I’m trying to upgrade from a BTR5, and the Monoprice is at the top of the list.
I do not care for bluetooth, happy running USB.
If anyone has owned both of the above products, i’d highly appreciate your input.
Also tell me which another AMP/DAC is an upgrade from BTR5, if there are reasonable DAP’s i’m willing to take that route too. The Hiby R5 (299$ now) or the Fiio M11 (399$)?
I own a thieaudio legacy 3 and Fiio FH7 IEM’s as well as Beyerdynamic TYGR 300R headphones. Nothing hard to drive, but appreciate good quality sound reproduction.
That depends on what you’re looking for.
If you want neutrality and good measurements (since BTR5 measures really well), DX160 is your best option. It’s the best measured DAP as far as I know. Very low hiss. Soundstage is bigger than Hiby R5. Hiby R5 is warmer and more musical.
You could think of DX160 as Topping A90 of DAPs.
M11 is not a good DAP anymore. It’s way too expensive for what it offers. The sound doesn’t have the dynamics and may seem clinical, but that doesn’t mean it’s neutral. DX160 measures much better that M11 and doesn’t sound weak. M11 has a high noise floor. Don’t buy M11 imo especially since you have BTR5 which is quite engaging.
About THX, some people including me think THX messes with the sound in some way and makes it harsh. The Monoprice doesn’t measure all that good, either. DX160 measures much better than that.
1 Like
Thank you for the reply man.
I’ve been eyeing the DX160 too.
Do you think DAP will be a limiting factor if i am upgrading my IEM’s? now this is not going to be anytime soon, as i am hoping for an endgame purchase with andromeda’s or u12t.
So i am hoping for a future proof purchase.
Would love if anyone can tell me the BTR5 is enough even for those endgame IEM’s too.
Andromeda is a very sensitive IEM. DAP will be a limiting factor, surely. M11 hisses easily with Andromeda.
Honestly, BTR5 is good enough even for Andromeda. That’s why Zeos loves BTR5 with IEMs.
1 Like
in your opinion, which is a good DAP or AMP/DAC combo best suited for the end game IEM’s?
DX160.
Besides having the best SNR of all DAPs (which means lowest noise), its stereo crosstalk is very low.
Also, the output impedance of 4.4mm balanced out is 0.4Ω and of 3.5mm out is 0.3Ω which is great for IEMs like Andromeda.
Something like M11 has output impedance of 2Ω which is way too much for Andromeda which has impedance of 8Ω. Hight output impedance of M11 changes the bass response of Andromeda (and other low impedance IEMs) and makes it less controlled.
1 Like