[hvu]

If you really want to listen to the D5000 in balanced mode. I would recommend to recable it to Hirose connector and skip the adapter for less amount of bulk or to a 4-pin xlr and make a 4-pin xlr to Hirose adapter.
I would skip the dual 3-pin xlr connector for cost and size factor. I personally have all my headphones converted to 4-pin xlr with a xlr to Hirose adapter for my pb1.

 

[HiFlight]

 
Quote:

hey guys, i'm really hesitant to recable my d5000s, but i want to hear the toucan balanced... is there any reason why i couldn't use these two adapters? that way i can basically use any pair of headphones with the pb1, balanced.
 
http://www.amazon.com/XLR-Adapter-VideoMic-Mini-Female/dp/B000Y021NA
http://ibasso.com/en/products/show.asp?ID=68
 
I know this would be a little bulky but my setup is always at my desk, i use a shadow and iem's when i need true portability.
 
edit: well i suppose it'd have to be a mini to 4 pin xlr but you get the idea

No need to recable your SA5K, simply reterminating them to male 4-pin XLR then using the iBasso pigtail adapter would do the job just fine.  Despite what some folks infer, IMO the 5K stock cable is quite good.  Reterminating them is a very easy job, and if you remove the stock TRS plug with about a foot of cable remaining, you can use it to make a matching TRS to female 4-pin XLR adapter.    A very easy and inexpensive job. 

 

[BebopMcJiggy]

I think the D5000 has a widely regarded good stock cable.  The problem with the SA5K cable is that the splicing in the y split is some crap.  Had to re-cable my friends because one of the live leads came undone in the Y splitter.

 

[wolfen68]

 
Having my RS-1's balanced, I have spent a lot of time comparing the RS-1 Toucan/Boomslang combination to my previous single-ended favorite "portable" combination, the RS-1 from SR71 supplied by the MicroDAC or D12.  The difference between the two rigs is less than I had hoped for, but the Toucan does have a nice sound and I can hear the slight improvement in sound imagery and that nice open sound that is my personal preference.
 
However, as compared to the SR71 combination, the Toucan has seems to have one flaw.  While the level of bass is just fine, it has just a hair less definition and impact than the SR71.  The Toucan's bass is not quite as tight as the SR71, and once noticed it is readily apparent on a majority of tracks.  On a similar note, this is the same problem I had with the AKG 701's as compared to the RS-1's.  Ultimately, the 701's had to go 
 
A little opamp rolling might make me happy...but apparently not an option with the Toucan...
 
 

 

[mrarroyo]

 
I do not have much time to post on the Toucan balanced amp nor the Boomslang balanced DAC by iBasso. I have had them for a while and today I received from iBasso their Hirose to 4-Pin Balance adapter cable. I am currently driving the AKG K1000 with the gain set on high (25.2 volts of swing) while using a modified iRiver H120 running RockBox software and feeding Apple Lossless files via a mini optical cable from SysConcepts in Canada.
 
The volume pot goes from 7 o'clock to 5 o'clock on the Toucan. I am using it set a Noon to 1 o'clock depending on the song being played. I can not believe a portable unit can drive the K1000 so well. for now I leave you with two pictures.
 
 
  
 
 

 

[jamato8]

Link don't work. Driving the K1000. impressive. 
 
correction. Link workin' now. 

 

[daveDerek]

Quote:

I do not have much time to post on the Toucan balanced amp nor the Boomslang balanced DAC by iBasso. I have had them for a while and today I received from iBasso their Hirose to 4-Pin Balance adapter cable. I am currently driving the AKG K1000 with the gain set on high (25.2 volts of swing) while using a modified iRiver H120 running RockBox software and feeding Apple Lossless files via a mini optical cable from SysConcepts in Canada.
 
The volume pot goes from 7 o'clock to 5 o'clock on the Toucan. I am using it set a Noon to 1 o'clock depending on the song being played. I can not believe a portable unit can drive the K1000 so well. for now I leave you with two pictures.
 
 
  
 
 

 
wow! omg - a portable driving k1ks!?!  how well does it drive them?  who was that guy a few yrs back who was walking around in public with k1ks? he'd have appreciated this rig!

 
btw, do you have any experience with the ibasso P3? how good is that amp?
 

 

[gopack87]

I received my PB1 - DB1 combo this afternoon and have been listening for a couple hours with my FA-003.  Even single ended, this is a great sounding combo.  I can't wait to try my HD600 balanced when my cable arrives.  One thing I've noticed regarding digital inputs:  optical out from my macbook to the DB1 sounds very good, but using coaxial from my Audio GD digital interface is such a big sonic improvement, it's pretty astonishing.  I'll post my impressions of my Balanced HD600 later this week, as well as how burn-in improves the unit.

 

[jamato8]

Not all optical cables are created equal and some are pretty bad. I am using the new one from Sys Concepts of Canada that has 1300 fibers in place of the single core. It is much better due to very low modal dispersion and the wider bandwidth. I ordered more because the one I have is for stacking my source so I got a couple at 40cm and two at 8.5cm. I have coax to compare to and prefer the new multi fiber optical cable. 

 

[HiFlight]

I have used my balanced Boomslang/Toucan combo to successfully drive my HE6 planar phones.  They sound superb and I need about 12:00 on the volume control for a very satisfying volume level. 
Very amazing handful of performance!!!

 

[daveDerek]

Ron, does yer T amp that you usually use for your k1ks work well with the he6s?

 

[Roscoeiii]

No kidding is that impressive! In what ways does the sound differ from the HE-6s out of your Virtue?

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Quote:

I do not have much time to post on the Toucan balanced amp nor the Boomslang balanced DAC by iBasso. I have had them for a while and today I received from iBasso their Hirose to 4-Pin Balance adapter cable. I am currently driving the AKG K1000 with the gain set on high (25.2 volts of swing) while using a modified iRiver H120 running RockBox software and feeding Apple Lossless files via a mini optical cable from SysConcepts in Canada.
 
The volume pot goes from 7 o'clock to 5 o'clock on the Toucan. I am using it set a Noon to 1 o'clock depending on the song being played. I can not believe a portable unit can drive the K1000 so well. for now I leave you with two pictures.
 
 
  
 
 

 
wow! omg - a portable driving k1ks!?!  how well does it drive them?  who was that guy a few yrs back who was walking around in public with k1ks? he'd have appreciated this rig!

 
btw, do you have any experience with the ibasso P3? how good is that amp?
 

I think you can search youtube for neilpeart and find a video of that guy.
 

 

[GeorgeGoodman]

That is an insane (kind of) portable set up! I have an Iriver H120 so I could eventually build up to the combo. I just can't shake the feeling that I would be much better off getting a desktop amp, but Ibasso is coming out with one, so we'll see.

 

[estreeter]

As a setup for the office desktop or even a motel room, this looks good, but using the word 'portable' just doesn't make sense to me.
 
I know the iBasso gear isnt anywhere near the size of the Lisa, but you can only string so many boxes together before it starts to get just a tad outrageous for portable use, IMO. It may be time to resurrect the old 'Leaving portable audio - its all just too silly' thread