[dw6928]

I use the GV5 w/Elpac with 701s with no distortion at loud volume at all.
Check your sources perhaps?

 

[Andrea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kukrisna it sounds great with the K501 however i noticed that at louder volumes it tends to distort though i dont know if that's due to the 9V instead of an elpac, or the files, or the headphones - does anyone know? -keith

Definitely it's the battery power. The LM6172's output swing and especially output current benefit highly by a high supply voltage, such as 24V.

 

[episiarch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kukrisna iit sounds great with the K501 however i noticed that at louder volumes it tends to distort though i dont know if that's due to the 9V instead of an elpac, or the files, or the headphones - does anyone know?

I've had this happen (though not with my K501s) and powering it from the Elpac did fix it.

 

[mchang]

Got the power supply and a Turbo Dock Diabolous (sp?) to go with.

All sounds good. No distortion as I turn it up, but I normally don't much beyond 11:00. No hiss, unless its on the track I'm listening to.

With my DT-880 (2005), I noticed a tighter sound (esp. in the bass) with the power supply vs. 9V. On a scale of 1-10, I would say the quality increase was about 2 points (from a 5 to a 7, for example).

I noticed a smaller difference going from the low-quality 1/8-1/8 interconnect with my iPod on max volume to the Turbo Dock. On the same 1-10 scale, lets say the jump was from 7 to 8. I'm sure the ALO docks might be better (the Diabolous wire seems pretty flimsy -- looks like a shoe string -- compared to the Cotton monstrosity), but the Turbo does what I need it to do.

Now I just need to decide whether I like the 880 sound.

 

[dw6928]

the new Turbodocks #5 especially are a major step forward.

 

[mchang]

I have the TURBO DIABOLOUS IV. I don't know if they are included with the "major step forward" you mentioned. It was on the same FS page on Xin's site as the Turbo Dock IV.

I bought it off of another Head-Fier for less than Turbo's price. I was looking for functionality, rather than TOP performance. If I get both, then GREAT!

As mentioned, it works and does improve the sound quality slightly. Maybe more, but my non audiophile ears haven't been able to detect.

 

[dw6928]

I found a tremendous difference between Turbodock 4 and 5. Well worth the
investment

 

[kukrisna]

hrmm and it seems the bass has the tendency to distort versus anything else...and it happens less with lossless files

hrmm - update:

plugged my cans into my mixer, and it gets much louder and does not distort - though i dont like the sound of the headphone amp in the mixer vs. the go vibe - im guessing it gets louder and doesnt clip because the mixer runs on a bunch of power (dont know how much off the top of my head)

i ended up ordering the elpac, so hopefully that'll satiate me

 

[tigger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kukrisna hrmm and it seems the bass has the tendency to distort versus anything else...and it happens less with lossless files hrmm - update: plugged my cans into my mixer, and it gets much louder and does not distort - though i dont like the sound of the headphone amp in the mixer vs. the go vibe - im guessing it gets louder and doesnt clip because the mixer runs on a bunch of power (dont know how much off the top of my head) i ended up ordering the elpac, so hopefully that'll satiate me

There's definately something amiss somewhere in your system.
Any chance of trying the amp with a simple CD player as source, either portable or home unit? Use a commercially recorded CD rather than a burned copy.

 

[kukrisna]

hey norm,

i actually dont have a CD player and wont have access to one for a while since im in college - though i noticed that it only starts to distort after 1:00 so i think it may just be a power issue since my mixer has a lot of power going through it and doesnt distort, so i think once my elpac arrives it'll be great - though usually i dont need to turn it up so high, just when i want to analyze a really quiet section of some classical piece - i usually stay between 11:00 and 12:00 and it's fine =)

however im sorta worried about ordering from newark - they charged me for two power supplies and then they charged me again for $40 for some reason - i sent them two emails about it, and hopefully it'll get sorted out - but im a bit worried - that extra $70 could have gone to something else and im really pissed about it...

oh well - live and learn!

 

[tigger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kukrisna however im sorta worried about ordering from newark - they charged me for two power supplies and then they charged me again for $40 for some reason - i sent them two emails about it, and hopefully it'll get sorted out - but im a bit worried - that extra $70 could have gone to something else and im really pissed about it... oh well - live and learn!

Don't let the Newark situation get too old. In other words, if you don't hear back today by email, call them. Their customer service # is 1-800-463-9275

 

[mchang]

You can also buy the Elpac from Allied Electronics:
http://www.alliedelec.com/

I overpaid on the shipping -- wanting it faster, but not realizing they shipped out of Fort Worth (just 3 hours from Austin). Oh well...

 

[kukrisna]

ahh a Newark rep just got back to me saying that the charges will drop off and they're just holds on the card to make sure i have the funds to pay it and that the actual charge is $40.48

the person also said that usually the charges are applied only once and not twice so im hoping that isn't a mistake on their part heh...

well i feel a bit better now and my elpac should arrive tomorrow so i am psyched

 

[dw6928]

fellow New Yorker: the Elpac does everything Norm promises it will. It made a wonderful difference in my GV5

 

[kukrisna]

sweet - i am looking forward to it!