The D10 is out! With optical in, Coax in, amp only, dac only or both, a run time of 20 to 30 hours and this time, gain control, it will offer many features on the fly.
Sockets, so you can roll opamps and a kit with opamps will come with it.
There are a few sensitive chips so always ground yourself before changing opamps to get rid of any static electricity or you will fry the chips.
Power Source：Built-in 4.2V 470mAh Li-polymer Batteries or external power supply
Frequency Response: 17Hz~20 KHz -0.5dB (DAC) 17Hz~100 KHz -0.5dB (AMP)
Signal to Noise Ratio：97dB (DAC), 104dB (Amp)
Crosstalk: 93dB (DAC) 101dB (AMP)
Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.006%@1kHz/0dB(DAC) 0.005%@1kHz/0dB (AMP)
Output power：Up to 100mW+100mW into 32Ω
Gain: 3dB/10dB (AMP)
Battery Life: 20Hours or 30Hours if amp only.
Battery Charge Time: 6 Hours
External Power supply: 5V DC
Recommended Headphone Impedance: 8~300Ω
Case dimension: 2.2W x 4.1L x 0.8H (inch) 55W x 104L x 21H (mm)
Weight: 168g or 5.9oz
Price: $275.00 plus shipping
The size is just a little bit smaller than my iRiver H140 or 120! This will be great!
To further clarify, the D10 is a single unit that can be as a dac an amp or both are used at the same time. The Amp section can be bypassed and you can output to another amp or you can bypass the dac and use just the amp or you can input to the dac and internally the dac connects to the amp and you output as a dac/amp to your headphones.
New mini optical from Sysconcept to be used with the right angle adapters. This will keep the optical cord from protruding past the case of the D10 and iRiver H120 or H140.
Sony D303 with optical out to the D10 and the ESW10 JPN
Bottom 5 images shot with my Canon 5D II. A great camera that finally gets me back to the feeling of a very fine film camera and at 22mb's an image and over 100mb's in a TIFF, it should.
Optical cables from:
Sys Concept Inc. Fiber Optic Products Attenuators, Patch cords, Laser Diodes, Connectors, MP3, Toslink, Hybrid Adapter and more: MiniPlug to MiniPlug Premium Optical Cable 0.05 to 50 meters email Joseph and describe what you need and he will make up the special length and terminations you need. They are a truly quality service.
I should have dusted the D10 and iRiver but frankly I still have the flu and just wanted to get it done.
1 31 2009
Ok, with a little over a week on the D10 now, 7.5 X24, I am hearing some changes. The sound is more open again and better spatial presentation. I hear, or perceive, more air between singers, instruments and just better staging. The transparency has increased and there is more reverb from walls, which gives the impression of a larger venue or feeling of space. Very nice. The dynamics have also improved as noted in speed and impact.
Post on 3 5 09 by HiFlight on opamps to use.
As I do not want to get into subjective "which is best" discussions, I simply ranked them based on treble vs bass balance, or from brightest to darkest.
My ranking is as follows:
ADA4841-2
AD8599
AD8616
AD8397
LMA6643
AD746
LTC6241HV (LTC6241 would also work just fine)
OPA2111
OPA2604
THS4032
OPA2134
LMH6655
AD8656
AD8066 (with AD8532 buffers)
AD2228
AD2227
Widest soundstages were found in AD8066, OPA2111, OPA2604, AD8656 and AD746, respectively.
Most output power (without buffers)
AD8397: 320ma
AD8656: 220ma
AD8616 150ma
THS4032 80ma
LMH6655 80ma
Opamps that I thought might work but didn't: AD8620, LM6622, LME49720 (LM4562), AD797 (SOIC) OPA627 (OPA 627 initally worked fine, but only for a short period of time. Likely on the very edge of its voltage envelop with a fully charged battery.)
Note that the AD8397 has built-in buffers, so I would not suggest using additional buffers. This opamp has sometimes been criticized for its highs, but in the D10, it performed really well.
My recommendations:
If you have bright phones and/or are a basshead, go with the darker opamps, if you like detail and sparkle, or have dark phones, try the brighter ones.
