[Fearless1]

Glad to have enlightened you. Anytime you find a tube amp that's as transparent as a solid-state without solid-state's help, let me know.

No thanks. You seem a bit too angry for any future communication.

 

[diamondears]

No thanks. You seem a bit too angry for any future communication.

Just following your lead smarty.

 

[Fearless1]

  A reply and all I see is bs, bs, bs, bs, bs.  Keeping it classy I see, diamondears.  

 

[manbear]

Diamondears, what tube amps have you heard?

 

[RushNerd]

Got the grill material from amazon, search "car grill" should have a few suggestions. I'm not at my computer now, using phone so I can't find the link on amazon. If u wait a day I can post the link.

http://www.amazon.com/CCG-Perforated-Grill-Mesh-Sheet/dp/B00F3FJYSQ/ found it! A little pricey, but I don't see a lot of cheaper alternatives, i'm all ears if someone finds one.
 
Thanks for your insightful contribution btw, Diamondears, everyone loves reading that stuff.

 

[MrMateoHead]

Every DAC has a digital filter that affects the sound.

How can I find out a) which DAC is in my device and B) what filters it has?
 
I would be very curious to check out my realtek and Sabre DACs. I understand the Realtek set has 10 Dacs!

 

[ultrabike]

So he's supposed to get the more powerful amp for a sensitive and low impedance can like the HE-400 as against the O2 which has 7Vrms already when the HE-400 just needs less than 2Vrms at 110dB?

 
Don't ask me, for my needs an O2 should be sufficient for an HE-400 (in terms of power, don't think that would be a good pairing given the HE-400 sound signature characteristics), but this is what RushNerd wrote:
 
"For reference i'll need at least as much power as the Schiit Asgard 1 because with eq on (so -7db) I was pushing 65%-75% volume on it with the HE-400s."
 
FWIW, the HE-400 is sensitive relative to other planars, but it's actually less sensitive than an HD600. Regardless of impedance, planars tend to require more current than dynamics.

 

[ultrabike]

At that price, there really is no option. Get the O2 and you'll understand all the bashing.

 
Dude I agree with your last statement!
 
I've heard plenty of cans through the O2 (I think the HE-400 included). After what I've heard I understand the bashing: It's not speshul.

 

[RushNerd]

   
Don't ask me, for my needs an O2 should be sufficient for an HE-400 (in terms of power, don't think that would be a good pairing given the HE-400 sound signature characteristics), but this is what RushNerd wrote:
 
"For reference i'll need at least as much power as the Schiit Asgard 1 because with eq on (so -7db) I was pushing 65%-75% volume on it with the HE-400s."
 
FWIW, the HE-400 is sensitive relative to other planars, but it's actually less sensitive than an HD600. Regardless of impedance, planars tend to require more current than dynamics.

Yeah I went to the asgard in the first place because the amp on the Asus Essence was not quite loud enough with the eq on. The asgard was fine though and maybe the O2 is too, who knows.

 

[scizzro]

  http://www.amazon.com/CCG-Perforated-Grill-Mesh-Sheet/dp/B00F3FJYSQ/ found it! A little pricey, but I don't see a lot of cheaper alternatives, i'm all ears if someone finds one.

The official thread on grill modding uses a cheap metal trash can I believe.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/619447/hifiman-regrilling-mod

 

[ultrabike]

  Yeah I went to the asgard in the first place because the amp on the Asus Essence was not quite loud enough with the eq on. The asgard was fine though and maybe the O2 is too, who knows.

 
Maybe. Just be aware that AFAIK the Asgard puts out more powar than the O2 into a load such as the HE-400.

 

[RushNerd]

  The official thread on grill modding uses a cheap metal trash can I believe.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/619447/hifiman-regrilling-mod

Ha yes I saw that years ago, not a bad solution (if you can even find one like that). The hex grill is really fancy though, but i'd like to see what other finds are out there.

   
Maybe. Just be aware that AFAIK the Asgard puts out more powar than the O2 into a load such as the HE-400.

