[DrWebster]

This DAC/amp caught my attention because it's right in the ballpark of what I'm looking for -- good quality, switchable between headphone/line out (for easy switching between headphones and speakers) and a pricetag of around $200.
 
However, poking around the Audinst site I found this:
 
http://www.audinst.com/en/bbs/board.php?bo_table=news&wr_id=2
 
Basically, it looks like they're willing to give away units if you can promise them a favorable review. Has anyone else seen this? I'm starting to question some of the reviews I've seen around the Web for this unit (though not necessarily the ones here on Head-fi).

 

[violinvirtuoso]

Quote:

This DAC/amp caught my attention because it's right in the ballpark of what I'm looking for -- good quality, switchable between headphone/line out (for easy switching between headphones and speakers) and a pricetag of around $200.
 
However, poking around the Audinst site I found this:
 
http://www.audinst.com/en/bbs/board.php?bo_table=news&wr_id=2
 
Basically, it looks like they're willing to give away units if you can promise them a favorable review. Has anyone else seen this? I'm starting to question some of the reviews I've seen around the Web for this unit (though not necessarily the ones here on Head-fi).

When I read that, I assumed "good reviews" meant detailed reviews. However, I can easily see how it seems wrong. In any case, I tried to be a reviewer for them, but they just said they would contact me if and when they want a review.

 

[shaggy]

Quote:

Hello,

I have ordered a HUD-MX1 and tested it intensively for two days now. My conclusion is that the unit is either defect or extremely bad. Everything sounds a bit dull, mumbled and compressed. And there is a static noise or rasping sound accompanying a lot of instruments or voices. It´s not constantly present all the time, but it´s attached to sounds on the music. This is the case with USB Power only as well as with the power plug in place. It´s intensity varies.

I am extremely dissapointed by the device. My cheap onboard sound of my PC (SoundMax HD Audio) is so much superior to the HUD-MX1 that it´s a shame.
 
What do you think could be wrong?

I also get this horrible static when I unplug the wall-wart. Plugging it back or reducing my software media player volume from 100% to 20% fixes this completely.

 

[Dragon777]

Hello,
 
i tried the Audinst with my Beyerdynamic DT 880 600 Ohms and the sound is awful. It´s full of static noise, scratching, hissing. No constant noise, but the noise is somehow accompanying the sounds in the music. Pulling the volume down does not help and the powerplug is already inserted. The noise is not there all the time. Sometimes it helps to pull the powerplug and put it back in to get rid of the noise - but it will come back. With the powerplug unplugged there is almost no sound at all.
 
The whole thing works better with lower impendance headphones, but the Audinst should be able to drive the 600 Ohm without problems (at least that´s what they are telling on their website).
 
I am not getting any responses back from Audinst about this. So much about customer service.
 
Best
D

 

[shaggy]

Quote:

Hello,
 
i tried the Audinst with my Beyerdynamic DT 880 600 Ohms and the sound is awful. It´s full of static noise, scratching, hissing. No constant noise, but the noise is somehow accompanying the sounds in the music. Pulling the volume down does not help and the powerplug is already inserted. The noise is not there all the time. Sometimes it helps to pull the powerplug and put it back in to get rid of the noise - but it will come back. With the powerplug unplugged there is almost no sound at all.
 
The whole thing works better with lower impendance headphones, but the Audinst should be able to drive the 600 Ohm without problems (at least that´s what they are telling on their website).
 
I am not getting any responses back from Audinst about this. So much about customer service.
 
Best
D

You might need to swich the gain for 300-600ohm cans, instructions should be in the manual

 

[audiofil]

I don't think the issue in hand has anything to do with driving the headphones.
On normal gain MX-1 could easily power both my K501 and K240DF, which are a lot more insensitive than the beyers (think 600 ohm and 88db).
But of course trying the high gain setting won't do any harm either.
 
Regarding noise and static it would be helpful if you can describe as accurately as possible your PC configuration (both hardware and software).
By hardware I mean your power supply and motherboard in particular.
 
On other computers (laptops included) I have noticed a slightly different behavior from my MX1.
High noise floor with a low end motherboard and PSU, crackling sounds with poorly configured software on Win XP, big lags on Foobar with Win XP, etc
 
I'm using an Enermax Pro82+ PSU and a higher end Gigabyte motherboard, running Win7 64bit and Foobar 1.1. Same software configuration for my laptop as well (which is an Intel i5 based HP unit). I did not install any drivers or special software, just plug-and-play.
The Audinst is powered via USB on both cases and have never had issues with it of any form.
 
 
 

 

[AlexRoma]

 
Hi.  I*ve bought Audinst HUD-MX1 half an year ago.. From the begining I was not quite happy but after some burn-in things got much better and now I have no complains about this purchase.. Use it with PC and Laptop, powered both USB only (laptop) and power plug (PC). Have never had noise/harmonic issues with it of any form.. 
 
As for the SQ.. Actually I find it pretty nice (for the price). Recently I had bought an Little Dot MKIII tube amp, and the stock sound did not improved greatly compared with the Audinst direct Dac/Amp connection (Beyerdynamic DT990 250ohm headphones). So.. As for now, I am looking for some tube rolling with MKIII and if the*ll be no major sound upgrades, I*ll gona sell it... Audinst Hud MX-1 does almost the same job by it*s own, with less connectivity tweeks and more portability.. 

 

[Dragon777]

Hello,
 
as this is my company´s PC (I dont´t listen to headphones at home), I don´t know much about it, only that it´s an HP compaq machine with Intel Core Duo E8400 CPU and WinXP. AIDA says its an Hewlett-Packard 3031h mainboard. I guess the hardware is nothing spectacular That´s why I bought the HUD-MX1 in the first place - to bypass all the PC´s internal hardware.
 
