gr8soundz
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2014
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As I mentioned earlier, compared to iFi's iDSD Micro, the Apogee couldn't quite match its soundstage.
The Groove sounds great and has a good (but not immense) amount of soundstage (also depends on headphone being used and whether it is capable of exhibiting a very wide soundstage). I used both the HD598 and HD650 and a Fiio HS2 switcher to test. My other headphones are mostly closed and have a lower soundstage ceiling. To my ears, the 598 carries a wider soundstage than the 650 although the 650 beats it in many other areas.
I could hear a distinct difference in soundstage between both dac/amps. The Groove sounded smooth and wide until I switched to the iDSD Micro and the width increased (by my ears) roughly 20% on most tracks. Both have full metal outer casings but the Micro does have an internal battery and dual dac chips (even though it's not balanced). The Groove, being much smaller, gets much hotter in comparison but it can still drive high-impedance headphones.
That is the Groove's main advantage. Its small enough to fit on a keyring (even has a notched loop to attach a wrist strap) and still drive headphones like the hungry HD650 to ear splitting levels.
FYI: Just ignore the Groove if you only have Windows......
EDIT: for reference the iDSD Micro's dac section has been argued to be second (for portables) only to the Chord Hugo's. I used it to give a better picture of perhaps a TOTL soundstage. I also have a Fiio E17 but it's hard to compare only soundstage against it and the Groove. Imo, both have similar levels of soundstage but the Groove just sounds so much better all around. The E17 can be had for about half the Groove's price putting the Groove almost exactly between the E17 and Micro (in sound and price). Again, no battery in the Groove but certainly the most portable although the other 2 work much more stably with my Note 3.
