[gbacic]

No you don't. If you are expecting them to sound the same then you will most likely hear no difference.
Just because a test is blind doesn't mean there is no bias.

 

[Zink]

Oh, hey Carl, you do have a Sparrow don't you? I  kind of forgot about that. Thank you for contributing your opinion, I will not just cast it way because you aren't raving. I too find listening to music through my ipod to be very enjoyable.

 

[DDVX]

You are being a troll because you are posting on every thread about the sparrow. You have your thread. Stay in it. I listened to my D2000's yesterday and noticed a CLEAR difference between them and my receiver. You've posted your findings from here to kingdom come. We've all read it. No need to beat a dead horse. Oh, and you might be 23, but you act like you're 14.

 

[LarsMonsen]

I would like to bump my question, hopefully getting this thread back on right track
 
Quote:

Has anyone got any experience with the sparrow along with AKG K701? I'm thinking about buying K701, but I'm unsure whether my sparrow will be sufficient for these cans? I've read lots about how difficult they are to amp.

 

[tim3320070]

Enough, end this circle debate. Wasting this thread completely. Stop responding to him and it ends.
Back to Sparrow discussions please!

 

[miyinan]

It's been about a month since I have my Sparrow B.  To me, it is clearly a step up from my uDac. I have listened to it using my hd580s (600grill and 650cable) and MS1is. The improvement was very noticeable. More importantly, it opens up your options of better headphones. In another word, it could make you spend more money...lol.
 
By the way, I didn't do any "serious" blind test as CC did. There is another "popular" thread for that. What I did for comparison was just switching back and forth between the uDac and the Sparrow with volume match, and that's it.
 
Lee

 

[numbskull]

So, about exchanging modules, you need to solder something, or its just like "plug and play"?

 

[EraserXIV]

plug and play, no soldering

 

[Currawong]

If Carl continues to troll this thread, just report each post using the red flag bottom left.  Don't reply to him.

 

[Zink]

If I continue to write posts mentioning Carl he will tell us that he conducted a double blind test and could not hear the difference between the sparrow and an ipod.

 

[AVU]

Everyone should remember the synergy between components is very important.  So talking about a DAC/Headphone amp in isolation is not as helpful as discussing the complete chain with Headphones/IEMs. 

 

[Kayk]

I brought my Macbook + Audio-gd Sparrow + Denon D2000 setup to CanJam a few weeks ago. It certainly wasn't the most impressive setup I saw that day, but the people that listened to it (that I talked to) all agreed the Sparrow was an impressive little box.

 

[bixby]

Okay!  23 pages of "thoughts"  on the Sparrow and I am no closer to understanding how it might do in an above average speaker based system.  I know this is headfi...........and occasionally though we do get some folks with nice main or office speaker based systems to chime in.
 
Id did get a conflicting idea on how it sounds with headphones and with some onboard cards and ipods.
 
We all are looking for value, right. 
 
My question is how does it do in a system using aif files or also with jittery sources like Apple tv into a good amp and speaker setup?
 
Or do we just dismiss the lower end AudioGD stuff and have to move to the DAC 19 dsp1?

 

[les_garten]

 
Quote:

Okay!  23 pages of "thoughts"  on the Sparrow and I am no closer to understanding how it might do in an above average speaker based system.  I know this is headfi...........and occasionally though we do get some folks with nice main or office speaker based systems to chime in.
 
Id did get a conflicting idea on how it sounds with headphones and with some onboard cards and ipods.
 
We all are looking for value, right. 
 
My question is how does it do in a system using aif files or also with jittery sources like Apple tv into a good amp and speaker setup?
 
Or do we just dismiss the lower end AudioGD stuff and have to move to the DAC 19 dsp1?

 
 
All of KW's gear are well built and great bang for the buck.
 
The higher end gear is more neutral and possesses an Inky black background.  Very ghost like.  I think his gear is good for what "it doesn't do".
 
I have a Sparrow and it makes a great Inexpensive DAC/HEADAMP/Pre-Amp combo box.
 
 
Sounds like you are trying to do a DAC/PRE on the cheap.  It fills that slot nicely.
 
It will not be a REF1/C-3 though.
 
I use my stuff for headphones though.
 
My office speakers take a digital signal and have digital amps built in, so I don't use the A-GD gear with them.
 

 

[haloxt]

I have tried sparrow preamp out as lineout to ~$1000 speakers and $200 computer speakers, it sounds good, but compared to my dac19mk3 rca out, it doesn't have as much soundstage detail/depth or timbre variety and can feel compressed in complex passages, but it does have a powerful sound. Compared to compass, the sparrow is quite more detailed and accurate, but compass dac out has the advantage of being a little more natural and emotive.
 
If timbre variety, low volume ambient detail and distinct instruments are important to you, I'd say consider the dac19dsp. If you just want clear and fast macro-detail, good soundstage, some texture, and powerful drive, sparrow may be all you need. I personally wouldn't worry too much about the apple tv's jitter, from what I read people say it is a decent transport. There's things you could try to improve your transport, but it'll probably be trial and error. If you're worried about transport quality, and you happen to like timbre/ambient detail a lot, I'd say get the dac19dsp.