My friend lent me a souped up Audiolab MDAC (the "Premium Toy" upgrade) which sounds absolutely superb.   Having found that the £35 Wosong U308 (Wolfson chip) sounds basically identical to a Cambridge Dacmagic Azur (Wolfson again) I wondered if the SMSL M8 with the Sabre chip would sound as...

I used to own a Little Dot 3, very stupidly sold it. I have the Dac-01a and it's a great preamp but the headphone sound is to-do. If you want great headphone sound, get a little dot 3 and decent DAC, I'd suggest an HRT streamer II or schiit modi for starters.

Just tried it for you. If the Windows tester is to be believed then yes (clicked 88.2 in "supported formats" and clicked "test" and it worked).

Well I'm only using it with bigger cans and I've not noticed any noise and the volume pot seems fine. For the money it seems like a total bargain.

I wanted a USB headphone amp with digital output for my DDA amplifier(s)...I tried the Fiio E10K and did not like the sound at all. Too much midrange, not enough punch. Some people must like this device (it gets good reviews) but I thought it was not for me at all.   I then tried two Chinese...

It's a very good question.   Even the Denon PMA50 all-digital amp has an op-amp for the headphones.   Is this tapped off the speaker outs I wonder, or running off its own DAC?   Presumably a CSR or Nuforce chip could drive a headphone amp - why shouldn't it?

I've been through a bizarre routine of trying every "digital" amp on the market except for the more expensive NADs. Either class D plus DAC (Teac) or pure digital (Denon PMA50 and Nuforce DDA100). On the basis that I've managed to acquire all at well below street price and I'll sell whatever I...

OK so this is a 3 year old thread but I know we all like to have info... err I mean opinions!   I've got an HRT Music Streamer II and a Dacmagic (original model) here on my desk right now.   HRT Music Streamer II wins by a nose. Similar sound to both, but the HRT handles "busy" sections of...

I have a pair of A700s and I think they are superb in so many ways.   I do sometimes find myself wanting more bass. I have a really great amp (Little Dot) and I don't think an amp will boost your bass that much.   Based purely on research it looks like the answer could be the Denon...

I've just gotten a pair of Westinghouse 6AK5 (says that on the box, no idea if they are the same as your 5654 or not) just because I like the classic US "military industrial complex" brands of that era. Nothing recessed about the vocals that I can hear. and if anything I'd say they have a very...

Seems very odd to mix tubes - they don't work together....  one is left and one is right!   Mullards are superb tubes alright but in the end I've concluded that the Russkies are the best all-rounders and I'm also super happy with my JAN Philips tubes for maximum bass groove.   Everything...

Yekrut - I had exactly the hissing problem you described with a Mullard tube reasonably soon after purchase from an ebay seller who is a valve dealer.   The seller replaced the tube for me - all OK now.   Mullards are definitely a "top 3" tube for the Little Dot. In the end the best...

  Hytrons have arrived folks. Four of them for the price of two typical Ebay NOS tubes, but not tested or "matched". Cardboard packaging old and discoloured, a film of dust on the tubes. Definitely old stock! Tested in 1953 according to pack.   I've been using Jan Philips for a week now -...

  My Jan Philips 5654W just arrived. Definitely more/deeper bass than other tubes, and I'm liking them. Might be best tubes I've heard but will hang on before passing firm judgement.   There's a chap on Ebay right now selling sets of 4x Hytrons for just under $20, and given what people...