[etteoh]

Why? Why do you guys keep making it hard for me to run the metal can on the headphone section? Why? 

 Sure I don't want to burn out my Grado but man, the metal can really rocks. I flinch each time I think about taking it out...and that is just thinking about it. When I took it out temporarily for a test in the DAC and had the LM4562 run its place, I cried. And I can assure you those are no tears of joy. So much so that at that instant, I placed an order for an extra metal can immediately.
 
Well, the LME49720 may exhibit more offset in the D1 than another circuit so it would not be as damning to run headphones with it in another circuit that matches what it offers/does. Ryan should really think about modifying the D1's circuit so that it runs the metal can nicely...but that would also mean the D1 would no longer be priced as it is now. 
 
I guess sometimes we have to make some sacrifices for other returns.

 

[etteoh]

Talking about running the D1 without a case...I'm having another one of those weird issues with my D1. See when I was busy rolling opamps, I thought it would be more convenient to run the D1 without the case until I find one that matches my listening preferences. Here comes the weird part - without the case, I only get sound through the left channel. How do you like that? 

 
At first I thought it was the case of a faulty opamp but when I put the case back on, voila, I get sound back from both channels. Take it off again, only one side. Put it back on, two sides. So in the end, I was like "*** it!" I'm just gonna have to live with it the hard way. 
 
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Just run the D1 without a case or dremel the old one. Right now I am not using any HDAM, but I am using the plastic top reiser made since dirt settles on the top and not the side.
 
Ide trade for a Metal can 49720, or a different tube just so I can mess around with the distortion.  My own SUN HDAM, imo it ended up adding static to certain highs.  I am probably don't put much stock in opamps though, the 49720 is the clearest and doesn't exhibit any oddities imo.  Metal Cans are just awesome want to test for myself how it sounds if any different.  Though in my experience headphones don't seem as picky as good speakers.  Dunno why exactly.

 

[etteoh]

Pardon the SPAM...I forgot to add in my previous post that for me, good headphones are every inch as picky as good speakers. The difference going even from a LM4562NA to a LM49720HA (although they are supposedly the same chip) sounds day and night different. Headphones are just not as fussy as speakers in terms of positioning...that's cos they can't pretty much move anywhere else except stay on top of your head 

 
Again the difference between a LME49720HA and an OPA2107AP is a lot. On my Grado, the OPA2107AP gives out a certain glare on the mids which is not present on the metal can. This can be a good or bad thing depending on what you listen to and how you like your music served. Then there is that infamous "blanket effect" I get with the LM4562NA that is not present on both the metal can and OPA2107AP.
 
Maybe it is just me who's being picky 

 
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Just run the D1 without a case or dremel the old one. Right now I am not using any HDAM, but I am using the plastic top reiser made since dirt settles on the top and not the side.
 
Ide trade for a Metal can 49720, or a different tube just so I can mess around with the distortion.  My own SUN HDAM, imo it ended up adding static to certain highs.  I am probably don't put much stock in opamps though, the 49720 is the clearest and doesn't exhibit any oddities imo.  Metal Cans are just awesome want to test for myself how it sounds if any different.  Though in my experience headphones don't seem as picky as good speakers.  Dunno why exactly.

 

[ninjikiran]

Stop spamming ,learn to edit your post =P.  As for channel differences like that go ahead and take off the ties  on those cables  on the right side of the DI.  I had similar problem with those cables at some point in time.

 

[etteoh]

I knew that was gonna come back and bite me in the a$$. Okay my bad (and I did apologize) 

 So I just spotted the EDIT button on the bottom left. See, sometimes I get way too excited and send a reply just to realize I've not finished with what I wanted to say. 
 
Thanks for sharing the cable tie thingy. I didn't know that affected channel imbalance as well. Good tip! Looks like I have some work cut out for me today.
 
 
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Stop spamming ,learn to edit your post =P.  As for channel differences like that go ahead and take off the ties  on those cables  on the right side of the DI.  I had similar problem with those cables at some point in time.

 

[ninjikiran]

yea, go ahead and mess with pushing them around and you'll see how it effects the sound.  At least that happened to me when I opened the case once.  I was actually putting the case back on when things started to sound weird.
 
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I knew that was gonna come back and bite me in the a$$. Okay my bad (and I did apologize) 

 So I just spotted the EDIT button on the bottom left. See, sometimes I get way too excited and send a reply just to realize I've not finished with what I wanted to say. 
 
Thanks for sharing the cable tie thingy. I didn't know that affected channel imbalance as well. Good tip! Looks like I have some work cut out for me today.
 
 
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Stop spamming ,learn to edit your post =P.  As for channel differences like that go ahead and take off the ties  on those cables  on the right side of the DI.  I had similar problem with those cables at some point in time.

