iFi Zen Blue Bluetooth H10U Metrum Adagio

This marks the first time a phone cam is highlighted in this blog; drooling! 😃🔯

Letter from Hong Kong (20-4): Streaming from a New Cellphone, Eric L Thinks Aloud! Where is he going?

Amended 7/26/20: mrgoodsound's Comment and Tidal Impressions added. Small change to mention of R2R DAC.

Editor: Since his last article, on his own will, Eric L has called a time-out, left paradise and re-entered purgatory (hell was beckoning)! He has upgraded his generic Taobao device H-09 to the same company's H10U. Also, he has gotten a new Cellphone, the top Huawei, known for its formidable camera (remember Eric is a photographer).

This article is divided into 2 Parts. Eric first wrote Part I. As the article was almost ready for publication, I was surprised, but delighted, to find Part II in the draft!

Part I. Struggle with my newly acquired Huawei P40 Pro+, dinosaur Air Mac, iFi Zen Blue and cheapo H10U

This would be an interim report. As a newbie in Streaming Music, I'm still looking for the best solution. I am toying with the idea of a DAC that can play high-res files, including DSD and 24-bit files (up to 200 MB per song!) In the meantime, I'm still struggling to find the best solution to my current setup, to the point that I almost stopped using my Sparkler CD Player completely.

I acquired a brand new Huawei P40+ smartphone since: 1) My Samsung S6 was really coming to the end of its life after 6 years of good service; thanks! 2) I want to be able to take great pictures with its Leica lens when I don't have my Fujifilm X100F on hand; 3) I can use it as a music player! 4) it looks sophisticated!

I joined both Tidal and MOOV (HK based music platform focusing more on local high res songs) within a day of buying the phone.

P40 Pro+ with iFi Zen Blue (Initially) I connected the new phone to my Zen Blue (ZB) for music playing. Well, the sound that came out was really polished, with each instrument well delineated and having the right amount of air surrounding it. I played through the sea of songs from Tidal, anything from R and B, classical, jazz and vocals, overwhelmed and dazzled by the choices it provides. I then asked myself, is this the sound that I'm looking for?

The A/B Hell One morning, knowing it is a painful exercise, I reluctantly opened the Pandora Box of HiFi and entered the Equipment A/B hell. I use Chris Botti and Yo Yo Ma playing (live) the song from Cinema Paradiso, both of which I like so much as both players play with such hearts. As this video can be found on both Youtube and from Tidal as well, I ended up testing with total of 6 combinations:

Youtube on AirMac with H10U or ZB
Youtube on P40+ with H10U or ZB
Tidal on P40+ with H10U or ZB

4 hours went by, and I even drew a table to tally up all the different combinations. But I threw it away as I collapsed exhausted - the A/B Hell was too much of a torture for my old soul! I just needed to relax and listen to the kind of music I like and played through the system with the correct virtues.

Results were pretty much in line with my original impressions. Having had some burn-in, ZB had become more approachable, but so had the cheapo H10U ! I don't know about the brand new P40+. After the test, I also did prolonged listening with my P40 Pro+, first with ZB and then H10U. The Air Mac has a mobility issue since the battery is completely dead and it must be hooked up to power, rendering it no longer a laptop; its BT also always stutters and I need to repeatedly disconnect and connect...Yikes!

H10U vs Zen Blue Here's the dilemma, the much improved cheapo BT device H10U (one up from the H9A  in previous articles) really possesses some magic! The ZB has better delineation of the instruments, better separation and airiness around as well! ZB ticked many boxes in HiFi terms BUT it simply lacks some magic: I no longer feel compelled to focus on the music, and can do other things while having it on as if it were background music! This is not what I want! Unplug the ZB and connect the H10U, suddenly the songs become interesting again: I can feel the emotion of the cellist, which has my poor soul bobbing up and down on a string; the trumpet of Botti has also become more purposeful. I sense a bit more the ebb and flow of music. The excitement factor is back (though not in full)! Less HiFi , more raw but more energetic and that's live music that audience can react and relate to! I think the Sabre DAC chip used in ZB is not my cup of tea...

Now most of the music is played through P40 Pro+/Tidal (and occasionally through the combination of Youtube/P40 Pro+/H10U). I still miss the sound of the Youtube/Air Mac/H10U combo but have to sacrifice for convenience rather than Sound Quality (SQ)...

To be or not to be?

