[b0klau]

Quote:

I've decided to wait for the D8 'Velociraptor'.  That thing will tear the D6 apart
 
lol, ill be patiently waiting to upgrade my P4 to a P5 "hummingbird"

 

[adevoe]

Hi all,
 
My first post here, so please excuse any dorky questions!
 
So, I bought my first pair of respectable headphones about a month ago - K702's. Now, from reading, I know that they have a mixed reputation around here, but I love them so far. I love them, and I have been listening unamped! Sacrilege, I know! But, I am not missing the bass that supposedly isn't there, and I like the analytical nature of them  Now, I don't have much to compare with, but I know that I like the sound that I am getting from these. I do want to get the most I possibly can from these though.
 
Which brings me to my question: Would the D6 be a good choice for a portable Amp/DAC for these phones? I am currently using a curret generation MacBook Pro and an Ipod as sources, and have mixed High Bit rate Mp3 and Lossless music. I'm working on changing things over to FLAC/Lossless as I am able to. I listen to just about everything - Techno/Electronica, Classical, some Jazz, Rock, Indie, Metal.
 
I'm pretty close to ordering one of these, unless anybody has any better suggestions? Keep in mind, I don't have a DAC now either, so this would be benefiting me in that aspect as well. And portable is a must. Eventually, I might do a desktop, but for now I need it to be portable.
 
It would be really appreciated to know if this would be a wise choice or not - and from what I gather, this is one of the more powerful amps in this size/price range, and might be as a good match as I am going to find for the K702's.
 
I don't need much more than a "good idea" or "waste of money" type answer, but suggestions are welcome too. I rather enjoy doing the digging/reading to find whats out there.
 
Thanks,
Alex

 

[Jalo]

You said you are pretty close to ordering the D6.  RELAXED.  IBASSO is closed for holiday--Chinese new year and won't be taking or shipping any order until 2/8/2011.  So you still have lots of time to think about it.  You can place you order now but it won't do you any good.

 

[adevoe]

Well... thanks for the heads up. I remember seeing that now!
 
I'm not in any particular hurry to order something - I guess I was more close in the sense of "I'm ready to spend more on this than I spent for the headphones" kind of close. Hah. I didn't  realize what I had bitten off when I ordered these. Like I said, I'm more than happy already, but I'm curious to find out how happy I could really be.
 
 
-Alex

 

[estreeter]

I really think a line of amps named after dinosaurs is long overdue - it would be interesting to see if anyone was brave enough to name theirs the 'T-Rex', especially when there is always something bigger and better on the horizon. Fighter aircraft are inevitably superceded - AFAIK, Rex simply hasnt been, at least on land. Dr Meier might like to consider this naming convention over names that evoke images of men in lederhosen 

 

[vpsporb]

"Dr Meier might like to consider this naming convention over names that evoke images of men in lederhosen " 
LOL ... and in black turtlenecks too
 
I just got my D6.. and the beige lettering on it's flat black finish is Gorgeous!
First off, I thought it'd be a little more powerful... but perhaps my needs are more like Tim "more power" Taylor's is.  
 
If I may re-iterate a point .... the D6 is T.R.A.N.S.P.A.R.E.N.T. @First listen.. I was thinking.. Huh.. that's nothing "special"... because nothing jumped @me, like being on the warm side or trebly. Listening to it more... the D6 just lets the music flow cleanly.. from the low frequencies to shimmering highs... the D6 Fer de Lance just gives, as if from an endless clean Glacial supply.  Very impressive out of the box performance.
  
Using my RE0s.. on low gain and volume maxed, it is not loud enough... but with gain on and volume @2-3 o'clock.. it's plenty loud enough.
Sadly my RE0's have been side-lined due to my DDM's sounding so superb, but GOOD LORD!! out of the Cowon J3/iBasso D6 combo my REO's really sound like Top Tier IEMs! The better the Amp and DAC the better the RE0 responds it seems. 
 
The D6 is easily the best of my portables, MiniHeadSig,Mini3,Microshar uAMP109,CmoyBB.
I didn't even get to test the DAC section yet.. funtimes ahead.

