O2 AMP + ODAC

[Medaud]

I use wasapi(only because It shows each outputs in foobar separatly so I can use shortcut keys to switch between them. no audio quality reason) and it let you pick the output bitdepth so it's your choice and that choice. on asio I seem to remember that it will select the highest possible bitdepth for your DAC/soundcard (showing that at least asio and me are on the same page for audio output bitdepth ^_^).
asio and wasapi are here to bypass windows mixer and whatever thx surround stuff that may be working in the background of your soundcard, you're perfectly right about that. but your audio player can still do whatever it likes. volume, EQ, replaygain are all working within the audio player effectively ruining the bit perfect concept.

Would setting the output in windows mixer to 24 bit have the same effect as getting foobar to output 24 bit?

 

[castleofargh]

 if you use wasapi or asio then windows setting should be bypassed and only output what is set in your audio player. if not then yes your windows output setting will be what decides of the bitdepth. it's one or the other and they ultimately do the same thing for bit depth at least.

 

[Medaud]

Okay, thanks. I don't use wasapi or asio so I'll just set the windows output as 24 bit then...when I get my O2/ODAC.

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

Hi everyone
I'm currently a proud owner of the O2/ODAC (combined version). The sound is extremely enjoyable on my Grado's and gives my old sound system a new life (I connect O2 directly to the speaker amp via an 3.5 jack). Will the ODAC RCA gives better sound quality than the 3.5mm version?
Thanks

 

[Mjolnir125]

My O2/ODAC has no issues driving my K702 with any song I have (even very quiet high DR tracks). I have the Mayflower O2 amp which I believe has 2.5x gain for the low setting and 6.5x or so gain for the high setting. On high gain with max PC volume (using the ODAC) there is a lot of clipping which is to be expected, since the high gain setting is actually only for using the line in, and not the ODAC. The high gain is for quieter sources, not harder to drive headphones.

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

I once tried connecting the Sennheiser HD580 to my O2 and the sound was very narrow and lacked details. My friends often say O2 can't drive the AKG flagship siblings (K701, K702 and Q701) to their fullest (I mean soundstage, details....), but from what I read here I think I should try to get my hands on a real pair as soon as possible to experience them first hand.

 

[castleofargh]

  Hi everyone
I'm currently a proud owner of the O2/ODAC (combined version). The sound is extremely enjoyable on my Grado's and gives my old sound system a new life (I connect O2 directly to the speaker amp via an 3.5 jack). Will the ODAC RCA gives better sound quality than the 3.5mm version?
Thanks

I wouldn't put too much hope on that. but maybe using only a dac to feed your speaker amp? it shouldn't change much( if you don't clip the amp with the O2), and maybe nothing at all as the O2 is really clean, but you would avoid double amping for no particular reason.
but that's just a suggestion, if you're happy with what you hear now, you should keep it that way. we never get enough of what we don't need ^_^.
 

  I once tried connecting the Sennheiser HD580 to my O2 and the sound was very narrow and lacked details. My friends often say O2 can't drive the AKG flagship siblings (K701, K702 and Q701) to their fullest (I mean soundstage, details....), but from what I read here I think I should try to get my hands on a real pair as soon as possible to experience them first hand.

your friends seem to mistake signature and driving capacity. I don't like the k701 flat so with the O2 I would have to EQ it a lot, and most of our feeling of details and soundstage actually come from the signature so that would change too.
if I was one of those people allergic to EQ because of urban legends from 1960, then I would need a colored amp to compensate instead(that would destroy the signal more than any parametric EQ, but that's how it is for allergic people). in the end it's only because I don't like the signature of the K701 so it would be a mistake to get one for me in the first place.

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

Hi castle, what amp would you recommend for K701 at the price range below $300?

 

[HaVoC-28]

What , O² can't drive K7XX/Q701 ? and HD580 lacking details and narrow soudstage , really ?

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

I can say that the HD580 lacks details & the soundstage really really sucks on my O2/ODAC with Celine Dion and the likes. Experienced it first hand. The AKGs are from what I heard, have not verified it though.
 
My O2/ODAC was assembled from DIY boards. Did fantastic jobs on Grados (325, MS Pro and even the low-priced iGrado) and HD598. But I was really disappointed when I plugged the HD580s into these.
 
