ONKYO DP-X1 | Dual Sabre Dacs | Balanced | Sabre BTL Amp | MQA | DSD 256 | Android 5 |
Nov 21, 2015 at 8:20 AM Post #1,368 of 16,339
What did you listen with? Wonder how multi BA IEMs will be handled, if the impedance curve will nerf the treble as seems to happen all too often.


It has nothing to do with how many drivers, but how violent the impedance curve is. The ortofon eQ8 is far harder to properly drive than many multi-armature earphones. But the DP-X1 appears to be pretty good. About the same as the AK380, which means: could be better, but not that you'd hear it if it was.
 
Nov 21, 2015 at 8:25 AM Post #1,373 of 16,339
Shigzeo: Are you kidding? Yeeeees please


My work is cut out for me. I tested them the same day, and as is the way with DAPs that don't interest me and which I am not reviewing and for which I don't have time to even if I did, I didn't listen to the Pioneer. But the ZX2, I did at least test for hiss. But it's old news. And its output is bad. Very bad. And hissy. RMAA will be up after turkey day. 
 
Nov 21, 2015 at 8:33 AM Post #1,374 of 16,339
I'm just dying to know how the DP-X1 stacks up in terms of hiss, technically the hiss (if any) should be doubled in it's balanced output due to the BTL amp's, as indicated by the doubling of output impedance in balanced, I really hope there is no audible hiss.
 
Nov 21, 2015 at 8:50 AM Post #1,376 of 16,339
  I'm just dying to know how the DP-X1 stacks up in terms of hiss, technically the hiss (if any) should be doubled in it's balanced output due to the BTL amp's, as indicated by the doubling of output impedance in balanced, I really hope there is no audible hiss.

Therre shouldn't be any hiss on balanced output.....   there are ways to take care of that easily...  
 
Nov 21, 2015 at 9:00 AM Post #1,377 of 16,339
^ Hiss is more likely to appear on a balanced output than a single ended output due to balanced needing twice the number of components... The same way output impedance is doubled on a bridge tied load balanced output, the hiss will also be doubled, but if there is no hiss to begin with then there is no problem. If there were ways to take care of hiss easily then no dap would have hiss, and plenty do have hiss (small amounts, but nonetheless audible). I do think that Onkyo will deliver on a hiss free dap though. One of the reasons the Teac P90SD is my favorite sounding dap is for it's black and hiss free back round. On that note, I should be receiving the ugly cousin of DP-X1, the Onkyo DAC-HA300 (brother to Teac P90SD), in the next couple of days 
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Nov 21, 2015 at 9:24 AM Post #1,378 of 16,339
fairly easy...   if no music is presented to the DAC the DAC is told to shut down the output...  that takes care of that portion of the circuit...  then for the amp section you just invert the two signals and add them... the noise cancels itself out...    some DAP guys don't even try to get rid of hiss... 
 
Nov 21, 2015 at 10:04 AM Post #1,379 of 16,339
There are way's around hiss, but the amp has to be designed to prevent it, there is no decent stop gap solution, balanced does not get rid of hiss, in most cases it doubles it. There are many balanced dap's or dac/amp's that hiss more from the balanced output than the single ended output, such as Light Harmonic Geek, HM901, MA9, Pono, N5, etc, etc. I don't think the Onkyo will hiss though, just a hunch 
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Nov 21, 2015 at 2:02 PM Post #1,380 of 16,339
You guys are almost shattering my dreams with today's postings. :xf_eek:

I was hoping that my Zeus XIV and balanced DP-X1 would get me closer to th holy grail.
Zx2 is quite noisy.
 

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