[canyondust]

Quote:

The 10 Ohm output resistance do affects considerable sound quality on the majority of IEMs and all other low impedance headphones. On LCD/HE-500 and other orthos, which are low impedance, the 10 Ohm output resistance should, in theory, not effect sound quality, but will lower maximum volume (about 2dB). HE-500 is said to need a more powerful amplifier than DACmini, so the extra 2 dB will likely be more beneficient.
 
Anyway, I think that 1 Ohm output resistance should be the standard. Charging 100$ for this (and more 100$ for variable output) is *really* overpriced IMHO. About the 200$ for black color option, maybe it is justified because an extra process (black color dying ???) is added.
 
I am trying to mod myself the 10 Ohm output and make it  even less than 1 Ohm. Although it is something that I do not recommend to anyone with no sufficient electronic skills (and an oscilloscope) I will post, when I am done, the procedure.  I am suprised that  I heard differences with HD-650. HD-650 is a 300 Ohm impedance phone and should not be effected by a mere 10 Ohm output resistance. But the difference, although small, was clearly audible. Bass got more controlled! 

Please do post your findings/procedure... I would be curious to compare the sonic differences between the 1Ohm and 10Ohm output impedance, but I'm not about to pay for international shipping + $100 to find out.
 

 

[plin]

Quote:

Please do post your findings/procedure... I would be curious to compare the sonic differences between the 1Ohm and 10Ohm output impedance, but I'm not about to pay for international shipping + $100 to find out.
 

That's what I thought also.
The difference in sound with HD-650 is small, but audible. A more controlled bass.
If you open DACmini you can easily find the two 10 ohm SMD 1watt (?) resistors. But if you don't have access to an oscilloscope (or better yet, a network analyser) I do not think it is wise to try to replace them with 1 Ohm. There is danger of oscillation (meaning sound degradation and even amp destruction). I will post the procedure (including pictures), but an oscilloscope and some basic analog electronic skills are necessary.   
Maybe CEntrance is so kind that wants to tell us the exact circuit modification necessary to have a stable-with-every-load amp with 1 Ohm output resistance?  
They do seem to have excellent after sales support!

 

[Jay Listens]

Quote:

 
Not sure why it costs $200 more... but perhaps it can be broken down and spray painted?
 
 

 
It's not just a paint but the way that the black chassis is anodized plus the addition of a scratch resistant coating. It's the same upgraded chassis we are using for the DACmini PX. We decided to offer this to our CX customers as an option, and as always we do appreciate the feedback!
 

 
 

 

[canyondust]

Quote:

 
It's not just a paint but the way that the black chassis is anodized plus the addition of a scratch resistant coating. It's the same upgraded chassis we are using for the DACmini PX. We decided to offer this to our CX customers as an option, and as always we do appreciate the feedback!
 

 
 

I wasn't suggestion the Centrance treatment was jsut spraypaint, but I was suggesting it might be an easy DIY way to make a dacmini black
 
 
 

 

[canyondust]

 
I'm so loving my DacMini right now... I've taken it to a few studios now, and plug it straight into the optical out of their pro tools rigs. As a unit it's really quite light.... the DacMini and LCD-2 headphones are going to be my reference system for a long time to come I feel (and I have Q-audio headphone cables arriving tomorrow). Now I just need to buy a pelican case I can pack both the headphones and dacmini into and I've got a very elegant travel setup!

 

[markkr]

Slightly offtopic, but does the DACport also have a high ohm output resistance which would be bad for IEM's and low imp headphones?
 
Thanks

 

[roker]

Quote:

They do seem to have excellent after sales support!

That's the 2nd biggest factor in my decision to purchase the product.  The first biggest factor has been all the positive feedback I've seen on here and elsewhere concerning the device.
 

 

[plin]

Quote:

Slightly offtopic, but does the DACport also have a high ohm output resistance which would be bad for IEM's and low imp headphones?
 
Thanks

Yes, according to published specs it has the same 10 Ohm output resistance.

 

[soulrider4ever]

So first impression is good, the DAC is definitely a refined sound and the jitter reduction is clearly better than most DACS.  Seems to tighten up the bass over other amps so it's not as 'bloated' in sound; seems to be a pretty good overall balance of highs/lows/mids, it's def. a great pairing - as they say it's all about synergy.  Thanks for the recommendations.

 

[plin]

Quote:

So first impression is good, the DAC is definitely a refined sound and the jitter reduction is clearly better than most DACS.  Seems to tighten up the bass over other amps so it's not as 'bloated' in sound; seems to be a pretty good overall balance of highs/lows/mids, it's def. a great pairing - as they say it's all about synergy.  Thanks for the recommendations.

