Review: JDS Labs O2 (Black edition) + O2/ODAC discussion

[xnor]

Why would you need high gain with those headphones and such a hot source? ... just don't set the gain above x3.

 

[disastermouse]

Why would you need high gain with those headphones and such a hot source? ... just don't set the gain above x3.

To power HE-500, low gain is not loud enough. The anemic sound does alright by my HD650 (since they're warm anyway) but my 'Schiity' Magni works better with both.

I'm just having a really hard time reconciling my terrible experience with this amp with all the high praise it's getting in this thread. I will try the higher power wall wart, but the Magni is several levels of magnitude better in pretty much every aspect.

Maybe some folks just LIKE a thin sound?

 

[disastermouse]

Why would you need high gain with those headphones and such a hot source? ... just don't set the gain above x3.

To power HE-500, low gain is not loud enough. The anemic sound does alright by my HD650 (since they're warm anyway) but my 'Schiity' Magni works better with both.

I'm just having a really hard time reconciling my terrible experience with this amp with all the high praise it's getting in this thread. I will try the higher power wall wart, but the Magni is several levels of magnitude better in pretty much every aspect.

Maybe some folks just LIKE a thin sound?

 

[xnor]

What's your low gain, 2.5x? Maybe you should reconsider your listening level, which seems to be quite high. The sensitivity difference between HD650 and HE-500 is less than 4 dB.
 
You also seem to be confusing thin sound with accurate sound. And no, the magni is far from being better in every aspect. EMI, noise, fixed (imo too high) gain ...

 

[disastermouse]

Quote:

What's your low gain, 2.5x? Maybe you should reconsider your listening level, which seems to be quite high. The sensitivity difference between HD650 and HE-500 is less than 4 dB.
 
You also seem to be confusing thin sound with accurate sound. And no, the magni is far from being better in every aspect. EMI, noise, fixed (imo too high) gain ...

Accurate in what way?  Acoustic music sounds more like I'm 'there' with the Magni than the O2 - at least on the HE-500.  Are we saying accurate to transducer or accurate to the music or both or neither?  I have my Magni right near my computer (it's just the most convenient place to put it with my set-up) and the noise floor sounds totally black to me.  
 
Also, I know I seem like a pest, but I really want to get the O2 to work.  I hate being so underwhelmed by a product (although I shut up the ZO2 in a drawer to avoid looking at it and have given up on it with any headphone or IEM I own)!

 

[miceblue]

Quote:

Quote:

What's your low gain, 2.5x? Maybe you should reconsider your listening level, which seems to be quite high. The sensitivity difference between HD650 and HE-500 is less than 4 dB.
 
You also seem to be confusing thin sound with accurate sound. And no, the magni is far from being better in every aspect. EMI, noise, fixed (imo too high) gain ...

Accurate in what way?  Acoustic music sounds more like I'm 'there' with the Magni than the O2 - at least on the HE-500.  Are we saying accurate to transducer or accurate to the music or both or neither?  I have my Magni right near my computer (it's just the most convenient place to put it with my set-up) and the noise floor sounds totally black to me.  
 
Also, I know I seem like a pest, but I really want to get the O2 to work.  I hate being so underwhelmed by a product (although I shut up the ZO2 in a drawer to avoid looking at it and have given up on it with any headphone or IEM I own)!

Probably accuracy of the signal coming out of the amp. If you add something to signal, the sound you hear is less accurate from its original source despite it sounding subjectively better. This can be called synergy in some cases as some coloured amps might "sound good" with a headphone.

 

[Shazb0t]

Disastermouse you are the worst. If you refuse to get a standard input voltage dac or a different wall wart then sell your o2 and stop posting about it.

 

[disastermouse]

Disastermouse you are the worst. If you refuse to get a standard input voltage dac or a different wall wart then sell your o2 and stop posting about it.

I don't think I'll do that. I do have an E7. Should I try that with the O2 or is it a non-standard voltage DAC?

Even if I can get it to sound good with the HD650s, I'd consider it a victory.

 

[xnor]

Again, just use a gain less than or equal to 3x (with a 2.25 V source) or 3.5x (with a 2 V source) and turn up the volume control.
You should be able to turn up the volume to about 2 o'clock. Oh and btw, lowest possible gain that does the job is usually best.

 

[Shazb0t]

The E7 is an amp/dac..

 

[disastermouse]

The E7 is an amp/dac..

Right. I spaced that because shortly after I got it I used it with the E9 solely as a DAC.

 

[Shazb0t]

You obviously like Schiit. Get the Modi for your Schiit stack and try it with the o2.

 

[miceblue]

Quote:

You obviously like Schiit. Get the Modi for your Schiit stack and try it with the o2.

Hey hey now, no need to get into a flame war.

 

[disastermouse]

You obviously like Schiit. Get the Modi for your Schiit stack and try it with the o2.

I have thought about that but aside from a nonstandard power output I don't know if the Modi is better than the MSii+ or not.

Magni is the only Schiit product I have and as much as I like it I can't speak to anything else the company makes.

 

[Shazb0t]

disastermouse:
 
http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Triad-Magnetics/WAU16-400/?qs=IW9Tsl75qsVPD8fyORcCjg==
 
DO IT!