Which brings me to another potentially important factor which DJ had mentioned: would an external DAC help to improve the sound? Both ZB and H10U does offer the option of hooking up to an external DAC. So for the last week, I have been searching for the right cheapo DAC that has the highest Price Quality Ratio. DJ suggested Micromega MyDac or MicroDac etc but they are so rare in the market and they do not play hi-res or DSD. Therefore, I have been thinking, whether I shall go all the way for best SQ and acquire a giant killer on the cheap? I have looked around, I'm most interested in a DAC which is NOS, R2R with FPGA. Don't ask me exactly what these terms means since I am not a techno savvy guy. I just know NOS can sound really good based on my experience with Sparkler CD Player. My only experience with R2R is the Musette from Metrum Acoustics which sounds a tad polite to me, but it's just the entry level unit using one R2R DAC per channel instead of 4 per channel used in their flagship Pavanne and Adagio. There are recent rumours on financial difficulties for Metrum and the designer Cees had left and formed a new company called Sonnet and released  a new DAC called Morpheus . Both Adagio (with world class digital volume control) , Pavanne and the new Morpheus received top accolades from 6Moons and many other HiFi review forums. I have no doubt that they are very good as my friend also distributes Metrum and he offers me a great deal on a like-new demo unit Adagio with a 12 month warranty. I need to audition it as it's way out of my budget, but if I can use it as a preamp, I can sell my icOn4 and Sparkler CDP and simply use the Sony BDP as a transport! In between, I almost bought a nice 2nd hand Meitner MA-1 v1 DAC for a real good price but even though I had reached a verbal agreement with the seller, I failed to get it since he had consigned it to a HiFi consignment shop and it was sold the day before unknown to him! Bummer! Ed Meitner is the designer of the famous DAC from EMM Lab and the brand Meitner is a scaled down version which was retailing at 7000 USD when new in 2011 and is now less than 1/4 of the price. MA-1 V2 is said to have big improvement but I am content with V1 since the sound that came out is very analog sound which I can easily live with (I had a brief audition at the consignment shop, though I definitely was not in a good mood.)

However, if I go cheap and DSD is not a must, my targets will be either Sparkler DAC, MyDac , Chord Mojo or Schiit Modi 3 [Ed: do you mean the Multibit?] as they are really compact and that's what I like about them. Size matters!!

My search is still frustrating and today I opted back to listen to more music from CDs. I bought a new pair of 47 OTA kit cable to hook onto my CDP via icOn4. I immediately notice that the new one fits much tighter to the female ends of the machines; the older ones likely have distorted in shape from extended use and suffered from loose fit.

Silver Lining: Youtube/Mac/H10U is still the most engaging combo and does wonder! Next step , I will find out if a new DAC is able to improve the SQ of my Tidal/P40+/H10U combo so that I can gain my mobility while keeping the SQ with loads of PRAT?

Part II. It's not over yet....the Door is still Revolving but it may stop soon

Flirting with Metrum Yesterday, I finally found some time for an audition of the Metrum Acoustics Adagio. Distributor Ben was really nice and had it set up with his own award-winning Volent speakers. The songs were played through ROON, then a Streamer, the luxury Bespoke TVC Preamp, the Adagio, and finally the Amp, the name of which I fail to remember.

I played through some of his DSD files and some songs which I normally listen through Tidal, sat back and enjoyed the sound, which I'd describe as smooth and natural, pleasing to listen to. The instrumental timbres were good and the soundstage was huge and deep. However, I began to feel a tad too at ease and comfortable on certain songs which usually would have me tapping my feet tapping and swinging my body! Like audiopro said, TIMING is KING ! And I totally dig it as I came from the LINN/NAIM camp of more than 30 years ago!

Metrum uses PCM/NOS/R2R. Unlike the Delta/Sigma used by Meitner, it cannot play DSD files (has to be converted to PCM first). So I would not be able to exploit fully on DSD, damn.

Due to limited time , I had to leave with some doubts in my mind. Perhaps I need another audition?

Back to BT This morning, I started playing some music from OPUS3 disc through my Sparkler CDP. It was really enjoyable and the new version does improve in airiness, instrument separation and the delineation of instruments without sacrificing too much of the PRAT that my older Sparkler aced. Then, I switched back to the Tidal/H10U combo and begin to play the same tunes that I had played yesterday at the Audio Shop. To my astonishment, I wasn't losing much SQ at all! Of course, I didn't have the uber fathomless soundstage nor the ultimate silkiness of sound, but the excitement was back again! And the musicality, when compared to my Sparkler, was comparable, which is saying a lot!

