[elwappo99]

Today I decided to have a listen to the O2/odac combo. It's close ! It's too bloody damn close!

 
LOL, this is not reassuring

 

[James-uk]

No it's not . Or it is ?! Depends how you see it I suppose.

 

[elwappo99]

No it's not . Or it is ?! Depends how you see it I suppose.

 
I mean, I guess it makes the ODAC/O2 combo quite the bargain!

 

[TheManko]

Maybe the Odac is better than the dac in the HDVD 800, since that is the weakest part in the HDVD 800. I haven't heard the Odac, but as long as it's better than a Xonar Essence ST it should be better than the HDVD 800 dac. Trying to gain some perspective on the Odac I browsed through 30+ pages in the various Odac threads and many reviews and didn't learn anything. The only people buying it seem to be Fiio owners, and I've never heard any of them either. Maybe I'll buy one so I can get an idea of how good it actually is compared to the HDVD 800 dac and the Xonar Essence One Muses Edition.

 

[elwappo99]

  Maybe the Odac is better than the dac in the HDVD 800, since that is the weakest part in the HDVD 800. I haven't heard the Odac, but as long as it's better than a Xonar Essence ST it should be better than the HDVD 800 dac. Trying to gain some perspective on the Odac I browsed through 30+ pages in the various Odac threads and many reviews and didn't learn anything. The only people buying it seem to be Fiio owners, and I've never heard any of them either. Maybe I'll buy one so I can get an idea of how good it actually is compared to the HDVD 800 dac and the Xonar Essence One Muses Edition.

 
 

  Really?

 

[TheManko]

   
 

  Really?

 
I said it in my review, but might as well say it again. I did a comparison between the Xonar Essence ST and the HDVD 800 dac, using the HDVD 800 amp. They sounded almost indistinguishable. The main difference was some sparkly artifacts in the highs from the ST which the HDVD 800 dac smoothed over. Apart from that the tone, balance, detail, soundstage etc was basically the same. The markup from the HDVA 600 to the HDVD 800 is about €300, and the performance of the HDVD 800 dac is about on that level. The $2000 cost is not a 50/50 split between the amp and dac. It's more like 80/20 in favor of the amplifier.

 

[James-uk]

I will say that my A/B tests were using the single ended cable and sighted. I didn't do any accurate volume matching I just listened at the volume I like. I did think I heard differences so i would switch back and listen again but the 'difference ' I thought I heard wasn't there. It's hard to say ,I really wanted the HDVD to be obviously way better but I think I would fail a proper double blind test. One positive I take away from this experience is that amp/ dac tech really has got to the point where even with 2 different sets of components things should and do sounds the same because both are designed and perform correctly. Many will disagree I'm sure and I can't change your mind but I feel good about the fact they sound so similar . It means both have been designed correctly.

 

[Nic Rhodes]

ODAC is really very special for the money and competes with much higher priced units. What it lacks is SPDIF / Toslink interfaces etc but if you are just hooking upto a computer then you have to pay some serious money to better.

 

[Speedy Pedro]

Has anybody been able to A/B the HDVD 600/800 vs Auralic Taurus with a HD 800.
 
I have listened to them separately a couple of times (and even on the same day!) and have A/Bed HDVD 600/800 vs my Graham Slee Solo. But I have never been able to compare the first two side by side.
 
Would be interested in the thoughts of anybody who has been able to do this for an extended period of time.
 
Thanks
 
 
Pedro

 

[Windsor]

Hi guys - 
 
I have a few questions about the HDVD 800 and would be grateful if you would answer them. 

1. Can the HDVD 800 be used just as an amplifier in combination with a separate DAC - if I chose to get another DAC, could I then use the HDVD 800 bypassing its DAC and as a standalone analogue amp just like the HDVA 600?
 
2. For those of you that have many hours of listening experience with the HDVD 800 and HD 800 with stock cable, apart from being a means to hear the smallest details of the music and enjoy them with feeling, do you find that the tone/sound of that combo is conducive to pleasant listening in a relaxed, non-analytical way too?
 
Thank you.

 

[TheManko]

  Hi guys - 
 
I have a few questions about the HDVD 800 and would be grateful if you would answer them. 

1. Can the HDVD 800 be used just as an amplifier in combination with a separate DAC - if I chose to get another DAC, could I then use the HDVD 800 bypassing its DAC and as a standalone analogue amp just like the HDVA 600?
 
2. For those of you that have many hours of listening experience with the HDVD 800 and HD 800 with stock cable, apart from being a means to hear the smallest details of the music and enjoy them with feeling, do you find that the tone/sound of that combo is conducive to pleasant listening in a relaxed, non-analytical way too?
 
Thank you.

 
1. Yes, the HDVD 800 has the same balanced and unbalanced inputs as the HDVA 600 which bypass the internal dac.
 
2. This is a trickier one to answer as it's a subjective call. For me the answer is yes. It doesn't transform the HD 800 into Audeze headphones or anything, but it's still a far cry from the cold sterile sound of the SPL Auditor which truly did make the HD 800 sound more like a scientific instrument for sound analysis, rather than a tool for musical enjoyment.

 

[TheManko]

Have you spend much time comparing the headphone outputs of the Asus vs. the HDVD? I would be interested in hearing your opinions.

