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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 พ.ย. 2022
- Hifiman is typically a brand that I find to make pretty solid stuff… At least when it comes to headphones. I haven’t had a ton of opportunities to try out their amps/dacs. So, when I saw the Ef400 R2R dac/amp combo, I was pretty interested. I’ve been really into R2R stuff lately, and I thought having a built in solid state amp would be very convenient. I’m sorry to say, that this one just misses the mark for me though.
Some of the things mentioned in the video (affiliate links):
Hifiman EF400: apos.audio/products/hifiman-e...
Cayin RU6: bit.ly/ayritru6
Lake People G103: Looks like you’d have to get one used, but I don’t really rec this one
Singxer SA1 is a great solid state option: bit.ly/ayritapossingxersa1
If you’d like to see some more dac/amp reviews, check out this playlist: • Amps & DACs
If you’d like to support the channel, please check out options below.
Patreon Link: / mrayrit
List of Gear for Sale: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
New Merch Site!
www.ayritfineaudioart.com/
Look down below for links to all that gear and some other recommendations.
Of course, I always recommend you take a look at the used market, below are some sites that are great for that.
Head-Fi: www.head-fi.org/
HifiGuides: forum.hifiguides.com/
Reddit: / avexchange
Hifi-shark: www.hifishark.com/
US AudioMart: www.usaudiomart.com/
Some of my favorite equipment for various niches (some links are affiliate):
Supre Budget IEM: Moondrop Quark: amzn.to/3Fmo63m
Super Budget Headphone: Koss kph40: koss.com/products/kph40-utility
Need these pads for the kph40 though: www.aliexpress.com/item/10050...
Cheap Gaming Headphone: AD700X: amzn.to/3b4ACUS
Super Cheap Closed-Back Gaming: Recon 500: amzn.to/3numqem
Cheap All-Around Headphone: SHP9600: amzn.to/3b6aUiP
Recommended Solid State: Violectric V280 Final Edition: massdrop.7eer.net/4exdO1
Or Schiit Mjolnir Gen :1 (gotta look used)
Singxer SA1: bit.ly/ayritapossingxersa1
Tube Amp: Quicksilver Headphone Amp: quicksilveraudio.com/products/...
Quicksilver Headphone Amp: quicksilveraudio.com/products/...
Headphone #1: Drop + Sennheiser HD8xx: massdrop.7eer.net/yR60ZD
Headphone #2: ZMF Verite Open: shop.zmfheadphones.com/collec...
Headphone #3: OG NIghthawks: (look used)
Closed Back: t60 Argons: www.modhouseaudio.com/t60-argons
Gaming Headphone: HE560v4: adorama.rfvk.net/6bnGoG
Budget Bluetooth Portable DAC/Amp: XCan: amzn.to/3vJG8WA
Higher End Bluetooth Portable: Gryphon: amzn.to/3R214lT
Wired Portable DAC/Amp: Cayin RU6: bit.ly/ayritru6
TWS: Sony XM4: amzn.to/3Glr7Py
Cables:
Hart Audio Cables: hartaudiocables.com/
Worlds Best RCA Interconnects: amzn.to/3pB2Oa7
Worlds Best XLR Interconnects: amzn.to/3vEdwxO
4.4 to XLR Balanced Cable: amzn.to/3UxF83G
3.5 to RCA Cable: amzn.to/3S0x7CF
Recording Gear:
Panasonic G85: amzn.to/3AB3Cjr
Panasonic 14mm: amzn.to/3KG2gZ9
Maono XLR: amzn.to/3Tt2IOF
Behringer UM2: amzn.to/3CO65d2
iPhone 14 Pro (overhead):
#hifiman #ef400 #review - เพลง
![[TH] Esports World Cup : Point Rush Stage](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/eLU-jnYp3Zs/mqdefault.jpg)
Very interesting, can't say my experience mirrors yours in any capacity with the EF400. In comparing it to a Mojo 2/Anni combo, I prefer the EF400 for some of my headphones. Depending on what a person owns, and providing they only need USB input, I'd have a hard time not recommending it personally. I fully expected to part with it but for my current collection it still punches above its price class. Just wanted to offer an alternative account; there's a thousand other options out there after all.