Post on 2 8 09 by HiFlight
THS4032 with bypassed buffers or with the AD8656 buffers for a little warmer sound.
AD8397 bypassed buffers (I am now using this config.) This opamp sounds better in the D10 than many other amps I have tried it in. This opamp has a more distant soundstage, which I prefer over sitting in the middle of the band.
LTC6241HV with AD8656 buffers
AD8656 bypassed buffers
I did not list any opamps that did not sound good in the D10.
Lots of good choices now. See previously posted listing, post 439, page 30 of this thread. They are ranked tonally, from light to dark.
4 7 09 by HiFlight
Just to keep up interest, I have a bunch of new opamps and buffers that I have never tried before enroute. For now, my personal D10 choice is:
OPA2228 in LR, AD8656 buffers. Like being there!
And here I thought I was about finished trying out different combinations....Well, the bar just keeps going up. What fun.
For those who like the AD8656 for use in LR or buffer sockets, but would prefer a slightly less bright SQ, I found some very good low voltage opamps that perform very well in the D10.
As I describe their sound characteristics, it is in comparison to the OPA2228/AD8656 combination.
The following combinations differ from the above set mainly in emphasis of the tonal range and soundstage.
All of the new opamps are low-noise, low distortion, and quite economical on battery power.
The opamps used in LR were the following:
LMH6622 (SOIC)
OPA2350 (DIP)
TLC2202 (DIP)
The buffers used for all 3:
EL8201
LMH6622/EL8201 sounded most like 2228/8656, but with more brightness/detail. The 6622 is brighter than 2228, but EL8201 is smoother and more liquid than is the AD8656. More the characteristics of the 2228, but in a buffer. Their characteristics matched well.
OPA2350/EL8201 also resembled the 2228/8656 combination, but with more detail in the mids. Highs were tamed a bit, lows about the same. Soundstage was wide, but not particularly deep. The soundstage was fairly "upfront". Vocals really sounded superb with this pair of opamps. Those who like detail, but dislike any sense of tonal stridency will very likely enjoy this combo.
TLC2202/EL8201 was the most "speaker-like" of the 3. The soundstage was narrower than the reference configuration and the previous 2 combos, much like a crossfeed implementation. It was, however, quite deep. One also got the feeling that the performance was more distant, again, much like listening to speakers. This combo provided a sound signature that does not lose its sense of realism even at reduced volumes I need to spend more time evaluating the highs...some tendency for sibilance from time to time.
The OPA2350/EL8201 would lend itself very well to the Sennheiser house sound as as Westone UMs, Atrios, etc.
I did try a number of different genres, including a variety of acoustical, vocal, and orchestral. All of the combinations did well with all of the types of music.
All music was high bitrate recordings played thru the line-out of my iRiver H120CF. Phones used for trials were Phonaks, Sony F-1, and Yuin G1A.
The Yuins were the hardest to drive and took the most volume, but at not time was I maxed out on volume, nor was there any audible distortion at the highest volume levels.
I do like the EL8201s better than the LMH6643 buffers personally. I found that they matched well with any LR opamps that I used with them.
Again, I want to state that I couldn't really pin down a "best-of-show" as they all sounded good, but with differing nuances of tonal shading and soundstage. It will be, as always, a matter of personal preference. The LR opamps mentioned above also sounded very good with the AD8656 buffers. The differences were mostly in how forward the highs sounded in comparison to the rest of the audio spectrum.
Addendum:
Some worked really well, some not as well. Stellar performers in D10 L-R:
OPA2350, OPA2228, AD8656, ADA4841-2 and similar-sounding TLC2202, THS4032, LTC6241HV. EL8201 is also worth auditioning in LR as well as buffer use. Very smooth and warm but doesn't mask the highs.
Buffers: LMH6655, AD8656, EL8201. Although I had high hopes for the LMH6622, it didn't sound nearly as good to me as the LMH6655 when used as a buffer. The LMH6622 does sound quite lively in LR though. (The 6655 is also serves as the ground opamp in D2 Topkit)
TLC2202/EL8201 very battery-friendly! Maybe not the best choice for bright phones. Mucho detail.
OPA2350...very good sound, fairly high battery draw...very similar battery requirements to THS4032. Sounds closer to the OPA627 than most any other opamp I can recall having tested.
