[mgoodman]

Thank you, Michael (Mercer). Looking forward to seeing you in Newport soon!

 

[mikemercer]

Looking forward to seeing you too brotha!
So, what up with the big M8????
 
Though I know - we gotta keep it to DACmini here.

 

[dparker83]

Just got my Isoacoustics L8r130 stands today and put the masterclass speakers on em.  Wow!  Best 79$ upgrade ever....smoother midbass and better imaging...immediately noticeable.  Highly recommend these stands for the CEntrance audiophile desktop.

 

[Taliesin]

I'm tring to decide between the centrance DACmini PX or the Musical Fidelity M1 HPA with M1 PWR. both would be paired with a hd650 and KEF ls50

 

[dparker83]

I have DACmini PX with HD650.  Sounds amazing...I ended up getting rid of my Zu Mobius MKii cables because they really didn't add as much once I used the DACmini...almost a little too bright.  But the stock cables (or cables that aren't too bright) will sound really good with HD650/DACmini combination.

 

[Armaegis]

Anyone here have trouble getting the Dacmini via usb to work through wasapi? 
 
I'm using J.River Media Center and I can only get music to play using "direct sound". If I try wasapi or wasapi-event style, it says I need to change the settings to 24/96 but even when I do it doesn't work. 
 
Before this I've been feeding it optical/coax without any issue. 

 

[remilio]

A couple of guys compared Anedio D1 and DACmini, but how about D2? I'm interested in USB performance only.

 

[zilch0md]

Quote:

Anyone here have trouble getting the Dacmini via usb to work through wasapi? 
 
I'm using J.River Media Center and I can only get music to play using "direct sound". If I try wasapi or wasapi-event style, it says I need to change the settings to 24/96 but even when I do it doesn't work. 
 
Before this I've been feeding it optical/coax without any issue. 

 
I can't contribute to this one, except to say that my DACmini CX has not had any problems using WASAPI event with Foobar 2000.  I've never tried J. River Media Center.
 
Mike

 

[Twinster]

Anyone here have trouble getting the Dacmini via usb to work through wasapi? 

I'm using J.River Media Center and I can only get music to play using "direct sound". If I try wasapi or wasapi-event style, it says I need to change the settings to 24/96 but even when I do it doesn't work. 

Before this I've been feeding it optical/coax without any issue. 

Did you download the Universal driver from the Centrance site?

 

[Armaegis]

I forgot all about that... but they're supposed to work wthout drivers anyways aren't they?

 

[Armaegis]

Well I got it to work with the drivers, but I'm still not sure why I couldn't get it to work without them. 

 

[Poetic]

Quote:

Hi Poetic,
 
If you're comparing the DACport LX to the DAC section of the DACmini CX, they are very similar with any given amplifier, but especially so when the USB port that's supplying power to the LX is "noise-free" and can supply the 500mA of current at 5 votls that's supposed to be available according to the USB 2.0 spec.
 
The DACmini's DAC section is far more consistent from one PC to the next, because it has very stable and clean power thanks to how it remanufacturs the power coming in from any DC supply of 9V to 19V with at least 2.5 Amps of current. 
 
In terms of sound signature, assuming the LX is not compromised by power quality, I personally can't hear much difference when I'm routing the output from the LX into the DACmini's amp section vs. using the DACmini by itself - except that my LX doesn't quite have as much air and micro detail as my DACmini's DAC - and that very subtle difference is only detectable with tracks that have a lot of blackness around a brush on cymbal, for example.  My noise floor is pitch black with both the LX and the DACmini (as long as I'm not using the LX on one of my laptops that has noisy power when its plugged into its AC charger).  But again, as long as power quality is ideal for the LX, it sounds pretty much the same as the DACmini's DAC - which is terrific! 
 
I'm just kidding, of course, but don't forget the DACmini CX has a great amp, too!
 
Are you going to jump on one of the B-stock DACmini CX units (for $550)?
 
Mike

Im planning on using the Hifiman He-500 headphones along with the HE-400 on the CX so i would need driving power. Would the B - stock be the version to get ? Also i was looking at the New Hifi M8 and i was wondering if i should just wait for that

 

[zilch0md]

Quote:

Im planning on using the Hifiman He-500 headphones along with the HE-400 on the CX so i would need driving power. Would the B - stock be the version to get ? Also i was looking at the New Hifi M8 and i was wondering if i should just wait for that

 
"B-stock" just means it's one of their slightly scratched or dented DACmini's.  I don't know if that deal is still available, but if you look back in this thread, you can find a link to the CEntrance page where they were selling these less expensive DACmini's.  
 
I have no experience using a DACmini CX with the HE-400 or HE-500, but I believe that it could do a good job with either of them.  Again, not on my personal experience, but rather my understanding from what other's have written, I would get the standard 10-Ohm output impedance version of the DACmini CX - there's no need to pay extra for the 1-Ohm output impedance if you are intending to use it with the HiFiMan HE-400 or -500, as they are not as dark as the Audeze LCD-2.
 
Mike

 

[Armaegis]

I've experimented with output impedance with the HE-6, LCD2 and HD595/650/800, using the NuForce HAP-100 which has an output module with jumpers to bypass the 15ohm output resistors. So it's not exactly the same as the DacMini, but the comparison should have some relevance. I found the differences are noticeable with the Sennheisers (which have the impedance spike in the midbass), but very very minor with the orthos such that I could really only notice when doing a very quick A/B. The higher output impedance doesn't really make them sound darker. The edges in music are perhaps a smidge softer, but that's it. 
 
Incidentally, I've been using the DacMini PX speaker outputs into the HE-6 and they sound fantastic. 

 

[zilch0md]

Hi Armaegis,
 
Good point - as I've often read that ortho-planars are almost purely resistive and thus, not very sensitive to impedance mismatches.   With that in mind, the CEntrance description of their standard 10-Ohm output impedance for the DACmini CX as being "more musical" where they describe the 1-Ohm mod as "more neutral," must be applicable only to dynamic headphones.  I use my 1-Ohm version primarily with the LCD-2, but I do enjoy being able to connect it to other low-impedance IEMs and headphones.
 
Mike