[DarkWolf]

Thanks for the input Will. I am looking forward to your review. It would be cool if you threw in an easier to drive set with 32 ohms for those of us who may like to upgrade their amp with an eye on orthos, but still benefit with their current gear. AKA, would a Lyr be any good with Grados?
 
I'm not going to jump on anything right away for sure. I'm looking into a (hopefully) better job prospect for the end of October or so. If that pans out, I might be able to treat myself to some new gear a while later.

 

[koto-in]

The HDP has an RCA Coaxial Input so a 75 Ohm RCA-RCA cable would be appropriate.  If you have some reason to prefer the BNC output, you could always use a hybrid cable or adapter to connect to the HDP.  Also this from the manual:
 
Quote:

hiFace comes in two different versions: with RCA output connector and with 75 Ohms
BNC connector. Which one to choose? It mainly depends on the input connector on your
DAC or A/V receiver. Most units have an RCA input connector, so the RCA hiFace is to be
chosen. On the other hand, some high performance units have both RCA and BNC input
connectors, and some of them only have BNC inputs. The rule is: every time a BNC
connector is available, hiFace BNC should be chosen, as the BNC connection, being it a
true 75 Ohms link, give slightly better performance.
Should a hybrid cable be available (that is, a cable with an RCA plug on one end and a
BNC plug on the other), it is possible to use a hiFace BNC with a DAC provided with an
RCA input, or vice versa. A slight performance increase with respect to an all-RCA link can
be obtained.

 
Quote:

 

Thank you very much koto-in, your help is much appreciated. The reason for all the questions is that I don't actually own the HDP yet (I probably didn't make this clear) and want to make sure I make the right choice. Another question, the hiFace is available with RCA and BNC outputs, which one would I need in order to connect to the HDP?
 

 

 

[coolguyalex]

Thanks again koto-in. In light of the information on the previous page, I have decided to get the HDP with an optical cable. I may add the hiFace to my system later on. Any suggestions on a good cable?

 

[koto-in]

With most cables you have to use a mini-adapter on one or both ends.  Van den Hul makes the Optocoupler Mk II in a mini to mini version.
 
http://www.vandenhul.com/p_B42.aspx
 
Quote:

Thanks again koto-in. In light of the information on the previous page, I have decided to get the HDP with an optical cable. I may add the hiFace to my system later on. Any suggestions on a good cable?

 

 

[Calypso]

Quote:

Any suggestions on a good cable?

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/toslink-digital-audio-optical-cable-1-5m-length-21155
 
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/toslink-to-mini-toslink-digital-audio-optical-cable-1-5m-length-21920
 

 

[selphy]

Anyone compared HDP and Icon-2 ?

 

[HiAudio]

While searchng for headphones I camed to know the icon HDP. I had made up mind to get the icon HDP and Senn HD 650 by the end of the year (to see if there is a price drop on the HD 650).
 
One question on the icon HDP. Of the three digital srouces, they have the following specs
 

Digital input

1. S/PDIF - Coaxial or 3.5mm Optical when inserted. Coaxial up to 192kHz/24-bit or Optical up to 192kHz/24-bit
2. Coaxial input impedance 75 Ohm

USB DAC

1. USB 1.0 and 1.1 up to 44.1kHz/16-bit, USB 2.0 Full-Speed up to 96kHz/24-bit
2. 88.2 kHz is not supported

 
Does this mean that the optical and coaxial input will be better than USB input considering?
 
I mostly will play the disk on a regular CD/DVD rom on the computer and I have optical and coaxial output on the PC's mobo.
 
I also have the old oppo 971 player that I can play CD, SACD and DVD Audio. How much will this be better than playing on my computer?
 
I know of the three major parts, player, amp and speaker/headphone, the (CD) player is the least important part.  

