UPDATED 2/22 REVIEW 13 USB DAC amp - Predator, Pico, 2/3MOVE, D10 D3 D2 Viper/Boa D1, Lyrix,... - Page 12

Handel's Messiah was the ONLY thing that saved the HFI-780 from burning up when they hit 666 hours!

One of these days I will have to buy/try a DT880 and DT990 just so I can answer these questions. I just can't say or begin to guess properly right now.

Newest Ranking 05/12/08:

Today I had to change opamps in the D1 in order to ship to someone, and I needed to rob 4 screws from the D2 temporarily (a long story), so while the D2 was open I returned the D2 back to stock just for a quick listen. So, I compared the D1 with AD797 main, LMH6643 buffers, and LT6234 in the DAC vs the stock D2 with LT1364 + NE5532.

The D1 with the above opamps is clearly better via USB than the stock D2, so I changed the rank from the stock D2 tied with the modded D1 for 4th, and moved the stock D2 to 5th place. The D1 with the above opamps is so good that it almost ties the Pico and HR Micro Stack for 3rd, but not quite (however via optical it might move up).

1. RSA Predator (good bass and soundstage, more body, organic, full)
2. D2 with rolled opamps (LM6172/THS4032 - balanced, not too forward, sweet/magical Saxophone, almost mesmerizing like Predator)
3. 2MOVE (sweet mids and saxophone, midbass hmmm, failed the bad mastering diana krall test, great detail and air, too large and heavy)
3. PICO (smooth and transparent without coloration, Great DAC, won the bad mastering Diana Krall test, but nothing special with piano and sax like the others, too neutral as an amp - how is that possible, maybe not because there is something around 2Khz that is not right with RS-1)
3. Headroom 2006 Micro Stack Portable (a twin to the Pico's sound but better with piano, too BIG and out of production, with crossfeed mids are richer/warmer but highs rolled off)
4. D1 with rolled opamps (AD797 main/LM6643 buffer/LT6234 DAC - powerful, punchy, energetic, alive - not as bright as AD743/6643/6241)
5. D2 stock (thin in the middle, neutral with good bass,)
6. Lyrix (good frequency balance, DAC lacking details and air vs the others, but the amp is great)
7. D1 stock opamps (put AD823/NE5532/AD8616 back in right before I shipped it back for the 2-3db channel imbalance, too edgy and bright and distant)

Don't forget

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 1ST AND 5TH IS A RATING OF 9.4/10 VS 10/10 FOR 1ST. They are that close and that good.

I don't know anything about the "Headsave classic", and my main concern about the Zero is the lack of USB support. The majority of people would be happy with any of the DAC/Amps in this review, so pick your poison.

Other things to consider is that the Zero is not portable, this review so far has only been about portable, and to help people watch out for falling for the FOTM (flavor of the month) and missing out on a good deal. I wanted to cover what I heard in these DAC/amps, vs each other, so people buying them would have a better idea of what to expect with the headphones or music they like the most.

Also, sometimes I think there is still a bit of disagreement about what opamps make the Zero sound the best. If I had a Zero I would want to use another good DAC/amp as the reference or standard to compare against when rolling opamps - to get it closer to what is agreed on as being good by the majority. i.e. if I could make a Zero sound as good as a DAC1 or Apogee mini-DAC, then my job is done. I haven't read about anyone actually getting that done.

But, the Pico has been positively reviewed vs other high end DAC's here, with some saying it is as good or better DAC. I have the Pico and Apogee as my "gold standard" to use as a measure against when rolling opamps (remember, I love the Pico when used as a DAC/preamp to drive a full size amp). So, theoretically, if I had a zero I would try to roll opamps to make it sound as good as my best DAC's and if that wasn't possible, then I could say the Zero isn't as good. I just don't have the data to make that assessment right now.

PM HiFlight about the opamps, he could even sell you some.

I am still using the LM6172 in the main amp and THS4032 in the ground channel opamp.