[doco]

my odac came a day earlier than expected from USPS. i hooked it up immediately to my asgard and hd650 and set it to 24/96. i'm not one of those people who can describe in detail the highs, mids, and whatnot, but the sound is definitely better for me than using the cheap $60 DAC i got off amazon :0

 

[mikeaj]

Spoilering because not that relevant...
Quote:

 

Spoiler: Warning%3A%20Spoiler!

 
Mike,
 
You say 'Chinese audio companies as a whole', and you mention Fiio separately - that hasn't been my reading at all. Sure, V has criticised some of the measurements on various Fiio units that he has owned but if you go over the E9 measurements the amp had a surprisingly good report till he got to the output impedance issue. I didnt see a single post from a Head-Fier acknowledging that this amp may well be a good choice for certain fullsize cans - particularly given the price - they zeroed straight in on the black mark. 
 
While I haven't seen anything on his blog blasting all Chinese audio, he does single Audio-gd out. If you go back through the threads on various Audio-gd products here on Head-Fi (surely the company's biggest source of free plugs), it doesn't take long to form a mental picture of poor quality control. Measurements aside, IMO that is unacceptable for products with sticker prices that are much closer to Woo Audio than anything from Fiio or iBasso. NuForce have also had issues in this area - again, well documented on Head-Fi. Fiio certainly aren't perfect either, but for a company which churns out so much product (at, presumably, razor-sharp margins), I think they are doing a respectable job of servicing the budget end of this hobby. 
 
I'm not here to bash any of the above - or to make any particular claims on behalf of Fiio - but V's criticisms of the Chinese companies mentioned above didn't strike me as anything particularly new or novel - his were simply backed by measurements. I don't know if any Chinese company has approached him with a request to be one of the ODAC resellers, but its difficult to imagine how much more cheaply even Fiio could offer it over the JDS Labs price once shipping was factored in, but I'm confident that any decent Chinese manufacturer would build the ODAC to the specs they were given. 
 
Personally, I'd like to see the ODAC up against another budget (now $199) DAC which has been lumbered with the 'giant-killer' tag, Emotiva's XDA-1. Made in China but shipped free in the CONUS - and it has a Darko Award !  

 
I know - reviewers, right ? - but 4.5 stars in this company from a $200 DAC - just sayin' .............
 
http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/the-darko-dac-index/

 
response:
 

Spoiler: Warning%3A%20Spoiler!

Just so we're clear, the list was kind of facetiously made (don't take "Chinese audio" too seriously), and I also forgot to single out audio-gd, not to mention a couple of others.  I wasn't trying to single out FiiO in either a good or a bad way.  Like I said, I would consider a lot of the criticisms well founded, most probably true.  And it's not like there's no praise at all.  Then there are a few statements based on conjecture, mostly the ones not based on electrical measurement data, that could be more suspect.  In case you didn't pick it up, it was kind of going left to right, roughly in order of increasing likelihood that somebody was offended by something that might not be true.
 
I'm not convinced that FiiO's margins are so low (at least compared to HT receivers at least at one point, not to mention non-audio equipment), but they have R&D / support / operating expenses costs, just like everybody else.
 
Does V even manage ODAC resellers?  I would think that's more on Yoyodyne, since they're getting the boards made somewhere.  Also, production is about who has an SMT assembly line and can run a batch.  Companies like FiiO don't have one either.

 
 
 

my odac came a day earlier than expected from USPS. i hooked it up immediately to my asgard and hd650 and set it to 24/96. i'm not one of those people who can describe in detail the highs, mids, and whatnot, but the sound is definitely better for me than using the cheap $60 DAC i got off amazon :0

 
Out of curiosity, which $60 DAC?  Just an informal A/B compare, or did you not bother listening to the old DAC again?  Either way is understandable.

 

[doco]

Quote:

Out of curiosity, which $60 DAC?  Just an informal A/B compare, or did you not bother listening to the old DAC again?  Either way is understandable.

 

http://www.amazon.com/C2G-Cables-28733-Digital-Converter/dp/B00007JO2V/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344476288&sr=8-1&keywords=cable+to+go+DAC
 
it was something i used for a while for my ps3 before i got my asgard and hd650. with the ODAC, i noticed the instruments and mids have more presence.
 
edit: tried out the a900 i had sitting around with the asgard + ODAC and WOW the guitar and violin strings makes me feel like im a few feet away from an actual person playing them!

 

[MrGreen]

Quote:

 
Yes, when the power supply is having issues or something else is amiss.  I went through a whole roller coaster of interesting ODAC signatures.
_______
 
Godwin point does not equate to reductio ad Hitlerum.  The question was, do ends justify means?
 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/282260.stm
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19990218&slug=2944937
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100405152003AAqMvyP

Still got it and don't want it?
I'll take it off your hands for measurement purposes if you like

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Still got it and don't want it?
I'll take it off your hands for measurement purposes if you like

 
Heh, still working on aftermarket solutions atm.  Too many projects.  We already have it measured.  You shoot me a PM if you like.

