Random Accessories Thread

[Colif]

If it doesn't provide any sound privacy, but I want better than headphone sound quality, I'll just use my speakers.

Its not designed for Privacy, its to replace a headset... in a world where 5.1 speakers no longer exists... they now trying to sell rear speakers as a unit... lol. They trying to profit off a market that never had an alternative.

Added bonus is they only offer surround if:

• you pair them with 2 front speakers on desk
• you use all the speakers using Synapse

Wonder what is responsible for bass. I wouldn't listen to music on them. 5.1 speakers at least had a woofer. I doubt these are multiple driver units in each ear... expect they boomy more than tinny

Using a pair of headphones sure looks easier to me. No need for any software

his 2nd reason for using them - no headphone fatigue - use IEM? ears won't heat up and if you have a pair that fits well, you won't notice they are there.
3rd reason... its wireless... um, we stretching here. Wireless isn't a feature to me, but then I expect sound quality on these isn't amazing.

his reasons for skipping
1. it won't fit all gaming chairs... course not, its for the Razer gaming chairs... I assume... they not making them people who - shock horror - buy outside the Razer Echo system. If you want it to fit, buy one of theirs... https://www.razer.com/lifestyle/gaming-chairs
2. they are speakers... IE, everyone can hear you... wow, I didn't see that coming. thanks Capt Obvious.
3. Its expensive - well, it is Razer...

his reasons for skipping seem too short. For a channel called Soundguys, they didn't even show what it sounded like. No actual tests... its a consumer review... lets talk about all the features and not what they sound like... who needs to know that anyway?

Wireless IEM make all of it redundant.

 

[Zed Clampet]

Its not designed for Privacy, its to replace a headset... in a world where 5.1 speakers no longer exists... they now trying to sell rear speakers as a unit... lol. They trying to profit off a market that never had an alternative.

Added bonus is they only offer surround if:

• you pair them with 2 front speakers on desk
• you use all the speakers using Synapse

Wonder what is responsible for bass. I wouldn't listen to music on them. 5.1 speakers at least had a woofer. I doubt these are multiple driver units in each ear... expect they boomy more than tinny

Using a pair of headphones sure looks easier to me. No need for any software

his 2nd reason for using them - no headphone fatigue - use IEM? ears won't heat up and if you have a pair that fits well, you won't notice they are there.
3rd reason... its wireless... um, we stretching here. Wireless isn't a feature to me, but then I expect sound quality on these isn't amazing.

his reasons for skipping
1. it won't fit all gaming chairs... course not, its for the Razer gaming chairs... I assume... they not making them people who - shock horror - buy outside the Razer Echo system. If you want it to fit, buy one of theirs... https://www.razer.com/lifestyle/gaming-chairs
2. they are speakers... IE, everyone can hear you... wow, I didn't see that coming. thanks Capt Obvious.
3. Its expensive - well, it is Razer...

his reasons for skipping seem too short.
Wireless IEM make all of it redundant.

I do like my IEMs, but the way my setup is, I don't have room for a microphone, so that puts me back to headphones. Also, I don't spend a ton on my IEMs, and it might be different if I did, but sometimes I like a decent sound stage, so that moves me back to the headphones again. Except for those two reasons, So basically I switch back and forth. IEMs most of the time.

Actually, the reason I never bought more expensive IEMs is because those KZ were so unreliable. Now that I have some that have lasted awhile, I'm probably ready to go ahead and bump myself up to the next $$$ level.

 

[Colif]

CLIO probably doesn't fit this chair

I only bought 3 IEM so far.

• First pair I didn't know a lot about them.
• Second were a few months later, but their shells are too small and was hard to get a seal.
• Third pair was after research and well, spending a year watching every review on them, and looking at alternatives...

They all still work, they were just stepping stones. Learning as I went. Much of it was finding out what I wanted...

Pair 3 are wide. Not as wide as actual earphones can be, but much less in my head than any other in ear headphones I have used before. Pair 3 offer a similar experience to my Arya with added bonus of being able to wear them on a bus and not force rest of the people to hear my music.

Only thing they not good at is explosions, from the few reviews I watched on them in relation to gaming. I swapped to foam tips last night that made the seal better in ear and made the bass come alive.

I have no plans to buy a 4th pair (Only had pair 3 for 3 days).

 

[Zed Clampet]

CLIO probably doesn't fit this chair

I only bought 3 IEM so far.

• First pair I didn't know a lot about them.
• Second were a few months later, but their shells are too small and was hard to get a seal.
• Third pair was after research and well, spending a year watching every review on them, and looking at alternatives...

