Yes, always been a fan of Focal’s tunings. Was always a closed back headphone man prior to the pandemic as working in an office one does not want to disturb nearby colleagues and the Stellia’s fed by a Hugo2 from my Mac gave me a little more than the Bose/Sony/Apple wireless headphones offered in terms of SQ.
Once the pandemic hit working from home meant I was prepared to give the open back Utopia’s a try to see if the benefits in soundstage/instrument separation was significant to my ears/brain. Suffice to say the Utopia’s were heaven.
The advent of T+A Solitaire’s, Levinson 5909 and original Bathys made me re-evaluate my sense of compromise when using wireless headphones when travelling/working in clients offices. However it was not until the Bathys MG that I finally put the Stellia’s back in their box and left the Hugo2 at home… The sound quality over wireless is extremely good to my ears/brain and when plugged into the USB port the internal DAC/Amplifier really shines. Not as good as the Utopia’s but not too much of a compromise that I miss home and the Utopia’s too much.
OK, so this is absolutely a beginner headphone setup. I’ve been a Roon subscriber for about a year, and what a journey so far.
For my current kit, I aimed for a balance of quality, cost (WAF), and portability.
Currently using:
Raspberry Pi 5 with Flirc case ($76.95)
Anker Zolo power bank ($24.99)
HiBy FC4 DAC ($59.00)
Massdrop Sennheiser HD 6XX ($169.00)
RoPieee ($5.00/mo)
oratory1990 Harman Target compensation curve
Probably doesn’t hold a candle to most of your setups, but for $350 all-in, this delivers incredible sound for 4-5 hours and goes anywhere on my property.
Thanks! You’re 100% correct about IEMs: so many very go choices that it’s like navigating a minefield at times.
Going portable means having to make some sonic compromises for the sake of portability. A DAP (digital audio player) is another way to go but that just adds cost. Using a mobile phone with USB dongle is a good compromise, plus with a phone one can still listen when there is a cellular signal available but not WiFi, which would be needed for a DAP or a Pi.
@Ken_Schneider and all, please allow me to crosspost, since I’m still completely blown away, time and again, by these IEM’s.
No audiophile ancillary components needed, and not a sound/musicality compromise at all!
Anyone telling you differently is likely prey to cognitive dissonances, I’d say!
Enjoy your ride, everyone
DCA Noire planar magnetic headphones driven by a Bakoon HPA-21, with Roon playback through ‘Roonified’ Naim NDS with twin power supplies (separate for Analogue output stage & Digital elements) and Pre-Amp section of Sim Audio Moon i5 (volume at zero). Harmonic Technologies Magic II interconnects.
5m ‘dual-mono’ custom silver headphone cable with Cardas and DCA Hirose connectors.
I can also taken a current based ‘Stari link’ direct from the Bakoon EQA-11R phonostage, to compare/contrast the playback through the Pre-Amp (and very hard to differentiate).
The Pi 5 was my first Pi. Was thinking that I would use it for other projects as well, and I’ve learned that it is overpowered for RoPieee.
I also have a couple of Pi Zero 2 Ws with iFi GO Links attached. These are hooked up to mid-fi computer speakers, like my Monsoon MM-700. I use the Zeros for stationary placement in various rooms. Amazing little devices!
I’m talking about the beach , airplanes type of out of house , I find the Sony WH 1000XM4 on BT with a bit of EQ fits the bill , I travel so little these days it all I need
Ken,
Which os do you use with the zeros 2s? Struggled with wifi disconnects using raspberry pi os or dietpi.
Found this post, applying this wifi is stable so far on dietpi (38 min). Maybe I have some buggy hw version. Had issues with wifi in the past using pikvm on this thing.
I use RoPieee on all my Pis, There is a distinct image for Pi 3 and Zero W 2. It’s been solid and simple for me for several months. No problem with WiFi only setup. Auto updates every month or so. Nothing to tweak, really, I just followed their guide. I did set it to reboot daily.
Closed back recommendation: AKG K371, 139 €. Good sound, light, comfortable, but the synthetic leather may get a little warm on the ears, no replaceable ear pads.
IEMs: Zero:2s, thanks to @Marin_Weigel. Always in my pocket.
Main listening is through Focal Clear Mg from Naim Uniti Atom HE via Moon Audio Silver Dragon cable. I find this set up perfect for the music I listen to most often (free jazz/avant-garde jazz and classical). The level of clarity and detail helps compensate my moderate hearing impairment.
I love this setup and can’t see me changing it for some time, if ever. I consider it my end game really.
I also have a desktop set up of Chord Mojo2 and Focal Celestee which I’m happy with although I’m going to upgrade the stock cable (a case of upgrade-itis really)