I see to your signature that you also have Anedio D1. How do you compare the two? Is Anedio really so much better as the raving reviews say? 
 
 

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

I am still very happy with my DACmini.  I keep it in my bedroom rig next to a lot of other very nice gear, including an Apogee mini-DAC feeding an HEV-70 looped out to Woo WA6 and eXStatA amp with loop out into SAC KH1000 amp, a Marantz CD5001 feeding an EF5 amp, a Nuforce HDP feeding an ALO Amphora amp, a Sony portable CD and iRiver H140 with optical out feeding a Headroom Micro DAC and Amp, and I feed the DACmini RCA out into my RSA SR-71b balanced amp.
 
But the items that get the most use are the DACmini and SR-71b.  If I was forced to sell ALL the other gear in my bedroom rig except these two items and the Stat amp I wouldn't miss the other stuff.  I've posted my thoughts in several posts in this thread, and I want to link to them here until I get my final review done.  I'll be trying to consolidate those thoughts and more into a single review in the review section soon.
 
First Post http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/523850/centrance-dacmini-dac-amplifier-official-thread/75#post_7325679 and quoted below:
 
 
Quote:

I'm surprised I never saw this thread before.  It will take some time for me to read it all, but in the meantime, here are some links to other posts I've written about the DACmini.
 
RMAF 2010 Impressions Thread has basically a mini-review of the DACmini:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/518094/rmaf-2010-denver-canjam-rmaf-impressions-in-case-people-missed-seeing-this-in-the-meet-forum
 
DACport review thread with list of things the DACmini improves upon:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/473473/review-more-to-come-centrance-dacport-24-96-usb-dac-amp/60#post_7277929
 
LCD-2 headphone amp recommendations thread:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/495631/amp-recommendations-for-audeze-lcd-2/1575#post_7287271
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/495631/amp-recommendations-for-audeze-lcd-2/1665#post_7317056

 
Then http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/523850/centrance-dacmini-dac-amplifier-official-thread/75#post_7330118
 
 
Quote:

MORE IMPRESSIONS:
 
I posted some of this in a PM to another head-fi member, but wanted to say that since I got the DACmini in February I've listened to the LCD-2 headphones more in the past 4 weeks than I did in the previous 6 months because of the improved synergy with LCD-2 over my other amps.  Prior to this my $1000 ALO Amphora was my best amp with the LCD-2, followed by the HDP.  But the DACmini has taken the lead.
 
I just didn't have anything with synergy this good with the LCD-2 (I was using HDP > ALO Amphora or HDP alone before).  And since I received the DACmini 4 weeks ago I have put maybe only 5 hours on my Apogee mini-DAC > WA6/eXStatA/SAC/EF5 in the bedroom rig, mostly just for comparisons but not personal listening.  I've also been using the DACmini line-out > SR-71b > HE-6 about as much as the LCD-2, followed by my JH13Pro and ES5.  My basement rig with PS Audio PWD > Woo WES and EC ZDT > HD800, HE60 and O2 Mk1 has been getting ignored too, not because it sounds bad but because the Macbook > DACmini in my bedroom is more convenient.
 
After spending all this time feeding the DACmini into the SR-71b amp for the HE-6 headphones, the big surprise tonight is that the DACmini drives my HE-6 to normal listening volumes at 2 o'clock, and it plays music at volume levels louder than I like when max'd at 5 o'clock, without having the sound turn south like it's running out of steam.  It still has about 4-5 dB less headroom than my balanced SR-71b at full power, but it's power is now closer to the HDP or EF5 with HE-6 headphones vs the lower gain pre-production model shown at RMAF.  That's totally useable, although I'd like more power with the HE-6 to improve bass impact just a little, but bass depth/presence is still excellent.  So I can't discount the DACmini for people with the HE-6 anymore, and it can always be used to feed a more powerful amp when money becomes available later for an upgrade.  The new DACmini PX model with 25-watt speaker amp might be even better for the HE-6 headphones which like to be plugged into the speaker outputs of powerful amps.  But for now I'm really digging the CX model with my HE-6.
 
My SAC KH1000 amp for the AKG K1000 headphones has the extra power for the HE-6, but the aggressive nature of the SAC amp means it doesn't sound as transparent/good as the DACmini because it's better suited for the mellower sounding K1000 headphones.  If I didn't want to use extremely sensitive IEM all the time then I might go for the gain of 10 like Austin's modded DACmini instead the standard gain of 8.  I just worry that more gain could increase the noise floor and that might make it less enjoyable to use with my ES3X.  That fear may be unfounded, but I don't want to take the chances, especially when I have been listening to the HE-6 with it for the past couple of hours with the volume only at 2 o'clock and no urge to turn it up more (nor do I want to disturb my sleeping wife).  I still think the more efficient LCD-2 are a better match with the DACmini than HE-6, but this amp can definitely please both camps as well as making HD800 owners happy.
 
