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New iBasso D10.....why doesn't it sound better?

post #1 of 16
12/26/09 at 2:37pm
Thread Starter 
Just started using an iBasso D10 to listen to lossless orchesteral music (Beethoven Symph 6, Abbado), Peter Gabriel, Bruce Hornsby from a Macbook with optical out to the ibasso. I have Audio Technica A700 headphones with about 30 hours of use.

I am very new to all of this but I truly expected a dramatic difference between output from the Macbook and output from the iBasso.

So, either I have dead ears (totally possible...would save me a lot of money!) or I need to "burn in" the amp or the headphones don't show what the amp can do.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Ray
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post #2 of 16
12/26/09 at 3:13pm
Well the difference lies with in the way you listen to your music. Spend some more time comparing/listening. The moment you start to discover the differences, they grow monumental day by day. Look for things like the instrument seperation, bass presentation, vocals, subtle nuances that you like in your music. Thats what a trained ear looks for in contrast to normal people. The differences are audible to anyone who doesn't have any hearing disability.
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post #3 of 16
12/26/09 at 3:59pm
Thread Starter 
I thought I was doing that. Will continue.

Do you believe in Burn in for amps? Cans?

Any suggestions?
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post #4 of 16
12/26/09 at 4:22pm
I am not familiar with the phones you are using but it seems both amps and headphones benefit from time with signal going through them. On phones they tend to loosen up and convey space better and the bass comes in as well. On amps there are capacitors that need to be formed and this all takes time. Some say an average of 100 hours of play time some say then never hear a difference and some say more like 200 to 300 hours, depending upon what is involved. I hear changes and generally look to 200 to 300 hours for everything to settle in. This is my opinion and I am sticking to it. :^)
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post #5 of 16
12/26/09 at 5:21pm
I think it might be the cans ... while I've never owned the A700, I did own the AD700 and it did not really change at all when I got an amp and DAC for it. Maybe they just don't scale much?
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post #6 of 16
12/26/09 at 5:43pm
I'll still stick to my first post because I did conduct a lot tests on my non-audiophile/enthusiast friends and unless I point out the changes they just say it's just loud. Don't worry about it. You'll start to appreciate, I am not stating this in relation to other amps. I am now quite familiar with D10's stock configuration.
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post #7 of 16
12/26/09 at 7:20pm
Thread Starter 
I thank all of you for your input. It may well be the cans. I need closed phones for some evening use.

Can anyone suggest good open phones which pair well with the D10? The AKG 702 and Senn HD650 get good reviews but I suspect they would not be adequately driven.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Ray
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post #8 of 16
12/26/09 at 8:14pm
Any efficient closed can should do. Shure 840s (My pick), Ultrasones (780,900), ATH-50. Check out the Headphones (Full-Size) section of the forums.
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post #9 of 16
12/26/09 at 8:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rayguy View Post
I thank all of you for your input. It may well be the cans. I need closed phones for some evening use.

Can anyone suggest good open phones which pair well with the D10? The AKG 702 and Senn HD650 get good reviews but I suspect they would not be adequately driven.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Ray
The Sony MDR-F1 has long been one of my favorite open headphones. It pairs extremely well with the D10.

I personally like them better than either the AKG 702 or HD650.

Ron
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post #10 of 16
12/26/09 at 9:51pm
yeah the A700 I found to be a bit lacking myself, never owned any, but was sent some to be recabled (stock cable was busted so I never heard them stock) and when I was done I actually had to email a friend of mine to describe the lackluster sound and make sure I was hearing what I should be hearing. I was also using the D10 (though not stock) for me and with my gear the differences are rather obvious
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post #11 of 16
12/28/09 at 1:35pm
This is hard to believe, seriously burned in around 20 hours after I rolled 86 buffers and now I am getting superb sound on my flacs with Shure E5c...
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post #12 of 16
12/28/09 at 1:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rayguy View Post
Just started using an iBasso D10 to listen to lossless orchesteral music (Beethoven Symph 6, Abbado), Peter Gabriel, Bruce Hornsby from a Macbook with optical out to the ibasso. I have Audio Technica A700 headphones with about 30 hours of use.

I am very new to all of this but I truly expected a dramatic difference between output from the Macbook and output from the iBasso.

So, either I have dead ears (totally possible...would save me a lot of money!) or I need to "burn in" the amp or the headphones don't show what the amp can do.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Ray
I'm also not familiar with that headphone, but I've found that if the cans don't really need the power to push them (like HD650s or something) then the differences you hear between amped and non-amped is actually kinda subtle. I bought into the D10 hype for my first amp, and though it does what I need, it didn't blow my mind like other firsts (first time listening to music through quality headphones, first time hearing binaural audio, first time hearing music using Dolby Headphone with tweaks). Using the D10 with HD650s was a bit of a let down and I ended up having to upgrade the amp to a non-portable to truly get a lot out of it. Amping a pair of Grado's isn't really necessary, but after months of listening to SR-60s through D10s I think I have myself convinced that they do actually sound better amped than non-amped.
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post #13 of 16
12/28/09 at 4:44pm
Put some more hours on the D10 and A700, then come back.
The quality of the source files may have an impact as well. If lossy, consider checking out lossless.
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post #14 of 16
12/28/09 at 5:09pm
Another option is rolling your OpAmps to find a combination that pairs well with your cans.
My two pennies...

-HK sends
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post #15 of 16
12/28/09 at 6:07pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all the input.

I think that I'll chill with the D10 and the A700s and start thinking about cans which might provide more enjoyment with the D10.

Possibilities include:

AT ESW9, Ultrasone 780, Shure 840 and GM 8.35. All seem to have different strengths so I'm going to think and listen.

Thanks for all the advice and if you have experience with any of the above and the D10 any input is priceless.

Ray
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