They all still work, they were just stepping stones. Learning as I went. Much of it was finding out what I wanted...

Pair 3 are wide. Not as wide as actual earphones can be, but much less in my head than any other in ear headphones I have used before. Pair 3 offer a similar experience to my Arya with added bonus of being able to wear them on a bus and not force rest of the people to hear my music.

Only thing they not good at is explosions, from the few reviews I watched on them in relation to gaming. I swapped to foam tips last night that made the seal better in ear and made the bass come alive.

I have no plans to buy a 4th pair (Only had pair 3 for 3 days).

I didn't really care enough to put a lot of work into researching IEMs, to be honest. They are my comfort option because I don't want to have headphones on all day. But if I really want to hear good sound, I have my Bang & Olufsen headphones. Even if they didn't sound good, I'd feel obligated to use them because of the stupid price I paid. Fortunately they sound great.

I have a headphone addiction (mostly cheap headphones), and I'll research those (but definitely not via videos haha), but I never really took IEMs that seriously. That's probably due to the misfortune of having been exposed to KZ early in the process. KZ IEMs sound far better than your average earbuds, but they don't really inspire you to become a committed IEM fan. They are cheap and poorly made, and I would swear that at least 2 of the $20 pairs that I had were broken on arrival with dead drivers fresh from the box. They still had working drivers, but they didn't sound anything like the previous ones I had and I decided that some of the drivers weren't working at all.

$20? Yeah. That's what I though in-ear was worth, although towards the end of my KZ odyssey, I tried slightly more expensive versions to see if they would last longer.

If my first IEM had been Aria2 's, I might have taken a different course, but KZ "proved" to me that in-ear were garbage, so I didn't really care.

 

[Zed Clampet]

Oh, and so then I started actually doing research and ended up with the Aria. And I'm still prejudiced against in-ear because that's about as much as I'm willing to spend on them.

 

[Colif]

$20? Yeah. That's what I though in-ear was worth, although towards the end of my KZ odyssey, I tried slightly more expensive versions to see if they would last longer.

Lets see, I will adjust your price for local... about $25 approx.. no, I don't think I would ever think headphones that cheap would be well made.

Its unlikely its given as much attention as these are:

Since they cost $1500USD

I don't know really, that is just an assumption. Sometimes a bargain price can be a trap. Sometimes paying more for something that lasts longer is cheaper than constantly replacing cheap things - this reminded me of Brian and his keyboard choices. I am always willing to pay more if it might last longer.

I have mostly stuck to one brand myself, it just happens to be a different one and the cheapest I see of theirs is $100 now.

DUNU Titan S2 Dual-Chamber & Magnetic Circuit Dynamic Driver In-Ear Earphones

Buy DUNU Titan S2 Dual-Chamber & Magnetic Circuit Dynamic Driver In-Ear Earphones on HiFiGo, and you can enjoy a year warranty and the best after-sales service.

hifigo.com

So far only problem I had with them was the cable. IEM themselves seemed okay.

One of the alternatives to the IEM I bought last week was a new brand. I will choose someone else next time. No rush for next time.

I don't know how many earbuds I used before I got my 1st IEM, and I had already used plenty of cheap ones up until that point, so when it came to choose IEM, I was coming in fresh and didn't really want to buy cheap. I just didn't know where to buy from at first and only got the first set of Dunu as they were best I could find at a local store... now I have more online stores to pick from. Choice is larger.

I had also had one really good pair of earbuds that came with my minidisc so I knew they could be good, just needed to spend more. Sony IEM are out of my price range even now.

IER-Z1R Signature Series In-ear Headphones

One Signature Sound Elevating the high-resolution sound experience from one you listen to, to one you can feel.

store.sony.com.au

thats nuts... $2500 for IEM.

reason I look into IEM as they don't all sound the same and it helps to not buy something you don't like the sound of. That and the last ones cost $850 and I wanted to make sure I would like them... I am happy to report I do (there was some doubts before I got them).

If my first IEM had been Aria2 's, I might have taken a different course, but KZ "proved" to me that in-ear were garbage, so I didn't really care.

Bad first impression. Glad you found out it was wrong.

 

[Zed Clampet]

Lets see, I will adjust your price for local... about $25 approx.. no, I don't think I would ever think headphones that cheap would be well made.

But I had earbuds from that price that lasted quite awhile. I didn't understand the difference in the tech, really.

I am always willing to pay more if it might last longer.

