I expected more of this amp; with some sadness I decided to return it, though. Here is my context: “music room” with floor-standing KEF loudspeakers, MF amp, RME ADI-2 DAC FS, and Node 2i used as a streamer; “office” where I sit in front of a monitor; beyerdynamic Amiron Home headphones, Fiio M11 mobile player (soon to be 1 year old). Amiron headphones are 250 Ohms. Fiio M11 sports 2 SD cards currently totaling ~ 600 GB filled with FLAC files, the device also receives Qobuz and Tidal streaming. Thus the Fiio and the Amiron are foundational parts of my “office” music on headphones system.
Fiio’s driving the 250 Ohm cans using the supplied 3m SE 3.5mm jack cable is underwhelming. But the little device has 4.4mm/2.5mm balanced output powered by a separate fully balanced amp. beyerdynamic sells nice “audiophile” cables made in Korea from OCC copper for about $100. My first investment was an OCC audiophile balanced cable (2.5mm TRRS). Huge difference! On the balanced connection Fiio has been able to drive the Amirons respectably. Still I believed that a dedicated headphone amp inserted between the Fiio as source and the Amirons would make a difference. I got the RNHP based on research, glowing reviews, and an OK price. The amp is much bigger, heavier, and costs more than the whole Fiio leading to a reasonable expectation of improvement. I tried all 3 inputs; the 3.5mm fared the best. Connection: a very short AUX cable made in Japan for Fiio (again OCC), or a longer and more convenient Mogami Gold – they both sound the same. Last week I got the 2nd OCC audiophile 1.4m cable from beyerdynamic, this time SE 3.mm/6.35mm to use with the RNHP.
Comparison: the sound through RNHP is indeed better but only VERY slightly compared with just Fiio on balanced cable. Not worth the extra $500 (amp) + $100 (cable) - inconvenience including the bright green lights which interfere with night listening.
So finally, last night I did one more test: plugged the Amirons using the new cable directly to the RME ADI-2 DAC FS, which is normally employed in the main system. Voila! A night and day difference! One of these experiences where the improvement is so obvious that 1) there’s no going back to the previous sound quality standard, 2) one listens to a long list of favorites and they all sound better than ever before. So next I disconnected the RME ADI-2 DAC from the main system (easy) and moved it to the office. Fiio also has a S/PDIF output which I connected via Mogami coax cable to the DAC/amp. Thus the Fiio only supplies digital streams and the DAC makes the music. This is the winning combination!
I am not the RME salesman but I am in love with this product. At about $1,100 it sets a standard of audiophile value to reckon with. For example, the combination of Topping D90 + RNHP is $1,200 list price and still needs a decent interconnect between components. New Fiio M15 is $1,280 – a nonsensical price. I guess if I tire of moving the DAC between systems, I’d be inclined to a buy the second one. RME is $600 more expensive than RNHP but it sounds a whole class better than the latter, at least in the context I described. It also looks much better, has all the controls, and sports a dark mode. In terms of pedigree, RME also specializes in professional studio equipment.
When I say that the RMI DAC establishes an important standard of value, I mean that it challenges all the Myteks, Phonitors etc. – would you want to spend $2000+ on these after checking out the RME at half that price?
I hope somebody will find this analysis of configuration/pricing/sound useful.
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