Then the most eye-popping moment came. I used my P40 Pro+ to play some of my favorite Tiny Desks Youtubes. Taimane's ukulele simply just explodes at will but on a dime becomes romantic when called for; the Cajon player is wicked, his fingers strumming out clean attacks and an engaging bass line. My body was possessed and started shaking and I even involuntarily screamed out with joy! if you have not heard of Monsieur Perine, I would heartily urge you to give them a try. I played their Sabor a mi and the sense of "being there" was so strong that I actually felt I was in the concert myself! Yes, my setup is not set up to be laid back, but to be as engaging and truthful as can be to reveal the essence of music! Suddenly my urge for an upgrade of DAC has vanished !!

Thinking Aloud Redux This Morning I rang my friend Kwong (who introduced the H9L , then H10U to me) and told him about my revolving door experience in the name of truth. I told him after all the tedious and the painful search for audio truth, I found out the answer has always been there, from Day One (sounds like a movie script, doesn't it?) I told him, the H10U rocks and actually trumps all others; the lowly BT is probably the most amazing audio discovery of my audio journey. He replied with a grin on his face (I actually visualized that even if we were just on the phone, lol), "With all the money you have saved (wait, I haven't even spent anything yet, lol), why don't you get a "super tweeter ", same one as used in MBL. With the right capacitor, it could improve the sound across the spectrum! And it would only cost less than $2k HKD even with Mundorf! You can also upgrade your power conditioner to a higher grade Long Yu and a second hand one is less than $3k!" What a devil he is! Or perhaps upgrade my laptop? I can't stop giggling~ Itchy still I guess...

Conclusion/Confession? I hereby proclaim that, Youtube/H10U/P40 Pro+ combo is the most HiFi, musical and engaging BT combo that I have experienced. It can give a lot of way more expensive rigs run for their monies! Mind you, the H10U costs only $8 USD and Youtube is free - that says a lot! Do I need a DAC? I would say yes, but it is less of a priority right now. If nothing is wrong, don't change for the sake of changing! I'd rather spend more time on enjoying music. My bar is actually quite low; I don't have any complaints for the music I'm listening to; their shortcomings are minor to me and I can happily live with them, through perhaps not forever after~

Here is the Botti/YoYo Ma Youtube on Cinema Paradiso!

Sabor a Mi was popularized by Eydie Gorme and Trios Los Panchos. I have the original
LP (the left half). Gorme is Sephardic; no wonder her perfect Spanish! A personal fav.

Editor's Postcript:
Everyone writes differently, and that's the fun of it. I myself (I think audiopro and perhaps mrgoodsound too) tend to write in a more presentation, google slide, style (except in some Diary entries). Eric L though has a more fun and dramatic style which I try to preserve as much as possible in my editing. Viva diversity!

This article actually is unique in that he is THINKING OUT LOUD! Some of it we have discussed in private emails. I think he has too many questions now so I invite our writers, friends and readers to weigh in! Let's make this a Roundtable of sort! My weighing in will be long.

Summary In a capsule, I think this is what Eric is going through: In terms of Bluetooth Streaming Device, Eric is sick of the limitations of his ancient Air Mac, BUT unfortunately it is still the better sounding. For convenience, he will rely on his new P40 Pro+ Cellphone. As for Streaming Platform, aside from his favorite Youtube, he has now subscribed to Tidal and Moov, which can provide more true hi-res music, hence his recent interest in DACs.

Bluetooth vs Hi-Res Streaming I think it is important not to lose sight of why we listen to BT in the first place: to explore, to discover and to enjoy new music on the cheap. Hi-Res Streaming will offer that too, but in a different way, as hi-res files are in the minority. Psychologically, unfortunately, Hi-Res Streaming inevitably skews the audiophile subscriber towards more unworthy but sonically good material. For a classical listener like me, NML (huge classical library, low-res; for me it's free) and Spotify together supply most of what I need to keep reasonably up to date with new releases, and these have a LOT more material than many other services, including possibly Tidal, not to mention Qobuz. As I have mentioned in my previous BT articles, when I am in exploration mode, I don't wear my reviewer's hat. Our own mrgoodsound, certainly an exacting individual, feels the same and now subscribes to Tidal (he's well versed in streaming, and is not using BT ). Caution also for Hi-Res Streaming: there are too many factors that affect sound, the computer settings (like buffer size), software (jRiver, Audirvana, Amarra etc), DAC etc and it is not unoften to hear bad sound. It is not going to be smooth sailing all the way. I know, not everyone has the right make-up to embrace BT, and many readers probably skip these articles or at least wonder why we are devoting so much space to low-res BT. Suffice to say, many highly experienced audiophiles I know use it for fun. Corollary: Hi-Res Streaming can easily sound less musical than simple generic BT.

