The new FIIO Warmer R2R Tube Buffer DAC
- Thread starter Jon S
- Start date
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US Amazon site. It was up for roughly 24 hours and then sold out again. First, just silver, then both, then silver, then nothing. I ordered mine 11/28 and Amazon claims it will arrive by 1-26-26.
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You should be aware, though, that the 'creamy texture' is distortion and uneven frequency response and has nothing to do with the way the music was originally intended to sound. It's like looking at a Matisse painting through brown-tinted glasses and saying, 'wow, I like the warm, creamy tones'.
Good for you. After all, that's all that matters. 
But these things must be made clear, because an inexperienced person who comes to the forum and reads such threads might easily get the impression that this kind of DAC is the bee's knees, and might rush to buy one without knowing the truth. We must let people know where the magic actually comes from, so they can make an informed decision.
But these things must be made clear, because an inexperienced person who comes to the forum and reads such threads might easily get the impression that this kind of DAC is the bee's knees, and might rush to buy one without knowing the truth. We must let people know where the magic actually comes from, so they can make an informed decision.
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.Good for you. After all, that's all that matters.
But these things must be made clear, because an inexperienced person who comes to the forum and reads such threads might easily get the impression that this kind of DAC is the bee's knees, and might rush to buy one without knowing the truth. We must let people know where the magic actually comes from, so they can make an informed decision.
Ok, but I suspect a newbie that comes to a forum like this has probably done a fair bit of reading on the topic. At least I hope so. Now, back to the FiiO. Ok, I like it, but that does not mean I am blown away by it. I will spend many hours listening to it today and tomorrow before I make my final decision as to whether I keep it or return it. The Geshelli J2S DAC that the FiiO is currently in place of, is a great sounding DAC. So I need to determine if the FiiO is an upgrade, or at least a different enough enjoyable listening experience to warrant keeping it in my rotation.
Not all of my amps are tubes, in fact most are not, including class A, AB, and D. I like it all, as that is part of the fun for me in this hobby.
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This is in the same vein as my pet peeve of using proper terminology (cept for vinylsGood for you. After all, that's all that matters.
But these things must be made clear, because an inexperienced person who comes to the forum and reads such threads might easily get the impression that this kind of DAC is the bee's knees, and might rush to buy one without knowing the truth. We must let people know where the magic actually comes from, so they can make an informed decision.
) on forums like this. Lots of newbies are lead here by searches.
You need to keep in mind that the Warmer DAC change after at least 100 hours it will lose some of that distortion and the soundstage gets wider and deeper, I'm still enjoying mine.
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Meh, maybe. Actually I think it’s likely that my brain/perception changes after listening to it for a period of time. Today I have done most of my listening with the DAC in OS mode. I prefer it. More clarity and a wider stage. But! Does it outdo my Geshelli? No, I think not. It’s enjoyable though, simply a bit different than the Geshelli. I still need more time with it.
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I picked one up - seemed like the last one available in Canada - a couple of weeks ago despite the rhetoric on ASR and other sites. The initial subjectivist reviews had me intrigued. "Only" my 4th DAC purchase in my many years as a music lover and audio enthusiast. None of the previous DACs I bought (MF Trivista 21 (tube), Audio Logic 34 (tube), Mytek Liberty II) did anything for me. This one is different. The differences may be subtle but are there. "It had me at hello" and has resulted in longer CD/streaming listening sessions and now wishing that FiiO will make a Warmer phono stage.
YMMV. I'm not sending this one back.
YMMV. I'm not sending this one back.
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Ok, I’ve had the Warmer for five days now and have done alot of listening. It’s a keeper. It’s very easy to listen to. No edginess or glare like I’ve heard in one particular DAC that I’ve had. It’s agreeable with all my various amps and speakers too.
I ordered a matched quad of Vostok 6H23P from thetubestore. They’re the basic ones not the -EV version and were very affordable. They are for back up and I have no intention of rolling them in. Maybe 6-10 months from now just for giggles. Honestly, I do not think this DAC would benefit in the least from expensive tubes. My gear is on anywhere from 10-16 hours a day, so in that time I’ve gotten a solid positive impression.
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I have found, that sometimes, ChiFi gear is voiced for the tubes that are available. That upgrading actually destroys the voicing. In some cases I have found a pleasing voice as sold, only to find that increased resolution of upgraded tubes adds too much high frequency information, spoiling the sweet balance of the original design.
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I suppose that is possible. I read that JJ was the only tube company that was willing to work with FiiO on this project.
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I wonder why. JJ does sell a few sweet sounding tubes. I love their E34L power tubes.
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FiiO’s CEO said the Chinese tube companies had either no interest or didn’t make the required tube. Yes, JJ makes good signal tubes and many of their power tubes are good too. I’ve used their EL84 and ECC832 (12DW7) in my Dynaco ST-35 with no complaints.
That is great news that you decided to keep it, as I said before it sounds better as time goes by they say it can be improved by changing the tubes to Gold Lion gold pins which cost almost the price of the DAC for a matched set of tubes.