[Jazic]

is the moonaudio alphadog prime deal still ongoing?

Would you recommend the 400i or he500 for rock metal? I'm looking for something in that price range for work. Thanks!

 

[Praguepolo]

Has anybody heard more about the Alpha Dog upgrade program? 

 

[atsq17]

Definitely a good choice of gear. I've found for my listening levels the O2 performs just handy with Orthos but you mileage will vary. The NFB is a beast though and will leave no doubt that it can drive those loads.

 
 
I work with a friend who swore the O2 was the best thing ever. We compared it to a Bottlehead Crack with dynamic headphones (DT770, DT990, T1) and the O2 sounded like a 2D closet compared to the expansive 3D sound from the Crack. 
 
Never looked back since. 
 
LCD 2.2 out of the O2 vs Lyr was another no contest. We didn't even like the Lyr but the O2 wasn't even in the same class. 
 
However, audio is a subjective thing so like you said. YMMV. 
 
My friend sold the O2 shortly after that comparison and owns a Bottlehead Crack + Speedball until this day. He now has an HD800. 
 
I sold the LCD 2.2 (probably because I didn't like the Lyr I paired it with) and got myself a T1 and Bottlehead Crack + Speedball as well. I've tried the entire LCD range, Bakoon amps, etc. I still stuck with the same combo. 
 
However, if I wasn't so cheap, I'd probably have bought an Alpha Prime already as I have a Geek Pulse XFi coming. I already purchased balanced aftermarket cables for the Alpha Prime. I just haven't bought the actual Alpha Prime yet. LOL. 

 

[Mullet]

The O2 isn't a bad amp. It can drive nearly any headphone with enough power to blow out your ears. It's a wire with gain with vanishingly low distortion. It should be transparent with no color. Some believe it is and some don't. Does it sound great? It doesn't sound bad. It sounds pretty damn good for its price. It's just not exciting as other amps. Why... because some harmonic distortion sounds good to the ears. I have built the stock O2 and have even upgraded it with the AGDR booster board. The booster adds more peak current. Does it sound better than a stock? It sure does. Is it better than a high end amp? I'm not so sure. I still think my "Wire" amp edges it out. It's using the same "wire with current gain" concept so that shouldn't be. But my ears tell me otherwise. YMMV.

 

[mrspeakers]

FYI, last week we had a surge in black Alpha sales, which threw off our estimates; sorry for the delay but all black Alphas in the queue will ship this week. By COB tomorrow we expect to have shipped Claret Prime orders through Dec 7, so our lead-time will be down to 2-3 business days.  
 
We're continuing to work through upgrades, there are 7 still in house, several of which are "difficult pups," but I hope to have these shipped this week and then we'll make all efforts to finish the rest by next week.  I will to have to make changes to the upgrade program to make it viable, so I will provide an update on the upgrade program some time next week.  
 
We've been so busy that I have not been able to finish the tuning guide.  I'll try to get a simple version done as promptly as I'm able.
 
Thanks again for everyone's patience and support!

 

[DrSheep]

Is the upgrade program still offered?  I can't find the option on your page anymore... 

 

[wahsmoh]

  FYI, last week we had a surge in black Alpha sales, which threw off our estimates; sorry for the delay but all black Alphas in the queue will ship this week. By COB tomorrow we expect to have shipped Claret Prime orders through Dec 7, so our lead-time will be down to 2-3 business days.  
 

 
Hehe that's cause the black Alphas are the more beautiful cups :] I love the midnight blue they show when you put them into the light

 

[atsq17]

  The O2 isn't a bad amp. It can drive nearly any headphone with enough power to blow out your ears. It's a wire with gain with vanishingly low distortion. It should be transparent with no color. Some believe it is and some don't. Does it sound great? It doesn't sound bad. It sounds pretty damn good for its price. It's just not exciting as other amps. Why... because some harmonic distortion sounds good to the ears. I have built the stock O2 and have even upgraded it with the AGDR booster board. The booster adds more peak current. Does it sound better than a stock? It sure does. Is it better than a high end amp? I'm not so sure. I still think my "Wire" amp edges it out. It's using the same "wire with current gain" concept so that shouldn't be. But my ears tell me otherwise. YMMV.

