[Armaegis]

When I stack the DAC-100 on top of the HAP-100, then they feel like they're roughly the same temperature.
 
Wow.. 10W idling current? That's pretty deep into class A considering the headphone output is rated for 500mW. I wonder what the idling current for the HAP-100 is.
 
Have you tried rolling opamps yet?

 

[kazsud]

I'm hoping for some sort of sale black friday weekend or at least this month so I can pull the trigger on the Dac-100 and the HD800.
 
Last night I ordered the Airmotiv 6 which went from $699 to $579  
 
Every dollar counts even more since I was just laid off :/

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

When I stack the DAC-100 on top of the HAP-100, then they feel like they're roughly the same temperature.
 
Wow.. 10W idling current? That's pretty deep into class A considering the headphone output is rated for 500mW. I wonder what the idling current for the HAP-100 is.
 
Have you tried rolling opamps yet?

 
No, since I don't know what the opamps do in this particular amp, nor what can be inserted without blowing.  I've had iBasso portable amps and a Travagans Red amp that killed opamps before.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

I'm hoping for some sort of sale black friday weekend or at least this month so I can pull the trigger on the Dac-100 and the HD800.
 
Last night I ordered the Airmotiv 6 which went from $699 to $579  
 
Every dollar counts even more since I was just laid off :/

 
When you're laid off maybe buying headphone gear isn't the best move?

 

[kazsud]

I am going back in January but have side work and looking for a better job so I think I'm ok.
Also it's on credit card and I'm selling what I'm upgrading from so not so bad.
 
I figure if I get them I'll be more relaxed and get more out of my time off from my stress full job in manufacturing :/ 

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

 
No, since I don't know what the opamps do in this particular amp, nor what can be inserted without blowing.  I've had iBasso portable amps and a Travagans Red amp that killed opamps before.

 
I've emailed Nuforce asking them about the opamps (what are they for, how are they configured, whether we can swap them, etc). Hopefully they'll get back to me soon.
 
Years ago I was trying to get my hands on a Travagans amp but never could get one on sale. A few turned up from time to time, but the deal always fell through.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

I still have the Travagans Red and Green.  The Red is like one of the best under $200 desktop amps out there, esp after I put in OP627 opamps.

 

[Armaegis]

I'm pretty sure it was after reading one of your reviews that had me searching for one.

 

[Armaegis]

Early impression of the DAC-100 vs the Schiit Lyr, fed identical streams simultaneously from my LPS-2U-192k, both feeding into the HAP-100 for very quick and seamless transitions with the push of a button... I like the DAC-100 better. The differences are minute, but the DAC-100 resolves just that much better. Guitar strings, cymbal hits, woodwinds, etc... they all have more quickness from the DAC-100.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Early impression of the DAC-100 vs the Schiit Lyr, fed identical streams simultaneously from my LPS-2U-192k, both feeding into the HAP-100 for very quick and seamless transitions with the push of a button... I like the DAC-100 better. The differences are minute, but the DAC-100 resolves just that much better. Guitar strings, cymbal hits, woodwinds, etc... they all have more quickness from the DAC-100.

 
Not too surprised - the DAC-100 has great detail, resolution and refinement that takes me deeper into the music.  I would think the Lyr would have more punch and impact with orthodynamics, but (from memory) the Lyr I heard did have a little more forward mids and less spacious sound than what I'm getting from the DAC-100.  I'm please with how much better the LCD-2 rev2 sound with the DAC-100 than my old rev1.  

 

[Armaegis]

Oh whoops, I meant to say Bifrost (the dac). I haven't done a comparison with the Lyr yet (but it's next on the list). 
 
Right now I'm feeding the dac outputs from the Bifrost and DAC-100 into the HAP-100. That lets me push a button and immediately switch between them. Feeding them simultaneously from the LPS means they are receiving the same stream, and in fact most of the time the transition is so seamless I can't even tell I switched. It's only in listening to very specific sounds in certain passages than I can even notice the differences. 

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Oh whoops, I meant to say Bifrost (the dac). I haven't done a comparison with the Lyr yet (but it's next on the list). 
 
Right now I'm feeding the dac outputs from the Bifrost and DAC-100 into the HAP-100. That lets me push a button and immediately switch between them. Feeding them simultaneously from the LPS means they are receiving the same stream, and in fact most of the time the transition is so seamless I can't even tell I switched. It's only in listening to very specific sounds in certain passages than I can even notice the differences. 

 
Well, both times I heard the Lyr it was with the Bifrost DAC, but I haven't compared this to anything else in a side by side shootout.
 
I'm feeding the DAC-100 into the HAP-100, and looping out of that into the DACmini, and looping out of the DACmini into my SR-71b or Pico Slim.  Crazy, but it's a good way to quickly compare the output from each of these with one source.  I'm using ALO SXC RCA cables to connect the HAP-100, and ALO SXC RCA>mini to connect the SR-71b.  I'm using 2 sets of Schitt Audio PSYT RCA interconnects for the rest of it.  
 
I don't want to clog up this thread with impressions of the HAP-100, since I want to give it a review in it's own thread.  But after more burn-in I do think the HAP-100 has some small differences in capabilities and strengths.  I find three noticeable improvements so far - in power, detail, and noise - but I'd like to not post more until my review is done.  I'm making a lot of notes about this, but I have soooo much more listening and comparing to do now.

 

[Armaegis]

Yeah my setup is a little bit wacky right now too.
 
LPS feeds digital into both Bifrost and DAC-100, both those feed into HAP-100, that feeds into Icon2 which powers my HE-6. The LCD2 is plugged into one of those somewhere, as well as a modded T50rp and an AKG Sextett. When I start comparing amps I'll toss the Lyr a Bottlehead Crack.
 
Of note, I can't detect any difference between coax or digital. I haven't actually tried usb directly into the DAC-100 yet. 
 
Also curious, comparing the DAC-100 vs the Bifrost feeding a simple sine wave, I notice an odd warble coming from the Bifrost. Most noticeable to my ear with tones around the 500 Hz mark, though others are detectable (but it's too unpleasant to listen to anything above 2kHz). It's extremely minute and I can't quite tell if it's a frequency or amplitude warble, but it's there. Undetectable when playing music though. If I had to hazard a guess (and a rough one at that), I'm thinking it's some sort of intermodular distortion, maybe coming from the power supply. 

 

[kazsud]

Well I pick up my HD800s today I ordered from the local hifi shop and my Dac-100 should be here between today and friday
 
Is there anything I should do to break in the 800s? Like let them play at listening volume all night?

 

[Armaegis]

I've never been a believer in burn-in myself beyond perhaps the membranes loosening up a bit but that shouldn't take more than a few minutes. Pad softening however has a noticeable effect as it changes the distance and angle the drivers face your ears.
 
Just put on music and enjoy.