Toucan and Boomslang (IBasso Audio) Balanced Review Thread - Page 22

Quote:

Originally Posted by HiFlight 

I don't know of any  IEM's that use a shared ground anywhere but at the plug, at least none that I am familiar with.   Most headphones with single-sided cable entry need recabling, but dual entries are common at the plug and can easily be reterminated for correct balanced operation. 
 

 

For example, I've been told that the JH-13/JH-16 stock cable cannot be converted to balanced.  

Interesting last few post's......

I found that the TWag cable with my JH16'si  out stripped the stock cable it came with and when i sent my TWag back to Whiplash to change to balanced connector for the PB1 & DB1 I was about to purchase I had to reluctantly  revert back to the stock cable during that time with my 16's for two weeks and was hard to enjoy as with the TWag cable and believe me i was glad to get the TWag cable back, was a long two weeks. 

For me the TWag compared to the stock had more sense of space with improved sound staging, the stock felt more compressed, narrow and claustrophobic in this sense.  Further more the TWag really made the high end a lot more sharper with sparkle that is more apparent and the low end really is tightened up, cleaner and more controlled but yet maintains that visceral bass the 16's are capable of at the same time which really helps in hearing the detail to be had in the over all listening experience.

Personally the whole system was only good as the weakest link in the chain, in this case the JH stock cable. 

Maybe after spending circa 1.5K on the 16pros & the DB1 & PB1 another $275 was worth the extra investment/punt  to make it sing even further which thankfully it does. 

As for the Toucan i have now with the Boomslang the JH16's are now in heaven, going balanced is really another level to SE in conjunction with having a cable that is good enough to act as a signal train for the information from source in this case not the stock cable JH provide.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 0catstate1 

Just received the PB2 today, and my set up is sounding pretty good.

 

MacBook Pro 13" -> (usb to) uDAC2 -> (Mogami Gold RCA to SE to) PB 2Pelican -> balanced CB09 cable -> HD 650

 

The 650 veil is lifted, but I do hear more noise is the silent ranges (sorry, do not know the technical term).  I don't have pitch black silence. Maybe rolling some of the buffers and/or opamps would resolve this, but I have no knowledge on what the best combo would be.

 

Also, is there an ideal volume ratio setting for MacBook to DAC to AMP?  I have the Mac volume maxed, DAC volume a little past 12 o'clock and then play around with the volume on the PB2 amp (usually past 12 too.) 

With regard to the noise issue, there are three alternatives I may want to try (one at a time) to see if it will solve your noise issue.  First and probably a little bit simpler is to find a audiophile level CD and play it directly from the CD drive.  This is to make sure that the materials you use isn't the source of the noise.  Second, try switching the usb connection to optical connection as usb connection sometime is known to be more noisy than optical or coax.  The third alternative is to find or borrow a boomslang or a Desktop DAC that can output balance signal to the DB1 and see if the noise is reduced or improved.  One of the benefit of using balance is reducing cross talk and noise.  I like to know your outcome after you have tried the above.

Does the PB2 susceptible to the same "volume pot" noise issue when you adjust volume, like with the PB1?

With my current opamp configuration of (2) AD8599 in LR and HA5002 buffers, there is no volume pot noise at all. 
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by warp08 

Does the PB2 susceptible to the same "volume pot" noise issue when you adjust volume, like with the PB1?

Quote:

Originally Posted by HiFlight 

With my current opamp configuration of (2) AD8599 in LR and HA5002 buffers, there is no volume pot noise at all. 
 

 

Thanks, Ron.  How do I order the amp with those particular opamps?  Sorry if it's been covered before.  The volume pot noise was my biggest (and really only) annoyance with the PB1.  Also looking forward to the DB2.

I was wondering whether you've been able to compare the single ended input from your Pico DAC with balanced input from the DB1 into the toucan since getting your phones reterminated for balanced?

I'd be really interested if yourself or anyone else has been able to evaluate what differences can be heard as a result of using a balanced input on the PB1 or PB2 as opposed to single ended input. The advantages of balanced vs single ended output on the amp are well documented but the difference having a balanced input makes is far less so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by novacav 

hey guys, some interesting info. until today i've been using the toucan with a pico dac, which has sounded great. i just got the boomslang today, but am not getting my phones reterminated for a few days. anyways my point is, the pico sounds noticably better in single ended than the boomslang... to the point where i almost want to just stick with the pico. anyone have any comments about these two dacs/ how much of a difference it'll be once i'm hearing balanced?

