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Headstage Arrow HE: Reviews, Impressions, Perceptions & Sensations - Page 11

post #151 of 2626
3/16/10 at 4:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cn11 View Post
can drive my Ultrasones better with its adjustable gain
I'm really considering purchasing the arrow as my first amp. Would the $250 be worth the increase in SQ vs the Classic+Ultrasones unamped?(I bought the Pro 750s for less, so I'm a little hesitant to spend more on such a little amp)
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post #152 of 2626
3/16/10 at 5:04pm
I would say a big yes. Make sure you have a line out cable though. Using the Arrow with my iPhone is quite a revelation, since the iPhone on its own sounds rather hollow and congested, with no power to drive deep bass passages. Also, other high quality portables I've heard that are in the same league in terms of SQ seem to go for at least $100 more.

That's just my .02 though of course.....

If you try it and really don't care for it for the cash outlay, you can always post it FS. Since it's such a new item I'm sure it would get snapped up quickly.
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post #153 of 2626
3/16/10 at 5:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cn11 View Post
I would say a big yes. Make sure you have a line out cable though. Using the Arrow with my iPhone is quite a revelation, since the iPhone on its own sounds rather hollow and congested, with no power to drive deep bass passages. Also, other high quality portables I've heard that are in the same league in terms of SQ seem to go for at least $100 more.

That's just my .02 though of course.....

If you try it and really don't care for it for the cash outlay, you can always post it FS. Since it's such a new item I'm sure it would get snapped up quickly.
Thanks for the input, my 2009 Classic and Pro 750s sound surprisingly well unamped, but I can tell where they're lacking, so im just a little concerned the Arrow wont enough of a difference. However, from what I have read the Arrow appears to be nothing short of miraculous, so I guess it would be a good investment, especially I actually get "portable" cans. Like you pointed out, I will definitely have to DIY or buy one of those low profile LODs.

If I wanted to use the arrow with laptop, would the Nuforce uDAC or the Headstage USB DAC cable be a better value? I also intend to DIY a desktop amp some time in the future that I would probably use with one of those . . .
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post #154 of 2626
3/16/10 at 7:56pm
Not sure if the Headstage USB cable is better than the sound card you already have in your laptop, unless it's a really crappy sound card. Can't say anything about the Nuforce thing, but I guess these generic TI/Wolfson-based USB sound adapters are all pretty similar.
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post #155 of 2626
3/16/10 at 8:12pm
the nuforce uDac uses the ESS Sabre dac chip, so if going by that alone, should be at least marginally better than the one in the dac cable, though it is also more money.
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post #156 of 2626
3/16/10 at 8:34pm
Shaggy-
Unfortunately I don't have any experience with stand alone DAC's (thankfully, yet another area to destroy the wallet). But I have been reading great things about that NuForce uDac. Seems to be a very nice bit of gear for not a whole lot of money.
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post #157 of 2626
3/16/10 at 10:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dfkt View Post
Not sure if the Headstage USB cable is better than the sound card you already have in your laptop, unless it's a really crappy sound card. Can't say anything about the Nuforce thing, but I guess these generic TI/Wolfson-based USB sound adapters are all pretty similar.
My soundcard seems pretty good to my ears, In device manager it says "NVIDIA high definition audio." Definitely better than the classic+Pro750s unamped. I'm pretty new to the whole audiophile thing but I thought a DAP would be a good investment since I plan on buying/DIYing a desktop amp sometime.

Quote:
the nuforce uDac uses the ESS Sabre dac chip, so if going by that alone, should be at least marginally better than the one in the dac cable, though it is also more money.
only marginally? Are you sure . . . I think we need some direct comparisons
Oh where, oh where has my slim Arrow gone, oh where, oh where can he be? - Page 20 - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

Quote:
Unfortunately I don't have any experience with stand alone DAC's (thankfully, yet another area to destroy the wallet). But I have been reading great things about that NuForce uDac. Seems to be a very nice bit of gear for not a whole lot of money.
My thoughts exactly. I brought it up since I read a lot of people ordered the USB DAC cable in addition to the Arrow. I'm curious if the uDAC is a better alternative if I intend to use a better amp than the Arrow eventually. However most likely I will put off the DAC purchase if I do end buying the Arrow.
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post #158 of 2626
3/18/10 at 8:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gridlinked View Post
Well, I finally got around to ordering one myself. It's going to be a long 2-3 week wait, but it'll give me time to find a iPod 5/5.5g.
Please post your impressions once you get the amp, as i have a set of W3s and am considering this amp for use with my iPhone 3gs.
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post #159 of 2626
3/18/10 at 11:26am
This amp works awesome with my DIY film cap 5.5g as it has impressive space. When paired with my iPhone 3G it is nice, but just not the same. Of course the Arrow sounds better with all my IEMs from the Arrow than the iPhone because of the impact and control, except with the TF10, which I think the 3G matches with much better (bring the mids forward). The Arrow is brighter than the 3G, and I would guess a better match for a W3.
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post #160 of 2626
3/18/10 at 12:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chez View Post
Please post your impressions once you get the amp, as i have a set of W3s and am considering this amp for use with my iPhone 3gs.
Will do. I ended up splurging on a 32gb Ipod Touch 3g instead of trying to find a 5g in good condition.

Regarding the iPhone, someone earlier in the thread mentioned that he was getting some popping and clicking when using his Arrow with his iPhone, and ended up using other sources.
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post #161 of 2626
3/18/10 at 1:02pm
Yes, I get noises from both my Blackberry and iPhone, even when in the vicinity. But I also get the same thing to a lesser extent with the Shadow from my blackberry.
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post #162 of 2626
3/18/10 at 1:38pm
Well, I was planning on getting a longish LOD cable and keeping the amp in an inside pocket, with the iphone in an outside pocket or my jeans/trouser pocket.

Would this eliminate the issue?

I was thinking of using it like this as I don't really want an amp strapped to my phone. If it was just an iPod, fair enough, but it's a phone and i use it as such lol

This raises another question for me. When using line outm, do calls get routed to the amp instead of the built in earpiece?

The way I use my phone currently, I tend to either answer the call and hold the phone up near my face to use the built in mic with my IEMs or just pull the earphones out and use the phone. I'm assuming that if I pulled the LOD out, the call would be automatically re-routed to the iPhone earpiece as it is currently?
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post #163 of 2626
3/18/10 at 2:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by average_joe View Post
Yes, I get noises from both my Blackberry and iPhone, even when in the vicinity. But I also get the same thing to a lesser extent with the Shadow from my blackberry.
How does the Arrow compares with the Shadow?
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post #164 of 2626
3/18/10 at 4:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chez View Post
Please post your impressions once you get the amp, as i have a set of W3s and am considering this amp for use with my iPhone 3gs.
X2 (with W2's)
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post #165 of 2626
3/18/10 at 4:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by wuwhere View Post
How does the Arrow compares with the Shadow?
The Shadow drives sensitive iem fine but it seems like not enough juicy to drive my jh13 while the arrow does have enough to drive it properly. it is not a fair comparison, as the arrow is much bigger than the shadow.

the arrow is on par or maybe a little better than the mustang.
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