[FrederikS|TPU]

Incredible review! Very nice comparisons between the source, great read.

 

[super_fied]

Congrats on getting a HFM Laszlo!Fantastic that you've finally come abroad!
 
Great review by the way!

 

[warp08]

Quote:

Congrats on getting a HFM Laszlo!Fantastic that you've finally come abroad!
 
Great review by the way!

Yup, glad to be onboard!  Now, what does an HM-801 noob has to do to get their paws around one of those neat custom cases?  

 

[shigzeo]

I might jump on a bandwagon when the 602 arrives. I like the size and the looks of it!

 

[Hero Kid]

Yeah the 602 is indeed exciting!

 

[AudioDelite]

Very comprehensive review! Thanks warp08!
 
I'm glad to hear that the DACport is equal/better than HM801 player if you do not consider portability - now I know just how great my DACport is as I just started this audiophile hobby of mine, guess I won't be looking for any DAC/amp for my home rig in the near future as of yet =)

 

[borrego]

 
Quote:

Very comprehensive review! Thanks warp08!
 
I'm glad to hear that the DACport is equal/better than HM801 player if you do not consider portability - now I know just how great my DACport is as I just started this audiophile hobby of mine, guess I won't be looking for any DAC/amp for my home rig in the near future as of yet =)

With the DACport you should be looking for an UMPC. Pair your DACport with this 388g Viliv N5 (http://www.dynamism.com/notebooks/viliv-n5.shtml) and you rig will be as portable as the HM801.

 

[shigzeo]

That UMPC is cute, but I wonder if it can power the DAC port. I'll be trying the thing on an iPad this weekend, so we will see, we will see. If you see me buy it after the review, jump on it as I am fastidious about DACs.

 

[super_fied]

Quote:

Yup, glad to be onboard!  Now, what does an HM-801 noob has to do to get their paws around one of those neat custom cases?  

Drop me a pm if you're keen...and i'll talk to the master craftsman again....
 

 

[HeadCred]

that's an amazing review and represents a lot of wasted time on your part, thank-you! Even if people discredit your review claiming it's an opinion, it's still amazingly valuable. After reading different enough opinions on the same subject, a reader's opinion gains legitimacy, your review is a potent and well explained opinion. Thanks for adding this to the Head-fi collective. 

 

[shigzeo]

Sorry, I didn't mean to discredit the review. It really ended up that way though - that was my poor word choice. I went off about the Studio without referencing what sparked me. I am sure the 801 is all that, but I am also sure that all properly volume matched, the differences will mostly smooth out. With IEMS, the 801 and iMod of course will rock. The Studio, however, is simply not that wonderful a piece of gear. 
 
The DACport I'll finally hear (should be tomorrow) - finally. It would be great someday if somehow (and this is a big somehow), a piece of audio gear could harbour hot-swappable DAC chipsets, not just amp sections. All the bickering we have done in the last 20 years could be laid out sensibly with the same downstream output circuits and main processors. Right, so not likely to happen, but it WOULD allow us to hear the differences within real bounds.
 
The review was amazing - one of the best written ones I've seen in a long time. And yes, it is opinion as much as any review. That makes it part of what makes HF special. On the other side, there are camps here that are deeply entrenched and sussing the opinion from the chip on the shoulder, is hard.

 

[Anaxilus]

Anyone familiar w/ shigzeo knows he wouldn't discredit such a review.  It's typical to have contextual ambiguity when communication is restricted to a keyboard.  
 
Well Done on the review by the way!!  I like the extra polish in formatting as well, ready for a magazine insert.

 

[warp08]

Quote:

Sorry, I didn't mean to discredit the review. It really ended up that way though - that was my poor word choice. I went off about the Studio without referencing what sparked me. I am sure the 801 is all that, but I am also sure that all properly volume matched, the differences will mostly smooth out. With IEMS, the 801 and iMod of course will rock. The Studio, however, is simply not that wonderful a piece of gear. 
 
The DACport I'll finally hear (should be tomorrow) - finally. It would be great someday if somehow (and this is a big somehow), a piece of audio gear could harbour hot-swappable DAC chipsets, not just amp sections. All the bickering we have done in the last 20 years could be laid out sensibly with the same downstream output circuits and main processors. Right, so not likely to happen, but it WOULD allow us to hear the differences within real bounds.
 
The review was amazing - one of the best written ones I've seen in a long time. And yes, it is opinion as much as any review. That makes it part of what makes HF special. On the other side, there are camps here that are deeply entrenched and sussing the opinion from the chip on the shoulder, is hard.

 
No offense taken.  Product development--just like software, which I'm more familar with--is an iterative process.  Not many people have heard of HeadDirect 2 years ago, I bet.  And now, they have executed a daring vision and defined a new market segment.  Is the product perfect?  None of them are, because there are always compromises to be made.  But there are always new challengers enter the market and some of those may end up being very successful if they have the right vision and can execute on it, just like Fang has done.  I see HiSound being one of those with the potential.  Are they there today?  No, but I think they have a compelling enough start to warrant keeping an eye out for them.
 
The iMod is amazing and I'll be keeping mine for the foreseeable future but Apple has not yet targeted our market segment, and with the iPod sales in the decline, they are now focusing on universal convergence lifestyle device instead that offers the best mix of features on the market.  I love my iPhones to death, but as a DAP, it is merely average for an audiophile set of ears.  Is it good enough DAP for the general music listening audience?  Of course.
 
The DAC-swappable chipsets is a great idea, as that's where the development efforts focus these days and DACs seem to have the shortest lifecycle of all components, portable or otherwise.  The cost of new chipsets and the associated development effort in integrating them into the circuit board especially with the bigger role of DSP-based systems on the horizon (see JH-3A) it'll become more and more challenging to design, build, market and sell enough of any of these systems before they are being superseded by the "Next Big Thing."   The more and more I play with these things and learn more about what makes them tick, the more I respect the level of effort, thinking and ingenuity goes into making them a reality.  So, when I look at an early model like a Studio 1, I see not only the limitations, but also the potential subsequent versions may offer based my interpretation of the design philosophy behind the current product.
 
That is one of the reasons why I now drive a Hyundai Genesis, instead of a BMW 7 series 5 years ago.  
 
I hope you like the DACport.  I was told it had over 200 components housed in that little tube.  At least I can now answer truthfully if someone asks "what's that in your pocket?" 

 

 

 

[mgoodman]

Just as a quick aside, CEntrance has now demonstrated that DACport works with iPad. A small firmware upgrade is required and next week we will be posting a firmware upgrade utility on the website. Stay tuned!

 

[shigzeo]

Quote:

Anyone familiar w/ shigzeo knows he wouldn't discredit such a review.  It's typical to have contextual ambiguity when communication is restricted to a keyboard.  
 
Well Done on the review by the way!!  I like the extra polish in formatting as well, ready for a magazine insert.

Yes, pretty good observation - this could slip right into a magazine.
 
CENTRANCE - I am looking forward to that software patch as other than a MBP, I will be sure to test it thoroughly with an iPad!