To start off, I am not a self-proclaimed “audiophile” by any means. I only appreciate the overall rendition of an audio gear – if it sounds good and help me to enjoy my content, I deem it good enough.

My current setup

Travel

I own a pair of Bose QC35 II that I have been using since I bought it new back in 2018 for traveling. They sound mediocre to me, but are very lightweight (236g), have decent ANC and most importantly, have acceptable battery life.

Although it started to show its age (top part of the head band fell off almost completely, the rubber rings around the earcups are deteriorating, the original ear pads had been replaced), it still works perfectly fine and the battery still holds up its charge (I can listen to them 2 days straight while traveling on a bus with occasional stops). The headband is still intact and comfortable, and all the hinges are still smooth. I don’t use the adjustment slide since it fits me well as-is so I cannot say whether they are durable, but I tried it as of writing this and they still work fine. The included hard case still keep up its shape and the interior stayed intact.

At home

For the earbuds, I use the Sennheiser MX365 with cheap foams. Compared to other cheap earbuds that I used to own, they sound very decent with acceptable amount of bass without any EQ. And since they don’t have built-in mic, I resorted to use a $2 clip-on microphone and my webcam’s built-in mic whenever I need to hop on an online call.

Although the MX365 is adequate for casual listening, the drivers inside of them will start to crack whenever I play anything with rumbling or sophisticated sound. That’s why I can’t watch movies or listening to lossless music with these, and have to use my IEMs instead. I own a pair of Blon BL-03 and KZ AS06. They are cheap and I personally think they sound very good for their price.

But using these are still not perfect for every situations. I can only use them when I am sure that no family member will call me, and wearing them for an extended period of time is quite irritating for my ears.

Convenience

Wires can be troublesome when I need to go out or just laying on my bed watching videos. For these cases, I got myself a pair of Samsung Buds+ when I need isolation, and Baseus E11 for its open design.

The Buds+ held up pretty well after years of heavy usage, but its battery has been degrading quite significantly. I wouldn’t recommend the Baseus E11 for everyone, since the fit is non-conventional and can be uncomfortable for most people, plus the bass is non-existent on these. EQ will also be out of the question with them, since the driver just gave up and cracks when pushed. The only reason that I keep them is that they have very respectable battery life for its price, at around 6 hours of continuous listening.

DAC/Amp

I have 2 mobile DAC/Amp combos to use mostly with my IEMs. Since my phone doesn’t have a 3.5mm jack, I got myself an iBasso DC02. I got it not just for using it with my phone, but also as a DAC with my computers. I also own a Radsone ES100 Mk.2. This one is Bluetooth-enabled and have its own battery.

The iBasso is quite powerful for its size at the time I bought them, but it runs very hot just by driving my IEMs (sometimes even too hot for me to touch them).

The ES100 is a powerhouse. It packs full of technology, and has a very sophisticated companion mobile app. They even have microphone for noise cancellation and ambient sound! And the cherry on top is that it has a balanced output, although in the form of a 2.5mm jack.

New member

For me, the final missing piece of the puzzle is a headphone that I can use at home, primarily for watching movies. The QC35 is a headphone, but it relies on its battery to sound properly (they are incredibly hard to drive using my mobile DAC, just barely listenable but devastatingly dull).

But I already have the IEMs, why get a headphone? The first reason is that, I can’t wear them for an extended duration. My ear canals will become very unhappy. The second reason is, as good as they are, the physical limitation lead to them have a very confined soundstage. For music, I mostly care about clarity and tonality. But soundstage and audio imaging is above everything else when watching movies for me. The quality can be underwhelming (since I also watch older movies), but it must match what’s happening on the screen and increase the immersion.

Since I don’t have high requirements for the new pair, I set the budget limit to be $150. After 2 weeks of researching through YouTube videos and online forums, my short list’s first place is the FiiO JT1:

I went to try them out at a local audio store. Since I don’t have much experience with headphone, I can only comment on what I felt about them naively:

• The clamping force is appropriate for me. However, I noticed that the area under my ears (close to the jaw) have more force applied to them. This might be because my head is on the smaller side, so the headband is not stretched enough to make the ear cups stay more vertical to better distribute the weight.
• The padding is quite soft and breathable. I tried them on for 30 minutes at the store in the open space section but didn’t experience excessive hot spots or feeling too sweaty. I sweat quite easily, and Vietnam is a tropical country so the ambient temperature is naturally high. The material and seams feels pretty robust to me, but only time will tell.
• The metal frame is quite flexible but not flimsy. However, the edges are quite rough and a bit sharp. The only part that I’m concerned about regarding the build quality is the headband, as it seems to be held in place with 2 thin plastic rods.
• The cable is quite nice. It’s thick, and doesn’t transfer the clothe-scratching sound up to the earcups. However, the material they used to wrap them became fuzzy after some usage, and it held its shape rather stubbornly after taking out of the box. The built-in microphone quality is quite good, as my friend said they can hear me quite clearly but the scratch sound against the clothe and wind noise are quite noticeable.
• The soundstage is much wider and, to my surprise, clearer than my IEMs. The immersion level while using this headphone is very satisfying for me. The bass section hit very low, very smooth and pack a punch; I can feel the rumbles and the air inside the earcups hitting my ear! The highs are not too bright, as the “s” sound spoken is not ear-slashing.

With all of the above considered, I paid for a new pair and brought them home. I truly feel like this is a money-well-spent moment for me.