[HamilcarBarca]

Quote:

Considering the minor cost differential, I would rather have the ODAC+RCA separately, and the O2 amp w/batteries. The thing runs forever on battery power - 2x longer than my crappy laptop battery. Pretty good amount of coin for what your getting though.
 
Who knows what the best $300 dollar desktop type amp/DAC is?

 
O2+ODAC!

 

[PanamaHat]

When is the ODA coming out?

 

[HamilcarBarca]

Quote:

When is the ODA coming out?

 
Nobody knows. Or, at least, whose who know aren't saying.

 

[PanamaHat]

Wow. Well are the specs really supposed to surpass the o2 or is it just an o2 with a 1/4 inch jack?

 

[BleaK]

Quote:

...just an o2 with a 1/4 inch jack?

Basicly this.

 

[MrMateoHead]

Quote:

Wow. Well are the specs really supposed to surpass the o2 or is it just an o2 with a 1/4 inch jack?

I am interested in it too, realizing that the O2 is quite awesome for what it is.
 
There are many avenues that could be taken. High end amps sometimes use batteries, sometimes don't. I think the amp should just be a beast with 3.5mm, RCA jacks in the rear (input/output) and switchable 1/4 - 1/8 jacks and a variable gain switch (0X-10X). 1-3 watts. $200 bucks. Sold.

 

[mikeaj]

Details about the ODA were supposed to have been available by this time, based on previous declarations.
 
The designer's been "missing" from the internet since September.  Nobody else knows if or when it's coming out.
 
Hints were that the core design was supposed to pretty much just be a copy of the O2, so you wouldn't suspect any significantly different performance or power output.  There were supposed to be usability tweaks like 1/4" jacks, a back panel with jacks instead of everything on the front, a different power supply, possibly a relay or some other mechanism to suppress turn on/off transients further, and so on.  Not anything to be too excited about.
 
As it is, you can just put an O2 in a larger box, wire up jacks yourself, and have a desktop version not too different than what the ODA would be.

 

[Battou62]

Yeah I have been getting really frustrated waiting for the desktop version ODA. He hasn't updated his blog since May, and I a getting very tired of waiting. You would think he could at least update everyone on the situation.

 

[imackler]

Just curious. Why some much anticipation? Is it because of the versatility of the O2, able to handle both high sensitivity and more difficult to drive over ear? From using the O2 and ODAC w/ the HD650, I found the bass distortion with the included wall wart on high gain less than ideal. I thought something was broken until JDSLabs said it was normal unless you upgraded the wall wart.  Maybe if your desk space was very limited, but the footpring of my Yulong A800 and ODAC is very small, too. 

 

[stv014]

Quote:

From using the O2 and ODAC w/ the HD650, I found the bass distortion with the included wall wart on high gain less than ideal.

 
Do not use the O2 with the ODAC at high (6.5x) gain, unless you want to control the volume at the PC. The full scale output voltage of the ODAC will definitely cause clipping in the input stage of the O2 at high gain, regardless of the what wall wart you use. The default 2.5x low gain should be enough, and will not clip.

 

[imackler]

Quote:

 
Do not use the O2 with the ODAC at high (6.5x) gain, unless you want to control the volume at the PC. The full scale output voltage of the ODAC will definitely cause clipping in the input stage of the O2 at high gain, regardless of the what wall wart you use. The default 2.5x low gain should be enough, and will not clip.

I found that the dynamics were lacking at low gain... I liked the O2 much more with the HD600. One of the really stellar things about the O2 is the versatility. Very nice to run a HD650 and  a sensitive balanced armature iem from the same amp! 
 
I wish I had known what you said though when I purchased it. I was nervous what was wrong! 

 

[Smoke Signals]

Does anyone have experience with the O2+ODAC combo and a pair of HE-500s?

 

[purrin]

Yes.

 

[stv014]

Quote:

I found that the dynamics were lacking at low gain...

 
Low gain should not reduce the sound quality, you probably only perceived it as being worse because of the lower volume. Increased loudness gives the impression of better sound. However, if you increase the volume sufficiently to compensate for the lower gain, the sound quality should be fine.

 

[purrin]

Low gain = more global feedback = less involving sounding. YMMV and depends on the implementation. Very noticeable on certain amps.