This is my first HIFI product. It enhances the sound quality obviously, and different EQ and ATE are suitable for various music and other sound outputs. When I listen to the next song, I may need to switch the EQ and then again for the next song, which makes me scramble. However, I just cannot go without this little thing. In addition to listening to music, I use it when playing games, watching movies and shows, and even listening to ASMR. The shocking sound effects are extremely enjoyable for the eardrums and brain. Many thanks to Leonard from MusicTeck for the description and recommendation, it is really suitable for metals.
This dongle is well built. It has a neutral, slightly warm tonality and it brings a nice timbre out of my e 4000 iems. I like the EQ it has, very effective at helping me match whatever headphone I'm using. Overall I'm very happy with this device.
Love the support to my phone music without eating up the battery of the phone. Quite efficient.
As I sit listening to War on Drugs, I am reminded of not just how much I missed my Lotoo for 3+ weeks. My cables became compromised (my best cat) right when my PAW S2 arrived.
And so I am comfortably at Vol 47 on Flat with the new PAW S2. Easy to compare from a razor-sharp memory, despite the absence from my PAW S1. I read several reviews that leaned me into asking Andrew @ MusicTeck a couple questions, but he wisely did not sell me on these, and rather let me read a more detailed review by an expert greater than I.
In a word, the PAW S2 is brilliant. Sure, louder. But the music is more forward on my Unique Melody MEST than before. I did not have issues with my S1 amp or my UM MEST. But as a guy into tech, you learn to grow into new shoes each year or so. The S2 will drop you to your knees a bit. The sheer presence of texture will bring it.
It is well far more warm, textured, deep and fast in the sub-bass and I’m hearing very thinly audible nuance at the high end on the same songs I’ve heard 20x before. It’s reaching me, subconsciously, deeper into the music than before.
And maybe the best thing I can say for this amp is “you don’t know what you don’t know.” What you are not hearing on the S1 you don’t know is actually there. I hope that helps. I’m just a guy who loves his instruments, his vocals — this passes through my ears like the fingernails of a lover scratching my back. It feels like THAT.
Purchased thru Amazon and highly impressed with the powerhouse sound! Makes my HD6XX sing and removed the veil. My favorite eq is Rock. Simple plug and play with my iPad Pro and laptop. Firmware update was a bit confusing, but I figured it out without bricking the PAW S2.
It’s been 5 weeks since CanJam NYC. My mission, try as many IEM’s
I left the Grand Maestro until the end of the day.
Sound Impressions:
BASS: Thick, Fast and Deep. The GM has what they call NOAH modules that can be swapped out to change the Bass frequency response, without impacting the upper frequencies, bringing the mids and treble appear to be more forward, through less bass (blue module). This impacts the sub-bass most and leaves the slam of the mid bass region intact. The black module, which comes stock, gives the most sub-bass. This is what many reviewers consider a “Basshead” sound. Having listened to the Scarlet Mini in comparison, I would say the Mini is a “Basshead” set. The GM is, however, not…just a Basshead set.
MIDS: I found midrange to be very well balanced, with both female and male vocals very clear and engaging. Giving the sound signature a slightly warm feel. But this is where Fatfreq has another trick up their sleeve. There’s a toggle switch just behind the 2pin connector. It sticks up about 1mm and allows the listener to turn the bass down on the fly and bring the midrange and treble slightly forward. My listening preference is always slightly warm, but for certain tracks and artists this setting is preferred.
TREBLE: The treble is crystal clear and very well extended, but never fatiguing.
TIMBRE: This is where the GM sets itself above all others I’d heard. The quality of the sound across the entire frequency range was best in class. Every instrument could be isolated with all the details present. 10/10
TONALITY: The balance of the instruments to the vocals is, again, the best I’ve ever heard. It’s like some little man (the crossover) inside working his soundboard, and making the IEM completely in control of the concert in my head. Getting the most out of every last bit of sound detail and making sure no part over powered another. 10/10
SOUNDSTAGE: Ok, this is some next level shit! We’re not talking about a soundstage that was ultra wide. Rather something I’d never experienced before and directly related to the timbre and tonality. Instead of having visualisation of the instruments playing on a stage, it feels like I’m sitting on the stage and Stevie Nicks is singing next to me, Mick Fleetwood is playing behind me and on my other side is Lindsey Buckingham playing his guitar with smooth precision.
SIBILANCE: I’m ultra sensitive to sibilance and have test tracks I use to see just how controlled an IEM is to lower it. Without a doubt the GM is the least sibilant of any IEM I’ve heard.
MASKING: This was probably the biggest and single most distinguishable difference between the GM and anything else I’ve heard on the market. Similar to the experience in soundstage, the instruments and isolated to themselves, making all the details present. On busy tracks that would normally sound like a bunch of different things happening on top of one another, but GM has a magical way of creating a space or protective zone around each musical element. If I could explain this another way, imagine hearing a track recorded in the late 60’s, with its hiss and imperfections, where it sounds like there’s a fog or layer of pollution present that makes everything sound just a bit layered into everything else. Now imagine you take the full stage in dip down into a pool that cleans all of that away, raise it back up and now you hear only the instruments as they were originally intended. The GM takes old tracks and “remasters” them. And takes remastered tracks and makes them even better! 10/10
BUILD QUALITY: Just look at the photos. I was also lucky enough to get the gold upgrade cable thrown into the deal for free! 10/10
CUSTOMER SERVICE: I had heard some stories about problems in the past, but after reaching out to Fatfreq post sales and asking for certain things that were missing from the sale, because it was a floor model and being contacted by Ben himself, I was very happy with how they handled everything. I used to live in Singapore and can tell you the people are amazing!!!
I think some of this has to do with just how much power these IEM’s really need. More than any that I’d tried on the day. Now remember I was driving these with a FiiO M17, a BEAST of a DAP that puts out round 1,500mW on the 4.4mm plug @32ohms. These IEM’s are power hungry! They take every bit of that and deliver it with surgical precision. I spoke with Ben, the CEO of Fatfreq and he told me the M17 is a great pairing for the GM and that they have a few at their HQ in Singapore. They also have a technology called Linear Impedance, which I believe levels the playing field for the different drivers in the set. I think the impedance of this set is 32ohms, but it sure seems like it takes more to drive it than other 32ohm sets I have. This higher impedance and power requirement also contributes to eliminating the background noise, giving a cleaner listening experience.
Tighter bass. Black background.
Premium build ..great sounding Dac ….great user interface….a true cayin product
Well built perfect size and weight, easy to carry for everyday use ... And sounds amazing, clear and powerful for its size. Cayin user interface looks great an is easy to use… n3ultra looks and feels very premium like its big brother the n8ii ….
I've had the Mest II for a month at this point, and it is truly worth the price for the experience. It excels at more instrumental music like rock or jazz, but electronic music is a good experience as well, you just have to crank the volume up a bit.
