[Sid-Fi]

Hi everyone,

I know this has been touched on a million times on this forum and I apologize to ask about it here in a new thread, but I can't seem to get a good enough understanding from the bits and pieces I have been finding through my searches.

I am new to the forum and am currently using a Cowon O2 directly with my new Sennheiser IE8 and have been thrilled to start experiencing a higher end IEM (from Denon C751). I still have my old Ipod 5G and Itouch 1G laying around but long ago wrote them off as I felt my Cowon outmatched them in terms of SQ. Since I have been reading about the differences between headphone out and line out with Dacs/Amps, I am now wondering how my players compare with each other once I throw an amp in the mix as I am planning on picking up an Ibasso D10 in the near future. I'll be using it via USB from a laptop at work all day and from my desktop at home, but also want the best transportable sound my gear can offer.

I would GREATLY appreciate any insight that helps me to understand how my DAPs would compare with the D10 in the picture. I have read a lot on how my Ipod 5G has a good internal Dac and on how much better the new Itouch 2G sounds in general.

My questions are:

Can my Cowon O2 via HP hang with either of my Ipods once I have the D10?

Would my Ipod 5G or Itouch 1G via LOD > D10 be similar or is one clearly better than the other? Would a new Itouch 2G or Classic be a clearly better option than either of my current Ipods?

Any other info that would help me understand the fundamentals behind my questions are also appreciated. Please feel free to point me to threads I may have been missed.

Thanks a ton!!

 

[winwin]

The sony x, cowon s9, amp3 and hifiman has been given good reviews lately, I haven't tried them though. But among those, it seems many people prefer the sony x with the ie8.

 

[headfever]

Quote:

Originally Posted by winwin /img/forum/go_quote.gif The sony x, cowon s9, amp3 and hifiman has been given good reviews lately, I haven't tried them though. But among those, it seems many people prefer the sony x with the ie8.

HIFIMAN is not available and too expensive. Sony is only a good DAP and aslo expensive. S9 is the upgrade of D2 Which the price is reaonable.

AMP3 is a decent DAP with a superior AMP ($149). There are a lot of posts report that AMP3 is very perfect to pairing with IE8.

Please refer to this page for reference.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/newrep...eply&p=5941332

 

[ABathingApe]

I used to own an O2, and the SQ to my SE530's was quite good, bass was a bit weak. Mind you, there are reviews between the FR of D2's and O2's, and the O2's tended to lose out. I seem to recall something about higher listening volumes, but perhaps I am wrong. Having an amp in line is definitely better than not having anything at all. So I'd imagine your ipod+LOD+D10 >> cowon 02.

 

[Sid-Fi]

Thanks for all of your impressions and recommendations

.

I'm definitely wanting to a buy a nice portable amp like Ibasso D10 or Pico, and at this point, and mostly wanting advice on which of my players to go with to maximize SQ paired with one of those amps (leaning D10 with rolled opamps) or if I should dump all three for a newer Ipod/Amp3??? I'm really interested to know if a newer Ipod Classic or Ipod Touch 2G would be a significant upgrade in SQ over my old Ipods (IPod 5G, Itouch 1G) via LOD and one of these amps. It sounds like my Cowon O2 would be outmatched using an amp through HP in comparison. I really appreciate the help and reading more on Amp3 in the meantime. Thanks

 

[milford302009]

based on what i've read on the forum alot of ppl with D10 go for ihp-1xx since it has an optical output, i myself just got a D10 with a ihp on the way, according to ppl on this forum it should sound quiet a bit better using optical output and u can get it at around the price of an Amp3, as far as i know Amp3 is basically an amp itself... so if your looking for a cheap solution, go for the Amp3 it plays for 100 hours too...
there is quiet a bit of difference in using the line out on my X5 and usb via my laptop, so i think the ihp would be a good choice due to the optical line out

 

[Sid-Fi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by milford302009 /img/forum/go_quote.gif based on what i've read on the forum alot of ppl with D10 go for ihp-1xx since it has an optical output, i myself just got a D10 with a ihp on the way, according to ppl on this forum it should sound quiet a bit better using optical output and u can get it at around the price of an Amp3, as far as i know Amp3 is basically an amp itself... so if your looking for a cheap solution, go for the Amp3 it plays for 100 hours too... there is quiet a bit of difference in using the line out on my X5 and usb via my laptop, so i think the ihp would be a good choice due to the optical line out

Hi Milford302009, I appreciate your reply and suggestion. I think you're right. So many head fi'ers insist on ihp-1xx it must be worth it. They just look so dang old and clunky and I'm worried about buying an older player that might not last. Anyone have any comments on the reliability of these now that they are getting so old? Would I be stuck trashing one and having to buy another etc?

I'll mostly be listening to my music from USB > D10 > IE8 both at work via laptop and at home via my desktop, but I love to listen to music in bed at night and would rather not have a laptop on at my bedside so I might just join the masses and order one.

Thanks again for the reply. Please drop a line later if you find the time to let me know how you like your iHP-1xx. What phones are you pairing it with on the go?

 

[milford302009]

ups sorry, i use the IE8s and D2000s they both sound good on the D10, ihp hasn't arrived yet

well most people mod their ihps, so the batteries changed, and hard-drive taken out and modded with a cf card, so it should hopefully last quiet a while... since it's usually the hard-drives or batteries that kills players...
if it's just for bed side it might be wise to hang around the trading area or ebay for a cheap one... or if u want it 2 really last, mod it, or buy a modded one. but really since u have a D10 go for a player with line out...
good luck...

 

[milford302009]

hi,
just got my ihp, sounds great, well worth the money, sounds quiet a bit better then x5, the optical output is well worth it