[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeycam /img/forum/go_quote.gif HeadphoneAddict, what's the synergy with your LA7000s like? I'm going to be in Japan next week and as I downgraded my whole rig to uDAC and NE-7m, I'm thinking of getting a pair of D5000s. I'm also interested in HDP, as I simply don't have neither place, nor money for a bigger rig. Do you think it would be a nice setup?

The synergy is very good with my LA7000 and bubinga wood cups. Highly recommended.

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Originally Posted by AustinHorn /img/forum/go_quote.gif K19, I'm not sure everyone's volume control is mounted the same so where is your's setting when the unit is off? Mine is at about 6.30 when off & about 5:30 when at 100%. So far, when using it as a dac to drive my Doge or LDV, I'd just set it at 100%. I'd planned at some point to play around with different settings, especially when trying my IEMs (something still on my to-do list) but haven't yet. I take it your 3 o'clock setting isn't full on? Are you finding you get better sound at less than 100%? Larry, I too at one point came very close to selling my 702s because they just weren't giving me the sound I'd gotten from my 701a. But then I remembered my 701a had had a Stephen ArtAudio cable modded on it & over 500 hours on it by the time I'd gotten it so I bought the SSA upgraded cable, put another 200 hours on both, & now on my tube amps, with the right music, especially classical pieces - IT JUST DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER. Especially on complex pieces, it just opens up the sound stage like no other phones I've ever tried & I hear things I'd ust never noticed on my HD650s. Is it a little base shy, yeah it can be, esp. compared to the HD650s listening to the same piece, but now I find the base is still there & I often find it a little cleaner & tighter rather than "base shy". I have about 500+/- hours on these & I swear they are still changing. My neighbor, the recording engineer, says he exclusively uses K702s & the Benchmark DAC1 to do his recording sessions claiming that the combo provides the most uncolored honest sound me can get. But he said at home, he primarily uses his HD600s/650s & Grado PS1000s for his listening pleasure he's said. But as with everyone, it is personal taste otherwise we'd all be using just one headphone &/or one IEM.

The K701 I had bought used had many hundreds of hours on them, but the only big amp I had at the time was my DV336i (my early days) and it was just as poor of a match with K701 as it was with W5000. Later I heard K702 with 175 hours on them last February, and they reminded me a little of the Proline 2500 with fuller mids and slightly less bass. They didn't suck, but I got so much more performance from the APS v3 RS-1 that I owned at the time, and now from my HD800 that replaced the RS-1. Some people say the HD800 is a supercharged K701, so no need to move backwards...

The HDP was voiced with the HD800, Ed 8 and UM3X, and they did a good job making it work with many different sounds and impedances.

 

[AustinHorn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif The synergy is very good with my LA7000 and bubinga wood cups. Highly recommended. The K701 I had bought used had many hundreds of hours on them, but the only big amp I had at the time was my DV336i (my early days) and it was just as poor of a match with K701 as it was with W5000. Later I heard K702 with 175 hours on them last February, and they reminded me a little of the Proline 2500 with fuller mids and slightly less bass. They didn't suck, but I got so much more performance from the APS v3 RS-1 that I owned at the time, and now from my HD800 that replaced the RS-1. Some people say the HD800 is a supercharged K701, so no need to move backwards... The HDP was voiced with the HD800, Ed 8 and UM3X, and they did a good job making it work with many different sounds and impedances.

Yeah, I feel sure an HD 800 is in my future. I've heard my neighbors Grado 1000s & his HD800s on his Wadia. NICE! I've been saving my pennies & or looking for the right deal ever since. But I also very much want a set of Nuforce 9 monoblocks so I'll have to see which comes 1st. Upgraditis can be expensive!!!!!

 

[mamba315]

Received my HDP today. I don't have the high-end audio chain that others here do, so keep that in mind.

My first thought was how colored it makes the uDac sound, in comparison. Much better presentation of the music across the frequency spectrum. Also, it's performance seems more linear throughout the volume range, which is also a good thing.

Happy so far. I will probably do a lot more listening before posting anything further.

 

[AustinHorn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mamba315 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Received my HDP today. I don't have the high-end audio chain that others here do, so keep that in mind. My first thought was how colored it makes the uDac sound, in comparison. Much better presentation of the music across the frequency spectrum. Also, it's performance seems more linear throughout the volume range, which is also a good thing. Happy so far. I will probably do a lot more listening before posting anything further.

Congrats! It will only get better from here. IMO, you made the best buy one could in a combo dac/amp for the money. Run it 24/7 for a few days and report back on your thoughts on any changes you hear.

 

[AustinHorn]

I think someone else asked before, but I was wondering if anyone else has tried the hdp with Beyerdynamic DT 880 600ohm headphones? The hdp drives my K702s easily but I'm assuming the Beyers are even harder to drive. Anyone?

 

[bcwang]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AustinHorn /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think someone else asked before, but I was wondering if anyone else has tried the hdp with Beyerdynamic DT 880 600ohm headphones? The hdp drives my K702s easily but I'm assuming the Beyers are even harder to drive. Anyone?

From my calculations, the k701 takes twice the power to drive to the same volume as the DT880 600ohm. However, the 880 requires more voltage and if the amp doesn't have enough voltage swing for the volume you are asking for then you could run into problems.

