[hionhifi]

The XDA-1 I think received a bad rap and not much fanfare or attention from the mainstream press. I would have loved to see JA of Stereophile put it through his testing to see if all the negative hype was justified. 

 

[calipilot227]

Quote:

The XDA-1 I think received a bad rap and not much fanfare or attention from the mainstream press. I would have loved to see JA of Stereophile put it through his testing to see if all the negative hype was justified. 

 
Negative hype? I don't think I've seen any negative reviews, only positive ones (the reason I bought it).

 

[brunk]

Quote:

 
Negative hype? I don't think I've seen any negative reviews, only positive ones (the reason I bought it).

Just sounds like he's mentioning all the whiners that have an obsession with USB for some reason...not valid IMO

 

[calipilot227]

Quote:

Just sounds like he's mentioning all the whiners that have an obsession with USB for some reason...not valid IMO

Haha yeah, especially considering most laptops (all Apple laptops, I think and many PCs) have mini-toslink digital output through the headphone jack. Sounds pretty good to me, especially the 24/96 needle drops I've made (as well as HDtracks high res FLAC).

 

[antberg]

Guys i was just looking randomly (and specifically too) many threads around Head-Fi (great lurker),and i fell under two Emotiva`s XDA-1 subjects.
To make it as simple as possible:I was considering to buy a worth Amp/Dac for my Beyer 990 250 and Hf5.
Considering about a few options,like a O2/Odac combo (+/- 200$), an Audinst HDU-mx1 (+/- 200$) and a Matrix Mini-I or Quattro ( 300$ and 400$).
Considering they all are about a little different products ,but give a general kind of use and performance , does someone of you think this promo of Emotiva`s XDA-1 at 200 dollars it a bang for the buck ,killer deal ,Sale off of the year?
I know they are not really full into Headphone marketing ,but i know they are a reputable audio brand (and i am thinking in buying a pair of speakers).
Thanks folks!

 

[calipilot227]

Quote:

Guys i was just looking randomly (and specifically too) many threads around Head-Fi (great lurker),and i fell under two Emotiva`s XDA-1 subjects.
To make it as simple as possible:I was considering to buy a worth Amp/Dac for my Beyer 990 250 and Hf5.
Considering about a few options,like a O2/Odac combo (+/- 200$), an Audinst HDU-mx1 (+/- 200$) and a Matrix Mini-I or Quattro ( 300$ and 400$).
Considering they all are about a little different products ,but give a general kind of use and performance , does someone of you think this promo of Emotiva`s XDA-1 at 200 dollars it a bang for the buck ,killer deal ,Sale off of the year?
I know they are not really full into Headphone marketing ,but i know they are a reputable audio brand (and i am thinking in buying a pair of speakers).
Thanks folks!

The XDA-1 is a DAC only. You will need a separate headphone amplifier.

 

[antberg]

Sorry about that Capitol, i did not probably take not much attention when i came half drunk yesterday from a bar. from a night full of sweat ,cooking dinners all night long.
Then i thought "right now i am a little drunk to ask some question now,will try tomorrow".Even that decision was not so wide,after all.

 

[calipilot227]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but it looks like this DAC is discontinued? Shame, really. I still love mine (going on 5 months of daily use). Any idea what they're rolling out to replace it (if they're replacing it, I hope so)?

 

[openreel]

I just picked up the XDA-1 at $199 and find it an outstanding performer at this price. The audio quality is way above its price producing a very convincing soundstage for jazz and classical music. I do find the top end not quite as open or airy as I'd like but on the other hand the bass is prodigious. Clincher was the AES/EBU input for the magical V-Link 192 USB converter- my preferred listening source now.  I won't rule out an even higher fidelity DAC down the road but the XDA-1's input flexibility will keep its place in my system.

 

[Clemmaster]

Quote:

Sorry to bump an old thread, but it looks like this DAC is discontinued? Shame, really. I still love mine (going on 5 months of daily use). Any idea what they're rolling out to replace it (if they're replacing it, I hope so)?

 
They will release the XDA-2 shortly (by the end of this year IIRC) with a decent USB input (XMOS?).

 

[Thunder240]

I'll admit to being one of the USB whiners, but the fact is I use USB pretty rarely. 99%+ of my usage is TOSLINK, and given that, the XDA-1 has been an 'outstanding' component in my value-oriented bedroom stereo / headphone rig. IMO, at the $200 price point the XDA-1 is a top performer.

 

[Clemmaster]

Quote:

I'll admit to being one of the USB whiners, but the fact is I use USB pretty rarely. 99%+ of my usage is TOSLINK, and given that, the XDA-1 has been an 'outstanding' component in my value-oriented bedroom stereo / headphone rig. IMO, at the $200 price point the XDA-1 is a top performer.

 
Agreed. I actually found its performance quite up to the level of the NFB-3.1, though, back then, I was feeding both directly with my Squeezebox Touch. As I could witness recently with the latter (or the Metrum Quad), a good DDC converter in-between makes a HUGE difference for those units that don't have advanced jitter reduction mechanism. I still own the Emotiva but it is not at my place currently so I cannot re-evaluate it. I might do so in the future, by curiosity.
 
Anyway, one thing I know for sure is that the USB input is REALLY poor, the sound is dead flat and lifeless when compared to the TOSLINK input fed by an airport express.
 
A proper USB input, 2 Airmotiv 4's and you get a really nice desktop speaker setup!

 

[Thunder240]

Are any of you guys looking at the new XDA-2 that Emotiva just released? I haven't seen any reviews of it yet, but Audiohaulics has a preview of it (http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/processors/emotiva-xda-2-pre). Looks like they're attempting to fix the USB issue. XDA-2 supports assynchronous USB operation up to 192/24. Also, there is a built-in headphone amp! I hope someone posts a review soon!

 

[StratocasterMan]

Quote:

Are any of you guys looking at the new XDA-2 that Emotiva just released? I haven't seen any reviews of it yet, but Audiohaulics has a preview of it (http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/processors/emotiva-xda-2-pre). Looks like they're attempting to fix the USB issue. XDA-2 supports assynchronous USB operation up to 192/24. Also, there is a built-in headphone amp! I hope someone posts a review soon!

 
I started a thread looking for reviews of the XDA-2 over here:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/641544/emotiva-xda-2
 
The thread received a lot of views but no reviews. I'm interested in it as well.

 

[Thunder240]

I started a thread looking for reviews of the XDA-2 over here:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/641544/emotiva-xda-2

The thread received a lot of views but no reviews. I'm interested in it as well.

Thanks ! I'll subscribe. Hopefully someone takes the plunge soon. I don't use USB enough to justify $350 to upgrade my XDA-1, but a decent headphone stage could be enough to tip me over.