Bluetooth Receivers Think about this, our HK friends, all experienced users, and I (a latecomer), all use very cheap units. I have said just experiment a little on the cheap and just feel it. It is great that Eric is honest to himself, and conceded that the more polished and branded ZB (as of present) doesn't connect with him as well as the generic ugly duckling. It is entirely possible that the Sabre DAC chip (superior measurements always but its name is foreboding and perhaps prophetic) does not sound as organic as a "lesser" chip (this happens too many times in the history of DAC's; the TDA 1543 and NOS were previously exclusively used in the lowest end, as in the Magnavox CDPs I wrote about).

Tidal This is anyway an excellent company, rated by What HiFi as still the best provider. What's commendable is that Tidal pays the artists significantly more than Apple and Spotify (though that is still not saying much). My HK friends like icefox all use Tidal. It is also open secret that friends can share a "Family Subscription" at even lower cost, bad for business but generous to you. Which Level for You? Now, this is interesting, my friend jules, a discriminating listener for sure, maintains the basic membership sounds better than the premium one (this seems corroborated by mrgoodsound, who in an email said, "...I tried it and I guess I must concur, the ‘high’ setting seems to sound less loud/rude and a bit warmer than the ‘hi-fi’ setting, which is glassy in comparison..." MQA Another factor that Eric did not mention is Tidal offers Masters or MQA, series (free now for HiFi Members, one rung above Premium) and that adds another dimension to the complexity, as MQA has greatly divided digital fanatics and much vitriol had been spilled. Am I curious? Yes, I'd love to hear it for myself. Am I going to go all-out? No.

Streaming Device As I intimated in one of my BT articles, every device sounds different. This is not surprising, as the BT signal goes through the device's player (automatically maxed, but controllable by the device's output volume control). For me, my Acer Chromebook 14 sounds significantly better (and louder) than my Windows HP 14. Two laptops work very well for me (the Chromebook also would be next to useless in China) as when I run out of battery on one I switch to the other (that's how much time I spend on this blog, almost 1.5 battery charges a day, including 2-3 hours of news in the morning), but I always use my Chromebook for streaming, even when it is charging. My iPad sounds the worst, and I don't even want to try my ancient iPhone 5S. If you can, stream from a computer, not cellphone. For Eric I highly recommend him to replace the battery, either through Apple or DIY (here), not expensive, but then the BT drop out issue likely will remain, though it is possible it can be improved (here). Of course, with a DAC that has USB, Eric can also stream through the USB. I am pretty sure streaming hi-res will also sound better through the Air Mac than through the smartphone.

DAC's One has to think very hard here. For old-timer me, it is much easier. With a huge vinyl and CD collection, I don't even think about Hi-Res files, despite trumpets blowing all around me. As far as I can see, there is no way any file sounds better than analog (including R2R), and I have heard all the bests. This is not a measurement thing, but a mechanical (direct touch) thing. SACD/DSD Although I like SACD (but I regard it as just a different form, not necessarily superior to PCM), and have a small collection and a hi-end player (Sony XA-5400ES), it is only an occasional foray and insignificant part of my diet, and so I would not consider DSD files. Also, a lot of the so-called DSD files are not native, but converted and PCM in origin. True DSD files have a heavily classical tilt (record labels like BIS, Challenge, Pentatone, Tudor, Channel), and jazz, rock and pop lovers can just forget about it. SACDs sound good, but their CD layers also sound close (I have probably listened to more SACDs than most people, as the library has tons of them in classical titles, though I usually just listen to the CD layer). But I understand the curiosity (even I succumb to hyperboles sometimes, unfortunately). Features Very few DAC's have everything (even less if you include MQA, though some software, like Audirvana, can unfold MQA) and I think even in those that do, some features are likely afterthoughts. I am a long-time student of DAC's but I am almost immovable in my stand. Vintage vs Present Every generation has a few outstanding products amid the vast sea of also-runs. Personally I'd rather listen to a vintage classic any time before I summon up the energy to listen to current jacks of all trades. Too many times in audition, a Studer 730 (16-bit, 1541A) sounded more musical than hi-res and expensive DACs. This is not to say I cannot be swayed. e.g. I loved the sound of the Berkeley Alpha (as heard here; solely PCM, no DSD, though some from Series II on supports MQA through a firmware upgrade) and would not mind testing it one day. That day will come, because DACs depreciate faster than anything else, with the exception of AV amps. No hurry. But That is one DAC that I want. Now, if I really want to experience all these hi-res files and MQA, I'd do it on the cheap and choose (mind you I have not heard it) the $200 iFi iNano DSD (original silver or newer BL) though it only has ONE input, USB (for BT digital out of the H10U, Eric can use his ZB). No, I haven't heard it, and don't have access to files, but it has received many good reviews (like HiFi+ and HiFi News). Of course, double the sum and one can have more connectivity (as in its big brother Micro iDSD and the Chord Mojo Eric has thought about). Ergonomics This is important. Say connectivity, much as I may consider Sparkler seriously, their connectivity sucks. Like mrgoodsound says, there is no reason why they only have 1 input to their DACs. I'd demand a custom one with USB and Coaxial (my own choice). The ergonomic consideration is also why I'd never go the current mode route. Multiple digital inputs is very useful, even necessary for someone like me. I miss my digital switchboard, the incredible Genesis Digital Lens!

