[Parall3l]

Quote:

 

Check out the Sound Science forum and you'll see that digital transport isn't quite that simple because of the transfer mode that USB DACs use. It is possible to lose packets and they aren't resent like in a normal data transfer. For the most part you just need a well made cable and EM shielding. Beyond that, whether there is an audible difference and how much you get back into controversy.
 

X2, a decent USB cable is definitely going to beat a coat hanger in terms of digital data transmission, even if its just 0s and 1s
 

 

[vinylrules]

I don't know. Why do so many of us hear differences in different types of solder used even with same stranded copper speaker cable? Or worse yet, same cable except soldered vs. crimped? Or how about the undeniable differences (at least amongst experienced listeners in my circles) between power cords? Oh and there exist whether you like it or not, so don't even.
 
Or perhaps it is necessary to put it in terms many Head-fiers could or should identify with:
 
Why do so many of you bother rewiring the cables on your AKG-701s & Sennheiser HD-650's? Doing this is all the rage around these parts so I have to conclude these upgrades DO yield sonic differences as well. Or is it mass-delution!??? Or for that matter why should different brands of tubes make a difference if they are the same type of tube?
 
I also don't mean disrespect but it seems to me several of you are skeptics first and in the process end up short-changing your listening abilities well before putting your hearing to the test. Just because on paper or scientifically these things should not make a difference it doesn't mean they don't. Especially when I am telling you I can choose the better (to me) sounding USB cable time and time again under blind test how do we explain this? Am I a big fat liar?
 
And the one with the sarcastic "Golden Ear" comment... Cute, but I was not looking for a standing ovation. I was reporting the facts as a heard them. I am very sorry you have such low self-esteem when it comes to your listening skills as well as your sight. It must suck so I hope you are not bothering spending significant amount of $$$ on any of these toys as they are all going to pretty much sound the same to you sir. Seriously. Buy yourself a pair of Skullcandy Dub or Ink'd and call it a day!
 
But seriously, here's the deal...you must try it for yourself on order to arrive to your own *educated* conclusion -- because to shoot it down without returning the exact same level of courtesy by minimally investing the $25 bucks for the same (or similar) cable, investing time to methodically auditioning it, and then selflessly sharing your findings on this forum so that others can attain greater musical satisfaction, isn't particularly nice nor polite, in my humble opinion.
 
So tell me I am full of it ONLY AFTER you have taken the time to actually carry out the listening test **if** you found there was not a difference whatsoever!
 
And I promise you this, even if I feel you are dead wrong in your assessment you would have at least earned my respect.
 
Cheers
 
Quote:

I am not calling you a liar, because I don't have your ears, and maybe I shouldn't be asking this because we shouldn't derail the conversation on the D0, but if the 1's and 0's are getting to the DAC, what's the difference?  You can't hear digital, so the DAC is doing all the work to convey the music to your ears.  What difference does it make what the transport of the 1's and 0's is?
 
I mean no offence, and my background is extremely limited on sound science, so I will concede that I may be 100% wrong, but it just seems odd that a digital transport over such a short distance would impact sound quality BEFORE the signal is even converted to analog.
 


 

 

 

[Anaxilus]

 
Quote:

iBasso responded and it is 10 ohms. I do not know what it means from a technical point of view. What I do know is that a large numberr of cans all of different impedance sound GREAT!

Thanks, figured.  Glad your cans work fine.  It wasn't that big of an issue for me till I started using low ohm ('easy to drive'-heh, yeah right) IEMs especially BA's w/ multiple crossovers.  You can see plenty of measurements showing the effect of a relatively high output Z like 10 ohms on the FR.  Not pretty to see or listen too.  I've been interested in about 3-4 iBasso products in the past and everytime this one spec shoots it all down.
 
Btw, thanks for your enthusiasm in the Leckerton thread which I resisted forcefully.  Converted me to the UHA6S.  Great device and showed me Nick knows his stuff.

 

[Anathallo]

I'd argue that re-cabling headphones affects the analog transmission, whereas USB is digital.  I didn't, however, take into account any sort of EM interference that could interrupt digital transmission, or loss of packets.  Both good points.
 
Maybe I'll set up an A/B blind test with a friend soon.
 
Quote:

I don't know. Why do so many of us hear differences in different types of solder used even with same stranded copper speaker cable? Or worse yet, same cable except soldered vs. crimped? Or how about the undeniable differences (at least amongst experienced listeners in my circles) between power cords? Oh and there exist whether you like it or not, so don't even.
 
