Aeon 2 seems to be the choice as of now though. The BTR5 isn’t weak, it’s pretty much as good as you can get for a small bluetooth amp for this setup. It will work great I think.
Thanks Choclate_Bear for the thoughts on specs. I agree, this is not my strong suit. It is difficult to understand which set of headphones would work for this situation given that some work better with more power. It seems like everyone believes the Aeon 2 with a custom cable and the Fiio BTR5would work well. You are saying that the NDH 20 would require too much power to work well with the Fiio BTR5. Would the Audeze LCD-2 Closed Back work with the power that the Fiio BTR5?
True, my top picks for him would be the 177x go or the aeon 2
If he wanted something more plug and play the b&o h6 is there
My Sony MDR Z7’s (70 ohm) sound fine with my BTR5, but definitely not as loud or efficient compared to my desktop amp, even at higher volumes. It’s definitely not something I’d go wireless with. Try to stay under 50 ohms for headphones if you want to go the bluetooth route. 177x is around 30ohms and the Aeon 2’s are under 20ohms (I believe) and should pair nicely with the BTR5.
The aeon 2 is still somewhat harder to drive though so I would make sure you use balanced mode on the fiio
The 177x though is easy
Just to add, I’m running the Z7 through the BTR5 unbalanced. Also, if you’re looking for “audiophile quality bluetooth headphones,” we’re all waiting to see what Drop does with their THX Panda. Well, I am anyways. Stay tuned…
Well so far the massdrop holy pandas are pretty awesome so I have high hopes for another massdrop product with panda in the name lol
I found a company that can make a short cable for the aeon 2 to connect to the BTR5 – https://periaptcables.com/collections/frontpage/products/10-type-10-dual-mr-speaker
Mon, you mentioned “The aeon 2 is still somewhat harder to drive though so I would make sure you use balanced mode on the fiio” - should I asked them for a balanced cable or do you think that is understood?
Lastly, I have the BTR5 but I do not see where you can select the “Balanced Mode”. Is it under filters?
The btr5 has a 2.5mm balanced out, so you would need to ask them for a mrspeakers connector to 2.5mm balanced cable
My bad for the possible confusion
Thank you Mon. So the 3.5 is not a balanced output, but the 2.5 is balanced output? Should I spell it out and ask them for a mrspeakers connector to 2.5mm “balanced” cable, or is a 2.5 cable always balanced?
The audio technica dsr9bt is actually a really good sounding set. I got mine on sale for about 250. But I am curious for the panda.
That is correct
Yes you will specifically ask for 2.5mm balanced
These mods are interesting but kinda seem like a bit much to me. If I want to use my nice headphones with my es100, I just run the cord through my shirt and clip it onto my belt or on my buttoned shirt. Maybe I’m just not too bugged by the wire when I’m out and about. As long as it’s not swinging around I’m good.
The only other reason I use it is so my dap isn’t in my pocket with headphones plugged in so I don’t worry about bending my connector. The wire doesn’t really bug me and I feel like id be more bugged walking around with some jank looking setup.
I’m not downing those of you that prefer to mod and make it work. To each their own
I use the ES100 similar- just wrap the IEM or over ear headphone cable loose once around my neck and clip the ES100 on the height of the splitter to the cable
So the cable is not tangling around, I got the ES100 in front of me and can use it’s controls
I have for most of my headphones shorter third party cables and most are balanced
Sacrilege to whom? It’s the only Audiophile-Approved™ way to do it. Only audio plebs settle for ready-made BT headphones without exploring combo options.
Exactly. I don’t get all this fuss about blu-tac and god knows what, making the head-contraption look horrible in the process. If you can’t simply “earring-dangle” the receiver like on Superlux headphones, just put the wire down your shirt, looped or not, and clip the receiver somewhere handy (polo shirt vertical flap is ideal if you also want to take calls).
This guy gets it!
I’ve been doing similar experiments using my venerable HD580s. As a test I bought a Fiio BTR1K, thinking it wouldn’t be enough to power the 580s, but would be enough to see if it was worthwhile continuing the experiment with the BTR5 or similar.
To my surprise, the BTR1 has enough gain for the volumes I listen at (not that high) and the music (mostly jazz and classical).
It can just be clipped to your clothing as mentioned above, but it also slots perfectly onto the adjustment part of the headband. The long 3m stock cable is a hassle, but I’ve ordered a shorter 1m one.
Whilst a fully custom cable would best, my soldering skills are akin to a drunk monkey. So if that shorter one works out I plan to cut it down to just above the Y connection and use a 3.5mm terminal block (ie solderless) connector .
It is also possible to buy universal Bluetooth cables with MMCX connections (Shure and Westone), Sennheiser connections, and custom ones (Plussound).
Their usefulness will depend on whether you feel the tiny amps can drive the heads properly.
I’m probably going to try out the Sennheiser ones.
I would strongly suggest trying the up4 over the btr5 . It’s has more single ended power and is warmer sounding.
I have a pair of Audeze iSine10s which are such a surprisingly great performer. I use them wired with my iphone via cipher cable or 3.5mm jack into my Oppo HA2 SE DAC at my desk.
I have been thinking about buying the Audeze cipher Bluetooth module https://www.audeze.com/collections/accessories/products/audeze-cipher-bluetooth-module but after some research I think the BTR5 beats it for features and can be used with other headphones etc. Think this is a better option or am I overlooking something?
Would say the BTR5 or Qudelix 5K both fits the bill as alternatives to the Audeze Cipher BT cable.
Edit: Or somthing like the Ikko Arc BT neckband maybe.