[Smugsie]

  The ODAC is definitely a better DAC than the E17 is. You will hear everything from better/tighter bass to more details when going from the E17 to the ODAC. So there will at least be some improvement. I've never heard the O2 though, so I can't comment there. If I was looking for a new headphone amp/DAC right now I'd probably go for the Modi and Vali combo. Before I decided to hook my Q701 to a speaker amp that I already owned, I was about to spend money on a Vali.

Modi/Vali and ODAC/O2 sound the same based off of many headfi opinions. The only issue between the two are hardware differences/defects. I don't know of any defects of either setups.

 

[jasonb]

  Modi/Vali and ODAC/O2 sound the same based off of many headfi opinions. The only issue between the two are hardware differences/defects. I don't know of any defects of either setups.

Well, there ya have it. 
 
I have heard quite a few people say how well the Vali does with the Q701, and even as a great starter amp for an HD800. 

 

[jodgey4]

IME... The Q's don't quite benefit from an amp that much compared to what my Galaxy S3 does alone. These are harder to drive than my LCD-2.2f's, it would seem. I did hear a big difference amping the HE-400's, however. I'll test more tonight to check.

 

[Solrighal]

I own the E18 and also the ODAC/O2. There's not a lot of difference but the E18 makes the sound kinda edgy. There's an even bigger emphasis on the treble than stock. I don't like it. Having said that the E18 is known to be a bit brighter than the E17 so, as ever, YMMV.

 

[jodgey4]

IME... The Q's don't quite benefit from an amp that much compared to what my Galaxy S3 does alone. These are harder to drive than my LCD-2.2f's, it would seem. I did hear a big difference amping the HE-400's, however. I'll test more tonight to check.

Amping my phone with the NFB-28 yeilds smoother bass that might have a smidgen more punch, less grainy treble that is more extended, and perhaps quicker mids. It's maybe 15% better, and I had to listen for it a bit. The difference on amping HE-400's was probably closer to a 40% improvement.

 

[xxxfbsxxx]

Quote:

  Modi/Vali and ODAC/O2 sound the same based off of many headfi opinions. The only issue between the two are hardware differences/defects. I don't know of any defects of either setups.

 
i have both modi/vali/magni and odac/o2, to me the odac and modi sound quite difference, also the magni/vali vs O2 are not the same sound, only similar in common tonality
the modi/vali sound more lively, engaging, more bass,narrower sound stage, sharper treble compared to the O2/Odac
both are powered from an external linear PSU

 

[Evshrug]

IME... The Q's don't quite benefit from an amp that much compared to what my Galaxy S3 does alone. These are harder to drive than my LCD-2.2f's, it would seem. I did hear a big difference amping the HE-400's, however. I'll test more tonight to check.

This post doesn't make any sense to me, the context of the sentences are all jumbled up. Could you please clarify?

Do you mean that the sound is almost the same, for you, when you are driving the Q701's off of either your Galaxy phone or amp + phone? What amp do you use?

The Q701 has revealed differences with every amp I've tried over the years, overall volume has never been a problem but better amps made the Q701 scale with the amp quality. Even an E12 was enough to separate instruments and make the resolving capability of the Q701 more plainly apparent to hear compared to plugging the Q701 straight into an iPod or phone.

I did get a week to home-demo an HE-400, I agree that feeding more current to it helps the headphone resolve more of it's potential, but I most liked it when I used a tube hybrid amp with a tube that increased mid-emphasis, in order to balance the frequencies better to my tastes. I haven't heard any of the LCD series.



Nec3,
I've read other people say that they felt the difference between Modi and ODAC was subtle, but this is the first time I've read someone express the opinion that the O2 and Vali sound the same, even ignoring the fact that bumping the Vali enclosure produces a "ringing" sound. Even just within this thread, users of both amps will pretty consistently point out that the two amps both are overall pretty "neutral" from frequency emphasis but the O2 has wider treble extension and soundstage, while the Vali has a more liquid sound and more "rounded" notes (and more, which I don't recall right now in my sleepiness). Skylar and tdockweiler both put words to the differences. The song melody won't change, but the presentation will.

 

[Smugsie]

This post doesn't make any sense to me, the context of the sentences are all jumbled up. Could you please clarify?

Do you mean that the sound is almost the same, for you, when you are driving the Q701's off of either your Galaxy phone or amp + phone? What amp do you use?

The Q701 has revealed differences with every amp I've tried over the years, overall volume has never been a problem but better amps made the Q701 scale with the amp quality. Even an E12 was enough to separate instruments and make the resolving capability of the Q701 more plainly apparent to hear compared to plugging the Q701 straight into an iPod or phone.

