elsewhere you wrote that you want to use this dongle primarily with IEMs.
My question is: which specific earphones do you intend to use the dongle with?
We can list over 50 different brands here, but in the end that won’t do you any good, as in-ears in particular are very sensitive to output voltage, various DAC modules or sheer power.
And for my part, I can list at least a dozen IEMs for which the Dragonfly is the best choice in my opinion.
For other In-Ears, a simple Apple dongle sounds excellent and “warmer”.
The Cayin RU6 is a safe choice in this sound direction as a mobile r2r DAC.
Likewise, ifi Audio tends towards “well-tempered” tonal presentation.
For all of this, however, it is important to know which driver, which brand, which usecase…
All of this actually makes a difference as to whether you will be satisfied with your sound in the end.
1.) A rule that almost always works = CHI-Fi & ifi, which means that you can actually use all mobile ifi DACs / amps to give your Chinese in-ears a clear, precise but tonally “warmer” sound.
2.) Actually the Apple dongle, which also works with these drivers and is not quite as “harsh” with the Chinese goods as the Dragonfly does.
And has no problems satisfying the 6 BA drivers of your Dunu in terms of performance.
I am trying to evaluate whether a digital audio player will provide me with any real value in my current setup. I do not need a portable player.
I am running Musicbee on my Windows 11 desktop. My Music is stored, primarily FLAC files, on a separate nerworked PC, that also doubles as a Plex Server. Plex has access to my music as well as video.
My desktop is connected to a Bifrost 2 / 64 via USB (WASAPI). The Bifrost is connected balanced to a Jotunheim 2 amp and single-ended to a Vali 2 ++. The Vali 2++ is then connected to the Jotunheim as a preamp through rhe RCA inputs. I use speakers and headphones. I will continue to use Musicbee to manage the music library.
My question is will I get better sound by replacing my desktop as a source with a good DAP. This would be just for desktop use. When I travel i use my Samsung S22 using Rocket Player with the Quedlix 5K into either Erc3x IEMs (short trips) or Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones for long hauls. On the patio i am casting my flac files from my phone using Pleamp player into a Chomecast Audio / Amp / Bose Outdoor speakers.
Will a DAP on my desktop give me any improvement in sound or functionality. I would continue to store my music files on the Plex Server. I could set up DLNA easily enough for the DAP to access them. I am not really interested in streaming services like Tidal (I do have access to Amazon Music but seldom use it), etc and can’t think of a any real use for Bluetooth on the desktop.
Doesn’t seem likely. DAPs are portable devices, therefore battery-powered, therefore maybe about 1/4 the output power of your Jot2 at best. There are some trade-offs in order to have file storage, network, DACs, and amplification all in the palm of your hand.
A Network Audio Adapter (NAA) makes more sense to me for your use case, and might provide better sound and functionality. Something like an iFi Zen Stream ($400) or a Volumio Rivo ($1100). They both can grab your files via DLNA and they both “clean up” / isolate their digital outputs. The Rivo adds an HDMI output to display the Volumio UI, while I assume you would use MusicBee to send the files for the Zen Stream. And of course, they provide easy access to lots of other streaming services if you ever decide to explore that further (I’ve been happy with Qobuz for a few years now).
Lou. Thanks for the feedback. You are correct, what I was looking for was an NAA not a DAP. What I was hoping for was a device that might access my library (DLNA) via ethernet or Wifi and provide a cleaner connection to my DAC. I wasn’t looking for any additional signal processing, just bit perfect transfer to my DAC. I’m probably overthinking all of this. I imagine the Musicbee WASAPI USB connection to the Unison USB on the Bifrost is probably fine.
First, my apologies for all the questions. Looking for my last component.
I am looking for a pair of active, powered bookshelf speakers. I would like to have the speakers be individually powered as opposed to having a power connection between a main and secondary speaker
They will be too far from each other to make that connection feasible.
Ideally they should have enough bass so I dont have to have a sub woofer. But a sub not out of the question. I’m not a basshead.
Budget under $300 for the pair but am will to buy used.
That’s pretty much what the Zen Stream and Rivo do; they just have other functionality as well. If you’re content continuing to use your computer rather than a separate device, there are lots of USB isolators you could try. The SilentPower (iFi) iPurifier3 and iSilencer+ (about $160 and $60, respectively) might be worth a try.
If you can’t run a speaker cable between the two speakers, how are you planning on getting the audio signal to both? Bluetooth?
Anyway, individually-powered is more common in pro studio monitors. At around $300/pair there is the JBL 306P Mkii. 6.5" woofer rated down to 47Hz (-3 dB), so probably enough bass. As is fairly common for pro monitors, there are switches for boundary compensation and HF trim, so you have a little EQ available to help with placement issues. Open box pair here for $220. New should be under $350. Also, remember that pro monitors generally expect a balanced signal (these do).
Thinking differently, if your’re OK with a BT connection, you might try just buying a pair of JBL Flip 5 or Flip 6 speakers. They can be “paired” to do stereo (so, one speaker plays the left channel and the other plays the right). Amazon has a pair of the Flip 5 for $180:
Placed near walls they may provide enough bass that you could live without a sub. But, if you find you need one, an 8" powered sub from Parts Express can be had for under $150, so you’re still pretty close the the $300 mark.
