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[EddNog]

I concede this was a nonsensical assertion. It sure kept the thread going at any rate.

Perhaps I was thinking to tease @Dude for the 'long way around the block' because I do the same sort of thing all the time while realizing my 60-year-old-ears probably won't appreciate the subtle differences.

FWIW, I do most of critical my listening with an iFi Zen DAC 3 >[balanced]> iFi Zen CAN Signature headphone amp >[balanced]> Sony MDR-MV1headphones setup (or I might choose another one of the way too many other expensive headphones I've habitually bought).

On the Bluetooth front my experience with Apple's AAC codec hasn't caused me to view it as @EddNog does, but this reminds me of the starkest difference I recall: After a long walk wearing a pair of Koss Porta Pro Wireless headphones connected to my iPhone, I wondered how much better they would sound using their 3.5mm audio cable plugged into the aforementioned Zen CAN stack... They sounded MUCH better plugged in! It was very noticeable! I figured I was mostly hearing the premium DAC and headphone amp compared to the Bluetooth chipset DAC and tiny batteries in the Porta Pro Wireless, but yeah, my earlier comment was silly in any case.

I mean…you’re probably right on part of this, for sure, the DAC in a mid to high end DAP, for example the AK4499EX/4191EQ in the HiBy R6 Pro II is going to sound WAY better than the DAC inside of the Sennheiser HDB 630. This should go without saying right? When you use Bluetooth wireless headphones or IEMs, you’re going to be giving up a lot with each individual component/stage (the DAC, then the amp), so yeah, even the LDAC signal won’t quite save it in comparison to, say, a passive headphone set of the same price range driven by a high-end desktop amp fed from a desktop DAC. Apples versus oranges, if you will.

Granted, when you’re on the go, riding a bus or train, etc, that’s where active noise cancellation and other niceties of fully wireless cans or IEMs really tip the balance in their favor. Different horses for different courses, I suppose.

-Ed