Many reviewers and even forums reviewed this unit as warm sounding and it pairs really well with Arya Stealth. Seems like you're the only reviewer who says otherwise.
I was thinking that perhaps it's a good idea to test a second unit? But Hifiman did send it out, so perhaps this is it. For a R2R and amp at this price compromises need to be made.
I’d certainly be open to it. Maybe I’ll ask ‘em.
Well, just my 2 cents. I’ve got no reason to lie about my impressions. If anything the pressure would be to be positive.
Objectively everyone's ears has a range between 8-10 khz that is cancelled out by our ears, and that range is different for every single person. So there will always be people that have a different take on how something sounds.
@@jarjared3522 hearing is indeed subjectieve, non linear and person dependant. On the other hand 'warm' sounding is relative too, and people can 'callibrate" their hearing during listening sessions with others. I assume that an audio gear reviewer worth his salt learned how to distinguish warm from dry/analytic.
Thanks for tipping me off to the RU6, love it as well and the 8XX before that. Also, really appreciate your review of this R2R as I was somewhat skeptical of the others I had seen although I think I recall Joshua Velour was not particularly impressed either.
He liked it!
Thank you for the really good review - You weren't selling sunshine, you told us what it sounded like to you, and you confirmed my worst fears. I've been on the fence for a while on that dac, I really can't stomach spending $1500 on a denefrips, hell $500 is really my realistic limit. And I'm not sure that Ru6 or 7 is for me; I'm in a mostly desktop situation. So.. Damn.
Thanks for the review! Looking forward to the next one. Any chance of you getting the new schiit lyr+ fusion in for review?
I don’t really have a relationship with Schiit, but that’s an interesting amp that I’d be happy to try.
Thanks a lot for your honest review. I liked the EF400, because im comparision to my Atom Amp + Topping E30 it sounded much more airy and lively. At this point I thought that the hole DAC/AMP discussion is only voodoo and snake oil. I was really surprised. Its good to know that other R2R DAC sound even better. I tried the EF400 as DAC with the Atom Amp+. The sound was so much better as with the Topping E30.
My biggest issue with the EF400 was the really bad volume control. On low gain I could only listen at max 9 o'clock nearly all the time. With some headphones at 12 o'clock. Its no fun to move the volume nob only a few millimeter back and forth. This especially is a problem with IEM's. So the only solution for that is to control in windows the volume down. But thats not a good solution if something goes wrong and I think that this reduces the dynamics.
I think I will try the Cayin RU6 with IEMs and my low impedance headphones. These doesn't need a lot of power.
Please explain more your iem experience with ef400 and ru6 or ru7. Which one your favorite? Whats your setup right now.
MrAyrit Thanks Much !
Weird you are the only reviewer who says it isn't good and I watched and read all the reviews. I guess it's an ear thing.
As is most things in the hobby I would say.
It's interesting. I sold my Jotunheim 2 after finding this because the Jot2 was compressing the depth I was getting from the EF400's amp.
As for dryness... Dry is an adjective I wouldn't have used in a thousand years with this combo.
Did you try software oversampling in nos mode by any chance? I find a lot of R2R dacs benefit massively from software oversampling via HQPlayer. But I agree with you, the EF400 lacks features. SPDIF for example.
I actually enjoy mine, actually sound very good driving the Aryas. Mine is nice and silent not same experience as you.
Gutsy review. Bravo for your honesty.
Thanks for the honest review. I noticed you didn't play any background music. Maybe you can find some sad music to play behind the less happy reviews
Yeah, I thought about that. Didn’t seem appropriate to play something upbeat.
