[ben_r_]

Quote:

I just picked one of these up to pair with my Denon D5000 and it sounds great, but I have a bit of a concern.
 
Is it normal that there is no volume output until the volume knob reaches around 9 o'clock? There is nothing at all and then it sort of kicks in suddenly at around the 8:30-9 o'clock mark. It's not as gradual as something like my Yamaha stereo receiver for example.
 
There is also some channel imbalance at this level but I gather that this is generally normal. It evens out quickly once the volume is increased to normal listening levels.
 
Any thoughts?
 
Thanks

Not on mine with my HD-650's, there is a gradual increase in volume throughout pretty much the whole range.
 
 

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

I just picked one of these up to pair with my Denon D5000 and it sounds great, but I have a bit of a concern.
 
Is it normal that there is no volume output until the volume knob reaches around 9 o'clock? There is nothing at all and then it sort of kicks in suddenly at around the 8:30-9 o'clock mark. It's not as gradual as something like my Yamaha stereo receiver for example.
 
There is also some channel imbalance at this level but I gather that this is generally normal. It evens out quickly once the volume is increased to normal listening levels.
 
Any thoughts?
 
Thanks

I did mention this in my review.  The quality of the volume pots can vary from unit to unit, and the very low volume imbalance can be better of worse on some units than others.
 

 

[bootsyp]

Quote:

I did mention this in my review.  The quality of the volume pots can vary from unit to unit, and the very low volume imbalance can be better of worse on some units than others.
 

So you did:
 
 
"Because the volume at a particular knob position is now louder, at extremely low volume levels for sleeping with IEM it is easier to get down into the region of channel imbalance. As the volume knob approaches zero/off (below 9 o'clock) the left channel gets quieter than the right, where 8 o'clock is zero volume but not off. For me this 9 o'clock is quiet enough to fall asleep to the music, but for others they might want to go a little quieter. If I am using USB as the source, I can turn the Macintosh system volume down and the HDP will get quieter, so I can then turn up the amp's volume knob above 9 o'clock and the issue is resolved. All of my listening is with the volume knob above 9 o'clock anyways, and I usually don't use software or system volume attenuation (or EQ)."
 
 
My mistake for not reading through your review more carefully. I'm relieved to find that your experience is exactly the same as mine though. Thank you.
 
 
 

 

[Mrtn77]

Hello all. After much hesitation, I've finally ordered this to go with a HD600 (currently running through a Fiio E10). There are a couple of silly little things I'd like to clear up before it gets here :
 
1) Should I remove my headphones before turning the HDP on and off, or does it not matter ? I wouldn't want to cause damage to anything.
 
2) Can I use the RCA line out to connect the HDP, as a DAC, to my Onkyo CS-525 minisystem ? Could the HDP's preamp function harm my all-in-one cheapish micro-system ? I have no idea !
 
Answers would be much appreciated. Thanks for reading, in any case. 

 

[ben_r_]

Quote:

Hello all. After much hesitation, I've finally ordered this to go with a HD600 (currently running through a Fiio E10). There are a couple of silly little things I'd like to clear up before it gets here :
 
1) Should I remove my headphones before turning the HDP on and off, or does it not matter ? I wouldn't want to cause damage to anything.
 
2) Can I use the RCA line out to connect the HDP, as a DAC, to my Onkyo CS-525 minisystem ? Could the HDP's preamp function harm my all-in-one cheapish micro-system ? I have no idea !
 
Answers would be much appreciated. Thanks for reading, in any case. 

1) No need to, I leave mine plugged in when powering up all the time. I think that was mostly an issue with certain types of tube amps.
 
2) Yep, you should be able to.

 

[Hermitsden]

NuForce showed the $1195 DAC-100 at the Munich Show in May 2012.  "The unit offers four digital inputs, a 500mW pure Class-A single-ended headphone amplifier, a 32-bit volume control, and full remote control. The volume control allows the DAC-100 to drive a power amplifier directly. The digital input stage operates asynchronously for low jitter, and the preamp section is designed with minimalist techniques. The DAC-100 begins shipping in June."
http://www.avguide.com/blog/robert-harley-reports-the-munich-show?page=2
 
Is there any hands on impression about it? Looks like a cheaper version of DAC-9!
 

NuForce’s DAC-100 packs a lot of technology in a small and affordable package
 

 

[Mrtn77]

Alright, thanks, ben_r_ !
Better safe than sorry, as they say.

 

[ben_r_]

Quote:

Alright, thanks, ben_r_ !
Better safe than sorry, as they say.

Indeed.

 

[Mrtn77]

The HDP got here two days ago, I've been listening to it since (around 10 hours of playtime, I'd wager). Nothing's exploded as of now !
 
