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OPA Moon HDAM revelations Pt 1-first impressions, plus updates - Page 3

post #31 of 48
11/10/08 at 10:12pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rico67 View Post
Hi,
just to say you that i have implant 2 singles Moon in the RSA XP7.
(Fit like a charm thanks to the leads )
Result Is GREAT.
Detail, warm and a great improvement in term of homogeneity compare to all other ic dac than i have used.
it's a high end product for sure.
i try too the hearth in a usb dac, but as it's link to an amp tube i find sound isn't enough dynamique.
So i'll order the sun to try it.

Concerning a test with the M^3, i have all at home to do it, but it's an Alo doube mini M 3 ( i don't know if we speak about the same mini amp) and there is not a lot of place to implant it.
some advises ?
Good going Rico67! You'll find that Moon unit becoming better and even more communicative as time goes buy, it really is THE HDAM in my amps. I agree, OPA Moon is indeed High End!
As for your Earth HDAM not being dynamic enough, if IT isn't neither will the Sun, most likely, as the Sun isn't really more dynamic as such, but has a more enhanced bass and treble response. A bassier sound does not equate to being more dynamic. IMO, it is possible that the power supply in your USB DAC may not be feeding the HDAM enough ergs. Or an impedance mismatch between the DAC and the pre-amp.
I say this because I am experiencing clipping in my OPA Moon in my KHA II amp, as it's burning in at present with a PS that has a lower voltage transformer than I'd normally use and it's simply not providing the power needed. I had a bit of an evil streak in me this morning and gave the amp a damn good thrashing with some Tool!
My main power supply is feeding KHA I.5 and there is no such problem with the audio-gd BEAST power supply!
Which USB DAC are you using?

S-Man
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post #32 of 48
11/11/08 at 5:59am
Hi Sennnsay.
thank you for your answer.
I burn my hdnas since yesterday and'll wait until 250 hours on it.
But at the first listening session, sound was soon Better than all aop i have try before.
I'm very astomish with this little monsters.
Concerning the Usb dac, it's the Fubar 2 (first generation).
Not a top dac, but works without problems.
when i say that there is a lake of dynamic (Hearth),it was compared with the 2 singles 637 Ap.
maybe, i'll wait the burning period before change it to the sun.
I don't have listen the sun yet and just thinking it was more dynamic, but you have right, more bass and treeble don't give more dynamic.
And i don't looking for more bass and treeble because hearth and moon are soon great.
Next operation is to link the white cable on the ground.
I don't know if it's give something better for the sound and ll just do it by secure as indicate.

I'm very happy to have discover this products thanks to your thread.
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post #33 of 48
11/11/08 at 8:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rico67 View Post
Hi,
just to say you that i have implant 2 singles Moon in the RSA XP7.
(Fit like a charm thanks to the leads )
Result Is GREAT.
Detail, warm and a great improvement in term of homogeneity compare to all other ic dac than i have used.
it's a high end product for sure.
Awesome! I'm glad that someone has put one in a higher-end amp (I should have said M^3 or similar) and the result was good.

Quote:
i try too the hearth in a usb dac, but as it's link to an amp tube i find sound isn't enough dynamique.
So i'll order the sun to try it.
This will be interesting. Because the testing I've done has been limited, I can't determine whether the differences between the Earth, Sun and Moon will be the same using different equipment. I recall HeadphoneAddict saying how the analytical nature of his Apogee MiniDAC mates well with his tube amp(s), compared to my finding the analytical sound of a Duet not mating well with SS amps. This might be a parallel.

Quote:
Concerning a test with the M^3, i have all at home to do it, but it's an Alo doube mini M 3 ( i don't know if we speak about the same mini amp) and there is not a lot of place to implant it.
some advises ?
I was speaking of the bigger DIY amp, which uses 3 single opamps, not the portable DIY version. Testing in a portable amp probably wouldn't work well due to the amount of power the HDAM consumes.
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post #34 of 48
11/11/08 at 8:30am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rico67 View Post
Hi Sennnsay.
thank you for your answer.
I burn my hdnas since yesterday and'll wait until 250 hours on it.
But at the first listening session, sound was soon Better than all aop i have try before.
I'm very astomish with this little monsters.
Concerning the Usb dac, it's the Fubar 2 (first generation).
Not a top dac, but works without problems.
when i say that there is a lake of dynamic (Hearth),it was compared with the 2 singles 637 Ap.
maybe, i'll wait the burning period before change it to the sun.
I don't have listen the sun yet and just thinking it was more dynamic, but you have right, more bass and treeble don't give more dynamic.
And i don't looking for more bass and treeble because hearth and moon are soon great.
Next operation is to link the white cable on the ground.
I don't know if it's give something better for the sound and ll just do it by secure as indicate.

