Zen DAC without power match gain switch on is not that powerful honestly - ASR measured 31mW @ 32 Ohm, so less than maxed out IKKO without volume control.
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Thatās weird, because max output balanced is 330 mW @ 32 Ohms according to the specs
Probably not far off for the balanced output as compared to ASR measurements (he measured at 50) ifi Zen DAC and Headphone Amp Review | Audio Science Review (ASR) Forum
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From my experience, power output doesnt have much to do with volume control. My hidizs sonata dongle is also on the weaker side but still goes loud really fast.
As for the noise floor, the OI could be quite high and that SNR (100db) is quite low. For example, the apple dongle is 113db.
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How much for a used one?
I bought a used Z1R in excellent condition for 1000ā¬. With a two years old invoice, but they really had very few use.
Diminishing returns are a reality at this price point. 1000ā¬ IEMS are not five times better than 200ā¬ IEMS, but (when they are not a scam, and some of them seem to be just that) they offer something special, unique, call it exclusive if you want, that you wonāt find at 200ā¬.
The Z1R have very unique features. Amazing bass, spectacular sound presentation, cathedral like spacious soundstage (for an IEM), non aggressive tuning for treble sensitive people like me, that allows you hours for listening. On the bad side thereās a difficult fit. I prefer deep insertion, but after two hours it starts to feel uncomfortable to have something so deep into the ear canalā¦
In any case, I digress, I would say that a one year old IEM, even with heavy use, itās not a lot, they should still have plenty of time to work, they are high quality products and they donāt decay as fast. It all depends on how much money they ask for them.
Since I have the Z1R, I have stopped looking for more iems or headphones and I spend much more time listening music.
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I did the same thing with a Mele, but rice saved it.
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@sebastien_chiu_iFi Hi, I receive a lot of mails from AliExpress recommending me buying Dunu SA4 for ~350$. Are those even real at the moment? I could not find any official info that they were released already
Those are the version for china. They are gonna change the tuning for the international release. (unless thats been changed.)
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It looks like that but it was hard to find any official info (apart from original annoucement information), not to mention reviews even on weibo
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I get it, but for me it is still weird that no one from Reddit and Head fi reviewed this Chinese version for couple of months straight. I mean come on, do Chinese have some messed up hearing and prefer inhuman tuning only? 
what would be the difference in tuning in real life - couple of dB here and there
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Sorry kind of touched on this before. Did some more experimenting today. Iām definetily convinced that any rise or platform from 3kāish-6kāish is a turnoff for me. Iām not sure how it translate to the tuning or music in a technical semse. Just that hihats, cymbals and snares seem to prevalent. Theyāre all my brain can focus on and it becomes distracting and ultimately fatiguing. Not to mention electric guitars seem to aggressive.
Between the Moonlight, Mahina, OG Tea, Kai and N3 they all have a decline in the mentioned range. Everyone of these sets is the most pleasing and my favorites to date. Itās almost as if no other qualities really matter as much. Just give me this and a decent bass shelf and no midbass dip. Everything else is so far back I donāt obsess over it or really care as much. Iām nearly forty IEMs into my journey and can now say Iāve found the qualities that are key to my decision. Of course theyāll be other things like obvious spikes or just flat out wonky tuning.
The positive of final solidifying this is I can slow down my purchases. Been a long ride and expensive journey to here. Glad I found the keys to make the journey easier now. Hopefully my future purges wonāt be IEMs of disappoint just of oneās that take the cake from my current rotation.
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I love the subjectivity of this hobby. Im in the exact opposite camp as you in that I need a platform from 3k to ~5.5k or else things sound like they are missing to me.
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Youāre a bad influence on me between your buds and now pointing out the IE300. Didnāt realize it graphed like this. Only looked at it on initial release before I figure all this out with my preferences. Off I go on the used hunt!
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haha, sorry for your wallet.
Might wanna give this one a try, its their house tuning at a much lower cost than the IE300.
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I was just looking at the graph more on the IE300. Wonder how the 5 and 6k peeks would effect my preference. They seem pretty abrupt from the flat frequency shelf before it. Donāt know if Iād really call that dip. Might end up with the same problem I described. Seems like the IE600 might be closer to my current treble preferences. Where it declines past the 2.5k and doesnāt peak drastically until after 6k.
Edit: Any rise up to 6k after the 3k mark seems to my issue. Think the N3 just works because of the extra bass Iām comparison to others.
The IE600/MTWS3 are a bit different from their older tuning. Im guessing the MTWS3 looks better for you (and for me as well).
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Well the good news is I can buy these locally. Might have to go there tomorrow and see if the have a demo. Worse case they donāt and the return policy is easy.