[Nanago]

 
Quote:

Good catch Haloxt, that was precisely the problem. Working much better now. Plenty of volume between 9 and 10 and it doesnt sound dull and flat either, go figure.

 
Edit: What a difference 24 hours and a fully inserted headphone jack make

Haha, what an awesome and quick solution to your problems! My problems were took a bit longer to get rid of, but there you have it - the Sparrow's been "burnt-in!"
 
--Update Time!--
 
It's been a while since I've had the Sparrow and I've hated it until about a couple of days ago. Like you guys told me to, I've left it on for a couple of weeks now and have been poking in a listen here or there to see progress and just recently, it seems the sound's finally settled. And what a sound it is! Treble is still extended, but the bite to it seems to have gone, which was my main issue. Bass also seems to have settled for a compromise between emphasis and extension, leaving a satisfyingly deep sound while keeping it clean and jumpy enough to have me bobbing my head once in a while. The mids are excellent as always, and perhaps slightly smoother than before. The W1000x are now perfectly accustomed to working with the little black bird it seems, and both are performing excellently.
 
There seems to be something about this combo and the "synergy" it's finally created with each other. The best way to describe it seems to be as if the sound were "encapsulated" within a small but wonderfully acoustic room - a miniature concert hall, even. The music has a satisfying "reverb"-like tonality to it alongside with an "isolated" sense of space - a kind of absolute separation from outside noise that makes me want to keep listening even to the wee hours of the night nowadays (which is doing horrors to my sleep schedule and performance). I would definitely recommend anyone with a W1000x to try the Sparrow out now - just be aware that it may take weeks of "burn-in" for these to actually get sounding the way you might want them to. I look forward to any impressions or reviews that reflect or oppose my experiences.

 

[Epoch]

Its very good to see that you no longer dislike your purchases.

 

[Nanago]

Haha, I'm glad too. For a while I was having a severe bout of buyer's remorse....ulcers, migraines, and all the good stuff

. Glad I stuck it out though, it's definitely worth it now. Also, does anyone else have a Sparrow running at extra hot? It used to run at warm for days, but now it's almost a hazard...

 

[Currawong]

Kingwa's designs attach the FETs to the chassis, so it acts as one large heatsink.  This can be a bit alarming at first as it means they get quite warm, but it's not actually a problem.  It's not unlike those DIY cases with the heatsinks built into the sides, but here it's the whole case.

 

[Nanago]

That's cool. I can use it for a handwarmer once the snow hits, I guess

.

 

[bigandtall]

Just purchased this amp: 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/515926/fs-audio-gd-sparrow-headphone-amp#post_6997346
 
A basic B Sparrow. Traded in my Mini3 for the funds. I don't have much to compare it to, but I'm looking forward to getting to know this amp! I will report once I've had time to really enjoy it. 

 

[bigandtall]

Just thought I'd ask... has anyone tried to "add" line-in jacks? That's just about the only thing that I think the Sparrow is missing. 

 

[KneelJung]

Now that I've had the Sparrow for a couple of weeks my impressions are very favorable. My initial impressions were of course a bit distorted because of operator error; as well as thinking I preferred the colored presentation of the uDAC to the more neutral sound of the Sparrow. Actually now that I've been listening to the Sparrow for a couple of weeks I prefer the more neutral sound.
 
Anyway the reasons I bought it were that the reviews of the other Audio GD products generally seemed very favorable. I liked the look of it; and I liked that it had it's own power source rather than USB. So my simplistic review of the Sparrow is it looks good and it sounds good. It also synergizes really well with my SR60's.
 
I had some MS2i's when I bought it but those are now winding there way to South America. In the mean time I'm gaining a whole new appreciation for the 60's while I wait for my HF2's to arrive.

 

[olor1n]

Quote:

I have one set of phones that the Jack doesn't seat properly.  I had the same problem.  Sounded thin and Flat and I was cranking the hell out of it.  I pushed the jack in a little harder and it came alive and about blew my ears out.  The jack ain't super impressive for sure.

 
I've had my Audio-GD Fun for about two months now and have been quite happy with it apart from a minor issue with the volume pot that I obsessed over for a few days (I think you might have given me advice on that in the official Fun thread). I've just noticed this issue with my headphone jack and frankly I'm greatly disappointed with Audio-GD's quality control. There were times when my headphones (MS-1i) seemed to sound thinner and less dynamic but because it was quite subtle I didn't take much notice (and yes I'm confident the plug was inserted into the jack properly). Recently and especially through my M50 using a different 1/8" to 1/4" adapter, I've sometimes noticed a channel imbalance when plugging my headphones in. Turning the plug while it's in the headphone jack will fix the problem but I find this now constant need to find the "sweet" spot utterly unacceptable. It makes me wonder if those that have been unhappy with their Audio-GD units in the past may have had similar issues but were unaware of the cause.

