[thecrow]

Yes. It's changing the sound.
And I enjoy it for it.

 

[AlanU]

   
Now I've come across two different opinions: one of that the DAC being the least important link in the chain (as long as it does it well) up until you reach the $1k mark. As I've also read that bumping yourself up from an ODAC to an uber Bifrost (both upgrades) gives you very very slight audible improvement for quintuple the amount. This side also says that the AMP plays a far more important part in synergy with the headphones. Literally piling their heiarchy as thus: Headphones > Amp > DAC.
 
The second are on the solid ground that even a $100 difference is a night and day difference, and is just as important as the headphones themselves.
 
The middle ground doesn't seem to appear.
 
So my one question would be: by pricier, how much pricier are we talking about? I've seen the same amount of reviews saying that the ODAC is just as good as the benchmark DAC 1, than the reviews saying otherwise.

 
The headphones is the most colourized component in the "mix".  This is where I would say has the most weight in the change in sound. That being said the 02 amp is quite remarkable regardless of price. When I bought my Burson Virtuoso I didn't think the amplification was a big deal. However the Burson amp presented a slightly more smooth refined sound coming from the same dac I was using (Burson DA160).  
 
What I do find is that even in the $1000 price range of DAC's they all present in a different way. This is much more evident with a 2 channel because the "sound stage" and layers must fill the room.  I tested a my Audio Engine D1 DAC on my 2 channel and it was very "thin" which lacked body.  My Burson DA160 was noticeably better and more natural sounding especially with music with string instruments. However it was still lacking richness in body. This is not warmth I'm discussing. The body of the music still seems lacking. My Concero Hd was an insane hyper detailed extremely FAST dac but still did not have the organic long note decay you would hear in real life when it comes to piano.  The sound stage was also massive and almost artificial like my HD800. I spent aprox $3000+ on my tube dac with separate rectifier cct / power supply and my jaw dropped. Female vocals have never sounded so engaging with holographic realism that is not preset with the solid state cct's in my other DAC's. Listening to an ocean "meditation" music I find my tube dac completely utterly "real" while the other dac's I own provide the sound of waves with extreme detail with lack of engagement and natural sounds we hear in real life at the beach waterfront.
 
I do find the 02 amp has been freakishly amazing compared to my amp section of my Burson Virtuoso. Souce is extremely important. I can see how some dac's can sound the same but if you throw on a wyrd4sound dac mk2 and Odac you'll probably notice that the wyred4sound dac is much more exciting and faster but IMO at the cost of long duration listening fatigue. Howerver it does come down to synergy too. Using my concero HD I can tolerate music longer with my hd650 but with my hd800 my ears would bleed with too much hyper detail.  
 
I started with my AudioEngine D1 and it then became a serious quest for natural real sound. The most difficult part of SQ is the subjective discussion and impression. However "note decay" is something very evident that is either "there" or "not".  This is where music genre also makes a huge difference in how people subjectively compare things. Female vocals and strings instruments/trumpet and orchestra is something you can really start to hear a huge difference in "engagement". My electronica/ R&B  I can listen to my audio engine D1 all day long. 

 

[KeithEmo]

  Yes, that's all fine and dandy, but you're missing the point of the O2/ODAC: it's to simply provide a sound that's as unaltered as one could get. So while it's true tubes provide a different sound due to different harmonics (easily visible in square wave tests), that's not the point of the O2/ODAC. If you think that 'organic note decay' is better with other DAC's, more power to you. But it's an addition to the source in the end, which is contrary to the point of the O2/ODAC.
 
I've listened to quite a few DAC's though, and I struggle to hear the difference unless there are additional 'bass-boost' filters. Maybe I lack the golden ears that you have, but the whole point of DAC's isn't to alter the sound, but to provide the best (ie. accurate) conversion of digital to analog. Anything else is contrary to the point of an ideal DAC. That being said, if you don't like that, fair enough.

 
Perhaps I should restate a point here that sort of gets lost in the shuffle.
 
It's true that some DACs (and other equipment) are deliberately "voiced" to sound different from their competitors, and things like tube buffers usually add an easily audible coloration, but the differences between DACs that are really designed to sound neutral are VERY subtle. These differences are often MUCH LESS AUDIBLE than the differences between speakers, or between headphones, or between room treatments. (The fact that you "struggle to hear them" probably means that you shouldn't bother.)
 
