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No - i2s and HDMI are 2 different protocols with completely different pinouts.

So I will get my pair on Friday, but I really dislike hifimans build quality and I’ve had my Arya since 2019. Also their support is hectic, my Arya piece had a different mounting system compared to the new ones and they didn’t provide me any way to use any of the new ones. They sound amazing, but man the build quality and the support from meze is much better. I have like a 100+ email thread with hifiman until I reached a resolution that I have a unit that doesn’t support their new pad system nor were they willing to give me a solid solution. I even asked if I can have the bracket or whatever , they said they can’t and I have to buy a new Arya. Sound wise: Generally if you want power and just pure aggressive punchy then you’d want to get the Hifiman as they’re very not shy when it comes to just delivering amazing sound quality and music to your ears. You do need a good amp to power it too anything above 300 bucks barrier of headphone amplifier. After I started to branch out to zmfs and sendy aivas , I started to realize there are more things for me to look for in a headphone and especially how amazing the aivas compares to my Arya’s. However, I’d still go back to my Arya because of how punchy they are. If you ever listened to grados , then hifiman are the planar grados and they just play everything full blast. The Aryas I had were using the same driver used on the HE-1000SE. When I heard ZMFs I realized there are much more detailed regarding certain music genres and instruments. If you want an all rounder that doesn’t blow off your ears (which I noticed at times with my aryas) then the Empyrean 2 are perfect.

yeah! its a swiss army knife audio product for sure! I'm def a fan of the xbass party button ha

I’m not big on religion or what have you, but thank you all the same for the kind words

Thank you for the kind words! The Bokeh is very hard to pull away from! It’s funny how everytime I think I’m done… Zach makes another beautiful sounding and made headphone, the dude is a wizard!

I’m not a huge believer in it actually… but science is science… and materials have different impacts on impedance and/or resistance what have you… which could/can lead to different sounding cables… material science is pretty dope

I’m dying!

A mix of amps, Chord TT2, ECP T4, phonitor xe… I used the ECP T4 the most with it… Edit: I was thinking of the caldera closed I have now and accidentally wrote the amps I used with it not the open heh😅

way back I had a torpedo 3. I cannot find torpedo 4 specs anywhere. Nor can I find it for sale, and I definitely aint building one. I had the phonitor X and imagine that to pair well with the Atrium. I have settled on the iFi Ican pro signature and think that will be good for the Caldera but I was tempted to get the phonitor xe since it has even lower THD and is cleaner than the X. Going balanced on the X gives you a higher impedance that should pair well with the Atrium. I remember something like that being the case. Anyhow, I am wondering if the Caldera responds to a lot of power even though it is sensitive and easy to drive, since it is a planar.

@@leegreenmusic it does do well with power… I’ve been using the iCan pro with the Caldera closed and it’s a lovely pairing as well. The Tuba and ECP T4 are different amps from different makers… though I do enjoy the tuba… it has a similar sound to the ECP T4(they only made a small amount of these, I’m hopeful someone will start making them again)

Hmm…. Need to figure out this new software… might try streaming more once travel/photography gigs etc slows down

Yeah, they can def get spicy in the highs. But, overall a nice set of IEMs … especially as you say for more relaxed genres etc

Yeah! This was a rather cathartic livestream for me ha! Always a blast chatting!

It was a great discussion… going back through it now, and so many fun topics… sorry for my adhd crazy tangents and talk over 😅…

@@TylersEclectic topics were so fun though. I'm just laughing now at how long it would take for my reaction to what you say...promise I wasn't that blasted lol

Oh, dang! Thanks for the correction… that is definitely more than enough to power any headphones

This is the way! There is so much that goes into the enjoyment of a thing that cannot be condensed down a 1/2dimensional thing… emotions/feelings make up so much of how we interact with everything around us.

On paper it should handle it just fine :) but, I haven’t personally tried it, so can’t say for sure… but should be capable of running the Empy2 based on a quick Look at the specs of both… if I’m not misreading either specs 😅

I believe it’s just a pretty design around the port for pressure… so functionality but not for sound wise outside of releasing pressure. Edit: At least as far as I could dig up

That’s good to know!

For keeping up with faster music… I’d say Caldera… but, personally I’d pick Atrium. Though the new caldera closed might dethrone the Atrium’s …

I can definitely see the appeal in that combo and music genre. Stoked you are enjoying it, that at the end of the day is the most important thing. It’s good to disagree with others opinions, we all have our unique experiences and preferences and it’s important to lean into that to find what we like :) thanks for watching and having a constructive discussion/post on your experience with it! Cheers

Yeah, that’s why TOTL is usually classified for me as luxury goods and not necessarily for the average audiophile/audio-enthusiast

I wish more amp/DACs had windows into the insides when they are so well put together like this

This is why it’s important to get your own ears on things… I am only talking on my experiences, with my chains and environment, so many factors go into audio enjoyment. This is why I think everyone should only take mine and every other video on this stuff with a grain of salt and use it as a potential reference not the end all be all on deciding on a product or what have you. What is your audio chain? (Headphones, source etc?) curious to hear more about your experience with it

@@TylersEclectic Well said, I agree!

