[supern0va]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kunalraiker /img/forum/go_quote.gif Straight away turned it on, guys this is what I was missing,its sounds soooooooooooooooo meloooo,I love it, tried both Gain settings,I think I will stick with the High Gain,played it on my Sennheiser HD 25-1-II, the only think I didn't like was the thud when you turn it on.

Speaking of which, what is the purpose of the 2 gain settings? Is it for headphones that need more power? 'cos I am using this with my UM3X, and the higher gain seems to be more emphasised vocals and bass, almost as if it were slightly louder.

 

[kunalraiker]

I remember this time may be 10 years ago, I had this Sony Stereo System whos volume I could listen all the way to 100%.
The player said it was 200 watts, but I did listen to others systems and it would start to get really harsh after about 50% I used to think maybe its really lous system way better then mine.

By now you guys must have figured out how stupid I was.
The reason behind telling you this story was because today i had a similar feeling when I compared my Brand New D4 with my CMOY output.

The Whole Kit-sorry I forgot the Leather Case

Front View

The Rear

Lets get down to the sound,I must say I liked the High Gain setting, maybe because I'am using supa-aural headphones.
The DAC I compared A-B with my laptop output,on various tracks from Norah Jones to Bon Jovi, somehow the laptop output was more in the face whereas the D4 was as if I was seating in the second or third row, the melody was there only a little laid back,i noticed the detail in the low volumes which I couldn't get from my Dell.
As an Amp as listed earlier it had more dept, a very wide soundstage,still in the initial stages of listening.

Will post more impressions as time goes.

Thanks for reading

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

I got the latest D4 topkit from HiFlight with upgraded opamps - it looks to have a pair of OPA1611A class-A biased on a 2:1 adapter, and includes bypassed buffers to use in case you are willing to give up a little refinement and bass to save battery life. It is intended to give the best sound by keeping the stock LMH6655 buffers, and simply replaces the stock AD8066 opamp. I have not tested battery life yet, but I will.

I was already thrilled with the D4's sound when stock, which is about as good as the D10 when the D10 has it's own topkit installed (TLE2141 class-A on a 2:1 with EL8201 buffers). Now it is better than the D10 and pretty close to being an "RSA P-51 clone", so I am excited about it.

Here is the thought process that I recorded as I listened to the topkit, with bypassed buffers and with the stock buffers. I will have more impressions when I add my D4 review to my big USB DAC amp review soon.

Using ES3X:

The D4 with stock opamps (I think AD8066/LMH6655) sounds very similar to the D10 with topkit (TLE2141 class-A/EL8201), which is actually not a whole lot different from the Pico. The Stock D10 is closer to the Predator, but with slightly rolled off or less aggressive highs. The D10 topkit opens up the highs and soundstage a little more, and slightly pulls back the mids and bass from the Predator - and this is where the D4 starts out at. Well balanced and punchy, with excellent transparency, leaning towards neutral with a nudge to the side of warmth.

We compared the D10 with topkit to the P-51 at RMAF and I felt there were similarities - with the D10 being slightly more recessed in the mids and a little rolled off in the highs vs the P-51 being the biggest difference. There is also slightly less bass in the D10 with topkit when compared to the Predator, but it's still in line with the P-51 bass and the stock D4 was no different. So, I felt the same way when comparing the stock D4 - it was close but not quite as good as the P-51, but easily on the level of the Pico or Predator or 3MOVE which are in the top tier of portable amps, despite having slightly different sound signatures.

The D4 with the new topkit is a little more energetic and not as laid back as the stock opamps. It sounds more alive like the P-51 or Predator. The middle and upper mids are a little more present and fuller but it doesn't seem to affect the soundstage size even though it makes it slightly more forward and energetic sounding. The D10 with topkit and stock D4 were both slightly rolled off in the highs and slightly more laid back vs P-51 - so the D4 topkit brings it closer to the P-51 highs; however the bass isn't up to the level of the P-51 with the buffers bypassed. The D4 topkit highs have more depth into the music than the stock opamps where it is slightly recessed.

But while the D4 topkit highs are not rolled off vs the P-51 anymore, they are still not quite as natural or sweet as the P-51 highs with the ES3X. And, with Kathleen Edwards "Back to Me" the highs are still too sibilant due to poor recording combined with a little bit of lower treble tilt to the topkit.

Still, it is another step forward in the sound.

With JH13Pro:

This is even better than ES3X with the new topkit, as there is more synergy. I hear a bigger difference between the amps and topkits with JH13Pro than with ES3X. Again, not as laid back in the mids as the stock opamps, or D10 with topkit, or Pico - but in a good way. Compared to the Predator, D4 topkit fills in the JH13Pro mids like the Predator, but the topkit is not as rolled off in the highs and also does not have as much bass as the Predator - with most music that is okay.

