[ClieOS]

Quote:

 

 With 30 hours of battery the D-zero is seriously going to give the FiiO E7 a run for its money

Battery life shouldn't be an issue with both devices anyway. E7 can run 3 times as long as D-ZERO.
 
 

 

[rawrster]

Quote:

That's good actually, as I am more interested in the amp than the DAC. But both for $109 is a pretty interesting offer, especially with the small size. I may have to take the hit.

I think you should buy it to see for yourself! Then when you sell it I can buy it from you like the UHA4
 

 

[mrarroyo]

My D-Zero has arrived! Amazing like two days to get here from all the way across the pond. It is burning in and hope to evaluate after 100 hours. The case is not made of metal, but some plastic/polymer aluminum thus it is very light. Enclosed are some pictures including two with a Leckerton UHA4 for size comparison.
 
https://picasaweb.google.com/109437154048011247077/IBassoDZero

 

[loremipsum]

Any initial thoughts?

 

[mrarroyo]

I have plenty of initial thoughts but I will hold off posting until the unit has at least 100 hours of burn in. Currently it has about 24 hours of use and I am using it to burn in a newly received HiFiMAN HE300 from Head Direct. I will say that:
 
1. The case is made of aluminum not plastic as I stated above.
2. This unit has had a paradigm shift (for the better) in its presentation from straight out of the box to now with 24 hours of burn in. It may change more or not, time will tell.
3. Like the Leckerton UHA4 I love it is charged via USB.
4. I love the D-Zero has a true line out while the UHA4 does not.
5. IMO the volume pot on the UHA4 is amazingly useful, easy to use, and the "mute feature" is awesome.
6. As you can see in the pictures the D-Zero is the smaller unit, and it is lighter.
 
More to come!

 

[Parall3l]

 Looks like a good laptop companion to me 

 

[shootertwist]

i;ll be awaiting your impressions, is it warm, neutral, etc, thanks!

 

[swbf2cheater]

I subscribed to this thread, I would love to know if it is more of a dac than amp, or more amp than dac as the UHA4 is.   Lots of question but I will wait to ask them until someone posts some more detailed impressions

 

[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Look forward to your final thoughts. If you have ever heard the JDS Labs CmoyBB amp, I would be interested in a comparison with it and the D-Zero amp section. Don't use DAC much, and so sold the Leckerton, but the D-Zero is much less expensive.
 


 

Sorry, I have never listened to the JDS Labs CmoyBB amp, very tempted to buy it but have not pulled the plug on it. I will be strong and resist ...

 

[swbf2cheater]

im going to buy it this weekend, looking at the specs compared to the uha4 it seems to have a better most costly opamp, if only slightly.  I am sure it is just as good, but this one seems more fit for portability and has dimensions set up nicely for use with my J3.   
 
I'll definitely submit an order for it in the next few days.

 

[ocswing]

Just ordered this today as well as an iPod LOD from them. My main usage will be for my laptop though because it has a horrible headphone out. I've been looking for something cheap to fix the issue and this is pretty much perfect. Portable DAC/amp for just over $100 and I'll be able to use with a DAP as well. Unfortunately, I don't have any previous experience with portable amps, but I'll try to give my impressions when I get it in.

 

[mrarroyo]

The D-Zero has about 80 hour of burn-in and I will be doing more in-depth listening tomorrow, mostly as a portable amp fed from an iPod 5.5 modified to accept the 240 Gb HD. I will use the iBasso D4 and the Leckerton Audio UHA4 (w/ 8610 op-amps) for comparison.
 
In the last 3.5 days of using the D-Zero I have developed some opinions;
 
1. The small size and low weight of the D-Zero are very welcome features outclassing the other two units.
2. The D-Zero and the UHA4 have the very convenient feature of charging via the USB. All three units use the USB as the signal input or via the 1.8" mini.
3. Although the iBasso D4 does not allow charging via USB you can use it power and feed the D4 thus prolonging the life of the 9 Volt battery.
4. Of the three the iBasso D4 allows the user to roll op-amps, if you want this feature the Leckerton Audio UHA6 also allows it.
5. Both the iBasso D4 and D-Zero feature a DAC line level out via a 1/8"  plug in the front, which also doubles as the analog input. If this is an important feature, well ...
6. The volume pot on the UHA4 is my favorite, just love being able to go up/down (2 dB) with a flick. BTW, the mute feature built into the volume pot is a great one to have.
7. All three units sport a gain switch.
8. The battery will last about 24 hours with the UHA4 and 30 hours with the D-Zero. Runtime on the D4 will depend on the type of battery (NiCad, nMh, lithium, etc) and op-amps/buffers used.
 
Of course all of the above are just the icing on the cake, the proof is on the sound. Should have more information tomorrow afternoon.

 

[dachness]

Anxiously awaiting your complete review. Please include amp comparison from a LOD from portables.

Daniel

 

[mrarroyo]

Do you mean to include the LOD used? If so my best sounding LOD is one no longer in production, called the Six Shooter by ALO Audio. It uses silver wires and retailed around $75 USD.
 
.

 

[vinylrules]

Hello folks!
 
I had been following this thread very carefully and today I finally ordered my iBasso D-Zero and I can't wait! I also meant to get their $30 CB05 LOD cable but sadly it is "Sold Out". I sure liked that ribbon/flat wire and the price is right. However since it is not available I ordered the following:
 

 
ZyCable Hi-End II iPod Dock Cable. It seems well built and not terribly expensive so we'll see. My main source will be my iPhone 4 and will report back once I've received the items with my first impressions.
 
Cheers!
 
Oz