[Freeze]

that dac looks like a really neato option for a laptop. I might get one if its not too expensive. I have a sandy bridge hp envy 14 with the dreaded beats audio but it actually is one of the better sounding laptops ive owned. If I plug the dac stick into my laptop i'll also have to bring my pico slim along correct?

 

[dannytang]

If I'm not mistaken, the DAC stick has a built in amp. If you got the USB DAC cable, you'd need an external amp.

 

[FlySweep]

Received the USB DAC cable this morning!
 
Like the Arrow.. it's black, well built, sleek, & unassuming.  At a glance, it looks like a plain, 24" USB cable (with a 3.5mm at one end & a slightly longer USB plug at the other).  The uninitiated would have no idea there is a DAC.  Heck, even I was surprised.  Again, very sleek.  Both end are gold plated.  The cable is solid.. USB 2.0, 28 AWG, shielded.  Strain reliefs are solid too.  As far as audio settings, max my PC showed the Arrow to be was was 16-bit/48Khz.
 
Plugged it into my Win7 x64 laptop, it installed flawlessly on it's own.. hooked it up the Arrow & playing music through my recabled HD598's.. it simply sounds fantastic.  I used WASAPI output on both Foobar & Winamp and had no problems or errors.  More impressions & photos as time permits.. but the cable does indeed exist and it's working great.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Received the USB DAC cable this morning!
 
Like the Arrow.. it's black, well built, sleek, & unassuming.  At a glance, it looks like a plain, 24" USB cable (with a 3.5mm at one end & a slightly longer USB plug at the other).  The uninitiated would have no idea there is a DAC.  Heck, even I was surprised.  Again, very sleek.  Both end are gold plated.  The cable is solid.. USB 2.0, 28 AWG, shielded.  Strain reliefs are solid too.  As far as audio settings, max my PC showed the Arrow to be was was 16-bit/48Khz.
 
Plugged it into my Win7 x64 laptop, it installed flawlessly on it's own.. hooked it up the Arrow & playing music through my recabled HD598's.. it simply sounds fantastic.  I used WASAPI output on both Foobar & Winamp and had no problems or errors.  More impressions & photos as time permits.. but the cable does indeed exist and it's working great.

Well that's good news!

 

[lazysleepyboi]

\
 
These are just pictures for everyone who's interested on how it looks, it looks really nice, gold plated, basically everything what FlySweep said. I haven't had a chance to test it out yet so for now, only pictures! Oh yeah, an interesting point to bring up is that it doesn't say headstage DAC cable or any kind of indication that this is from headphonia. Rob said that he ran into a few problems when it came to printing the logo on so the end result is just a black usb holding with no words
 

 
edit: i just tried them with my Asus Eee PC, and first, it definitely works, second, of course it sounds better than the onboard soundcard. It works really flawlessly and works perfectly if you're looking for a little amp/dac combo. The whole sound spectrum seems to be tamed compared to my onboard soundcard. 9+ months of waiting, and I still think this little headstage amp shows me that it was worth it all. The wait, the money, the countless says waiting to see if it'll come in the mail, it's all worth it. But again, this isn't the amp for everyone. It definitely takes patience, but if you are capable of holding out, then this thing will really show you what it's worth. 
 
One more thing I would like to mention about the DAC cable is that it's not for your desktop by any means. At 24'', it's far from ideal for a desktop rig. You could try using a USB extender with it which would work (most likely), but if you're trying to plug in directly from your desktop rig to this without an extender, it probably won't be long enough. In my opinion, this is more for a laptop desk where you have a laptop work station. I have yet to use this thing out in the world, but for now, I am satisfied with this purchase
 

 

[grokit]

That's a great form factor on that DAC cable. I would use a miniplug analog extension cable rather than a USB extension cable, it would seem that Rob wants the DAC part of the unit to plug in directly.

 

[tankman]

I don't see anything nice looking from the little dac, looks like a usb to mini cable with a bigger size pin connector. Curious how it sounds.

 

[ChrisSC]

this might be a stupid question, but could the usb on this DAC cable be reterminated so that it could work as an ipod LOD/DAC? In terms of portability, that would be something if it could replace the (somewhat) bulky algorhythm solo!

 

[airwax]

Quote:

this might be a stupid question, but could the usb on this DAC cable be reterminated so that it could work as an ipod LOD/DAC? In terms of portability, that would be something if it could replace the (somewhat) bulky algorhythm solo!

That's not possible. The Solo has a hardware (I don't know what is called) to retrieve the digital data from the ipod that will bypass the internal DAC of the ipod. The ipod does not output digital signal directly out of the dock.

 

[Freeze]

thats pretty freakin sweet, i approve

 

[FlySweep]

I don't see anything nice looking from the little dac, looks like a usb to mini cable with a bigger size pin connector. Curious how it sounds.

That's kind of the point.  If you're expecting blinking LEDs and a rhinestone-laden cable, you're gonna be disappointed.  Sleek, understated functionality seems to be Headstage's MO.. and the USB DAC cable achieves that in spades.
 
It's sounds great.

 

[cn11]

I received my USB DAC cable today as well, but at work I get nuthin on my Mac. The website says it should function the same whether on Mac or PC. Hmmmmmmm.......

 

[lazysleepyboi]

 
Quote:

I received my USB DAC cable today as well, but at work I get nuthin on my Mac. The website says it should function the same whether on Mac or PC. Hmmmmmmm.......

you should probably email Rob about that........i dont know if he looked for Mac compatibility, maybe he did?
 

 

[cn11]

Ugh, I hope he did... especially since it specifically states it works the same for Mac and PC on the site. The main purpose for picking it up is/was using it at my Mac work station during the day with the Arrow.
 
Anyway, email is sent to Robert. Hope it proves to be compatible....

 

[Freeze]

how does this dac compare to the quality of a much larger dac?