HIFIMAN EF400 is my best combo under $1000
A lot of people seem to like it. Just didn’t do it for me. Maybe mine was faulty. 🤷
Have you been testing balanced out or single ended? Apparently this one is designed to be used balanced and single ended sounds noticeably worse. To me it seems like all of the budget went strictly into DAC+AMP here which is why so many corners were cut where features are concerned. However, for someone who's looking for DAC+AMP to get the most out of my Edition XS and possibly Arya down the line while listening to hi-res vinyl rips off pc this one has my interest seriously peaked ;)
I appreciate your honest opinion here. I've seen youtubers hype this up and then on the forums people have other impressions
Very interesting take. I've heard it at Canjam earlier this year but didn't come away thinking it was all that special. That said, it was hardly the ideal environment to evaluate DACs or amps.
I seriously considered this a few months ago, but ultimately decided to go with Audio-GD r2r-11 mk2 since I wanted to play with DDCs and streamers. I am very happy with the r2r-11mk2.
Which brings me to the question: how long did you "burn in" the EF400? The r2r-11mk2 took a solid month, and indeed I thought that at times it sounded like how you described the EF400: edgy, "hard" and kind of flat. However, at all times the r2r-11mk2 had a nice full bodied presentation to things. Even after burn in, though, I thought it wasn't as detailed and didn't stage quite as well as the Ares II or OG BF2. Dynamics, on the other hand, are spot on imo and prefer over Ares II/BF2, while sounding less colored or flavored.
Would love to get your take on an Audio-GD unit. Need to get my hands on an RU6.
Min Kang - I’m also interested in the Audio-GD r2r-11 Mk2. The power output appears to be similar. Do you think it would pair well with Hifiman Planars, particularly the HE 1000 V2?
Thank you.
@@andypeterson9630 Hard to say. I really liked the HE1k's but never owned one. That said, I like almost every headphone more out of this DAC (but maybe not the amp in the case of LCD-X) over almost anything else I've owned, at least for casual listening. You lose a just a little bit of detail and the staging becomes a little more vague compared to its peers BF2 and Ares II, but in turn it's very forgiving of poor quality recordings.
r2r-11mk2 has a great sense of body and presence to lead vocals/instruments, and really brings the dynamics to the front which I personally really enjoy. Very engaging: not "too dynamic" like I thought the OG BF2 sometimes was, not "lightweight" or soft like Ares II sometimes was, all while sounding very neutral and uncolored too. Just very listenable and enjoyable.
I have the EF400 and really like it. Mine doesn't sound dry. It doesn't buzz in any mode (OS or NOS). I heard a few of the early ones had that issue, but it was fixed. Overall I'm extremely pleased with it. It almost sounds like something might be wrong with yours. Not sure because I usually agree with your takes on equipment.
PS I use it with my Hifiman HE6SE V2, HE560 V4, Senn HD6XX and 58X, and Monoprice M1070. I paid $499 new for mine and feel like it was a fantastic buy. I can't quite figure out why our takes on the EF400 are so different?
Nos mode sounds best with this unit, provided the Nos mode doesn’t give you buzzing.
UPDATE: I figured out how to fix the NOS mode buzzing issues, which seem to only happen on CD quality tracks when using an iPad or iOS device as source. The way to fix it is to use Roon and turn on Sample Conversion and set it to Max. I went back and forth turning it on and off and it really does work, made the buzzing go away, and the buzzing comes back when you turn it off. Glad I finally found a workaround.
Reeepicheep, do you have this unit? If so, when you stay in NOS mode, is the buzzing eliminated completely? Some reviewers attribute the artifacts to music ripped with CD quality encoders.
I’m still considering it, even with the problems. There’s not much else that offers these features at this price.
I have seen used examples for $400, but it might be safer to get one from some place with a return policy.
@@andypeterson9630 I figured out how to fix the NOS mode buzzing issues, which seem to only happen on CD quality tracks when using an iPad or iOS device as source. The way to fix it is to use Roon and turn on Sample Conversion and set it to Max. I went back and forth turning it on and off and it really does work, made the buzzing go away, and the buzzing comes back when you turn it off. Glad I finally found a workaround.
