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Well now after following this thread for a while now, I just had to order one! What do some of you think on a scale of 1 to 10 will be the differance between my MICRO AMP and DAC with DESKTOP MODULE and the DAC1 USB. Lets say the MICRO is a 3. And do you think I should get a new amp to go along with it or will I be happy with it the way it is alone for now. It will be used with my RS-1s for now.
Aren't you supposed to ask these questions before making a purchase?
I <3 my DAC1 with SR-225 so I'm sure the RS-1 will work out nicely.
I've got a pair of HD650 ordered so I can put to bed people's concerns of the DAC1 USB driving them. It's a safe bet since I've done my research and I know the DAC1 can drive them.
Aren't you supposed to ask these questions before making a purchase?
I <3 my DAC1 with SR-225 so I'm sure the RS-1 will work out nicely.
I've got a pair of HD650 ordered so I can put to bed people's concerns of the DAC1 USB driving them. It's a safe bet since I've done my research and I know the DAC1 can drive them.
Everyone has talked so highly about the DAC1,so with my AUDIO DISORDER I had to order one. I,m shure that I will like it for a while. BUY NOW -ASK QUESTIONS LATER.
I've got a pair of HD650 ordered so I can put to bed people's concerns of the DAC1 USB driving them. It's a safe bet since I've done my research and I know the DAC1 can drive them.
Lowmagnet -- I will be very interested to hear your take on the HD 650s direct out of the DAC1 USB. I'm facing an imminent dilemma: I just ordered a HeadRoom Balanced Desktop with Home module/Home DAC and some balanced HD 650s, hoping that would be my big fat one-time, don't-bother-me-anymore, hifi purchase. The thing that's been bugging the hell out of me though is that they can't cram their Max DAC board in there, so I was having to make a tradeoff: giving up the AD1896 asynchronous chip (which my feeble mind hoped would reduce jitter) in favor of gaining a balanced headphone amp. To my delight, the DAC1 USB looks to be everything I want in a DAC right here right now, including future ability to pair it with a balanced amplifier of my choice, perhaps such as the HeadRoom Desktop with Max module, which I think I will really like.
My big fat dilemma question for all you geniuses on this thread now is: can I run balanced HD 650s directly out of the DAC1 USB now in balanced mode, without purchasing a separate balanced amp? I can't afford both right now, but I really like the preserved upgrade path for the future if I can stick with just the DAC for now. What do you all think? And alternatively, if I can't drive a pair of balanced cans directly out of the DAC1 USB, will driving them unbalanced for the time being be as pleasing overall as the order I'm now thinking of canceling with HeadRoom? Many thanks for the advice!
(This thread has been deliciously entertaining -- god bless that masked Elias man, whoever he was!)
Ooh, one more question... did we ever get an answer on whether the DAC1 USB will definitely be able to work with Vista as it does with XP? And by that, I mean can I expect in six months to be able to plug 'n play via USB direct to the DAC1 from a Vista machine and get bit-transparent, jitter-proof play with no modded drivers or difficulty using normal players like Foobar and iTunes and Winamp? Thanks!
My big fat dilemma question for all you geniuses on this thread now is: can I run balanced HD 650s directly out of the DAC1 USB now in balanced mode, without purchasing a separate balanced amp?
I won't be able to answer that question for you, since I'll be using the standard front outputs. If someone local has a pair of senn balanced cables, I could try a direct output out the back of the DAC1 to test that at least. I'm not really convinced of running balanced for short runs, especially since balanced headphones don't ground.
Originally Posted by schaqfu
Ooh, one more question... did we ever get an answer on whether the DAC1 USB will definitely be able to work with Vista as it does with XP?
Elias stated that they tested on this platform, yes.
My big fat dilemma question for all you geniuses on this thread now is: can I run balanced HD 650s directly out of the DAC1 USB now in balanced mode, without purchasing a separate balanced amp? I can't afford both right now, but I really like the preserved upgrade path for the future if I can stick with just the DAC for now. What do you all think? And alternatively, if I can't drive a pair of balanced cans directly out of the DAC1 USB, will driving them unbalanced for the time being be as pleasing overall as the order I'm now thinking of canceling with HeadRoom? Many thanks for the advice!
