[schaqfu]

I succumbed (willingly) and purchased a DACmini CX directly from CEntrance with the 1-ohm mod yesterday.  Hopefully it arrives in time for me to bring it to the Washington, DC meet on January 28, which would be a fantastic opportunity to compare it head-on (no pun intended, but recognized) to a number of other units.

 

[plin]

Quote:

I succumbed (willingly) and purchased a DACmini CX directly from CEntrance with the 1-ohm mod yesterday. 

Happy listening and sorry for your wallet 

, althought I believe DACmini has higher than average perfomance-to-price ratio. 
 

 

[Twinster]

Thank you for following up on this matter Jay. Much appreciated. I'll pm you for the follow up.
 
Quote:

Hi Twinster,
 
We go thru alot to hand test every product we sell. This this is true for both individual parts and retesting fully assembled products. Our warranty covers all products shipped from our facilities just outside of Chicago, as well as all CEntrance Authorized dealers worldwide. When you buy from us or from one of our authorized partners we have a means of assuring quality. When you make a 2nd hand purchase (on a forum/ebay/etc) we cannot assure this level of quality. Our warranty is given to all of our customers who purchase new products. It is impossible for us to maintain this level of quality assurance from a non-authorized 3rd party selling a used piece of equipment.
 
Hope this helps explain the rationale behind our policy. I'm also going to send you a subsequent PM so we can hopefully resolve the pot issue.
 
-Jay

 

 

[Twinster]

I've just verified my DACmini with full size headphone and I cannot hear any static noise. I put my IEM back ( UE700 40 ohms 113db ) and can ear the noise while music on pause. Try my O2 amplifier and got a black background. Not bad for $100. 

 

 

[3rdear]

Any thoughts on the O2 amp vs. DACmini's? Is one an upgrade to the other or just a different flavor?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Any thoughts on the O2 amp vs. DACmini's? Is one an upgrade to the other or just a different flavor?

This please.

 

[Twinster]

I will went I have more time. I'm busy at work these days.
 
I did a quick A/B this week for about 10 minutes but I was focusing on the headphone not the amp but I can say that the O2 was not disappointing. One think for sure is the amazing black/silent background. No noise at all. Even at full volume with sensitive IEM. I also believe the bass impact was a bit better on the DACmini. Both amplifier are very clean & detail.
 
That's it for now guys. I'll try to do a more in depth but I'm not very good with the audiophile lingo/jargon. 

 
Quote:

Any thoughts on the O2 amp vs. DACmini's? Is one an upgrade to the other or just a different flavor?

Quote:

This please.

 

 

[3rdear]

Cool, Thanks. I already pulled the trigger on the DACmini, just waiting for it to come in, and wanted to know if the O2 would be a good, substantial future addition. 

 

[MotifXF]

I have been listening to the LCD-2 and Dacmini all week and they pair great like others have said in the past. The Dacmini has plenty of juice at low impedance and the neutral sound signature is perfect for the LCD-2.

 

[canyondust]

I too have the noisy volume pot... The kind fellows at Centrance told me to send it in to get fixed, but I just haven't had the time (I use the unit for work in an audio facility)... and I don't really want to part with it, because it RULES. I'm using it to drive LCD-2r2s, and wow.... what a lovely combo. I -LOVE- listening to music on this combo.

 

[roker]

Quote:

I too have the noisy volume pot... The kind fellows at Centrance told me to send it in to get fixed, but I just haven't had the time (I use the unit for work in an audio facility)... and I don't really want to part with it, because it RULES. I'm using it to drive LCD-2r2s, and wow.... what a lovely combo. I -LOVE- listening to music on this combo.

1 Ohm mod or not?
 
I always have to ask, as I'm wondering if it's the next thing I should do.

 

[plin]

Quote:

1 Ohm mod or not?
 
I always have to ask, as I'm wondering if it's the next thing I should do.

With orthos I do not think it really matters. Orthos principle of operation makes them immune to damping factor and frequency responce  variations due to amp impedance output. 

 

[YtseJamer]

Has someone tried the LCD-3 with the DACmini ? How's the synergy ?
 
Thank you
 
Patrick

 

[koonhua90]

Quote:

Has someone tried the LCD-3 with the DACmini ? How's the synergy ?
 
Thank you
 
Patrick

 
I sold my LCD-3 last week, so can't give you a very precise description now. The sound was pretty good, except that the soundstage is a bit closed in. And I need to crank up the volume quite a bit to reach normal listening level. 
 
When I still had my Lyr, with proper tubes like the Valvo CCa or the Amperex 7308 that I had, the Lyr powers the LCD-3 with a degree of authority and power that is noticeably better than the DACmini. As for finesse, can't say for sure, somehow the sound of the pairing doesn't wow me, so I have moved on to some cheap Stax. Perhaps the sound of the headphone isn't for me...
 
 

 

[YtseJamer]

Thanks koonhua90.