Fire Phoenix DAC-02 / the odac->o2 desktop rival

[LaRzZa]

Have you checked the op-amps if they are soldered on the pcb or if they are in sockets?

 

[Ic3M0nk3y]

Too many dacs, which one should i get?  I really would like to just get the FP 02 but it has quality control issues and the 05 is set up weird apparently and i don't really know what to do about the several others posted in this thread :L
Quote:

That sucks, I wonder what's wrong with it.
 
 
If it's any conciliation, my CS4398 DAC cost around the same and doesn't even have a headphone amp in it.
 

 
 
I can only use it as a DAC to an external amplifier, via the red/white RCA line-out there, and I'm pretty confident in ranking it in the top two of all DAC's, sound-cards and DAP's I've listened to.

kiteki, should i just get this or the ak4396?  

 

[kiteki]

 
kiteki, should i just get this or the ak4396?  

 
 
Just get my CS4398, with AD797, you'll be happy.
 
Links are here.
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Finished-CS4398-CS8416-USB-DAC-With-Transformer-case-/120769856777
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/mod-1x-AD797BR-Dual-Mono-Op-amp-module-ultralow-noise-replace-dual-op-/261100530695

 

[149700]

How does that dac look from the front? There are no pictures on the ebay link haha.
 
Is there some sort of colored light to indicate that its power is on?

 

[kiteki]

The entire DAC is black, the front has a power switch and three blue lights which indicate power, signal error and high-rez playback I think, I haven't paid much attention to the lights. =]
 
I can't remember if it came with a USB cable, if it didn't you'll need a USB printer cable, which is square to rectangle.  If you're lavish, you may want to entertain this one which I use (the AD797 chip is 20 times more important though).
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/A-B-SYSTEMS-Teralink-X2-Hi-End-USB-AUDIO-CABLE-6N-MKII-1M-/260913388693
 

 

[Ic3M0nk3y]

How would i use the ad797 though, do i just need to stick it in the cs4398, then how do i control the volume of it, or would it just be at one set volume so i'd just have to use my laptops volume control. Sorry super noob here :L 

 

[kiteki]

You need a screwdriver to open up the box, and then you take out a small black chip called NE5532 with a tweezer or screwdriver, then you put AD797 there (in the correct direction), it's easy.
 
You can't adjust the volume, since it's a DAC, so you need to connect it to an external amplifier, with red / white RCA cables.  So, you adjust the volume on your computer, or on your amplifier.
 
 
Perhaps it's less hassle for you to just get the Topping which has a headphone amp and volume control?
 
 

Topping TP-D1 MKII MK2 CS4398 USB sound card USB decoder External For PC laptop   From China

 

[Kevii]

Has this thread died? Im still looking for a DAC with headphone like the Phoenix, but it looks like the new phoenix has QC issues?

 

[gibosi]

Quote:

Has this thread died? Im still looking for a DAC with headphone like the Phoenix, but it looks like the new phoenix has QC issues?

I just received my Fire Phoenix today. According to email correspondence with the vendor prior to my purchase, the manufacturer got the message loud and clear that QC was a problem and it has since been resolved. Well, anyway, I am listening to my Fire Phoenix as I write this, and to my ears, it is everything Dsnuts and Kiteki said it was. I really wanted this to be good ... and it is.  

 

[nick_charles]

Quote:

I just received my Fire Phoenix today. According to email correspondence with the vendor prior to my purchase, the manufacturer got the message loud and clear that QC was a problem and it has since been resolved. Well, anyway, I am listening to my Fire Phoenix as I write this, and to my ears, it is everything Dsnuts and Kiteki said it was. I really wanted this to be good ... and it is.  

 
 
I have two of these and with 150 or 250 ohm headphones the channel imbalance is really not an issue at listening levels but may be an issue for low-z headphones. There are for me two very minor concerns but possibly worth mentioning again. Used as a DAC the line-out is affected by the volume control so if you swap between using it as a DAC and as a headphone amp you need to remember to check the volume control setting ! - it has bags of power into 250 ohms. Secondly on USB after a period of inactivity both my Vista and Windows 7 PCs seem to forget it so that I need to unplug the USB cable and plug it in again. I'm using mine with Beyerdynamic DT880 and venerable Sennheiser HD535 headphones. The technical specs for the parts used are pretty good (if that matters to anyone) , I'd love to see the measured performance but as this is an anonymous HK doo-dad that is not going to happen any time soon. One thing I will say is that the headphone amp section (for me with my DT880s) has no audible residual noise at all even at full volume , my rather more expensive M^3 /Elpac I cannot say the same for.

 

[doco]

i ordered the fp-02 a few minutes ago. i also sent it.box a message loud and clear to test it for QC issues. specifically the channel imbalances and noise. we'll see how it goes once it arrives on my porch.

 

[rickdohc]

Hi there Doco, 
 
Its a nice sounding DAC/AMP,   when it works.  Keep us updated! 
Good Luck.
 

 

[doco]

fp-02 came in today. no channel imbalance or any kind of noise as far as i can tell. i have to turn the volume dial past 3 o'clock to hear any kind of noise. only minor concern i have is i can hear very faint music playing from both the left and right if i put the volume dial to zero on the unit. aside from that i am a very happy camper! one thing i noticed is the bass is a bit... less prominent than when i used the asgard + ODAC and STX. it's a bit of a trade-off since i can clearly hear the instruments have more clarity and presence along with the vocals with the fp-02. i'm not that much of a basshead so it's fine for me personally. headphone i'm currently using is the AD900X. i also have an AD797BR dual to mono op amp coming so i'll try that out.
 
so far so good! i'll post later with the AD797BR when it comes in and i have time to do some listening.

 

[LaRzZa]

I also waiting for an AD797 dual to mono op amp, but I think the AD797 op amps have a tendency to oscillate and run hot and maybe needs some bypassing?  I'm not a guru on op amps or DIY but I have built my O2 amp, so maybe somebody else can confirm that. I think an another option to the AD797 is the AD8597/AD8599. I should try the AD797 and maybe some other op amps because the orginal sound of the FP-02 have a thin bass to my ears.   

 

[doco]

my ad797br came in yesterday, and i listened to dsnuts advice and decided to let the ad797br get used to the circuitry around it by playing music nonstop over the weekend. if i hear any kind of oscillation in the next week, this thread will be the first place i post.
 
i did find a VERY useful thread on ad797 but it is at least 3 years old, and i'm not sure if it's still relevant to the AD797s made today.