New Leckerton UHA-6S MKII Portable Headphone Amplifier Announced (Update User Impressions Added July 20th 2012)
Nov 19, 2012 at 2:08 AM Post #841 of 2,354
Looks like I need the green board and solder 
tongue.gif

 
Nov 19, 2012 at 9:32 AM Post #843 of 2,354
I just heard back from Nick about my hiss from coax issue: he said that it's working as intended. If no signal is sent but a cable is connected the DAC loses lock and emits a slight hiss. 
frown.gif

 
Oh well, it's not a deal-breaker. Time to find a portable source with analog or optical S/PDIF output!
 
Nov 19, 2012 at 9:56 AM Post #845 of 2,354
Quote:
I wouldn't worry about a hiss in the circumstance you describe. If it only occurs when there's no signal, it's irrelevant to your listening.

 
Ah, but read my post carefully: it happens when I simply pause the music in PowerAmp on my Cowon. The D3 cuts all digital signal when it's paused (probably to save battery). Like I said I will just live with it for now. I'll get used to turning the volume down every time I pause. 
 
Nov 19, 2012 at 2:24 PM Post #846 of 2,354
Ah, but read my post carefully: it happens when I simply pause the music in PowerAmp on my Cowon. The D3 cuts all digital signal when it's paused (probably to save battery). Like I said I will just live with it for now. I'll get used to turning the volume down every time I pause. 


I don't suffer with this 'hiss' issue though I use the uha6smkii most of the time via coaxial input. I thought that you mentioned earlier that it only happened when the other end of the coax cable is disconnected physically but now it happened even when you pause the playing? Have you tried other sources?
 
Nov 19, 2012 at 2:42 PM Post #847 of 2,354
Quote:
I don't suffer with this 'hiss' issue though I use the uha6smkii most of the time via coaxial input. I thought that you mentioned earlier that it only happened when the other end of the coax cable is disconnected physically but now it happened even when you pause the playing? Have you tried other sources?

 
Yea, it's pretty much a semi-compatibility issue with certain sources. The Cowon D3 happens to "cut" the digital signal on pause - probably to save battery - which causes the hiss. It's the same as if you were to physically unplug the coax cable from the source, you can try yourself.
 
However, if your source doesn't fully cut the signal upon stopping music, but rather sends a sort of "null signal" or "digital silence," then the Leckerton won't have hiss. I don't really know how else to technically explain it. It's a pretty minor issue that probably <1% of all Leckerton UHA-6SmkII owners will have. I doubt anyone else is using it with the Cowon D3, or any other source that behaves this way. It just sucks that I am one of them. 
frown.gif

 
It's especially a shame because in all other ways, this thing destroys my old iBasso D10. But the D10 didn't have the hiss issue even with my Cowon D3. 
 
Nov 19, 2012 at 5:23 PM Post #848 of 2,354
for this test i used: IEM: Senn IE80, sandisk clip+ , PC( for DAC) , PC with ASUS sound card( xonar phoebus)

K guys here is an important update , i did notice that the AMP does way better as an AMP not as a DAC i was switching from my PC to sandisk clip+ and i am 100% sure that the DAC didn't sound as sexy and didn't pump me as much as when i was using it as an AMP directly with my player clip+
 
in the end i hope i described it well :p i will switch to my sound card now and see if it will do better than this DAC
 
 
 
 
------------update after testing the ASUS sound card and the DAC again--------
 
as for the AMP nothing does better than it as an AMP and will make you dance!!!! yet for the DAC slightly better my ASUS sound card (both are fail atm for my ears )
 
went to test the three of these again and YES THE AMP  > DAC > ASUS sound card
 
in the end i didnt like the DAC and didnt like the sound card cause in the terms of  clearness and satisfaction and enjoyment the AMP section kicked both
 
if you tryed them all you will know that you will enjoy playing it only as an AMP and people when the quality goes down you wont be happy....
 
Note: this is my opinion and how i feel about it so it is up to you to take it or leave it and i hope i helped
 
ps: sorry about my bad grammer and english :p
 
 
Nov 19, 2012 at 8:33 PM Post #849 of 2,354
Quote:
for this test i used: IEM: Senn IE80, sandisk clip+ , PC( for DAC) , PC with ASUS sound card( xonar phoebus)

K guys here is an important update , i did notice that the AMP does way better as an AMP not as a DAC i was switching from my PC to sandisk clip+ and i am 100% sure that the DAC didn't sound as sexy and didn't pump me as much as when i was using it as an AMP directly with my player clip+
 
in the end i hope i described it well :p i will switch to my sound card now and see if it will do better than this DAC
 
 
 
 
------------update after testing the ASUS sound card and the DAC again--------
 
as for the AMP nothing does better than it as an AMP and will make you dance!!!! yet for the DAC slightly better my ASUS sound card (both are fail atm for my ears )
 
went to test the three of these again and YES THE AMP  > DAC > ASUS sound card
 
in the end i didnt like the DAC and didnt like the sound card cause in the terms of  clearness and satisfaction and enjoyment the AMP section kicked both
 
if you tryed them all you will know that you will enjoy playing it only as an AMP and people when the quality goes down you wont be happy....
 
Note: this is my opinion and how i feel about it so it is up to you to take it or leave it and i hope i helped
 
ps: sorry about my bad grammer and english :p
 

 
Yep I agree with you. The amp section is much better than the DAC section. IMO the DAC section actually degrades the amps sound quality. It has more potential and the DAC is holding it back. This is the same issue on the UHA4. But you can't really complain as it's an extra feature. Just one I don't use as I have much better DACs to use with this amp.
 
Nov 19, 2012 at 11:03 PM Post #852 of 2,354
Quote:
You sure can :). At least how I hear it is the DAC in the UHA6 MKII is a bit edgy and unrefined. Kinda harsh sounding in comparison. For me that means fatigue and a much less enjoyable experience.

 
Yea my initial assessment of the DAC section was a bit skewed. I switched software from PowerAmp to PlayerPro, and I can now say that any difference between using the Cowon's DAC and the Leckerton's DAC is minimal or non-existent. The amp section is definitely the star of the show here. BTW PowerAmp is a pretty bad-sounding player. I can't believe I've been using it this long lol. 
 
Nov 19, 2012 at 11:47 PM Post #854 of 2,354
Quote:
So what do u guys think? Should I pair the leckerton with a dedicated DAC? I will be using it with my imod as amp only. But for home listening , I generally use my laptop/desktop as a source.


You'd get a lot more performance out of it if you get a good dedicated DAC. I use the DACport LX and that is an extremely good DAC and a great value for the sound quality you get.
 
Nov 20, 2012 at 4:58 AM Post #855 of 2,354
Yea my initial assessment of the DAC section was a bit skewed. I switched software from PowerAmp to PlayerPro, and I can now say that any difference between using the Cowon's DAC and the Leckerton's DAC is minimal or non-existent. The amp section is definitely the star of the show here. BTW PowerAmp is a pretty bad-sounding player. I can't believe I've been using it this long lol. 


Could you try it with Neutron player?
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top