Audio DAC discussion

^ Read properly. I am talking of auditioning earphones/IEMs and not DACs. How can one use a DAC to audition a DAC .Your posts don't make sense to me most of the time :|.
 
Alrighty then, what player did you use to audition the DAC's mentioned below ?

FaH33m said:
Just had an awesome mini audio meet at my place as BF1983 and Viralbug had come. So I got to try the Nuforce uDAC ,Ibasso P3 and the HD 650 . Eargams !! :D

All those reviews on uDAC seem to be perfect .It is indeed one of the most amazing DAC Ive ever heard.Everything that I've got right now(SHP 9000,RE-0,RE-252 etc.) paired with it sounds 2-3 levels better than the EF2A dac + tube amp , XONAR DX etc.

Ive loaned the uDAC for a brief period from Brendon , so will try and post my impressions(music based) comparing it to the Xonar DX soundcard (similar priced) and the EF2A.
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The NuForce uDAC itself is a DAC /audio processor so it doesn't need a player(if you mean audio player in terms of hardware). It was connected to the PC via USB and music was played on Foobar player in Windows 7 .

The Ibasso P3 is a amplifier and not a DAC. I tried it with different players like my Sansa Clip+, and BF1983's Amp 3 ,also connected it to the uDAC for a short while. Since I used the P3 for a very brief period ,can't really recollect its sound .All I remember is it sounded really good with the RE1 as BF1983 had selected the op-amps in P3 to suit the sound of RE1 and his tastes :).It sounded really laidback and smooth.
 
FaH33m said:
The NuForce uDAC itself is a DAC /audio processor so it doesn't need a player(if you mean audio player in terms of hardware). It was connected to the PC via USB and music was played on Foobar player in Windows 7 .
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Right this is what i expected to read. The signal was passed onto the DAC untouched and you listened with neutral phones (or as close to). This is the only way to cut out the other variables and when you say what you thought about the DAC, then we know what you mean :)

It's just that when you mentioned Sansa i realised you had not described what you used to play and then got nervous :ashamed:

FaH33m said:
The Ibasso P3 is a amplifier and not a DAC. I tried it with different players like my Sansa Clip+, and BF1983's Amp 3 ,also connected it to the uDAC for a short while. Since I used the P3 for a very brief period ,can't really recollect its sound .All I remember is it sounded really good with the RE1 as BF1983 had selected the op-amps in P3 to suit the sound of RE1 and his tastes :).It sounded really laidback and smooth.
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Cool

6pack said:
If one's music spans vast gulfs, then isn't he better off getting a neutral pair of earphones/speakers? Then he could use the equalizers (yeah, I know it sacrilegious to some out there) to make the music match his taste.
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This would be too extreme i think as i like to listen for many hours on the trot. For conveninence & practical uses it must be the one that handles it all.

I guess maybe i need to pay more attention to ones that are perhaps less bright or dark, idea being then it would be more neutral without being too neutral and maybe more of an all rounder :)
 
titana said:
A bit outdated but here you go :
All the DACs money can buy, pt. 2 - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio
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A very good link. You deserve to be repped! I surprised I didn't come across it on HF. But then I'm not hunting for a DAC. At least, not yet :p

FaH33m said:
^ ebay.com -Some seller from Taiwan :).Recently came to know that there's a guy near my place as well who sells tubes and tube based amps for reasonable pricing.
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I need a Sophia Princess rectifier tube. Can you get one? Don't ask which amp :p it's top secret
 
Superfrag said:
Agreed. I had a change to audition the HD650's at Jaben, and I didn't like the way it sounds at all. Prefer the K701 and the AT's.
BTW, is Head-Direct a chinese company? I was under the impression its originally a US based company.
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As I told Faheem, and I reiterate - they need amping, very badly. You can't use a 200$ amp to drive that load. The fact that they're not very sensitive also doesn't help.

Try em with a WA6SE, you'll knock your self out trying to steal BF1983s pair :p
 
^^ Why don't you let me try your setup :bleh: ? Kharghar's nearby for me .Tell me when can I come , will get some nice IEMs incase you are interested in trying out. ;)

EDIT : We might be having a mini head-fi meet around April ,when Metaspree will be here. We will be glad if you can join us .
 
Vandal said:
As I told Faheem, and I reiterate - they need amping, very badly. You can't use a 200$ amp to drive that load. The fact that they're not very sensitive also doesn't help.

