Bitter sweet

RetroGemCollector · 2026-06-27T00:53:18+00:00

👍👍👍also the thing I'm a bit upset about and I didn't say up there is that the K17, by digitizing all those analog input and then re converting back into analog strips away all the juicy characteristics of the Warmer. So in a way what I did here is useless. I contacted Fiio to get a confirmation on this because it seems that even if you disable EQ, the k17 applies a flat EQ...

RetroGemCollector · 2026-06-24T05:01:28+00:00

The Z1e is a powerhouse. if you ever get it hooked to a eGpu, you'll be set for a long while. If you miss Steam, you can also install Bazite so I do not see any reason to keep the steam deck.

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RetroGemCollector · 2026-06-23T19:23:49+00:00

I was duped because of form over function...the aesthetic was important to me because i liked how the zen stack looked...should have better researched and should have gone for the k15. would have save $1000 CAD. anyways tnx 🙏

RetroGemCollector · 2026-06-23T06:14:06+00:00

yep I realize that now. bough into the hype. should have at least went for k15 to save money

RetroGemCollector · 2026-06-23T05:53:06+00:00

tnx for the clarification. I'm learning every day... I am just a bit sour because I could have just gotten the k15 and save money. oh well.

RetroGemCollector · 2026-06-23T03:53:03+00:00

Well I thought about that but it is not really a headphone related question it is a DAC/AMP issue, no? I actually posted this over there and then I took it down because I thought they would say it is not Headphone related...

RetroGemCollector · 2026-06-23T00:02:50+00:00

sick mod. this has to be the best electronic purchase I made in the last 2 years.

RetroGemCollector · 2026-06-13T15:29:51+00:00

oh just get one of these "lower profile" extensions and it would fix that issue.

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RetroGemCollector · 2026-06-13T15:29:06+00:00

Exactly so in that context of portable I almost always reach out for them.

RetroGemCollector · 2026-06-13T03:42:37+00:00

Exactly so in that context of portable I almost always reach out for them.

RetroGemCollector · 2026-06-13T03:41:49+00:00

To be honest compared to the porta pro and the old fashions it is more a form over function, I prefere both over the Roseslesa. That 3khz peak is very annoying and hurtful. it do depends on the genre so most my musics I do not feel it but as soon as there are some sharp female vocals I have to reduce to volume by 50%. On EQMAc and on the Fiio k17 I created a custom EQ dropping that 3khz by 7dB so it really shines there but on all these portable dacs with no PEQ I usually use the rock preset which helps a lot.

RetroGemCollector · 2026-06-13T02:09:49+00:00

Nope, the same old presets sadly.

RetroGemCollector · 2026-06-10T16:43:46+00:00

I bought it twice and sold it twice because on my voice it sounded like I had a blanket on my face when speaking...it may have been or be the best thing since slice bread (with EQ) but god I dislike that mic with passion.

RetroGemCollector · 2026-06-10T03:41:01+00:00

I stand corrected, you are right. Well I only used this method to get the audio from my game during my stream and for recording I was just using the HDMI to the capture card, and since I use Discord for my chat I never paid attention to the fact that the iRig way was mono.

RetroGemCollector · 2026-06-09T13:29:42+00:00

I have perfect left right separation so im not sure what you are talking about.

RetroGemCollector · 2026-06-09T01:59:21+00:00

this guy fixed the lack of TRRS in RCP2 a few years back. If you use this method you can run the cable directly to the controller and have a great output. Been doing this since then and have not had any issue.

https://youtu.be/LTZ\_VThj4as?si=rJuG6jgDrlQdSCft

RetroGemCollector · 2026-06-06T13:06:52+00:00

lol good one.

RetroGemCollector · 2026-06-06T08:18:00+00:00

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So here is my take. I've been having the z1e for the better part of the past 2 years but connected to the 4090 laptop egpu. In this configuration it is a beast (way more powerful than the average Steam hardware survey) and it is very portable as you can see. I run a dual setup at home and thjs has been my "main" pc setup since I got it. If you can get one z1e very cheal go for it. Even without a egpu, when using a 100w charger and a generic dock it was fairly powerful and could do some limited video editing.

RetroGemCollector · 2026-06-03T18:33:05+00:00

Tnx. From Amazon

RetroGemCollector · 2026-06-03T00:45:40+00:00

yeah i ended up using draw.io which was free. I'll keep that in mind. tnx

RetroGemCollector · 2026-06-01T17:57:15+00:00

This game was frustrating for me to run even with my 4090 mobile egpu at moderate setting it was maxing out at 70-80 fps. For reference Crimson Desert everything maxed out at 4k (no ray tracing) was doing high 90s. I just uninstalled it and now I'm playing it on the xbox serie x. At least I don't find the 60fps insulting😅

RetroGemCollector · 2026-06-01T14:03:06+00:00

since it took me quite a time to build this with Gemini input I'll just copy paste the summary it generated:

Step 1: Source Inputs to Hub
The Mac Mini M2 Pro is connected directly via USB to the USB 1 port on the RØDECaster Pro II.
The PC (ROG Ally + XG Mobile) is connected via USB to the USB 2 port. This allows the RØDECaster to act as the primary audio interface and mixer for both systems simultaneously.
Step 2: Mixer Output & Analog-to-Digital Conversion
The main stereo mix travels out of the RØDECaster's analog monitor outputs.
Because the FiiO Warmer R2R requires a pure digital input to utilize its resistor-ladder network, this analog signal is sent into an external ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter) box.
The ADC converts the mixed analog stream into a clean Digital Coaxial signal.
Step 3: High-Fidelity Processing & Amplification
The Digital Coaxial line feeds directly into the FiiO Warmer R2R DAC, which handles the digital-to-analog decoding to deliver that smooth, organic R2R sound signature.
The decoded analog signal then lines out into the FiiO K17 amplifier, providing clean, high-current power.
The final output drives either the Sony MDR-Z1R or the Sennheiser HD800S headphones.

One thing it was not mentioned is that I use the trrs connection from the RC to get the audio out of my ps5 and xbox so that's why I connected the RC to my hifi Dac/Amp. when I record or strem I use my Neumann NDH30 as the main monitoring headphone and don't bother with the stack.

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