Practical Devices XM5 - Page 4

I tend to agree. I bought my XM-5 to use with full sized headphones and Classical music. I've settled on a Sansa Fuze and find that the output is adequate for my IEM's...but mine are't the fancy, hard to drive models.

HeadphoneAddict, I noticed in a post of yours about the Nuforce Icon Mobile that touching the device may cause static sounds in the headphones. I've noticed this with my XM5, is this something you've experienced with a lot of headphone amps? With the very dry winter air I often get shocked by my laptop and can feel it but I can't feel it with the XM5, I only hear it as a series of small pops in the headphones when I touch the case or the volume knob.

I believe I also saw mention of someone experiencing some sort of static discharge with their RSA Mustang in the big RSA Mustang thread.

I'm getting in to the habit of touching something to discharge my static build up before handling the amp when it's connected via USB to my computer but this does make me curious about other amps. I predict it will go away when the air is more humid (next week I'll be visiting family and they have a whole house humidifier so I'm curious to see if that solves the problem). I imagine this isn't an uncommon thing with many amps though, but I have limited experience with other small/portable amps. Curious on your thoughts.

I have only experienced it with the Nuforce so far, not the XM5 or others. I need to turn our humidifier up higher I think.

Yeah I think I need to have my humidifier running more. I only have a small unit and mostly run it at night so I don't wind up dried out overnight. I think by the time I usually do most listening (afternoon through the evening) the humidity in the room has dropped so that makes the static more of an issue.

I emailed Practical Devices and they suggested the same thing. I'm curious to see what happens next week.

csroc - this is something I've noticed with my XM5 as well. If I have the wallwart plugged in and am listening to music via USB, I can hear a crackling when I touch the case - it's quite reproducible. I've also heard static on the odd occasion when touching the XM5 when it's not plugged into the wallwart (still playing music via USB), but that's much rarer and the static is MUCH quieter.

So any further sound quality opinions? How does this amp sound compared to other amp in it's price range?

The following thread is where I'll be putting my XM5 review in a few days:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f105/u...uforce-306883/

If you take a look I have some comments in the thread since the 12th. But I am not ready to comment much more about it until I post my review.

My XM5 arrived today. Thanks James!

With only 4 hours so far I think I'm going to like this amp very much. I've tried my 325i and ER4P so far. My SE cable for HD650 recently failed me so I'll have to wait...

I'm listening to my electronic playlist with ER4P using the +75 Ohm & bass boost. Wow.

I haven't tried the DAC yet but my main use will be paired with a 120 Classic.

Do you find it a bit "bright"? I've been fiddling around with an 0404 and found it dark using the 0404's headphone out - when I use the line out of the 0404 to the XM5 the music brightens up a bit.

I really like it too.

I spent most Sunday using the XM5 with Macbook and Denon D2000 (woodied re-cabled) and loving it. Then I switched to my Freq Show triple driver customs, and the XM5 is the first amp to really make the Freq Show sound very good. I don't know why, but they are a match made in heaven and I've been looking for something to make the Freq Show sound as good as my Livewires for months. Before they were only slightly better than an Image X10 and not as good as a Triple.fi either (which I thought the Image also beat).

I have to spend more time with RS-1, Edition 9 and HD600 before we leave at noon the 23rd for winter vacation, and I'll have to finish my review there (with my IEM's and ATH-ESW10JPN. Bad timing and all having just finished burn-in on Sunday right before we fly out. Worst case scenario, the review is done not this weekend but the next. So far, I do feel I'll be putting it in the top tier of portable USB DAC amps along with Predator, Pico and 2MOVE.

I finally had an episode I have to attribute to static on Sunday. I sat down to listen to Macbook with XM5, and there was noise in the background like rice crispies. I tried all kinds of IEM and phones and still there, unplugged power from macbook and from amp, still there. Then unplugged and shut off the amp for a while during dinner, with nothing connected (no power, USB or phones), and reconnected everything while grounded and the noise was gone.

Hasn't come back yet, but I am noticing static build up when I slide out of my microfiber listening chair. PS: the noise was only with using the DAC, not line out. Again, it did go away with letting the amp sit a while, and doesn't seem damaged by the static.

I've never noticed the static unless I touched the unit and no music was playing (or I muted the audio), but perhaps that depends on what it's connected to. It's almost impossible for me to hear the static over music at normal listening volumes because it's not very loud (would be audible during a quiet passage or sustained note probably).

Yes, very quiet, only audible during quiet passages with the volume turned up. Gone with unplugging/shutting it off during dinner.

So does the static only happen when using it as a dac? If I get one I will only be using it as a portable amp for my zune.

Without giving away your review any audible hiss? And are the Treble and Bass boosts useful?

Can't really reply much now. Crackle DAC only, only if zapped with static shuffling along carpet, no hiss, boost nice.