In audiophile land it's very easy to become obsessed with some particular flaw or shortcoming of a certain component - and to expend unreasonable amounts of time and money to correct that tiny flaw - when those resources could have made a much bigger difference somewhere else.
 
A humorous analogy comes to mind. Imagine you and a friend walk into a room, decked out with oriental tapestries and rugs, in a variety of colors that clash widely - purple, red, green. The air is filled with smoke so you can barely see, and the smoke smells like it's probably not tobacco. There's loud music blaring, and a monkey in the corner is throwing fruit at you. (Think Indiana Jones meets I Dream of Jeannie....). You notice your friend standing in front of a small shelf on the wall, which is occupied by two six inch high vases - both sort of fancy looking. He indicates one of the vases and comments: "It's driving me nuts; the vase on the left is 18th century, and belongs in a museum, and the one on the right is a cheap 19th century knockoff; how can someone put them next to each other like that? It's just wrong."   Is he wrong? No; it's just a matter of focus and perspective.  

 

[AlanU]

   
Thanks for your clafication, I have always itched a bit for some DAC upgradetitus but have been reading a collection of contradicting points of views. Another consideration for myself is that I purely use USB as a source, therefore I cannot help but see additional input choices (TOSLINK etc.) as unnecessary addition to cost, which seems to happen often on many of the higher priced DAC offerings.
 
For now I am using an ODAC and an amp (DIY SeNNator Project) filtered specifically to balance out the HD650, and it's a sound signature that I enjoy thoroughly. The O2 I have, I now use with a modded pair of T50RP's, it's uncanny how well the O2 works with those headphones.
 
My wallet can rest a bit longer.. For now..

 
Upgraditis is a bad thing but when the time comes you will have an uphill battle to make it a quest to find a dac that really satisfies your ears.  As far as the 02 objective amp is concerned....its scary good !! 
 
The only reason I bought a new Burson Virtuoso was that I wanted a clean up my clutter on my desk witha chunk of aluminum. I use my onboard dac but I run it through a grant fidelity tube buffer.  That sound "good enough" for my headphone rig for now but it's not even remotely close to my Space Tech Labs tube dac with super rectifier. 
 
If you look at the higher end Woo amps you'll see that they put the two units as a system. This separate unit provides much better SQ because there is two independant power supplies. My setup i am using 2 tubes for the rectifier cct.
 
If your able to hear a difference between dac's you'll start to become more eager to find what your after. More lush mids? deeper lows? refined highs?  The mids is the sweet spot for many and this is where it can be "full" yet not too heavy. The ODAC is thinner in the mids but if you've never done an A/B comparison you may know where it lack until you do so. 
 
Sure it's simple to say a dac is suppose to represent neutral. Sadly this is not the case from dac to dac. However the reason why many search for "synergy" is because they want to manipulate the "accurate source" and massage the music with a nice preamp and amp. 
 
I approach my music with a tube dac source and then clean amplification with my two channel setup.  For my headphones I simply use a tube buffer with my burson virtuoso. Next thing will be a new set of headphones.  I have the first gen 02 jds objective so the front cable clutter was the reason I purchased a new amp. If it was gen two I would have held back on the purchase.
 

 

[Draulius]

I see the ODAC/O2 Combo advertised a lot with the DT880's being shown. I'm guessing there's a reason for this, and that the DT880's make a pretty good pairing?

 

[sanakimpro]

  I see the ODAC/O2 Combo advertised a lot with the DT880's being shown. I'm guessing there's a reason for this, and that the DT880's make a pretty good pairing?

Well, I have exactly that pairing and it sounds great to my ears! With the DT 880s, it brings our the details in songs which I never knew were there even after listening repeatedly in the past. They don't seem to hide micro or macro details but present it there for you. 
 
With the HD 600 and O2/ODAC, it brings a smoother sound with macro details being pulled forward and I enjoy it a lot and while micro details are present but you need to watch out for them. 
It's like if you know its there, you can hear it, but if you didn't you might just pass over it without noticing.
 
I'm sorry for a lack of a better way to describe them.