I’ve never said I’m good at pronouncing words… in fact quite the opposite, one might say it’s a running joke how bad I am at pronouncing words… but cheers and thank you for the correction… I guarantee I’ll still miss pronounce it and many other names/words in future videos… it’s just how my brain works. You may now continue your crusade to angrily find people who are wrong on the internet 🤘 it is a hard and long road you have chosen to pursue my hat is off to you! Go forth and do great… great things!

Wow! That will be quite the setup! Honestly, if the V222 does everything for your needs, I can’t think of a reason to go beyond it. If the others have more features you would want maybe? It really comes down to budget, performance, features and quality of life type stuff. If the V222 hits all those things and the other versions just have “nice to haves” but you don’t find the price compelling for those nice to haves, then stick with the V222. I think you will have quite the setup with that combo though! And the Cyan is a solid DAC that I think is a great endgame set and forget about DACs for a long time lol

@@TylersEclectic Thanks for the input. Looks like I'll definitely be going for the V222, which I'll connect to the balanced output of the Cyan 2. I'll be hooking up the Cyan's single ended output to my Cayin HA 6A tube amp (it's a single ended amp, anyways). I believe that my desktop system will now be complete: PS Audio Air Lens Streamer / DDC Interface ---> I2S ----> Cyan 2 ---> my choice of tubes or solid state Now I can focus on adding a couple of headphones. I actually won some of the the money for the Cyan 2 at the casino, and I saved over $600 by getting the Cyan 2 as opposed to the Denafrips Pontus II. I will be applying that savings to the V222, so I am actually getting The Tyler Package for roughly a thousand bucks. Since I'm not spending a bunch of money in 2024, then that opens up Atrium money for 2025. I love fuzzy math. All jokes aside, I have now spent about $9k on recommendations from your videos. My wife thinks that you are a bad influence on me, LOL. You and I both have the same self diagnosed aversion to treble / brightness, so it makes sense that we would like the same types of audio equipment. I used to get listening fatigue, but, since I have found your CZcams channel, I have been tweaking my system to be a little warmer and more natural / analog sounding. I enjoy my music a lot more than before. Thanks for your help.

@@kevincounts5662 This made my day! Always a pleasure hearing I helped in some way. Let your wife know that my wife thinks I’m a bad influence on my own wallet too lol 😆 I apparently love expensive hobbies heh 😏 I’m still trying to do the fuzzy math on getting another camera 😅 and more lenses. Between audio, photography and gaming… I’m surprised I have any income at all ha! Hard to put a price on enjoying ones hobbies and relaxing to some favorite music on a prized audio system… something magical about it! Cheers! And I look forward to your thoughts on the new setup when you get it all put together.

These! (EmpyII) At least for my preference. Way more fun to listen to for me.

ECP T4, it’s almost impossible to get, so I don’t like talking about it too much… it’s my favorite amp though outside of the Pietus Maximus… trying to convince Nitsch to look into doing runs of them ha

@@TylersEclectic if they do. Holla at me bro

@@life_in_solace will do! I’ll be super stoked if it happens :)

Hey! It’s the ECP T4! I love it, but don’t like talking too much about it due to limited to no availability. I’m kinda wanting to do more vlog style videos like this… lean even more into opinion and experience type talking points

I really loved the GX as a much for gaming as I did listening to music. One of the best all around headphones I’ve had. It can be on the heavy side though. Another good option is the Audeze Maxwell if you’re more of a gamer, while still wanting good sounding music

It really is an amazing amp! The big brother is also one of my all time favorites!

These are very comfortable for me. I also listen to a wide variety of music, I didn’t have any issues with them in any. Though I’m a bit of a bass head and would like a little more low end from these. But overall I think they fit what you described as your preferred sound profile. Honestly very hard to beat at the price point.

You are correct! Not a touch screen … but has a touch panel on the side of the screen :)

Phonitor will have way more power and control over the ADI :)

​@@TylersEclectic I own already the RME ADI 2 DAC FS and E3 headphones. If I decide to get the Phonitor, I'd go for the one with DAC included I could keep the ADI DAC Fs and get only the Phonitor amp But I wanted to know how the Phonitor DAC is ( sound quality, soundstage, bass, treble ) vs the ADI DAC. Thank you so much for your help

@@levinste2750I personally think the ADI DAC is way better…😅 the built in DAC is good but not great.

@@TylersEclectic wow I thought, the Phonitor DAC will blow away the RME ADI 2 DAC I'm a bit confused Generally speaking, what are recommend for headphones? Amp / DAC combo or Amp / DAC standalone? Thank you

@@levinste2750 I think if you went with the latest version it would be on par with the ADI… they use the same DAC chip in the latest versions of both devices… the ADI has exponentially more features and control options… If you are looking to EQ or dive into DAC settings use the ADI If you want to just plug in and listen go with built in Phonitor DAC