And a few other observations:
 
1) While the SR-71b has a little better dynamic headroom with the HE-6, I was experiencing some bass clipping and doubling (not sure which) with the HE-6 when using 30Hz test tones and below; and bass notes of 20Hz were difficult to hear while the doubling was much louder than the actual tone.  Switching to the DACmini amp and listening to the test tones I find the DACmini does not exhibit this doubling effect, nor any distortion or bass roll-off.  I was using the DACmini line-out to feed SR-71b, so it was the same source.  The deep bass with the difficult to drive HE-6 is clean and extended through the DACmini, although with headphones other than HE-6 the SR-71b didn't do as poorly.  Note - I only use the SR-71b with full-size headphones if they are balanced, and my balanced LCD-2 cable should ship today.  The SR-71b didn't do very well with my single ended LCD-2.
 
2) The HDP DAC line-out made the SR-71b amp slightly more aggressive sounding in the upper mids and highs by combining their similar traits and multiplying the effect.  Feeding the DACmini into the SR-71b results in a more refined and balanced/transparent sound out of the SR-71b.  So, I am finding the DACmini is a little better as either a DAC or an amp.
 
3) I used to feed my Pico DAC-only into my ALO Amphora and SR-71b with my Macbook, but switching to the DACmini as the source also results in a more open and deep soundstage, more so with native 24/96 music where the extra micro-detail adds to the transparency, air, and ambience.  I am one of the earliest loyal buyers of the Pico DAC, and it's a great DAC for the price and obviously more portable, but I don't see myself going back to it very much in this rig.  I like the Pico too much to sell, but not enough to use it in place of the DACmini.  If I need a slightly more laid-back sounding amp I can feed the DACmini into my Amphora, and if I want a slightly more aggressive sounding amp I can feed it into my balanced SR-71b.  But so far I am quite pleased with the DAC and the Amp section alike.

 
Quote:

I'm starting to think that it I only had the DACport / DACmini / SR-71b, plus the HE-6/5LE / LCD-2, along with the ES5 / JH13Pro that I'd be perfectly happy most of the time with this as my home rig.  For portable I mostly use the HM-602 or iPhone 4 with Pico Slim, for driving my ES5 or Westone 4 IEM.
 
 
Currently I mostly listen to my Macbook Pro > DACmini > LCD-2.  That's closely followed by the DACmini > SR-71b balanced amp > HE-6, HE-5 LE, JH13Pro and ES5 (all balanced).  After that I also spend a good bit of time with my Macbook Pro > DACport > ES5 or HE-5 LE.  Occasional my LA7000 headphones come out when I don't want to disturb my wife but not be totally isolated by using IEM.

 
And http://www.head-fi.org/t/523850/centrance-dacmini-dac-amplifier-official-thread/135#post_7413188
 
 
Quote:

Well, so far I am still quite pleased with the DACmini since I posted my last impressions here in March. It's definitely a permanent fixture in my home.  

 

Since my last report I hardly use any of my other home gear, because the DACmini in my bedroom Macbook Pro rig is so convenient and accessible.  I've been using the DACmini with my LCD-2 mostly, and I also feed the analog out into my SR-71b amp for my balanced IEM and HE-6.  I still use the DACport when I'm moving my Macbook around, but that's about it for the past few weeks.  Since I got the DACmini I've rarely been down to use my high-end rig in the basement.

 

Don't get me wrong - my high-end rig with Perfectwave DAC & Bridge (aka PWD) > Eddie Current ZDT or Woo WES is still glorious sounding with my re-cabled HD800, Stax O2 or Baby Orpheus.  But they sit in my basement rig away from everything else and I don't get to spend much if any time down there, at least not without being a recluse and feeling detached from my family.  Plus my health problems make going up and down the stairs repeatedly a daunting task.  While the DACmini is not as good as a $3000 DAC plus a $2500 - $5000 tube amp like the above, it's relatively faultless and quite enjoyable.  With the DACmini I don't feel like I'm missing a lot when I can't make it downstairs to the big rig, making it a great bang for the buck.  If it had the weight and impact of my ZDT, it would carry it to a whole new level, but what it offers is still quite good.

