[TheSloth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfen68 I've really wanted to hear a MicroDac with my iRiver and SR71. If the wallwart issue is real, along with it's tendency to eat batteries....it's starting to sound like a PITA to use one

Let's get this over once and for all. There is NO wallwart 'issue'. All simple/cheap wall wart supplies are technically inferior to a clean battery supply. This applies to ALL amplifiers, portable or not portable, HeadRoom or not HeadRoom.

The supplied wall wart is superior to that supplied as standard with the Firestone or Xin products, for example.

The 'issue' is that as there is the option to use the battery supply or the wall wart supply, the absolute best possible sound quality will be achieved through the battery power. That doesn't mean there's something 'wrong' with the sound through the wall power.

Regarding Micro DAC battery life, if you use the batteries as specified by HeadRoom, it's battery life is 14 hours, not 8. You run the batteries until they are seemingly dead, at which point you swap them round and can continue to run for another 6 hours. The reasoning is that most of the work is done by the negative side of the +/-9v, meaning that one of the batteries is only very slightly used.

 

[jtevol1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teerawit bringing computer audio to a whole new level. . . .In fact I am listening to the Micro DAC/Hornet combo right now

That's what I'm getting at: what specific improvements do you notice with the DAC and without the DAC (using the Hornet)?

 

[dw6928]

don't you find that the Stack begins to lose a great deal of presence and overall quality way before the batteries run dead. I find at about 10 hrs or so a swap makes a big difference. I am trying to convince myself that the wall wart sound is just as good to save on batteries but it seems like a losing proposition.

 

[Teerawit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jtevol1 That's what I'm getting at: what specific improvements do you notice with the DAC and without the DAC (using the Hornet)?

Hard to say, because we have different soundcards.

 

[labrat]

Deleted.

 

[sionghchan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dw6928 There is no nicer company or better bang for the buck than a Microstack.

Except for Meier Audio and the Aria!

but seriously though folks, I wonder, if the Aria is a better bang for the buck as compared to the Microstack..

 

[TheSloth]

DPS refers to Desktop Power Supply.

The extra voltage does not increase the volume at the same setting of the potentiometer, assuming there is no clipping.

 

[fewtch]

Can't believe what happened to what was supposed to be an appreciation thread. If I were Myo I'd be pretty ticked off at the deluge of off-topic posts.

 

[TheSloth]

Agreed. I did contribute somewhat, but only in the name of defending the stack!

To get it back on track, I loved the Micro Amp when I owned one and only no longer have it because I have no use for one.

 

[wolfen68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch Can't believe what happened to what was supposed to be an appreciation thread. If I were Myo I'd be pretty ticked off at the deluge of off-topic posts.

True...I'll contribute.

I posted a question awhile ago asking how the MicroDac was with the iRiver optical out. I had a least seven people reply that they used that combo and that the MD was significantly impressive. Because of that, I still look forward to trying one.

 

[TheSloth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfen68 True...I'll contribute. I posted a question awhile ago asking how the MicroDac was with the iRiver optical out. I had a least seven people reply that they used that combo and that the MD was significantly impressive. Because of that, I still look forward to trying one.

That really seems to be exactly what it's designed to do best, albiet with only 2 models of discontinued players. I get the impression there would be more MicroDAC's out there on portable duty if we had some choice of what to plug them into! Even my SONY PCDP that does have optical out refuses to activate it unless the wall wart is plugged in.

 

[warpdriver]

Well, have to put in my say since I have the stack now (I ordered my DAC with my K701's, and you know what happened there)

I'll say this:

There is no product I'd rather have instead for the same money (Aria included). The DAC sounds amazing, the Micro amp is the perfect complement, and I even like the styling of the components and how they stack together. It's a little bundle of goodness.