[jamesp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elephas At US$350, we're getting into Xin SuperMacro3v6 and RSA Hornet territory. It would be tough for me to decide between them. Your call.

But the MP-5 beats both of them in the appearance dept.

. It looks so beautiful. I'm glad that I'm in the group buy with jjcha for $300.

 

[Icehawk]

Yes, but neither inlcude a DAC which I would think would be helpful with my rig since the vast majority of my listening is sourced from my PC, no? I'd think it would be a nice SQ increase to get off the soundcard and get direct audio - although the one DAC (Aria) I played with for a few minutes at a meet didn't really seem to do much. Maybe I should just try something even cheaper like the Zhaolu and see if that is an improvement over my current "setup".

What about a tube roll?

James you have a PM.

 

[GRhodes]

I missed out on the ones that jjcha had but found one for sale by a head-fi'er that is a couple weeks old. Should be here any time now. Looking forward to it very much.

 

[Icehawk]

Ah, you were the lucky one to grab it - I saw it after you had already done the deal, dang!

More impressions! Please

Also, I'd love to hear comments on the technical merits, parts, etc. For some reason I thought folks would be more interested in this amp then they are.

Still want to know about tube rolling/5751s too.

 

[ak622]

Thats the exact reason I am interested in the unit as well. I am using my laptop as my main source so I am looking at obtaining one with a DAC. But it seems alot of people are fans of the MicroDAC and MicroAMP combo but that costs significantly more than the Aria or MP5. So have you decided to buy the amp yet?


Quote:

Originally Posted by Icehawk Yes, but neither inlcude a DAC which I would think would be helpful with my rig since the vast majority of my listening is sourced from my PC, no? I'd think it would be a nice SQ increase to get off the soundcard and get direct audio - although the one DAC (Aria) I played with for a few minutes at a meet didn't really seem to do much. Maybe I should just try something even cheaper like the Zhaolu and see if that is an improvement over my current "setup". What about a tube roll? James you have a PM.

 

[gusangora]

I had sent a note to the Australian distributor, advising that I believe the MP5 to be under-powered for my Sennheiser HD650. He received a response from DARED as follows:
"If you want use Sennheiser HD650 match MP 5,you had better change the two resistors from 150ohm to 51ohm,see attached photo.Also we can increaseing output power to 1Watt."
I have asked for those modifications to be made, then I will have one.
Steve

 

[Elephas]

I received my RnB Audio Grace Five Two for the HD650 today and have been using the Dared MP-5 to burn it in.

I don't consider the MP-5 underpowered for the HD650, or any other headphone I've tried with it. The K1000 may be the sole exception. Due to my lack of experience with amping the K1000, I will refrain from further comments about the MP-5 and K1000 combo.

There is also a buzz with the HD650. Depending on the music, it can be noticeable and annoying during quieter passages. The buzz results in a noisier background, less details and resolution, and a significantly more muddy sound compared to the Lehmann BCL.

Using the HD650/G52, the difference between the Dared and Lehmann is great enough that using the Lavry DA10 with the Dared and a Moodlab non-oversampling DAC with the Lehmann still results in the Lehmann BCL producing greater details. I also tried to handicap the Lehmann further with a generic power cord and giving the Dared a Zu Birth. When compared using the same amp, the Moodlab usually loses to the Lavry DA10 in terms of details by a significant margin.

I feel the Lehmann BCL drives the HD650 very very well, and it may be unfair to compare it with the Dared using the HD650. It's not surprising to me that the MP-5 isn't competitive.

With other headphones, the MP-5 might have a better fighting chance.

 

[ak622]

Elephas: Have you ever tried the Corda Aria, MicroDAC/Amp stack, or the Firestone FubarII+amp? I am wondering how the Dared MP5 will compare to those units since the cost would be similar and provide a USB DAC + amp function. Overall, do you still think the DARED MP5 is a good value considering that the US price is around 350US and no the lower 200US from taiwan?

 

[philodox]

How is it as a speaker amp and when hooked up to a computer through USB?

 

[ak622]

Hi James: where did you buy the Dared MP5 from? I contacted the distributor off the Dared website and they informed me that they no longer sell individual units. Did you get them through a specific dealer in town or online? Thanks!



Quote:

Originally Posted by jamesp But the MP-5 beats both of them in the appearance dept. . It looks so beautiful. I'm glad that I'm in the group buy with jjcha for $300.

