gaspir324
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2011
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Do share the initial impressions and why you are disappointed.
It scaled the volume down, even with highest volume, it has effect like reverse amp. With N3i bass impact or punchier bass was missing. The vocals and hi were also affected.With RE0 it sounded bit better. Also the faster tracks did not sound right.
Out of curiosity, how many of you listen with your player at max volume when using your headphones or (in particular) IEMs?
And another question, do you listen with your IEMs using Line-out directly?
no I don't listen at full blast, but I doo use my LO all the time, right now thru an amp,
but I was wanting to be able to hook the ZO v ?, up to the LOD of my iPod classic 7th gen. and with a volume level that isn't TOO high, or too low ? but with the feedback and revisions ?
I think I will stick with the ZOv1 until I hear that it is adjusted and compatible with being able to listen straight out of a LOD? which will be the V2.3 I hope... and now to hear that if the gain winds up getting set too high, to be like the ZO v1, YIKES! will it blow my eardrums if I adjust it wrong? a little concerned
Out of curiosity, how many of you listen with your player at max volume when using your headphones or (in particular) IEMs?
And another question, do you listen with your IEMs using Line-out directly?
I, in the other hand, just use HO, and the only problemis the hiss... I use the volume contour on max, and adjust the volume to the IEMs on the source. I could live with that hiss, but I would be the happiest man in the world if I could get rid of it. Just the hiss, and nothing more... Because of that, I will wait for new revisions in the ZO2 and hope that Paul will discover a way to do that.
Sometime ago, as I was reading on the boards, the LO on Ipods were fake, just like some other players. It was just the amp signal turned to maximum, or near maximum volume. With that in mind, I did a test with my J3, that lacks LO, puting it at max volume and using ZO2 v1 to "atenuate" the volume. It is really too loud to use in thet way.
The main problem here is that some folks like to use the LO on Apple sources because now they have a true LO, and the quality of the DAC seems to be better than the HO, known as a weak source. That's why they do that, and why they want the ZO2 with volume control.
I, in the other hand, just use HO, and the only problemis the hiss... I use the volume contour on max, and adjust the volume to the IEMs on the source. I could live with that hiss, but I would be the happiest man in the world if I could get rid of it. Just the hiss, and nothing more... Because of that, I will wait for new revisions in the ZO2 and hope that Paul will discover a way to do that.
The main problem here is that some folks like to use the LO on Apple sources because now they have a true LO, and the quality of the DAC seems to be better than the HO, known as a weak source. That's why they do that, and why they want the ZO2 with volume control.
1. The 'quality of the DAC' in an iPod will remain identical, regardless of whether you are using HO or LO. The overall *sound quality* may change, but the DAC's output will remain the same. The only alternative is to bypass the iPod's DAC, and the cheapest means of doing that is the Pure i-20 : from there, it gets exponentially more expensive, but I'm sure you know that. Most choose to bypass the iPod's amp with a LOD, but you are still using the DAC in the iPod - I agree with Voldemort that most iPods have a better DAC than we give them credit for, but thats another can of worms.
2. I disagree that the HO on all iPods is a 'weak source' - possibly in the European market, where they have Draconian restrictions on the maximum volume, but not in my experience with ipods created for Asia-Pacific. That said, anyone using a LOD will soon tell you that they prefer the output from the amp they have that LOD plugged into - again, extra expense to 'solve' a perceived problem.
3. ZO2 V1 does have a volume control - the problem is that it is unable to attenuate the LO signal from sources like my T51 - I wouldnt even try with the MSII's 1.5V RMS output. For me, the sole exception has been my 150-ohm RE262's, but even then I prefer using another amp with the LO from the T51, as it gives me a much finer degree of control over the end result. For critical listening, I also prefer my other amps to the ZO2's coloration, even at the lowest SmartVektor setting - for movies and games, its the opposite.
Paul is correct that connecting your phones directly to the lineout is bonkers, but its amazing how many on Head-Fi feel compelled to do exactly that.
He has figured that out...and is exactly the intent of the rev 3. We are doing our absolute best to accommodate both IEM and headphone users who use either HO or LO, but obviously, this isn't an easy task!