Modified topkit (new opamps, but retain the stock buffers) - Putting the LMH6655 buffers back in improves the D4 bass response to be closer to the the P-51 bass (slightly below the Predator bass levels). This was much better sounding, and the overall sound was also a bit warmer and refined sounding than with the bypassed buffers. With Hans Zimmer "Batman Begins - Molossus" has deep throbbing bass and crisp strings, where I was wishing for just a little more bass without the LMH6655. The Pico sounded less clear and defined and more recessed in the mids vs the D4 with OPA1611 class-A/LMH6655, with both using their USB DAC. Wow!

The 3MOVE with this music and JH13pro actually had slightly more bass than the D4 or others (like Predator), but was slightly more forward and less open. I wanted to say that the modified topkit is not too different from the 3MOVE amp, but with a nicer DAC giving better micro-detail, and slightly better highs than 3MOVE, and with a little more balanced bass presence vs the 3MOVE. Which means it's not really like the 3MOVE, which is very good in it's own way.

So, in summary - the D4 with modified topkit (new opamps, stock buffers) is actually closest to the P-51 Mustang when feeding the D4 line-out into the P-51 with an 18G Jumbo Cryo Silver X mini-mini. I can go back and forth between the D4's built-in DAC and Amp and the D4's DAC feeding the P-51 and I am quite happy with both, finding them to sound very similar. I am leaving the D4 set up this way as a "P-51 clone" for the time being, and will be adding this information to my D4 review which I'll do soon. I have to run through a plethora of headphones and IEM again, with the new topkit installed.

 

[tnmike1]

HPA: I'm getting the impression you still like the Mustang over the D4??? Or am I reading something between the lines--esp the last paragraph--that simply isn't there????

 

[turnstyle]

Quick question about the D4 -- you can also patch it into a stereo via a mini to rca cable, from the D4's aux in/out jack to the stereo's aux in?

Any idea how this compares to similarly priced standalone USB/DACs that are marketed as stereo sources?

 

[HiFlight]

Quote:

Originally Posted by turnstyle /img/forum/go_quote.gif Quick question about the D4 -- you can also patch it into a stereo via a mini to rca cable, from the D4's aux in/out jack to the stereo's aux in? Any idea how this compares to similarly priced standalone USB/DACs that are marketed as stereo sources?

Yes, you can do that 2 different ways:

1. Using a source thru the DAC (USB) input, you can patch from the Aux In/Out to your stereo via a mini-RCA cable. D4 can be off, as all power is supplied by the USB and the amp section of the D4 is unused.

2. Using a source fed to the D4 via the Aux In/Out, you can patch to your stereo from the Headphone output. D4 needs to be turned on for this option. Volume knob is active.

The D4 has an excellent DAC and compares very favorably to desk DACs costing hundreds more.

 

[turnstyle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HiFlight /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, you can do that 2 different ways: 1. Using a source thru the DAC (USB) input, you can patch from the Aux In/Out to your stereo via a mini-RCA cable. D4 can be off, as all power is supplied by the USB and the amp section of the D4 is unused. 2. Using a source fed to the D4 via the Aux In/Out, you can patch to your stereo from the Headphone output. D4 needs to be turned on for this option. Volume knob is active. The D4 has an excellent DAC and compares very favorably to desk DACs costing hundreds more.

Thanks -- I understand #1, but why would you do #2?

 

[obentou]

#2 is mainly for portables

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnmike1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif HPA: I'm getting the impression you still like the Mustang over the D4??? Or am I reading something between the lines--esp the last paragraph--that simply isn't there????

No, at this point the D4 with new opamps is a P-51 clone and moved to #1 spot because it has a DAC.

 

[HiFlight]

Quote:

Originally Posted by turnstyle /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks -- I understand #1, but why would you do #2?

If you want to play your DAP or portable CD player thru your stereo system using the D4 as a pre-amp.

 

[turnstyle]

Thanks -- though #2 would require use of the battery, right? I wonder what more circuit it would have required to enable the D4 to draw power via USB, but be used for that #2 application (ie, without needing the battery, and not using the USB as a *source* but just for *power*).

 

[kneth]

Does any owner mind sharing how is the battery life on these? Are they true to their 9hour play time as listed by ibasso? I did find the battery life a little short compared to the other amps available today..

 

[aegid]

Depends on what kind of 9V you put in it. I use 230mAh and get something like 6-7 hours but I've never actually measured how long it is til I get the loud hiss that signifies it is time to switch to USB/another battery.

 

[kneth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aegid /img/forum/go_quote.gif Depends on what kind of 9V you put in it. I use 230mAh and get something like 6-7 hours but I've never actually measured how long it is til I get the loud hiss that signifies it is time to switch to USB/another battery.

thanks for sharing.

 

[jamato8]

I get around 9 to 10 hours with the 500mA Li-Polymer by iPowerUS. I have two and just keep one charged so it works out well. I have others but tend to use these lately.