I'm very happy to have discover this products thanks to your thread.
Very happy to be of service, buddy. Yes, to the ground (white) cable if you have the OPA Moons with the little white box caps on the side, otherwise you won't be getting the best out of them. The Moon modules don't have quite the same dramatic SQ change at the 50 hour mark that the OPA Earth HDAMs do, it's a bit more of a gradual process here, though blossom they certainly do! I'm finding it increasingly interesting that every 45-50 hours or so, until full run-in, there is a major shift in SQ. It's been the same for my FrankenZero and my amps that have had similar mods and every HDAM I've run-in. It's a fascinating journey.
Your Moon units WILL gain that dynamic impact, Rico67! And yes, do give them the full burn time before changing them, as you are finding out, they are sooo worth it! There's a lot more to come. They become more and more stunning as you improve the gear around them, as I am finding out to my gobsmacked pleasure.

S-Man
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post #35 of 48
11/11/08 at 10:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Currawong View Post
Awesome! I'm glad that someone has put one in a higher-end amp (I should have said M^3 or similar) and the result was good.

Not Good.
Great !
I think it's the best improvement for this amp.
(I use the dedicate power supplie unit )



This will be interesting. Because the testing I've done has been limited, I can't determine whether the differences between the Earth, Sun and Moon will be the same using different equipment. I recall HeadphoneAddict saying how the analytical nature of his Apogee MiniDAC mates well with his tube amp(s), compared to my finding the analytical sound of a Duet not mating well with SS amps. This might be a parallel.

I'll wait the burning time before have a definitive position on it, but it seem that synergie is better for tube amp with an dynamic dac than with a natural.



I was speaking of the bigger DIY amp, which uses 3 single opamps, not the portable DIY version. Testing in a portable amp probably wouldn't work well due to the amount of power the HDAM consumes.
You have right, but maybe with the use of the charger...
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post #36 of 48
11/12/08 at 1:21am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rico67 View Post
You have right, but maybe with the use of the charger...

Yes, one thing is for sure, the HDAMs do use more power and as I have just found out, adding a top quality power supply (PS) sure makes a difference!
That superbly built audio-gd PS that I bought for KHA is an absolute ripper and has added even more weight and tangible solidity to the whole sound. I believe it allows the amp to really be free in it's dynamic power as it's needed on tap.
PP and I call it the BEAST! Not for it's sheer size - it's smaller than it looks in the pics from a-gd - but for the effortless power from it's Class A circuit. It runs fairly warm and needs a heatsink.
All this allows the Moon HDAM to really cut loose and it's a lovely thing indeed!
Feed your Moon!
S-Man
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post #37 of 48
11/12/08 at 5:12pm
Hi have open the door and now i 'm in love with HDAM...
So, i have purchased yesterday the DAC-100 in witch i'll try Hearth and Moon.
I'm sure it'll improve the sound, as you say better psa give better sound.
So wait and see, but if Kingwa products are in the same quality than HDMA, it'll be Paradise.
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post #38 of 48
11/12/08 at 6:38pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rico67 View Post
Hi have open the door and now i 'm in love with HDAM...
So, i have purchased yesterday the DAC-100 in witch i'll try Hearth and Moon.
I'm sure it'll improve the sound, as you say better psa give better sound.
So wait and see, but if Kingwa products are in the same quality than HDMA, it'll be Paradise.
Mate, Kingwa's products are AWESOME!!! Some of the best built kit I have ever seen, works of art in their own right. I love 'em.

S-Man
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post #39 of 48
11/15/08 at 9:06am
Rico67: Let us know how the DAC100 goes. I saw someone had put a Moon in a Prelude soundcard and got good results, which is interesting.
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post #40 of 48
11/15/08 at 10:06am
I'll mount in it to test :
Dual Moon.
Dual Hearth.
i'll give you my impressions.

For the instance i'have a great results with another stuff : Devil dacsound.
The sound is really natural and details.
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post #41 of 48
11/18/08 at 5:47pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rico67 View Post
I'll mount in it to test :
Dual Moon.
Dual Hearth.
i'll give you my impressions.

