[HookedOnAudio]

The lows were fine, it's just the sound signature was lean and high frequencies could be bothersome for ears sensitive to treble. HD800 and Beyer T1 did not pair well at all, for instance. Darker and mid-bass centric headphones were better (like Sennheiser Momentum). HD650s were fine but the magic was just not there, Vioelectric V200 was much better for them. Timing was what Hugo did best. I don't think Hugo is worth what it's sold for. I'd rather get Explorer2 for low-mid impedance headphones and/or Meridian Direct Dac/a decent amp for high impedance headphones.

 


I see! That is valuable feedback too. I understand that everyone's impressions are different and that ultimately it's one's own ears that make the final judgment, but for research through hearing various people's impressions is also so very valuable.

Regarding your statement of, "Timing was what Hugo did best," could you explain a little more on what you mean by timing?

 

[cloud13cherish]

  I just received my Explorer2 and so far my impressions are very positive. 
 
I've yet to use it with cans (this is actually my first portable DAC/amp), but I compared it with my Audio GD Master 7 in my desktop 2.1 speaker setup (which is where I do the vast majority of my listening).
 
Needless to say, the E2 did not top the Master 7. I'm very partial to R2R DACs versus Delta-Sigma DACs, because I generally find R2R DACs to be more "real" and "analog" sounding, especially when it comes to things like timbre (especially cymbals and acoustic guitar) and PRAT. Unsurprisingly, the Explorer2 did not have the "realness" of sound of the M7, lacking the M7's low-end oomph, as well as the M7's clear of placement of instruments, among other traits. However, the Explorer2 was notably good in terms of width of soundstage and the general neutrality of its tone. The high end was not as tinny as most Delta-Sigma DACs I've tried, which I was pleased with, since Sigma-Delta DACs are the only fair comparison for the Explorer2 (I don't think there are any truly portable R2R DACs/amps).
 
So, turning to Delta-Sigma DACs, over the past year I went through a variety of sub-$1k SD DACs (including the Modi, the Uber Bifrost, the Maverick D2, and the Yulong DA8). Of those, I found the Bifrost Uber and the D2 to be the best, but none topped the Audio GD NOS1704 (which I still own) or the Master 7. (I'm also fond of a Teradak R2R NOS DAC that I still have, too.) Though I don't still own the Bifrost Uber or the D2, based on comparing the Explorer2 with the Master 7, I'm confident that it would hold its own as a DAC against the Bifrost Uber or the D2 (both of which also paled in comparison to the Audio GD DACs). Needless to say, I'm impressed with the Explorer2.
 
More impressions to come after I use it with headphones. I was planning to buy the Fulla and return/sell the one that I liked least, but the quality of the Explorer2 is making me wonder if I should even bother ordering the Fulla. Hopefully others will post some comparison reviews soon.

wait... what? Audio GD Master 7 is about $2000 right? Are you Meridian Explorer 2 with a 10 fold product?

 

[Thunder240]

Hi folks, I'm in the market for a portable dac/amp, and I'm definitely intrigued by the Explorer2.

Have any of you tried it with an iPhone 5 using the Camera Connection Kit, and can you advise whether or not it works?

 

[Josh83]

 
wait... what? Audio GD Master 7 is about $2000 right? Are you Meridian Explorer 2 with a 10 fold product?

 
Yes, I was! If you're going to compare, why not compare with the best you've got?

 
The M7 is my main DAC, and, since I don't have anywhere near unlimited funds, the Modi, Bifrost Uber, and D2 are all sold at this point. I'm working from memory (and notes). When I had those DACs, I compared them to each other as I moved up the chain, working from the transitive property (haha), before settling on the Master 7. 
 
As I said in my post, I had no expectation that the Explorer2 would hold it own against the Master 7, and it didn't. However, the Explorer2 is a very good DAC, IMO, for the price and, especially, the size. It pales in comparison to the M7 on things like "analog" naturalness and PRaT. In terms of bass, mids, highs, soundstage width, etc., it falls short of the M7 in the same ways that the Bifrost and D2 did, as well. The biggest flaw with most Delta Sigma DACs, IMO, is the artificiality of the high-end and the general timbre of the instruments. The timbre still doesn't sound quite as "real" to me with the Explorer2, though no DS DAC has ever felt "real" to me. That said, the timbre is pretty good in the Explorer2, the highs are very smooth and not very "tinny" or artificially "sparkly," to my ears. The mids are well represented and the bass is tight, if not as full as bigger DACs.
 
