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Quote:
Thanks for the feedback. I got a little confused by the part I put in bold above, where you said the HDP/UE11Pro had better synergy than SRG II but then said when you switched to SRG II it was superior. With the UE11Pro, I assume the HDP was a bit bass being heavy via the V-DAC but then using the built-in DAC the synergy was much better? I just wanted to clarify because I also find the HDP built-in DAC/Amp combo is a nice match with the UE11Pro, while other DAC/amps including my Pico DAC/ALO Amphora are a bit bass heavy with the UE11Pro (mini-DAC/WA6 is perfect). It interesting because the HDP is not a bass-lite amp to tame the bass, but rather it just does a good job of controlling the bass.
From what I read, it seems like you liked the APS V3 D5000 more with SRG II, but the UE11Pro more with HDP; and while it appears you liked the K702's frequency response with HDP I wasn't sure whether that was enough to offset the lesser soundstage vs the SRG II. Have you had a chance to try other headphones with the amps yet?
I agree it is a fantastic value for what you get for $449, and it seems to me that the HDP beats everything else I've heard in this price range. As I said here before, I didn't feel the amp passed up my WA6, nor does the DAC pass up my Apogee mini-DAC (except for the Apogee headphone out). I have a paucity of DACs between $400-$1000 on hand, and a paucity of amps that would also fall between $400-$1000, so I can only compare the HDP to DAC's cheaper than $400 or more costly than $1000.
The HDP DAC keeps up easily with the DACport, Micro DAC and Pico DAC only. I did compare it's RCA out to my $699 Digital Link III before I sold the DLIII, and the DL III was a little warmer and more spacious as an optical/coax DAC, but the DLIII USB DAC was less detailed than the one in the HDP.
The amp is a little better than my Travagans Red with OPA627 opamps (which is better than my Nuforce Icon, EF2 or Qinpu A-3), and the gap between the Amphora and HDP is a little bigger. In my comparisons with the EF5, the HDP is more detailed but not as powerful, and while the EF5 is better with my HE-5 and HD600, the HDP is better with HD800 and all my IEM (not sure which is better with HF-2 yet). Both are below my WA6 and Amphora. I found the SRG II was not as good as my WA6 or Amphora, and in some cases the SRG II, SAC KH1000 and EF5 swapped places for preference, entirely depending on what phones I was using. Based on auditory memory I had wondered if the HDP was on the level of the SRG II that I had borrowed back in January but could not compare, so I appreciate your input about these two vs each other.
Originally Posted by wakeride74 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I switched over and plugged in the UE-11, again I found this combo to a bit too bass heavy. The HDP did do pretty well with some of the more complex metal I threw at it. Listening to Diablo Swing Orchestra I felt the HDP kept it's focus and did not strain to handle some of the more complicated tracks. *edit - I must have had my V-DAC in the mix when I did this because I am listening to the UE-11 and HDP right now and they sing together... wow, great combo. Better synergy than with the SRG II. Listening to Let's Never Stop Falling in Love - Pink Martini, very impressed with what I am hearing. I can hear a hiss if I stop the music and turn the volume up to 3 or past but it does not seem as audible as the SRG II is with the UE-11. The few times I switched back to the Solo SRG II I felt that the Solo was quite superior. Even with the HDP dac in the mix vs the Solo fed from an iPod the Solo's soundstage, detail, and instrument separation was unmatched. I did prefer the added bottom end and warmth of the HDP with the k702 and think the amp is a fantastic value for what you get. The build is better than the pictures look, very solid with a nice weight. I also really like the feel of the volume knob, very smooth movement and again just feels like good craftsmanship. |
Thanks for the feedback. I got a little confused by the part I put in bold above, where you said the HDP/UE11Pro had better synergy than SRG II but then said when you switched to SRG II it was superior. With the UE11Pro, I assume the HDP was a bit bass being heavy via the V-DAC but then using the built-in DAC the synergy was much better? I just wanted to clarify because I also find the HDP built-in DAC/Amp combo is a nice match with the UE11Pro, while other DAC/amps including my Pico DAC/ALO Amphora are a bit bass heavy with the UE11Pro (mini-DAC/WA6 is perfect). It interesting because the HDP is not a bass-lite amp to tame the bass, but rather it just does a good job of controlling the bass.
From what I read, it seems like you liked the APS V3 D5000 more with SRG II, but the UE11Pro more with HDP; and while it appears you liked the K702's frequency response with HDP I wasn't sure whether that was enough to offset the lesser soundstage vs the SRG II. Have you had a chance to try other headphones with the amps yet?
I agree it is a fantastic value for what you get for $449, and it seems to me that the HDP beats everything else I've heard in this price range. As I said here before, I didn't feel the amp passed up my WA6, nor does the DAC pass up my Apogee mini-DAC (except for the Apogee headphone out). I have a paucity of DACs between $400-$1000 on hand, and a paucity of amps that would also fall between $400-$1000, so I can only compare the HDP to DAC's cheaper than $400 or more costly than $1000.
The HDP DAC keeps up easily with the DACport, Micro DAC and Pico DAC only. I did compare it's RCA out to my $699 Digital Link III before I sold the DLIII, and the DL III was a little warmer and more spacious as an optical/coax DAC, but the DLIII USB DAC was less detailed than the one in the HDP.
The amp is a little better than my Travagans Red with OPA627 opamps (which is better than my Nuforce Icon, EF2 or Qinpu A-3), and the gap between the Amphora and HDP is a little bigger. In my comparisons with the EF5, the HDP is more detailed but not as powerful, and while the EF5 is better with my HE-5 and HD600, the HDP is better with HD800 and all my IEM (not sure which is better with HF-2 yet). Both are below my WA6 and Amphora. I found the SRG II was not as good as my WA6 or Amphora, and in some cases the SRG II, SAC KH1000 and EF5 swapped places for preference, entirely depending on what phones I was using. Based on auditory memory I had wondered if the HDP was on the level of the SRG II that I had borrowed back in January but could not compare, so I appreciate your input about these two vs each other.