[runswithaliens]

Hi, I am hoping to hear from EMU 0404usb owners, or anyone who has spent some time using said DAC/headphone amp who also own higher end phones. The question is, does it drive your phones adequately, or do you feel the need to add an additional amp?

I am currently using Audio-Technica ath-a55s and ath-ad700s, and it is a rare day that I get the volume over 25%, so this leads me to believe it could drive more demanding phones, such as maybe even 250 - 300 ohm models? I am shopping for a leap up in quality in my next headphone purchase and some I am looking at are in that range.

If you have the time, please give a little review of your headphones as they sound with the EMU.

(I am posting this in the headphones section because that is what I am interested in hearing more about - I already own the EMU

)

 

[paaj]

I've used it with the SR325i and the HD650. Does quite a good job with those but the EMU is a bit bright sounding.
The HD650 has less body than with the Solo I normally use but still has it's signature sound in being a smooth relaxed headphone. It feels underpowered but good enough if you don't know better

The SR325i has become my main computer headphone for now and is very enjoyable. It's very detailed and the bass goes tight and low. Great for rock/electronics.

 

[Inzane]

I used an emu 0404 dac/amp combo for 5 months to fire up my Grado cans which were a pair of Sr-60's(32ohms) at the time and was satisfied with the overall sound and headroom coming from the emu, that is until I purchased a used corda headfive amp here which unfortunately lead to a horrible chain reaction of headphone upgraditis leading me to a Grado RS-1.

The Emu 0404 is a very detailed dac and as such the warmth of the headfive gave it a nice synergy and balance. I'd hate to say it but a dedicated amp really makes the music sing giving it more body and dynamics. Even though the Emu's headphone out can hold itself it just does not offer what a dedicated headphone amp could offer to your music.

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by paaj /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've used it with the SR325i and the HD650. Does quite a good job with those but the EMU is a bit bright sounding.

x2

I also find the headamp section to be on the bright side. I prefer to connect it either to my NAD preamp or to my XCAN headamp.

 

[penguindude]

The headphone-out on the 0404usb is not sufficient to drive high-end headphones. The 0404usb is known for its dac-lineout and not for its headphone amp.

 

[runswithaliens]

Hey thanks for the very good info! I'm starting to think I might just need to pick up an amp along with new cans, since I am no fan of overly bright sounds.

So it sounds like ideally you would use the analog out of the EMU into a dedicated headphone amp - thus utilizing the EMU DAC but not the Headphone circuitry? Although now that I think about it, that would still be coming out of the overly bright headphone amp section...

...there is also the balanced left/right out with its separate volume control, but that is going to my JBL monitors - oh and an 1/8" out along-side those outputs. I guess that would bypass the headphone amp, but would be somewhat of a pain as I would have to make sure and power off the monitors or headphone amp when switching between the two. Hmmm, now I am confused.

Guess its time for me to start researching amps, but if anyone else would care to share their experience with the EMU and their phones and amps it would still be appreciated.

 

[runswithaliens]

I've pretty much decided to order a Denon D5000 - shopping around now - $399.00 seems about the best price currently.... Anyone have any experience using the 0404usb to drive a Denon D2000/5000/7000? I think I will also look for a relatively inexpensive tube amp to counteract the apparent brightness and warm up the sound as well.

 

[wnmnkh]

0404 won't have much problem driving Denons. But again, it is good to use 0404 as source and use another amp....

 

[boomy3555]

I have the Alesis io2 dac/midi, which is fairly equivalent to the EMU and I find the onboard heaphone amp extremely bright but I believe it was intended to give a transparent rendition for the studio monitor work. Not the warm fun felling I have come to know with the Denons. The new HeadDirect EF-2 is a tube/dac hybrid that has an incredible synergy with the Denons. (189.00 +20usd shipping) It and it's predecessor the EF-1, both have threads here abouts with many rave comments.
I had the EF-1 and had a chance to audtion the EF-2 at a recent meet with my Denon Modded Pioneers and they were really great together.

 

[CharlyD]

I've been using the E-MU 0404 USB to drive HD600s (300 Ohms) for a few months now and am thoroughly pleased. My volume knob typically ranges from 30 - 70% and I can detect no straining when driving higher volumes. The S/N spec for the headphone out is only a few dB worse than the outstanding line out spec and I've never detected any noise whatsoever.

I'd suggest holding off on the purchase of an amp until you've had a few weeks with your new cans and the 0404. On the other hand, after reading some of these posts, I'm curious how a good amp would sound...

On a side note, I had the good fortune last week to hear the 0404 as the source for a demo of Eficion F300 speakers driven by a BAT amp. Absolutely transcendant!

 

[Sherwood]

I enjoy it a great deal with my rs-1, but it was really not enough for my k701. The d5k should be fine, however.