 

If I had to guess based on my previous experiences, I'd say the S/PDIF DAC section is on par with other similarly priced DACs like the Apogee mini-DAC, Stello DA100 or Digital Link III (via single ended output).  The DACmini's USB input actually sounds better than I recall the DA100 or DLIII sounding via USB, but the Apogee mini-DAC has a very nice sounding 24/48 USB input.  Last time I checked, the mini-DAC USB sounded as good as its 24/96 optical S/PDIF with my Macbook Pro.  The DACmini's amp section is not very different sounding from my more expensive maxed Woo WA6 (depending on the tubes), except that DACmini has more power than the WA6.  I haven't fired up my WA6 in weeks!  On the other hand the WA6 can be tuned via tube rolling if you want - If you are one who finds the HD800 to be bright then you can roll in darker sounding tubes to compensate.  In comparison to the more expensive ALO Amphora, the biggest difference is that the Amphora sounds a little more laid back and relaxed with a little deeper soundstage (better suited for HD800), although the Amphora is also less powerful like the WA6 and has more hiss with IEM.  If I had to guess again, the DACmini amp section might perform similarly to the Grahm Slee Solo SRG II and PSU1 that I had on loan for two weeks a year ago, except the SRG II is only $150 less with no DAC and was useless with most IEM due to noise. 

 

The only thing I'm really left wishing for is balanced XLR line-out for my balanced SR-71b and eXStatA amps.  Also, since I have the fixed RCA outputs going to another headphone amp, it might be nice if the RCA-output wasn't deactivated when I plug in a headphone.  Sometimes I will be listening to the DACmini amp and want to switch to my SR-71b + balanced IEM, and I get no sound until I remember to unplug the LCD-2 rather than just turning down the volume.  I can see where this is an advatage when feeding the DACmini into a set of powered speakers like my Audioengine A2 or A5, so that the speakers shut off when plugging in headphones, but if I were doing that I would go for the optional variable level outputs.

 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/523850/centrance-dacmini-dac-amplifier-official-thread/360#post_7534298
 
 
Quote:

Well, I am absolutely certain now that I prefer the DACmini headphone output to drive my JH13Pro custom IEM vs my balanced SR-71b or Pico Slim amps (even with DACmini RCA out feeding the other amps).  The dynamic headroom is greater, and the power output without distortion is higher.  Plus, it awakens the JH13Pro mids that seem slightly lacking with the Pico Slim, and improves the bass impact and depth over the SR-71b.  It's the closest I've heard to my Woo WA6 or Eddie Current ZDT driving the JH13Pro, both of which I previously reported were my favorites with the JH13Pro.

 
So, that's it for now but I'll write more in my final review later.  I'll just end by saying that this little DAC/amp is a true marvel in terms of price/performance ratio.  It performs on a similar level to my Apogee mini-DAC > Maxed Woo WA6 at less than half the cost.

 

[DanBa]

Could you compare the DACmini against the balanced SR-71b when driving the LCD-2?
Thanks.
 
Quote:

But the items that get the most use are the DACmini and SR-71b.  If I was forced to sell ALL the other gear in my bedroom rig except these two items and the Stat amp I wouldn't miss the other stuff. 

 

[plin]

 
Quote:

I am still very happy with my DACmini.  I keep it in my bedroom rig next to a lot of other very nice gear, including an Apogee mini-DAC feeding an HEV-70 looped out to Woo WA6 and eXStatA amp with loop out into SAC KH1000 amp, a Marantz CD5001 feeding an EF5 amp, a Nuforce HDP feeding an ALO Amphora amp, a Sony portable CD and iRiver H140 with optical out feeding a Headroom Micro DAC and Amp, and I feed the DACmini RCA out into my RSA SR-71b balanced amp.
 
But the items that get the most use are the DACmini and SR-71b.  If I was forced to sell ALL the other gear in my bedroom rig except these two items and the Stat amp I wouldn't miss the other stuff.  I've posted my thoughts in several posts in this thread, and I want to link to them here until I get my final review done.  I'll be trying to consolidate those thoughts and more into a single review in the review section soon .............................

 
Very good impressions -detailed almost as a complete review-. Waiting for your final review, something tells me it would be very interesting! 

 

[roker]

This may sound weird, but from the sound of Larry's comments, this sounds more like a reference type piece.  I'm not saying that's bad, but I was hoping for more "fun" or analogish sounding gear.
 
Then again, it also sounds like it'd be a great match up for darker headphones (dark headphones + brighter/airy amp/dac = flavor?)
 
I'm usually in agreement with Larry, but I don't care for the NuForce house sound.  I'm glad this is preferred over the HDP, but I'm not entirely sure what it means.
 
