Portable rig advice please.

[speedyj]

Hi all. I am looking for a good quality portable audio setup to use in the garden via headphones as I will be spending quite a bit of time convalescing for several months.

Any suggestions appreciated. I'm not talking ultra high end stuff but definitely want to exceed a typical iPhone experience.

[Ali Tait]

How big is your garden, will Bluetooth work?

Dont laugh, having gotten pee’d off with long leads I recently bought one of these-

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07BQYYDNJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And a pair of these-

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sony-WH-1000XM3-Wireless-Bluetooth-Noise-Cancelling-Headphones-Silver/401938093256?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Whilst they may not quite equal the best phones out there, the sound is very good, and certainly trashes my iPhone and AirPods in the SQ stakes. I have a pair of Oppo PM3’s, and the Sony comes very close, and no bloody lead. 30 hours of battery too.

[speedyj]

I had not even considered that. My Garden is about 20m from the listening room through two walls.

Thats why we come here I suppose :)

Full portable would also be appreciated as I may be in hospital for a period of time also.

[Sherwood]

I spent nearly 2 months in hospital last year. One factor I would bear in mind is the hassle of recharging devices. I abandoned my BT headphones and went for a good wired in ear monitor. i used them with my Sony HD mp3 player and my android tablet both of which had extended battery life.

Another consideration is that in order to listen to FM radio on the Sony one needs a wired headphone as an antennae!

[speedyj]

I spent nearly 2 months in hospital last year. One factor I would bear in mind is the hassle of recharging devices. I abandoned my BT headphones and went for a good wired in ear monitor. i used them with my Sony HD mp3 player and my android tablet both of which had extended battery life.

Another consideration is that in order to listen to FM radio on the Sony one needs a wired headphone as an antennae!

Thanks for that. This crossed my mind earlier and I can see from your experience it is a big consideration.

[Sherwood]

Thanks for that. This crossed my mind earlier and I can see from your experience it is a big consideration.

You might also want to consider whether you want to sit in your garden in the sun with a pair of "on ear" or "over ear" headphones. Sweaty lobes not so nice!

[Vincent Kars]

What about a smartphone?
The LG measurers superb: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/review-and-audio-measurement-of-lg-g7-thinq-smartphone.4468/

Most smartphones allow for a additional SD card.
A 1 Tb is still expensive but a 500 Gb can be had at about Euro 40.
This gives you the option to be fully independent of any server and using AAC or high bitrate MP3, to carry a large collection.

Talking Android, players like Foobar Mobile support UPnP/DLNA. You connect your phone to the WiFi and enjoy lossless streaming.
As WiFi is a much stronger signal compared with Bluetooth, it might work in your garden.

If you are into iPhone, have a look at Airplay.

I'm a fanboy of these ones: https://www.etymotic.com/consumer/earphones.html
Excellent noise isolation, works very well while listening to classical on tranes and planes.
Bit lean on the bass but you can always apply some EQ.

Hope you fully recover soon.

[twotone]

I've just bought a set of Shanling MTW100 in ear monitors which I use with an iPhone XR & Tidal and I can also bluetooth my Yamaha amp via Yamaha's MusicCast app to them but I can't control the volume which isn't ideal anyway they're £90 delivered via Ebay UK and worth every penny, amazing in fact.

Great site below BTW

https://www.scarbir.com/tws/shanling-mtw100-review

There's also this page for Cheap Chinese headphones recommendations.

https://medium.com/@scarbir/the-best-cheap-earphones-on-aliexpress-70d9f3f3bd57

[speedyj]

I've just bought a set of Shanling MTW100 in ear monitors which I use with an iPhone XR & Tidal and I can also bluetooth my Yamaha amp via Yamaha's MusicCast app to them but I can't control the volume which isn't ideal anyway they're £90 delivered via Ebay UK and worth every penny, amazing in fact.

Great site below BTW

https://www.scarbir.com/tws/shanling-mtw100-review

There's also this page for Cheap Chinese headphones recommendations.

https://medium.com/@scarbir/the-best-cheap-earphones-on-aliexpress-70d9f3f3bd57

I'm still very weary of in ears using bluetooth etc but will have to have a look. I have a set of little AKG K452's that I really like on the iPhone I have. That works fine for now and may infact be all I need in many regards. Not HD perhaps but with the right bitrate and rips it sounds good enough for casual listening.

[struth]

good bluetooth can sound pretty much as good as wired for majority of time tbh.. Getting a gignal to go far enough is trick.. class 1 long range can go quite far but doesnt like solid walls.. windows are ok tho.i can go all over house with my nura cans.. the buds are not quite as strong in picking up, but are much smaller

[Ali Tait]

I’ve used the Sony’s I bought with my iPhone, they sound excellent.

[twotone]

good bluetooth can sound pretty much as good as wired for majority of time tbh.. Getting a gignal to go far enough is trick.. class 1 long range can go quite far but doesnt like solid walls.. windows are ok tho.i can go all over house with my nura cans.. the buds are not quite as strong in picking up, but are much smaller

There's two versions of the Shanlings Grant, (well four actually V1 & V2 dynamic driver and V1 & V2 balanced armature driver) there's V1 which is a master and slave set up and the V2 which is direct connect meaning each earphone connects to the phone.

