[Nirmalanow]

Quote:

Isn't it weird how something as niche as headphones can descend into matters of perceived rank and class?

Still - I like the TDS202 and I'm not quite deaf. Go figure. Objectivists will doubtlessly point to this as evidence of my lack of audiophile character and an invalidation of my dislike of the O2.

We may have to form a secret society for our non-audiophile approved adventures. Maybe the website could be called Head-Lo-Fi.org.
 
And yes, the TDS202 can sometimes make things a little sibilant or bright, but of course there is a bypass switch for any song where it is too much. Otherwise, it is a nice way to hear more details in the music. It does work well with the 3D on the iCAN, although they can both have that same effect, so again, sometimes you need to turn one off. However, as I have gotten used to them, I have tended to use them both most of the time, and I find I miss them now when I turn them off. I also have switched to a warmer set of interconnects as the Anti-Cable IC's seem to also add to the brightness. I am now using two Zu Audio Mission 1/8 to RCA IC's which I got for a good price on Ebay, and these seem to match up better, although they are still breaking in.

 

[bedlam inside]

Hi,
 
Quote:

Still - I like the TDS202 and I'm not quite deaf. Go figure. Objectivists will doubtlessly point to this as evidence of my lack of audiophile character and an invalidation of my dislike of the O2.

So, I don't at all fancy adding one more cable and box to the already tall stack on me desk, so I was happy to find that Amazon UK does not carry that TDS thing, hence I'm safe, until the next business trip to the US.

I did find an earlier thread about this TDS widget BTW, it seems a little un-complementary generally, I wonder why?

http://www.head-fi.org/t/190302/does-ar-tds202-sound-enhancer-really-work
 
Interesting that one geezer in that thread mentions that:
 
Quote :

Originally Posted by skullguise

I had one a couple years back, yes it was crap.

Taddeo Digital Antidote passive is much better

 
What is "Taddeo Digital Antidote" and do I need one? Where do I get it? Not Amazon UK, that is for sure.

Cheers Rich

 

[disastermouse]

Yeah, I saw those old threads too. It kind of weirds me out after hearing it myself.

 

[Nirmalanow]

I have found the TDS to be very system dependent, so definitely it can work sometimes and not work sometimes. For example, if there is a lot of hiss or noise in the source, it boosts that along with the low level details. With the Tera as source, the sound is very clean, but there can still be hiss in a particular recording, especially older tape recorded music. I tried it for a while with a Nexus 10 tablet as source and in that case the tablet itself had too much noise for it to be worth using the TDS.
 
I found this about  the Taddeo, but it seems it is not available anymore unless you can find a used one:
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue1/taddeopassive.htm
 
Also this very old thread:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/39858/has-anyone-tried-the-passive-taddeo-digital-antidote-ii

 

[bedlam inside]

Hi,
 
Quote:

I have found the TDS to be very system dependent, so definitely it can work sometimes and not work sometimes. For example, if there is a lot of hiss or noise in the source, it boosts that along with the low level details. With the Tera as source, the sound is very clean, but there can still be hiss in a particular recording, especially older tape recorded music. I tried it for a while with a Nexus 10 tablet as source and in that case the tablet itself had too much noise for it to be worth using the TDS.
 
I found this about  the Taddeo, but it seems it is not available anymore unless you can find a used one:
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue1/taddeopassive.htm
 
Also this very old thread:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/39858/has-anyone-tried-the-passive-taddeo-digital-antidote-ii

Cheers mate, seems for now I am safe from any more boxes in my Headphone setup, fun as it might be though, as I can't buy them...

Interesting stuff though, makes me wonder.

Cheerio Rich
 

 

[Nirmalanow]

Quote:

Hi,
 

Cheers mate, seems for now I am safe from any more boxes in my Headphone setup, fun as it might be though, as I can't buy them...

Interesting stuff though, makes me wonder.

Cheerio Rich
 

There is a lot to be said for simplicity.

 

[georgelai57]

There is a lot to be said for simplicity.

Another iFi product. Any idea what it might be?

 

[Nirmalanow]

Quote:

Another iFi product. Any idea what it might be?

I saw a mention of an upcoming iTUBE, so maybe this is it. If it is a tube buffer, then maybe it is something like the Musical Fidelity X10: http://www.stereophile.com/tubepreamps/873/

 

[Nirmalanow]

Here is another review of the iCAN:
 
http://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/review-ifi-micro-ican-headphone-amplifier-power-people?utm_source=hwzsgforums&utm_campaign=Autopost%2BEdt%2Bin%2BForums&utm_content=[Review]-iFi%2BMicro%2BiCan%2BHeadphone%2BAmplifier%2B-%2BPower%2Bto%2Bthe%2BPeople&utm_medium=referral

 

[georgelai57]

Another review on http://noblehifi.blogspot.sg

 

[chicolom]

Are there any audio demos of the 3D effect on this amp?

Could someone who owns this make some demos by recording the signal coming out of the HP jack while playing a song and flicking 3D switch ON and OFF?
 
You would just have to run a cable from the HP jack to a computer's input and record it.

 

[Nirmalanow]

Quote:

Are there any audio demos of the 3D effect on this amp?

Could someone who owns this make some demos by recording the signal coming out of the HP jack while playing a song and flicking 3D switch ON and OFF?
 
You would just have to run a cable from the HP jack to a computer's input and record it.

I spoke to Vincent from iFi about doing this, and he said they would look into making some professionally produced demos for their website. I am not sure if or when it will happen.

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

I spoke to Vincent from iFi about doing this, and he said they would look into making some professionally produced demos for their website. I am not sure if or when it will happen.

 
Audio demos would be really useful.  At the moment there is nothing to go off of besides marketing terms and reviews/hype.
 
Someone could still record their own demos though pretty easily...

 

[flargosa]

Quote:

I spoke to Vincent from iFi about doing this, and he said they would look into making some professionally produced demos for their website. I am not sure if or when it will happen.

 
I hope they record the 3d demos from the amps HP out, not some professionally simulated 3d effect.  

 

[dsync89]

I recently get to know this product while searching for FA-003 Ti. Some had coupled this with it and apparently it had a pretty good result.
 
Just some background of my current not-so-audiophile audio setup. I myself owned the original FA-003 and FiiO E-17 DAC/Amp and I am very tempted to upgrade to this iCan for its much wider soundstage (3D-like). What keep me puzzles is the connection with my PC. Can I extend my setup and use the following connection to channel the sound?
 
Laptop <--> Fiio E17 DAC <--> iCan Amp <--> Fischer FA-003.
 
Hope to get some feedbacks before I go along this route. Thanks.