I'll know on Tuesday (shipping is taking longer than expected).
 
edit: I do like the NuForce Icon Mobile, but it's mostly for it's versitlity, size, and price.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Very good impressions -detailed almost as a complete review-. Waiting for your final review, something tells me it would be very interesting! 

 
Quote:

This may sound weird, but from the sound of Larry's comments, this sounds more like a reference type piece.  I'm not saying that's bad, but I was hoping for more "fun" or analogish sounding gear.
 
Then again, it also sounds like it'd be a great match up for darker headphones (dark headphones + brighter/airy amp/dac = flavor?)
 
I'm usually in agreement with Larry, but I don't care for the NuForce house sound.  I'm glad this is preferred over the HDP, but I'm not entirely sure what it means.
 
I'll know on Tuesday (shipping is taking longer than expected).
 
edit: I do like the NuForce Icon Mobile, but it's mostly for it's versitlity, size, and price.

 
Quote:

Could you compare the DACmini against the balanced SR-71b when driving the LCD-2?
Thanks.
 

 
I just posted this in the SR-71b thread, and thought that would be useful here.
 
 
Quote HeadphoneAddict:

Before I go on, I should note that I have 49 year old ears.  Also, I only use the SR-71b in balanced output mode, but I don't have a balanced input cable yet.  
 
When I first got the SR-71b it was slightly more aggressive sounding than totally neutral, but much less aggressive sounding than my Protector.  Over time it did mellow out and become very transparent and uncolored, and I used it most of the time with my HE-6 and JH-13Pro.  I currently find that my DACmini > SR-71b > LCD-2 rev1/Silver Dragon is a little darker sounding than the LCD-2 right out of the DACmini headphone jack, but it's certainly not too dark or too bright.  I do prefer the DACmini headphone out just a little more if I'm using my LCD-2; however, the SR-71b pairs up with my HE-500/HE-6 cable just a little better than they do with the DACmini.  It's all about synergy.  
 
And my SR-71b is also great with my balanced HD600, HD800 and HE-6.  Even my Westone ES5 which have a little stronger top end than my JH-13Pro pair up well with the SR-71b and TWag V2 Eclipse balanced cable.  So for me, I'm betting I'd still be happy with an LCD-2 rev2 with my SR-71b.  I don't find many phones that the SR-71b doesn't get along with nicely.

 
Also, the SR-71b in balanced mode can achieve a little higher listening volumes than the DACmini with LCD-2, but either one can damage your hearing.  I've posted many times that I thought the LCD-2 rev1 were a little darker than I like, and while the DACmini is not a bright amp it seems to bring out the treble and clarity in the LCD-2 a little better than some other amps (like my ZDT).
 
For roker - I'll add to this that the HDP headphone amp sounded exactly like my RSA Protector in balanced mode, but with more power.  The HDP and Protector had a slightly aggressive sound signature that worked great with HD600, HE-5 LE, and LCD-2, but could be a little harsh with brighter phones like HD800 and HE-6.  The SR-71b had a hint of that sound signature out of the box, and it pretty much went away with burn-in.  Even out of the box the SR-71b was much better with aggressive or bright headphones than the HDP or Protector.  But that sound signature of the HDP is one thing that makes it one of my favorite "budget" amps with the HD600 or LCD-2 rev1 for instance.  For HE-500 and HE-6 I'd rather feed the HDP DAC into an EF5 amp than listen for long periods with the built-in amp.
 
In contrast, the DACmini is a warm sounding amp, but really has almost no sound signature of it's own.  It seems utterly transparent and spacious, and tends to disappear and get out of the way, but it never does this at the expense of being too neutral, analytical or cold.  One reason I've kept my 4 year old maxed Woo WA6 with pseudo dual power supply was that it had this ability, and it could just about beat or match every other budget amp under $1000 that I tried (except in it's modest power levels).  The DACmini is another one of those marvels that performs above it's pay grade, and it competes well with my Apogee mini-DAC Sigma 11 PSU > Woo WA6 combo for a bit less than half the price, while offering slightly more power output with low impedance phones.  And, it can be "fun" with the right phones, like my JH-13Pro, LCD-2 rev1 or D7000/LA7000.  
 
Another thing to note is that the HDP does improve noticeably with a Sigma 11 PSU, and it loses a lot of that "house sound" by losing the cheap switching PSU.  But that brings up the cost much closer to the DACmini, at which point I prefer the DACmini's superior low volume channel balance at extremely quiet listening levels. I also like that one can switch between 4 devices on the DACmini, while the HDP is limited to 3 at one time (if using the HDP 3.5mm jack it either disables the RCA input or Coax input depending on what you plug into it).