC, Bluetooth, and Bluetooth HQ), and either single-ended or balanced modes. I believe only the Mark Levinson No. 5909 comes remotely close, and they themselves are an excellent set of cans.
From the T+A Solitaire T thread, and my post:
I am currently writing up a review of the T+A Solitaire T with my FiiO M17, in wireless Bluetooth HQ (codec testing is a chore), and simultaneously I am considering to it have properly posted on an audio journal or via forum, but I still have a few areas I need to continue testing.
One of those arrived yesterday, and I am A/B testing the difference.
That device is the Shargeek Storm2 battery power bank, with configurable DC output and 100W output via USB-C.
As I created some pretty pics and unboxing, thought to share (and yes, Solitaire T is featured and hooked up!)
In short, the M17 was already pushing the boundaries of what the Solitaire T can do in fully balanced mode. This is via the M17's DC input mode when using the included linear switching PSU.
Using the M17 DC input, and sliding a switch on the device from Battery to to DC, this allows access to a fifth gain mode called Enhanced Over-ear mode, which bypasses the internal battery and directly feeds the 2x ESS9038Pro DAC's and 2x THX 788+ amps, giving a full 3W/channel. With my Solitaire T I have the volume adjusted between 60 to 75 volume out of 120 steps depending on song or album choice, and this is in either streaming (Tidal or USB Audio Player Pro) or local storage on the device (SanDisk MicroSD XC Extreme 1Tb card).
Music I threw at my system was very varied, from DSD files from Jazz at the Pawnshop (and Late Night additional album), my DSF/DSD files ripped from SACD's of Supertramp, Nine Inch Nails, Pink Floyd and Miles Davis, high-resolution files from Kendrick Lamar, Led Zeppelin, Massive Attack, Nas, David Bowie, and Nils Frahm, MQA files from Beyonce, Gorillaz, Ludwig Goransson, Stephen Moccio, Metallica, and a large collection of CD quality albums from Massive Attack, Yoko Kanno, Pendulum, Rob Dougan, The Chemical Brothers, Sampha, Deadmau5, The Beastie Boys...and more!
After weeks of testing, the results with the linear power supply versus Bluetooth HQ and single-ended are:
Bass:
Removed some of the small amount of fuzziness in the lowest octaves of the headphone's sub-bass region when compared to Bluetooth HQ or single-ended mode.
Further, added body to the mid and high-mid bass regions.
The lean muscular bass voicing of the Solitaire T is enhanced further with a tightness on bass notes (goosebump raising), and, oddly, added extra bass presence without boominess (YAAAAAAAAASSSSSSS).
Mids:
Increased the already amazing grip on texture control of the mids.
As with my bass observation above, tighter notes here as well, (adding extra body definition), but also a stronger emphasis on naturalness; the midrange now possess liquidity over Bluetooth HQ and single-ended. This revelation exposed that the aforementioned modes had a slight diffusion on the edge of the midrange notes, which is only notable via the absence of that diffusion when using a powerful fully-balanced DAC/amp combo.
Treble:
Accentuated the treble sparkle and air, but this time without that almost harsh-but-not-quite treble pressure.
Or, to say another way, in Bluetooth HQ and single-ended modes, the treble possess high-pressure output that is off-sibilant, yet refreshing to any other wireless or wired cans I have used.
Yet, via the M17, that high-pressure remains but is now even less differentiated from the mids and bass, thus reducing that just-off sibilant focal point.
With that said, how does the Shargeek Storm2 fare when used instead of the linear switching PSU?
It is too soon to give a full analysis, but I do know one major change in sound: any harshness that was present with the Solitaire T in Bluetooth HQ or single-ended has gone. I want to further explain that said harshness is very minute (and I really mean that), but I only discovered it's existence when comparing the change of power supply, and when using the Solitaire T with the wireless electronics on and set to Bluetooth HQ mode.
The positive points I raised regarding the bass, treble, and mids with the M17 and linear switching power supply still exist when using the external battery bank, however the noise floor seems to have dropped, in my system, enough that I am now able to listen to the same tracks/albums a good 5 - 10dB lower (give or take a few dB's). Please, read that again, and no audible harshness.
That is not an insignificant change.
Sure, all I have done is used a different power supply, and I genuinely thought that the external battery would be a small change, but I am convinced that it has exposed issues of power delivery from the mains, which I have not ever compensated before as I did not have such a revealing system as I do now.
I switched back to the linear switching power supply to check if I was hearing things, because before before the power supply change I could not hear any noise with the Solitaire T and M17 . However, the absence of harshness is how I knew that I had do have inherent noise in my system. The removal of that noise via the Storm2 not only removed that very slight harshness of the M17/Solitaire 2 in balanced mode, but also reduced the noise floor, allowing the music to flow as a single voice via the T+A Solitaire T.
The outright power of the Solitaire T with the M17 and Storm2, fully balanced, made the hairs on the back of my neck rise. I struggled to identify the bass, mids, or treble regions, as now they are effortlessly cohesive, presented as a whole instead of fragmented.
I have now sank twice into long music listening sessions lasting about five hours total since receiving the Storm2; three last night (was basically in a music induced coma), and four this afternoon/evening. I am still listening to this setup as I type!
There is more testing and listening to be done, but, I am very satisfied at this system and enhancements!
I am still considering an upgrade cable for the T+A Solitaire T, but outside of that, I think I will just stop thinking of other gear and just listen to my music in new bliss
