[adamlr]

  Is there a point to buying the O2/ODAC combination with a pair of Philips X2s (30 Ohms)? I've been researching an incredible amount but haven't come up with anything significantly definitive.

is there a point? i dont know, what are you trying to achieve? assuming the X2s are "easy to drive" (which i wouldnt know btw) then you wouldnt necessarily NEED the combo if thats what your getting at. what point are you talking about?

 

[JacobLee89]

  Is there a point to buying the O2/ODAC combination with a pair of Philips X2s (30 Ohms)? I've been researching an incredible amount but haven't come up with anything significantly definitive.

 
If you're going for your first desktop dac/amp combination, you cannot go wrong with the O2/ODAC at all. it's a huge leap of an improvement over onboard sound. Just bear in mind that the O2/ODAC combo is a relatively neutral sounding set up, so you will just end up with what the Philips X2 has to offer. Some, like me, appreciate this function whereas others prefer to have a more specific colouration to partner up with their headphones.
 
If you're going for portability, you may want a portable dac/amp instead, something like the fiio e18.

 

[blse59]

   
If you're going for your first desktop dac/amp combination, you cannot go wrong with the O2/ODAC at all. it's a huge leap of an improvement over onboard sound. Just bear in mind that the O2/ODAC combo is a relatively neutral sounding set up, so you will just end up with what the Philips X2 has to offer. Some, like me, appreciate this function whereas others prefer to have a more specific colouration to partner up with their headphones.
 
If you're going for portability, you may want a portable dac/amp instead, something like the fiio e18.

Agreed! The best thing about it is it will last you years and works extremely well with almost any headphone you throw at it. Perfect for people who want to stay in the hobby.

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

   
If you're going for your first desktop dac/amp combination, you cannot go wrong with the O2/ODAC at all. it's a huge leap of an improvement over onboard sound. Just bear in mind that the O2/ODAC combo is a relatively neutral sounding set up, so you will just end up with what the Philips X2 has to offer. Some, like me, appreciate this function whereas others prefer to have a more specific colouration to partner up with their headphones.
 
If you're going for portability, you may want a portable dac/amp instead, something like the fiio e18.

Or the C5D! Can't go wrong with anything made by JDS Labs!

 

[JacobLee89]

  Or the C5D! Can't go wrong with anything made by JDS Labs!

 
Portable DAC/AMPS is a world I have no idea in ! I did find that the Fiio E18 has a slight channel imbalance. So the C5D is definitely worth a shot!

 

[puzzlerecovery]

Nah, not looking for something portable. I'll probably pick up the O2/ODAC combo after tax return money comes. Thanks guys.

 

[Condocondor]

Teak? 

 

[Solrighal]

My turn. Freak?

 

[castleofargh]

My turn. Freak?

"my name is Reek it rhymes with freak"
winter is coming

 

[Solrighal]

 
"my name is Reek it rhymes with freak"
winter is coming

 
Haven't you got an argument to be getting on with?

 

[vertical]

Haven't you got an argument to be getting on with?

What! Where? Is there drama somewhere nearby that will be entertaining to follow?
Jk

 

[Solrighal]

What! Where? Is there drama somewhere nearby that will be entertaining to follow?
Jk

 
I don't know any more, I unsubscribed, lol.

 

[Kevin.T]

Hey guys, new O2 owner here!

First, let me get this out of the way: I love this little unit. After a lot of back and forth with my Burson Soloist (sighted, not accurately level-matched, etc.), I can say that it drives the LCD-2 just fine. It might not be everyone's cup of tea: it is deadly neutral, no 'euphonic' presentation going on here. However, I can't hear anything that would lead me to believe the LCD-2 is not adequately powered by the O2.
 
Now for the meaty stuff. This information might be valuable to Peti, who observed something similar 2 pages back. I ordered my O2 with the Medium gain settings, which is 1x and 3.5x. Upon receiving it and trying it with my stable of headphones (LCD-2, SR225i and Momentum), I noticed that they all get really loud with the volume pot under 9 o'clock on low gain (1x). Here's where it gets interesting: using all 3 headphones, for the same volume output, I have to crank the volume knob slightly higher on the Burson than on the O2 (for example, 9 o'clock on the Soloist is roughly equal to 8 o'clock on the O2 in terms of volume output using the LCD-2). The low gain setting on the Burson Soloist is 2x.

I'm inclined to think that I (and maybe also Peti, from what he seems to be saying) might have gotten a unit that has the 2.5x/6.5x gain settings by mistake! Unless there's something that I'm missing (I'm no electrical engineer), this seems to be the only logical conclusion I can jump to. :S

(I'd really like to take a picture of the internals to confirm with you guys, but it seems I don't have the right key to unscrew the volume knob in order to open the unit.)
 

 

[jseaber]

  Hey guys, new O2 owner here!

First, let me get this out of the way: I love this little unit. After a lot of back and forth with my Burson Soloist (sighted, not accurately level-matched, etc.), I can say that it drives the LCD-2 just fine. It might not be everyone's cup of tea: it is deadly neutral, no 'euphonic' presentation going on here. However, I can't hear anything that would lead me to believe the LCD-2 is not adequately powered by the O2.
 
Now for the meaty stuff. This information might be valuable to Peti, who observed something similar 2 pages back. I ordered my O2 with the Medium gain settings, which is 1x and 3.5x. Upon receiving it and trying it with my stable of headphones (LCD-2, SR225i and Momentum), I noticed that they all get really loud with the volume pot under 9 o'clock on low gain (1x). Here's where it gets interesting: using all 3 headphones, for the same volume output, I have to crank the volume knob slightly higher on the Burson than on the O2 (for example, 9 o'clock on the Soloist is roughly equal to 8 o'clock on the O2 in terms of volume output using the LCD-2). The low gain setting on the Burson Soloist is 2x.

I'm inclined to think that I (and maybe also Peti, from what he seems to be saying) might have gotten a unit that has the 2.5x/6.5x gain settings by mistake! Unless there's something that I'm missing (I'm no electrical engineer), this seems to be the only logical conclusion I can jump to. :S

(I'd really like to take a picture of the internals to confirm with you guys, but it seems I don't have the right key to unscrew the volume knob in order to open the unit.)
 

 
Kevin - Here's a quick way to confirm gain. At low gain on a 1.0/3.5x unit, listening volume at 100% should audible match the output strength of your audio source. If the amp is louder, gain must be set higher.

 

[Kevin.T]

   
Kevin - Here's a quick way to confirm gain. At low gain on a 1.0/3.5x unit, listening volume at 100% should audible match the output strength of your audio source. If the amp is louder, gain must be set higher.

Hi,

Thank you for the very quick and helpful response! I just tried it and you are correct: the volume output is the same with headphones straight out of my Macbook as it is with the O2 placed between the laptop and headphones. Therefore, the low gain is definitely 1x.