[preproman]

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Talk to me about the Concero / miniX combo.  I'm thinking long and hard on that DAC..

 

[M-13]

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Talk to me about the Concero / miniX combo.  I'm thinking long and hard on that DAC..

What? with your Perfect Wave Mk2/Buffalo 3/Master 7? I'm surprised you bought another Emotiva with all the Summit-Fi gear you own. Are you building a budget rig to give to your nephew or something?
 
Can you adopt me and build me a rig too?

 

[Zoom25]

Dead silent with HE-500 on the Emotiva, like it was on the O2. LCD-2 gets a noise floor/hiss though.

 

[Limniscate]

Quote:

Dead silent with HE-500 on the Emotiva, like it was on the O2. LCD-2 gets a noise floor/hiss though.

I'm using an ODAC.  What do you think the culprit could be?  My 3.5mm to RCA is pretty crappy.  Modulor built the speaker taps to 6.5mm adapter.  My outlet isn't grounded properly.  Could that be a problem?
 
 
N/M, I don't think it has anything to do with the 3.5mm to RCA, since I still hear it if I unplug the ODAC from the Emotiva.

 

[Zoom25]

Quote:

I'm using an ODAC.  What do you think the culprit could be?  My 3.5mm to RCA is pretty crappy.  Modulor built the speaker taps to 6.5mm adapter.  My outlet isn't grounded properly.  Could that be a problem?

 
For me so far, with 4-5 different sources as well as interconnect quality so far, neither had make a change in the hiss problem. I'm not sure if it's a source problem directly. Especially shouldn't be with the ODAC. Maybe different Emotiva's have different gains or something. For example, I know mac336 got a hiss on emotiva with both LCD-2 and HE-500. I get a hiss only with LCD-2. I am not sure if there's anyone without a hiss on both LCD-2 and HE-500. I think this might have been mentioned before, but I am too lazy to search it up again through all the pages.

 
Also, grounding shouldn't be a problem as this has shared grounds. Besides I am using balanced XLR's throughout in each setup and still getting hum with one of them. I would think it has to do with difference in gain. I'm all ears for others that are more qualified as to why this might be happening with varying results on different amps. Also, I eliminated power conditioning or lack of it as a reason. 

 

[preproman]

Quote:

What? with your Perfect Wave Mk2/Buffalo 3/Master 7? I'm surprised you bought another Emotiva with all the Summit-Fi gear you own. Are you building a budget rig to give to your nephew or something?
 
Can you adopt me and build me a rig too?

 
 
Awww man - it's for the bedroom

.   How you like the combo?  Have you compared that DAC to any other DACs?

 

[modulor]

Quote:

I'm using an ODAC.  What do you think the culprit could be?  My 3.5mm to RCA is pretty crappy.  Modulor built the speaker taps to 6.5mm adapter.  My outlet isn't grounded properly.  Could that be a problem?
 
 
N/M, I don't think it has anything to do with the 3.5mm to RCA, since I still hear it if I unplug the ODAC from the Emotiva.

I tested the adapter and it worked fine for me, but if it is the problem you can definitely send it back and I'll make another one...gotta stand by my work.  Though, FWIW I too had an audible noise floor beyond 11-12 o'clock with nothing playing using the ODAC when I had it.  It's likely because of the high gain, but like others have said I never noticed it when anything was playing, even in quiet passages.

 

[zilch0md]

I'm picking up another A-100 for modding purposes! I don't think many people suggested this amp was neutral. The first review of the unit I posted (I was the first purchaser) said that it at the least added a bit of a bass kick, although I due contribute this to some extent to the extra current running to orthodynamic drivers. As for the T1, well if you don't like sibilance, that headphone may not be your cup of tea 

. I had a love hate relationship with my T1s, and eventually sold them. If it was late at night and they were they only headphone I would listen to I enjoyed them. (my ears are sensitive in the mornings). But I was switching from my HE-500 or Mad Dogs, they just sounding painfully bright. I would love to find an amp that complimented that headphone. There were some really good qualities about it. 

+1 to the quotes I have made bold. I've been on the verge of selling my T1 for several months, now. Like you, I find it has some great qualities, but I've yet to find an amp that can compensate its weaknesses (too bright and weak in the bass, for my tastes). My best chain for the T1 thus far is DACmini CX > Decware ZSTAGE (tube gain stage) > Burson Soloist, and I'm still not pleased with the T1.

But the news here is that anyone struggling to find an amp that can enhance the T1 bass while also taming its brightness, should not, in my opinion, expect the Mini-X to suit that purpose. The huge improvement in bass characteristics is bittersweet against the unsavory treble.

Just got my second a-100 in today.  Haven't hooked it up yet, but I will let it play over the weekend.  Don't know about yours - but mine is brand new.  Thant means brand new caps, diodes, resisters TX the hole nine.  They need breaking in.  Got it this time for the bed room and to pair with the Mad Dogs..

I never heard any hot treble with this amp unless it was in the recording.  I've always found this amp to be pretty true - with an added punch in the bass.  I always found the mids to be clean - not forward and not recessed, just there, just where I wanted them.  

We all have different ears.  I mainly used mines with "POWER HUNGRY" headphones.  HE-6, HE-5LE, HE-4 and the Mad Dogs.  All other headphones the amp is just to much for IMO.  HE-500, LCDs, T1, Q701s - Just all the other headphones I tried I preferred them on other headphone amps.  When the amp is pushed is when it really sounds it's best.  Although it's best is still not great.  Just pretty good.  