My HD600 sound great already, but I'm not thrilled by the RCA out to my Onkyo CS-525 system (with original speakers). "Intense treble" would be putting it lightly. While rock doesn't sound too bad, some of the classical music I'm most drawn to (harpsichord music & string quartets, for instance) are borderline unbearable. Will further burn-in help, dampen the glare somewhat, or should I look elsewhere (I have 30 days to return the thing) ? As good as the headphone out is, I'm really looking for an all-in-one solution that also allows for speaker usage.

 

[FOXY]

I heard the HDP with AKG K240 headphones, the sound was pretty good, but the highs was very sharp.
 
Is a good power supply fixes it?

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

The HDP got here two days ago, I've been listening to it since (around 10 hours of playtime, I'd wager). Nothing's exploded as of now !
 
My HD600 sound great already, but I'm not thrilled by the RCA out to my Onkyo CS-525 system (with original speakers). "Intense treble" would be putting it lightly. While rock doesn't sound too bad, some of the classical music I'm most drawn to (harpsichord music & string quartets, for instance) are borderline unbearable. Will further burn-in help, dampen the glare somewhat, or should I look elsewhere (I have 30 days to return the thing) ? As good as the headphone out is, I'm really looking for an all-in-one solution that also allows for speaker usage.

 
Burn-in doesn't greatly change the nature of the sound, but it does seem to smooth it out a bit.  You may be experiencing a lack of synergy between the HDP and Onkyo system.  It might be improved by upgrading the power supply, as the sigma 11 PSU does make the HDP sound closer to my DACmini, and less aggressive. Upgraded speakers could help too.  The HDP > Emotiva BDP-1 amp > Totem Mite speakers is a great pairing, for example.
 
Quote:

I heard the HDP with AKG K240 headphones, the sound was pretty good, but the highs was very sharp.
 
Is a good power supply fixes it?

 
A good PSU does help, but the AKG K240 can still be a little sharp in the highs with many amps.  I was surprised at how loudly the AKG K240M 600 ohm can play with the HDP, and with the Sigma 11 PSU the tone of the pairing is enjoyable, but not as good as with a nice warm sounding Millett Hybrid amp being fed by the HDP.

 

[Mrtn77]

Quote:

 
Burn-in doesn't greatly change the nature of the sound, but it does seem to smooth it out a bit.  You may be experiencing a lack of synergy between the HDP and Onkyo system.  It might be improved by upgrading the power supply, as the sigma 11 PSU does make the HDP sound closer to my DACmini, and less aggressive. Upgraded speakers could help too.  The HDP > Emotiva BDP-1 amp > Totem Mite speakers is a great pairing, for example.
 
 
A good PSU does help, but the AKG K240 can still be a little sharp in the highs with many amps.  I was surprised at how loudly the AKG K240M 600 ohm can play with the HDP, and with the Sigma 11 PSU the tone of the pairing is enjoyable, but not as good as with a nice warm sounding Millett Hybrid amp being fed by the HDP.

 
Thanks for the reply and suggestion, HeadphoneAddict. As it happens, burn-in did smooth the treble out a bit, and trying the HDP on other systems did yield more pleasant results.
 
As nice as the Totem Mite seem (Emotiva isn't distributed in Europe, I'm afraid), I'm currently looking to pair the HDP with active studio monitors, with my interest currently going to the Genelec 6010A and Adam A3X. I'd be keen for feedback on the use of HDP with either, should anyone have tried.

 

[gPope]

Quote:

I'm currently looking to pair the HDP with active studio monitors, with my interest currently going to the Genelec 6010A and Adam A3X. I'd be keen for feedback on the use of HDP with either, should anyone have tried.

 
I have my HDP feeding a pair of Audioengine 5's and an S8 subwoofer.  Line level signal going straight to each set with passive high pass and low pass 100 Hz filters.  I like the sound so much that I often tend to listen to this set of speakers instead of headphones much more often.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

 
Thanks for the reply and suggestion, HeadphoneAddict. As it happens, burn-in did smooth the treble out a bit, and trying the HDP on other systems did yield more pleasant results.
 
As nice as the Totem Mite seem (Emotiva isn't distributed in Europe, I'm afraid), I'm currently looking to pair the HDP with active studio monitors, with my interest currently going to the Genelec 6010A and Adam A3X. I'd be keen for feedback on the use of HDP with either, should anyone have tried.

 
I've used the HDP with Audioengine A2 and A5, and it's great with both of those.  I haven't heard the other powered speakers, sorry.

 

[Mrtn77]

Thanks to both of you for the suggestion. The Audioengines don't seem widely distributed in France, and I'd hate to go for them without listening first.
 
Also, I find the prospect of owning monitoring equipment very appealing, however modest it may be or recreational its use. The abiding romance of the recording studio at work !