That's not generally how it works on a lot of things. I expect things to be made to last unless it is something that is supposed to take a beating, in which case paying more might help. Office chairs? Yes, higher costs can mean they are better built and will last longer. DAC? No, any DAC, even cheap ones, should last for a long time. I didn't think I did anything damaging to my earbuds, so I just assumed they should last a long time, but KZ are specifically manufactured to die. The Aria, which are not that much more expensive, are not sabotaged by their own manufacturing process.

 

[Zed Clampet]

Feel free to correct me: My philosophy:

IEMs sound much better than earbuds, but don't have the soundstage of headphones, and I don't think it's possible, though I could be wrong, for them to have the kind of soundstage that I like. For this reason, I don't rely on them for music. Therefore they have limited value to me. I'm not really concerned about the soundstage in games, and spatial sound works fine for giving me directional queues even without a big soundstage.

What I really want to do is use my speakers, but those days are over unless I get a divorce My wife had godlike hearing.

 

[Colif]

I don''t know what the soundstage is like on your headphones, but the effect I get with most IEM is the sound is in my head... and rarely sounds out of it. That was what I had always heard.

Until I got these ones. Up until that point, the only headphones I had that made me feel like there was something else in the room with me were the Arya.

Now, these probably aren't as wide as open back headphones but they the closest I can get while being able to lie in bed with head against pillow - Something you can't do with Open Back Planar headphones.

If anything these seem to have more bass than the Arya.

It depends what you use them for. I wanted to be able to reproduce the sound I can get at home, while travelling. Now I can. These might make me wish the journey was longer

The speakers I have now aren't good for music but I would miss them if I didn't have them. I recall not being amused when I thought I would have to swap to headphones since this PC doesn't have analog out, then later I thought of digital. I haven't really thought of new speakers since then.

 

[Zed Clampet]

It depends what you use them for. I wanted to be able to reproduce the sound I can get at home, while travelling. Now I can. These might make me wish the journey was longer

What are you playing the music on? iPhones have terrible sound. I wouldn't use an iPhone except that everyone else in my family uses one, and there are special features you get when that happens. Plus you don't pay for texting if paying for texting is still a thing. But I would have to somehow hook my iPhone to a DAC or something.

 

[Colif]

HIBY R6 Pro 2

HiBy R6 Pro II - Lossless HD Music Player Hi-Res Portable DAP

Enjoy crystal-clear sound with the HiBy R6 Pro II Portable Music Player, equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 665, open Android 12, and a beautiful exterior design.

store.hiby.com

Digital Audio Player. Has its own dac and amp built-in.

I rejected phone years ago
No phone calls, no messages, no interruption
It does have Wifi so can stream music to it or use internet or just use a 1tb sdcard.
Can also use as a dac attached to pc. Probably others I forgot

It doesn't get much use unless I just got a new iem. Otherwise it is only used when I go out. Been listening all weekend but it uses battery up fast so not all day

 

[Zed Clampet]

HIBY R6 Pro 2

HiBy R6 Pro II - Lossless HD Music Player Hi-Res Portable DAP

Enjoy crystal-clear sound with the HiBy R6 Pro II Portable Music Player, equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 665, open Android 12, and a beautiful exterior design.

store.hiby.com

Digital Audio Player. Has its own dac and amp built-in.

I rejected phone years ago
No phone calls, no messages, no interruption
It does have Wifi so can stream music to it or use internet or just use a 1tb sdcard.
Can also use as a dac attached to pc. Probably others I forgot

It doesn't get much use unless I just got a new iem. Otherwise it is only used when I go out. Been listening all weekend but it uses battery up fast so not all day

Jesus H Christ, who put a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 in a Walkman? Eh, I don't know that much about it, but it seems excessive to put a mobile phone SOC in something that just plays music. Bet it sounds good, though. Before I retired I traveled every week, but now I don't go anywhere, so I wouldn't get much use out of it. Can you use it plugged in? Might help me fall asleep (looking for an excuse to buy one)

 

[Colif]

I got it in 2023, there are two new versions since, one is more chunky but more expensive as well. New version of mine released this year.
Mine still has the original screen protector on it so I don't need a new one yet.

You can run plugged in but not in class A amp mode as it runs warm.

It's biggest problem is battery life as it only lasts 5 hours on class A but I am rarely out that long so no big problems to me. Can swap to class AB to save power.

