Man, I really wonder if I will need more than a Samsung dongle once my Hexas arrive. These FiiO things, owner of a K5 myself, are usually very awesome. The Qudelix is just as great and intriguing, but I don't know if all of this is necessary, aside from the convenience that Bluetooth would bring.

Rocking a K5 pro ESS and I really wonder how the K7 would compare.. But eh, quite happy about my little unit and what it can do. I'm guessing the ESS chip is what does most of the magic.

I have used my FiiO K5 pro ESS and the TA26 and I think they are very similar to each other. The TA26 improves the low end a bit and maybe, just maybe makes everything a little more dynamic. But the changes are so subtle that there is almost no difference if I'm honest.

Also, the TA-26 suffers from potentiometer crackling, an issue nobody talks about in their fancy reviews. I swapped it once for a better potentiometer, soldering and all that, but the issue persists.

I still love this amp, but it sure is not what the reviews say. Tube rolling makes not much difference on the TA-26. Tung-Sol, EH Gold, RCA NOS, Foton 6H8C's from the 60s, JJ 6SN7.. They all sound very similar to each other. The NOS tubes are a little bit less punchy and flatter, but still so close to the rest that any differences are highly debatable.

That's good to hear! Glad it's not your IEMs

>It will happen in a song

only in one specific song? I have heard recordings of songs with crackle and distortion, static noise and whatnot and it wasn't my headphones doing this. It was just me being able to spot errors in recordings.

Try different devices without your elgato, see if it persists.

yay, being basic is fun though

Imo the impact of tubes is so small that most things you read on here seem very overexaggerated. I can only speak about my Xduoo TA-26 which is very subtle, but I think I've seen the same things being said about the schiit tube amps so do your research before more or less wasting money. Also NOS tube hunting is a hot mess, so much money to waste with potentially little to gain, tubes break, some are bad from the start and you can never tell beforehand what you might get, how long that tube ran in another device and so on. Get a Tung-Sol or a JJ 6SN7 (really love mine, had to find an in stock replacement after my Tung-Sol decided to whistle like a tea kettle).

But imo, try before you buy, if you can. Also, if you really want to get a good opinion on tubes, try them in a blind A and B test. There might be a chance that you won't hear any difference because some tube amps today are just that clean.

That being said, tubes look amazing, feel kinda cool and it's just something else. But don't trust anyone on here. It's always hurr durr tubes on and whatnot. Stuff like "the 6XX on tubes is godlike" and similar sentences baited me into all of this and yet there doesn't seem to be a huge difference that justifies the price you pay for a proper tube amp.

I can't say things about more expensive amps, but I am more than sure that it will be similar (btw if anyone with a totl tube amp is reading this, feel free to tell me your experience, I'm very curious about all of this).

Have fun experimenting and have a good start into 2023 :)

Edit: fixed a typo

I would simply use Oratory's EQ and tweak the bass shelf to my liking... other than that idk, probably browse Headfi

Man I really want to get a Qudelix but before that I will have to check if my phone can run the Hexas well without it.. There's next to no reason for me to spend so much money aside from the nice features. But it looks very nice.

>Feel free to share anything...

Pepsi is better than coke

Can't wait to get my Hexa :c also might pick up a Qudelix 5k in the following days

I'd definitely go for the HD600 and if they're not optimal you can always give them a bass boost. Or get the 6XX or 660.. The latter being a mixed bag for some.

I've blindly A and B tested multiple cables and it wasn't surprising at all that there was no difference at all between them.

A friend insists that his weird cotton wrapped cable enhances treble and whatnot.. I would say it only enhances the seller's bank account.

A good beer or any other type of booze that you like. No headphone or amp can bring you the same enjoyment that being drunk can.

But as always, drink responsibly and not too often.

Man I really want to try a Beyerdynamic just out of curiosity. They sound like such a mixed bag. When I transitioned over from a Hyper X Cloud II to my 6XX everything sounded very correct and just right to me.

Boxes, loosely in a drawer.. Ah heck why did I ever start with this lmao. I tested way too many 6SN7 variants and they all sound mostly the same.

The 6XX is truly amazing for its price and it can be modded to get many different sound profiles out of it too and EQ does the rest.

My KZ ZS10 pro like to fall off sometimes when in my bag or pocket. But I will use a different IEM soon, hoping the Hexa is not affected.

Sounds good enough to me, I'm looking forward to trying them out. I'm not that much of an IEM person, but I want a pair for traveling. My galaxy buds are nice for working out, but I want something that sounds a little bit better.

So basically a godlike IEM after EQ and a cable upgrade? :) I ordered a pair and I am very, very hyped to see how they will perform. I hope they won't disappoint. I daily drive and absolutely love the 6XX. I don't expect them to be as good, but even getting kinda there would be great.

I've rolled a lot of tubes with next to no success, from Tung-Sol to black base NOS RCA, EH6SN7 Gold, a few Foton 6H8C's from the 60s, German 6SN7 TAD and after that I stopped because it makes no sense hunting super rare tubes that could break or decide to go microphonic at any time.

All tubes I've tested sound great, but they are all very, very similar to each other in that amp. In fact, they're so similar that any noticeable change could be placebo. Heck even testing things in the evening makes things sound different compared to during the day and that creates some bias towards certain tubes, but in a blind test I most likely couldn't tell them apart.

The TA-26 is absolutely amazing, clean, no buzzing or humming, looks stunning, but tbh, I don't get what many reviews are talking about. There is next to no tube sound, maybe some more dynamics, a little bit more bass, that's it. Even something like the Fosi audio T3 I've tested gave me more distortion. I prefer the TA-26 by a lot, but it's not a game changer when coming from solid state.

>this new one sounds much better than my previous version

I have aboslutely no idea lol, I love mine. For me the Xduoo doesn't do much different in comparison to my FiiO K5 pro ESS, maybe due to the ESS chip, who knows. I will most likely sell my Xduoo soon to get a Eufonika H5, that is if I can even get rid of it. Swapped to potentiometer and now I have a black knob TA-26 (I bet there are people who want exactly that though, maybe I am lucky).

It's a great amp for sure, but I want more tube sound.

Ah yes, the solid state sound tube amp, how do you like it? I am thinking about selling mine to get something that distorts everything a little bit more.

Imagine my surprise when I plugged my HD6XX in my trashy Asus mobo and they worked just fine

I hope you still have it :) pretty sure it will be fine.

I still have no idea which ZMF to save up for. Living in Europe make the decision even harder since Atriums cost 3k and more here. Customs fees and even some taxes on top and suddenly you're paying 500$ more :/