I finally got around to comparing the headphone outputs between the Asus Xonar Essence One Muses Edition and HDVD 800. First off I have to say that the Asus is nearly catastrophic from a functional perspective. The gain on the volume knob is crazy. 9 o clock on the Asus volume knob is the same volume as 11 on the Sennheiser. The potentiometer works in notched steps and is also very cheap, so the first three steps you only hear sound from the left channel. This means you have almost no range on the low end to work with before the sound gets really loud. I tried the HD 800 and B&W P5. It was a problem with the HD 800 and it made the P5 unusable with the Asus unless I lowered the volume via software. No wonder Asus have changed the volume knobs on later revisions.
 
As for the sound I really enjoyed the Asus. It has quite a lot of bass which goes well with the HD 800. Overall the sound seemed a bit peaky and glaring compared to the HDVD 800 amp, but it was subtle enough that it wasn't a problem most of the time. Sometimes a synth with reverb would sound a bit unpleasant, and I'd switch to the HDVD 800 and suddenly it'd sound just fine. At other times there would be some high frequency sound that grated just a tiny bit, and again I'd switch to the HDVD 800 and it'd sound just fine instead. Not serious issues though by any means. The stereo perspective isn't as wide with the Asus, and this was the most obvious difference going between the two amps. I had them volume matched, using the stock unbalanced HD 800 cable, so I could quickly unplug it from the Asus and jam it in the HDVD 800 in 1-2 seconds and hear the same passage at the same volume. Every time I went from the Asus to the Sennheiser the sound became wider and more open. Some subtle instrument always popped out at me as I assume it was being obscured slightly with the Asus. The Asus has a style that's a bit more blaring and in your face, while the HDVD 800 seemed better balanced, more natural and I would say more sophisticated. Several tracks had more physical bass oomph with the Asus, while the Sennheiser instead had more detail in the bass. Like the volume knob it comes with, the Asus has a slightly blunt sound. But it's very likable! It's energetic and fun.
 
As far as tone, balance and such the HD 800 goes very well with the Xonar Essence Muses Edition amp. The only problem is that the volume knob is a disaster. What kind of headphones did they have in mind when they tweaked the gain? The HDVD 800 knob is perfectly usable with even highly sensitive headphones, while the Asus will blast your ears off if you don't use something like the HD 800.

 

[palmfish]

  I finally got around to comparing the headphone outputs between the Asus Xonar Essence One Muses Edition and HDVD 800. First off I have to say that the Asus is nearly catastrophic from a functional perspective. The gain on the volume knob is crazy. 9 o clock on the Asus volume knob is the same volume as 11 on the Sennheiser. The potentiometer works in notched steps and is also very cheap, so the first three steps you only hear sound from the left channel. This means you have almost no range on the low end to work with before the sound gets really loud. I tried the HD 800 and B&W P5. It was a problem with the HD 800 and it made the P5 unusable with the Asus unless I lowered the volume via software. No wonder Asus have changed the volume knobs on later revisions.
 
As for the sound I really enjoyed the Asus. It has quite a lot of bass which goes well with the HD 800. Overall the sound seemed a bit peaky and glaring compared to the HDVD 800 amp, but it was subtle enough that it wasn't a problem most of the time. Sometimes a synth with reverb would sound a bit unpleasant, and I'd switch to the HDVD 800 and suddenly it'd sound just fine. At other times there would be some high frequency sound that grated just a tiny bit, and again I'd switch to the HDVD 800 and it'd sound just fine instead. Not serious issues though by any means. The stereo perspective isn't as wide with the Asus, and this was the most obvious difference going between the two amps. I had them volume matched, using the stock unbalanced HD 800 cable, so I could quickly unplug it from the Asus and jam it in the HDVD 800 in 1-2 seconds and hear the same passage at the same volume. Every time I went from the Asus to the Sennheiser the sound became wider and more open. Some subtle instrument always popped out at me as I assume it was being obscured slightly with the Asus. The Asus has a style that's a bit more blaring and in your face, while the HDVD 800 seemed better balanced, more natural and I would say more sophisticated. Several tracks had more physical bass oomph with the Asus, while the Sennheiser instead had more detail in the bass. Like the volume knob it comes with, the Asus has a slightly blunt sound. But it's very likable! It's energetic and fun.
 
As far as tone, balance and such the HD 800 goes very well with the Xonar Essence Muses Edition amp. The only problem is that the volume knob is a disaster. What kind of headphones did they have in mind when they tweaked the gain? The HDVD 800 knob is perfectly usable with even highly sensitive headphones, while the Asus will blast your ears off if you don't use something like the HD 800.

 
 
It sounds like you have an older Essence One with the channel imbalance problem. This was corrected by Asus some time ago... A different volume pot and the addition of gain jumpers.

 

[TheManko]

   
 
It sounds like you have an older Essence One with the channel imbalance problem. This was corrected by Asus some time ago... A different volume pot and the addition of gain jumpers.

 
Yep, I have the B10K pots. I tried to change it, but the suppliers in Sweden bought a batch of the old ones when they were launched, and they still haven't sold enough of them to order in new ones, so I couldn't get mine changed. When I contacted Asus they told me to go via the store I bought the Muses Edition from, and the only ones the store is able to get is what the Swedish suppliers have, and so I'm stuck with this one.

 

[palmfish]

That sucks.

Have you PMed head-fi member ASUSXONAR? He arranged a direct exchange for me.