[Wildcatsare1]

   
Using it with both SR80e and SR325is. It's a great match with the SR325is as it tames the brightness a bit while preserving the details and clarity.

Thank you, exactly what I am looking for! Now if I can just find somebody who wants to trade some "e" series Grados for an Alpha Dog!

 

[SpienerVince]

Because I hear a lot of people complain about problems with the Fulla on Mac. Here is a tip!
 
Older models can not supply enough power on the USB ports, this is not a hardware problem, but a software problem. Try upgrading your MacBook/iMac/Mac Pro/Mac Mini to the latest software; OS X Yosemite 10.10.1, this will solve a lot of problems because there are new drivers included for the power management feature.

 

[muziq]

  Because I hear a lot of people complain about problems with the Fulla on Mac. Here is a tip!
 
Older models can not supply enough power on the USB ports, this is not a hardware problem, but a software problem. Try upgrading your MacBook/iMac/Mac Pro/Mac Mini to the latest software; OS X Yosemite 10.10.1, this will solve a lot of problems because there are new drivers included for the power management feature.

DON'T do this upgrade if, like me, you have a Time Capsule and/or have an external drive connected to it for storing data, music, etc.  Yosemite has an unaddressed-by-Apple issue with Time Capsule and accessing drives in certain configurations.  I made the mistake of upgrading my 2009 MBP from Mavericks to Yosemite in the hope of solving this USB power problem for my Fulla, and now Time Capsule isn't backing up, and my music files (on an external drive connected to the Time Capsule via USB port) are inaccessible. And Fulla's still not working without a powered hub for me. Unless you're pretty tech-savvy and can build work-arounds, I wouldn't recommend Yosemite until Apple un-f'es its network and Time Capsule protocols.  

 

[SpienerVince]

It is not Apple, check your Time Capsule firmware. This might be the problem. It is not Yosemite, I have a Time Capsule and it works great, even with my old Mavericks back-up. Just hook the external drive to your Mac and it should work.

 

[swspiers]

  Anybody using the Fulla with Grados?

I tried, and ended up returning the Fulla.  I love Schiit, and am not slamming them at all.  But it just didn't work for me at all, and using primarily iGrado's and 225i's, I heard no appreciable difference between the Fulla and the FiiO E10.  Except I could boost the bass with the E10.  I also had some distortion in the right channel, which could have been a defect of the Fulla.  In the end I just did not think it was a good enough upgrade to justify the cash.   The build quality is on-pat for the price, and did not wow me like the Magi at its pricepoint.
 
All IMHO, of course.  Looking forward to the next batch of Schiit products regardless.  Great customer service, and fun to deal with!
 
-S

 

[jigglyp]

Hey guys, I'm looking into buying an amp/dac for my HiFiman HE-400s. Would the fulla schiit be a good match for them?  How does the Fulla sound compared to a Magni/Modi combo? Are the Magni/Modi in a completely different league, or is the difference negligible? And would the fulla schiit be an upgrade from a Xonar DG, considering the cheap price? Any input on this would be great. Thanks.

 

[pavement714]

I received a Fulla for Christmas to use with my M50x's. I absolutely love it. Immediately, I heard a soundstage and detail difference on my cans compared to my iPhone 5S and 2009 MacBook Pro. This is my first DAC, so I can't compare it to anything else, but I really like the added detail, presence and warmth it brings to my headphones. My girlfriend has a new retina display MBP that has a decent DAC, but the Fulla bested that as well. I did need to buy a Belkin powered hub for it to be recognized, but the hub itself doesn't need to be plugged in. Have also successfully used it with my iPhone.
 
One thing people aren't talking much about is the fact that the DAC chip in the Fulla is the exact same as the Schiit Modi. Just something to consider if you're a fan of that DAC.

 

[cspirou]

It'll have to be more expensive than $79.  Take a look at the prices Amazon is charging for other Schiit products vs directly off their website.  Using Amazon just means you also need to pay a middleman when buying Schiit prices, which jacks up the price.

Wrong. The Amazon prices include shipping which means they are basically the same price. Any difference is a trivial amount of $1-$3.

 

[Uberclocked]

Wrong. The Amazon prices include shipping which means they are basically the same price. Any difference is a trivial amount of $1-$3.

The person was asking whether the price would be $79 or not, which it will not be.

 

[jigglyp]

  I received a Fulla for Christmas to use with my M50x's. I absolutely love it. Immediately, I heard a soundstage and detail difference on my cans compared to my iPhone 5S and 2009 MacBook Pro. This is my first DAC, so I can't compare it to anything else, but I really like the added detail, presence and warmth it brings to my headphones. My girlfriend has a new retina display MBP that has a decent DAC, but the Fulla bested that as well. I did need to buy a Belkin powered hub for it to be recognized, but the hub itself doesn't need to be plugged in. Have also successfully used it with my iPhone.
 
One thing people aren't talking much about is the fact that the DAC chip in the Fulla is the exact same as the Schiit Modi. Just something to consider if you're a fan of that DAC.

Do you have a source on the dac chips being the same? The HE-400s are planar magnetic which is supposed to be pretty hard to drive compared to something like the ATH-M50s, so im nervous about how well the Fulla would drive them, even if they are of similar impedance.

 

[pavement714]

  Do you have a source on the dac chips being the same? The HE-400s are planar magnetic which is supposed to be pretty hard to drive compared to something like the ATH-M50s, so im nervous about how well the Fulla would drive them, even if they are of similar impedance.

Right on the product page.
 
"Like Modi, Fulla uses a CM6631 USB 2.0 receiver and the AK4396 digital to analog converter—not antique 1.1 or an integrated DAC with headphone drivers built in. The AK4396 is one of the best-measuring, most capable digital to analog converters on the planet, used in systems that cost many times the Fulla’s price."
 
http://schiit.com/products/fulla

 

[SpienerVince]

  Do you have a source on the dac chips being the same? The HE-400s are planar magnetic which is supposed to be pretty hard to drive compared to something like the ATH-M50s, so im nervous about how well the Fulla would drive them, even if they are of similar impedance.

The impedance does not matter in this case. Fulla will be able to drive them since the Hifiman HE-400 is pretty efficient for a planar magnetic headphone.

 

[Uberclocked]

  Do you have a source on the dac chips being the same? The HE-400s are planar magnetic which is supposed to be pretty hard to drive compared to something like the ATH-M50s, so im nervous about how well the Fulla would drive them, even if they are of similar impedance.

The HE-400s are pretty easy to drive, you probably can drive them from your phone if you crank the volume up enough.
 
Quote from the Fulla specs page on the Schiit website:
DAC: AKM AK4396 with Analog Devices ADA4610-based filter stage
 
Quote from the Modi specs page on the Schiit webiste:
D/A Conversion IC: AKM4396

 

[SpienerVince]

Same chip, different package 

. Modi is a DAC only and Fulla is a DAC/AMP combination.

 

[Uberclocked]

However, keep in mind that the DAC chip used isn't as important as how it is implemented.  A bad DAC chip implemented amazingly will sound better than a good one implemented horribly.
For example, the AK240 uses two CS4398s, the same DAC used on the Creative Sound Blaster Z, which you can get off ebay for ~$50, yet sounds better than the DX90, which uses two ESS9018K2Ms, which are arguably better than the dual CS4398s.