[d marc0]

is the 3580 the same drivers and phone as the 3590, 3592 etc and various permutations on amazon from 10 dollars to 4 dollars??

Yes they are, as long as they don't have the controls for smart phones.

 

[DannyBai]

Is the XBA-30 the updated version of the XBA-3?

It is

 

[drbluenewmexico]

I HAVE the xba3 and love em!  is there a noticable improvement upgrade in the xba30 worth jumping into?

 

[DannyBai]

I didn't notice a difference between XBA-3 and 30.

 

[DannyBai]

Quote:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gavn8r/geek-a-new-usb-awesomifier-for-headphones

Okay, so it's not technically a discovery since it hasn't been released yet, but I do think it's worthwhile to share considering the early-adopter savings and general interest it has garnered.

Quick overview of the GEEK: it's a USB DAC that uses the TI PCM1795 which is 32-bit and 192khz. I'm not sure if the USB implementation allows the full 32 bits, but guess we'll see. Designed by Gavin Fish from Light Harmonic who are responsible for the expensive Da Vinci DAC. A nice feature is that it has two output jacks so music can be shared. The output is amplified and there are physical volume buttons. There's also something they've called the "3D Awesomifier" which is a rather lame term, but it might be cool. I usually don't dig these artificial space-creating effects, but perhaps it'll be implemented nicely by this lot. Final enclosure will be made out of aluminum, so some nice physical quality. It's also going to be made in the USA, which isn't a big thing for me but I know that means something to a lot of Americans.

I jumped on the deal when I saw a $119 spot open up. I don't know how that happened - if someone backed out or if there was a glitch in the system, but I was pretty pleased... And now I'm pretty horrified that I was so impulsive... maybe I'll have to find out if there's a way to back out if I don't get some work soon; the film industry is so frustrating when it comes to actually doing things on schedule. So... Anyone on Head-Fi need some art or animation work done?

But yeah, considering that this Kickstarter campaign only started about five days ago and has managed to already raise almost five times their goal amount, I get the sense it's going to be pretty successful.

I jumped on at $159 and there's still plenty of spots left.  I own the Dragonfly and have auditioned the Meridian and if this thing can out perform either, then it will be a nice feat and a bargain at this price.  

 

[Exesteils]

I jumped on at $159 and there's still plenty of spots left.  I own the Dragonfly and have auditioned the Meridian and if this thing can out perform either, then it will be a nice feat and a bargain at this price.  

How is the Dragonfly btw, I've had the chance to try the Meridian, and liked the relatively balanced output. The fact that it had enough to drive most of what I have(or had) is icing on the cake.

 

[DannyBai]

Quote:

How is the Dragonfly btw, I've had the chance to try the Meridian, and liked the relatively balanced output. The fact that it had enough to drive most of what I have(or had) is icing on the cake.

I would rank the Meridian ahead of the Dragonfly in overall sound.  If I didn't already own the DF, I would have purchased the Meridian.  After comparing the two side by side, I didn't find the gain in sound worth it enough to ditch the DF and purchase the Meridian.  Hoping the GEEK will best these two and the Microstreamer also since it's at an affordable price right now.  Taking a chance on something called the Awesomifier sounds risky but who knows.  

 

[hatefulsandwich]

I jumped on at $159 and there's still plenty of spots left.  I own the Dragonfly and have auditioned the Meridian and if this thing can out perform either, then it will be a nice feat and a bargain at this price.  

And since I've personally not yet moved on from the lowly ELE DAC, I hope this thing blows my mind. .

 

[DannyBai]

And since I've personally not yet moved on from the lowly ELE DAC, I hope this thing blows my mind. .

Never heard the ELE but I sure hope so. Hopefully the 3D feature is not a gimmick and supporting DSD playback is insane.

 

[Mackem]

So when it says "Well, GEEK's amplifier is 10 times more powerful than the headphone amplifier typically used in laptops"
 
What sort of power are we talking? What headphones can it drive? I don't know a lot about DACs 

 

[Exesteils]

So when it says "Well, GEEK's amplifier is 10 times more powerful than the headphone amplifier typically used in laptops"

What sort of power are we talking? What headphones can it drive? I don't know a lot about DACs 

Wait. 10x? Wouldn't that make it able to drive something like a 600ohm Dt880?

 

[Dsnuts]

Usually the most power USB dacs will throw out will do 300 ohm cans max before they start to fizzle but who knows. I read more into that Geek and from what those guys are saying. They are basing the sound of the Geek from a custom built rig that cost $500,000. Lol.
 
Can you guys imagine if they got that in that little contraption?. These guys build $100,000 Dacs so
it is intriguing but once you give them your money that is like 4 months away until you get that Dac.
 
OH WAIT.! I just saw their lead designer of the Geek use a HD800 on the GEEK?

Check out that video. Lol

 

[Exesteils]

I've never tried something "Super" high end like the Da Vinci before so this should be something new.

That's what I was surprised about. 10x of any market DAC is a lot for something USB driven.

As for the wait, it's a kickstarter project. I've done longer ones.

 

[gikigill]

Another GEEK pre-owner here. The HD800 seems to be powered comfortably and I hope it works with the Galaxy S4 and other Android phones.

 

[Exesteils]

Another GEEK pre-owner here. The HD800 seems to be powered comfortably and I hope it works with the Galaxy S4 and other Android phones.

You're planning to use it as a portable amp? Hmmm... Never thought of it that way, with a USB cable carrying digital stream?