Yes, you could run the HD650 balanced off of the DAC1's XLR output. The DAC1 has a switch in back for variable output: so the volume knob will raise and lower the outputs. I'm not sure how the HD650 sounds balanced out of a DAC1 though. I just used it single ended with its amp for a few weeks before my SP SLAM came. But HeadRoom now is selling some cheaper balanced cables, so it's easier to decide if you want to try and see.
__________________ Home Rig/ Digital: Music Hall Maverick SACD>Benchmark DAC1>SinglePower PPX3 SLAM Home Rig/ analog: Music Hall MMF-5>NAD PP-2>SinglePower PPX3 SLAM Portable Rig: Sony D-555 Discman>HeadRoom Microamp Photo-Fi: Canon 5D, Canon 135mm 2.0L, Canon 70-200mm 2.8L, Canon 100mm 2.8 macro, Canon 50mm 1.4, Tamron 28-75mm 2.8, Canon 580EX flash Headphones: HD650(silver dragon), SR325i, HD595, HD580 (modded), k501:Sold....just not into AKG
I had planned to balance my HD 650 cable this weekend, but didn't get to it. Will do so soon, however, and will post impressions re the balanced out from the DAC1.
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imac | north star m192 mkii | 007tII | 007 mk2 • lambda signature • lambda pro
Yes, you could run the HD650 balanced off of the DAC1's XLR output. The DAC1 has a switch in back for variable output: so the volume knob will raise and lower the outputs. I'm not sure how the HD650 sounds balanced out of a DAC1 though. I just used it single ended with its amp for a few weeks before my SP SLAM came. But HeadRoom now is selling some cheaper balanced cables, so it's easier to decide if you want to try and see.
Wow, I thought people were saying you could run them right out of the rear XLRs but I couldn't believe my eyes! So that switch that toggles between "variable" and "calibrated" is simply a toggle of the volume knob to control the XLR balanced output? Is that designed with the idea of hooking headphones directly up to it, or is that more because some professional grade equipment have different standards for current connecting to balanced outputs and it's important to be able to shift between different boxes? Translation: is this a hack to be plugging balanced HD650s directly into the rear XLR outputs or is this actually something contemplated by design? If this delivers a true "balanced can" experience this is an unbelievable value compared to HeadRoom's already *very* reasonably priced Balanced Desktop with integrated DAC.
I'm dying to know if anyone has done this and can compare the experience. XLR balanced output direct to headphones from the DAC1 USB better or worse than traditional unbalanced front output from the DAC1 USB? Better or worse than first passing the balanced signal through a dedicated balanced amp like a HeadRoom Balanced Desktop? Alert, Alert, Alert: VALUE OF THE CENTURY HERE if this works!!
Headphoneus Supremus: Moderator: Needs a regular fix of 'Fi. '06 National Meet Co-Coordinator
Originally Posted by schaqfu
I'm dying to know if anyone has done this and can compare the experience. XLR balanced output direct to headphones from the DAC1 USB better or worse than traditional unbalanced front output from the DAC1 USB? Better or worse than first passing the balanced signal through a dedicated balanced amp like a HeadRoom Balanced Desktop? Alert, Alert, Alert: VALUE OF THE CENTURY HERE if this works!!
Check out Ferbose's famous thread here for a lot more info.
Now as to whether you hear a significant difference, or if one exists you prefer it, is your call, and probably dependent on your headphone of choice. According to many here, Sennheisers seem to respond the greatest to balanced operation, but I'm not a proponent of either one (Senns or balanced setups).
I owned a Benchmark DAC1 from the first production run ("ages" ago in audio years), an Apogee Mini-DAC, and now a 2006 Benchmark. The older Benchmark's headphone-out worked very well with a pair of Audio-Technica W2002's, and perked up Sennheisers a bit. If Grado's were still my headphone of choice, I'd go with the Apogee and use the headphone-out, which is much warmer than its XLR-outs.
That said, I love my current setup (DVD-A -> '06 Benchmark DAC1 -> Ultrasone Proline 750's)
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To my delight, the DAC1 USB looks to be everything I want in a DAC right here right now, including future ability to pair it with a balanced amplifier of my choice, perhaps such as the HeadRoom Desktop with Max module, which I think I will really like.
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