O2 AMP + ODAC - Page 39

I know there is no good convention for describing how something sounds. Sound will always be subjective to a point. What really bothers me is that some people say they don't like the way the O2 / Odac sounds. I think to myself " WTF. The O2 / Odac is audibly transparent. It shouldn't sound like anything."  

battou62...

yup agree with you there.....

we are stuck with the source material.....

we listen to music that is recorded and mastered and we make subjective judgements on how it sounds to each of us...

We often compare one song against another, songs from old recordings that have been remastered good and bad.

So its good to have the amp and dac at least be the least 'troublesome' with all the other variables we have to deal with.

The O2 amp and ODAC sure do help mitagate the variables...

On another site, I started a thread on "outstanding demo cd's" It has several hundred suggestions / selections that many people think are really well recorded and mastered....some of the stuff is not to my liking musically...but I do appreciate the quality of the recordings and mastering...

All the best

Alex

Quote:

Originally Posted by adydula 

When you read about this amp or that amp with this setup or that setup or with these tubes etc sound so good or different its because those amps are most likely adding to or taking away somthing to the source signal etc..acting as a filter or eq'ing the source...

 

There are other amps that are very very good as well, that ususal cost a lot more etc....than the O2 amp...

 

With the O2 you can achieve a totally transparent bitperfect flow for a relatively low cost....a great solution.

 

I would rather have a low cost transparent solution and play with cans and source material than chasing amps that make my stuff sound good or diffferent...

 

Many will agree and many will not...

 

Alex

Yes,

but I've read on this site that a much more difficult  is to make a headphone amp dead quiet  (at this price range)  ..and - that person continued - the O2 is a real  achievement!

... and, if I remember correctly,  transparency is not diffilcult to achieve.

Well, until the O2 came on the scene many vendors weren't so transparent in posting all there specifications.

The fact that many, many people indicate that one amp with the same set of cans sound different makes you wonder how transparent they really are.

Achieving all the specs down to points beyond audibility seems to be the mark of what transparency is....you don't hear anything but the source that you inject into it....it comes out the same just amplified etc...

We can debate what the tests or specs are until the next Mayan end of the world but for the most part the designer has published what he has determined to be important that influence the transparency of the amp.

Good news here is another headphone site has taken a look at these and has or is incorporating some if not all of the nwavguys specs etc in an attempt to provide some more technical guidance in differentiating the differences in cans via such specs...whether you buy into them or not.

As far at the noise etc.....it does take some experimenting with component selection and layout as is discussed in hi blog....

Good discussion.

Alex

If a device has audible background noise, then it is not transparent.

I keep wondering whether or not I should upgrade from my Fiio E9-E10 combo to get the O2+ODAC.

Anyone compared the two?

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheGame21x 

I keep wondering whether or not I should upgrade from my Fiio E9-E10 combo to get the O2+ODAC.

 

Anyone compared the two?

I've got a FiiO E17 and I'm looking to make the upgrade to the ODAC/O2, so if anyone has those impressions I'd love to hear them. It's either this or the Magni/Modi combo. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Battou62 

I know there is no good convention for describing how something sounds. Sound will always be subjective to a point. What really bothers me is that some people say they don't like the way the O2 / Odac sounds. I think to myself " WTF. The O2 / Odac is audibly transparent. It shouldn't sound like anything."  

I try to stick to Stereophile's audio glossary when possible.

http://www.stereophile.com/reference/50/index.html

Quote:

Originally Posted by adydula 

battou62...

 

yup agree with you there.....

 

we are stuck with the source material.....

 

we listen to music that is recorded and mastered and we make subjective judgements on how it sounds to each of us...

 

We often compare one song against another, songs from old recordings that have been remastered good and bad.

 

So its good to have the amp and dac at least be the least 'troublesome' with all the other variables we have to deal with.

 

The O2 amp and ODAC sure do help mitagate the variables...

 

On another site, I started a thread on "outstanding demo cd's" It has several hundred suggestions / selections that many people think are really well recorded and mastered....some of the stuff is not to my liking musically...but I do appreciate the quality of the recordings and mastering...

 

All the best

Alex

Ooh, are you allowed to post the link here? I'm always interested in new kinds of music.

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=63936.0

Enjoy...lots of great stuff here......

Alex

I'm thinking of getting a o2+odac combo for my ES10...

Can someone comfirm if they can really fit the odac under the o2 then add in batteries?

TIA =D

What do I need to get to use the O2 portably?

There is a picture of a person that mounted an ODAC under the o2 board in the standard enclosure with batteries on the topside as normal. It was very tight and I think they had to do some insulating to prevent shorting etc...I looked for the pix but cant find it at the moment....it may be on the DIY site? If I find it I will post. Its relatively easy to do if you get a larger case and buy a completed board from JDS or build one yourself..

Portable? Buy one with the batteries....JDS labs etc...

Alex

I have a dumb question, Someone please help me.

I just got the o2/odac, and I'm trying to test it out but I'm not getting any sound.

So far I connected the o2/odac combo to my computer via mini usb, and plugged my headphone jack into the headphone jack in front panel,

but no sound???

Please help~

Quote:

Originally Posted by despine 

I have a dumb question, Someone please help me.

 

I just got the o2/odac, and I'm trying to test it out but I'm not getting any sound.

 

So far I connected the o2/odac combo to my computer via mini usb, and plugged my headphone jack into the headphone jack in front panel,

 

but no sound???

 

Please help~

Did you get the wall plug for the O2?

http://www.jdslabs.com/item.php?fetchitem=38

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfetan44 

Did you get the wall plug for the O2?

http://www.jdslabs.com/item.php?fetchitem=38

Sorry I forgot to mention that I'm using an a/c adapter from my router, so the amp is turned on with red light

and from my desktop, I see Odac in volume control area, but no sound~

Help me~~~~

Edit:  A/c adapter from the router is 12v and 1amp. I'm not getting any sound from the amp, is it because the adapter isn't putting out enough power?

edit: I'm guessing that I'm not getting any sound because the adapter is probably ac to dc output? arg...

Edit: Problem was with the adapter