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| Headphone Amps (full-size) Discussion of desktop headphone amps. |
07-03-2008, 02:20 PM
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Head-Fi'er
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Springfield, MO
Posts: 41
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I received my USB DAC two days ago and have been using it since. Previously I was using a Leckerton Audio UHA-3 to feed a Meier Headamp 1. Headphones are Shure E500s.
This DAC sounds great, comparing this to the Leckerton the vocals are more smooth and natural while the bass sounds tight and accurate. The highs are a bit rolled off when compared to the Leckerton but I would not say that they are lacking by any means.
I did have a problem with with a high pitch hum initially but quickly discovered it was interference from the powered USB hub that I was using. Going directly to the CPU solved the problem completely and resulted in complete silence. No hisses or hums, nice black silence.
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Work: Meier Corda Headamp-1 - Musiland Monitor 02 DAC - Sennheiser IE8
Home PC: Creek OBH-11/OBH-2 Amp - Hotaudio40 USB DAC - UE SuperFi 3 Studio
Home: Darkvoice 336i - California Audio Labs Sigma II DAC - Onkyo transport - Shure E500
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07-05-2008, 09:40 AM
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Head-Fi'er
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 91
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I bought a hotaudio40 USB headphone amp back in April. I'm pleased with the sound and noticed that the clarity increased (especially in the mids and highs) and bass tightened up after burning it in over a weekend. Well worth the money IMO.
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Sources: Hot Audio USB DAC/HotUSB1, VALab NOS DAC, PS Audio Digital Link III
Amps: MisterX XP Home Amp, Millet Hybrid MiniMAX
Headphones: Koss KSC35, Shure E3C, Shure SCL4, Sennheiser HD280 Pro, Beyerdynamic DT770/80, Sennheiser HD650
Sold: KICAS Caliente
In Progress: Balanced Beta22
STAX: STAX SRD-7/Pro, STAX SR-303
Feedback
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07-05-2008, 06:58 PM
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Junior Head-Fi'er
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 4
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hotusb vs soundblaster usb 24bit live
Is this device really better than an your average sound card? I'm planning on used it with a laptop and portable speakers.
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07-10-2008, 03:05 AM
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Junior Head-Fi'er
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Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Cincinnati
Posts: 7
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I just received my hotusb1 in the mail today.
I am very new to audiophile grade equipment yet I still had the common sense to not expect too much for a $63.00 DAC. However, I was pleasantly surprised.
From the moment I plugged the DAC in, I noticed a pretty significant difference from my standard macbook headphone jack. Easily $63 worth of difference to me.
I'm currently using the hotusb1 with a pav2 (budget) and Bose OE (*Gasp!) and some RE2s. I couldn't be happier. I'm hearing a much fuller, detailed sound for a relatively cheap price.
As I have no other product to compare this to, I could be overrating the hotusb1, but I would recommend it to anyone just entering the realm of audiophile gear like me.
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07-16-2008, 11:30 PM
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Junior Head-Fi'er
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Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 2
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I was wondering if anyone has compared the HotUSB1 with the DAC Super Pro DAC707 USB. I am considering to buy one of the two in order to drive my SR80 headphones.
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07-17-2008, 08:32 AM
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Headphoneus Supremus
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Rocky Mountains, CO
Posts: 11,820
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ggeeoo
I was wondering if anyone has compared the HotUSB1 with the DAC Super Pro DAC707 USB. I am considering to buy one of the two in order to drive my SR80 headphones.
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This is not to thread hi-jack, because I can only answer half the question. I have the DAC Super Pro DAC707 USB and it is comparable to an iBasso D1 DAC (which is good), but I haven't heard the HotUSB1 to compare yet. I thought about getting a HotUSB1 for my iMac, but decided I'll probably get the Blue Circle Thingee next instead.
I did notice with my 119db/mw IEM that the Super Pro sends more hiss to my amp than the D1 or other DACs (except the Travagans Green also hisses). Plus, optical input is still better sounding than USB with these. And I should add that I prefer the Headroom Micro DAC USB over the Super Pro or D1, as the Micro DAC USB DAC's sound quality is very close to the optical DAC according to my ears.
But, for the price the Super Pro is a good sounding DAC that is very versatile due to having optical and coax inputs in addition to the USB. I bought it to use with my Apple TV, but it turned out the Apple TV DAC is already quite good, so I use the Super Pro in my basement rig now.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Leonardo_BVB
...honestly, it's like comparing ugly Betty with Scarlett Johjansson, you do not know where to start because you cannot take your eyes off Scarlett...
