[Bazirker]

I am now the proud owner of a UHA -6SmII with the 8610 op amps! Initial impressions...


Man this thing is small. Sitting next to my Fiio E7+E9 combo, it takes up way less desk real estate. I'm looking forward to going portable with this.

My 600 ohm Beyerdynamic DT990's can be driven louder than I care to listen, although the E9 definitely goes louder. A quick A/B comparison with my Fiio rig shows the UHA having a much richer sound with way, way more air. It totally opens up the presentation.

Really excited how this amp will play with my Merlins!

 

[thegunner100]

I just got my AD4627 a little over an hour ago and have been listening to them with my UERMs. They are a nice improvement over the OPA209 imo, straight out of the box. The main thing that I noticed was the increase in bass impact, note weight, and smoother treble. More "natural", like others have described it. 

 

[KenB]

Quote:

False alarm! I tried the same connection on a different HDTV using the attached soundbar's optical cable. It worked great! Clearly, there must be something wrong with other HDTV's optical port or the cable I used.
 
Ken

UPDATE:
 
I sent an email to Nick Leckerton asking about optical audio processing with the UHA-6S.MKII. Below is his informative and enlightening response: 
 
"The UHA-6S.MKII does not decode compressed audio formats such as Dolby Digital. I think many TVs output this type of signal by default from the optical connector. This could explain why you're able to get signal through the amp from one TV but not another. Sometimes there is an option to set the output signal type on the TV, but sometimes there is not. The signal type you want is PCM (stands for "Pulse Code Modulated," which is uncompressed audio)."
 
I am unable to find any option on my Sony HDTV to change the audio format setting, which must be compressed because it does not work at all with the DAC/AMP. My Samsung HDTV, on the other hand, outputs uncompressed audio (PCM) and, of course, it works fine. 

 

[fzman]

Quote:

Well, tonight I tried to connect one of my HDTV's optical OUT to the Leckerton UHA-6S.MKII optical IN and could not get it to work. I switched the TV's audio signal to "External" vs. "TV Speakers," but there was no sound through the Leckerton's attached headphones. I then tried the optical OUT from the set-top-box and that didn't work either. Hmmm... 

those outputs are bitstream, not spdif.  if you cannot reconfigure those digital outputs, they will not work

 

[boombobby289]

Has anyone try to use UHA-6S.MKII to line in (Coaxial Digital Input) the digital signal from Fiio X3?

If yes, does it improve the original sound quality of X3?

 

[sq3rjick]

Quote:

Has anyone try to use UHA-6S.MKII to line in (Coaxial Digital Input) the digital signal from Fiio X3?

If yes, does it improve the original sound quality of X3?

 
I would also be interested, especially with the X3 on Massdrop right now. I was thinking of picking one up to complement my UHA-6S mkii when I'm on the go.

 

[FlySweep]

I recently sold my ODAC (which, paired with the UHA, has been a staple of my portable rig for quite some time) in an effort to go even more portable.. so now I'm using the UHA's DAC & amp.  Since swapping in the ADA4627, I gotta say.. I really like how the UHA's internal DAC+amp sounds.  I don't listen to really any hi-res files on a consistent basis, so the DACs bitrate limitations aren't an issue for me.  Not missing the ODAC, either.

 

[kimvictor]

Quote:

Has anyone try to use UHA-6S.MKII to line in (Coaxial Digital Input) the digital signal from Fiio X3?

If yes, does it improve the original sound quality of X3?

I would think it would. I haven't heard the X3, but considering that it's almost the same as E17, leckertons should have a better DAC. Leckertons have much better DAC than E17.

 

[Bazirker]

This amp, with the AD8610, matches brilliantly with the UM Merlin.  Wonderful synergy!  Totally RTFO (rocking the screw out) to BT's new album....

 

[thegrobe]

This amp, with the AD8610, matches brilliantly with the UM Merlin.  Wonderful synergy!  Totally RTFO (rocking the screw out) to BT's new album....

Right on! Glad to hear you're enjoying it.

 

[Moocher]

Re: Toslink cables
 
What's wrong with this: http://www.monoprice.com/Category?c_id=102&cp_id=10229
 
For shorter ones, $38.00: http://www.sys-concept.com/U-toslink_miniplug.html
 
There's no quality issue with a digital signal, just with the cable and fittings. $60 for a 20 inch cable is ridiculous. It's just a tax on audiophiles.
 
 
Mooch

 

[Bazirker]

Quote:

Re: Toslink cables
 
For shorter ones, $38.00: http://www.sys-concept.com/U-toslink_miniplug.html
 

 
"Hmmm, that looks like a nice cable....cool...wow, those are great...
 
*scrolls down*
 
DAT RIG OMG"

 

[kimvictor]

Quote:

Re: Toslink cables
 
What's wrong with this: http://www.monoprice.com/Category?c_id=102&cp_id=10229
 
For shorter ones, $38.00: http://www.sys-concept.com/U-toslink_miniplug.html
 
There's no quality issue with a digital signal, just with the cable and fittings. $60 for a 20 inch cable is ridiculous. It's just a tax on audiophiles.
 
 
Mooch

Thanks! That's pretty much perfect for AK100 and UHA-6S.MKII

 

[jacal01]

Quote:

Re: Toslink cables
 
There's no quality issue with a digital signal, just with the cable and fittings. $60 for a 20 inch cable is ridiculous. It's just a tax on audiophiles.
 

 
I believe that there is an appreciable step in price going from plastic to glass fiber optic.  You pretty much get what you pay for, "tax" notwithstanding.

 

[Bazirker]

I think his point was that an optical cable carries digital signal rather than analog, so as long as the signal makes it from point A to B, then it doesn't matter if your cable is cheap. So, getting a nicely made cable isn't necessarily going to do a thing for your sound quality.