[TRHH]

Arrived yesterday and everything is set up (settings) - the first impression is very positive

Torben

 

[seanwee]

Can you define”very different” and “not close at all”.

Genuine question I would like to understand what others hear/perceive.

In my mind “not close at all” simply makes no sense, to me that is describing a bigger difference than swapping out IEM or headphones not just the DAC/amp and I very much can tell even similar IEM apart.

Currently running a second round of comparisons between the R6 Pro II and the M15S, two daps that I considered to be on the same level but at the same time are very different sounding.

Without going too deep into it
Bass: M15S is very extended and cinematic, R6 Pro II doesn't have as much extension. Like an IMAX hall vs a regular cinema hall.

Mids: M15S is natural, lifelike. R6 Pro II sounds forward, dry and at times grainy and brittle.

Highs: R6 Pro II is more extended and refined, M15S still exhibits some harshness in sibilant J-pop.

Soundstage: M15S sounds wider horizontally, R6 Pro II is narrower but clearer.

And that's just with two daps that I consider perform on the same level overall.

There are plenty of daps/dongles/dacs that sound harsh, 2d, muffled, dark(rolled off treble).

If you can hear the difference going from a bass bore eartip to a foam one, you can definitely hear the difference between daps/dongles/dacs

And that's just the tonality difference. There are real benefits to detail, layering separation that you can't cleanly discern between two tonally different iems.

 

[sofastreamer]

Soundstage: M15S sounds wider horizontally, R6 Pro II is narrower but clearer.

And that's just with two daps that I consider perform on the same level overall.

thank you for your impressions! Can i assume that regarding soundstage depth, layering and tallness they are all about the same?

 

[seanwee]

thank you for your impressions! Can i assume that regarding soundstage depth, layering and tallness they are all about the same?

Just a short example for @BS5711, it's quite off topic lol. But yes depth is the same is, layering is a unique forte of the N6 Pro II, x-ray like so its in a class of its own. Tallness both are the same but I consider that the forte of the Elysian Annihilator I'm using to compare the two, the air and extension it has not been matched by anything I've heard since 2021.

Coming back on topic discussion, I don't have any M23 demo units here for me to test yet. Definitely on my list though.

 

[BS5711]

If you can hear the difference going from a bass bore eartip to a foam one, you can definitely hear the difference between daps/dongles/dacs

Thanks, sounds like there is hope for me yet

I will do a bit more listening when I get a chance.

 

[laleeee]

Arrived yesterday and everything is set up (settings) - the first impression is very positive



Torben

The Usb Audio Player Pro app sounds better on it like the original ?

 

[keithw]

Silly question but I've never owned a DAP before... do these support screen rotation like a regular Android phone? I'm thinking about desktop use and wanting the ports facing towards me, but I'd have the device upside down obviously.

 

[seanwee]

Silly question but I've never owned a DAP before... do these support screen rotation like a regular Android phone? I'm thinking about desktop use and wanting the ports facing towards me, but I'd have the device upside down obviously.

Yeah you can do that on FiiO Daps.

 

[BS5711]

Silly question but I've never owned a DAP before... do these support screen rotation like a regular Android phone? I'm thinking about desktop use and wanting the ports facing towards me, but I'd have the device upside down obviously.

As seanwee said FiiO DAPs allow that, well the M11 Plus does, but not all DAPs of all makes.

I also have a Shanling M3 Ultra which doesn’t allow screen rotation, not sure if other Shanlings do.

Like you I prefer the jacks at the bottom, the earlier M11 Plus ESS has them on the bottom, that might be an option for you, I imagine they are still available since the M23 has only just been launched.

 

[zikarus]

...
I was listening today after the above conversation and compared my little Shanling M3 Ultra to an iFi Go Bar running off an iPhone 15 Pro both running from Apple Music downloads and volume matched as close as I could there was no immediately discernible difference listening to the same 30 seconds of music one after the other.

That is what I did too when comparing gear in earlier times.

Result - hardly heard any discernable differences.

Took me some time to realize that this simply ain't the proper way to compare gear. 30 seconds are simply far to short.

