New VentureCraft Go-DAP X for both iDevices and PCs - Page 17

Hmmm...to be honest I've not actually critically listened to all of them but I have the Go-DAP X LME49860, DD1 Muses01, & DD OPA627, in my hands. I've been casually listening to the X LME49860 (maybe approx 50 hrs burn in?), and the DD1 OPA627 has approx 30 hrs burn-in, whilst the Muses01 is currently being burnt in.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dryvadeum 

Yeah, thanks for your advice. I think I'll get an Apex Glacier to pair with the Denons - do you think that'd be a good combo?

What's your player? If it's Samsung/PC then Apex Glacier is a nice DAC/Amp. If it's an iDevice you're going to be more limited to the Go-DAP X (assuming you're looking for an external DAC).

Quote:

Originally Posted by dryvadeum 

Hmm...It's annoying I can't try the combo before I buy. It feels a bit like gambling when you pull the trigger on something based on the reviews & opinions you've read. 

 

Mike from Headphonia said he likes the sound of his HD 650's and a coloured tube amp - would that be a similar combo to the Denons and the ALO Continental tube amp?

With the Go-DAP X, you should be able to try first...are you aware that Musica Acoustics was having a Go-DAP X tour? I'm not certain where that's at now but drop an e-mail to Musica Acoustics about it if you're interested.

One thing to note is that with the Apex Glacier, is is quite a powerful amp, therefore has the ability to drive the high impedance headphones whereas the X doesn't have that raw grunt.

I recently had my OpAmp on my X upgraded to the LME49860 under the advisement of another head-fier and I must say that it is quite a nice OpAmp. It's made me appreciate my X more.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dryvadeum 

Would the Apex Glacier have better sound quality than the GO DAP X?

Unfortunately, the last time I heard the Apex Glacier was back in Oct. So whatever signature -I think- heard, I'd probably be reluctant to regurgitate due to placebo and poor memory. All I can say that I didn't have an unpleasant experience nor was it a wow moment. All I can say was that I walked out having positive thoughts. Sadly going to look at the Apex Glacier thread now, it looks like I didn't elaborate much on what I heard on that thread either - I've gotten conservative on sharing my thoughts without a proper test.

On the other hand, with respect to the standard Go-DAP X, I've had a much more neutral attitude towards it until the LME OpAmp upgrade. But I've somewhat been kind of spoilt by VentureCraft options. The 4.0 isn't too different from the X and with my 4.0 I upgraded from the base OPA2134 & Muses 8820E to OPA1612/AD8397 quite quickly so the OPA2134 and Muses OpAmps haven't impressed me much. This could be the reason why the X with the base OPA2134 didn't wow me much.

If I have both side-by-side, I'd probably could be more descriptive. Apologies.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dryvadeum 


Do you think id get better sound quality using the usb audio out of my Samsung S3 with Apex Glacier or just using an Alo Continental tube amp?

You may get a better response to your question on the Apex Glacier thread. I know there's at least @turorocks there who's got the Samsung Galaxy S3 & Apex Glacier. He bought a VentureCraft USB cable (through me) but had to modify it to make it OTG capable. I don't own a Galaxy S3 and although I know it has a Wolfson DAC, I have no idea how good the implementation is.

Besides, is it even possible to have audio line-out out of a Galaxy S3? So even your ALO Continental suggestion may not even be an option (unless you're talking about double-amping from the cellphone's headphone out).