digiZoid ZO2.3 Impression & Discussion Thread - Page 46

Well looks as though im gonna have to sell my Digizoid Z02.3 :(

Wish I wasnt broke so I could keep it but unfortunatly I am scraping the bottom of the barrel

Ive been through my subwoofer...earphones...Walkman and this is my last available item left and for good reason...shoot me a PM guys! 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/626103/digizoid-zo2-3-and-custom-3-5mm-dhc-nucleotide-connector-personal-subwoofer-z02-v-3-boxed

anyone else double amp their zo2.3 with good results? currently my setup is sansa fuze v.1--->line out to zo2 on low gain----> bsg cmoy with ad712 opamp---->koss kde 250

like some other people in this thread, i find the digizoid barely average as an amp but amazing as a hardware eq which is what i bought it for in the first place, its also a really quiet amp with a really black background, but when i used it simply as an amp, line out to zo2 and straight to headphone after i didnt get any good listening levels and switching to high gain using line out is a no no so i was pretty much left with no choice

interesting thing to note (at least with my setup) when double amping and using lod, make sure zo2 comes first in the chain and amp 2nd otherwise you'll get crazy distortion at anything past like 40%

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mad Lust Envy 

Question for you guys, can the ZO2 be used as an EQ only, without the amp function?
Say for (an extreme) example: I have my amp, amping the HE-6, and I wanna use the ZO2 as a bass boosting only, leaving the amping strictly to my real amp. Possible?
Realistically, I'm cutting down my headphones and only using my HE400 which isn't a basshead can, but there are times I want to have bass emphasis (more subtle), but still using my NFB5 DAC/AMP without any extra power/double amping.

thats how im using mine, i did this before with a fiio e6 but i still didnt get the volume levels i wanted, just barely above what the zo2 did in low gain on its own, i now use a bsg cmoy that i just got to mixed results upon further inspection, it could be the result of my opamp in my cmoy (ad712) but so far, all flac files sound amazing, i eq in bass via the digizoid and use the cmoy to get me volume levels and its a good match (make sure zo2 comes first in chain) but other albums in 256kbps and lower seem to distort after 50% volume on the amp

this isn't conclusive tho, im still going up and down my music files, using a fuze with 16gig sd card and lineout, so far flacs work like magic, and low quality mp3's pick up nothing but grain and dont amp well in either eq or volume, also it could be the koss kde250's im using as they are rather sensitive, i swapped em with meelectric sp51 and dont pick up any of the problems i did with the koss and can even max out volume if i wanted

i think it largely depends on individual headphones sensitivity as well as impedance as well as amp synergy with the zo2 and then source quality, looks like im going to have my hands full for the next few days trying to figure out what works and what doesnt

edit: both bsg cmoy amp and digizoid zo2 are in low gain

for those with the digizoid

how does the headphone out compare to the line out in terms of SQ?

Hey guys, here is my unboxing video, size comparison and set up guide!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Zax07_gwLo&feature=plcp

Quote:

Originally Posted by georgelai57 


I have been reading this thread, and gave up on page 10 and was about to contact rpgwizard when I thought I'd check the latest page (yours) and found it expresses the exact sentiment I have.
I have a zo 2.3 plus other headphone amps like e11. I have more than a dozen headphones (no IEMs) and none of my headphones are hard to drive. I fully understand all the high gain, low gain, purple, pink, etc etc but I am totally with you. I do not like using headphone out (whether on my iPhone 4S or iPad 3) for the reason that I don't like using the source's amp because that means two amps in use. Also isn't the whole idea of using Line Out because we don't wish to use the iDevice's built-in amp?
So whether I use a Fiio L3, L9 or L10 line out, or even an expensive Furutech one that I splurged on, I just can't get adequate volume via Line Out. I have no problems with any of my other amps (e11, iBasso D zero etc) but not the Zo 2.3. An ideal volume for using the Line Out is somewhere between purple and pink on Low Gain and of course that is an impossibility.
I'm not so keen on double amping etc as that kinda defeats the purpose, plus I have to then keep Three items charged!
I'd be interested to hear your views and of course OP's too.
If I can't resolve this, I'm giving it away and await hopefully a Zo 3.
Cheers.

i have a good amount of headphones as well and have since used many of them in my chain i described and came to the conclusion that it isn't worth double amping. regardless of what phones i used eventually im going to come across distortion, different phones and sensitivities only change the volume increments i can reach but eventually its all the same thing, distortion.

the zo2 is a good product but they seriously need to find some type of middle ground as far as their amp section and allow us better control over volume levels. with playing around with my cmoy and digizoid using line out on my sansa fuze and cowon m3 i can sometimes find a sweet spot where neither amp interferes too much with each other but when you remove the amps and compare them to just using 1 of each, like just the zo2 or just the bsg cmoy it doesnt sound anywhere near as good

my final verdict, running an amp into the zo2 for increased volume, no matter what combination you use will at BEST only give you mediocre results. not worth it, avoid line out to digizoid unless you're listening to iems in a really quiet environment or using it on high gain using the headphone out on bigger higher impedance cans

Im selling mine, gonna look to upgrade. i just don't like the Pro 900-Digizoid combo. will be in the marketplace shortly just gotta wait for my posting restriction to be lifted since i pretty much only lurk here haha

I think the Earpods are decent stock, they're at least better than the previous versions. Gonna try the ZO2 with them soon I guess. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by georgelai57 


Just before I wanted to get rid of the Zo, I got a complimentary set of Apple's earpods. I tend to have a set of the previous earbuds when I'm out and about as IEMs just don't suit me. Guess what? The Zo makes these new earpods "decent".

EDIT: Decent as far as they wont kill you to listen to. If they were $20 instead of $30 I'd recommend them to non-audiophiles

Quote:

Originally Posted by georgelai57 


Just before I wanted to get rid of the Zo, I got a complimentary set of Apple's earpods. I tend to have a set of the previous earbuds when I'm out and about as IEMs just don't suit me. Guess what? The Zo makes these new earpods "decent".

I have some Altec Lansing IEMs that I paid $8 for. You would not BELIEVE how good they sound with the Zo. I was truly shocked. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by georgelai57 


It's kinda sad that due to the weak amplification of the Zo 2.3, especially from line out on an iDevice, it's strength is now its effect on earpods, budget IEMs, etc.

I don't disagree with that. I sort of gave up trying to get a good match with my headphones....UNTIL I tried it with my beyer 1350s. It worked *great* with the beyers....the only problem is that the bass is already so damn good on the 1350s that I don't really need the ZO when I use them. But yeah, the ZO will transform IEMs to another level. Not just my cheapo Altecs, but my Atrio M5s, which are great already, will be almost orgasmic on the ZO. They sound huge and have an endless low end....I just wish I enjoyed IEMs as much as I do headphones. I can't really tolerate anything stuck in my ears for very long. 

Im looking forward to digizoid coming out with a desktop amp that has some real juice and also incorporates their vector technology or whatever it's called....or better yet, maybe like a ZO "buffer" that you could put in-line on your existing amp. That would be badass.