[olor1n]

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Interesting. How many hours have you clocked on the Moon hdam? Moon's presentation of distorted guitars is where I feel it trumps Earth. Distorted guitars sound more clinical through Earth with less body and crunch.

I switched back and forth a few times now, so I've lost track of exact hours, probably somewhere around a 100-150, still too low?  My Earth has hit upwards of 200-250.  I will say this though, the Moon brings vocals (and the music in general) to life in a way the Earth cannot.  My impressions aren't far off from yours, the moon does have more body, ; there's simply more of everything but the hyper detailed clinical nature of the Earth (yes, it is clinical) is enjoyable in it's own right.  There are a few John Butler Trio instrumental tracks (Are you familiar? I believe they're from Australia) that showcase the details the Earth can bring out better than the Moon.  The Moon is more musical, has better soundstage than the Earth (which it did not prior to proper burn-in) and is really good for ambient tracks.  The differences are quite noticeable to me, I feel like I have 2 different amps, and I haven't even put the Sun in yet!
 
The Fun is worth the money and then some.  
 

 
Edit: I'm trying to pick up a used AKG K701 - I think I'll be quite happy to have the Moon then; soundstage should be massive!  
 
Edit 2: I'm not sure if it's burn-in or me adjusting to the sound of better gear but I am listening to the Fun at lower volume levels than ever before.  I now hover around 9:00 on the volume pot.  (9:30 at the maximum)  
 

My Moon hdam took a considerable amount of time to develop the sound I now hear. Prior to it reaching that magical burn in milestone (if it does exist), Moon sounded congested and I could not bear to swap Earth out for an extended period of time. Now I find it the better match for the HD650. For me, the forward presentation and the fuller body affects the entire spectrum, inviting the bass to the lush mid range party and ensuring the treble is present without the cold and analytical quality I hear with Earth.
 
I'm not entirely sure Moon has a "better" soundstage than Earth though. They seem to occupy the same space but Earth has more air to breathe within that space. This is probably due to the less forward presentation, with the seemingly better separation of instruments giving the illusion of a bigger soundstage.
 
If Earth's clarity and transparency could be mated with Moon's warm and textured layers, I believe the HD650 would be elevated to yet another level. This is why I've elected to have a upocc copper cable made for the HD650 instead of silver, as apparently it presents a more forward sound and heightens warmth rather than the clinical detail brought out by silver. I approach this with some scepticism, but I believe the Fun and the HD650 are resolving enough to highlight any changes a cable may introduce to the sound, and I'm really looking forward to matching Earth with this cable.
 
One final note. I think it's important, for those not familiar with the Fun, to distinguish its discrete amp section (no opamps) from the dac module (which is what is being affected by these hdams in its output stage). I suspect people are getting the impression that the Fun's amp section is coloured (and therefore inferior) compared to other entry level amps. Those more experienced with more expensive gear may correct me in stating that the Fun's amp section is far from neutral, but within its price bracket I doubt there would be anything that would get you closer to the "straight wire with gain" ideal.

 

[Currawong]

I don't recall the link to the measurements, but the Moon, if you look at measurements of the stereo crosstalk, has a "V-shaped" curve, resulting in in the mids being slightly recessed or the bass and treble being slightly stronger, depending how you look at it.  A number of us found that the HDAMs took about 350 hours (Factory 100 + 250) before they stopped fluctuating tonally.  Until then you'll get weird things such as the treble dropping out for 50 or so hours from the 230 hour mark.

 

[olor1n]

I've had Moon since September and I'm reasonably confident it's well and truly burned in but recessed mids are the last words I'd use to describe the sound. If Moon has that curve then Earth's mid range must be lost in a bottomless abyss. I use optical with DIR9001 and WM8741 if that has a bearing.