The above suggestions are by no means all-inclusive. They are just the ones that I have spent time with during the past few days and feel that they are worthy of a listen.
It seems that the D10 circuitry is designed in such a manner that enables many opamps to perform extremely well, assuming minimum supply voltages are met.
Review by HeadphoneAddict 2 22 09. Very comprehensive with many comparisons (middle of page)
UPDATED 2/22 REVIEW 13 USB DAC amp - Predator, Pico, 2/3MOVE, D10 D3 D2 Viper/Boa D1, Lyrix, MicroAmp, Vivid V1, Nuforce, XM5
Added 2 26 09 Observations and comparisons
D10 vs Lisa III with a bit of the Woo 6 mentioned.
1st impression of the D10 with the stock opamp and AD8656 buffers compared to the Lisa III is that the D10 is a little more distant and airy sounding. I noticed this also when comparing the Lisa III to the Woo 6, as the 6 was more airy and a little more distant. The Lisa is very, very smooth and more intimate. The Lisa III isn't in your face but closer. It has a good top end with a treble extension that is natural but it doesn't have quite the "live" sound of the Woo 6 or the D10 when live recordings are played. The bass of the Lisa III is a little more pronounced when compared to the D10. Not pronounced in a bad way, just more obvious. It is well controlled on both the D10 and Lisa III with the bass of the Lisa III being a little warmer or fuller.
The mids of the Lisa III seem a little richer, maybe a little more forward than the D10. With the D10 having a slightly recessed mid in comparison to the Lisa III, this would add to the impression of a more open or distant presentation. Which one is right? I am not sure but the Woo 6 also presents a little more distant image and the Woo 6 with all of my modification is, IMHO, excellent and the best I have for an amp. The Lisa III is very fine sounding so it is really up to the individual as to what is preferred. Both the D10 and the Lisa III are doing a very fine job. The Lisa III is nice and powerful and drives all my phones with ease.
On bass, the Lisa III has more authority. There is more impact. On ToTo live, Africa has real impact with the Lisa III. With the D10 it is good and enjoyable, just not as much overall drive to the deep bass. The upper bass on the Lisa III does not bleed into the lower mids, which is nice, so the amp remains fast sounding. The D10 does not bleed into other frequencies either so again, it remains fast sounding.
Overall, there are some areas of the D10 I prefer to the Lisa III. The D10 has more transient speed, which adds more snap to the music. Notes linger as long but the rise in micro dynamics and leading edge just seems faster and with a touch more cleanness. Transient speed on the D10 is exceptional.
3 15 09
I am coming to the conclusion that the opamps supplied with the D10, those that are stock and inserted, sound the best being very well balanced in all frequencies with no real deficiencies.
3 18 09 by HeadphoneAddict on the D10
I want to also chime in that I do love the stock opamps. Like I said before, 95% of my review was done with it stock. I am running a similar setup with the stock buffers but with the LTC6241HV in LR instead of the stock ADA4841-2 due to slightly less RFI from iPhone and possibly slightly more detail or space with the same warm sound. In the D1 the 4841 and 6241 were similar low draw opamps, while the 6241 seemed to offer more detail if moved to the DAC, and in the D2 Viper the 6241 was the "Predator Clone" opamp.
I also liked the AD8656 with byassed buffers, and my 4th choice is the AD8397 with bypassed buffers. For dark or bassy cans like the Senn IE8 the AD8599 and AD8066 can help fix the headphone's frequency response, but otherwise the majority of cans don't need those.
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5 30 09
SysConcept has a new cable for the optical from the D10 to a iRiver H120 or H140. It takes quick angle out the back of each so it takes up very, very little room and allows for the use of the remote. There is a 24 hour lead time, which is still very fast, due to the total custom make and time for the epoxy to set up. The price is 59 dollars for this great little custom optical toslink to mini cable. Its a MiniTM.
SysConcept MiniOp Cable with the iRiver H140, iBasso D10, iBasso P3+.
iBasso D10. .UPDATES 1st page, with Current Opamp Choices by HiFlight . . . images page 1, 12, 13, 14, 15, 21, 71
