Official Audio-gd Sparrow thread
Jul 25, 2010 at 4:32 PM Post #421 of 727
Got my Sparrow for several days. It is fantastic!
I think it is pretty competitive even comapring to Compass.
I tried it with my DT990/600, and it works pretty fine with sufficient power.
Now I pairing it with my DT770/80 in my office, and it works really great.
Love this tiny device!!
 
Jul 28, 2010 at 3:27 AM Post #426 of 727
Quote:
My Sparrow A arrived and I've had a bit of a play.  Nice and clear-sounding out of the box. Having just compared the old and new USB inputs on the Fun, the Tenor chip seems to make a small improvement, resulting in a slightly smoother, less harsh sound.  It's not unpleasant driving my HD-800s either, though is a little fatiguing. Also too, the soundstage etc. isn't anywhere near as good as a mid-range dedicated amp and it wont do justice to say, Shpongle or anything complex.  I understand why other manufacturers use the WM8740 in low-end gear, as the slight treble roll-off masks the lack of linearity in the treble and makes listening less fatiguing.   Overall though, it's closer to what I originally intended in concept, if not entirely in spec, when I asked Audio-gd to make an entry-level piece of gear.


thanks for the impressions Currawong. based on how it sounded with the HD-800s, how do you think the Sparrow would do as a DAC/amp for HD-650s? is there anything better in a similar price point (under $300)? how does it compare to offerings in a higher price category? you also mention it doesn't shine with complex music like Shpongle.. what types of music would you say it handles best? worst? (i'm not sure what constitutes "complex" music from an audio gear perspective!)
 
sorry, lots of questions. any insight is appreciated
 
Jul 28, 2010 at 9:01 AM Post #427 of 727
[size=16pt]I received my supposed to be USB-A version sparrow. But they sent me an e-mail on the same day that my unit doesn’t support more than 48Khz. They offered me to send it back to them to send me A version or refund 30% of 235$ that I paid. Since I already waited around 30 days in the process(sending money and waiting it to be in stock and shipping) I had to accept their 30% refund disappointedly. I pair it with DT990 600 ohm and I think I like it. I have no other amp to compare its sound. I asked them several times what is wrong with it but nothing is clear. Also gaining switch doesn’t work(only one out of three works). Maybe you guys can tell me what I miss?[/size]
 
Jul 28, 2010 at 12:05 PM Post #428 of 727
Gaining switch? There's no such thing, no? I guess you're talking about the digital input switch in front, which for some reason is only named 1, 2 and 3.
 
I don't quite see why you would buy the A version in the first place, this being your first amp and all...
 
Jul 28, 2010 at 9:06 PM Post #429 of 727


 
Quote:
Gaining switch? There's no such thing, no? I guess you're talking about the digital input switch in front, which for some reason is only named 1, 2 and 3.
 
I don't quite see why you would buy the A version in the first place, this being your first amp and all...



Exactly, the switch in front is input switch (1 usb or bnc, 2 Cox, 3, optical). It is not gain switch. And if yours is the older version which has the older usb chip, the usb chip will only support up to 16/48 input. But if you use Cox or optical, it will support up to 24/96 (or 24/192 if you replace DIR9001 with DIR8416). Regarding the A version, based on what Kingwa said, it seems that the A version is for those who use custom high end cables and high end gears, otherwise it is hard to notice any difference between A and B versions. Hope this help.
 
Jul 29, 2010 at 4:12 AM Post #432 of 727
Thank you all for the clarification. So mine is B version with the old chip. I am already happy with the sound of DT990 out of the sparrow but 16/48 input is a bit confusing. Also using foobar I cannot get KS working so I choose DS. Is it related to that input limit?
 
Jul 29, 2010 at 8:11 AM Post #433 of 727


Quote:
Thank you all for the clarification. So mine is B version with the old chip. I am already happy with the sound of DT990 out of the sparrow but 16/48 input is a bit confusing. Also using foobar I cannot get KS working so I choose DS. Is it related to that input limit?


That I am not sure. I use WASAPI as I have Win Vista. From what I read, most people with XP use ASIO, whereas those who are with Vista use WASAPI. Not sure about KS and DS. Maybe check if you need to install any plug-in for that. With foobar, there are a lot of plug-in to play around. To me, it doesn't seem to be the problem of the device if it works with one input well but not another, and it shouldn't have anything to do with the 16/48 input neither. But take notes that I don't know much about foobar though. Use the search function here, there should be some threads for that.
 
Jul 31, 2010 at 5:39 AM Post #434 of 727


Quote:
Thank you all for the clarification. So mine is B version with the old chip. I am already happy with the sound of DT990 out of the sparrow but 16/48 input is a bit confusing. Also using foobar I cannot get KS working so I choose DS. Is it related to that input limit?

 
I'm not sure whether that's a statement or a question regarding the version. You may still have an A version but with a USB chip that supports 16/48. The higher sampling rate support is irrelevant unless you have audio files that are better than CD quality and even then only USB input is affected. The A version relates to the brand of components used in the build.
 
 
Jul 31, 2010 at 11:20 AM Post #435 of 727
Well, I was hoping to use my new CD as part of testing and reviewing the Sparrow but unfortunately I don't yet have it and I'm more than a little disappointed with the current state of play.
 
I'll cut a long story short. I paid on 4th July and after several delays my parcel was sent around 21st July. In the meantime, I had to change the delivery address. I sent three emails to this effect before shipping and received confirmation of the correct address. I'm sure that you can guess that my parcel was sent to the wrong address. Annoying but it's one of those things. However, since I found out and informed Audio-gd, I've had no proactive response and feel as though they've made it my problem. I appreciate there's a language barrier but that only goes so far.
 
I've laid out several options for resolving their mistake, mostly involving effort on my behalf, not theirs, and have not had a clear response, only vague suggestions that I deal with it. More annoyingly, I have not had an answer as to whether they will cover costs if I sort everything, despite asking at least three times. Finally, I have heard nothing since Thursday morning. Obviously I'm miffed partly because I don't have my shiny new toy and it will be over a month since I paid before I get it but I don't think I'm wrong to be disappointed with the customer service response I've had.
 

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