I meant it as it is eficient, but still a planar. It feeds on power.
Desktop Iām enjoying hibrid tubes (Mt-602). Portable either xduoo xd-05 balanced or topping nx7,depending how clinical you like the source to be.
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The nx7 is very strong, but i find the Timeless bass-weak and the nx7 donāt have Xbass button like the Ifi hip dac2 what Iām looking at lately.I canāt decide which one to choose, Extra bass or nuclear power 
What do you think ?
Between those I would personally have to go with the xDuoo, though thatās based off my personal situation. The whole no-headphone jack nonsense kinda sucks. Donāt get me wrong, Iām enjoying my S21ā¦ But I really miss having the headphone jack. Bluetooth or a DAC/Amp is kind of a must for me when it comes to being on the go.
My understanding, planars have totally flat impedance curves and so different resistance in the cable can only affect volume, not the frequency response. Affecting FR is a theoretical possibility with dynamic drivers or BAs (albeit rarely significant enough to make a difference with typical headphone cable lengths) but with planars even adding a cable with very high resistance will only reduce volume, it wonāt affect FR.
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Hi everyone,
Would the Timeless be a good choice for someone who loved the ZS10 Pro? Iāve already ordered it so its a moot point, but Iām confused as Iāve read the timeless described as warm and yet also sometimes too harsh or a little too present on the high end for some, or even just outright bright. The latter is what I am hoping for, as I enjoy how much detail and emphasis there is in the higher ranges compared to my BL-03s (even if they hurt my ears; its a love hate relationship). I like the blons more for causal listening, but for the engaging EDM sessions that make up most of my listening, they just canāt compare.
I feel like the Pros are a bit of an odd pair to try and base an upgrade on, because the harshness and chifi tuning is something youād probably want to have tamed out of higher priced hardware. I know exactly what Iād get if I like the blons, or the arias, or the tin 2s. They all have clear higher priced analogues with similar tunings. I think I did about as well with my knowledge as I could have with this pick, and Iāve heard that the timeless (and planar in general) does amazingly well with electronic music which inspires confidence.
I canceled an order for the Dusks as soon as I found these, and Iām confident thatās a massive step in the right direction for me at least.
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Well, gryphon has bothā¦ For a simple 600 usd 
If you donāt need bluetooth, you can check xd-05 (plus) since it does have bass button, if I remember right. Balanced version does not. Hip-dac is fine for Timeless but might not be for other sources, as its meant to be used with hps, and iems might hiss (V1 was like that).
Youāre right in all youāve said. You will be fine 
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I have both. There is some superficial similarity in that both are V-shaped but the Timeless is much more coherent. The Timeless has plenty of treble, itās sparkly there but also manages to much less harsh than the ZS10 Pro, where the treble is extremely wonky, itās full of peaks and dips. Timeless timbre is much better. Bass is extremely well extended but better controlled and less boomy, less overpowering the mids.
I have the Dusks as well, for me personally I think itās better overall than the Timeless. Itās more neutral, the Timeless is more coloured, with more of a bass and treble emphasis. Itās not harsh though, and I think this may be a bit of a planar thing, I find the Ananda bright and sparkly in a somewhat similar way- but never harsh.
If you are specifically looking for something that is a bit V or U shaped though, Timeless is closer to that than the Dusk. Timeless does do electronic music very well.
They are also smaller and lighter and fit will be way better for most people. The Timeless is absolutely competing at the Blessing/Dusk sort of level, it is well above the likes of the Starfield. Good choice I think.
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Thanks for the input. Iāll really just need to wait and see if it scratches the same itch. I definitely want a V/U shaped signature, but Iāve had plenty of V shaped buds that never gave me the same experience. So theres something else there that I just donāt have the experience to pinpoint. Sounds like its hard for me to go wrong with these at any rate.
Iāve just stumbled on the FD5s, these really look like the ZS10 analogues I was looking for. Harsh chifi V shaped sound done well, haha. Decisions, decisions.
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Thanks for the reassurance nymz! While weāre at it, is it worth picking up a qudelix 5k for the timeless over my current iPhone dongle? I was kinda set on sticking with my current set up, but your review has me on the fence again
Yes. At least a qudelix5k. Im getting mine this week (I hope) and Iāll folks know. Apple dongle isnt enough, imo.
