[marc0vca]

 TNX for answers!

Digital-Pride, are the DT880 so bassy like DT990PRO? I listening instrumental hip-hop and find headphones for that. I like my 598 then listening metal, but then need soft and deep bass 598 not good for this  ​

 

[Digital-Pride]

The DT880 is not quite as bassy as the DT990, but it's bassier than the HD598.  It's a tighter, more controlled bass. But, if you listen to hip-hop, then the DT990 is probably the better choice.

 

[JanaSA]

Purchased the iBasso D6 a few weeks ago, excellent product, exceptional sound, very open and transparent out of the box. Although I am running on stock opamp configuration, I have purchased the Topkit made by forum member HiFlight. HiFlight is one of the most helpful and genuine person I have ever dealt with online, he is more than accommodating with custom requirements/requests, I recommend HiFlight without any reservation if your purchasing any iBasso product and would like to make the most of your investment.

Paired with the Denon D5000 it's audio bliss!!

 

[Cotnijoe]

Hey guys! considering purchasing these guys. Is this a neutral amp and dac or does it emphasize anything in particular?

 

[jazzfan]

@Cotnijoe,
 
In general, the D6 has good detail and is fairly neutral.  It has good, but not exceptional, bass impact and extension.  The W4S DAC-2, has more punch and goes lower, but then it's not fair to compare a DAC which costs over 5x more and isn't even portable.  The upper mids and treble, on some good recordings (not all), can sound a bit bright, or thin with the D6.  However, I've found that this can be mitigated, to a certain extent, by rolling opamps.  If you wish to extract a bit more performance from the D6, in terms of increased detail and reduced harshness, give rolling opamps a try.

All in all, I'm pleased with the sounds I'm getting from my HE-6 driven by the iBasso D6 (Topkit enhanced) USB DAC paired with a Trends Audio TA-10.2 SE amp (if you won't be driving a pair of HE-6s, the internal D6 amp should be fine).  This "everyday" solid state system drives the HE-6 to more than acceptable volume levels (84dB @ 12:00), and I appreciate the fact that this setup has a small footprint and runs cool, which makes it just right for my office desktop.

 

[Cotnijoe]

Thanks a lot for the detail there! =) so overal you'd say it leans a little bit more towards the bright side rather than a warmer sound?
 
and could you explain what a rolling opamp is? o.o

 

[jazzfan]

@Cotnijoe,
 
Opamp rolling refers to the practice of swapping out various Operational Amplifiers (Op Amps) with the goal of slightly changing the sonic signature of a device; in this case the iBasso D6.  Op amps are small electronic devices used to amplify a voltage signal in a circuit.  Many electronic hobbyists have found that, as with vacuum tubes, sonic differences exist between various opamps, and by swapping out, or "rolling", one opamp out for another, one can tailor the sound of a device to match their personal preferences.  So the term "opamp rolling" was adopted from the similarly named practice from the tube world.

I am, by no means, an expert when it comes to the practice of opamp rolling.  So I rely heavily on the assistance of others in this forum to provide expert guidance.  One individual in particular, who goes by the member name HiFlight, is skilled at discerning sonic characteristics of various opamps and has assembled a kit, available for purchase, known as a "Topkit".  This kit contains several hand selected opamps chosen for their unique sonic traits.  HiFlight has helped myself and many others on Head-Fi with the practice of opamp rolling.  If you are interested, and would like more information, I'd suggest reaching out to HiFlight directly via PM.  I'm sure he will be more than happy to assist you as well.

 

[Cotnijoe]

Wow haha. Thanks for such a good explanation of this! I've recently PMed HiFlight. Thanks for the info. I'm sure I'll be able to find a good DAC and amp combo that works well for me with so many experts around here! =)

 

[jazzfan]

Quote:

Thanks a lot for the detail there! =) so overal you'd say it leans a little bit more towards the bright side rather than a warmer sound?
 

 
Correct.

 

[Cotnijoe]

I generally like a slightly warmer sound. I really love using my Vsonic GR07 and would choose it over IEMs like the SE535s for example. Does the GR07 sound like a good pair with the D6? Or would it be a bit bright? Has anyone tried?

 

[RapidPulse]

I have the D6 and the GR07 and love the combination.  
In fact, the only time I use the GR07 is when I can use it with the D6.  I don't notice it being any brighter, but I feel more bass impact.
(Note: I do have the Topkit on the D6 as mentioned a few posts above)

 

[Cotnijoe]

oh. That sounds perfect thenn =) thanks for the input there

 

[Cotnijoe]

just a few questions. What's the difference between plugging ur headphone in the "Phone" jack and the "Aux In/Out" jack? Also how do you guys actually get 24bit/96sampling or higher recordings?

 

[jazzfan]

Quote:

just a few questions. What's the difference between plugging ur headphone in the "Phone" jack and the "Aux In/Out" jack? Also how do you guys actually get 24bit/96sampling or higher recordings?

 
 
The Phone jack is an "output only" headphone jack.  The Aux In/Out jack, as the name suggests, is an Auxiliary Input/Output jack which serves two purposes.  It can accept an analog source "input" signal, or produce an analog "output" signal.  It can be use, for example, to accept an analog input signal from the headphone out jack of a portable device (ie. an iPod, or in my case an HP Touchpad), in which case, the internal amp would be used to send the signal to the headphone out "Phone" jack of the D6.  When feeding the D6 a "digital" signal via the rear input USB port, the Aux In/Out jack will output an unattenuated line level analog signal (directly bypassing the D6 internal amp), which can be fed into an external amp with a volume control.  This is how I'm using the D6 DAC with my Trends amp.  I use a 1/8" Mini to Dual Phono (RCA) Plug Y-cable to connect the two.

Hi-res, 24Bit/96KHz or higher, recordings are available for purchase (or in some cases for free) from several sources on the Internet.  A number of download sites are listed in this Head-Fi wiki article  - http://www.head-fi.org/a/high-res-music-download-sites (IMO, very good use of the wiki, BTW.  The Head-Fi wiki is worth exploring, if you haven't done so already - see my signature for the link).

Another point worth mentioning, is the D6 is currently limited to 24/96 playback.  The D6 is a bit of an enigma for me because even though it implements two very good 24-bit, high performance 192kHz Wolfson WM8740 DACs , the D6 is ultimately limited by the Texas Instruments TAS1020B USB controller chip which, per iBasso's documentation, only supports up to 24Bit/96KHz signals.  I have a hunch this is a limitation of iBasso's driver more so than the USB chipset, but again, this is just pure speculation on my part.  Others in this forum may be able to provide more information on this.  Regardless, if you wish to play hi-res files above 24/96 resolution, they must be downsampled to 24/96 in order to work with the D6.

 

[Cotnijoe]

Thanks for the info Jazzfan! If i was to use an mp3 player that is not an iDevice and connect it to aux in/out and use my headphone in the phone jack, then would both the dac and amp of the D6 be used?
 
And it sounds like i could basically plug two headphones in the device at the same time? but would there be any differences in quality?