oicdn
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2006
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Ibasso D1 (rolled opamps and DAC) vs. Voyager
I felt this review was warranted for two reasons. One, as a DAC/Amp the D1 is a STRONG contender, some will even arguably say the current king of portables currently available when the opamps are rolled. And as I've just spent a decent amount of time with the Voyager, which IMO is the best STANDALONE out there that I've heard for most all genre's. So, I wanted to see how these two stacked up at their best. Also, since it has to go back to it's owner tomorrow, I figured I'de give it a LONG LONG LONG listen and make the most out of while I had it
Songs used:
Frankie Vallie – Beggin (Pilooski edit) – Hip Hop
Aqualung – Brighter than Sunshine – Pop
Transplants – Tall Cans in the Air - Punk
ASG – Species American – Rock
MSI – Shut Me Up (GroanDome remix) – Hardrock/metal
Kronos Quartet – Spem in Alium – Classical
Chiodos – All Nerieds Beware – Emo/Screamo
Doves – Sky Starts Falling – other/pop
Hooverphonics – Eden – Female vocals/instrumental
Miley Cyrus(Hannah Montana) – See You Again(Sharaz edit) – Electronic
Pepper – Zicky's Song and Your Face – Reggae
Radical Face – Welcome Home – Indie/other
Julius Airwave – Marina – Pop/Indie
As you can see, there's a pretty extensive musical list. I tried to cover every genre without having to sit and listen for 10 million hours on each amp. I also listened under USB power for the Voyager, and remarkably enough, there wasn't a difference in SQ. No hum, no buzzing, no degradation, nothing.
I compared them by using two seperate computers. My laptop with an Indigo DJ line out for the Voyager and my desktop for the iBasso. I tried to level the playing field as much as possible. The Indigo DJ puts out the cleanest signal I've found, and figured it was only fair since the iBasso benefits from “synergy” with it's DAC coupled with it's amp section (designed together). The opamps rolled were:
AD8656 in the DAC (replacing the AD8616)
LM4562 (2) as a buffer in the Amp (replacing the NE5532)
OPA2111 in the Amp (replacing the AD823)
I listened by pressing play on both sources simultaneously. Cans used were Miguels modded KSC75's (which for some reason, aren't as muffled and are more airy, sparkly, and brighter than my Kramer modded 75s...), Marshmallows, DT770/80's, and K501's. So yeah, I listened to each song FOUR times. Sometimes some portions 6+ because I would be swapping jacks in an out of the amps for a real time A/B comparo....so this was a bit of work, lol.
Soundstage
With the contour switch off, the SQ sounds muffled by comparison. Still wide, but it sounds like you're sitting farther back, rather than in the “ideal acoustic spot” if you were to describe it in a live performance sense. With the switch on the Voyager takes an upfront aggressive presentation.
The D1 seems to sound like a compromise, not aggressively up front, but not as far back when the switch is off. You still get a nice representation and instrument separation as if you've chosen the right seats for the concert. There wouldn't be really a difference noticed if you weren't comparing them a-b as the difference is still miniscule.
Transparency
I don't know if it's psycho-acoustical but the Voyager doesn't sound AS transparent/sparkly when the contour switch is off compared to the D1. It's almost like an EQ when you use that switch, but nothing seems to suffer. The bass gets huge, and things get bright and sparkly, with a smooth midrange that can keep up to pace with the other frequencies. But it doesn't just get louder, cause there is a LARGE AND DEFINITE change in sound but, maybe warmer is the term I'm looking for, as it's sounds closer to a vintage receiver or tube amp than the iBasso does. The iBasso does sound colder, but nothing suffers like a lot of things do when an amp sounds colder or dryer....both are still transparent, but in 1st impression without critical listening, I would say the D1 has an edge.
There however is a change in brightness when switching back and forth between the two. The D1 is a smidge brighter, it makes it easier to see through all the high pitched frequencies, but that may because you don't have as much bass, lol.
