10 Likes
Lehmann Linear II has been and will be on my wishlist for a while.
1 Like
Cool little amp. Clean, clear and pretty cheap.
Of course mine was WELL used. 
got a $20 cable off ebay for my DCA E3ā¦ so much better than the Vivo cable lol
and a different āhifiā power cable for my Rebel Amp one I was using was too stiff
4 Likes
Sweet. I hear and read great things about the amp. Enjoy. 
Guys after many months of me not buying something audio related, I finally got this. Sure there are probably IEMs that are new, more recent, probably better than and I am aware that I am very late to the party. But I cannot help it and I wanted to give this one a shot. I am currently on the listening phase right now and let the sound signature flow bit by bit until I am more familiar with it. The Supermix 4 is out and I think at some point there will be that day that I am getting that one as well.
14 Likes
Update: Was happy to learn the amp has built-in. PEQ through the app. Was able to generate some room correction filters with the iPhone and the HouseCurve app, then plug those into the WiiM app.
Some updated impressions: while I think the amp has plenty of power for the RB42s for just about any stereo content, I am finding it canāt get much pass moderately loud listening levels for movies with soundtracks that have to get downsized to 2 channel stereo. Find I have to max out or nearly max out the volume when watching that type of content. RB42s are notoriously annoying to drive, tho. Would probably be more than good for most general speakers, but wanted to point it out. I think the miniDSP HT paired with a separate amp could potentially give a small clean setup with all the same base features as this, but for quite a bit more ($1000+), but this is very solid for $350
I may go the miniDSP route in the future, but this does it for now.
Also there seems to be a bug with TCL/google tv when adjusting the volume from the tv remote, hdmi arc loses signal sometimes for few seconds, a bit annoying. Iād have to test other arc devices to know for sure, but changing volume from the amps remote or app on the phone produces no issue, so I assume more likely an issue with the tv. Saw similar issues reported from tcl owners with Roku soundbars.
Original Post
I was looking for a way to get decent sound out of the family room setup in a reasonably straightforward and affordable way. I donāt really want to spend a ton on powered bookshelf because of the space they take up and I wouldnāt be using them heavily anyway, given I often just Bluetooth LDAC to a side table DAC/Amp setup for my headphones a majority of the time, and Iād rather put that money towards more headphone gear. Found out about the WiiM amp, which has HDMI ARC support. Only $350 and paired it with the RB42s, which fit perfectly in the cabinet on some slanted speaker foam. And boom! Nice soundbar alternative setup. The amp is really easy to setup, literally just plugged everything in, set the tv to hdmi arc audio. And everything just worked. Even able to control the volume with the tv remote, which is perfect. Amp also goes to sleep and wakes with the tv, very nice!
Amp seems to have plenty of power to drive the RB42s as well. Wanted to share in case anyone else runs into the same problem, this is a nice solution, IMO.
7 Likes
Hiby R4 came in Friday. Just started playing with it today. Genuinely did not expect anything special from the sound, but itās really nice. It actually has flavor! The Muse M4 is a good sounding Bluetooth dongle, but the Hiby seems to drive ZMF atriums way better. Itās pretty awesome. Screen is pretty garbage in terms of quality compared to a smartphone, but for music and audio itās fantastic.
10 Likes
This comparison couldnāt come at a better timeā¦ Iāve been looking into DAPs lately and Iāve been waiting to pull the trigger on the Titans since CanJam and it just so happens Symphonium is running a bundle right now with them two together for a great priceā¦ not to mention, the M4 is my main portable source right now, what are they odds!?
How would you compare the M4 to the R4 in terms of SQ for IEMs? Iām curious about your thoughts.
2 Likes
Iād have to spend some time listening with IEMs, I only have a handful and donāt use 'em much.
with the Atriums, itās honestly night and dayā¦ itās more on par with a desktop amp. I think itās better than the Aune X1s GT (Not better than the S9c, which I got recently), but given itās cheaper than the X1s GT, itās really impressive how good it is. Iāll post more impressions in the specific thread for the unit once Iāve had more time with it. But it definitely gets my endorsement, personally. Just as a stand-alone DAC/AMP itās very good. I canāt imagine you or anyone would have any regrets having it for an extra $150 with that bundle.
3 Likes
Thank you for the feedback, man. I appreciate that. Iām definitely going to be looking into it a little further than before now.
Youāre not having any overhearing issues? That was a big issue for a bunch of first adopters
No, no noticeable issues. Not on the Atriums, at least. First Iāve heard the term āoverhearingā issues, tho.
Or you mean overheating? Definitely not so far. And I was using it on high gain for a while, recently switched down to medium because itās way more than enough to drive the Atriums. itās hot AF outside right now in TX, thoā¦ maybe if you are outside in heat, it could be an issue, no idea, thoā¦ work from home. Iāll definitely report on overheating if that changes.
1 Like
Another purchase 
Iāve been looking for something good to use with headphones on the couch family room setup, given I spend a chunk of my day here while working and donāt want to keep dragging the bifrost/WA7 downstairs and back up to the den where I spend my evenings.
Wasnāt sure on it, but decided to give the Aune S9c a go, given I do like the sound of the smaller Aune x1s GT.
It is very good and definitely a step up as far as the headphone amp from the x1s. Very tempted to get the Aune S17 to create the proper stack and go full bore, lolā¦ but I do think this will definitely do for now. It drives the Atriums pretty effortlessly and it sounds great.
8 Likes
Doooooood, sweet. Love the look of the entire package, the shells, the cable, the graphā¦ Iām hoping they work for you!
3 Likes
Ngl, there are thoughts in my head that I think I should have had went with the AFUL Performer 5, since those are roughly have the same price as the EA1000s that I just recently have. But those Explorers are a looker, and hope the sounds meet to your tastes.
1 Like
The Performer 5 graphs similar with a bit more gain and treble extension, and I almost jumped at those.
The Explorer is very good, the sound is smooth and coherent. It is slightly dark, and I really like the low pinna gain. I am really enjoying the bass, and the graph is telling the same story my ears are. The roll off in the treble only shows on some cymbal strikes, but it is the harmonics that seem turned down, so it is still there just not as forward. It makes them very non-fatiguing, which I always enjoy.
The shells are a nice size and very comfy. My ears are just small enough that some popular IEMs are either too wide, or the nozzles are. The Explorer should be fine for nearly anyone. Also the case, cable and stock tips are really good.