List of DACs that work with iPad - Page 9

I am not sure what that will do.  The predator needs more power than the iPad can deliver.

Well the Devilsound just blew out the powered hub I was using with the iPad, now I am using the one I bought for it. Hopefully the fact that it is also the one USB-powered DAC that wouldn't work with the T3 was just a coincidence.

Also I had to stop listening to Stream To Me to navigate to Head-fi, what happened to multitasking with this update! Kidding, it works with Remote and iPod, not iOS's fault.

I need to find my BT keyboard, I hate typing like this!

I bought a T3hub and it works with my uDac. It is quite a hideous thing to see with camera connector to USB to t3hub to USB to uDac.

I agree, that's why I sent my udac2 back and kept my E7(which sounds a little better to me anyway). It's bad enough to see the camera connector sticking out. But it's just too much for me to have camera connector-usb cable(or usb hub itself)-usb hub-usb cable-dac/amp. I know a lot don't mind that. I'm so glad a good sounding alternative to the udac exist in the same price range. I really hope apple get's this straightened out.

All things being equal, which one of your DACS can be controlled by the windows volume control? 

 

I don't understand why should you have to max out the analog volume control to access the digital signal Via USB?  Even the line out shouldn't be affected by the windows volume control......

 

AFAIK the only reason you would have to max out the windows volume control is not to loose bit depth with the analog signal coming from the K mixer.....

 

I agree, too much stuff sticking out, and the stubby little connector to the ipad is only held by friction.

 

 

Btw, have you compared the "dac" sound to the headphone out or to a line out sound?  My initial impression was that I didn't find the big difference I expected between the HPO and the Pico DAC to my GS-1 amp, (listening with T-1s).  If the line out is an improvement over the HPO, that might be as far as we need to go. <---- just my initial impression

One of the main reason I got the uDac was because it has the ability to take USB in and send digital out via coax. This was also useful for my laptop because it does not have a digital out, either. The coax makes it easy to use with my older Beresford DAC (bought before the head-fi meltdown).

With Airplay and the couple Airport Express units I have, I don't really need this solution inside the home anymore. I am thinking I can find a long USB cord to go from the camera connector to the T3hub that I will keep in a messenger bag with the uDac. That way, if any young children are around, they won't be frightened by Ipadstein.

A while back I wrote about going to Westone to try out several IEM with the iPad, HM-801, iBasso D4, Pico Slim, balanced Protector and Stax SR-001.  We used the iPad > USB DACs, as well as iPad > LOD and amp, and HM-801 SD card with 24/96 and 16/44 lossless FLAC music and used its line out and headphone out.  We all found the HM-801 with music on the SD card to be the superior source over the iPad with USB DAC.  

 

We didn't pay as much attention to comparing the iPad > USB DAC to just an iPad LOD > amp, but it didn't strike us as sounding worse in the course of things.  I do agree that the iPad > USB DAC isn't as good as Macbook > USB DAC, which I think may be due to higher jitter using the iPad as the transport.  For convenience I actually use an LOD more than a USB DAC with my iPad because my Pico Slim with LOD is smaller than any of my DAC amp combos.  I'll have to do more detailed comparisons later.

 

Larry, I suspect you may have just broken a few fanboi hearts, Amigo :)

 

That said, the HM-801 was designed to do one thing, and the iPad a bunch of things. Hmmm ....

Interesting... that the iPad may be the weak link in my iPad rig 

 

I'll have to a/b with my old but 100% functional 12" PowerBook.

It seems like we're developing a consensus on the ipad's digital out..... not that impressive.

 

Do you think the ipad uses more power to send out the USB digital signal or the LOD signal?

 

Did you compare the LOD sound to the HPO sound?

 

Another question is if you are going to listen at a level that is lower than 100% from the HPO, (which should be the loudness level of the line out)  do you actually need an amp? 

 

Another thing is that for some strange reason the ipad played louder than my laptop rig using the same components.  [ laptop usb > Blue Circle Thingee > NorthStar MK2 > GS-1 > T-1 ]

 

All I did was to unplug the usb from the laptop and plug it into the ipad and the ipad played louder.... not better, just louder.  Not sure why that should happen.

I would guess the USB digital uses up more power than using the line out would.  

 

While I don't think the iPad HPO sounds bad (and it's certainly warmer and more musical sounding than my daughter's 2G Touch or my old 4G Nano), the LOD > Slim is clearly better than the HPO of the iPad.  It's more spacious, open and transparent sounding with the Slim or other amps via LOD than via HPO.  The Slim is not much more powerful than the HPO, and where its advantage lies is in the higher sound quality with my IEM.  

 

If the portable amp doesn't have a DAC in it, then it's usually got to be as small as the Slim or T3 to get my interest up these days.  The Slim is my smallest high-end portable amp that I have, and I can always have it in my pocket with me, which is why I mention it the most.  It pairs wonderfully with my UM3X, ES3X, and ES5 that I take with me.  My other portable amps get used in my laptop rig at home, where I tend to use the balanced Protector more (I leave my balanced TWag cable with JH13Pro full time).  The exception is the SR-71b that I pre-ordered, because it will do an even better job than the Protector in my laptop rig and full size phones.

 

 

Why would bypassing the DAC and amp use up more power than when using the DAC and amp?

Different USB DACs were asking for too much power and the iPad was giving an alert saying it was too much.  Apple decided that even 100ma draw was too much draw and lowered it to 20ma. Have you ever seem it give a "power draw is too much" warning when plugging in an LOD?

Thanks for the info.  I also just read your T3 review.

 

Can you compare the line out to the headphone out (at 100%), both amplified with the Slim?

 

When I compared the HPO by itself, to the digital out (with my entire laptop rig), using my 250 ohm '03 880s, there was no "WOW this is better" from the digital source.

 

@ grokit

 

Why would bypassing the DAC and amp use up more power than when using the DAC and amp?

 

My guess it would depend on how much power the external DAC draws relative to the internal DAC/amp.  I didn't try it yet, but is the internal DAC/amp deactivated when the digital signal is being used, or does it continue to draw power?  Which brings up another interesting point.  Can you listen to the digital out and the HPO at the same time? (I'll have to try it later)  What about the line out and the HPO at the same time?