 

[suharsh]

Where can I get the MP-5 for a good price? I checked eBay and there are prices being quoted around $500. But seems people have bought in the range of $200 to $300.

 

[GRhodes]

A little mini-review from a headfi newb:

My first impressions are very good.

Headphone Amp: I have been using this amp with Shure IEMs but plan to get some decent cans very soon. It's nice with my E2cs, but the amp really shows the limitations of my Shures. Really wasn't my main intent for use of the unit, but I think I am changing my mind.

Speakers: I tried two sets of speakers with the amp and both sounded great! First I tried a small pair of Klipsh 1.1s that I use for my rear channels. Sounded pretty good, but again, the speaker limitations became obvious. Then I hooked up my mains. A very old (circa early 1980s) pair of Advent 1Loudspeakers. The Dared MP-5 was a clear improvement over my Yamaha HTR 5550 that I mostly use for my home theatre. I will definitely be using this combo going forward for music listening.

DAC: Well, here is my only negative. I can't seem to get this function to work right. I am playing my music using both Windows Media and Winamp, and in both cases I have to turn up the amp volume to full to hear anything at all. Will keep messing around with it and try some of my other computers. All in all though, I keep the majority of my music on my MP3 player so this function is not vital for me at all. Does my sound card affect this at all? Anyone have any tips on what to check out?

Source (other than my PC) was a Creative Zen Touch 40Gig MP3 player. Music was a little bit of anything. I found that jazz and vocals sounded quite good, while harder rock was lacking. The speed of the music seemed to have an effect (faster was worse). Stevie Nicks' Bella Donna and any Nina Simone sounded perfect and the ranges of those songs seemed to pair well with the amp.


edit: PS- Use the provided white gloves! That mirror finish is very sensative.

 

[Elephas]

GRhodes, it's good to see other MP-5 owners' impressions. Using WinXP, the MP-5 should appear as another sound device, "USB Speakers." When you plug it in, the driver should automatically load and "USB Speakers" is shown in the sound control panel. A sound card shouldn't affect these settings. Check that the main volume control is at maximum, as well as the secondary Wave volume control. Also, I believe Windows Media Player and Winamp have their own volume controls.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ak622 Elephas: Have you ever tried the Corda Aria, MicroDAC/Amp stack, or the Firestone FubarII+amp? I am wondering how the Dared MP5 will compare to those units since the cost would be similar and provide a USB DAC + amp function. Overall, do you still think the DARED MP5 is a good value considering that the US price is around 350US and no the lower 200US from taiwan?

I've heard the Corda Aria, but not its USB DAC. I haven't heard anything by HeadRoom. I've spend very limited time with a Firestone Cute Beyond amp, and haven't heard the Fubar II USB DAC.

I haven't used the MP-5's DAC much, just tested to make sure it works. Likewise, I haven't used it with speakers. I don't have small bookshelf-type speakers, only large floorstanders that are not as suitable for the MP-5.

 

[ak622]

Same thing here.. I contacted the distributor where people seemed to have bought theri MP-5's last month and was advised that he isn't selling single units anymore and to check ebay or audiogon. I did that same as you and all the prices are 500ish... I wonder if anyone has found any dealers that sell for around the intro price..

Quote:

Originally Posted by suharsh Where can I get the MP-5 for a good price? I checked eBay and there are prices being quoted around $500. But seems people have bought in the range of $200 to $300.

Elephas: oh ok, I've been looking at teh Firestone FUBAR + amp combo as well since the price will be much cheaper than the 500 going price for the MP-5 now. . What was your impression with the cute beyond?

 

[GRhodes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elephas GRhodes, it's good to see other MP-5 owners' impressions. Using WinXP, the MP-5 should appear as another sound device, "USB Speakers." When you plug it in, the driver should automatically load and "USB Speakers" is shown in the sound control panel. A sound card shouldn't affect these settings. Check that the main volume control is at maximum, as well as the secondary Wave volume control. Also, I believe Windows Media Player and Winamp have their own volume controls.

Thanks Elphas. I found the problem thanks to you. When the MP-5 is plugged into the USB my main control volume was changing to one called "Speaker" and it was defaulted at 50%. Problem solved.

Also, to add one further observation, I do wish that the USB plugged into the back, rather than the front. Really doesn't make much sense to me, but it's also not a big problem at all though.