The strange thing is, that the noise dissappears when I unplug and replug the power adaptor some times, but it comes back every now and then when the unit gets powered on again. The amount of noise varies as well. If there is noise, then putting up the volume meters in software makes it worse. E.g. VLC is normally set to 100% volume, but when I crank it up just a tad bit over 100%, the noise gets much worse!
 
When I use USB only and no additional power adaptor connected, there is almost no sound with my Beyer DT 880 600 Ohm. Just very low volume music with mostly noise and scratching. When I put in the power adaptor, it sounds normal again (except the described noise).
 
This is very strange. Audinst came back to me and offered to change the unit, though I would have to pay high taxes again if they sent me a replacement unit.

So I want to get sure that the Audinst ist definitely defect and it´s no configuration issue.
 
Thanks for help!
D

 

[m-p]

Quote:

Hello,
 
as this is my company´s PC (I dont´t listen to headphones at home), I don´t know much about it, only that it´s an HP compaq machine with Intel Core Duo E8400 CPU and WinXP. AIDA says its an Hewlett-Packard 3031h mainboard. I guess the hardware is nothing spectacular That´s why I bought the HUD-MX1 in the first place - to bypass all the PC´s internal hardware.
 
The strange thing is, that the noise dissappears when I unplug and replug the power adaptor some times, but it comes back every now and then when the unit gets powered on again. The amount of noise varies as well. If there is noise, then putting up the volume meters in software makes it worse. E.g. VLC is normally set to 100% volume, but when I crank it up just a tad bit over 100%, the noise gets much worse!
 
When I use USB only and no additional power adaptor connected, there is almost no sound with my Beyer DT 880 600 Ohm. Just very low volume music with mostly noise and scratching. When I put in the power adaptor, it sounds normal again (except the described noise).
 
This is very strange. Audinst came back to me and offered to change the unit, though I would have to pay high taxes again if they sent me a replacement unit.

So I want to get sure that the Audinst ist definitely defect and it´s no configuration issue.
 
Thanks for help!
D

I asked you sometimes ago if you have tried your mx1 with other computer? other usb ports (particularly the ones at the back as they provide full current)? different usb cable? I think this will help you to know whether or not the mx1 is defective.

 

[Dragon777]

Hello,
 
I went to a collegue today to check it on another computer an it´s the same there.
 
Mabe someone of you can try to reproduce the following:
 
1st: Connect with USB only  --> works without noise, loud music and bright indicator light
2nd:  Connect the power adaptor during playback   -->  noise appears around the music, but seizes after some seconds until sound is ok
3rd:  Disconnect the power adaptor during playback  -->  indicator light fades, sound very low volume and distortion all over the place
4th:  Connect the power adaptor again -->  music gets louder again and there is a good chance that slight noise stays with some sounds
 
I wonder if this behaviour is normal.
 
Sometimes after powering up with USB and power adaptor, the sound is clean and sometimes it´s accompanied by this noise.
 
Thanks
D

 

[audiofil]

I'll give you a quote from the user manual (which you should have read by now):
 
Quote:

9. Power Connector
Power connector connects a power adapter of DC12-15V.
For connection, connect a USB cable after an adapter is connected, and for disconnection,
do it in reverse order.
 
Without an adapter, HUD-mx1 is operable only with a USB power supply in most computers,
but may not be operable in a USB hub with unstable USB port power supply,
some computers,or low voltage computers.

 
I must assume that Audinst has taken for granted the users' decency of turning playback off, while changing the power supply.

 

[Dragon777]

Hello,
 
yes, I have read that in the manual and my normal way of use is keeping both, USB and power, connected and have the Audinst come to life when the computer is turned on, which should be the correct order of having the power connected before engaging the USB connection. However, there is still this noise sometimes when the unit powers up like that. That´s why I asked if your devices show the same behaviour like in the process described above, to get a hint about wether the unit may be defect. If yours behave differently, it would be obvious that mine is not ok.
 
Thanks
D

 

[m-p]

Quote:

1st: Connect with USB only  --> works without noise, loud music and bright indicator light
2nd:  Connect the power adaptor during playback   -->  noise appears around the music, but seizes after some seconds until sound is ok
3rd:  Disconnect the power adaptor during playback  -->  indicator light fades, sound very low volume and distortion all over the place
4th:  Connect the power adaptor again -->  music gets louder again and there is a good chance that slight noise stays with some sounds

Ok, I just tried them all. The difference for me was that in step 4, there were crackling noise and low volume for a couple of seconds, but everything gradually went back to normal without noise. However, just to make sure, after that I stopped playback, unplugged everything, and replugged the power cable, then USB. Everything is fine.
 
To second audiofil, and the user manual, if I were you I would just stop playback, unplug, and replug everything if I ever want to change power source?

 

[Dragon777]

Hi,
 
I experimented some more and it seems like leaving USB and power connected all the time and having the device come to life through powering up the computer will give me noise about 2 out of 3 times. But if I unplug USB, power up the computer and put USB in afterwards, the sound seems to be ok all the time. Very strange....
 
Anyway, thanks for your help!
And concerning the sound of the Audinst compared to the headphone out of my old SoundBlaster Live! Platinum´s LiveDrive, it´s solid but nothing spectacular or instantly noted as "better" in any way, just a bit more analytic, "colder" and with the heights more present. The amp of the Audinst is significantler louder, though. And of course, it´s better than the onboard headphone out of my company´s PC which is very noisy.
 
Best
D

 

[darknessproz]

How does the Audinst compare with the Zero DAC?