digiZoid ZO2.3 Impression & Discussion Thread
Feb 6, 2012 at 3:18 PM Post #181 of 1,021


Quote:
Yea my bad it seems, I'm pretty sure it used to for the older ZO versions. 
 
BTW what do you think about the volume level regarding low gain? Is it suitable or could it perhaps be raised? (talking mainly with LOD use, since I'm unable to test this myself I'd be curious what other people's experiences are). Personally if possible I'd see it great to have low gain to provide roughly the same volume when used in conjunction with headphone jack vs not using ZO, I wonder if people got any headroom for a gain rise or not especially with more sensitive IEMs. What volume level on ZO2.3 provides you "normal" listening volume in low gain when used with LOD?
 

yeah it should have it in there as it seems like a pretty important piece of information.
 
as far as the volume level with low gain, i personally think the input tolerance should be raised because low gain gets nowhere near the volume limit that high gain does. 100 percent volume on the ZO on low gain is probably equivalent to about 50-60 percent on the source on high gain. My normal listening level on low gain is 100 percent which sometimes isn't enough so ill switch to high gain on about 75 percent. its a shame because the sound is noticeably better via LOD
 
 
 
Feb 6, 2012 at 3:30 PM Post #182 of 1,021


Quote:
yeah it should have it in there as it seems like a pretty important piece of information.
 
as far as the volume level with low gain, i personally think the input tolerance should be raised because low gain gets nowhere near the volume limit that high gain does. 100 percent volume on the ZO on low gain is probably equivalent to about 50-60 percent on the source on high gain. My normal listening level on low gain is 100 percent which sometimes isn't enough so ill switch to high gain on about 75 percent. its a shame because the sound is noticeably better via LOD

 
Yea for some reasons some people are experiencing extremely low volume in low gain. For me it's like on Q40 headphones which are 64 ohm headphones I'd use maybe 42-43% without ZO and ~53% in low gain and 15% in high gain on the windows volume slider when connected to headphone jack but I've seen several people lately with lower impedance headphones that they don't seem to get that much volume even for some reason. That's why I'm curious.
 
 
 
Feb 6, 2012 at 4:38 PM Post #183 of 1,021
I use mine on 100% in low gain as well, and I would prefer it louder..  Its acceptable though, as my IEMs provide for an exceptional seal with my ears.  That aspect plus the volume level at 100% makes it just fine for portable use.  Ive been happy.  
 
Still havent had time, though, to mess around with the regular IC/high gain any more than I already have.  Im going to run different sources through the zo via IC in high gain to both my IEMs and Crossfades and see what works.  
 
Ive been mostly out and about the last three days with the nano+lod+zo2.3+M6 IEM and in all honestly, Im loving it!  Such a rich, silky bass. For someone who listens to mostly bass heavy music (deep dubstep/liquid dnb), it'll be hard listening to the same tracks without the zo!  So easy to adjust the contour as well..I was listening to a lot of Saosin yesterday as well and it sounded great!  Contour was set on Green, maybe one bump up.  
 
Enjoying the unit very much for 100 bucks, I will be testing it with a movie tonight as well!  I will report back tomorrow with what I thought.  
 
Feb 7, 2012 at 1:54 PM Post #184 of 1,021

Quote:
BTW... the max voltage you can put on ZO's input is 250mVrms in high gain mode, and 1.0mVrms in low gain mode. 
 


I just noticed you said 1 mVrms—that seems quite low, did you mean 1 Vrms?
 
Quote:
For future it would probably be good to try raise the input tolerance if possible though, it seems to be fairly low but I've not compared all other competitor's amps and don't know what those can whitstand either.


I know the redbook standard says 0 dBFS = 2 Vrms, though I'm not sure what portable amps can handle that. It'd certainly be nice for the ZO 3 to be plug-and-play without having to worry about input volume.
 
Feb 7, 2012 at 1:55 PM Post #185 of 1,021
Just to let everyone know, I posted a video showing proper setup of ZO with Headphone out and Line out. Please take a sec to check it out.
 
http://youtu.be/U_O61NdGnmw
 
Feb 8, 2012 at 2:36 PM Post #186 of 1,021


Quote:
I just noticed you said 1 mVrms—that seems quite low, did you mean 1 Vrms?
 

I know the redbook standard says 0 dBFS = 2 Vrms, though I'm not sure what portable amps can handle that. It'd certainly be nice for the ZO 3 to be plug-and-play without having to worry about input volume.



Yes, you're right. It should be 1 Vrms. Sorry about that!
 
Feb 8, 2012 at 7:22 PM Post #187 of 1,021


Quote:
Just to let everyone know, I posted a video showing proper setup of ZO with Headphone out and Line out. Please take a sec to check it out.
 
http://youtu.be/U_O61NdGnmw



Great video. That should definitely make it easier for the people that have newly received their ZO2.
 
Feb 8, 2012 at 7:32 PM Post #188 of 1,021
As well as help potential consumers figure out how they are to use the device and make the decision if its for them. More documentation of a product like this will definitely help gain consumers
 
Quote:
Great video. That should definitely make it easier for the people that have newly received their ZO2.



