[MrRzepa]

@ezekiel77,
Rzepa loves his dap but it's a modified Ipod Video (internal amp section is bypassed in order to get more from dac) so external amp is a must. Maybe dated already but this is Rzepa's way What about Arrow (Arrows?)?

Also thank you for yer fast reply

 

[Andykong]

Well-put. If I can't notice any difference in sound quality, I really don't care too much, either. (It would be a different story in a recording environment, though, where 24-bit WAV / FLAC files are needed for that purpose.) For listening, 192 kbps MP3 is all I need.

I usually listen with the volume on my C5 amp at max and the gain switch on high, while controlling the volume from my Rockboxed iPod Classic.  When playing it at medium and high volume levels, the small hiss noise from the amp is drowned out and usually unnoticeable. When listening at low volume, though, I flip the gain switch on the C5 to low, and that gets rid of the hiss noise.

Most people can't notice anything less than 3% distortion, or anything more than 30-to-60 dB of dynamic range, anyway.

Well, click the big link below to relish my latest brand-new invention. It includes an entire set that's dedicated to matching the bass-boost switch on the Cayin C5 to sound good. Bon appetit!  :atsmile:  

[COLOR=0066CC]DiscoProJoe's Rockbox EQ Presets, Version 3.0[/COLOR]

I suggest you set the volume of C5 at 80% and then adjust the volume of your iPod for optimum listening, this should put C5 into heavy load and yet remain at very low distortion level.

 

[ezekiel77]

@ezekiel77,
Rzepa loves his dap but it's a modified Ipod Video (internal amp section is bypassed in order to get more from dac) so external amp is a must. Maybe dated already but this is Rzepa's way

What about Arrow (Arrows?)?

Also thank you for yer fast reply

 
Just a few posts up, Kerouac mentioned this.
"There is a bass (and treble) switch on it with 3 levels => you can turn it into a bass monster if you like that 

But when you don't activate it, it's quite neutral."
 
I personally haven't tested it before but people like it because of it's good bass and slimness.

 

[MrRzepa]

Thanks ezekiel Rzepa will do more research and think (oh, that's gonna hurt...) what he needs

 

[DiscoProJoe]

I suggest you set the volume of C5 at 80% and then adjust the volume of your iPod for optimum listening, this should put C5 into heavy load and yet remain at very low distortion level.

 
How does the volume knob on the C5 affect the distortion level? From what I can hear (with my ears), there only seems to be extra hiss noise with the volume all the way up on the C5, and no extra audible distortion.
 
I also have the "Maximum Volume Limit" in Rockbox set at the maximum +12 dB. (Rockbox's volume control ranges from -60 dB to +12 dB.) Occasionally when using the 9th and 10th bass increments in my EQ presets, I have to use up most of the volume gain on the iPod because the overall volume level is reduced from all the EQ sliders except 32 Hz being pushed down a lot to emphasize the low-end sub-bass.
 
(This "reduced volume" starts happening progressively beyond the 6th bass increment in my EQ presets, after the 32 Hz slider reaches its +24 dB limit.)

 

[DagsJT]

Would this work well coming off a Mixamp?

 

[bavinck]

Hot damn this makes my hifiman he400i sing! Hidizs ap100 to c5 to 400i is just sublime

 

[Andykong]

How does the volume knob on the C5 affect the distortion level? From what I can hear (with my ears), there only seems to be extra hiss noise with the volume all the way up on the C5, and no extra audible distortion.

I also have the "Maximum Volume Limit" in Rockbox set at the maximum +12 dB. (Rockbox's volume control ranges from -60 dB to +12 dB.) Occasionally when using the 9th and 10th bass increments in my EQ presets, I have to use up most of the volume gain on the iPod because the overall volume level is reduced from all the EQ sliders except 32 Hz being pushed down a lot to emphasize the low-end sub-bass.

(This "reduced volume" starts happening progressively beyond the 6th bass increment in my EQ presets, after the 32 Hz slider reaches its +24 dB limit.)

Sorry for not being specific enough, the hissing sound is part of the distortion that I have in mind.

When you turn up the volume, "noise" such as hissing will appear, they just aren't audible until you turn them all the way up, but when you double amp the signal, the non-audible noise will be amplified once again and make a different to the final sound output, that's why I suggest we turn down the C5 volume a little bit when we are double amping.

 

[rudyae86]

  Would this work well coming off a Mixamp?

Yes. I use it with my Recon3D and it sounds great.

 

[ld26]

Hey guys, I've got the C5 for about a year. Recently I noticed that the amp got brighter than I recall it used to be (it's definitely on the bright side now) and the bass rather lacked in both impact and quantity through my HD650. My crappy laptop's headphone port actually delivers more satisfying bass now. I know I should upgrade to a desktop amp to bring out the best of the HD650, but I need to know if it's a sign that my C5 is broken?

 

[bavinck]

Hey guys, I've got the C5 for about a year. Recently I noticed that the amp got brighter than I recall it used to be (it's definitely on the bright side now) and the bass rather lacked in both impact and quantity through my HD650. My crappy laptop's headphone port actually delivers more satisfying bass now. I know I should upgrade to a desktop amp to bring out the best of the HD650, but I need to know if it's a sign that my C5 is broken?

Maybe the battery is calling it quits. That would suck if it only lasts a year.

 

[ld26]

Maybe the battery is calling it quits. That would suck if it only lasts a year.

Does battery really affect SQ? I don't notice any significant drop in battery life.

 

[bavinck]

Does battery really affect SQ? I don't notice any significant drop in battery life.

If it wasn't putting out the intended potential then I would expect a marked decrease in its ability to move a driver, especially in the bass. Otherwise maybe one of the opamps is gone south?

 

[virtuoso735]

Anyone use this with an iPhone 6 with headphone out connection? Does the double amping with an iPhone work well?

 

[m1ck3ym0us3]

I set my iPhone 6 to about 60-75% volume and then adjust my C5's volume from there.  
Sounds fine without any distortion going to my Trinity Audio Atlas IEMs.