As I said, working from memory, in terms of how other DACs compared to each other and the Master 7, I feel like the Explorer2 easily bests the Modi (which had very digital-sounding highs, IMO), and I have no doubt that it would easily hold its own against the D2 and the Bifrost Uber (and I very marginally preferred the D2 to the Bifrost Uber in a head-to-head matchup, despite the Schiit's higher cost). That doesn't mean that the Explorer would be better than those DACs, only that I don't think either would be much of an upgrade over the Explorer2, at least to my ears, which is saying a lot, given the price and form factor of the Explorer2. Once again, though, that's just my impression, and your mileage may vary. 
 
In terms of using the Explorer2 with cans, I'm listening to the E2 with a pair of Philips Fidelio L1s right now and the E2 sounds excellent. I'll be trying it with ATH-M50s and NAD HP50s, among other cans, later. 

 
 
I still wouldn't mind sampling the Schiit Fulla, but given some of the issues described in that thread with the early run of Fulla's, I'm not in any hurry to order a Fulla to compare with the E2.

 

[Ttvetjanu]

I will be getting my Explorer2 in about 10 day, I am going to test it with my HD 650s to see if it is able to drive them.

 

[Click]

I just want to say that listening to my Miles Davis Tribute with E² is simply amazing. The bass is enormous and addictive. The detail, soundstage, timbre, lush mids, and smooth treble accompany the basshead qualities of the MDT. I'm glad I didn't sell the MDT like I wanted to a few years ago. Kinda sad that Monster stopped making these great IEMs 3 years ago. 

 

[Click]

  I will be getting my Explorer2 in about 10 day, I am going to test it with my HD 650s to see if it is able to drive them.

By itself, I doubt it. As a DAC, most definitely.

 

[lakej]

I was tired of my Fiio E07k together with Grado ps500, to muddy sounding. So I bought the Explorer2 and I love it.
 
Much cleaner sound overall, more detailed and "spacey". At 1/3 of windows sound bar is loud enough for me to be happy, at half some songs are unbearably loud to me.
 
I'm happy with it, but have not tried  that many portable/cheaper dacs,

 

[wanderingsounds]

- Does anyone know what is the mW output of the Explorer2 amplifier?
 
- Is there a rule of thumb / formula to determine the mW power needed based on an headphone's impedance and an amplifier impedance?

 

[Josh83]

  - Does anyone know what is the mW output of the Explorer2 amplifier?
 
- Is there a rule of thumb / formula to determine the mW power needed based on an headphone's impedance and an amplifier impedance?

 
I believe the Explorer2 has the same output as the Explorer, which is 130mW into 16 ohms, which means it has about 1/3 of the power of the Schiit Fulla and about 1/2 the power of the Fiio E17. (Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on those comparisons, or the specs of the Explorer2.) 
 
In terms of real-world use, it seems to me to be maybe 10-to-30 (I know that's vague) percent louder than my Macbook Pro's internal headphone output. So it's probably not the best portable DAC/headamp for power hungry headphones. But it's definitely a great sounding one. 

 

[JiggaD369]

Sorry if mentioned before but has anyone been able to compare this with Dragonfly v1.2?

 

[sm4rt1]

Hi folks, I'm in the market for a portable dac/amp, and I'm definitely intrigued by the Explorer2.

Have any of you tried it with an iPhone 5 using the Camera Connection Kit, and can you advise whether or not it works?

I have now managed to hook my explorer2 up to my iPad air2 and using the tidal app

I initially tried connecting it directly to the apple camera connector adapter, in the hopes that the power requirements may have reduced from the first edition but unfortunately not, the normal message from the iPad that the connected device isn't supported.
Then tried with a USB Y cable and separate battery ... still no joy ... the USB handshake must be causing the issue

However, when connected via a small Lindy USB hub ... still using the Y cable and battery, it works fine and iPad audio is routed out via the explorer2

The only problem is, I cannot get the stream to upscale to 24/192 on the explorer2 ... Does anyone know if this is possible or is this another area where 'Apple knows best'?

 

[Pedro83]

Download, and upgrade the ONKYO app for your iPhone from the app store. Works fine. 

 

[obsidyen]

An article on MQA.
 
http://www.techhive.com/article/2866274/meridian-audio-s-mqa-technology-is-the-best-product-at-ces-so-far.html

 

[kawaivpc1]

  An article on MQA.
 
http://www.techhive.com/article/2866274/meridian-audio-s-mqa-technology-is-the-best-product-at-ces-so-far.html

My question is: "do they think famous online music stores or average users will start using this over FLAC?"
I don't think so. FLAC takes about 99.7% of high-res music files on the earth.
They can't do much about this.