In both cases, with the O2/ODAC at least my mind is at ease knowing that it's 'transparent' enough to give a fair comparison. And that, IMO, is what my amp and DAC should do. Either way, I love both the DT 880 and HD 600 on my O2/ODAC.

 

[Draulius]

  Well, I have exactly that pairing and it sounds great to my ears! With the DT 880s, it brings our the details in songs which I never knew were there even after listening repeatedly in the past. They don't seem to hide micro or macro details but present it there for you. 
 
With the HD 600 and O2/ODAC, it brings a smoother sound with macro details being pulled forward and I enjoy it a lot and while micro details are present but you need to watch out for them. 
It's like if you know its there, you can hear it, but if you didn't you might just pass over it without noticing.
 
I'm sorry for a lack of a better way to describe them.

In both cases, with the O2/ODAC at least my mind is at ease knowing that it's 'transparent' enough to give a fair comparison. And that, IMO, is what my amp and DAC should do. Either way, I love both the DT 880 and HD 600 on my O2/ODAC.

I hear the HD600's are more open than the DT880's. Maybe that's why it's easier to miss micro details when listening to them?

 

[JacobLee89]

  I see the ODAC/O2 Combo advertised a lot with the DT880's being shown. I'm guessing there's a reason for this, and that the DT880's make a pretty good pairing?

 
You definitely can't go wrong with an ODAC/O2 as a starting amp/DAC combo

 

[sanakimpro]

  I hear the HD600's are more open than the DT880's. Maybe that's why it's easier to miss micro details when listening to them?

Technically DT 880s are semi-open, but I don't really notice a difference in sound stage size though. 
Again, my comment is nothing bad about the HD 600. I still like it's different presentation. IMO more recently recorded pop songs target the macro details anyway. 
But.. we might be derailing from the O2/ODAC subject Sorry on my part.

 

[Draulius]

What kind of USB cable does the O2/ODAC Combo come with and need? Is it USB to Micro/Mini USB, or something else?

Thanks.

 

[sanakimpro]

  What kind of USB cable does the O2/ODAC Combo come with and need? Is it USB to Micro USB, or something else?

Thanks.

With mine from Epiphany Acoustics, it comes with USB to Mini USB.
The EHP-O2Di model (O2 / ODAC combo) also has two rear RCA jacks which function as input/output.
And of course it came with a AC-AC converter (wallwart).
 
check it out here: http://epiphany-acoustics.co.uk/products-page/dacs/ehp-o2di-desktop-headphone-amplifierdac-3/ 

 

[JacobLee89]

  What kind of USB cable does the O2/ODAC Combo come with and need? Is it USB to Micro USB, or something else?

Thanks.

 
It comes with it's own cable bundled with the ODAC. That you don't have to worry about.
 
If you're buying the O2 and ODAC as separate unites you will need a 3.5mm interconnect, or RCA to 3.5mm or Dual phono RCA depending on the type you bought.
 
If you're buying the O2/ODAC combo unit, you only need the usb cable that came with it, and the wallwart.
 
Of course, just as important: your headphones.

 

[inseconds99]

Am I crazy to consider getting the O2+oDac for HD800's? Tons of talk about how there is no "synergy" with the headphones and this dac/amp. Would I be better off with a modi 2uber and a vali or valhalla 2?

 

[Draulius]

   
It comes with it's own cable bundled with the ODAC. That you don't have to worry about.
 
If you're buying the O2 and ODAC as separate unites you will need a 3.5mm interconnect, or RCA to 3.5mm or Dual phono RCA depending on the type you bought.
 
If you're buying the O2/ODAC combo unit, you only need the usb cable that came with it, and the wallwart.
 
Of course, just as important: your headphones.

 
I was thinking about possibly getting a better cable for it though. That's why I was curious about what kind of USB cable it is. What kind of connectors are on each end? Is it a basic USB to USB, or USB to Micro/Mini USB? And yes I am getting the combo.

 

[sanakimpro]

   
I was thinking about possibly getting a better cable for it though. That's why I was curious about what kind of USB cable it is. What kind of connectors are on each end? Is it a basic USB to USB, or USB to Micro/Mini USB? And yes I am getting the combo.

Yes, in my case it is a typical one. The stock cable works fine and I think as long as I don't hear noise with mine, I'm okay.