Treble
The D1 seems to reach the higher end a LITTLE better than the Voyager. It could be just because it sounds a little brighter, but it's most notable with female vocals, your classical music and some of your electronic music. Other genres it's just subtle. Which shows that some amps excel with certain genres. With K701's it could potentially get fatiguing depending on your listening volumes with either. Granted, the contour switch levels the playing field a little, but the D1 is still a little brighter. When the switch is turned on however, it levels the playing field a bit, making the treble a bit more aggressive. NOT a change or anything in balance, it just gives it more I dunno, body... If I had to make an analogy, it's like the blue of the ocean, but when the switch is turned on, it gets that deep sea blue that just looks well, DEEP AND FULL. Kinda hard to explain, it's more like a sound signature thing more than anything else but it is a change for the better.
Midrange
Both amps have an EXCELLENT midrange attack. Male vocals really benefit from these amps. Not to say female vocals sound bad, but the rasp/rumble in a male voice is can be what makes or breaks an amps midrange, making an amp sound either sloppy or too cold. Both of these seem to attack this frequency very well and are on par with each other in this respect. It's hard to describe the differences as it's a sound signature thing, and not really a quantitative explanation.
Bass
Both of these amps absolutelyexcell in this area. Bass is what makes or breaks an amp period. It's what all the other frequencies sit on. It can either sound bloated or anemic. If the bass is sloppy, it sounds like crap. If it's not accurate, it sounds boomy and can also sound bloated depending on implementation and/or genre. The Voyager with the contour knob off sounds fairly identical to the D1, but it's OH SO SLIGHTLY rolled off when things get deep and heavy. It still is far better and deeper than every amp out there, but by a-b direct comparison, it's a VERY subtle difference. When that switch is on however, the homeruns start coming. With K501's it's IMO what brings that can to the level of bass where it should be. It's closer to sounding more neutral than anemic IMO. It brings KSC75's alive, and makes Marshmallows like mini DT770's (not as sparkly or refined though). The DT770's can seriously rattle off of your head with the right songs. Bass lines in reggae, or ANY genre for that matter just JUMP at you. Honestly, this is the only amp where the bass moved me like a subwoofer did. It's visceral and vicious if you let it. It's not sloppy or boomy either. It's something to reckon with.
Summary
All in all, as a portable, straight out of an iMod or nano, the Voyager and D1 are awesome as a standalone amp. The Voyager is bordering on being too big, but the sound it emits is so pure, you forget about everything. The looks, the price, the ugly volume knob, everything you forget about and it makes you say “it's not that big” and you listen on. Even the mighty PRII didn't do that for me, and I was ADDICTED to it's sound and looks. The PRII even looks beautiful, and I couldn't take the plunge on buying one. If you're a club music kinda person, that contour switch is a savior for those that want immense bass without anything else compromised. I'm an image whore when it comes to high priced portable amps, but I'll let this one slip on by, it's that good. Supposedly, Graham is revising and making new cases for the voyager. No word on how much the increase if any will be. Possibly it's just an option?
The D1 just is a little big...well, put it this way: I never thought I would complain about “this portable amp is too big” and always made fun of people who thought Hornets were too big, etc. Considering the size of an iMod coupled with an IC going into an amp with headphones coming out, the D1 alone is montrous, let alone as a full rig. It's enormous.
The D1 honestly isn't outclassed, it's just that the Voyager is that good. As a DAC/Amp combo, being able to hang with the Voyager is quite the feat. Yeah, it had to be 'modded' with opamps to hang AND be used as a DAC. But to be fair, the Voyager also had a damn good DAC if you want to look at it that way. But if I were to use an analogy, the bottom line is, it was able to exchange blows in a boxing match with equal sources. It pretty much just boiled down to judges decision with both contestants equally bruised and beaten still standing at the end of 20 rounds...
For the Voyager, you're trading off looks and it being about 20% smaller for crazy good sound(the Voyager is still large compared to todays micro trend sizes). It's also about $100 more than the D1. With opamps and adapters, the D1 only comes to around $250. But, the D1 has a DAC, and a mighty good one at that. So it boils down to source for some people. If you're wanting a DAC and amp in one, for mostly laptop sessions at the library, at home or a work rig, it's the D1. If you want just an amp and/or have a DAC already for your pc/laptop, spend the extra coin and hide the Voyager behind your PC so nobody can see it, lol.
