Review: ZERO 24 BIT/192KHz DAC/Headphone Amp/Pre-Amp - Page 602

I have not tested it that way but i can tell you that i've used it as a preamp to a power amplifier and it works just fine. I'm assuming that the same applies to amp'd speakers.

By doing this you bypass the internal headphone amplifier (i'm 99% sure) and sending out a line level signal. In fact, yeah, you definitely bypass the headphone amplifier circuit because the volume knob no longer increases the volume when you use the rca outs.

Good luck

btw koven...as to the shure srh840, i've used them on my zero dac/amp and it sounds quite nice with jazz. I've also listened to the headphones straight from my marantz avr receiver (which has a decent headphone amp built in) and it sounds nice as well.

Thanks for the response, my speaker volumes are located on the back of the speaker (against a wall) so it's very inconvenient.

Will getting a preamp w/ volume control be the best solution? Any recommendations for bang for buck preamps? Thanks

Hm... i'm not 100% sure about the preamp features but you may want to take a look at the Nurforce icon. It goes for ~$200 and is supposed to be decent (Dues ex in this thread below is talking about using it for his rc-10 which are not powered speakers, so i'm not sure if you can use it with power speakers)

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/qua...mp-dac-432882/

It acts quite similar to the compass and the zero. I'm not sure if the volume knob controls the volume of the speakers.

Good luck.

I'll recheck the volume knob on the zero right now just to be sure. Be back in a few.

yeah volume knob does nothing on the zero. I'm assuming the compass is probably the same.

How does this pair with the Denon 5000's?

what's my best solution if i need to retain the volume knob on the DAC?

I'm not sure but i can tell you that it sounds quite nice with the srh840. It is by no means a 400 dollar amp/dac but you get far more than what you pay for. In addition, there are a few very easy diy upgrades that make the Zero a very sexy beast.

I know these are capable of driving the just about any headphones.

Search frankenzero

another question.. is there a Super mode in the Zero like in the Compass? Like a button to switch from DAC-out to Dac -> Amp ? That way I can switch between headphones and speakers easily?

Yes. You can easily switch it from Preamp mode which is just DAC. With the press of a button, it is in headphone mode which is DAC--->Headphone amp

Hey guys, just discovered this great little find (the Zero).

I had it recommended to me (for my D2000's) over my sought over Headroom micro stack (Dac and Amp). Would the Zero Amp/DAC combo be a worthy contender here? Should I save my money and just buy the Zero?

It looks wonderful but I would want to have been sold something that wouldn't be nearly as good as the Headroom, any ideas?

Also I wondered about using this unit just by itself (computer soundcard as source - optical) I hear a lot of talk about people pairing this with more amps, I don't quite understand why.

Would just my Soundcard>Zero>Denon's be an ideal setup?

The problem with pre-amp mode in the Zero, is that, by default, it outputs as a DAC, that is, 100% output when you switch it on. So if you connected it to a power amp, and forgot to switch it into pre-amp mode, you'd have 100% volume. Not great. The other thing, as has been said before is, it's a lottery whether your Zero will fail after you buy it.

As for a HR Micro Stack, if I could afford it, I'd take it any day over a Zero. You're looking at quality made gear vs. cheap and unfortunately un-reliable. It's a pity, as if it didn't have reliability problems, it would indeed be an excellent bargain.

^ Thanks for that info, I think I'll pass now.

I see, so it's more of reliability/build quality issue between the too then an audio/sound one? Maybe buying a used Zero is the way to go?

It's just that the stack new is $666 and if I could get a zero fro around $150-170 I would be very happy. Thanks for the help.

would this be a perfect first amplifier!? for a hd650 fully burnt in and a heavy bass trance electronic hip hop music lover. thanks