 
When I was first doing this audio thing, I had a HD580 and one of those Penguin Amps (a modified CMOY bass boost). 
 
Trying the O2 was what made me start my upgrades. The clarity and details were amazing (it did give me listneing fatigue though). 
 
I do agree that for the price, it's quite something. For a little while, it was the only amp one would ever need. However, I've found that there are value bargains like the O2 at multiple price points. The Crack with Speedball happens to be the "O2" at the $500 price point. The step up is VERY noticeable though. 
 
I was initially a skeptic about things like cables and burn in but REAL actual experience with A LOT of equipment has taught me that whatever or however it happens, there is a big difference in the sound coming from different amps (as long as the headphones are good enough to scale) and even cables of all types. 
 
I think that the wire with gain paradigm is flawed as it does not take into account many variables that can affect sound. While the sound is clear and reasonably detailed, there is nothing indicating that the O2 sounds EXACTLY like the sound that was recorded. In fact there are a lot of things in the recording that other better amps will reveal that the O2 will not. The O2 does not transmit spacial information and imaging like better amps do and I don't think that can be put down to distortion. 
 
I do not profess to understand audio science to any large degree but I believe that many here do not either and have been misled into believing grossly oversimplified perspectives that have been accepted as truths. 
 
Back on the topic. I do think the O2 is a fantastic deal at that price and a very good starting point. 

 

[alreadyused]

  Is the upgrade program still offered?  I can't find the option on your page anymore... 

As of a week ago (from Dan):
 
Still working on it, it is a tough upgrade.

 

[alreadyused]

BTW, that reply from Dan was in answer to this question:
 
Hi Dan,
 
Has the upgrade process been verified and validated? When will more slots be available? Cheers.

 

[DrSheep]

  As of a week ago (from Dan):
 
Still working on it, it is a tough upgrade.

True, in retro spec I should have order mine when it was first release, too bad I waited too long.

 

[alreadyused]

  True, in retro spec I should have order mine when it was first release, too bad I waited too long.

Yeah, it's a good deal. Hopefully he can work out the bugs and reactivate the upgrade page.

 

[TheChillburger]

The O2 isn't a bad amp. It can drive nearly any headphone with enough power to blow out your ears. It's a wire with gain with vanishingly low distortion. It should be transparent with no color. Some believe it is and some don't. Does it sound great? It doesn't sound bad. It sounds pretty damn good for its price. It's just not exciting as other amps. Why... because some harmonic distortion sounds good to the ears. I have built the stock O2 and have even upgraded it with the AGDR booster board. The booster adds more peak current. Does it sound better than a stock? It sure does. Is it better than a high end amp? I'm not so sure. I still think my "Wire" amp edges it out. It's using the same "wire with current gain" concept so that shouldn't be. But my ears tell me otherwise. YMMV.

Different strokes I suppose. I did compare my O2 to some higher end solid state amps and could hear a difference, but I found changing headphones to make a much more pronounced difference for my money. Tube amps I have not had a chance to try however.

 

[Becomelikeyou]

What DAC/amp do you guys use with the Primes?

Someone I know is trying to convince me to invest in a Benchmark DAC2 HCG, is it worth it or overkill? I'm not sure most of the music sources I will listen to will always be of very high quality.
 
Definitely lovely sound so far.

 

[swspiers]

What DAC/amp do you guys use with the Primes?


Someone I know is trying to convince me to invest in a Benchmark DAC2 HCG, is it worth it or overkill? I'm not sure most of the music sources I will listen to will always be of very high quality.

Definitely lovely sound so far.

I use the Benchmark Dac—1, and it definitely makes a difference for me with the Primes. Very smooth, revealing and, well, awesome. But, if the track has sibilance, it can be fairly sharp. My Soloist is far more forgiving than the HP out.