People complain about the old soc and old Android version. I wouldn't mind more onboard storage. Some newer ones have 680 now and 128gb storage onboard. Can also add up to 2tb sdcard

 

[Colif]

if I was buying one now, I would probably buy one of these as they have a desktop mode, you can run it full time off a USB cable and it doesn't use the battery - I am not sure if mine disables the battery when its at 100% charge

Guangzhou Feiao Electronic Technology Co., Ltd.-M21

M21 to the flagship gene remodeling entry standard, internal and external design is full of "core" meaning and sincerity. Hand small screen and leapfrog performance comprehensive advanced, committed to creating a new generation of strength model.

www.fiio.com

It even looks like a cassette recorder... in its case anyway

Not really interested in it now, it doesn't sound as good as mine does... even if it can run more powerful headphones than my current one can. I just like its size as it probably fits into pockets easier than mine does.

That is main reason I know it exists... most of the smaller ones also don't use Android, and if I can't put Tidal on the device, its pointless to me... restricts me to listening to my music and I am still making my FLAC Library.

I expect they either update the M23 next or go mad and update the M17 which I can't afford and don't need as it replaces desktop Amps.

Portable Desktop-Class Player M17-FiiO official website

Portable Desktop-Class Player M17-FiiO official website

www.fiio.com

M23 only released last year but its got the slower SOC - 660 -but it costs more. I just noticed, the M23 has the exact same Amp/Dac combo as my DAP does now so I wouldn't get anything out of buying that apart from a higher max power.

Guess I should just ignore them for a few more years... Once mine stops charging.

They updated mine with different amp/dac combo, larger battery , now has 128gb storage, and probably longer charge time. I don't feel like I need it

HiBy R6Pro II 2025 - Lossless Hi-Res Portable DAP

Enjoy crystal-clear sound with the HiBy R6 Pro II 2025 Portable Music Player, equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 665, open Android 12, and a beautiful exterior design.

store.hiby.com

Not buying two versions of same thing, there are more companies to choose from.

 

[Zed Clampet]

Just ordered a new PC accessory: a magnifying lamp that clamps on to the desk. I have a game I can't read the UI on (usually come across this at least a couple of times a year)

 

[Colif]

I use my camera to take photos of anything I can't read... mum mentioned we have a magnifying glass, I need to remember that next time.

Twice recently I had that problem just seeing if I had IEM cable on right ear pieces.

why is it an outline?

 

[neogunhero]

But I would have to somehow hook my iPhone to a DAC or something.

I don't know shhh about audio and such, but I do know that Apple Music offers lossless hi-res streaming, only if you have the hardware to run it. I learned that the hard way when I found out a weeks worth of regular streaming usage on that quality setting ate up 25gb of my wifi data without any noticeable audio difference on my Nothing Ear A's.

The best DACs for Apple Music Lossless in 2025

All the equipment you need to listen to hifi audio wherever you are.

www.engadget.com

 

[Colif]

dongle dacs... thats where I started... well, no... I started on wireless headphones and was working backwards. I didn't like them much.

I got a BTR 7 which also includes an amp so you can get better sound. (I got it before I actually had IEM to use with them, so didn't know what power I needed)

BTR7 Portable HiFi Bluetooth Earrator

Feiao portable HiFi Bluetooth earpiece solves the trouble that headphones and devices cannot be separated, allowing you to bid farewell to the shackles of wires and enter the era of wireless music.

www.fiio.com

it can run on Bluetooth or attach to the USB port on phone - I can have it linked to phone in another pocket via BT.
I didn't like the constant connection via USB aspect, I have had phones die from the USB port not working any more...

That and not wanting to be interrupted by phone calls made me look for another way
That is where a DAP comes in, they include a DAC as well

But then Apple don't make DAP's unless you have an old Ipod lying around. Most of them use Android or a custom OS

I don't know if Apple has wireless lossless yet or if you need to use a wired connection. There is a version of Bluetooth that supports it but its variable and relies on bandwidth conditions to actually be lossless. Until its not variable I am going to ignore it.

there are wireless IEM that support the latest version, but your phone also needs to support the latest BT to use it. That is another reason to ignore it, your tech needs to be upgraded to support it.

 

[neogunhero]

I don't know if Apple has wireless lossless yet or if you need to use a wired connection. There is a version of Bluetooth that supports it but its variable and relies on bandwidth conditions to actually be lossless. Until its not variable I am going to ignore it.

I would assume Apple Music's hi-res lossless is hardware only. I didn't see this at first, but on the settings page for it, it states "to play content in Hi-Res Lossless at full resolution, you will need an external digital-to-analogue converter".

Their Hi-Res lossless is ALAC 24-bit/192 kHz while the regular Lossless is ALAC 24-bit/48 kHz. Just from what I know about audio, still not the highest resolution available, I think other streaming services like Tidal offer a higher resolution, but then again you can always just download the music rather than streaming.