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Larry Head-Fi Feedback
Oct 09 Colorado CanJam @ RMAF Impressions
SEE PUBLIC PROFILE "ABOUT ME" FOR LINKS TO REVIEWS AND MY GEAR.
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07-17-2008, 09:19 PM
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Junior Head-Fi'er
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Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 2
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Thanks for the info HeadphoneAddict. Nevertheless, I think I'm gonna get the HotUSB1 for now, and buy a more expensive DAC in the future.
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07-23-2008, 09:45 PM
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Junior Head-Fi'er
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 4
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I did some research. I found the chip used in the hotusb1 costs about $6, and is 16 bit not 24 bit. I wonder why would a multi-million dollar company like creative labs not just use these $6 chips in there sound cards instead of all this fance xfi-mod DAC processing technology?
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07-23-2008, 09:54 PM
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100+ Head-Fi'er
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 255
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chaudi
I did some research. I found the chip used in the hotusb1 costs about $6, and is 16 bit not 24 bit. I wonder why would a multi-million dollar company like creative labs not just use these $6 chips in there sound cards instead of all this fance xfi-mod DAC processing technology?
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Yeah... for one, it's not advertised as 24-bit. 2nd, Creative has their fancy xfi stuff for 1) marketing, gotta pay for that. 2) Gaming, a simple DAC isn't going to do EAX or other game-related sound modifying. The Hotusb and the x-fi are directed toward completely different markets. That, and the gamers usually don't know how much they should be paying for good-quality sound 
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07-24-2008, 10:28 PM
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Junior Head-Fi'er
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 4
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Here's an article on sound cards and here one on x-fi. Doesn't mention anything about your gaming theory i'm afraid.
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07-24-2008, 11:09 PM
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100+ Head-Fi'er
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 255
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chaudi
Here's an article on sound cards and here one on x-fi. Doesn't mention anything about your gaming theory i'm afraid. |
That's nice... what exactly are you looking for then? What type of people do you think buy Creative cards? Not people serious about music creation, even if the X-Fi has audio creation settings. Not people who care about audio quality, they will use onboard audio. Not people who want GOOD audio quality, since there are better and cheaper choices out there if you are willing to do some research. Creative is ALL about gaming, and if you bought it NOT for gaming, you probably bought it at Best Buy because the salesman told you to. I'm not saying that these are bad cards, I owned an Audigy 2 ZS for years and an X-Fi Xtremegamer for a while (Is that not enough proof that it is a gaming sound card??)
And looking at your article, this is what it says in the conclusion (since it is a 3 year old article written before the X-Fi was even out):
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The question for X-Fi is the same question facing any ambitious run-time platform: What's your killer app? Frequency-domain effects in Creative's 24-bit APA processing could be the ticket, or the tremendous improvements in processing horsepower for gaming audio may also pique gamers' interest.
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Last edited by Citizen86; 07-24-2008 at 11:12 PM.
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07-24-2008, 11:19 PM
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100+ Head-Fi'er
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 255
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Also, please take a look at the Creative website, go to the X-Fi page and tell me what you think they are gearing these sound cards towards. Here, I'll even help you, this is what they are marketing their newest card as, the X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty (Fatal1ty happening to be the handle of some professional gamer):
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Maximum audio performance and connectivity for Pro Gamers
- Realistic EAX® 5.0 sound effects that pull you into the game
- Accurate 3D positional audio - even with normal headphones
- Accelerated audio for unbeatable game performance
- Clearer voice chats for better voice communication
- Works with PCI Express equipped PCs
Chosen by professional gamers, the PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Series sound card delivers the ultimate PC gaming audio experience. You'll hear realistic EAX® 5 sound effects and 3D positional audio so accurate you can locate opponents by mere sound - even over normal headphones. Plus, get unbeatable performance in your games with hardware accelerated audio and X-RAM.
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Anyways, this has gotten off-topic... but you see why Creative doesn't use a $6 chip, even if it DOES sound good.... they couldn't sell their stuff if people knew that... plus all the added fluff like what is mentioned above.
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07-31-2008, 12:44 AM
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Headphoneus Supremus
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Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Dumaguete
Posts: 6,376
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08-04-2008, 01:00 AM
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Head-Fi'er
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Posts: 47
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I'm split on grabbing the HotUSB1. I plan to pass it through to my other amplifier, but will having to use the 1/8" as the output degrade the sound rather than having the typical RCA/optical outs found on DACs?
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08-04-2008, 03:07 AM
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100+ Head-Fi'er
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 151
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