 

[twintiga]

Thanks for all the info on this thread.  I'll be ordering a D6 when the iBasso team gets back from vacation. It's gonna be a long week!

 

[jamato8]

Wait until you hear the dual dac and be sure to turn on the 24/96 even with 16/44 material. Also, make sure you have the switch in back set to batt. for the most power and you can have the adapter on at the same time. 

 

[freeky1]

Quote:

"Dr Meier might like to consider this naming convention over names that evoke images of men in lederhosen " 
LOL ... and in black turtlenecks too
 
I just got my D6.. and the beige lettering on it's flat black finish is Gorgeous!
First off, I thought it'd be a little more powerful... but perhaps my needs are more like Tim "more power" Taylor's is.  
 
If I may re-iterate a point .... the D6 is T.R.A.N.S.P.A.R.E.N.T. @First listen.. I was thinking.. Huh.. that's nothing "special"... because nothing jumped @me, like being on the warm side or trebly. Listening to it more... the D6 just lets the music flow cleanly.. from the low frequencies to shimmering highs... the D6 Fer de Lance just gives, as if from an endless clean Glacial supply.  Very impressive out of the box performance.
  
Using my RE0s.. on low gain and volume maxed, it is not loud enough... but with gain on and volume @2-3 o'clock.. it's plenty loud enough.
Sadly my RE0's have been side-lined due to my DDM's sounding so superb, but GOOD LORD!! out of the Cowon J3/iBasso D6 combo my REO's really sound like Top Tier IEMs! The better the Amp and DAC the better the RE0 responds it seems. 
 
The D6 is easily the best of my portables, MiniHeadSig,Mini3,Microshar uAMP109,CmoyBB.
I didn't even get to test the DAC section yet.. funtimes ahead.

I'm thinking of picking up an iBasso D6 to use with my Cowon J3 and as a DAC with my Alienware laptop.  I went to the iBasso website, and I have to say that their site is a bit confusing and overwhelming.  It's hard to establish any kind of heirarchy in their line of amplifiers.  I went there planning to buy the D2, and saw that the D6 is much higher power than the D2.  I also see the D12, which could be an option.  Since you also have the J3, I would really like to get your opinion of the sound of the J3 compared to that of the J3+D6.  Any info is appreciated.

 

[ZeroAtlas]

Quote:

Wait until you hear the dual dac and be sure to turn on the 24/96 even with 16/44 material. Also, make sure you have the switch in back set to batt. for the most power and you can have the adapter on at the same time. 

 
Jamato, how do you turn on 24/96? Im using foobar in WIN 7 64 bit .Most of my music is cd ripped (16/44) is there really a noticeable difference?
 

 

[jamato8]

On the Mac computer I go into my Audio MIDI Setup. On the PC you would have to go into preferences somewhere and just make sure the output for USB is set to 24/96. On 16/44 recorded I do hear a little improvement by having my Mac output the higher resolution to the dac, even though the recording is not 24/96. I hear more transparency and openness to the sound. YMMV. 

 

[enjaygee]

I recently received my D6 after reading this thread.
 
First, to clear up some confusion that I've been reading, the D6 comes with 24bit/96kHz enabled automatically (at least in Windows 7). It has 3 options for bit/kHz, 24/41, 24/48, and 24/96.

Now, for any of you interested in some technical talk, allow me to give my initials impressions of it and provide some information that may not yet be known.
 
I love the clarity and transparency of the upper frequencies. Crisp, clear, so natural sounding. Delightful to the ears, with only a couple times where I wanted to turn down the volume just a tad. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the bass. It's not that the bass isn't there or sounds bad by any means. I just felt something was lacking from my HD600s while playing house/trance/downtempo style music. Now maybe it's just the style of music I'm listening to, but to me, something just isn't there -- not enough warmth to the bass. I tried fiddling with the bass boost in Windows and with an equalizer, but still wasn't happy. Moreover, I noticed when enabling any enhancements, the clarity that I love so much from this amp was significantly reduced.
 