 

EDIT: it's also worth noting that with the pico i'm using a qables silvercab interconnect but with the boomslang i'm using the balanced copper interconnect from ibasso. that could be a large part of it as well

 

EDIT 2: turns out there was something wrong with my usb connection! as it works now i'd say the two dacs sound very different, boomslang definitely seems more neutral and accurate, but i think the pico has slightly better highs as well as maybe being a bit more "fun." I'll post again once i listen more as well as compare a bit once i get my phones terminated for balanced.

If I wanted to use the ER4S single end and the HD600 balanced, would I need to adjust the gain setting every time I switched between the ER4S and the HD600?

I don't know if anyone else has tried working the volume pot of the PB1 in by rapidly rotating it (clearing out the carbon dust that causes the noise), but I've been working it for a while.  The noise is down to manageable levels from the cacophony it was before.  I was actually on the verge of selling it - buying an E11 to see if that would satisfy me - when the noise levels finally got reasonable.  Now, it's just a very quiet, intermittent crackle as I turn that isn't always audible over the music - as opposed to the ruckus before that didn't even always stop when you stopped moving the pot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by imackler 

If I wanted to use the ER4S single end and the HD600 balanced, would I need to adjust the gain setting every time I switched between the ER4S and the HD600?

I'm not sure that you would need to - but it would depend on your particular sample's volume pot as well as your source's voltage.  The 3 dB lower level for the single ended connection works in your favor too, of course.  I've found that running the HD 600 balanced and MS-1i single ended at the same time has them pretty close in volume to each other - less than 3 dB difference.

Mine doesn't have much of a noise issue. Its certainly bearable, though I must advise that my volume knob fell off while I was on a flight to Germany. ROFL!

Well, the knob's just cosmetic - mine came loose too.  It's just a twist of an Allen wrench away from tightening back on.

Perhaps the levels of noise I had were because I bought the PB1 used - I don't know what it was like new.  The first owner may have worn it down without working it to clean out the carbon dust.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackbeardBen 

I don't know if anyone else has tried working the volume pot of the PB1 in by rapidly rotating it (clearing out the carbon dust that causes the noise), but I've been working it for a while.  The noise is down to manageable levels from the cacophony it was before.  I was actually on the verge of selling it - buying an E11 to see if that would satisfy me - when the noise levels finally got reasonable.  Now, it's just a very quiet, intermittent crackle as I turn that isn't always audible over the music - as opposed to the ruckus before that didn't even always stop when you stopped moving the pot.

Did not know these worked like a F1 braking system with the "carbon dust"! ; )

Running balanced with my JH16pros and a Sony X walkman.

I tried this method and has seemed to of improved this issue so thank you BBBen as on my unit as if I did not catch the volume knob in just the right place it would have a background rustling noise that then become fatiguing  

, I am not savy on the technical side of these amps but it sounds like something that will repeat itself over time with build up of "carbon dust" rather than just clearing up permanently. 

Apart from the volume pot issue I am very pleased with the PB1 experience been my first portable amp : )

Quote:

Originally Posted by FortisFlyer75 

 

Did not know these worked like a F1 braking system with the "carbon dust"! ; )

 

Running balanced with my JH16pros and a Sony X walkman.

 

I tried this method and has seemed to of improved this issue so thank you BBBen as on my unit as if I did not catch the volume knob in just the right place it would have a background rustling noise that then become fatiguing  

 

, I am not savy on the technical side of these amps but it sounds like something that will repeat itself over time with build up of "carbon dust" rather than just clearing up permanently. 

 

Apart from the volume pot issue I am very pleased with the PB1 experience been my first portable amp : )

Yeah, the rustling sound was driving me nuts.

You are right about it building up again, of course.  After a week or so of continuous use it's started to get louder again - so I just twist it side to side a few times any time I hear the noise get louder again.  There's no real permanent solution other than a better potentiometer, unfortunately.

Most usually this rustling sound is due to a small amount of offset voltage appearing on the volume pot.   Some opamps are worse than others with the worst of the noise happening when the amp is powered up.  It usually becomes much less after the amp has been on for awhile.  This is just a characteristic of certain opamps.   Dirt or carbon in the pot is rarely the cause of this artifact. 
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackbeardBen 

Yeah, the rustling sound was driving me nuts.

 

You are right about it building up again, of course.  After a week or so of continuous use it's started to get louder again - so I just twist it side to side a few times any time I hear the noise get louder again.  There's no real permanent solution other than a better potentiometer, unfortunately.