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If you are interested in the FD5, and your interest in V shape is mostly about the bass, Crinacle has a forthcoming retuning of the FH3, the Eclipse, which may also be of interest to you. More bass, and the treble is reigned in a bit. Cheaper than the FD5 too, itās $149.
I have the Qudelix, itās definitely more than enough. Run it balanced if you can, not so much for the power which Iām nowhere near exhausting but the balanced output measures better (lower noise, distortion and crosstalk) on both the Qudelix and BTR5. I got the 2.5mm for this reason. You do also get 3x the power out of the balanced output (240mW vs 80mW), if you think you need it.
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Different tastes and all butā¦ (in case of ZS10 the high end is probably less āmuffledā but considering itās a peak itās not better imo). By the way, when I say muffled or bloated it doesnāt mean you canāt hear that but tonal emphasis is wrong so it causes problems with separation.
On Timeless, you basically EQ 200 and 2k down and itās much better.
I slimmed it down to 6 filters (6th is there only because itās where I hear sibilance). Sounds just as good.
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So what youāre saying is I can just flip this around, plug it into an EQ and I have my ZS10 signature back 
Thanks for the comparison. They look really similar in the graph up to the 4k divergence, which I like. But Iām new to reading EQs. The bass gains are way larger as dB values than they look on that graph.The treble definitely looks smoothed out.
I just did some AB testing with my DT 990s, and while they are on the brighter side themselves, they can pick out the details Iām looking for without (as much) unevenness. I think that maybe what the ZS10s are doing for me is emulating a greater amount of detail and openness by āunmufflingā the upper endā¦but in a raw and uneven way. So if that theory is true, I should love the timeless even if they arenāt hurting my ears. All I know is I low key hate the blons, which is odd because they are maybe the single most loved and inoffensive pair of earbuds. Everything just feels hidden behind the bass/mids and congested to me.
So what youāre saying is I can just flip this around, plug it into an EQ and I have my ZS10 signature back
No, this is an EQ that corrects Timeless to Harman Target but you can easily make one that corrects it to ZS10 Pro. Note that idk how much difference there is between ZS10 and Pro as Crinacle doesnāt seem to have the non-pro in his graph database.
And Timeless shouldnāt be hurting your ears but it will sound uneven.
Hereās ZS10 + Pro + Timeless. Have you tried EQ-ing ZS10?
Here, you flip this upside down and you reduce what is below and boost what is above and you make Timeless (at least tonality wise) like ZS10).
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Have you tried EQ-ing ZS10?
Ah I was just saying ZS10 as shorthand, I have only had the Pro version of them. From what I remember, they are about as similar as any two random KZs, much darker. At any rate, Iāve found that I prefer to let headphones have their quirks and qualities rather than EQ them out. And just have variety of buds for whatever sound Iām in the mood for. Iāve tried taming the wildness out of the DT 990s and the ZS10 Pros and it just kills them. Iāll probably leave the timeless alone as well, whatever unevenness they have wonāt be in the same realm as those two banshees
Here, you flip this upside down and you reduce what is below and boost what is above and you make Timeless (at least tonality wise) like ZS10).
That was just a bad attempt at a joke 
But I would like to see what that graph looks like between the ZS10 Pro and the timeless
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Raw
Harman Compensated
Timeless compensated for ZS10
ZS10 compensated for Timeless
And hey, whatever works for you
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I view myself as a āreally like the ZS10 Pro, not lovedā. It got a touch sibilant for classic rock and prog rock, but I still use it for metal ( Iron Maiden sounds great on it ), and it is my go to IEM for Movies or TV with the Roku remote. That was my first IEM, so I have a soft spot for it, and it still holds up well.
The Timeless does everything I mentioned above well, it has some treble energy but isnāt harsh, and I tend to be sensitive to sibilance, and will wear an IEM all day. The Timeless doesnāt have that weird frequency spike, or you just donāt experience it the same.
There is a fast and smooth thing with planar headphones that is hard to explain, but they are different, and most people have a clear love or hate thing with it. I really like it, but I would also keep a DD around for when you want that sound. I have been doing Timeless and Mele on my desk, and they are a nice pairing.
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