My thoughts on the EF-400 is exactly the same as yours.
Curious you are no longer using the Vio V280, I am planning to buy one for my HekV2, have you found a better amp to pair with the HekV2.
Sorry, I sold traded my HE1000v2 to try some other stuff, so I don't have it anymore. The v280 was probably my favorite amp with it.
Others report static while playing certain encoded music. That alone left me apprehensive. It’s unfortunate because the minimal design concept is great: integrated DAC/Amp, R2R DAC, internal power supply, and all the jack types I want. My search continues. Very helpful review. Thanks.
You have me wanting to try the Quicksilver Amp, btw.
I figured out how to fix the NOS mode buzzing issues, which seem to only happen on CD quality tracks when using an iPad or iOS device as source. The way to fix it is to use Roon and turn on Sample Conversion and set it to Max. I went back and forth turning it on and off and it really does work, made the buzzing go away, and the buzzing comes back when you turn it off. Glad I finally found a workaround.
Crazy question. Would a hdmi from a TV work if you connect it to the USB C on the ef400? So basically hdmi to usb c connector.
There is an adapter on Amazon. It probably works fine. But it’d use up your only input (I’m not sure you can use both USBs simultaneously). I have a DAC with multiple input types that serves as a switcher.
@@andypeterson9630 Thanks. I really appreciate it!
Sorry, I can’t comment on this.
@@MrAyrit It's just fine. Keep the great content coming
Hype. Hype. Hype. No. Wait...
Do most dacs allow other dacs to run through them?
Amps will allow other inputs, I don’t the pure dacs would
There are no long vowels in "SUNDARA".
I bought EF400 about 4 months ago, my impression of R2R dac is inferior vs others..no soul.
I’ve not listen to other R2R except this.
I plan to use it to burn in any of my new headphones and cables.Not to put it into waste.
Did you see the review from Headphoneshop ?
I did not
@@MrAyrit Please check it.
I have learned after being in this hobby for sometime and watching a ton of reviewers. Some reviewers taste line up with yours and some just don't. I've never really enjoyed your taste in audio to be frank. With that being said it'll probably be a good move if I don't watch anymore of your reviews. Not that you're a bad reviewer, but more or so that i don't agree with many of your audio recommendations
Plenty of audio reviewers out there to choose from. I’d say one if the best pieces of advice is to find someone who has similarities tastes. So by all means. Certainly feel free to drop by and offer alternative opinions if you’re so inclined, or feel strongly about a piece of gear-that is always welcome.
Why the quality is so awful?
cause its CHI-FI garbage
@@Hakku1403 same garbage company that made the Susvara, many would consider it one of the best out there...
The metal is quite thin. Even something like an Asgard 3 feels much higher quality.
@@dontron810 maybe someday in the future, if Chifiman makes an hp amp for 6000 USD, the chances are high that it will be one the best too. til then, the EF400 stays garbage crap.
IMO Hifiman quality is just so subpar across their entire lineup of products. I don't understand all the hifiman fan boys. Their products are cheaply built and lack quality control as well. That even goes for the higher end headphones too.
I’ve personally never had a fail issue with their headphones, and generally I think they sound pretty good for their prices. I agree that some of their quality choices are not the best, but I can also appreciate a healthy bottom line…
Bad design and very bad sound.
Not very many people have agreed with me on that.
What a sad video. Why make it...
Well, they sent it to me. I feel like I’m obligated to give an honest opinion. It’s alright if it isn’t always glowing.
finally a review that´s on pair to what i experienced!
i tried hifiman ef400 based on the rave reviews around the net, i was coming from a cheap topping dx3 pro + (much cleaner than the hifiman) and with the sundaras when i listening to the hifiman ef400 i felt nothing special nor spectacular....so i like your review because i think it is sincere. Also listened to the hifiman as a dac connected to amp and speakers and ear nothing special..keep in mind that i ear many dac... delta sigma and r2r and opinions are personal and subjective.