For the instance i'have a great results with another stuff : Devil dacsound.
The sound is really natural and details.
Hi Rico67, how's it going with your OPA Moon, it must be coming into fine tune by now?
It is capable of truly unbelievably beautiful music as part of the right circuit, as PP and I are really starting to find out in our respective KHA's!
I am fast running out of superlatives with this combo as KHA IIA is really starting to hit her straps after a loooooong burn in process which is nowhere near over! With a FrankenZero nearing the 500+ hour mark ahead of this amazing little amp, my own understanding of true High Fidelity is being redefined in a big way!!
I don't know your Devil dacsound, but I can tell you this with utter certainty, your OPA Moon is capable of truly GREAT sound!

S-Man
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post #42 of 48
11/18/08 at 8:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Currawong View Post
Rico67: Let us know how the DAC100 goes. I saw someone had put a Moon in a Prelude soundcard and got good results, which is interesting.

I'm the one who posted about using the moon in a prelude. I remember reading about no opamp being the best opamp for the prelude. Which it was for me, but the output was greatly reduce. So I thought using a hdam might give similar results since it's a discrete opamp. It stated out sounding similar with the opamp bypass mod. I've now logged in about 60-70 hours on it and things sound even better. The soundstage is wider and deeper. There's less of the digital harshness that was once associated with this sound card. The bass is also a lot tighter. I can now hear the difference between a bass guitar and a synthesiser. On the minus side, the quantity of bass is reduce. I hope that changes with more burn in time. If not, I'll gladly take quality over quantity. I read that's it's not completely burned in until about 200 hours, so I'm really looking forward to how it will sound by then. My prelude sounds better than any dedicated dac that I have had. When I first made that post I was considering upgrading to another dac, but not now. I'll probably just upgrade my amp now.
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post #43 of 48
11/19/08 at 7:34pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by moodyrn View Post
I'm the one who posted about using the moon in a prelude. I remember reading about no opamp being the best opamp for the prelude. Which it was for me, but the output was greatly reduce. So I thought using a hdam might give similar results since it's a discrete opamp. It stated out sounding similar with the opamp bypass mod. I've now logged in about 60-70 hours on it and things sound even better. The soundstage is wider and deeper. There's less of the digital harshness that was once associated with this sound card. The bass is also a lot tighter. I can now hear the difference between a bass guitar and a synthesiser. On the minus side, the quantity of bass is reduce. I hope that changes with more burn in time. If not, I'll gladly take quality over quantity. I read that's it's not completely burned in until about 200 hours, so I'm really looking forward to how it will sound by then. My prelude sounds better than any dedicated dac that I have had. When I first made that post I was considering upgrading to another dac, but not now. I'll probably just upgrade my amp now.

Hi moodyrn, yes indeedy the OPA Moon will keep on gaining more insight into the music as more time goes by, then the limits will be the power supply to feed it and the rest of the circuitry. I have an OPA Moon in each of the two versions of my KHAs (amps), the earlier revision having well over 450/500 hours now and the latest full noise/ Black Gated KHA has some 300+ and is still burning in as a whole. The BG caps take hundreds of hours to burn in and every day is a different experience, as not only the BGs are still forming but also the PIO caps in both the amp and the power supply, not to mention Frankie (the FrankenMasterpiece ) is STILL coming into full bloom at 500 hrs or so.
This modded external DAC is simply an absolute gem in this form!!! I have favourite music from over 30 years ago that has never sounded anything like this good and I thought I knew it backwards! It's like I've never even heard it at all, really. I was stunned speechless last night. Every piece of music is a similar experience now, no matter what the genre. AND, it's still burning in! The usual language used to describe what is happening there is virtually inadequate, it's much more of a 'feeling' event than an intellectual one, such is Frankie and it's FrankenWorks partners.

I'm very glad you are enjoying your Mooning, another fine masterpiece from Kingwa at audio-gd!

S-Man
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post #44 of 48
11/21/08 at 1:30am
Hey does anyone know how the Sun version 1 compare?
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post #45 of 48
11/21/08 at 6:51pm
How much does a moon opamp cost if I buy it from audio-gd.com? I'd email them to ask but man I can't make sense of what they are saying.
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Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphone Amps (full-size) › OPA Moon HDAM revelations Pt 1-first impressions, plus updates