[kenman345]

Actually, from what I understand it may be. I don't understand why it can't just be taken that the input power from the source into the ZO2 powers is enough to power on a sensor that turns on the Amp. But you never know, may be a lot more complicated than that. 
Quote:

I'm surprised there aren't more amps with this feature, surely it can't be too difficult/expensive to implement?

 

[redguy]

I've been lurking for a while now, but I wanted to post and say that I'm getting one of these (ZO2.3). It should arrive Monday or Tuesday. I live in Tucson, only about 1.5 hours away from digiZoid's offices, so part of me wishes I would have just driven up to Scottsdale and gotten it myself!
 
I have a Total Bithead DAC/amp. I love it as a DAC. I use it at work all the time to replace my crappy computer's audio. But I don't own any high-end, high impedance headphones. So an amp doesn't really do me any good. I've tried to hear a difference by switching between the amp and a direct connection to my iPod. To my ears, the sound doesn't change.
 
Based on what I've been reading here, I'm expecting all that to change with the ZO2. It should completely change the sound of all of my moderate collection of low-end head gear. I'm really excited to love my music even more.

 

[Focker]

Quote:

I've been lurking for a while now, but I wanted to post and say that I'm getting one of these (ZO2.3). It should arrive Monday or Tuesday. I live in Tucson, only about 1.5 hours away from digiZoid's offices, so part of me wishes I would have just driven up to Scottsdale and gotten it myself!
 
I have a Total Bithead DAC/amp. I love it as a DAC. I use it at work all the time to replace my crappy computer's audio. But I don't own any high-end, high impedance headphones. So an amp doesn't really do me any good. I've tried to hear a difference by switching between the amp and a direct connection to my iPod. To my ears, the sound doesn't change.
 
Based on what I've been reading here, I'm expecting all that to change with the ZO2. It should completely change the sound of all of my moderate collection of low-end head gear. I'm really excited to love my music even more.

 
Nice, I hope you enjoy!

 

[redguy]

I got it today. I utilized the Saturday hours of the post office and picked it up.
 
I'm running it through all of my headphones. Here's a breakdown. 
 
Senn. HD201
Before ZO2 -- These things are clear and clean, but are very bass-light. I can't really listen to them. I was very disappointed when I got them, considering how well liked they are. I bought AKG K44s to replace them. Those are at work, so I can't talk about them here... for now.
 
After ZO2 -- I have to crank it up to the maximum contour level. But when I do, it's smooth and rich. I love these things now. They're light, comfortable cheap and sound great.
 
 
AKG K44
Before ZO2 -- I really like these. They are not boomy, but still have some low end. The only problem is that I use them at work. I can't run them at a very high volume because I need to be able to hear other people talking to me, so the they don't really get a chance to "sing".
 
After ZO2 -- These are thunderous, which allows me to turn down the volume and still listen to a smooth representation of the full spectrum of the music. It's a lot of fun to listen to these and drink in the bass line.
 
 
Senn PMX 680i
Before ZO2 -- These sound a little muffled, but relatively pleasant with a decent amount of low end. Not much impact to speak of. Very functional, nondescript sound.
 
After ZO2 -- They are still muffled, but now they have a lot more smooth low end. I wouldn't say they sound good, though. It comes across a little boomy, but I really don't expect much from these. These are not going to be used with the ZO2 anyway. I use these for exercise (sprinting and body-weight exercises) and I'll leave the ZO2 at home for that.
 
 
Denon AH-C551K
Before Z02 -- These are clear and clean and have some surprising capability on certain pitches in the bass line. They are mid-heavy and slightly bright. So high volumes, sufficient for bringing out the bass, are uncomfortably loud.
 
After ZO2 -- Punchy, rich. Easy to listen to. I love them. It's a drastic improvement, even at lower contour levels. I reminds me a live concert. The only bummer is the hiss. I can't hear it with music playing, but it happens irrespective of gain level. It doesn't seem like ZO2 is all that great for IEMs, if this sort of thing bothers you a lot. It's doesn't really bother me. I tried low-gain with a LOD, not only did the hiss not change, the lowest volume level on the ZO2 was still too loud for my purposes.
 
 
Koss KSC75
Before ZO2 -- Pleasantly bassy, but a little boomy sometimes and slightly treble-heavy.
 
After ZO2 -- I can turn the volume down on these and still hear what I want to hear. It's nice and full, even when quiet. Very smooth. Easy to sit and listen to music while still needing to pay attention to what my family is doing. Drastic improvement.
 
 
Koss PortaPro
Before ZO2 -- I like the sound of these, but they're a little muffled when compared to the KSC75s. They sound very capable, but there's not a lot of definition.
 
After ZO2 -- These are still a tad muffled, but the bass is tighter than the AKGs. I'm shocked was comes out of these things, considering their size. There's a lot of life in the bass. It's energetic. Tons of fun.
 
 
The essence of my experience with the ZO2 is that it has given me what I had hoped to get when I bought my Total Bithead. My collection of cheap headgear sounds like a million bucks. The only pair that wasn't improved by them (subjectively) is the PMX680i. But, it does definitely improve the bass. The rest of the range of the headphone is just not really that great, so it doesn't sound better overall. They are terrific for their purpose, which is to run like a raped ape and not have them fall off.
 