Need to listen to any kind of gear for a few minutes at least before exchanging for another. Best with music that alters not to much. Then change the IEM/cable/tip/DAP and repeat for another few minutes.

Your brain needs a bit of time to adopt to different sound signatures etc...

 

[seanwee]

That is what I did too when comparing gear in earlier times.

Result - hardly heard any discernable differences.

Took me some time to realize that this simply ain't the proper way to compare gear. 30 seconds are simply far to short.

Need to listen to any kind of gear for a few minutes before exchanging for another. Best with music that alters not to much. Then change the IEM/cable/tip/DAP and repeat for another few minutes.

Your brain needs a bit of time to adopt to different sound signatures etc...

Been comparing sources for a long time now. Depending on your iem/song/loudness it will be easier or harder to hear the difference.

I listen loud with super revealing gear on select songs in my album that are very sensitive to differences in spaciousness, attack, detail, crispness, extension soundstage, dynamics and so on.

And it still takes me an average of 4-5 hours to really get an idea of its strengths and weakness. The closer the two perform the longer I take to really suss out the exact differences.

An example being the R6 Pro II that had so much to offer I spent 12 hours across two sessions to get a good idea of all it's strengths and weaknesses.

On the other hand there was the N3 Ultra which, while much better than the N3 Pro it succeeds, is so far away from the performance from my daily driver (M15S) that three songs were more than enough for me to decide that I needed to cleanse my palette before I could appreciate something lower end again. Been eating too good the past year.

 

[BS5711]

That is what I did too when comparing gear in earlier times.

Result - hardly heard any discernable differences.

Took me some time to realize that this simply ain't the proper way to compare gear. 30 seconds are simply far to short.

Need to listen to any kind of gear for a few minutes at least before exchanging for another. Best with music that alters not to much. Then change the IEM/cable/tip/DAP and repeat for another few minutes.

Your brain needs a bit of time to adopt to different sound signatures etc...

I generally do listen much longer, the above was just an example for the earlier discussion.

The only time that I hear a difference is if I listen for several hours then swap immediately to a different device. I can be briefly aware of a difference but in literally a couple of seconds the difference is no longer apparent and the music sounds the same again.

More often than not even that approach doesn’t reveal any difference on gear that is similar modern solid state.

The most dramatic change I have observed was listening with HD600 off a Woo Audio WA6 full tube amp all day then immediately swapping to a Schiit Heretic which is all op amps. The Heretic was harsh and edgy by comparison but again within a few seconds that impression disappeared and the music returned to normal.

I guess I am simply not sensitive to changes and they have to be quite extreme cases for me to hear and even then I acclimatise so quickly it is all but impossible to make sense of the difference.

 

[DAPpower]

Has anyone compared the sound quality from M23 to the M17? How about to other DAP outside of it's pricepoint?

I love my DX320 X but I'm always very curious and I've never tried any of FIIO's beefier DAPs like the M17 or the M23. I've only had the OG AK4499 M15 before.

The features with these newer FIIO daps are quite tempting such as those extra LEDs, Ultra Gain mode ect.
I don't really care much for any music player besides Neutron Player with rooted settings.

 

[laleeee]

Has anyone compared the sound quality from M23 to the M17? How about to other DAP outside of it's pricepoint?

I love my DX320 X but I'm always very curious and I've never tried any of FIIO's beefier DAPs like the M17 or the M23. I've only had the OG AK4499 M15 before.

The features with these newer FIIO daps are quite tempting such as those extra LEDs, Ultra Gain mode ect.
I don't really care much for any music player besides Neutron Player with rooted settings.

Because you don't tried the Usb Audio Player Pro

 

[DAPpower]

Because you don't tried the Usb Audio Player Pro

I do have USB Audio Player Pro and it has the best UI from what I have seen with android music players but Neutron Player has 64 bit processing, oversampling and other settings that will just give you a better sound quality in the end compared to USB Audio Player. Far better soundstage, layering, dynamics and analog presentation with a properly configuired Neutron player.