 You have a point, I thought I heard that the O2 with the gain button on and cranked had noise or distortion issues? Not sure if that's true or not but I do remember being able to bottom out the asgard and hearing no difference or noise compared to low levels.

 

[MrMateoHead]

   
Don't ask me, for my needs an O2 should be sufficient for an HE-400 (in terms of power, don't think that would be a good pairing given the HE-400 sound signature characteristics), but this is what RushNerd wrote:
 
"For reference i'll need at least as much power as the Schiit Asgard 1 because with eq on (so -7db) I was pushing 65%-75% volume on it with the HE-400s."
 
FWIW, the HE-400 is sensitive relative to other planars, but it's actually less sensitive than an HD600. Regardless of impedance, planars tend to require more current than dynamics.

 
If you don't like the "HE-400s sound signature characteristics", why own them? Seriously? Also, when you eat chicken in the evening, do you prefer Red Wine or White?

Ummmm, isn't the point that the Asgard one was already producing the volume he wanted the point with the EQ settings he used? Even if he sacrificed half the power going to an O2, he is only giving up another 3 dB or so, hardly a HUGE deal . . . . If he had a good amp already, I wouldn't have bothered "promoting" the O2.
 
Any headphone with low impedance could be described as requiring "more current" . . . how is that helpful in choosing an amp? Hint: Its not. All you need to know is the power output at the rated impedance of the cans, its not rocket science. Claiming "planars require more current" is totally unqualified information and a bit misleading to say the least.
 
Seriously, I think it is time to line up 10 speakers with 10 amps and play with the combinations of impedance, power, and SPLs until the relationship between the factors sink in. Let me know if you can actually hear one thing during your experiment that has anything at all to do with the amp independent of the speakers themselves (maybe a fuse will pop when you wire down to 1 Ohm mono and play a test tone for an hour). In my car, I wired 3 subwoofers (2 identical, 1 of different brand) in series (~12 Ohms mono) and as a result fed the trio maybe 60 watts total. F'in heresy according to all audio wisdom (low power, messed up impedance, etc). If I drop to 4 Ohms mono, I get close to 200 watts, but lose the SPL produced by having 2 other drivers as well as their unique "sound signature". Then I ran two drivers. Where was the "strained bass"? Where was the loss of "dynamics"? Where was the increased noise and distortion? I'll give you a hint - it never came. The only difference was that I could run a single driver close to its limit (hence risking clipping and distortion that might be audible), while I couldn't with less power. Suspension travel (i.e. a mechanical limit) surfaced on the 8 inch driver, while the 10 inch driver was willing to be pushed more. That is about it.
 
Not only is the amp completely unemotional about my choices, but the maximum SPL is approximately the same given the drivers I chose. I get a slight tactile "enhancement" from running the larger drivers, but that is it. There is a very, boring, very utilitarian function that amps must provide. The manufactures labor tirelessly to make you believe that they are not mere "commodities". But guess what . . .

 

[TMRaven]

The headphones with the sound signatures I like are the only ones I EQ.  The other ones don't even make it to that step.

 

[ultrabike]

   You have a point, I thought I heard that the O2 with the gain button on and cranked had noise or distortion issues? Not sure if that's true or not but I do remember being able to bottom out the asgard and hearing no difference or noise compared to low levels.

 
It could be the wall wart used was not up to snuff. Maybe a WAU12-200 was used instead of a WAU16-400 (which is a little more expensive). For $130 I think you only get the O2 + some cheapo Tenergy 9V batteries (don't think they are low-self discharge):
 
http://www.jdslabs.com/products/35/objective2-headphone-amplifier/
 
You still need a wall wart which seems it's $11 extra:
 
http://www.jdslabs.com/products/147/us-15vac-power-adpater-for-O2/
 
That one is 15V 500 mA which is proly not too bad, but not that great either (that's what I think you get from a USB 2.0 port). At least is better than the  12V 200 mA the original BOM calls for. There is a WAU16-1000, but not sure how that will work.
 
In the end, things might still be on the analytical side of things with the O2. Even with a better wall wart. It is very likely that the Asgard would still provide more powar anyway.