I can't speak for high-impedance equipment, but for someone like me, who only owns lower priced headphones, the ZO2 completely changes my listening experience for the better. This something that a traditional, transparent amp could not do. Something important to mention is that all of my headphones require different levels of bass boost. A simple off/on approach would not be nearly as effective. The ZO2 gives me the ability to easily adjust the bass for each application.
 
I'm starting to hear things in my music that never new was there, like foot steps, breathing, little riffs that were previously buried. I'm also able to tell when a track is poorly produced. Plus, I can hear the difference between Pandora and my iPod. I think I could pick out the difference in a line up. This is all new to me with the ZO.

 

[Focker]

The way the ZO can transform cheapos into very enjoyable headphones/IEMs is remarkable. I have a pair of $8 Altec Lansing IEMs that sound AMAZING with my ZO.

 

[miow]

Still waiting for a ZO that gives the detail/SQ of a FiiO E11.

 

[Leon Dota]

Hey all,
 
Just got my ZO2 the other day and hot damn am I impressed.
 
I mean, I suppose I'm impressionable because this is my first amp ever. I've only ever sampled a couple amps from friends of mine and they didn't impress me at all. Then comes along the ZO2 and sorta kinda blows my mind. Worth every penny, as far as I can tell.
 
The two 'hi-fi' headphones I have used with it so far are my Sennheiser 598's, and my ATH-PRO700MK2ANV's, and...whew. Tell you what.
 
Sennheiser 598's - Man, these are normally fairly bass light, but POW, do they pack a wallop with the ZO2. I'd love to have a Dre Beats owner try these on and then die of exasperation at how these open-ended Sennheisers completely crush their Beats in the bass department and...well, every other department too.
 
ATH-PRO700MK2ANV's - Oh my christ. These cans, alone, already liquify your innards with the sub-bass they provide. With the ZO2? Forget it. Game over. Pack your bags and go home. Nothing sounds deeper, and still crisp and full, than the ANV's with the ZO2. I'm surprised I'm still alive.
 
So yeah! Love the little thing. Also, I literally laughed and did a double-take when I saw how absolutely TINY the thing is.
 

 

[Jamesesesess]

Are they not selling these things anymore or something? OneCall has stopped selling them, and they were removed from Amazon (a few days ago they were just 'unavailable', not they're not even there anymore). The only place that I can find to order them is from their website for $20 more than most websites. I've been wanting to get one but now I can't find them for $99 anywhere. 

 

[ChrisSC]

That sucks!  I'd send an email to zo asking them if there's a reason all of their suppliers are out of stock.  They're pretty nice over there, see if maybe they'll price match Amazon's $99

 

[Jamesesesess]

Quote:

That sucks!  I'd send an email to zo asking them if there's a reason all of their suppliers are out of stock.  They're pretty nice over there, see if maybe they'll price match Amazon's $99

 
Alright, I'll do that. I don't really care about having to spend the extra $20, I'm just worried they're going to randomly stop selling these altogether and I won't be able to get my hands on one.

 

[MizMoxie]

Quote:

Are they not selling these things anymore or something? OneCall has stopped selling them, and they were removed from Amazon (a few days ago they were just 'unavailable', not they're not even there anymore). The only place that I can find to order them is from their website for $20 more than most websites. I've been wanting to get one but now I can't find them for $99 anywhere. 

 
Quote:

 
Alright, I'll do that. I don't really care about having to spend the extra $20, I'm just worried they're going to randomly stop selling these altogether and I won't be able to get my hands on one.

 
 
Don't worry... we aren't going to stop selling ZO's! Right now we are waiting for our next batch of inventory from our manufacturer, which should be coming very soon. We still have a few ZOs available to sell directly, but most of our resellers are just temporarily out of stock.

 

[redguy]

I just took a minor road trip to Phoenix. (howdy digiZoid). My car stereo has an aux jack so I thought I would try the ZO in that configuration. Here's what I tried.
 

• Flatten all the EQ settings and other sound adjustments on my car stereo and turn it off.
• Set the ZO to high gain mode and turn it off
• Connect the ZO to the aux jack.
• Connect the iPod to the ZO via patch cable.
• Power on the ZO, the iPod, and the stereo.
• Set the car stereo to the normal level I listen to it at.
• Adjust the volume of the iPod so that the music is a normal level.

 
This produced a very thin, weak sound, so I started turning up the contour adjustment. This produced pronounced distortion, so I turned the volume down on the iPod. This took care of the distortion, but there was still no body to the sound. I tried upping the contour level, but it wasn't producing much of a change.
 
I decided to try low gain mode, with a LOD going to the iPod. This was, of course, even more quiet and did not improve anything about the sound.
 
In the end, I put the ZO away and just used the LOD going directly to the aux port. It was much louder. However, it still sounded thin.
 
It's entirely possible my car's stereo just has a crappy aux input. It also has a iPod connector that sounds great, vastly better than the aux. The aux channel seems to be pretty weak in comparison. I have a Scion XB with a stock stereo.