So I decided to make a bold move to try and get what I wanted. I had some dual-channel opamps lying around, the LME49720 and the OPA2227, which are very common opamps for analyticity and bass, respectively. I stuck them in the buffer sockets and what a pleasant surprise. The warm bass that I was looking for is coming through very clearly. The 49720 seems to take away the the laid back trait that the 2227 has on its own, too. Warm, comfy bass, while still retaining a natural, crisp, analytic treble.

 

[mrspeakers]

So the D6 probably uses the Tenor chip, which really annoys because it can't handle 88.2.  Aside from having a lot of FLAC in 88.2, I like using the software upsampling in Pure Music.  I prefer even 2x because it uses less CPU and also, I think, sounds a trifle cleaner to me.  This was a hassle on my Burson, but at least I had a workaround via Coax which could input 88.2, but I had to spend $150 for a M2Tech hiface card to get there.
 
C'mon Tenor, put out a USB chip which handles 88.2.  It's obvious it's possible if 24/96 can be supported!
 
Guess I'll stick with my D12, as it has optical and coax which both support 24/88.2.  

 

[vpsporb]

@ Freaky1,  I've always amped my J3... not because it lacks power, but because an amp can enable an increased dynamic range/spaciousness/instrument seperation... etc. for your IEM/HPs.
Plus, if your amp has socketed Op-Amps.. you can "roll" (change em out) op-amps to have a different sound signature.
If you need a DAC... i'd get a D6, simply because it has more output power than the D10/12/4. In case you need the extra oomph for higher Ohm IEM's or HPs.
Good-luck with your decision, the D6 also has the "clamshell" case that is a stroke of genius for us that love to "muck about" inside.
 
The D6 along with the D12 can accept a "dual mono" on adapter in the Center Socket!  I finally have a use for my 797BRs!
 

 

 

[vpsporb]

Quote:

I recently received my D6 after reading this thread.
 
First, to clear up some confusion that I've been reading, the D6 comes with 24bit/96kHz enabled automatically (at least in Windows 7). It has 3 options for bit/kHz, 24/41, 24/48, and 24/96.

Now, for any of you interested in some technical talk, allow me to give my initials impressions of it and provide some information that may not yet be known.
 
I love the clarity and transparency of the upper frequencies. Crisp, clear, so natural sounding. Delightful to the ears, with only a couple times where I wanted to turn down the volume just a tad. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the bass. It's not that the bass isn't there or sounds bad by any means. I just felt something was lacking from my HD600s while playing house/trance/downtempo style music. Now maybe it's just the style of music I'm listening to, but to me, something just isn't there -- not enough warmth to the bass. I tried fiddling with the bass boost in Windows and with an equalizer, but still wasn't happy. Moreover, I noticed when enabling any enhancements, the clarity that I love so much from this amp was significantly reduced.
 
So I decided to make a bold move to try and get what I wanted. I had some dual-channel opamps lying around, the LME49720 and the OPA2227, which are very common opamps for analyticity and bass, respectively. I stuck them in the buffer sockets and what a pleasant surprise. The warm bass that I was looking for is coming through very clearly. The 49720 seems to take away the the laid back trait that the 2227 has on its own, too. Warm, comfy bass, while still retaining a natural, crisp, analytic treble.

Thanks for the op-amp rolling impressions. Keep 'em coming peeps!
 
I also agree that added warmth is welcome with the D6. I went with AD797BRs in L/R and stock Buffs, it adds a fuller, richer sound to me. I don't want to remove my DDM's from my ears!
I have yet to try my 2- OPA627AU's on adapters, and have 2 single 797BR's on adapters coming in.... to see if they sound diff/better than the 2chips on 1adapter.
 
It always confuses me when peeps put Op-amps into the buff sockets... like you did! lol   I have 2x LME49720HA I could put into the buff sockets... hmm I wonder... any ideas to what may happen? 
 
I did test my DT990/600 with the stock D6... sounded real niice, but quite lacking in volume. With the AD797BR's in L/R a happy side-effect...the volume to my DT990/600 is VERY much increased!!!
If I can Roll the Buffs and gain even more volume without undue side-effects.... I'd be a happy Panda!