[jelt2359]

Anyone had the chance to compare the D10 to the IQube V2? I'm looking for a portable DAC/Amp to feed my JH's..

 

[Ronald Lee]

The Iqube i felt that it's very neutral and smooth sounding as compare with the D10. You are looking for an DAC right? You can consider the IQube V2, as the first version only have the amp function, it did not have the DAC function.

 

[woof37]

That would be my interest as well...both sections used together. It would have to absolutely dust the D10 to be worth the 2x upcharge though.

 

[jelt2359]

Not to mention that for less than the IQube V2, I can get the Hifiman- better form factor, by all accounts quality components, and comes with a DAP together so no more super-bulky setups.

Yup I just convinced myself

 

[qusp]

hmmm hifiman....not bulky??? seems most people seem to not know how big this thing is. bigger overall than iriver plus D10.

as to iqube vs D10; actually the D10 dac performance should beat iqubes fairly low end dac solution, which also is limited to 16/48. I can t see buying it for the dac, the amp is very nice though

 

[Lil' Knight]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jelt2359 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not to mention that for less than the IQube V2, I can get the Hifiman- better form factor, by all accounts quality components, and comes with a DAP together so no more super-bulky setups.

LOL, then we have different eyes. The Hifiman is one of the ugliest piece of equipments I've ever seen. I'd rather go with an iPod Classic+iQube than the Hifiman alone.

I don't know the exact definition of "low-end DAC" but currently v2 is the a above my Pico w/DAC. The 16/48 limit can be also applied to the Pico, but is there any complaint about this? Anything above 16/48 is useless if your computer lacks optical output.

 

[qusp]

well as you may have guessed and I said without saying; I havent heard the v2 dac. but on paper the implementation of the dac is certainly inferior to pico and D10. whether the amp section is good enough to make up for that you know better than me. both optical and coax are vastly superior to a 270x dac solution IMO. and yes 16/48 is a limitation IMO as is the lack of an optical or other input. to these ears the D10 is easily above pico when using other than USB and on the same level (actually IMO slightly above) when using USB. I wonder if you are comparing dacs here or dac/amps lil knight?? seems you are comparing the packages?? as an amp certainly the iqube is superior to D10 or pico, but dac performance when taken separately I cant see how it can win; especially when optical or coax is used on D10. also for the money you could build a top shelf opus with output stage

its pretty serious dough for iqube. very beautuful as well though I must admit, but too colorless to my ears. for me the v2 would have to be a quite musical dac to make it work for me. unfortunately one hasnt made it out here yet; i'm not willing to buy it to find out, with D10 and Buffalo32 (dual mono) already in the stable, there isnt any incentive for me.

 

[roy_jones]

Quote:

Originally Posted by qusp /img/forum/go_quote.gif well as you may have guessed and I said without saying; I havent heard the v2 dac. but on paper the implementation of the dac is certainly inferior to pico and D10. whether the amp section is good enough to make up for that you know better than me. both optical and coax are vastly superior to a 270x dac solution IMO. and yes 16/48 is a limitation IMO as is the lack of an optical or other input. to these ears the D10 is easily above pico when using other than USB and on the same level (actually IMO slightly above) when using USB. I wonder if you are comparing dacs here or dac/amps lil knight?? seems you are comparing the packages?? as an amp certainly the iqube is superior to D10 or pico, but dac performance when taken separately I cant see how it can win; especially when optical or coax is used on D10. also for the money you could build a top shelf opus with output stage its pretty serious dough for iqube. very beautuful as well though I must admit, but too colorless to my ears. for me the v2 would have to be a quite musical dac to make it work for me. unfortunately one hasnt made it out here yet; i'm not willing to buy it to find out, with D10 and Buffalo32 (dual mono) already in the stable, there isnt any incentive for me.

qusp, I was surprised that you mentioned that you find the USB of the D10 to be superior to the Pico's. If not for it's USB implementation, I can't think of a reason why the Pico would be a better option than the D10. I guess I'm glad that I decided to go with the D10, but I haven't had a chance to use it yet.

I'd be curious to know how you would compare the DAC of the D10 to stand-alone solutions like the Dacmagic or similarly priced options (zhaolu, etc..). I'm trying to decide if I should trade the D10 for a home DAC, since I'm probably not going to be using it as a portable for a while.

It's odd that the Pico is often said to be comparable to home DACs under $500, but I never see the D10 mentioned in that capacity.

 

[wuwhere]

I find the Pico's amp smoother and more liquid sounding as compared to the D10's amp. With iHP-120 -> (optical) -> D10 -> Pico, some of the hardness from the D10 are gone.

 

[headfever]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lil' Knight /img/forum/go_quote.gif LOL, then we have different eyes. The Hifiman is one of the ugliest piece of equipments I've ever seen. I'd rather go with an iPod Classic+iQube than the Hifiman alone. I don't know the exact definition of "low-end DAC" but currently v2 is the a above my Pico w/DAC. The 16/48 limit can be also applied to the Pico, but is there any complaint about this? Anything above 16/48 is useless if your computer lacks optical output.

I don't think you are now still insist your opinion on the comments of HIFIMAN now. Yes, HIFIMAN is another category hi fi gear, IPOD is a fasion toy. You are a core audiophile, I admire you. But if your ignore the sound quality to give up a superior gear, I think it is not a clever choice.

 

[Lil' Knight]

Quote:

Originally Posted by headfever /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't think you are now still insist your opinion on the comments of HIFIMAN now. Yes, HIFIMAN is another category hi fi gear, IPOD is a fasion toy. You are a core audiophile, I admire you. But if your ignore the sound quality to give up a superior gear, I think it is not a clever choice.

Don't put words into my mouth. I have more ugly headphones than you thought.

Read my post again and where did I talk about the SQ of the HIFIMAN? iPod is for fashion and HIFI is for audiophile, right?

Once your try the HIFI and any iPod+iQube, come back and comment again about that.

 

[jelt2359]

Thanks for the opinions guys. I've put in my order for the IQube V2.