[manualvin]

Hi,

I have an Ifi phono 2 plugged into the centrance px dacmini connected to centrance masterclass speakers as part of a setup and now connected to a pro jet debut carbon turntable utilizing dacmini as a speaker amp.

There's an incredible loud humming once connected and I have been informed by the Ifi team it might be due to grounding or rather lack of grounding.

Any one have a similar connectivity using dacmini px to turntable or via a turntable phono amp?

My turntable works fine connected to a sprout and speakers directly but I was hoping for a better quality performance via iPhono 2 and dacmini px.

Thanks in advance,
Manualvin

 

[Armaegis]

Can you narrow down which component specifically causes the humming? try just the ifi phono2 by itself, and even just the turntable by itself without the pre
 
 

 

[pbui44]

I just hooked some old JVC HA-FX35 "Marshmallow" in-ears to the CX model with 1 ohm HP mod and they are very clear with serious bass!

Now, I had the CX power some Anax-Modded HD800 and GS2000e with great results...but now 6-7 year old $20 JVC Marshmallow ear buds sound like JVC SZ1000! I'm impressed.

 

[pbui44]

The more I listen to my CX, the more I am convinced that I don't need a balanced setup for headphones. I say this because it sounds about 80% of this $12k Questyle stack:



Power and soundstaging don't quite match up, but everything else does very closely.

 

[roker]

I'm looking to do an upgrade so this might move from being in my main rig to a desktop rig. Which is more than fine.

A good piece of equipment like this should stay put. I purchased it 5 years ago and it's still going strong.

 

[Armaegis]

I've had a Dacmini PX as a secondary rig for a while now. The headphone output admittedly doesn't get used very much; it's used primarily with Centrance's own 2504 speakers.

 

[pieman3141]

I'm using my CX (with 1-ohm, var-output) with a Vali 2. Sounds absolutely wonderful. I've heard better sounding and costlier equipment, but the difference in quality is pretty minimal.

 

[wrswldo]

Hello,
 
I'm new to the audio world and finally broke down and purchased a pair of Senns HD 650's. I have been looking for an amp/dac and the CEntrance DACmini CX has caught my eye. I wanted to ask for opinions regarding buying used, whether they are a good match for the HD650 and if there was a comparable choice around the $350 mark (around what they are selling for used) that you might want if you didn't already own the DACmini.
 
Thanks!

 

[TigreNegrito]

Read through this thread a bit... the thread starter talks specifically about the pairing of HD 650's with this amp (post #21).
 
Unless you're looking for a dedicated desktop DAC/Amp, you might consider CEntrance's forthcoming DACportable.
 
I've been very happy with my PX, though as Armaegis said above, its primarily used to drive the 2504's at work, though it has easily handled any cans I've thrown at it.
 
Good luck.  Welcome to Head-Fi.  Sorry about your wallet.

 

[wrswldo]

Does the 1 ohm headphone mod for the CX effect how higher impedance headphones sound? I have read about the 1/8 rule for output impedance but I'm confused if this affects cans that  wouldn't need the mod.

 

[Armaegis]

If your headphones have something like 250 or 300 ohm nominal impedance, then I wouldn't worry about it. The differences would be minimal.

 

[gvl2016]

Is it possible to DIY-undo the 1 Ohm impedance mod? I got my CX second hand and it came with the mod. I'm using it with NAD Viso HP50s and the sound is just too bright causing quick listener fatigue. I absolutely love CX as a DAC but not as a headphone amp, at least with my NAD cans which aren't supposed to be too bright. The NADs are butter-smooth when listening through JDS Labs O2 fed from CXs line out, so it must be the headphone amp section with the 1Ohm mod being the suspect.

 

[Armaegis]

The O2 has a low output impedance. Lowering it on the Dacmini isn't going to appreciably change the sound if you don't like it now, so it'll probably be wasted effort.

 

[gvl2016]

Different amps may respond differently to changing the impedance but you're probably right. I'd be willing to try it if it's a relatively simple mood.

 

[Armaegis]

Rather than fiddling inside the dacmini, the easiest thing to do is build an adapter cable with some 10ohm resistors in-line.