I felt this review was warranted for two reasons. One, as a DAC/Amp the D1 is a STRONG contender, some will even arguably say the current king of portables currently available when the opamps are rolled. And as I've just spent a decent amount of time with the Voyager, which IMO is the best STANDALONE out there that I've heard for most all genre's. So, I wanted to see how these two stacked up at their best. Also, since it has to go back to it's owner tomorrow, I figured I'de give it a LONG LONG LONG listen and make the most out of while I had it
Songs used:
Frankie Vallie – Beggin (Pilooski edit) – Hip Hop
Aqualung – Brighter than Sunshine – Pop
Transplants – Tall Cans in the Air - Punk
ASG – Species American – Rock
MSI – Shut Me Up (GroanDome remix) – Hardrock/metal
Kronos Quartet – Spem in Alium – Classical
Chiodos – All Nerieds Beware – Emo/Screamo
Doves – Sky Starts Falling – other/pop
Hooverphonics – Eden – Female vocals/instrumental
Miley Cyrus(Hannah Montana) – See You Again(Sharaz edit) – Electronic
Pepper – Zicky's Song and Your Face – Reggae
Radical Face – Welcome Home – Indie/other
Julius Airwave – Marina – Pop/Indie
As you can see, there's a pretty extensive musical list. I tried to cover every genre without having to sit and listen for 10 million hours on each amp. I also listened under USB power for the Voyager, and remarkably enough, there wasn't a difference in SQ. No hum, no buzzing, no degradation, nothing.
I compared them by using two seperate computers. My laptop with an Indigo DJ line out for the Voyager and my desktop for the iBasso. I tried to level the playing field as much as possible. The Indigo DJ puts out the cleanest signal I've found, and figured it was only fair since the iBasso benefits from “synergy” with it's DAC coupled with it's amp section (designed together). The opamps rolled were:
AD8656 in the DAC (replacing the AD8616)
LM4562 (2) as a buffer in the Amp (replacing the NE5532)
OPA2111 in the Amp (replacing the AD823)
I listened by pressing play on both sources simultaneously. Cans used were Miguels modded KSC75's (which for some reason, aren't as muffled and are more airy, sparkly, and brighter than my Kramer modded 75s...), Marshmallows, DT770/80's, and K501's. So yeah, I listened to each song FOUR times. Sometimes some portions 6+ because I would be swapping jacks in an out of the amps for a real time A/B comparo....so this was a bit of work, lol.
Soundstage
With the contour switch off, the SQ sounds muffled by comparison. Still wide, but it sounds like you're sitting farther back, rather than in the “ideal acoustic spot” if you were to describe it in a live performance sense. With the switch on the Voyager takes an upfront aggressive presentation.
The D1 seems to sound like a compromise, not aggressively up front, but not as far back when the switch is off. You still get a nice representation and instrument separation as if you've chosen the right seats for the concert. There wouldn't be really a difference noticed if you weren't comparing them a-b as the difference is still miniscule.
Transparency
I don't know if it's psycho-acoustical but the Voyager doesn't sound AS transparent/sparkly when the contour switch is off compared to the D1. It's almost like an EQ when you use that switch, but nothing seems to suffer. The bass gets huge, and things get bright and sparkly, with a smooth midrange that can keep up to pace with the other frequencies. But it doesn't just get louder, cause there is a LARGE AND DEFINITE change in sound but, maybe warmer is the term I'm looking for, as it's sounds closer to a vintage receiver or tube amp than the iBasso does. The iBasso does sound colder, but nothing suffers like a lot of things do when an amp sounds colder or dryer....both are still transparent, but in 1st impression without critical listening, I would say the D1 has an edge.
There however is a change in brightness when switching back and forth between the two. The D1 is a smidge brighter, it makes it easier to see through all the high pitched frequencies, but that may because you don't have as much bass, lol.
