[mannnu81]

Cool

 

[mannnu81]

I have one and it's been in storage for ten years I wanna bring it back out and try it again.

 

[onelivewire]

Anybody still rocking one of these? Have mine set up in the spare room speaker setup

 

[finubi]

Yes, in retrospect I can say this device is absolute junk. The potentiometer has not regulated evenly. It has a high noise floor that is not noticeable with 32 ohms but with 250Ohm headphones. The stereo input had a loose contact, I had it replaced. USB then also broke at some point, but optically still usable.

 

[onelivewire]

Haha, sounds about right for a decade+ old budget DAC. It did good things for me years ago, but I honestly don't know if it's even competitive with the cheap internal DACs these days

 

[sennsay]

I have one and it's been in storage for ten years I wanna bring it back out and try it again.

DO IT! I've had my FrankenZero packed away for three years nearly, and was shocked at how good it is! After using the brilliant little Schiit Modi Multibit for over four years, I was bored one day sitting out here in the hills and decided to pull the Zero out of storage about three weeks ago. Using the OPA627BP opamps in a Black Dog adapter, I was stunned at what I have been missing all these years. The I put the Earth HDAM in and was blown away again, if for slightly different reasons, as the HDAM creates a bigger and bolder uncompressed soundstage, though doesn't suit all music through headphones. Intimate female vocals are hypnotic through the OPA627s.
I've now put the Burson Audio Vivid V6 in the DAC and everything has taken another huge leap upwards in soundstage depth, 3D vocals on good recording, fabulous diction and a more extended and focused bandwidth over the HDAM.
I've posted a full review here if you're at all interested. Go Burson, you won't regret it!
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/burson-audio-and-the-evolution-of-the-tianyun-zero-dac.26558/

 

[sennsay]

Haha, sounds about right for a decade+ old budget DAC. It did good things for me years ago, but I honestly don't know if it's even competitive with the cheap internal DACs these days

You might be surprised, my highly upgraded FrankenZero wipes the floor with even good external DACs, even my excellent Schiit Modi Multibit DAC has been put on the shelf for the time being, and I have loved that little thing! That AD1852 DAC chip is a prize! Since adding a Burson Vivid V6 discrete opamp Frankie has taken yet another leap forward and I won't be trading the Zero in for anything, even if I bought a far more expensive DAC in the future. I've written a review for Burson here: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/burson-audio-and-the-evolution-of-the-tianyun-zero-dac.26558/

 

[sennsay]

Yes, in retrospect I can say this device is absolute junk. The potentiometer has not regulated evenly. It has a high noise floor that is not noticeable with 32 ohms but with 250Ohm headphones. The stereo input had a loose contact, I had it replaced. USB then also broke at some point, but optically still usable.

Wow, you did get a dodgy one. That headphone amp is no great shakes even when better parts are put into it. Frankie is best as a DAC only, pull the cables from the power supply to the head amp at the amp itself and then put a quality opamp, or better yet, a Burson Vivid V6 into the output stage. Mine has been sensational and is currently taken the position as my No 1 DAC. It IS highly upgraded though, not stock, but it's that AD1852 DAC chip that's the prize, improve the parts around it and the results are outstanding. You may not even have your Zero by now, but just out of interest ... maybe ... I have posted a review of mine with the Burson opamp installed and run in. https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/burson-audio-and-the-evolution-of-the-tianyun-zero-dac.26558/

 

[finubi]

It has a place on my desk again. I recently got a Hifiman 400SE and they need a lot more power than the Beyerdynamic 250Ohm. Strangely enough, they hardly produce any unwanted noise.

 

[sennsay]

Agreed, my own HE400S need some grunt to sound at their best. Are you using the headphone amp in the Zero? I didn't find it particularly gifted, lacking in soundstsge width and depth, no matter what upgrades I have in there, although, I did not have HE400S at the time. Maybe I ought to connect the amp section up again and see what it brings musically.

 

[finubi]

I can't really tell, because I don't have any reference to compare it with. It sounds good to me, good level, good bass.

 

[finubi]

Can a Shiit Magni Heresy deliver the same output volume? I look for an upgrade.

 

[sennsay]

Most DACs have a standard output voltage of around 2 volts, a few do seem to have more output than others. Both the FrankenZero and the Modi multibit have plenty of output for my Magni 3+, so ought to be fine with your Heresy. You want to upgrade the DAC or the amp?
Ah, I think I see what you need now, an upgrade on the internal headphone amp of the Zero, right. Certainly either a Heresy or a Magni 3+ is a huge upgrade on the internal amp! Quite frankly, my little Corda 2Move portable headphone DAC/amp is far better than the one in the Zero. I've just tried my own HE400S (with Focus A pads) in my Magni 3+ and there is loads of volume (!), I have the Burson Classic V6 module in the output of Frankie, so mid bass is a bit much with these cans, the Burson Vivid V6 might be better, however, I rarely use the HE400S these days, as they have a lower treble peak I'm not so fond of and don't have anything like the open soundstage and image depth of the Sennheiser HD540 Reference cans I use constantly. You may love the combo, if you have the stock output opamp in the Zero (as in the OPA2604), it will be a bit softer and less punchy and grand in the overall sound.