 

[miow]

Don't blame your car's stereo aux input ; )
 

 

[MizMoxie]

Quote:

I just took a minor road trip to Phoenix. (howdy digiZoid). My car stereo has an aux jack so I thought I would try the ZO in that configuration. Here's what I tried.
 

• Flatten all the EQ settings and other sound adjustments on my car stereo and turn it off.
• Set the ZO to high gain mode and turn it off
• Connect the ZO to the aux jack.
• Connect the iPod to the ZO via patch cable.
• Power on the ZO, the iPod, and the stereo.
• Set the car stereo to the normal level I listen to it at.
• Adjust the volume of the iPod so that the music is a normal level.

 
This produced a very thin, weak sound, so I started turning up the contour adjustment. This produced pronounced distortion, so I turned the volume down on the iPod. This took care of the distortion, but there was still no body to the sound. I tried upping the contour level, but it wasn't producing much of a change.
 
I decided to try low gain mode, with a LOD going to the iPod. This was, of course, even more quiet and did not improve anything about the sound.
 
In the end, I put the ZO away and just used the LOD going directly to the aux port. It was much louder. However, it still sounded thin.
 
It's entirely possible my car's stereo just has a crappy aux input. It also has a iPod connector that sounds great, vastly better than the aux. The aux channel seems to be pretty weak in comparison. I have a Scion XB with a stock stereo.

 
I quickly browsed through the Scion's audio system owners manual, and noticed there are built-in DSP settings (or what they call SSP settings). These can have a significant effect on the overall sound, and I honestly wish more manufacturers provided an option to bypass them altogether. Unfortunately, because of the way these DSPs process the signal, they often times remove all the good stuff ZO does to the sound! In fact, current digital processing does the exact opposite of what ZO does in its attempt to achieve the same result. But I'll save that explanation for another day.
 
Therefore, my suggestion is this:

• Repeat steps 1-5 above
• Set the iPod's volume to about 40-50%, or just under the halfway point
• Start with the stereo's volume at 0, and then slowly increase it until it's sufficient. I wouldn't recommend going over about 75%-80% in volume on the stereo. So if you reach that point, and find the volume level isn't loud enough, increase the iPod's volume SLIGHTLY (like in ~5% increments), and if you start hearing any distortion, you've increased it too much. I find in my car that you may have to mess around a little bit to find the perfect balance between the iPod and stereo's volume levels.
• (This step is the most important, as from your post, it seems the volume levels aren't the issue) Now that you have the volume level where it's loud enough and not distorting, set the ZO to about mid-contour level (orange). Start playing around with the EQ and SSP/DSP settings on the stereo. In my car, I have the bass about 3 steps up, and the treble about 5 steps up. But, if anything, I think that trying the various SSP modes will have the biggest impact on the sound, as that has been my experience.
• Also, if your car has it, make sure Dolby noise reduction is turned OFF.

 
Hopefully some of these suggestions will help. I assume you're no longer in Phoenix, and now back in Tucson, right? If you're still in town, or planning on making another trip to Phoenix sometime soon, I would be more than happy to meet up with you and see if we can't get your Scion sounding its best! 

 

[Kazekeil]

Quote:

 
I quickly browsed through the Scion's audio system owners manual, and noticed there are built-in DSP settings (or what they call SSP settings). These can have a significant effect on the overall sound, and I honestly wish more manufacturers provided an option to bypass them altogether. Unfortunately, because of the way these DSPs process the signal, they often times remove all the good stuff ZO does to the sound! In fact, current digital processing does the exact opposite of what ZO does in its attempt to achieve the same result. But I'll save that explanation for another day.
 
Therefore, my suggestion is this:

• Repeat steps 1-5 above
• Set the iPod's volume to about 40-50%, or just under the halfway point
• Start with the stereo's volume at 0, and then slowly increase it until it's sufficient. I wouldn't recommend going over about 75%-80% in volume on the stereo. So if you reach that point, and find the volume level isn't loud enough, increase the iPod's volume SLIGHTLY (like in ~5% increments), and if you start hearing any distortion, you've increased it too much. I find in my car that you may have to mess around a little bit to find the perfect balance between the iPod and stereo's volume levels.
• (This step is the most important, as from your post, it seems the volume levels aren't the issue) Now that you have the volume level where it's loud enough and not distorting, set the ZO to about mid-contour level (orange). Start playing around with the EQ and SSP/DSP settings on the stereo. In my car, I have the bass about 3 steps up, and the treble about 5 steps up. But, if anything, I think that trying the various SSP modes will have the biggest impact on the sound, as that has been my experience.
• Also, if your car has it, make sure Dolby noise reduction is turned OFF.

 
Hopefully some of these suggestions will help. I assume you're no longer in Phoenix, and now back in Tucson, right? If you're still in town, or planning on making another trip to Phoenix sometime soon, I would be more than happy to meet up with you and see if we can't get your Scion sounding its best! 

You're a badass good sir and I wish you all the monies in the world.


Now get to work on full range smartvektor...grace the planet...rule the world