Gratz for your shiny!
Yea RU7 and W4 is sitting in my 
waiting any discount event.
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Iām wondering whatās the best dongle between ibasso dc04, Penon Tail, Fiio KA5 and Truthear SHIO?
Oh and I forgot Elysian. Iām going to add them back to my post because they deserve their call-out too
I donāt know about couplers (I know there are professional ones that cost thousands of USD, but unfortunately I canāt), and I would like to ask you for some information:
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Is the control software also sold together with the coupler itself, or are āstandardā PC/MAC software used?
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Are there couplers more expensive than the one you suggested (say up to 300USD) and is it worth spending more than the model you suggested?
Thanks for your time.
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You use REW which is free software available for both PC and MAC. If you ever get a coupler thereās a few videos on how to measure. Thereās also individuals in here, @Rikudou_Goku and myself who can assist you. Riku was a main key point, very helpful and suoer informative in helping start my database. Would love to help someone myself to pay it forward.
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Not sure about more expensive ones beside the insanely high priced industry ones. Even if so many of the noted reviewers are using the coupler Riku linked. Itās the same one I also use. No sense spending more when mostly everyone is using the linked one. Keeps somewhat of a loose standard across databases.
Lastly if you go this route weāre also here to assist you in starting a database aka Squigs for uploading them for everyone to view and compare.
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See @MMag05Ā“s answer above.
its definitely NOT worth spending that much more on the next step up (BK) for anyone that isnt living on this hobby. (like Crinacle.)
And since 99% of graphers use the iec711 clone from ali, the graphs are somewhat comparable.
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Thanks to both.
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so I tried some more of my tips again and clear ones from the Legato ( I think they are KBear AE07) are damn near perfect. Sound is still spacious and clear but the bass has a bit boosted impact which without bleeding into the mids like Type Es and ECAPs were doing. Only issue is the core is thick and stiff 
which makes them a little uncomfortable. I can still wear them for hours but they donāt quite vanish like the letshuoer ones do
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Dude, thatās sick to hear, Cal! I could never get the Large size to fit me - Pause. But I do have some of the Meds and Smalls as well, Iāll give those a shot for sure. Tomorrow morning Iāll have some tip-rolling time hopefully, we shall see!
If you want a really nice alt. to the Cap tips, the Whizzer SS20 tips are superior in my opinion for the same style tip. They are short and wide bore, but the flange and stem is a bit thicker, giving you a better seal. Try em out!
I may! wide and short doesnāt work too well with this set imo though. it pushes stuff into sibilant territory for me. The clearish white tips from the Legato have a lot of sizes which is nice
If anything, a measurement is a proof that one has actually spent some time with an IEM or earbuds.
Coupler is very useful tool for engineering, tuning, and developing preference target though. IMHO, āimplantingā a part of response from one IEM to another sometimes/usually/likely does not create the same effect. Itās the whole FR working together creating a sound signature, which must be tailored for certain listening volume and environmental loudness.
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Iām wary of ibasso QC reputation.
The ka5 has me personally interested: it has independent volume, and playback controls functionality (i.e. play,pause,fwd,back)
I donāt really know the other dongles.
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Thereās a rig called mini ears DSP or something like that, that can be useful if you want to measure headphones. It costs approx 300$.
If you only want to measure iems, iec711 is the definitive way to go.
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I believe the fake ear adapters for the Iec711 (100-200 usd range) works with headphones.
If you only take audio quality/capability into account, desktop solutions are the best value imo. Everything else is compromises for convenience. This is my general rule of thumb regarding audio quality VS price
- desktop
- dongles
- bt DACs (you have to pay the Qualcomm stuff, at least)
- DAPs
- tws (especially with ANC)
From there, anyone has to chose depending on his own priorities:
- weight
- ease of use
- with/without cable
- battery life
-ā¦
As an example, I answered my different use cases like that:
- a desktop high end stack for my desk, where I listen to my headphones and āhigh-endā iems
- a qudelix 5k for work, paired with buds so I can hear my colleagues, easily put it on/off my ears, and connect via BT to my laptop AND phone at the same time
- a dongle with playback functionality in my bed, plugged to a tablet with a 2m cable (so the tablet lies on the ground and the dongle is next to my pillow, and I can skip tracks)
- a tws or utws+iems for the gym and travels
- a cheap set with an apple dongle in my man-purse, just in case
As you see, I created myself many use cases and found a solution to each one. And yeah, if I really have to be mobile, I get rid of the wire on the phone and go by with a q6k or a tws.
As many other things in life, there is not only one good answer to everyone. But we are in a time where there are good solutions (and quite good value) in every departments.
At the end of the day, the thing is to know the strengths and weaknesses of each solution, and be able to tell which is best for your personal use case(s).
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this is why I use my Q5K and is a must for me during the workday. I will take the trade in SQ vs a DAP for having the convenience of bluetooth. The battery life and fact that Im not using BT is why I keep the DAP.
Desktops are a non-starter for me since its not realistic for me to be sitting in one spot and listening.
Also unrelated but man cable costs have gone up huh
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What the?!..
I hope he mistyped the price when he created the product on aliE 
I mean they gotta get reimbursed for all that salt
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Haha
Thanks buddy!
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