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FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Nuforce uDAC USB DAC AMP with line out and S/PDIF out - Page 81

post #1201 of 1841
2/8/10 at 11:31pm
When will these go back in stock?
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

NuForce Icon uDAC (USB DAC and headphone amp)
$0.00 at
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post #1202 of 1841
2/9/10 at 1:19am
On Feb 10th
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post #1203 of 1841
2/9/10 at 2:12pm
For those of you who've heard this amp-would you describe the highs as rolled off? The OP mentions that the highs are rounded and I'm not exactly sure what is meant by this.


-sid
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post #1204 of 1841
2/9/10 at 2:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sid311 View Post
For those of you who've heard this amp-would you describe the highs as rolled off? The OP mentions that the highs are rounded and I'm not exactly sure what is meant by this.
Rounded?

"Not Sharp."

I'm not a fan of "piercing treble" and I prefer my sopranos smooth and not stabby. This dac will not throw needles in your ears for the trouble of venturing into the upper registers.
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post #1205 of 1841
2/9/10 at 2:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by eneloquent View Post
Rounded?

"Not Sharp."

I'm not a fan of "piercing treble" and I prefer my sopranos smooth and not stabby. This dac will not throw needles in your ears for the trouble of venturing into the upper registers.
Ok, that sounds much better, thanks for the clarification. I'm upgrading from an Icon Mobile that was just way too bright in combination with my ER4P. It sounds like this isn't a problem with the uDac.


-sid
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post #1206 of 1841
2/9/10 at 5:07pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by sid311 View Post
For those of you who've heard this amp-would you describe the highs as rolled off? The OP mentions that the highs are rounded and I'm not exactly sure what is meant by this.


-sid
Quote:
Originally Posted by eneloquent View Post
Rounded?

"Not Sharp."

I'm not a fan of "piercing treble" and I prefer my sopranos smooth and not stabby. This dac will not throw needles in your ears for the trouble of venturing into the upper registers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sid311 View Post
Ok, that sounds much better, thanks for the clarification. I'm upgrading from an Icon Mobile that was just way too bright in combination with my ER4P. It sounds like this isn't a problem with the uDac.


-sid
Correct description. The extension is fine, but the highs are not forward, sharp or piercing. In relation to the Pico DAC only the highs are slightly recessed and rounded, but not in a detracting way and it's all present and audible - not calling attention to itself up there. I think the uDAC would be good with ER4.

If you are using one of these DACs to feed an amp in order to drive HD650 or Stax O2 Mk1, the Pico may be a better choice since those phones could use more treble energy if your amp doesn't make up for the lack. With many Grados or Stax Lambda series phone, the uDAC might be a better choice, depending on your amp again, but with the HF-2 I may prefer the Pico to feed my amp just a little more (already a very warm forward headphone with less highs than RS-1, HF-1, or 325i).
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post #1207 of 1841
2/9/10 at 7:43pm



Musiland 02 Dac and uDac

The blue thing beneath is a CD protector so you can judge the size

I borrowed my friend's uDac to compare against my Musiland 02US. They both sound very similar with the exception that the 02US is evidently more forward with vocals and slightly more full bodied bass, and micro details are an edge more apparent. Their sound stage characteristics are identical to me. They're both great as a DAC, I would be happy with either one.
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post #1208 of 1841
2/9/10 at 8:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kite7 View Post
Musiland 02 Dac and uDac

The blue thing beneath is a CD protector so you can judge the size

I borrowed my friend's uDac to compare against my Musiland 02US. They both sound very similar with the exception that the 02US is evidently more forward with vocals and slightly more full bodied bass, and micro details are an edge more apparent. Their sound stage characteristics are identical to me. They're both great as a DAC, I would be happy with either one.
Thanks for the pic, kite. Is does the Musiland 02US have two headphone jacks? Did you get a chance to compare the headphone amp in the uDAC and the Musiland?
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post #1209 of 1841
2/9/10 at 8:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by blackzarg View Post
Thanks for the pic, kite. Is does the Musiland 02US have two headphone jacks? Did you get a chance to compare the headphone amp in the uDAC and the Musiland?
Yes the 02US has two headphone jacks, one is for high impedance cans and one is for low. The comparison above is from using the headphone jacks for both DACs
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post #1210 of 1841
2/10/10 at 12:24am
Thanks for the pic of your Musiland DAC - I hope its a better model than my MD-10, which I find too polite. The Topaz is a better DAC than the MD10, but neither is much chop as a headphone amp, and both were significantly more expensive than the uDAC : if its in that league as a DAC, its definitely very good VFM.
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post #1211 of 1841
2/10/10 at 1:25am
Hi,
Just discovered that using Kernel Streaming (KS) mode, the sound of uDAC is hugely improved!!!

More info on KS: foobar2000: Components Repository - Kernel Streaming support
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post #1212 of 1841
2/10/10 at 7:53am
What's the point of digital out from a DAC? Is the signal amplified or something?

But I'm thinking, I have this Astro A40 Mixamp that converts Dolby Digital surround into Dolby Headphone, but my laptop doesn't have optical out. Would the uDAC carry that Dolby signal to the mixamp? That'd seal the deal for me buying the uDAC, really.

Also, for those that use winamp, i found kernel streamers for that: http://www.stevemonks.com/ksplugin/
thanks busyx2!
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post #1213 of 1841
2/10/10 at 2:51pm
I was just wondering if it was ever mention what program the OP used to do his testing. I was also wondering if anyone was able to confirm what busyx2 said about the sound being improved using Kernal Streaming in Foobar2000. My uDAC should be arriving this Friday so I just wanted to ensure I can get the most out of this product by getting all my ducks in a row. Thanks!
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post #1214 of 1841
2/10/10 at 3:22pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by neco View Post
I was just wondering if it was ever mention what program the OP used to do his testing. I was also wondering if anyone was able to confirm what busyx2 said about the sound being improved using Kernal Streaming in Foobar2000. My uDAC should be arriving this Friday so I just wanted to ensure I can get the most out of this product by getting all my ducks in a row. Thanks!
I mentioned Macbook in the middle of the original post. So, Mac OSX using iTunes and Core Audio built-in, which always sounds pretty good. There are reportedly small improvements using Amarra software decoder, but I haven't wanted to drop $395 just to have to use a hardware USB dongle to activate the software.
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post #1215 of 1841
2/10/10 at 4:00pm
So when are these going to be instock today?
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

NuForce Icon uDAC (USB DAC and headphone amp)
$0.00 at
See it »
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Dedicated Source Components › FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Nuforce uDAC USB DAC AMP with line out and S/PDIF out