I'm really impressed with the sound quality and the connection quality, you just take the phones out of the case and they automatically connect to the phone/amp or whatever.

The research I did before buying suggested that most of the problems with those types of in ear earphones/buds were down to drop outs which is why I was particularly keen to buy the direct connection version.

[speedyj]

Update. I actually have two mobile solutions in terms of my ears now.

1. a set of AKG K452 (SH for £29 in as new!!) these are very good and fold into a nice little case etc.
2. Jumped at a set of Shanling MTW100 True Wireless (New for £59 in a deal) and to say these have surprised me for a BT Earbud is a massive understatement. The sound is much more refined than I expected.

Happy all around with two good options from a standard iPhone and not at much cost. Whats not to love.

Thanks for all advice.

[twotone]

Update. I actually have two mobile solutions in terms of my ears now.

1. a set of AKG K452 (SH for £29 in as new!!) these are very good and fold into a nice little case etc.
2. Jumped at a set of Shanling MTW100 True Wireless (New for £59 in a deal) and to say these have surprised me for a BT Earbud is a massive understatement. The sound is much more refined than I expected.

Happy all around with two good options from a standard iPhone and not at much cost. Whats not to love.

Thanks for all advice.

Well done John, BTW are you aware that there's two variants of the Shanling MTW100?

I saw those Dynamic Driver ones at £59 but I decided to go for the Balanced Armature one V2 for £89 from the same place (I presume) although I bought them via their Ebay shop with a £10 off voucher.

Anyway they're amazing IEMs, IMO.

I bought pair of cheap Chifi wired IEMs yesterday, £22 delivered from Amazon and amazing, RevoNext QT2s.

https://medium.com/@scarbir/the-best-cheap-earphones-on-aliexpress-70d9f3f3bd57

Tony

[speedyj]

Well done John, BTW are you aware that there's two variants of the Shanling MTW100?

I saw those Dynamic Driver ones at £59 but I decided to go for the Balanced Armature one V2 for £89 from the same place (I presume) although I bought them via their Ebay shop with a £10 off voucher.

Anyway they're amazing IEMs, IMO.

I bought pair of cheap Chifi wired IEMs yesterday, £22 delivered from Amazon and amazing, RevoNext QT2s.

https://medium.com/@scarbir/the-best-cheap-earphones-on-aliexpress-70d9f3f3bd57

Tony

Yes I'd heard that version is better but I think the Dynamic Driver version will suffice me for now. The earbuds are more for calls and music than just music in reality. However they are pretty good to my untrained ear.

[twotone]

Yes I'd heard that version is better but I think the Dynamic Driver version will suffice me for now. The earbuds are more for calls and music than just music in reality. However they are pretty good to my untrained ear.

I was tempted myself John but I listen to a lot of vocal, Jazz and acoustic along with voice so that's why I ended up buying the BA version.

I've spent too long reading about cheap Chinese IEMs though but this guy below is obsessed:eek:

https://www.scarbir.com/truewireless

[speedyj]

I was tempted myself John but I listen to a lot of vocal, Jazz and acoustic along with voice so that's why I ended up buying the BA version.

I've spent too long reading about cheap Chinese IEMs though but this guy below is obsessed:eek:

https://www.scarbir.com/truewireless

I've found him and yes its a blackhole you can dive into in a big way.

I think ultimately we all decide on our level of listening etc.

I've done valves, old Tannoy Eaton restoration, Frugal Horns and many other things on a modest budget over the years. Now using a Project Perspex SB6 which I love but others may sniff at a little, a Rega Brio which to me is a killer little integrated for the money, a Parks Audio Puffin DSP based Phono which is the most tweakable item I've ever played with andall through Mark Grant cables to a set of Tannoy Revolution XT 6F's that in all honesty I bought blind as I wanted a white gloss speaker of that size and heard a rumour they were a bit of a secret star. Found an open box pair for absolutely stupid money given the original list price. They have proven to be as good if not better than any other speaker I've owned on my modest bugdets.

Long post I know but its interesting to me how we all dive inand find a level of investment and what we require in terms of sound, the tactile act of using a deck, the old arguments about source such as digital vs analogue.

I also run a pretty good soundcard based PC system just using Itunes (shock/horror) into a set of active Adam A7 studio monitors that I've owned for about 8 years and had repaired at the factory once as they are such a great near field monitor with a folded ribbon tweeter that just cannot fatigue my ears in any way.

All of these sytems give me great pleasure but ultimately the vinyl rig just gives me more of everything including the phyiscal act of using it and slowing to choose my music each time. I'm also convinced that vinyl does range of loudness for want of a better term far better than digital but others will say different and that OK. Its ability to slam from quiet to loud without compressing is what I think I'm saying?

What a hobby this can be!

The digital portable listening is just another new thing as I will be in and out of hospital soon facing another challenge and want to listen in the garden sometimes. Ive done headphone amps ans owned Sennheisers/AKG's/various other mid range cans but the earbud?iPhone era is new to me so another little voyage of discovery begins.

Like I said....What a hobby this can be :)