Or perhaps it is necessary to put it in terms many Head-fiers could or should identify with:
 
Why do so many of you bother rewiring the cables on your AKG-701s & Sennheiser HD-650's? Doing this is all the rage around these parts so I have to conclude these upgrades DO yield sonic differences as well. Or is it mass-delution!??? Or for that matter why should different brands of tubes make a difference if they are the same type of tube?
 
I also don't mean disrespect but it seems to me several of you are skeptics first and in the process end up short-changing your listening abilities well before putting your hearing to the test. Just because on paper or scientifically these things should not make a difference it doesn't mean they don't. Especially when I am telling you I can choose the better (to me) sounding USB cable time and time again under blind test how do we explain this? Am I a big fat liar?
 
And the one with the sarcastic "Golden Ear" comment... Cute, but I was not looking for a standing ovation. I was reporting the facts as a heard them. I am very sorry you have such low self-esteem when it comes to your listening skills as well as your sight. It must suck so I hope you are not bothering spending significant amount of $$$ on any of these toys as they are all going to pretty much sound the same to you sir. Seriously. Buy yourself a pair of Skullcandy Dub or Ink'd and call it a day!
 
But seriously, here's the deal...you must try it for yourself on order to arrive to your own *educated* conclusion -- because to shoot it down without returning the exact same level of courtesy by minimally investing the $25 bucks for the same (or similar) cable, investing time to methodically auditioning it, and then selflessly sharing your findings on this forum so that others can attain greater musical satisfaction, isn't particularly nice nor polite, in my humble opinion.
 
So tell me I am full of it ONLY AFTER you have taken the time to actually carry out the listening test **if** you found there was not a difference whatsoever!
 
And I promise you this, even if I feel you are dead wrong in your assessment you would have at least earned my respect.
 
Cheers
 


 

 

 

[Yuceka]

Can we please stop talking about talking about cables and get back to D-Zero? 

 

[xallarap]

Anyone tried this with a HD25?

 

[vinylrules]

Cables are not entirely unrelated but I feel you. I will have more to say in a few days specifically re: the iBasso.
 
Incidentally, the ZyCable Hi-end II Ipod Dock Cable *really* takes the iBasso to the next level. I got mine two days ago and even though it sounded a little dark right off the bat it really came into its own only after an hour. It also happens to be one of the more affordable alternatives out there. Others I had seen that look this high-end & well made went anywhere from $125 to $350!!! Uhh I don't think so!
 
http://www.head-direct.com/Products/?act=detail&id=69
 
Cheers,
 
Oz
 
Quote:

Can we please stop talking about talking about cables and get back to D-Zero? 

 

 

[Mad Max]

 
Quote:

Cables are not entirely unrelated but I feel you. I will have more to say in a few days specifically re: the iBasso.
 
Incidentally, the ZyCable Hi-end II Ipod Dock Cable *really* takes the iBasso to the next level. I got mine two days ago and even though it sounded a little dark right off the bat it really came into its own only after an hour. It also happens to be one of the more affordable alternatives out there. Others I had seen that look this high-end & well made went anywhere from $125 to $350!!! Uhh I don't think so!
 
http://www.head-direct.com/Products/?act=detail&id=69
 
Cheers,
 
Oz

I spent those $50 as well, and was loving that cable with my ipod and Minibox-E+, but then I spent $16 on building my own dock with nucleotide wire and one of DHC's custom plugs over a year ago.  It came out a little messy, but beats the ZYCable, which later oxidized horribly with time.  Best bang-for-buck is definitely DIY as they say.  Easy as well, not to mention that my cable has outlasted that chinese one.
 


Quote:

Anyone tried this with a HD25?

It can't be bad, given how easy to drive HD25 is.  A review may be useful in discerning whether it may be a synergetic match or not depending on what you want out of HD25.
 

 

[ocswing]

 
Quote:

Anyone tried this with a HD25?

 
Quote:

It can't be bad, given how easy to drive HD25 is.  A review may be useful in discerning whether it may be a synergetic match or not depending on what you want out of HD25.

I've got the HD25-1 II and briefly tried it with the D-Zero and there were no complaints. I'm not sure it really adds anything, but I haven't had a chance to do in-depth listening yet.

 

[vinylrules]

Very cool! 

 
But I am curious about a few things...
 
 
1. If at first you were "loving" the ZYCable what prompted you to making your own DIY cable in the first place?
 
2. In which ways did it "beat" the ZYCable? (e.g. more openness, more resolution, tighter bass, highs, what???)
 
3. Did it take long for these differences to appear? Did you properly break-in both cables? (over 50 hours play hours and preferably 100 hours)
 
3. Was it an immediate improvement *and more importantly* did you do A/B *blind* testing to determine this was not a case of being the 'proud papa' syndrome?
 