Try em with a WA6SE, you'll knock your self out trying to steal BF1983s pair :p
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I have to agree here, from FWIR HD650 are notoriously picky of the amps.
It is rather well known that HD650 sound a touch dark when not amped properly.
Infact, that was one of the reason why I chose the HD580.
That said, Sennheiser's in-house sound may not be everyone's cup of tea.
The relaxed, smooth & lush sound of sennheiser works great for Jazz/classical/old hindi music but is probably not really suited to hard rock.

I really dig the sennheiser sound though. :bleh:
 
@ Vandal : They were well amped alright, I didn't like the signature at all. I mentioned I liked the AKG K701, which also need amping.

If I like them, I'll just buy one for myself, no need to steal . :p

I have a very good amp WITH the Sophia Princess tube. :D (sig)

Currently, I have the W1000, AD900, K701 with the HF2 on the way. Also a friend's Ultrasone HFI-780 is also there. lol.

Also, it doesn't look like BE3 has the Princess Tube(274B/N)

So, which amp did you order? WA6SE or WA6?
 
How is a DAC different from an external USB soundcard like the Xonar USB ?

Even the Xonar USb boasts of amped output for headphones, and so is some of the DAC+AMps.

I know most hand made DAC uses silver solders, and such stuffs to preserve audio quality, but isnt a well knows DAC in Xonar card better than most custom DAC available ?
 
dOm1naTOr said:
How is a DAC different from an external USB soundcard like the Xonar USB ?
Even the Xonar USb boasts of amped output for headphones, and so is some of the DAC+AMps.

I know most hand made DAC uses silver solders, and such stuffs to preserve audio quality, but isnt a well knows DAC in Xonar card better than most custom DAC available ?
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A DAC is more specialised in output than a soundcard that must do more functions.

The quality of a DAC in terms of sound exceeds the one in a sound card.

But its very limited, you can't record with a DAC just play through it and it is mostly just for audio.
 
And is there any equalizers or other options in a DAC ? How does we tweak it to suit different music genres and varied sounding headphones ? In sound card, we have its own proprietary driver interface, with equalizers/and other effects. Anything like that on a DAC ?

And i have heard, some USB 5.1 speakers like AL FX5051 isnt supported by many games, and you cant get sounds through them at all. DO games need support for these DAC as well, to get outputs on headphones? I was guessing as it was USB driven like the FX5051. Or does it implies just for DTS and Dolby audio ?
 
Buddy, EQ is done through software on the computer, not on the DAC. The only way to tweak the DAC is if it has swappable Op Amp's.

Other than that, the DAC's sound signature if any. I would suggest that the DAC be as neutral as possible, get the headphone who's sound signature appeals to you and get an Amp which has a great synergy with your headphones.

And if you use foobar, you can use its equalizer.

No idea about speakers, but games don't need special drivers or anything.

99% of the USB DAC when plugged in is recognised as one, and the sound should start playing automatically.

You can go into Playback Devices menu, right click --> Properties and then Advanced to set it up properly(bits per sample and sample rate can be set here).

Most DAC's don't support DTS and Dolby Audio, but the soundstage and effects are still amazing nonetheless.
 
I have bit trouble with my E5. When i use it while charging from a USB port, there is a hissing at higher volume all the time, and it vanishes immediately i remove the USB.

Also there is some strange screeching noise sometimes when i move the mouse

Seems like some serious interference coming through the USb cable. Its perfectly fine when not USB not plugged it.

SO i guess a DAC + E5 will lead to similar effects, and might cause more noise than the Mark IV. Anyway im getting the Mark IV for my SHP 8900.

Will look for a simple DAC for other headphones, which are easy to drive.

Will there be any difference if some gold plated high quality USb cable is used , which picks less interference ?

And is there chance of any means such interference might occur on a USB DAC ? :O

Now im scared.
 
Trial and error, and other people impressions. For example, I think my AKG's are better used with a good SS amp, such as a Dynalo based amp (Gilmore Lite etc), but A900 definitely sound beautiful out of a tube amp.
 
any help on the problem ?

dOm1naTOr said:
I have bit trouble with my E5. When i use it while charging from a USB port, there is a hissing at higher volume all the time, and it vanishes immediately i remove the USB.

Also there is some strange screeching noise sometimes when i move the mouse

Seems like some serious interference coming through the USb cable. Its perfectly fine when not USB not plugged it.

SO i guess a DAC + E5 will lead to similar effects, and might cause more noise than the Mark IV. Anyway im getting the Mark IV for my SHP 8900.

Will look for a simple DAC for other headphones, which are easy to drive.

Will there be any difference if some gold plated high quality USb cable is used , which picks less interference ?

And is there chance of any means such interference might occur on a USB DAC ? :O

Now im scared.
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