 

 

[uelover]

hmm. the cable tie will affect the sound? that would mean that the cable within D1 has no EM wave shielding?

 

[ninjikiran]

The tie itself doesn't effect the sound but the crimping effect does.  It seems to be a tad too tight so if you disturb the cable you might get static or a channel imbalance.  Or at least it was on my unit, since I removed the tie it doesn't happen anymore.  The tie is just to keep the cables organized so removing it won't effect the system.  They are easy to replace as well~
 
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hmm. the cable tie will affect the sound? that would mean that the cable within D1 has no EM wave shielding?

 

[_Spanky_]

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hmm. the cable tie will affect the sound? that would mean that the cable within D1 has no EM wave shielding?

Sorry, I had to laugh so hard at this. There's no way in hell a nylon cable tie is going to affect audio. Also, I've cut, stripped and soldered some cables in the A1 and there is no metal foil protection. It would be too expensive to implement (resulting in higher retail price) and who knows if it would even do anything. I have personally made a grounded cardboard + aluminum + anti-static bag partition to sit between the power supply and circuit board. Granted, I can't protect and fill every gap but I didn't notice a difference. I left them in though since it doesn't hurt and maybe I didn't listen close enough.

 

[ninjikiran]

Yea it doesn't effect SQ at all, but on mines the crimping force caused channel imbalances as in left side only or right side only kind of deals or horrible static
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hmm. the cable tie will affect the sound? that would mean that the cable within D1 has no EM wave shielding?

Sorry, I had to laugh so hard at this. There's no way in hell a nylon cable tie is going to affect audio. Also, I've cut, stripped and soldered some cables in the A1 and there is no metal foil protection. It would be too expensive to implement (resulting in higher retail price) and who knows if it would even do anything. I have personally made a grounded cardboard + aluminum + anti-static bag partition to sit between the power supply and circuit board. Granted, I can't protect and fill every gap but I didn't notice a difference. I left them in though since it doesn't hurt and maybe I didn't listen close enough.

 

[_Spanky_]

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Yea it doesn't effect SQ at all, but on mines the crimping force caused channel imbalances as in left side only or right side only kind of deals or horrible static

Poor connection maybe. I've noticed some static on my D1. I've not really mentioned it and chalked it up to being a "budget" unit. It's not constant, it comes and goes and is random. Is this what yours sounds like? I'm wondering about snipping all the cable ties in my D1 now...
 

 

[Will2007]

I have a simple suggestion in this regard.  If you are going to cut the cable ties off, you might want to put another cable tie around the same cables, only tied loosely enough to avoid any binding or crimping of the cables, before you cut the old, tight ties off.  That way, you keep the cable neatness/management, but you do away with any possible crimping causing a loose/broken connection.
 
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Yea it doesn't effect SQ at all, but on mines the crimping force caused channel imbalances as in left side only or right side only kind of deals or horrible static

Poor connection maybe. I've noticed some static on my D1. I've not really mentioned it and chalked it up to being a "budget" unit. It's not constant, it comes and goes and is random. Is this what yours sounds like? I'm wondering about snipping all the cable ties in my D1 now...
 

 

[ninjikiran]

The connection is good, since cutting the ties I haven't had any more issues.  I don't know if its the static your getting though, for me it only happened when I disturbed them like putting the case back on or something.
 
Cable management is not a problem without the ties since they are in a small tight area anyway.
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Yea it doesn't effect SQ at all, but on mines the crimping force caused channel imbalances as in left side only or right side only kind of deals or horrible static

Poor connection maybe. I've noticed some static on my D1. I've not really mentioned it and chalked it up to being a "budget" unit. It's not constant, it comes and goes and is random. Is this what yours sounds like? I'm wondering about snipping all the cable ties in my D1 now...
 

 

[reiserFS]

For those wanting to roll some famous WE396A, nostubestore.com has a huge stock available http://www.nostubestore.com/2010/03/western-electric-396a2c51.html. Bought from them several times before, great guys to deal with.

 

[etteoh]

 
[size=small]Exactly my sentiments. I have been thinking for a while now to rid the D1 of the cable ties. They're wound too tightly around the cables and that is not a good thing. Ninjikiran's suggestion prompted me to check on them and I found that they were after all the culprit that caused the channel imbalance. Another weekend project with the D1 [/size]
 
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Yea it doesn't effect SQ at all, but on mines the crimping force caused channel imbalances as in left side only or right side only kind of deals or horrible static

Poor connection maybe. I've noticed some static on my D1. I've not really mentioned it and chalked it up to being a "budget" unit. It's not constant, it comes and goes and is random. Is this what yours sounds like? I'm wondering about snipping all the cable ties in my D1 now...