 

[headphonatic]

Left my dac destroyer in China, anyone know how they compare to the odac with my o2

 

[HaVoC-28]

ODAC at home , well i can say that i am satisfied soud as good as my gone NFB-17.2 that sounded as good as a pioneer DVD player (inside there was PCM1754+4580) or an HA Info 2U plus . Well My motheardboard or laptout line out don't sound very well in comparison .
 
I came to conclusion that decend built DAC's sounded the same after carrefully level matched (used a decibelmeter etc) .
 
Peraphs i am not enough sensitive to DAC's as i don't have problem to difference my head amps ... or should i try some more expensive unite , but so far i am happy with my ODAC , just let's enjoy music .
 
Every one hear differently so no problem ^^ 

 

[Oderi]

Ordered my ODAC from Head'n'Hifi's Walter the day before yesterday and made the payment yesterday. Upgrading from a uDac2, curious about the magnitude of the difference it will make. Amping my Mad Dogs/D5000's with an M-Stage so the rest of the chain is fine for now.

 

[Jimmy24]

I'm having issues with my sound. I've had my ODAC for over a week now and it ran fine for the first few days. Just today, my sound stopped working altogether. I have to restart the computer to get the sound back. One thing that I did was go on HD tracks and listen to some samples. After I did that I tried to open a file with foobar and for some reason the sound stopped working. I went back to check if it still worked on HD tracks but the sound is completely gone. I went to my volume control settings and when I change the volume on it it I don't hear the pinging noise when I change it. Any people have any issues with this? Could this be a faulty DAC?

 

[FlySweep]

Instead of restarting your PC, try restarting just the "Audio Service" from your Services console (I'm assuming you're running Windows XP or 7).  It might help you isolate if the issue is with you audio driver or the ODAC itself.

 

[Jimmy24]

Quote:

Instead of restarting your PC, try restarting just the "Audio Service" from your Services console (I'm assuming you're running Windows XP or 7).  It might help you isolate if the issue is with you audio driver or the ODAC itself.

 
I'm not sure if I did exactly what you said. I went to audio devices and disabled my ODAC then reenabled it. It started working again. I'm still confused why it started doing this.

 

[MattTCG]

I'm not sure if this has been posted. I'm interested in pairing the odac with the fiio e09k. Anyone try this yet or have any opinions on the pairing?
 
 
thanks...

 

[moviedave]

I can't say I have been that impressed with the ODAC.  I don't think it is bad, but it has that "digital" sheen to it.  Although my amp was a modest cMoy, and my phones the k550, I had trouble telling the difference between the ODAC and my old headstage usb cable dac.
 

 

[purrin]

Trying plugging into different USB ports. I've had extremely varying experiences with the ODAC depending upon what it is plugged into. If it's a laptop you are plugging into, see if the laptop has a specific USB port which can provide sufficient juice for charging up cell phones quickly.

 

[BadFish81]

So, I hate to come in and ask the newbie questions, but DAC's are one thing I don't understand so I've shied away from them so far.  Now that the 0DAC is available I'd like to take the plunge with plans to purchase an 02 amp later down the line.  Currently I have a portable Z02 that I use for my heaphones at work which will eventually be my just my portable option.
 
My dilemma is that there seems to be a multitude of different companies/DIY'ers that off prebuilt 0DAC's, and I'm at a loss to discern the differences, or if they'd matter to me.
 
   JDS Labs - http://www.jdslabs.com/item.php?fetchitem=46
   My gut reaction is to go with them as they presented as a more reputable and well known business that deals in these sorts of things.
   My hesitation is it seems pretty barebones, and earlier in this thread (I haven't read all 50 pages yet) people were complaining about size.
 
   Audio Poutine - http://www.facebook.com/AudioPoutine
   It's a little shady going through a facebook page, ordering on Google Docs and forwarding cash through PayPal, but he's obviously well known and respected, I don't really have a problem with it.
   The build looks a little less flashy though, it looks more like a DIY case.  I believe the advantage is the RCA in ports that the others don't offer? But I don't see a basic, line In.
 
   EHP-02D - http://epiphany-acoustics.co.uk/our-products/ehp-o2d-miniature-desktop-headphone-amplifier-with-usb-dac/
   Downside here is this company is in the UK and shipping charges are undoubtably going to be more as well as a longer wait.
   However this is the only 0DAC I've seen that has knobs for volume and gain. It also has a compact, nice black case.
 
I'm hoping someone with more experience and understanding could give me a quick run down of pro's and con's for each of these.  I plan on primarily just running out from my PC at work, or from audio devices to my Z02 for now.  In the future I may pick up another for at home, either my speakers that are running direct from my TV, possibly my home computer also.
 
Thanks in advance, really appreciated!