Head/earphones Recommendations Thread

[Elysium87]

yeap, first time buying TWS, i dont mind spending a bit as i prefer something decently good for audio at least.
may i ask why first time buying TWS, better spend less?

 

[caterham7]

• law of diminishing marginal returns, the more u spend, the sound may get better, but at a decreasing rate
• spending more doesn't automatically mean better
• audio preferences are subjective, some like more bassy, some prefer more emphasis on highs, etc.
• for in-ear headphones, getting a good seal trumps other areas, i.e. if you get a bad seal on a $1k earphone, it may sound worse than a good seal on a $10 earphone; we all have different shaped ears, so reviews can only provide part of the insights; recommend to test expensive earphones before buying, several headphone shops in sg allow for auditioning

first-time buying TWS, good to start from cheap option, to understand the limitations of wireless audio, then can plan your next step accordingly

 

[Severon]

Just wondering nowadays most phones are usb c for android,is still worth buying usb c dac adapter just for earphone jack?
However i prefer wired and still considering to get one

 

[caterham7]

Just wondering nowadays most phones are usb c for android,is still worth buying usb c dac adapter just for earphone jack?
However i prefer wired and still considering to get one

Yes

Plug and play, no need to worry about battery flat

And a basic dac starts below $10

 

[Severon]

Yes

Plug and play, no need to worry about battery flat

And a basic dac starts below $10

Any recommendations or any will do? Currently using zs 10 pro and considering to either get my az09 pro bluetooth or dac as my phone is now usbc and kz aptx bluetooth died awhile ago

 

[ridiculous?]

dragonfly cobalt

 

[caterham7]

Any recommendations or any will do? Currently using zs 10 pro and considering to either get my az09 pro bluetooth or dac as my phone is now usbc and kz aptx bluetooth died awhile ago

can try jcally jm08c. search using shopee, look for ones with higher volume sold and reasonable price
also have ja21, but seems no longer listed

 

[Severon]

Ooh nice, I see some difference in the ohm and stuff though between all of them or that jm08c is for general

 

[asdfghjklffs]

Apple usb c dongle?

 

[caterham7]

Apple usb c dongle?

Very thin and flimsy cable, and more expensive than budget dac

 

[asdfghjklffs]

Very thin and flimsy cable, and more expensive than budget dac

Isnt it only $10+. Cuz quite a lot of ppl recommends apple dongle as well

 

[RyanJ]

Just wondering nowadays most phones are usb c for android,is still worth buying usb c dac adapter just for earphone jack?
However i prefer wired and still considering to get one

If you use it regularly yes worth to get one.

As always, the law of diminishing returns applies.

If your headphones have high impedance harder to drive then u might need to scrutinise the specific dac you are looking to get or even a DAP ( for portability )

 

[Severon]

If you use it regularly yes worth to get one.

As always, the law of diminishing returns applies.

If your headphones have high impedance harder to drive then u might need to scrutinise the specific dac you are looking to get or even a DAP ( for portability )

Wow thanks, i dont think i am going hardcore audiophile. Just daily driver would be fine!

 

[ridiculous?]

7HZ Sevenhertz 71 USB DAC

 

[Severon]

Thanks guys for recommendation , i still considering . for now i get AZ09 Pro attachment for my KZ

 

[caterham7]

 

[DingDang51]

Need some advice from pros here. I bought a Baseus usbc adapter to pair with KZ zst for my Samsung S23. The usbc end of the adapter started heating up after a while. I tested it with Sennheiser headset with a higher impedance and no prob. Is zst so difficult to drive? I never had this issue when using on Huawei phone

 

[malalover]

looking for a recommendation for wireless headphones. will be also using on laptop for conferencing. any recommendations? currently leaning more towards the xm4

 

[chromehead]

Need some advice from pros here. I bought a Baseus usbc adapter to pair with KZ zst for my Samsung S23. The usbc end of the adapter started heating up after a while. I tested it with Sennheiser headset with a higher impedance and no prob. Is zst so difficult to drive? I never had this issue when using on Huawei phone

interesting, usually if dac runs hot, then its hot with whatever you plug to. if runs cool then the same as well.
i have a cool type-c dac/amp thats plugged to pc almost permanently, and a dac that runs warm even when idle so i unplug when not in use.

nothing to do with the dac chip, more with how the whole thing is implemented. 1 thing that is consistent from my experience and general logic is warm/hot ones drain battery faster

current cheap disposable dongle i am using the VE abigail 4.4 (runs cool, sounds decent).
had the zooaux 3.5 (the first not bad 'cheap' dongle from early days), garbage ugreen dongle with PD port, no idea if real/fake samsung 3.5 dongle, some atz dongle which had hiss.

anything 'audibly better' you would be looking at the gum stick size dongle dacs, but can expect most of them to drain your phone faster although there are those reviewed to be efficient like the DC03 Pro (not used that before).

 

[DingDang51]

Tks for the detailed explanation. So you are suggesting the prob lies with the dac rather than the earphones. I'm hesitant to buy another dac coz not sure if it's compatible with Samsung phone... Wondering if I shld just get a cheap usbc earphone like moondrop jiu. I only use phone for podcasts and zoom calls. Have dedicated pc speakers and dac for music