not that it's a big deal that i am impressed, but still.
i upgraded from a bithead running the usb off my macbook pro
to a portable micro amp w/dac, connected to my macbook via optical.
the difference is not small for sure. wow this thing sounds great.
now connecting it via an analog connection there is still marked improvement
but you have to listen for it.
the difference between the 2 dac's is huge. even using usb it is better.
but with the toslink cable i am really pleased.
i noticed though that the bithead via usb was affected by the volume control
on the mac. however the micro is un-affected and this is how i assumed
it should be. they both just show as usb-codec in the system pref's but
they act differently
question <?> does the crossfeed improve as you move up the line also
or is it pretty much the same throughout the series. crossfeed is one reason
i went with headroom. there is some diff between BH and micro crossfeed i sense, i think.
the bithead was just a way to kick the tires on the company i guess as i knew i would be moving on to something. so close to buying a predator.
so close. but went micro instead.
very happy. it's much smaller than i thought [i even drew it life size on paper beforehand] and is really solid. very nice. very versatile.
i use either the macbook pro or a 160gig ipod as the source.
output is through any of the following, and it performs superb.
westone um2
sony v700
vandersteen 2ci's powered by bryston amps and pre-amp.
various bose devices [wave, 701mk2's, companion 2's, port sound dock]
dalquist dq-10's w/ luxman amp ....
new headfones next, anyway
i am impressed and feel i got my monies worth from headroom.
To answer your question about crossfeed. Yes, it does improve as you move up the line. The difference between it on my micro and the ultra micro is huge.
Wow this gets me really excited since as soon as I get my first paycheque on my next co-op workterm I am getting a desktop amp with DAC and DT880's.
BUT.
your post has raised a question for me...
A) you said you use the optical inuput from your macbook to the micro amp?
how is that possible?
MacBooks do not have a Toslink port last time I checked (and I have a MacBook)...
and you said it sounded BETTER than going through the USB and letting the micro DAC do the D to A conversion??
whoa!
please explain.
The macbook has an optical out at the headphone jack, I think this only includes the intel macs, correct me if I am wrong. But if you look down the hp jack you will see the redlight-being the optical toslink out. Congrats OP, I may check into this too since I am looking for a desktop rig.
im pretty sure the macbook pro has a toslink optical jack built into the headphone jack
edit: oops not quite fast enough
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Last edited by tpc41 : 04-07-2008 at 03:35 AM.
Reason: same as above poster
Hopefully Apple will include an optical out on the ipod one of these days. Sheesh, I'm still waiting for the new gen nano with atleast 16GB or even 32GB. I'm not so keen on the iTouch.
The older G4 powerbook has an optical as well. I prefer it to the USB. I would have thought digital was digital, but to my ear the optical sounds better.
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Wow this gets me really excited since as soon as I get my first paycheque on my next co-op workterm I am getting a desktop amp with DAC and DT880's.
BUT.
your post has raised a question for me...
A) you said you use the optical inuput from your macbook to the micro amp?
how is that possible?
MacBooks do not have a Toslink port last time I checked (and I have a MacBook)...
and you said it sounded BETTER than going through the USB and letting the micro DAC do the D to A conversion??
whoa!
please explain.
THanks in advance
yes both the input and output of the macbook pro i have are combo sockets. they accept either the 1/8" analog jobs _or_ the toslink. i got 2 toslink to optical mini adapters with the amp and a cable to attach them too.
yes better than having the dac connected usb, having the dac connected optically is better. notedly so for sure. things dont seem jumbled together or cramped i guess. everything has its own space and seems to breathe easy.
not that it's a big deal that i am impressed, but still.
i upgraded from a bithead running the usb off my macbook pro
to a portable micro amp w/dac, connected to my macbook via optical.
the difference is not small for sure. wow this thing sounds great.
now connecting it via an analog connection there is still marked improvement
but you have to listen for it.
the difference between the 2 dac's is huge. even using usb it is better.
but with the toslink cable i am really pleased.
i am impressed and feel i got my monies worth from headroom.
scott
Sorry for digging this up so much later, pirate6955, but can you please elaborate on the quote you wrote above? Can you comment on things like detail, soundstage, dynamics, bass, smoothness, and any other noted sound characteristics you can think of? It would kind of help me decide whether I want to essentially copy your setup (because It seems pretty good to me, and I've already got the macbook).
i'm impressed
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