The Metrum Audition Although I have never visited the place, I have heard it sounds good. But what Eric finds lacking may be part of the system's sound. A few years ago, my friend jules obviously thought it sounds good, as he acquired a pair of Volent 3.5. However, in my audition I found the Volent polite and bland compared to the cheapo vintage Dahlquist DQ20. His Volent quickly disappeared. In general, I don't like low efficiency loudspeakers (aside from some classic 2-ways), which more often than not do not deliver on PRaT. I noticed in the setup the ultra-expensive Bespoke TVC was inserted between the Streamer and the Metrum, maybe acting as a buffer? Very high end and complicated, but perhaps simple is best? On R2R DACs I remember our mrgoodosund said he doesn't like the ones with discrete ladders. Myself, I have only heard jules' 4-piece Totaldac; it was good but I didn't hear the qualities Sparkler and low-end Magnavox so consistently deliver. Also, for some reason, hi-end hi-res streaming is almost always emotionally vapid. This is part of the attraction of Bluetooth, which is sort of radio wave transmission. I have had the experience of hearing the same album sound better through the radio than my CD player! Yup!

Supertweeter Basically, all of these ribbon/panel tweeters are Chinese made. I found out from Eric the one his friend is urging on him is the (now Chinese company) Swan RT2E-A (here), which is well regarded and sold by reputable companies like Madisound. At 93 db, it may just work with Eric's Dynaudio Crafft (86 db) with just a cap and avoid the trouble of an L-pad. In the past, I have used Aurum Cantus and Fostex with my Tannoy's to good effect. Indeed, what Eric's friend is saying is that adding one can actually clean up the bass, which is my experience. However, it is cumbersome. Moderation!

Of course, I'd also love it if Eric gets a high-end DAC, as we'll all hear about it!

mrgoodosund weighs in:

I will comment on a few things.

-On hi-res: I think is a complete waste of time and effort. To elaborate on why would require a lengthy diatribe, but it ties into my philosophy regarding digital audio as a whole. Well, I would especially not bother with it if one is using Bluetooth.

-On bluetooth/streaming: I don't use it, I have no need for it in my current setup. I use an old laptop or Mac Pro as a dedicated file player. I assume ZB in this article is referring to the ifi? I have been really unimpressed with all of the iFi gear I have heard. It does not surprise me that a cheap taobao unit sounds better. I do use Tidal because it can communicates with a USB DAC in exclusive mode, something Spotify does not support. Otherwise, I prefer Spotify UI and that playback can be remotely controlled from another device. I recommend Eric sources an old computer for cheap and dedicate it to his streaming purpose, or maybe there is a RasPi solution. I am old school and not really versed in this area.

-On DAC: I will clarify I am not a big fan of discrete ladder R2R DACs (I think John wrote I don't like R2R DACs, quite the opposite!) of which Metrum falls under. I don't think very highly of Metrum DACs, although I have only heard one mid-level unit. I use a TDA1541 based DAC with a rather exotic implementation. I can recommend for Eric the Modi Multibit, or to buy a TDA1543 DAC board off ebay and add an active buffer like JELabs http://jelabs.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-good-bad-and-ugly-tda1543-nos-dacs.html

-Supertweeter: when I think of supertweeter I think of operation solely above 20kHz. it is not clear to me where the RT2E linked is supposed to integrate. I very much like and recommend the TakeT units from Japan, the most inexpensive of which are $60/pr and will breath life into sleepy inefficient two-way speakers. http://www.taket.jp/batpure/batpure.html

Eric's Dinner with Family: Octopus, Tuna and Shrimp in Citrus Sauce

 US Angus Wagyu Chuck from Snake River Farm

Of course!