[haloxt]

Quote:

@haloxt
 
you've mentioned before that the treble on the sparrow is a bit hot. do you think it's because of the DA1852 chip? On the website they describe the DA1852 as: "Sounds a bit dynamic with extended highs."
 
Maybe switching to the DA8740 module would make it a bit better? The website decribes the DA8740 as: "Sounds a bit tubelike and soft/warm." Did Kingwa give you a DA8740 to test out?

I don't have the other dac module, I will order it and the dir8416 though. I get the feeling most people will like neutral dac module and neutral receiver, as there is already slight warmth with stock modules, mainly in the bass region, which has a droning sort of quality, but still good impact.

 

[nManJofo]

Great, Audio-GD website says that USB chips they use are out of production (PCM2706), Sparrow and FUN are out of stock.

 

[Crazy*Carl]

Quote:

Great, Audio-GD website says that USB chips they use are out of production (PCM2706), Sparrow and FUN are out of stock.

Just use optical or coaxial S/PDIF with the Sparrow A/B version without USB.  Almost any motherboard has one or the other these days.

 

[nManJofo]

But not my notebook

 

[numbskull]

Hey Crazy*Carl, you got the Basic or A version of Sparrow?
 
 
 
I plan to use it with my laptop as well, there is no optical/coaxial out

 

[Crazy*Carl]

I got the Basic version with S/PDIF only.
 
I guess you will have to wait for them to get a new usb chip for the sparrow or find a usb S/PDIF converter.

 

[Ypoknons]

You heard something! 

 
Quote:

I just got my Sparrow in this morning. 
 
First Impressions:
Good detail, but what I really notice difference is BIG soundstage.
Great unit and build
Tons of power
 
I also used to have a EF2 and to me it sounded the same as my computers onboard.
Sparrow better unit and value.  Much more impressions to come later.

 

[DDVX]

Quote:

But not my notebook

Just wanted to point you to a comment in thread I made because I have the same problem as you:
 

Quote:

toslink supposedly has a higher jitter than coax, but it provides a galvanically isolated connection...so your nasty laptop PSU noise won't reach your DAC.
 
10 bucks and you're in: http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=dg2+xitel&_sticky=1&_trksid=p4978.c0.m456&_sop=15&_sc=1
 
I've ordered one but because of that volcano ** it still hasn't arrived, but someone else on the forum has it and he seems pretty happy 

 
Let me make it clear that I have not used this, but it is what I plan to buy for my sparrow since my laptop doesn't have spdif out as well. It plugs into USB and allows digital out. Here is a link to the entire thread so you can read other people comments about it: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/491550/external-soundcards-for-laptop-with-spdif
 
Not sure how bad of etiquette it is to link to that without using it, but figured some information is better than none.
​

 

[nManJofo]

I sent an email to audio-gd, but their English is really bad. I was trying to ask, what USB chip were they going to use, but the guy on the other side didn't understand. The only thing I've learned is that Audio-GD is not planning to make new upgrade modules for Sparrow at the moment.

 

[kunalraiker]

Quote:

I sent an email to audio-gd, but their English is really bad. I was trying to ask, what USB chip were they going to use, but the guy on the other side didn't understand. The only thing I've learned is that Audio-GD is not planning to make new upgrade modules for Sparrow at the moment.

Edwin can be really hard to get through sometimes, Kingwa would sometimes directly reply.

 

[nManJofo]

It was Edwin who replied... I also asked, if they would use Tenor TE7022L as replacement for PCM2706 USB chip... but no answer.
 
What disappointed me a bit is that they probably won't make new modules for Sparrow. It's a pitty, because they introduced really good concept of upgrading their "boxes", but on the other hand, audio-gd is not planning to introduce new modules, which is simply killing the purpose it was made for.

 

[haloxt]

nManJofo, the reason he doesn't make new modules is probably because he has done a lot of research and knows the current DA1852 and DA8740 modules would be hard to beat. I have to admit the sound signature of the stock sparrow is pretty darn good, and neutral as heck, and I would not push audio-gd to make new modules when they haven't found a sure improvement yet, or a different sound signature worth being made into a new module. And the reason why Kingwa hasn't just thrown in a random replacement chip for the pcm2706 is because he wants to use good components in his products.

 

[Currawong]

It's sad to read comments by quite a few people that the EF-2 didn't improve on their onboard sound, as I admire Head-Direct/Hifiman for their attempts at innovation.  When the Compass was originally created, Kingwa said he didn't want to make bad-sounding gear, so there was a limit to how cheap he would go.  However, the Compass was, relative to other gear, feature-overkill.  The Sparrow has been the first thing he'd made which has actually come to closest to the original intentions of the Compass, which was to provide an entry-level piece of gear at a reasonable price (~$200) that covered the need for amping headphones basically decently and providing a decent DAC.
 
If the Sparrow is the same as the Fun, then after a couple of weeks of being left switched on, it'll become smooth enough that even bright headphones wont sound fatiguing, which was something I didn't like about the Compass.  The DIR9001 + AD1852 + ACSS gain stage is a big improvement over what is in the Compass and I could live with it for casual listening.  Usual disclaimer applies here: Like haloxt, Kingwa sent me a Fun to give feedback on and I haven't been able to compare it to other all-in-one units from other makers.
 
haloxt: Good description of the differences between the Sparrow and Fun and the more expensive gear, by the way. 

 

[Ypoknons]

Quote:

It's sad to read comments by quite a few people that the EF-2 didn't improve on their onboard sound, as I admire Head-Direct/Hifiman for their attempts at innovation.  When the Compass was originally created, Kingwa said he didn't want to make bad-sounding gear, so there was a limit to how cheap he would go.  However, the Compass was, relative to other gear, feature-overkill.  The Sparrow has been the first thing he'd made which has actually come to closest to the original intentions of the Compass, which was to provide an entry-level piece of gear at a reasonable price (~$200) that covered the need for amping headphones basically decently and providing a decent DAC.

And I believe that's a very important goal. Some people are very demanding (many of the members in the high-end for example), but others just want good sound and not have to spend too much time and money messing around. In my view many music lovers can benefit from spending money on something like a HD600+Sparrow combination. They might not really care if the decay on the cymbals or the tone of a violin string is exactly thus, but more detail, good instrument separation, a decent soundstage that avoids congestion, a frequency response that's not wildly off (like a Skullcandy Max Bass or cheap stereo) ... I think really readily noticeable and worthwhile for a great many people... 
 
(edit) That was a bit of a manifesto, I suppose or even a rant, since I don't own the Sparrow (I've auditioned the Compass), but I don't know, I thought it was interesting. 

 

[Crazy*Carl]

Quote:

 Some people are very demanding (many of the members in the high-end for example), but others just want good sound and not have to spend too much time and money messing around. In my view many music lovers can benefit from spending money on something like a HD600+Sparrow combination. They might not really care if the decay on the cymbals or the tone of a violin string is exactly thus, but more detail, good instrument separation, a decent soundstage that avoids congestion, a frequency response that's not wildly off (like a Skullcandy Max Bass or cheap stereo) ... I think really readily noticeable and worthwhile for a great many people... 

 
This is exactly what I want.  Alot of head-fi is very silly to me --  people spending insane amounts of money and getting diminishing returns, which is fine if you like that.  However, I only want "decent mid-fi sound", (which is amazing sound to any non audiophile).  I need to spend more time looking for music, not browsing head-fi. 
 
But I have to say I think I have finally struck gold here, and should be content with this rig for 4 or 5 years I am hoping.