 

[tama]

ok so this is going to be used in my first setup... please dont recommend anything else because i have wasted to much time already

 

[ljperez84]

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ok so this is going to be used in my first setup... please dont recommend anything else because i have wasted to much time already

LOL 

 

[Scytus]

I was reading about the FUN and all positive reviews, until I came across this comment on Headfonia:
http://www.headfonia.com/burson-ha-160d-review/#comment-135841605
 
Apparently to Headfonia_Mike, the compass was quite awful..
So my question is how would the FUN compare with the older version Compass? considering it's basically a revision of the Compass.

 

[leeperry]

 

I don't recall the link to the measurements, but the Moon, if you look at measurements of the stereo crosstalk, has a "V-shaped" curve

http://audio.an-pan-man.com/files/rmaa/earth_vs_moon_vs_sunv2_vs_lt1469.htm

 

[sphinxvc]

Interesting stuff.

 

[KevinFlippo]

Has anyone compared the SUN vs. the MOON?   I have had my SUN unit since January and it started out lively and then got better.  Better being more dynamics, air, presence, detail resolution and depth of bass than the original opamp.  I agree that it takes 300 to 350 hours of use to get the most out of it.

 

[Eunegis]

Hi there,
 
just got my new FUN with all opamp modules, DIR9001 and AD1852. Couldn't resist to order WM8741 and WM8805 as well. (and the DI with them... Playground ahoi)
 
First impressions are that the FUN plays "slower". I believe that's due to more clarity (while still playing softer than all else I've had so far) which makes perception easier and thus causes a feeling of reduced speed.
 
But I have a question to all of you (wnat to know before a lengthy try by myself): if I apply the opamp modules, what way out of the FUN do I influence: the line out where the headphones are connected or the rear out where the speakers are connected?
 
Regards,
Eunegis

 

[olor1n]

The hdams will affect all outputs (headphone, line out and dac out) if the signal is fed through the Fun's dac from the usb, coax or optical input. If the signal is fed into the analogue line in, the hdams have no bearing on sq.

 

[Eunegis]

Thanks olor1n - playing phase starting NOW...

 

[Eunegis]

OK, playing phase is going on...
 
Meanwhile I've figured out that I prefer the Earth module and the DIR8805 together with the WM8741.
Its the best combo for full bodied, warm, airy sound with strong bass and satisfying clarity and timbre in my ears (which don't become tired of that beautiful sound).
The DIR 9001 is lacking a little detail and bass depth for me, the AD1852 is too bright.
Sun and Moon are less involving to me than the Earth while the Sun is still a little better than the Moon.
RCA is clearly better than Toslink for me: more air and clarity. The difference is as least as big as between the modules.
Putting the DI (no PSU) in between was a major step forward in clear, involving, powerful, warm sound.
Lets see what happens upon further burn in...
 
I guess I found the sound signature that fits me and maybe I can resemble it with the smaller NFB-12 or with the NFB-2 (the Fun being kind of a laboratory).
I was mentally leaning towards the ESS9018 for theoretical reasons, but I think I'll drop that plan. The warm sweetness of the WM8741 is too tempting, and clarity is still sufficient.
 
Cheers

 

[kuwahshi]

So i just bought the Audio-gd Fun and was hoping for some advice for someone who is new to the whole headphone amp idea.
 
I've plugged the machine into the power and USB and the headphones in the front. It was recognised and Windows 7 installed drivers. When i got to my audio mixer in my control panel i choose SPDIF Interface TE7022 Audio as my default playback. But when i try to play music, nothing comes through. 
 
Any advice would be much appreciated, thanks.

 

[alexsj]

If you are connecting the computer to the audio gd via usb, you need to select that from your computer (not SPDIF).  I'm not sure that's how you've set it up but that is the way your post reads.  Btw, I bought the AudioGD Fun B version a few months ago for my office and really like it.  It beats the heck out of the nuforce udac I had been using and does a nice job of driving my headphones.  I'm not sure what the difference between the "B" and "A" versions are but the B is around half the price of the A version.