[ExtraNice]

I checked Australia's Import Tax page... everything under $1000 is tax and duty free, except for smokes.

Very happy about that.

 

[Skibumef]

I just ordered mine in the early AM today here in the US. I was pleasantly surprised when my first email to Audio-gd was answered less than a minute later by Cherry! Like everyone else, I can't wait to get that 'friggin box! This is my first real hi-fi purchase you could say, as I'm stepping up from my Headroom Total Bithead. I'm looking forward to hearing the improvement.

 

[nv88]

Is there an update on the selector knob? I saw where a few people said theirs become loose. Were these isolated cases, have the knobs been changed, are they attached differently now...? The heat which apparently goes away during burn-in and a few loose selector knobs are the only minor issues I've read about.

 

[haloxt]

The reason why some knobs became loose was because they weren't glued like the first 18 prototypes, but now they're all being glued. I don't think the heat is a problem at all, some people are keeping track of the heat emitted as time goes on and with different gear but haven't reported back yet. We've been wondering about the heat since we first got compasses but no problems seem to have arisen yet.

 

[nv88]

I'm seriously thinking about placing an order. I can't decide between the Compass or an iBasso D10. Can anyone comment on the relative sound quality of the Compass over a nice portable dac/amp? I know these are very different, but I can only get one. I've had a couple of portable amps (D1, Minibox-e+). But the only desktop DAC/amp I've had was a EMU 0404 USB. I'd rather have the drastically better SQ. But if the sound quality is close I may rather have the portability.

 

[haloxt]

If your EMU 0404 is anything like my $200 Claro Halo sound card, you're going to hear the difference the first second you listen to this full-size dac/amp, and it'll get much better after several hundred hours of burn-in

 

[nv88]

The DAC wasn't bad on the EMU 0404 (IMHO), but the headphone amp wasn't very impressive. I'd like to think the headphone amp in something like the Compass will be a drastic improvement compared to what's in any portable amp. I just wanted some confirmation.

 

[haloxt]

It will be a drastic improvement, it's got electrolytes which portable amps don't have and has Brawndo's seal of approval.

Just generally speaking, portable amps are made to be portable, not with SQ as the primary objective. That's not the case with the compass.

 

[nv88]

Well if it's got electrolytes... I can't argue with that.

 

[Drosera]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nv88 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The DAC wasn't bad on the EMU 0404 (IMHO), but the headphone amp wasn't very impressive. I'd like to think the headphone amp in something like the Compass will be a drastic improvement compared to what's in any portable amp. I just wanted some confirmation.

I've seen the DAC of the E-MU 0404 described as very detailed, but not very musical. A DAC designed for enjoying music (like that of the Compass), rather than analysing it (like the E-MU) will probably sound different.

 

[nv88]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drosera /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've seen the DAC of the E-MU 0404 described as very detailed, but not very musical. A DAC designed for enjoying music (like that of the Compass), rather than analysing it (like the E-MU) will probably sound different.

Yes, the EMU was very crisp and clear, but tended to be a little harsh sometimes. I'm just trying to get an idea of what to expect. I think the headphone amplifier will be as eye opening to me as the DAC.

 

[slim.a]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drosera /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've seen the DAC of the E-MU 0404 described as very detailed, but not very musical. A DAC designed for enjoying music (like that of the Compass), rather than analysing it (like the E-MU) will probably sound different.

I own both an EMU 0404 usb and a DAC-100, which is basically a dac section only of the Compass.
In my opinion the 0404 usb and the DAC-100 have different sound signatures but I wouldn’t say that the 0404 usb is more detailed. In fact, the EMU is a little light on the bass and is more foreword on the mid-highs. By doing a quick comparison, one can mistake the EMU sound signature as very detailed.
However, I have come to find that not only the DAC-100 is smoother sounding, but it is more detailed than the EMU-0404 usb: it has much stronger bass and more refined mids and highs (with the earth HDAM installed). For instance, instruments on live recordings sound more real with the dac-100.
However, I am keeping the emu as a transport (spdif) since it yields much better results than the USB input of the DAC-100.

 

[Drosera]

Quote:

Originally Posted by slim.a /img/forum/go_quote.gif I own both an EMU 0404 usb and a DAC-100, which is basically a dac section only of the Compass. In my opinion the 0404 usb and the DAC-100 have different sound signatures but I wouldn’t say that the 0404 usb is more detailed. In fact, the EMU is a little light on the bass and is more foreword on the mid-highs. By doing a quick comparison, one can mistake the EMU sound signature as very detailed. However, I have come to find that not only the DAC-100 is smoother sounding, but it is more detailed than the EMU-0404 usb: it has much stronger bass and more refined mids and highs (with the earth HDAM installed). For instance, instruments on live recordings sound more real with the dac-100. However, I am keeping the emu as a transport (spdif) since it yields much better results than the USB input of the DAC-100.

Thanks for that, that's very valuable information. It's also exactly how I thought a comparison between the two DACs would turn out.

 

[idunno]

nv88: the Compass is a substantial improvement over the D1, imo. My initial impressions of the differences have only been strengthened with burn-in. I haven’t heard the D10, but I can’t imagine that it would compare with the Compass.

I’m also starting to suspect that the D1 is not quite enough amp for the DT-250/250 I’ve been using at work, or maybe the DT-250 simply has great synergy with the Compass. In general the Compass sq is much improved over the D1, but it seems that the difference is more significant with the DT-250 than with the HD650 or DT-880; though this may be my head playing tricks on me. Over the weekend I’ll try to bring the DT-250 and D1 home, to do some direct comparisons, along with the other tests and comparisons I can now do, since I’m well over the magic 400 now.

 

[rx7mark]

Anybody know if Kingwa is planning a modest 2 channel amp in the same chassis footprint as the Compass/C2C? I thought I had read something about this, but can't find it now.

I would really like to see a nice matching 2 channel amp to use with my compass to drive full size speakers. I'm currently doing this with an old Dennon integrated, but after listening to the Compass by headphone I would like something that comes closer to that sound quality for speakers.

Current Audio-GD amp offerings are a little out of my budget. I was thinking of something under $500. Of course there are other brands, but I'm feeling partial to Audio-GD at the moment.

If nobody has any info, I will contact Kingwa.

Mark