@castle: thank you for your advice on the O2. Yes I do try to avoid double amping, thanks to my experiences back in 2012 I used to plug my O2 into the iBasso D2 (amp+dac). The O2 did not improved the sound of the D2 at all - the only thing O2 did on D2 was to... amplify the volume. No better soundstage or clearer sound as it did on DACs without amp built in. Now since my Denon amplifier can drive the loudspeaker just fine even when plugged directly into the ODAC, I see no point in using the O2 in this case.

 

[Solrighal]

The O2 is transparent. Any defects felt are merely a description of the basic sound signature of any given pair of headphones. Change the headphones for something you actually like.

 

[James-uk]

I still don't get why people blame their amps for sound quality. Especially the O2 and unless they are using a massive fail of an amp. I've plugged my headphones into lots of modern amps / dacs/ using various bit rates and the only thing that makes any noticeable difference to soundstage yadda yadda is the headphone itself . I'm getting to old and intolerable to listen to people taking nonsense about amps/dacs/ cables . It's the headphones or the amp you are used to is massively coloured ( high output impedance or distortion / maybe both) the O2 is transparent it's a fact. It's well documented. Don't blame the O2 blame yourself for being an idiot.

 

[bikutoru]

Currently testing a device from a well respected company against my O2/ODAC with AKG K702. I just got that stupid itch that something might be better. The device in question can do DSD, hight PCM rates, etc, etc. The sound might be a little better or just of a different flavor because a DAC chip inside is from a different manufacture, but on the negative side there are clicks, white noise which people mistake for analog sounding, when you layer it with music, and some other minor issues. All of it at twice the price! O2/ODAC might not be as sexy and portable, but I think it cost should be weighted in gold! I only wish NwAvGuy would come back and did something else, I'd say anything, to create something like O2/ODAC that holds so well against all these other much more expensive solutions, it is a real talent. When I buy a more expensive solution I think that all these low level distraction that I use to have in the pure analog domain are gone, but it seems that the industry is still battling them, while I'm in my hole with 02/ODAC and a pair of headphones enjoying the music!
 
During the last two years with O2/ODAC and K702 I tried a few others, but always went back to O2/ODAC, it is dead silent, it has more then enough power to drive K702 it is transparent and music/sound, if you use good recording in lossless, is sublime!

 

[barihunk]

I still don't get why people blame their amps for sound quality. Especially the O2 and unless they are using a massive fail of an amp. I've plugged my headphones into lots of modern amps / dacs/ using various bit rates and the only thing that makes any noticeable difference to soundstage yadda yadda is the headphone itself . I'm getting to old and intolerable to listen to people taking nonsense about amps/dacs/ cables . It's the headphones or the amp you are used to is massively coloured ( high output impedance or distortion / maybe both) the O2 is transparent it's a fact. It's well documented. Don't blame the O2 blame yourself for being an idiot.

 
Amen. IMHO the only role any amp should play is to faithfully *amplify* the signal given to it. And in this respect specifications and measurements are critical. 

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

It may very well be the pair of HD580, after all they're quite old and discontinued long ago. I did not hear any distortion on the HD580, though. As I have said above, I have not tried the AKGs with O2 myself, so I was asking for your guys' clarification on this. Where I live, the price of K702 via official distributors is nearly $500, so almost no one buys them and it is not easy to audition a pair.
And to clear things up I have not mentioned colored or transparent at all. I think the O2 may help the DAC gives a better soundstage and better details since when I do a/b on ODAC and O2+ODAC on low-impedance IEM (e.g. the Grado iGi, 24ohm), the sound that comes directly from ODAC is more congested than when amped.
And yes both the amp and the DAC is extremely great for their prices - that's why I've been keeping them for so long. Yet I've been given the impression that most things about headphones are based on personal preferences, so I think it is quite understandable that some people may like the, say, K702s, amped with O2 and  others do not. And I honestly do not expect the O2 to be able to drive all the phones to their best (or maybe to someone's particular liking).
Obviously I'm the newbie here, so I can't be "right" or "smart" on everything. I've been following discussions on head-fi for >3 years (didn't register and post since I'm not a native speaker of English), and I really appreciate it that head-fi helps me understand my hobby better. Just hope that we are not too hasty in dealing out judgements of stupidity