[lee730]

Quote:

My UHA4 drives my edition 8 out of the cowan j3 to deafening levels, definitely a little power house.  I feel like the Dac is just a bonus, the amp section is just so good and I prefer its sound over the dacs with my pc  

I thought you were disappointed by the amp?

 

[swbf2cheater]

Yea, I am disappointed a bit.  It is definitely not meshing well with my Edition 8 and J3 combo.  I do not think that makes it bad, its just not up to par with the higher end stuff.  Great for entry to mid fi for sure, not so good for the big boy toys.  I was hoping for more clarity and sound stage qualities but for what it does and at its price it is a very good amp

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Yea, I am disappointed a bit.  It is definitely not meshing well with my Edition 8 and J3 combo.  I do not think that makes it bad, its just not up to par with the higher end stuff.  Great for entry to mid fi for sure, not so good for the big boy toys.  I was hoping for more clarity and sound stage qualities but for what it does and at its price it is a very good amp

 
You need the UHA6S for the Ed8.  The UHA4 isn't in the same league especially w/ the 8610 opamp and the Ed8.  J3 is doing it no favors either from HO.  You've got a few bottlenecks in that chain for what you are looking for IMO.
 
 

 

[lee730]

I have to agree with anaxilous on Using the J3 with the amp. That will only induce distortion as the J3 amp is crap in comparison to the UHA4. Even an ipod via line out with a decent amp will walk circles around a J3 due to the line out capability. That is why I never considered a J3 to begin with. It may have nice features but its still overpriced in my opinion. Now if they introduced a line out with the J3 I would have to reconsider as it does have a great eq. Also synergy is very important when using audio equipment. Example my Sony EX1000s are quite bright so I need a more laid back and warm source to get the right synergy (Hifiman 601). The Sflo2 is more neutral approaching the bright side so they do wonders with my IE8s. So between the Headphones/amp/DAP the synergy can either make or break. I've been very fortunate though in most of my purchases to have gotten good synergy. I've been also reading up before I make purchases though.
Quote:

 
You need the UHA6S for the Ed8.  The UHA4 isn't in the same league especially w/ the 8610 opamp and the Ed8.  J3 is doing it no favors either from HO.  You've got a few bottlenecks in that chain for what you are looking for IMO.
 
 

 

 

[lee730]

Quote:

Yea, I am disappointed a bit.  It is definitely not meshing well with my Edition 8 and J3 combo.  I do not think that makes it bad, its just not up to par with the higher end stuff.  Great for entry to mid fi for sure, not so good for the big boy toys.  I was hoping for more clarity and sound stage qualities but for what it does and at its price it is a very good amp

I think the UHA6 would have been your best bet. I mean hey if you can carry that humongous color fly around why not turn it into a stack of TNT . I wonder if you could have gotten the same op amp that the Color fly has to retain the same sound signature. That seems to be what you wanted, the exact sound signature the color fly has along with its expansive sound stage. I have a feeling you really love the laid back warm sound signature. I also love it as well.
 
 

 

[mitsu763]

I've had quite a few amps and the UHA-4 is no slouch. Mine has the OPA627 and I love the clarity. The only downside I see is the power output. Maybe it's just my obsessing but I feel like it's definitely geared towards IEM's. Your ED8's may be crying for a little more juice.

 

[swbf2cheater]

I realize there are more powerful amps as I own most of them, but they are not portable.  The UHA4 is a slim amp and the UHA6 isn't 
 

 

[estreeter]

I have also found the uHA-4 to be a tough customer, for all the early criticism about its 'convict build quality'. I havent babied mine at all and it looks exactly the same as it did the day I bought it : by contrast, my D4 hasnt fared so well. The uHA-4 is also a great travelling companion - light, compact and devoid of the need to carry a separate charger. Not sure how it will pair with the ZO, but I'm very much looking forward to it.

 

[Anaxilus]

.
 

 

[estreeter]

I dont care if its made from recycled Smartie packets - I want to hear what the thing SOUNDS like !

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

I dont care if its made from recycled Smartie packets - I want to hear what the thing SOUNDS like !

Oh wow, read that completely wrong.  =P
 

 

[ziocomposite]

It's eargasmic >_>
 
 
Zune Hd --->  Zo --->  UHA-4 ---> FA-011
Quote:

I dont care if its made from recycled Smartie packets - I want to hear what the thing SOUNDS like !

 

 

[WisdomListens]

Hey guys I have a question for the people who own the UHA-4 and the Westone 4:
 
What op-amp did you choose?
Does it matter?
 
I'm new to amps in general. Thanks!

 

[ubercaffeinated]

i have both (uha-4 with opa627), and i'd say the w4 doesn't really benefit from amping. it's smoothens out a little of the rawness, but not enough to make me want to carry an amp + iphone + iem. 
 
the w4 sounds great on it's own and it's one of it's strengths.

 

[WisdomListens]

Quote:

i have both (uha-4 with opa627), and i'd say the w4 doesn't really benefit from amping. it's smoothens out a little of the rawness, but not enough to make me want to carry an amp + iphone + iem. 
 
the w4 sounds great on it's own and it's one of it's strengths.

Thanks for the input. I do still want to get one to test it out for myself. Not sure which op-amp to choose though. Also considering the digiZoid ZO as well; the extra bass boost when I feel like listening to electronic music is a plus.