4. How long did it take for the ZYCable to oxidize? Months? Years? And if so was it always used under normal conditions? (as opposed to having been exposed
to harmful elements on a regular basis such as at the beach and other places with high humidity)
 
5. And finally.... can we please see a photo of your home brew. Not mind seeing the pic of the corroded ZYCable as well if you have that around for comparison.
 
 
Thanks!!!
 
Oz
 
Quote:

 

I spent those $50 as well, and was loving that cable with my ipod and Minibox-E+, but then I spent $16 on building my own dock with nucleotide wire and one of DHC's custom plugs over a year ago.  It came out a little messy, but beats the ZYCable, which later oxidized horribly with time.  Best bang-for-buck is definitely DIY as they say.  Easy as well, not to mention that my cable has outlasted that chinese one.
 



It can't be bad, given how easy to drive HD25 is.  A review may be useful in discerning whether it may be a synergetic match or not depending on what you want out of HD25.
 

 

 

[ClieOS]

Just received my D-zero a few hours ago and I have done some initial listening. So far, the amp section is decent. Better than E7 but close to / slightly better than E6. As I have predicted before, it doesn't sound quite as good as T3D. Compared to E6, D-zero has better bass hit and soundstage (though a little hollowed out / 2D / lacks layer), but upper mid / lower treble is noticeably grainier / edgier. It is not the best amp to pair with bright headphone. I haven't had the time to fully test the DAC section yet, but I think so far I can tell it is where the real value is at. Compared to E7's line-out and Headstage USB DAC cable (both use the PCM270x + WM8740 solution), D-zero is pulling ahead on detail, resolution and separation, but not vastly. Does it beats E7 on most area in SQ? Yes. Does it crash E7 totally? Not quite. It costs almost $40 (including the $16 shipping) more than E7 (around $85 shipped) so I think better performance should be expected.
 
Also, I believe the housing is anodized aluminum, not plastic.

 

[vinylrules]

Thanks for your first impressions ClieOS,
 
It gets much better after a couple of days, trust me. Personally I wasn't 100% enamored the first few hours, but I knew better than to jump to conclusions. It was a bit dark and thick sounding so not sure I can agree (even so early on) that it would be a particularly poor match for a bright headphone as I found it quite the opposite. Certainly this is not a statement that should be made of a product that's fresh out of the box with zero burn-in time. But whatever. Different headphones and LOD cables are also at play here.
 
By the way the DAC too needs to run for at least 3 to 5 hours before it starts to spread its wings.
 
In any event I do look forward to further impressions as the unit burns in more. I am loving mine and expect to post a more detailed review by the end of the weekend. I hope. Time permitting.
 
Best and congratulations!
 
Oz
 
Quote:

Just received my D-zero a few hours ago and I have done some initial listening. So far, the amp section is decent. Better than E7 but close to / slightly better than E6. As I have predicted before, it doesn't sound quite as good as T3D. Compared to E6, D-zero has better bass hit and soundstage (though a little hollowed out / 2D / lacks layer), but upper mid / lower treble is noticeably grainier / edgier. It is not the best amp to pair with bright headphone. I haven't had the time to fully test the DAC section yet, but I think so far I can tell it is where the real value is at. Compared to E7's line-out and Headstage USB DAC cable (both use the PCM270x + WM8740 solution), D-zero is pulling ahead on detail, resolution and separation, but not vastly. Does it beats E7 on most area in SQ? Yes. Does it crash E7 totally? Not quite. It costs almost $40 (including the $16 shipping) more than E7 (around $85 shipped) so I think better performance should be expected.
 
Also, I believe the housing is anodized aluminum, not plastic.

 

 

[xallarap]

Quote:

 
 

I've got the HD25-1 II and briefly tried it with the D-Zero and there were no complaints. I'm not sure it really adds anything, but I haven't had a chance to do in-depth listening yet.

 
thanks for the reply. I guess I have to wait first and hopefully audition it later in the year. My portable setup is still keeping me satisfied
 
 

 

[ocswing]

 
Quote:

 
thanks for the reply. I guess I have to wait first and hopefully audition it later in the year. My portable setup is still keeping me satisfied

 
Sorry about that. I've been pretty busy and haven't had a lot of headphone time in general, even with my main rig. I keep turning on my Lyr so the tubes warm up, and then it gets turned off without being used. I'm hoping in the next couple weeks I can do a more revealing listening session with the D-Zero.

 

[swbf2cheater]

anyone know if the d zero has higher output and driving ability than the pico slim