And of course, you can always grab one of the Flip speakers off the desk/bookcase/whatever and take it with you to the pool/garden/porch etc. They’re meant to be taken outdoors.
I wasn’t clear. I have no issue running individual speaker cables from my preamp to a left and right speaker but would not be able to run the cable between the speakers where one is primary and the other is a “slave”. Looking for a pair of “independent” powered bookshelves. I hope that makes sense. Really don’t want to do Bluetooth or any other digital connection as I don’t want any digital to analog conversion at the speaker. Want to run analog out of my stack to each speaker using the signal created by my Bifrost and Jot preamp.
This would be for the desktop room only. No remote listening needed. I already have a wired solution for the backyard / patio using Bose outdoor speakers (Plexamp - Chromecast Audio - Chifi amp) that have been going strong for 20 years. They are similar to the Bose 251 Environmental speakers. The family room and basement both have Plex on TV running through an ATMOS soundbar.
Why, if you are running pre-amp out wired to each speaker do you want powered speakers?
I’m just a cranky old fart that prefers an external amplifier and speakers that concentrate on being speakers rather than a more complicated speaker/amp combo.
I understand that you would need a power amp. Not all are behemoths, some very nice ones in 8 to 15 watt range. You did say both desktop setup and bookshelf speakers which leaves some ambiguity regarding if you’re looking for near field or a setup a bit further away.
Its just for a single bedroom that was converted to an office. Its pretty cramped already. Just looking to replace a small pair of chesper bookshelves that arent optimally placed because of thr length of the power cord between the satellite and master speaker. I know i could lengthen that cable but would rather get 2 independent powered speakers.
I would rather spend the additional money that i would on a power amp on getting better speakers.
I see. Although there are some decent powered speakers, I question the thought that you will get better speakers with two powered vs an amp and regular speakers. I’d like to hear from someone else who is more familiar with what’s out there TODAY.
If it were me, I’d concentrate on passive speakers, look for a cheap used amp, and upgrade the amp later. This from someone who does have SONOS (In addition to the old Rectilinear III main speakers at home) and who went for unpowered speakers and a vintage amp in my office at work.
It seems to me that if you are doing nearfield, then the powered options are abundant on the low end and may be better. But if you are going bookshelf, then you’re paying as much for the integration as you would for separate speaker and amplifier components.
But beware, I’m known for being a hidebound old fogey with a tin ear. @Lou_Ford is always a voice of reason, and undoubtedly better informed. And if I call out the pink frong @generic he’ll have something useful to say.
I’m in the tin ear club myself. I dont believe I have heard nearfield monitors but from what i have read, it seem that they are very directional and require precise placement to be effective. Also it sounds like bass can be extremely lacking though maybe I read the wrong reviews. I think regular bookshelves might be more what i need. That way i can adjust balance to compensate for placement.
There are a lot of vintage bookshelves (passive) I have seen on ebay that look intriguing at some good looking price points. Any brands / models I sould look at. I am familiar with Sony, JBL, Klipsh, Bose.
and any advice on a good inexpensive power amp would be appreciated. Only need a single input and output connection. No need for balanced. Bare wire or RCA type.
Thanks
Look for The Smaller Advent, Advent, KLH, AR2ax, AR3ax. Stay away from old Bose. There are some nice JBL, Klipsh old speakers that are good are also too big for your bookshelves. Hegeman made a very nice small floorstander that could also go on a bookshelf. I had Rectilinear Model 11s that I got rid of a year ago for $100, I’d bought them off of Ebay to go with my big Rectilinear model IIIs years ago.
The above are top vintage from the 70s more or less
Later good vintage include Polk in the 80s to about 2000.
I’m not endorsing any of these exact pairs, just showing you what they look like and rough cost. Not sure about the therm “Baby” Advent. I know the larger and smaller ones well. Possibly it’s a different model, but the synergy of the woofer and tweeter in the Smaller Advent 2 way was excellent.
Someone else help me out again showing some other choices here… Cerwin Vega (horns loud for your application, but could probably drive them from your preamp!!)
Excellent information. I really appreciate it. I had a pair of larger Advents in the 70s when i was in college and loved them even with the lowend modular system I was driving them with. I forgot all about them until I read your post.
I know you roll the dice on eBay, especially with the vintage stuff. But so far i have had good luck with my Bifrost DAC and Jotunheim on eBay and reverb.com.
Asking some help/advice here. I am looking for what I think should be a relatively simple device, but I have had absolutely no luck in finding… What I need is a way to switch between two headphones with balanced cables. I do not want a splitter, I want a passive switch. This will let me connect one or the other headphone to my Jotunheim without having to repeatedly plug and unplug the headphone cables to the amp’s balanced output. Since the Jot has only a four pin mini XLR socket for balanced use, the box would need to have those type of connections.
I DO have an adapter, male mini XLR to female 4.4 Pentacon, and headphone cables that terminate with 4.4Pentacons, so a switch that had Pentacon connectors would also work.
Does such a simple item exist? The only one I have been able to find was priced at an eye-watering $410, was amplified, and was out of stock. I have zero soldering skills, so DIY is out. Thanks!