I did get a week to home-demo an HE-400, I agree that feeding more current to it helps the headphone resolve more of it's potential, but I most liked it when I used a tube hybrid amp with a tube that increased mid-emphasis, in order to balance the frequencies better to my tastes. I haven't heard any of the LCD series.



Nec3,
I've read other people say that they felt the difference between Modi and ODAC was subtle, but this is the first time I've read someone express the opinion that the O2 and Vali sound the same, even ignoring the fact that bumping the Vali enclosure produces a "ringing" sound. Even just within this thread, users of both amps will pretty consistently point out that the two amps both are overall pretty "neutral" from frequency emphasis but the O2 has wider treble extension and soundstage, while the Vali has a more liquid sound and more "rounded" notes (and more, which I don't recall right now in my sleepiness). Skylar and tdockweiler both put words to the differences. The song melody won't change, but the presentation will.

I really don't know then
When going for the odac/o2, people told me to go for the modi/vali stack since they were the same. I just went for the odac because it was cheaper used on headfi.

 

[Evshrug]

I really don't know then

When going for the odac/o2, people told me to go for the modi/vali stack since they were the same. I just went for the odac because it was cheaper used on headfi.

Well, you know you like the "Objective" gear, right? That's something! Even if the flavor is a bit different that doesn't mean you should enjoy it less

The Vali is pretty new (and the Modi is relatively newer than the Objective stuff too), so it makes sense you could more easily find used Objective stuff in the FS forum of Head-Fi. Buying new though the Objective2 and ObjectiveDAC combo is a bit more expensive than the Schiit stack. I'm not saying anything, I'm just saying!

In my sleepiness however, I will comment that knowing that the O2/ODAC were named after "objective" measurement design (but how much was what he measured influenced by what his somewhat narrow subjective bias is on the importance of output impedance and distortion?), I always think the amp/DAC designer is shouting "I Object!!!" every time his kit is sold, lol.

Phoenix Wrong, lol!

 

[Solrighal]

Check this out...

http://www.head-fi.org/t/730167/do-i-need-an-amp-well-im-glad-you-asked/0_40#post_10787299

 

[jodgey4]

This post doesn't make any sense to me, the context of the sentences are all jumbled up. Could you please clarify?

Do you mean that the sound is almost the same, for you, when you are driving the Q701's off of either your Galaxy phone or amp + phone? What amp do you use?

The Q701 has revealed differences with every amp I've tried over the years, overall volume has never been a problem but better amps made the Q701 scale with the amp quality.

Yeah, sorry I rambled. I'm on here way to much... stupidness is bound to rear its head every so often.

I used my S3 phone on volume 11/15 first as my baseline, then double amped that with my AGD NFB-28 (1.25W SE for this load IIRC). The differences were small. Running through the DAC seems to really help the cleanliness of the cans shine. These cans can scale up, but without a clean signal to start... It's harder to tell. I hope that clarifies my experiment.

 

[Evshrug]

Yeah, sorry I rambled. I'm on here way to much... stupidness is bound to rear its head every so often.

I used my S3 phone on volume 11/15 first as my baseline, then double amped that with my AGD NFB-28 (1.25W SE for this load IIRC). The differences were small. Running through the DAC seems to really help the cleanliness of the cans shine. These cans can scale up, but without a clean signal to start... It's harder to tell. I hope that clarifies my experiment.

No problem. I immediately after proceeded to stay up late and say stupid sleepy stuff.

 

[Faemix]

Hi,
Just received my Q701 and really love them. Sound feels so pure and airy. I really not regret my choice.
I'm driving them with my computer soundcard, a Auzentech Home Theater HD. Sounds nice but I'm sure I can get more.
 
I'm looking for an external Amp/Dac and need advice. I'm actually looking 2 models :
- Yulong D200
- Asus Xonar Essence One
 
Reading your forum, I ask myself if O2+ODac is enough compared to models above.
 
What do you think, folks ? Wich one should I get to get the best from my headphones.
Regards.

 

[bobby12]

Hi,
Just received my Q701 and really love them. Sound feels so pure and airy. I really not regret my choice.
I'm driving them with my computer soundcard, a Auzentech Home Theater HD. Sounds nice but I'm sure I can get more.

I'm looking for an external Amp/Dac and need advice. I'm actually looking 2 models :
- Yulong D200
- Asus Xonar Essence One

Reading your forum, I ask myself if O2+ODac is enough compared to models above.

What do you think, folks ? Wich one should I get to get the best from my headphones.
Regards.

If you're thinking about spending that much on a dac/amp you might be better off upgrading your headphones instead.

the q701s aren't as hard to drive as everyone says it it

 

[Faemix]

Thanks for answer bobby12.
I'll just get O2+Odac combo then.