 

[mamba315]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AustinHorn /img/forum/go_quote.gif I was wondering if anyone else has tried the hdp with Beyerdynamic DT 880 600ohm headphones?

x2

Or with DT990 600 ohm, and also the T1. Does it drive them well, and is there good synergy?

 

[Hygienist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mamba315 /img/forum/go_quote.gif x2 Or with DT990 600 ohm, and also the T1. Does it drive them well, and is there good synergy?

I'll have the HDP by Tuesday and I've had the T1's paid for on pre-order with TTVJ since late January so I should have the combo fairly soon to give my impressions.

 

[mamba315]

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Originally Posted by Hygienist /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'll have the HDP by Tuesday and I've had the T1's paid for on pre-order with TTVJ since late January so I should have the combo fairly soon to give my impressions.

Nice! I can feel my wallet starting to cringe...

 

[mamba315]

I'm having a volume 'issue' with the HDP that I don't quite understand, and I'm wondering if something is wrong.

The Nuforce website states that the RCA output on the uDac is 2 Vrms, while the HDP is rated at 2.6 Vrms. This would indicate that the HDP could play just as loudly, if not moreso, than the uDac. And yet this is FAR from the case. When my speakers are connected, the HDP at 100% volume is equivalent to the uDac at 40% or so.

It is the same story with headphones plugged into the amp sections of both. Using the uDac amp, normal listening is with the volume at 25-40%. Using the same headphones and the same song on the HDP, normal listening levels are 70-90%. In fact, I can listen at 100% volume on the HDP without too much discomfort, while 50% on the uDac is very uncomfortable. The headphones I used for this are not particularly hard to drive - they are Yuin G1A - 150 Ohm Impedance - 105 db/mw Sensitivity

Maybe HeadphoneAddict or Jason from Nuforce can comment and let me know whether or not this is normal behavior. It does not seem right to me.

 

[alont]

I'll add to that question - My grados are pretty easy to drive but I need to crank the volume up to around 2 o'clock to get to proper listening levels - is that normal?


Oh and by normal listening levels I really do mean normal - I don't like to blast my music.

 

[RobLikesBrunch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by alont /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'll add to that question - My grados are pretty easy to drive but I need to crank the volume up to around 2 o'clock to get to proper listening levels - is that normal? Oh and by normal listening levels I really do mean normal - I don't like to blast my music.

Same for me (well, if my operating system's volume is at about 50%).

 

[K_19]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mamba315 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm having a volume 'issue' with the HDP that I don't quite understand, and I'm wondering if something is wrong. The Nuforce website states that the RCA output on the uDac is 2 Vrms, while the HDP is rated at 2.6 Vrms. This would indicate that the HDP could play just as loudly, if not moreso, than the uDac. And yet this is FAR from the case. When my speakers are connected, the HDP at 100% volume is equivalent to the uDac at 40% or so. It is the same story with headphones plugged into the amp sections of both. Using the uDac amp, normal listening is with the volume at 25-40%. Using the same headphones and the same song on the HDP, normal listening levels are 70-90%. In fact, I can listen at 100% volume on the HDP without too much discomfort, while 50% on the uDac is very uncomfortable. The headphones I used for this are not particularly hard to drive - they are Yuin G1A - 150 Ohm Impedance - 105 db/mw Sensitivity Maybe HeadphoneAddict or Jason from Nuforce can comment and let me know whether or not this is normal behavior. It does not seem right to me.

Let's go over the basics first just in case... as I find many people do overlook it... is your system and software player volume maxed out? When you first use the HDP or any new USB DAC I notice that when it first installs itself it defaults the system volume to 50% (and it can be easily forgotten about by many as if you use ASIO and such, you put it to max and never fiddle around with it again). If not, then you may have a problem on your hands as I don't think you should be using ANY headphone at max volume on the HDP and feel comfortable! (unless it's something ridiculously inefficient)

Quote:

Originally Posted by alont /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'll add to that question - My grados are pretty easy to drive but I need to crank the volume up to around 2 o'clock to get to proper listening levels - is that normal? Oh and by normal listening levels I really do mean normal - I don't like to blast my music.

Well, if I put my RS1 with bowls (as much as I can stomach it anyway... I really detest the bowls' hollow sound), then I do indeed have to crank it up to about 1 o'clock or so to get any sort of body to the sound at all. With flats it's a different story and I can't crank that above 11 o'clock/12 o'clock range without my ears hurting. So to me, if you are using bowls, that sounds normal but not if you are using flats or comfies and such (the pads that bring the sound closer/louder).

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Originally Posted by RobLikesBrunch /img/forum/go_quote.gif Same for me (well, if my operating system's volume is at about 50%).

You should definitely be keeping your OS system volume at 100%. You're losing some bits in the sound otherwise.

 

[RobLikesBrunch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by K_19 /img/forum/go_quote.gif You should definitely be keeping your OS system volume at 100%. You're losing some bits in the sound otherwise.

In that case, 12 o'clock is plenty loud. SR325is.

Also, why do you lose bits?

 

[K_19]

It's standard practice with computer audio to keep your system volume/software volume at 100% then control the volume from your preamp/amp. Basically you need to amplify the maximum data/signal that the software/OS can get you to get the most optimal sound.