Yeah - but I'm going to let all the caps and things get pretty warmed up.  I'll take it for another round with what I have now.  

My B22 is not neutral at all.  I would call it south of neutral,  yet the B22 is the best amp I have to pair with the T1s.  The GS-X mkII is dead to nuts neutral - yet IMO the T1s still sound better on the B22.  

Yes the a-100 has a lot of energy - that's a good description and one that I would agree with 100%  One would think it would make the HE-6, HE-5LE, HE-4 and the Mad Dogs listenable.  To my ears on these headphones the treble is more tamed than anything else.  It just extends very nicely.

Take a look on the Emotiva community form - They have an a-100 thread there - the users there use it with speakers mainly - but there impressions are mostly that the amp is a somewhat neutral amp.  

If the headphone can't make the amp work then you may get hot treble.  

Time to burn in..

Thanks for your input. My Mini-X is also new, so I will get it burned in and will certainly follow-up on my premature impressions. Currently, though, it's very easy for me to switch between the Mini-X and DACmini CX amp section, but with every headphone I try, the Mini-X is brighter and less smooth in the treble (in addition to offering a lot of desirable improvements over the DACmini CX.). And, it makes the treble hot in my Definitive Technology StudioMonitor 45s, too.

But maybe this will change with burn-in.

Thanks,

Mike

 

[Limniscate]

Quote:

I tested the adapter and it worked fine for me, but if it is the problem you can definitely send it back and I'll make another one...gotta stand by my work.  Though, FWIW I too had an audible noise floor beyond 11-12 o'clock with nothing playing using the ODAC when I had it.  It's likely because of the high gain, but like others have said I never noticed it when anything was playing, even in quiet passages.

I think your cable is fine.  I hear it even at 0 volume, but it's not that big of a deal.

 

[zilch0md]

Now, I know very little about speaker amps, or amp technology in general. But I know from experience that the same headphone model can often sound different due to unit variation. I've experienced this with Grados especially. I wonder if the same thing can happen with speaker amps, for instance the a-100? I'm just a little surprised by zilch0md's findings. And I know Preproman saying the T1's treble was very smooth on his a-100, which sounds in stark contrast to zilch0md's findings. I guess other factors could be at play...maybe his T1 was smoother.

Good points. I know there are good T1s and there are bad - they are all over the map, it seems. In my case, admittedly without much burn-in yet, every headphone I compare on the DACmini vs. Mini-X sounds brighter and less smooth on the Mini-X.

More comments after burn-in.

Mike

 

[preproman]

Quote:

Thanks for your input. My Mini-X is also new, so I will get it burned in and will certainly follow-up on my premature impressions. Currently, though, it's very easy for me to switch between the Mini-X and DACmini CX amp section, but with every headphone I try, the Mini-X is brighter and less smooth in the treble (in addition to offering a lot of desirable improvements over the DACmini CX.). And, it makes the treble hot in my Definitive Technology StudioMonitor 45s, too.

But maybe this will change with burn-in.

Thanks,

Mike

 
I got my HE-6 on with the miniX right now - playing Jazz at the PawnShop.  It's just delightful.  Just for a point of reference - The volume knob is at 1:00pm.
 
Have you ever heard the Mjolnir?  It's kind of the same thing hear - very aggressive and very forward sounding.  I think the treble will smooth out for you a tad bit - not by much on the headphones your using though.  It does for me on the HE-6.  Have you guys read this review:  
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/650912/hifiman-he-6-ultimate-review-write-up-3-2-13-updated-comfort-pads-and-sound-lows-mids-vocals-expanded
 
Like Miles Davis trumpet might put you in the hospital.  But that's just the amp being true and extending the highs all the way out.  No treble roll off here - thats for sure.  

 

[zilch0md]

My impression is that the amp is neutral. And surprisingly transparent for its price. Good extension in both ends. I disagree strongly that it's got recessed mids. But then this is just my opinion formed from gears I've owned. For what it's worth I hate heapdhones/amp/dacs with v-shaped frequency response curves. Just can't stand hot treble or recessed mids. If the Emotiva was like this in anyway I would have said it flat out and returned it to Emotiva within the return period.

For what it's worth I think it's the best bang/buck amp I've ever owned. Including all the Schiit stuff I had in the past. I would have been happy to pay twice the asking price for them and wonder how in the world this amp isn't more popular.

Thanks M13,

I find this promising.

More later...

 

[Limniscate]

I've heard this amp for 2 hours, but it sounds pretty neutral to me.  I'm coming from an O2.

 

[preproman]

Look:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/419625/wtb-headphone-impedance-adapter-6-3mm-socket-to-6-3mm-plug

 

[zilch0md]

I got my HE-6 on with the miniX right now - playing Jazz at the PawnShop.  It's just delightful.  Just for a point of reference - The volume knob is at 1:00pm.

Have you ever heard the Mjolnir?  It's kind of the same thing hear - very aggressive and very forward sounding.  I think the treble will smooth out for you a tad bit - not by much on the headphones your using though.  It does for me on the HE-6.  Have you guys read this review:  

http://www.head-fi.org/t/650912/hifiman-he-6-ultimate-review-write-up-3-2-13-updated-comfort-pads-and-sound-lows-mids-vocals-expanded

Like Miles Davis trumpet might put you in the hospital.  But that's just the amp being true and extending the highs all the way out.  No treble roll off here - thats for sure.  

Not yet.