[d.n.d.]

oops i am a little late coming to the party. sorry about the delay hellenback; had to deal with reformatting my laptop the past few days.

anyways, i am the said "visitor" who tried hellenback's headstage arrow and inline wolfson DAC. to me, both were awesome. the headstage will definitely be my next portable amp. i tested it with my sansa fuze out of a LOD to the arrow, and i used my westone UM2s which i am most familiar with. i had the bass boost setting on "II" and it definitely made a difference in the bass department. the bass had a nicer impact to it, with more body. i definitely had a hard time taking it off.

and as for the wolfson DAC, it definitely opened up the sound more than my alien DAC. everything was just more revealing, and clearer. imagine a pitcher with crystal clear water; thats how my music came through. i am most likely going to get the wolfson as my replacement DAC, when i have the money

 

[grokit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by d.n.d. /img/forum/go_quote.gif and as for the wolfson DAC, it definitely opened up the sound more than my alien DAC. everything was just more revealing, and clearer. imagine a pitcher with crystal clear water; thats how my music came through. i can see now what people mean when they say the alien DAC refines the sound. i am most likely going to get the wolfson as my replacement DAC, when i have the money

That's nice to hear; what is the form factor like on the DAC, is it the same size as the Arrow?

 

[Hellenback]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grokit /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's nice to hear; what is the form factor like on the DAC, is it the same size as the Arrow?

Are you asking about the alien or the line-dac? I think dnd got his words mixed up and meant to say the Wolfson was "refined" as he brought over (and owns) the alien. I'm pretty sure he preferred the Wolfson but don't want to "guess"

 

[DaeO]

Sorry, slightly confused, was the DAC the cable or the stick? The stick I thought wouldn't be ready to March, no?

Ps - great thread, subscribed to it weeks ago, and I'm really tempted to make this my first amp purchase

 

[Hellenback]

dnd used my cable (*line-dac) with rca ends. It's hard to believe/beat for the price and is very convenient. I use it daily with: comp -> Flac-> Foobar -> asio4all -> Arrow HE -> HD650s for now, and it's really taken the urgency out of deciding which desktop to buy. I just might wait until I can afford to go balanced with the 650s as I've almost saved the cost difference by getting this portable set-up. A friend with good ears bought a Little Dot balanced amp & dac for $700 and he swears by it. (He uses it more than his Darkvoice 337, so that should say something!)

 

[grokit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellenback /img/forum/go_quote.gif Are you asking about the alien or the line-dac? I think dnd got his words mixed up and meant to say the Wolfson was "refined" as he brought over (and owns) the alien. I'm pretty sure he preferred the Wolfson but don't want to "guess"

The stick, or line DAC that is supposedly integrated with the Arrow, not sure how?

 

[EraserXIV]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellenback /img/forum/go_quote.gif dnd used my cable (*line-dac) with rca ends.

how do you connect the RCA to the Arrow? do you just use a RCA to 3.5mm adapter?

 

[zappp]

Any idea why Robert G. abandoned the optional USB DAC board for the Arrow? The Lyrix had it and the early Arrow, too. Looking at the USB DAC cable, the chip is tiny.

To upgrade from my Lyrix USB I now need two devices: Arrow + USB DAC cable or Arrow + USB DAC Stick. Lyrix USB is powered through USB, but enough to charge the battery.

 

[Shauntell47]

Quote:

Many portable amps have an internal "USB DAC" that serves as an external sound card. We decided not to include the DAC in the Arrow because we are developing a small USB DAC Stick instead. The stick can deliver much more power than any battery powered amp. We also think that the DAC in the Arrow would be annoying as it would always bypass the computer's sound card when you intend to charge the battery (over the USB port). You may order both amps - the Arrow and the stick - together for a package price. If you really want to use the Arrow with a computer we recommend to use our USB DAC Cable .

here you go...

 

[zappp]

I know his website, but find this explanation weak. Most computers have poor headphone outs, so there is no point to use them rather than the digital signal from the USB. I could understand it is difficult to charge a 9V battery from USB, but the Arrow has a 3.7V iPod battery which is designed to be charged from USB. Using the Arrow with USB DAC cable means it drains its battery rather than power from the computer. The USB DAC cable is no big hassle, but for travelling I would prefer to depend on a plain, non-DAC USB cable that is easily obtainable. The stick is small, but still may cover neighbouring USB or other ports. You then may need additional gadgets, i.e. USB extension cord or multiple USB hub (perhaps even with AC adapter).
That DAC thing on the USB cable looks so tiny. Was it impossible to find space for this inside the Arrow?

 

[average_joe]

All I know is the Arrow seems similar to the Pico Slim. The Slim at one point was going to have a DAC, but now does not. I guess same as the Arrow? Maybe a technical issue for the form factor, or a performance issue? I don't mind as I got the USB-DAC-Cable on order, so I will just have a different cable going to my amps from my computer. Separates are more flexible anyways.

 

[Hellenback]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EraserXIV /img/forum/go_quote.gif how do you connect the RCA to the Arrow? do you just use a RCA to 3.5mm adapter?

Yes I use an adapter. I bought the line-dac first and used it with my desktop amp before buying the Arrow. Just state your preference if/when buying.
For the price, I've thought abut getting another one so I don't have to swap it out so much or use an adapter. I've also thought of "modding" one with higher end plugs/cable, but as it's just a USB cable with a small DAC board n the middle, I'm not convinced those 1s and 0s would soundf any different.

Quote:

Using the Arrow with USB DAC cable means it drains its battery rather than power from the computer.

I don't understand what you are saying here as I was under the impression that the line-dac draws its (very little) power from the computer providing the signal. If you are talking about your computer's battery life (laptop) then I have noticed no difference in the frequency of (laptop battery) charges when using the line-dac as opposed to when I'm not using it. Maybe it's there but I sure haven't noticed it. I do believe that charging your portable amp's battery more often than necessary isn't a good thing. I think this is the logic behind the Arrow not having an on board DAC (and maybe the Pico slim as well) but I don't build 'em so can only go by what I read and experience.

 

[average_joe]

There are only 1s and 0s on on side of the DAC board, the other side is analog!

 

[Hellenback]

Quote:

Originally Posted by average_joe /img/forum/go_quote.gif There are only 1s and 0s on on side of the DAC board, the other side is analog!

A point that has me leaning towards "modding" another cable (even if it is only a couple of feet)

 

[zappp]

When connected to computer by USB, the Lyrix USB is powered by USB, not by the 9V battery. It then works without battery.

When connected to computer by USB DAC cable, the Arrow uses its internal battery. You can put an additional, "plain" USB cable (no DAC) between Arrow and computer to charge and power the Arrow.

Perhaps the new "HE" circutery took the space of the DAC chip.