Treble
The D1 seems to reach the higher end a LITTLE better than the Voyager. It could be just because it sounds a little brighter, but it's most notable with female vocals, your classical music and some of your electronic music. Other genres it's just subtle. Which shows that some amps excel with certain genres. With K701's it could potentially get fatiguing depending on your listening volumes with either. Granted, the contour switch levels the playing field a little, but the D1 is still a little brighter. When the switch is turned on however, it levels the playing field a bit, making the treble a bit more aggressive. NOT a change or anything in balance, it just gives it more I dunno, body... If I had to make an analogy, it's like the blue of the ocean, but when the switch is turned on, it gets that deep sea blue that just looks well, DEEP AND FULL. Kinda hard to explain, it's more like a sound signature thing more than anything else but it is a change for the better.
Midrange
Both amps have an EXCELLENT midrange attack. Male vocals really benefit from these amps. Not to say female vocals sound bad, but the rasp/rumble in a male voice is can be what makes or breaks an amps midrange, making an amp sound either sloppy or too cold. Both of these seem to attack this frequency very well and are on par with each other in this respect. It's hard to describe the differences as it's a sound signature thing, and not really a quantitative explanation.
Bass
Both of these amps absolutelyexcell in this area. Bass is what makes or breaks an amp period. It's what all the other frequencies sit on. It can either sound bloated or anemic. If the bass is sloppy, it sounds like crap. If it's not accurate, it sounds boomy and can also sound bloated depending on implementation and/or genre. The Voyager with the contour knob off sounds fairly identical to the D1, but it's OH SO SLIGHTLY rolled off when things get deep and heavy. It still is far better and deeper than every amp out there, but by a-b direct comparison, it's a VERY subtle difference. When that switch is on however, the homeruns start coming. With K501's it's IMO what brings that can to the level of bass where it should be. It's closer to sounding more neutral than anemic IMO. It brings KSC75's alive, and makes Marshmallows like mini DT770's (not as sparkly or refined though). The DT770's can seriously rattle off of your head with the right songs. Bass lines in reggae, or ANY genre for that matter just JUMP at you. Honestly, this is the only amp where the bass moved me like a subwoofer did. It's visceral and vicious if you let it. It's not sloppy or boomy either. It's something to reckon with.
Summary
All in all, as a portable, straight out of an iMod or nano, the Voyager and D1 are awesome as a standalone amp. The Voyager is bordering on being too big, but the sound it emits is so pure, you forget about everything. The looks, the price, the ugly volume knob, everything you forget about and it makes you say “it's not that big” and you listen on. Even the mighty PRII didn't do that for me, and I was ADDICTED to it's sound and looks. The PRII even looks beautiful, and I couldn't take the plunge on buying one. If you're a club music kinda person, that contour switch is a savior for those that want immense bass without anything else compromised. I'm an image whore when it comes to high priced portable amps, but I'll let this one slip on by, it's that good. Supposedly, Graham is revising and making new cases for the voyager. No word on how much the increase if any will be. Possibly it's just an option?
The D1 just is a little big...well, put it this way: I never thought I would complain about “this portable amp is too big” and always made fun of people who thought Hornets were too big, etc. Considering the size of an iMod coupled with an IC going into an amp with headphones coming out, the D1 alone is montrous, let alone as a full rig. It's enormous.
The D1 honestly isn't outclassed, it's just that the Voyager is that good. As a DAC/Amp combo, being able to hang with the Voyager is quite the feat. Yeah, it had to be 'modded' with opamps to hang AND be used as a DAC. But to be fair, the Voyager also had a damn good DAC if you want to look at it that way. But if I were to use an analogy, the bottom line is, it was able to exchange blows in a boxing match with equal sources. It pretty much just boiled down to judges decision with both contestants equally bruised and beaten still standing at the end of 20 rounds...
For the Voyager, you're trading off looks and it being about 20% smaller for crazy good sound(the Voyager is still large compared to todays micro trend sizes). It's also about $100 more than the D1. With opamps and adapters, the D1 only comes to around $250. But, the D1 has a DAC, and a mighty good one at that. So it boils down to source for some people. If you're wanting a DAC and amp in one, for mostly laptop sessions at the library, at home or a work rig, it's the D1. If you want just an amp and/or have a DAC already for your pc/laptop, spend the extra coin and hide the Voyager behind your PC so nobody can see it, lol.
