[munkyballz]

 
Quote:

Thanks for the input, I was worried I'd need to buy a more robust DAC to properly supply a tube amp down the road. 
 
I'm still just a bit confused about the best way to keep the D12 plugged in. I've looked at several of the amp manuals and a few of them state to make sure to keep the switch in the off position to maintain battery life. When I do have the switch to off and the usb power adapter is plugged in am I discharging battery still? I'm a bit confused and concerned I'll damage the amp if I don't set it up right. I still can't get over all the little extra's ibasso threw in and am reading up on opamp rolling

 
I read through the thread and I don't think anybody answered your question, which I was curious about too.
 
I believe that if you plug the D12 through USB (to say use it as a DAC/amp unit) with the charge switch off, it will run using the internal battery.
 
So not sure if you're suppose to switch the charge ON all the time if using it as a dac/amp for the PC or switch it off, can anyone clarify this?

 

[Cotnijoe]

Hey guys. This might be a dumb question but I'm kinda new to dacs and stuff. Will the dacs be able to read any type of file u throw at it?

 

[wolfen68]

Quote:

 
 
I read through the thread and I don't think anybody answered your question, which I was curious about too.
 
I believe that if you plug the D12 through USB (to say use it as a DAC/amp unit) with the charge switch off, it will run using the internal battery.
 
So not sure if you're suppose to switch the charge ON all the time if using it as a dac/amp for the PC or switch it off, can anyone clarify this?

 
I believe leaving the switch "ON" will result in shorter battery life as the D12 will always be charging.  I would recommend leaving it off and flicking the switch on periodically as needed to restore power.
 
This is the sole reason I sold my D12 vs. my older MicroDAC...the D12 does not have a good continuous usage mode without (eventually) sacrificing its battery.  

 

[HiFlight]

OTOH, the D12 User Manual states that the D12 has overcharge protection and that the charger can be left on continuously without overcharging.

With the Charge switch turned off, only the USB receiver is powered by USB, so in order to use the D12 as a stand-alone DAC or as a DAC/Headphone amplifier, battery power is necessary. Essentially, battery power is required for any D12 function. Of course with the Charge switch turned on, the battery just acts a a reservoir for power delivered via the USB cable and will remain charged.

 

[wolfen68]

I agree with all, including that the D12 won't overcharge...but the constant trickle charge will result in a shortened battery life.

 

[giveit2menow]

I was surprised that my laptop > usb input d12 > p4amp gave me the need to reduce the gain to zero or the volume didnt go past 8 oclock. Using the p4 straight from my walkman z gave me the need to up the gain or the volume went right round to 3 oclock.
 
Now i thought the aux out of the d12 bypassed its amp, so why does it seem the d12 outputs such a higher signal than a straight lod from the walkman thus bypassing that players amp fully.
 
On another note, using the d12 as a dac and then routing through the p4 filled out the bottom end, gave me more seperation but strangely also gave a more laid back mid. The d12 on its own had a noticeably more upfront mid. The p4 sounded more refined in the mid but just lost a teeny bit of excitement. Overall the the p4 was a definite upgrade, perhaps a 20% edge over the d12 alone. Shame they made switching gain so awkward, having to open the case up rather than a simple switch like the d12.

 

[WizardKnight]

I received my TopKit today. I tried all the new opamps and really love the pink coded opamp which is the most neutral sounding. It seems to add more extension to the top of the highs and has a more lush sound. The buffers in the TopKit seemed to improve the sound a small amount and give a little more power. My headphones are only 32 ohm and do not require a lot of power. So I compared the sound quality of the high and low gain settings of the amp and prefer the low gain setting. To me the TopKit seemed to give a significant boost in overall sound quality versus stock opamps and buffers. If I had to guess how much improvement would guess is somewhere around a 60 or 70% improvement. Thanks Ron for making the TopKit!

 

[Yuceka]

Ok here's my question. I just received my D12 and I think it is a great sounding DAC. Recently I sold my Macbook Pro and got an Air instead so I am no longer able to use my desktop DAC (Bifrost) with its optical as Macbook Air does not have an optical out. 
 
iBasso says: PCM2906B, converts USB into a S/PDIF signal
 
Does that mean that I can use the D12 between my Macbook Air and the Bifrost to provide optical signal out of the D12 into my desktop DAC? I don't see how that is possible but I am just trying to see what my possibilities are. 
 
Thank you for the answers. 

 

[WizardKnight]

I have a 13" MacBook Air and just use the USB to my amp and it sounds great! As far as I am aware the optical on the D12 is for input only. I love to use this input for my XBOX 360 and Apple TV via the optical output of my TV set.

 

[sweex]

Hy,
After reading this thread I'm seriously considering buying the D12 but I hope someone can help me out as this will be my first AMP/DAC combo.
I actually need this because I get a lot of audible ground-loop noise because of the PLC in our apartment. So that's why I would want to use the optical out from my MacBook Pro. I currently own Bower & Wilkins P5 Headphones which I really like, but they only have 26Ohm impedance so I was wondering if it would be able to deliver enough current? 
 
I do have some information on battery life of li-ion batteries: 
These type of batteries don't suffer from memory loss (when the battery capacity reduces when charging the while its not completely discharged) but the contrary. The best thing to do with these batteries is to charge and discharge them regularly because when keeping them completely charged and discharged the cells can "freeze up" and your battery capacity reduces.
 
Hope that helps and that you can help me in return 

 
PS my other option would be an Audioengine D1, I guess they will be able to drive my headphones as they show the same connected to the device on their website.

 

[detoxguy]

You should also look into the new Schiit mini combo. For 200 bucks you get a USB powered dac and a separate amp with tons of current.

 

[sweex]

By the Schiit mini combo I guess you mean the Magni Amp + Modi DAC? 
I kind of liked the fact that the iBasso had the two in one and the battery makes it portable also. I was wondering however how you would compare it to the Fiio E17, which has more or less the same features for less money. I am willing to spend more on the iBasso but I would expect better sound quality in return.

 

[detoxguy]

I had the iBasso and absolutely loved it and wholeheartedly recommend it. I  haven't heard any of the Fiio stuff at all so can't comment. sorry

 

[Chris J]

Hy,
After reading this thread I'm seriously considering buying the D12 but I hope someone can help me out as this will be my first AMP/DAC combo.
I actually need this because I get a lot of audible ground-loop noise because of the PLC in our apartment. So that's why I would want to use the optical out from my MacBook Pro. I currently own Bower & Wilkins P5 Headphones which I really like, but they only have 26Ohm impedance so I was wondering if it would be able to deliver enough current? 

I do have some information on battery life of li-ion batteries: 
These type of batteries don't suffer from memory loss (when the battery capacity reduces when charging the while its not completely discharged) but the contrary. The best thing to do with these batteries is to charge and discharge them regularly because when keeping them completely charged and discharged the cells can "freeze up" and your battery capacity reduces.

Hope that helps and that you can help me in return 

PS my other option would be an Audioengine D1, I guess they will be able to drive my headphones as they show the same connected to the device on their website.

an audible ground loop because of the PLC in your apartment?

if you have 260 Ohm headphones then your question really is, does the D12 have enough output voltage to drive that load.
I'll try using it with my 600 Ohm headphones tonight.
I'm not sure how they compare to the B&W 'phones.

 

[sweex]

Yes I guess my MBP uses a notch filter to filter out the 50Hz (Europe) and leaves the other frequencies.  But the P5 is only 26 Ohm so if I'm not mistaken current will be more of a problem than output voltage.