If someone like Skylab, etc. came in and posted what you did these things would be flying off the shelf. Maybe even one to my house
Nuforce HDP vs Schiit Asgard
For those who don't already know, the Nuforce HDP is a DAC/Pre-amp/Headphone Amp combo priced at $449 with optical in, coaxial in, 3.5mm in , RCA in and RCA out. I am comparing the HDP's intregrated headphone amplifier with the Asgard
When I received them both on the same day, from a brief listen they sounded close to each other with the exception of more bass on the HDP. After 100 hours burn-in, the differences were more apparent. The following impressions is on a Grado RS1 with the HDP's DAC being the source for both. The magnitude of the differences may vary or change with other headphones.
Lows: The HDP still has more bass after burn-in, more so in the 30-80Hz region than the Asgard. It is not a huge difference but easily audible by A/B and the differences may be bigger on a bassier headphone. I felt that before burn-in, something was missing in the bass region on the Asgard but it can hit the low notes just as well as the HDP. To me the bass on the HDP better matched my RS1 since Grados aren't exactly plentiful in this region.
Midrange: The midrange on the Asgard is a tiny bit recessed in comparison to the HDP; I could tell with vocals in particular. The Asgard is a little smoother but fairly unnoticeable for rock. Guitars sound great both, full of life. The midrange presentation is not very different, both present mids that are full, rich and involving. There is no "blurring" on both during complex riffs so they are pretty much equal in the midrange separation. There's really no comparison here, they both are excellent in this area.
Highs: The highs on the Asgard is a little rolled off and sounds more delicate at the top end, it's not easily noticeable without a direct comparison against another amp. While the roll off may seem more "natural" and lifelike, the HDP does not roll off and sounds more extended. This was particularly noticeable on acoustic tracks and with cymbals. No strident highs heard on either amp, which is good.
Soundstage: The softer highs and ever so slightly recessed midrange from the Asgard in comparison to the HDP helped contribute an impression of a more airy presentation. The width is wider on the Asgard but the HDP has more depth. The RS1 has a small soundstage so to make sure I wasn't fooling myself, I used my AD700 which confirmed the impressions with my RS1. The Asgard sounds more open and outside of my head while HDP sounds narrower. Not a day and night difference but it is there.
Detail retrieval : Not much can be said here because both amps picked up tiny details very well. This was the most difficult part to assess. From background nuisances down to the sound produced by fingers sliding on the strings of a guitar, I could not pick up anything major between the two. The separation was exceptional on both. Perhaps I need a HD800 or equivalents around or beyond the $1000 region, who knows.
Decay: This is where I used piano tracks because I find it's the easiest way to distinguish an amp's capabilities in this region. The decay is longer on the HDP, and shorter on the Asgard; decay is easier for me to hear on the HDP. This was one of the bigger difference between the two. Also I must note that the piano on the Asgard did not sound as transparent as the HDP.
Instrument timbre: Both amps render a violin vibrato clearly as well as the tone of a clarinet. I could find no faults in both amps as I compared them many times back and forth, they perform quite well in this area.
Dynamics(Attack and Speed): The HDP has better dynamics, aided by the bass and crisper highs. It has more punch on upbeat rock music. It's not to say the Asgard doesn't have dynamics but its smoother sound makes it sound a little less aggressive on a RS1 which is a preference I suppose. Speed wise, I have no complaints about either one
This analysis was difficult, given how good both of them sounded with the RS1. There were times where I was simply just enjoying what I was hearing before I reminded myself to get back to it.
I still wonder how the Gilmore Lite compares to the Asgard using a grado, still hoping for that comparison.
Nuforce HDP vs Schiit Asgard
For those who don't already know, the Nuforce HDP is a DAC/Pre-amp/Headphone Amp combo priced at $449 with optical in, coaxial in, 3.5mm in , RCA in and RCA out. I am comparing the HDP's intregrated headphone amplifier with the Asgard
When I received them both on the same day, from a brief listen they sounded close to each other with the exception of more bass on the HDP. After 100 hours burn-in, the differences were more apparent. The following impressions is on a Grado RS1 with the HDP's DAC being the source for both. The magnitude of the differences may vary or change with other headphones.
Lows: The HDP still has more bass after burn-in, more so in the 30-80Hz region than the Asgard. It is not a huge difference but easily audible by A/B and the differences may be bigger on a bassier headphone. I felt that before burn-in, something was missing in the bass region on the Asgard but it can hit the low notes just as well as the HDP. To me the bass on the HDP better matched my RS1 since Grados aren't exactly plentiful in this region.
Midrange: The midrange on the Asgard is a tiny bit recessed in comparison to the HDP; I could tell with vocals in particular. The Asgard is a little smoother but fairly unnoticeable for rock. Guitars sound great both, full of life. The midrange presentation is not very different, both present mids that are full, rich and involving. There is no "blurring" on both during complex riffs so they are pretty much equal in the midrange separation. There's really no comparison here, they both are excellent in this area.
Highs: The highs on the Asgard is a little rolled off and sounds more delicate at the top end, it's not easily noticeable without a direct comparison against another amp. While the roll off may seem more "natural" and lifelike, the HDP does not roll off and sounds more extended. This was particularly noticeable on acoustic tracks and with cymbals. No strident highs heard on either amp, which is good.
Soundstage: The softer highs and ever so slightly recessed midrange from the Asgard in comparison to the HDP helped contribute an impression of a more airy presentation. The width is wider on the Asgard but the HDP has more depth. The RS1 has a small soundstage so to make sure I wasn't fooling myself, I used my AD700 which confirmed the impressions with my RS1. The Asgard sounds more open and outside of my head while HDP sounds narrower. Not a day and night difference but it is there.
Detail retrieval : Not much can be said here because both amps picked up tiny details very well. This was the most difficult part to assess. From background nuisances down to the sound produced by fingers sliding on the strings of a guitar, I could not pick up anything major between the two. The separation was exceptional on both. Perhaps I need a HD800 or equivalents around or beyond the $1000 region, who knows.
Decay: This is where I used piano tracks because I find it's the easiest way to distinguish an amp's capabilities in this region. The decay is longer on the HDP, and shorter on the Asgard; decay is easier for me to hear on the HDP. This was one of the bigger difference between the two. Also I must note that the piano on the Asgard did not sound as transparent as the HDP.
Instrument timbre: Both amps render a violin vibrato clearly as well as the tone of a clarinet. I could find no faults in both amps as I compared them many times back and forth, they perform quite well in this area.
Dynamics(Attack and Speed): The HDP has better dynamics, aided by the bass and crisper highs. It has more punch on upbeat rock music. It's not to say the Asgard doesn't have dynamics but its smoother sound makes it sound a little less aggressive on a RS1 which is a preference I suppose. Speed wise, I have no complaints about either one
This analysis was difficult, given how good both of them sounded with the RS1. There were times where I was simply just enjoying what I was hearing before I reminded myself to get back to it.
I still wonder how the Gilmore Lite compares to the Asgard using a grado, still hoping for that comparison.
