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HiFiMAN HM-801 Portable Player / DAC Review: Part One of Two - Page 3

post #31 of 619
5/13/09 at 7:19am
700 bucks .......... God .........
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post #32 of 619
5/13/09 at 7:58am
for 700$, would be nice to have the option of rockbox, eq (whether or not the manufacturer thinks it is hifi or not) and a host of other things that make it your player rather than the company's player.
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post #33 of 619
5/13/09 at 8:02am
I am interested in this and have always wonder why there is no such product in the market.

Imod is used because the component inside is not good enough and the price to pay is to carry an extra amp. It took me quite sometime to jump over the hurdle to try the Imod/amp combo and I do not regret . Now I use a notebook computer feeding to a desktop dac (iRoc) and carry a 12V SLA battery and then to Lisa for the best sound quality that I can get. I must admit that this is troublesome and don't forget that there are ICs to be carried as well.

If this one can be in par or exceed the IMod/VCap performance, I won't hesitate to try it.

My 2 cents.
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post #34 of 619
5/13/09 at 11:08am
You guys are making it harder and harder to pay for college, screw the recession!
Kevin
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post #35 of 619
5/13/09 at 1:47pm
This will be my birthday purchases:
  • HifiMan Portable audio player - $700
  • Lisa 3 Semi-portable Amplifier - $600
  • Ultra high end custom IEM - $1,000+


Total:
  • $2,300+


I'm going to use the HiFiman's built in high end DAC and feed it via line out straight to the Lisa III which then feeds whatever custom IEM I chose.
Worth it?
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post #36 of 619
5/13/09 at 1:57pm
very nice review, waiting for part two. But it cost me a bomb...sad
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post #37 of 619
5/13/09 at 2:21pm
Tons of statements I need to hear before making decision

1. Headphone output impedance and its mW per channel
2. How will UI be like
3. Accessories it will include (Like 128GB SDHC card, digital input adaptor jack, etc.)
4. Warranty
5. Battery and module upgrade possibilities
6. Is opamp OPA627AU, OPA627BP or cheapy OPA627AP (I'd immediately order ones if it's OPA627KM lol)
7. How much can I DIY with this ones (like opamp rolling, sound customizing in circuit like compass, etc.)

Anyway, I'm tempting for hiend DAP with flac support
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post #38 of 619
5/13/09 at 4:04pm
More info and real pics would be nice

Also some comments on finish etc.
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post #39 of 619
5/13/09 at 5:00pm
1: Does it support one whole APE / FLAC with CUE ?

Anyway, I think the battery life is a bit disappointed and 30 days warranty for a 700+ equipment is kind of .... crazy.
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post #40 of 619
5/13/09 at 6:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kodreaming View Post
1: Does it support one whole APE / FLAC with CUE ?
Will support some CUE format.

Quote:
Originally Posted by kodreaming View Post
Anyway, I think the battery life is a bit disappointed and 30 days warranty for a 700+ equipment is kind of .... crazy.
Warranty policy: 30 days refund, 90 days free replacement and 1 year repair. Customers will be able to buy 2-year free repair warranty plan.
HiFiMAN Insider
» Get the latest news and updates at the HiFiMAN sponsor page.
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post #41 of 619
5/13/09 at 9:16pm
I know purist hate the idea's of EQ but I have very particular tastes as to how my audio sounds and that doesn't diminish my need for high end capable equipment. So while this player looks nice I would not purchase it if it did not have some type of audio customization options or like some suggested if it could have rock box put on it I'd be fine with that as well.

So this product is a good thing but not for me if there is no audio tone controls.
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post #42 of 619
5/13/09 at 9:28pm
Exactly. One can't say an EQ "isn't Hi-Fi" ex cathedra. If you don't like it - don't use it. It doesn't matter in the digital domain - if there's an EQ and you don't use it, you're fine, you get the same output as if there was no EQ scripted into the firmware at all. But if you want/need an EQ for your phones/music/mood, it sure comes in handy to have one. I just have to mention open source and the free, open, very usable Rockbox for the third time.

Another example - I'm "handicapped" as far as my ears are concerned, due to mid-ear infections and tinnitus when I was a kid. I NEED pan/balance for my ears since one is quieter than the other (but both are fine with ~18kHz response) - so just because maybe a pan/balance control wouldn't be "audiophile" as well, I should not be able to use the player?
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post #43 of 619
5/13/09 at 9:51pm
open source firmware is most wanted
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post #44 of 619
5/13/09 at 10:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dfkt View Post
Exactly. One can't say an EQ "isn't Hi-Fi" ex cathedra. If you don't like it - don't use it. It doesn't matter in the digital domain - if there's an EQ and you don't use it, you're fine, you get the same output as if there was no EQ scripted into the firmware at all. But if you want/need an EQ for your phones/music/mood, it sure comes in handy to have one. I just have to mention open source and the free, open, very usable Rockbox for the third time.

Another example - I'm "handicapped" as far as my ears are concerned, due to mid-ear infections and tinnitus when I was a kid. I NEED pan/balance for my ears since one is quieter than the other (but both are fine with ~18kHz response) - so just because maybe a pan/balance control wouldn't be "audiophile" as well, I should not be able to use the player?
EQ's distort the original sound from the DAC whether it is on or not. I agree EQ's aren't hi-fi. If you are not satisfied with the way the music was intended to sound then go purchase better audio equipment. I have no complaints with my Zune 120gb not having a EQ because my SE530's are of high quality so it will sound amazing with no digital sound alternations.
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post #45 of 619
5/13/09 at 10:26pm
+1 for Rockbox. Really, you might not even have to do any development work...if the Rockbox community has the info and the interest, it'll get ported.

It's really not that we think the stock firmware's going to be bad...just having a familiar, powerful firmware that's compatible with this thing would be reassurance that our $600 wouldn't be spent on something we can't stand...people are going to buy this for the hardware, no reason to take a risk with software.
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