 
 
Feb 9, 2012 at 5:48 AM Post #189 of 1,021
Also if possible record more SmartVektor demos, I really like those. Maybe a different genre this time like rock, pop or hiphop maybe. :p Maybe apply different contour levels to the recording if that's possible.
 
Feb 10, 2012 at 2:59 AM Post #190 of 1,021
These pair up so well with RE272. Adds a touch of warmth and increased magnitude of bass.
 
Can I try these on Ortofon e-Q5 ? Moving armature shouldn't be a problem or is it ?
 
Feb 10, 2012 at 3:54 AM Post #191 of 1,021
I just want to give props to DigiZoid customer service. I was missing a usb charging cable and they were right on top of that immediately. I even had a couple of troubleshooting issues and Paul (the CEO) was on the phone with me immediately. This is some of the best customer service I've ever experienced and they have truly earned my business.
 
On top of that, they have brought my Etymotic IEMs to a new level. I have a pair of Atrio Futuresonics M5s on the way, and I cant even imagine how good those will sound with the ZO2.
 
This is one of the coolest companies I've come across in this hobby and I can't wait to see what future offerings they have in store.
 
Feb 10, 2012 at 5:48 AM Post #193 of 1,021


Quote:
I just want to give props to DigiZoid customer service. I was missing a usb charging cable and they were right on top of that immediately. I even had a couple of troubleshooting issues and Paul (the CEO) was on the phone with me immediately. This is some of the best customer service I've ever experienced and they have truly earned my business.
 
On top of that, they have brought my Etymotic IEMs to a new level. I have a pair of Atrio Futuresonics M5s on the way, and I cant even imagine how good those will sound with the ZO2.
 
This is one of the coolest companies I've come across in this hobby and I can't wait to see what future offerings they have in store.



Just to follow up on the PMs you sent me, did you figure everything out then??   Great to hear man!
 
As far as mine goes, ive had it for a decent amount of time now, and have used it daily.  Strictly with my portable setup:

 
And I am absolutely LOVING it.  I have an iWatchz watch band for the nano, and was using the nano on my wrist without the ZO a few days ago and it just wasnt the same.  I was definitely missing the little guy!  Ive given up on using the ZO with my crossfades, as I have tried everything and just cannot seem to get acceptable sound without distortion at an adequate volume level.  Ive decided to purchase a FiiO e10 for use on my desk with my laptop.  Im still VERY happy with the ZO for use with my nano and iems, it was well worth the money spent.  Especially with the music I tend to listen to.
 
Ive been itching to buy a new pair of cans for at home use as well, and I am looking at the Beyer dt880 250ohm.  I really do not want to re-read this whole thread so Ill just throw my question out.  Anyone using the ZO with those Beyers?  I think I remember them mentioned but Im not sure.
 
Feb 10, 2012 at 1:43 PM Post #194 of 1,021
Noize: Still trying different combinations with regard to headphones, but I've found that the ZO takes the IEMs to such an impressive level of quality that I'm sold on the thing. When I put on the Etys and have the smart vector in the orange area, it's just ridiculous how much better it sounds. I'm not a big believer in "night and day" differences in audio typically, but when I go from green (no enhancement) to orange, the sound becomes much fuller and really gets your toes tappin'. I have some Comply tips on the Etys which allow for better seal than what I had, so the ZO just goes to town with the audio quality. I didn't think I'd really like this product as much as I do, because with my home rig I don't like to use any sort of equalization or tone controls. I like a transparent system that allows the recording to just come through. I don't really understand how it all works, but the ZO seems to make the music fuller and more enjoyable, but not really change the quality of the recording itself. I don't know how to explain it, I just know that I like it. I was listening to the track called "Angel" from one of my Massive Attack albums, and it floored me. If you want to hear the ZO really take hold of an already cool track and do its thing, give it a listen :D
 
Feb 10, 2012 at 1:44 PM Post #195 of 1,021
Noize: Still trying different combinations with regard to headphones, but I've found that the ZO takes the IEMs to such an impressive level of quality that I'm sold on the thing. When I put on the Etys and have the smart vector in the orange area, it's just ridiculous how much better it sounds. I'm not a big believer in "night and day" differences in audio typically, but when I go from green (no enhancement) to orange, the sound becomes much fuller and really gets your toes tappin'. I have some Comply tips on the Etys which allow for better seal than what I had, so the ZO just goes to town with the audio quality. I didn't think I'd really like this product as much as I do, because with my home rig I don't like to use any sort of equalization or tone controls. I like a transparent system that allows the recording to just come through. I don't really understand how it all works, but the ZO seems to make the music fuller and more enjoyable, but not really change the quality of the recording itself. I don't know how to explain it, I just know that I like it. I was listening to the track called "Angel" from one of my Massive Attack albums, and it floored me. If you want to hear the ZO really take hold of an already cool track and do its thing, give it a listen :D
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top