 

[jamesfonda]

Hello all,
 
I've been looking for a 'box' that allows me to hook my tv (via optical) and, when I need it, Cowon J3 (via 3.5mm jack) to my KRK RP8s (via RCAs) in my lounge and the HDP seems to fit the bill for what I'm looking for. I'm also looking to get a pair of HD 650s, which acording to this thread, the HDP is well suited for.  At some stage I'd also like to add a low profile dedicated media server to feed the TV and speakers.
 
Questions are:
 
1) Will this work?
2) Is this good use of the HDP or will the benefits be lost due to the chain?
3) Is there a cheaper and better suited alternative?
 
Any other suggestions are very welcome. Thanks kindly in advance for any replies on this.
 
 
 

 

[HiAudio]

Can the HDP drive Senn HD 800 and BeyerDynamic T1 effortlessly? The T1 has 600 ohms.

 

[trunk]

Quote:

Can the HDP drive Senn HD 800 and BeyerDynamic T1 effortlessly? The T1 has 600 ohms.

I bought the HD800 and the Nuforce Icon HDP together and I must say I don't think its a good combination. The treble is way too bright and the bass is lacking/weak. I am looking for a new amp..

 

[jamesfonda]

Anyone?
 
Quote:

Hello all,
 
I've been looking for a 'box' that allows me to hook my tv (via optical) and, when I need it, Cowon J3 (via 3.5mm jack) to my KRK RP8s (via RCAs) in my lounge and the HDP seems to fit the bill for what I'm looking for. I'm also looking to get a pair of HD 650s, which acording to this thread, the HDP is well suited for.  At some stage I'd also like to add a low profile dedicated media server to feed the TV and speakers.
 
Questions are:
 
1) Will this work?
2) Is this good use of the HDP or will the benefits be lost due to the chain?
3) Is there a cheaper and better suited alternative?
 
Any other suggestions are very welcome. Thanks kindly in advance for any replies on this.
 
 
 

 
 

 

[sonitus mirus]

The HDP uses the same socket for both digital optical (toslink) and analog 3.5mm input, and what is used is determined by the plug type and the HDP input selection switch setting.  You would have to unplug/plug-in whatever digital device you wanted to listen to each time, be it the TV or the LOD of the Cowon.  The only other way to do this without having to constantly change what is plugged into the HDP would be to use a 3.5mm to RCA cable for the Cowon to connect to the HDP's RCA analog input, or use a LOD-to-USB converter to connect to the HDP's USB input.
 
As for connecting to the KRK RP8, the HDP should be a good match using the RCA out to the unbalanced RCA input of the speakers.  The HDP will act as a preamp for the speakers when there are no headphones connected to it.  When headphones are connected, it will behave as a headphone amp only and cut off the voltage going to the speakers.

 

[jamesfonda]

Thank you Sonitus. Is the difference in audio quality between LOD to USB and 3.5mm to RCA into the HDP from the Cowon much of a muchness or should I try and go for one over the other?

 

[sonitus mirus]

Looking at the specs for the J3, it doesn't look like there is a digital audio output, so you would probably want to connect from the J3 using the headphone jack with the volume set at around 90% of max, going into the HDP's analog RCA connectors.  I would recommend using a cable no more than 6 feet maximum in length, with a shorter length being preferred, provided that it will work for your needs. 
 
You would be able to plug in the J3 to the HDP, and listen through headphones or your speakers with the HDP input selector switch set in the 'A' (analog) position.  The selector switch would need to be at the 'D' position to listen to the TV.  When the headphones are plugged into the HDP, the speakers will cut out, when you pull out the headphones, the speakers will get a preamp signal.
 
It should work just fine, and the sound quality should be very good from the Cowon, provided that your music files are decent.  You will also have a free USB input available on the HDP, so you might find a use for that connection as well.
 

 
 
 

 

[jamesfonda]

Sonitus, thank you very, very much for your advice (and great diagram). One last question, are there other alternatives to the HDP for this scenario in the same or lower price range or is it the best bang-for-your-buck product in this category?