 

[les_garten]

 
Quote:

Originally Posted by olor1n /img/forum/go_quote.gif



 
I've had my Audio-GD Fun for about two months now and have been quite happy with it apart from a minor issue with the volume pot that I obsessed over for a few days (I think you might have given me advice on that in the official Fun thread). I've just noticed this issue with my headphone jack and frankly I'm greatly disappointed with Audio-GD's quality control. There were times when my headphones (MS-1i) seemed to sound thinner and less dynamic but because it was quite subtle I didn't take much notice (and yes I'm confident the plug was inserted into the jack properly). Recently and especially through my M50 using a different 1/8" to 1/4" adapter, I've sometimes noticed a channel imbalance when plugging my headphones in. Turning the plug while it's in the headphone jack will fix the problem but I find this now constant need to find the "sweet" spot utterly unacceptable. It makes me wonder if those that have been unhappy with their Audio-GD units in the past may have had similar issues but were unaware of the cause.

 
 

Hey,
   I wouldn't call it a quality control problem.  It's a parts-choice-selection problem.
 
When Currawong started the Compass project he convinced KW to not use the "Fake" Neutrik he had been using and use a real Neutrik.  A-GD lapses into using cheap local qulaity stuff, where they can get away with it.  Sometimes this works to their advantage.  For instance, I'm sure he sources his cases at a low price.  They are good serviceable cases and I like them.  However, sometimes the lids are loose, tight, whatever.  The taps are cross threaded, etc.
 
This is a minor irritant, because you listen to it, not constantly fool with the lid.  So that's OK.  However, going cheap on the Jack, can as you are finding out, be a source of constant frustration and basically lead to failure. Or FAIL as it were.
 
It does sound like you need a new Jack perhaps.  I may look at mine and contemplate replacing it with something of better quality.
 
I'm think I'm going to go pull the lid off and look it over.
 
N.B. ==  I pulled the lid and looked it over.  Not the highest quality feeling jack.  It is quite a production though.  Mounted on a sub-board with an interesting wire-up.  I'm wondering if the jack shoyldn't be just a little closer to the face of the amp?
 
There is a little play in ow that jack is mounted.  It is kinda mounted on top of a stand-off.  It is not secured at all to the front of the amp.  This makes it a little unstable.  The "beak" of it is threaded for a nut.  Possibly that nut should have been used to "secure" to the front plate.  As it stands now, when you plug in there's a little push into the case with the jack, due to the play in the mount.  A fix might be to ream the hole a little and mount the nut that comes with these type jacks.
 
 
 

 

[olor1n]

Hey les, thanks for your reply. Kingwa has replied to my emails about this but I feel like I'm in limbo. If I go through the hassle of sending it back for repair I know I'll be greatly out of pocket, even with their shipping reimbursement, for a problem that some may consider as minor. The thing that gnaws at my OCD is that it is something that affects sound quality. Considering the cost of the damn thing, and despite Kingwa's quick replies I feel somewhat cheated. I may as well just use my Fiio E7. At least it's consistent.

 

[olor1n]

les, your findings pretty much confirm what I suspected. Unfortunately I don't have a DIY bone in my body. I've asked Kingwa about the possibility of modifying the socket with a better quality one. This a real downer for me. I was about to pull the trigger on an Alessandro MS Pro but I just can't justify that now with this setup.

 

[les_garten]

I've been looking over the Jack for some time now.  I may shoot some pix tomorrow of what the issue may be.  If you pick up the Sparrow and push your thumb into the brass portion of the Jack, you will feel it move into the case.
 
If you grab the board that the jack is mounted to, you can feel it move side to side.  So there is some fore and aft, and side to side play in the jack.  If the plug has some manufacturing play in it, you can get an intermittent contact condition. 
 
The jack has some mounting issues as well, that might be issues down the road with a lot of plug IN/OUT cycles.  This will all be obvious from some Macro shots.
 
The replacement Neutrik jack doesn't cost much.  Luckily A-GD started using Plugs on a lot of it's Sub-board wiring, that makes things easier.  Probably take about an hour or so to replace with a Neutrik that is mounted to the front Panel.
 
Quote:

les, your findings pretty much confirm what I suspected. Unfortunately I don't have a DIY bone in my body. I've asked Kingwa about the possibility of modifying the socket with a better quality one. This a real downer for me. I was about to pull the trigger on an Alessandro MS Pro but I just can't justify that now with this setup.

 

[olor1n]

les, thank you so much. I don't have the Sparrow. I have the Fun but what you've described sounds like a highly plausible explanation for my issue. Kingwa replied to my question about replacing the socket with a better quality one (I have the B version of the Fun btw) and he stated it'd be costly as it would also require a replacement face plate, in contadiction to what you've stated. Hmm.

 

[les_garten]

I have a FUN, I'll look at it.
 
 
EDIT:
  FUN is much different, and has a much better Jack.  You were in the Sparrow thread,so I thought that was what you were talking about, my bad.
 
 
I'll go back and look over your posts with FUN in mind.
 
............
 
OK, now I feel like Roseanne  Rosannadanna! Never Mind!
 
I would look carefully over your adapter.
 
 
Quote:

les, thank you so much. I don't have the Sparrow. I have the Fun but what you've described sounds like a highly plausible explanation for my issue. Kingwa replied to my question about replacing the socket with a better quality one (I have the B version of the Fun btw) and he stated it'd be costly as it would also require a replacement face plate, in contadiction to what you've stated. Hmm.