[Surrealsky]

Quote:

 

S:flo2 drives my RE0 directly thru LO on setting "normal" with best SQ I ever heard.... the good thing about the re0 is big impedance which allows u to listen on "not so loud / listenable" level ... however, in some songs its too loud then I switch to userEQ and all bands to -3
 
 
 
Guess the secret is out of the bag, i have been using my dba's straight from the LO as well with user settings on flat. The difference is quite noticeable if you have golden ears and it sounds cleaner and bass is tighter as compared to the HO. Only con is you will have to manually adjust the eq settings on some loud tracks.
​

 

[DJGeorgeT]

comparing the s:flo 2 (HO and LO) and line out of the Ipod 5.5, which one sounds better unamped?

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

comparing the s:flo 2 (HO and LO) and line out of the Ipod 5.5, which one sounds better unamped?

FWIR, and that's a very big FWIR many prefer the Sflo2 LO by a smidge over the IMod purely by SQ.  I think shigzeo was one.  Consider other variables and that may change.  I know averagejoe prefers his DIY iMod by a smidge over the SFlo2 but his iMod is not exactly typical to my understanding.  We are talking the same DAC afterall so I imagine diminishing returns come into play.  

 

[speedingredline]

I have a DIYMod and the S:flo2, at this point I am happy with the s:flo2 because it supports flac out of the box.

 

[Surrealsky]

Quote:

comparing the s:flo 2 (HO and LO) and line out of the Ipod 5.5, which one sounds better unamped?

Sflo2 LO sounds better.

 

[violinvirtuoso]

Quote:

Sflo2 LO sounds better.

Though I agree with the above; how would you use a LO unamped? FWIR, a volume attenuator degrades the SQ.

 

[gimbertt]

Try the Fanmusic MkII Mk2 for a cheap option, it sounds great, and the same thing with better opamps the Little Dot Mk1+ Gold which might be my next purchase.
 
Quote:

I use various pairs...but im not a fan of the HO on the Sflo2 compared to the LO:
 
I was thinking:
 
Ibasso D2+
Minibox-D
Ibasso T3
 
but i'm not sure on which one out of them would sound best with the sflo2

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Though I agree with the above; how would you use a LO unamped? FWIR, a volume attenuator degrades the SQ.

You use the EQ to adjust gain on the LO.  How do you use an iMod unnamped?!  That's the better question.

 

[rawrster]

Well from my understanding the imod on the 5.5g doesn't touch the headphone out

Although the question was an ipod not an imod but I guess it would sound the same if my understanding of the imod is correct.

 

[Surrealsky]

Quote:

Though I agree with the above; how would you use a LO unamped? FWIR, a volume attenuator degrades the SQ.

I have already posted. Just plug straight into the LO and adjust the volume through the eq gain setting. As the sflo2 LO is a 3.5mm and the dual wolfson dacs are being driven by a single burr brown op-amp.  It's already an amp inside the player itself just that no actual volume knob.

 

[ClieOS]

Quote:

I have already posted. Just plug straight into the LO and adjust the volume through the eq gain setting. As the sflo2 LO is a 3.5mm and the dual wolfson dacs are being driven by a single burr brown op-amp.  It's already an amp inside the player itself just that no actual volume knob.

The opamp is there to convert the L+/R+/L-/R- signal to L/R/G and buffer the signal to line-level, it isn't designed to drive anything.

 

[Surrealsky]

Quote:

The opamp is there to convert the L+/R+/L-/R- signal to L/R/G and buffer the signal to line-level, it isn't designed to drive anything.

Too fast too furious typing by me, wanted to type convert not drive.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

The opamp is there to convert the L+/R+/L-/R- signal to L/R/G and buffer the signal to line-level, it isn't designed to drive anything.

So is there an impact on the SQ as the signal passes through that opamp?  Is it an unavoidable circumstance w/o potential for improvement?  What happens w/ the QA350 with respect to the optical out or digital coax out?  Thx in advance for the education.

 

[ClieOS]

Quote:

So is there an impact on the SQ as the signal passes through that opamp?  Is it an unavoidable circumstance w/o potential for improvement?  What happens w/ the QA350 with respect to the optical out or digital coax out?  Thx in advance for the education.

The opamp for buffer? It is not about SQ impact, but really more about the necessity. But as far as the opamp (OPA2604) itself is concerned, I think it is generally considered to be a fairly good sounding opamp, just not top-of-the-line. It has been used in a fair amount of pretty good CD player as well as amp and DAC, You can certainly drop in a top-of-the-line opamp (as long as the voltage requirement is roughly the same) for replacement, but don't expect it to suddenly be a few times better in SQ. Personally I would think the NXP opamp for amp section might be more worthy for changing.
 
I don't know much about QA350, but I suppose a good digital out should sound the same as any other good digital out, regardless of optical or coax-out. The major factor affecting the sound, as far as hardware is concerned,  comes from the DAC and downstream process, where analog signal is involved.

 

[thesingularity]

My 3-month-old S:flo2 has stopped working: will not turn on, respond to charger, or to USB port. I purchased my S:flo2 in late July 2010 and have used it gently almost every day since.
What is the battery voltage across the "terminals" (black, red wires) SUPPOSED to be with the wires connected to the S:flo2's PCB (i.e., its std. setup)? I read about 7.94 volts. With USB charger in, the reading drops to 6.94v.
Depressing the main PWR/function button does produce an audible thump/click (as did the working unit) and releasing the main PWR/function button also produces an audible thump/click (as did the working unit). Only, the unit does not repond to this command by actually powering on (e.g., the red LED does not come on, followed by the touchscreen illuminating).
Has anyone experienced a similar problem? Is returning the unit for repair the only option? I had 8GB of files saved in the unit -- are those effectively now "gone"?
BTW: the unit, while used almost every day, was used very gently. Never "man-handled", shocked or abused. I did update the FW abut a month after purchase, but that was the only mod I performed.
BTW: Yes, I have tried to reset via both "pin-switches" (next to SDHC port, next to LO jack). No luck.