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Originally Posted by ClieOS /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Lets toss the discussion on whether LO and HO is the same or not plus the sound quality of Griffin dock aside first, and assume LO from Griffin dock sounds the same as HO, then the question can be simply turned into whether adding an amp help HD650 performs better. For that question, I think Uncle Erik has written a very informative reply that is better than what I can explain myself. I think we can safely conclude that an amp is more than just an attenuator.
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Let me throw in my 0.02 here.
IMO the amp is all about control and power. Sound signature also plays into it as well, but that is personal taste, so I will stick with control and power. More complex and powerful amps can control hard to drive loads better, even at lower volumes.
Using a car simile (note, this isn’t perfect and is for illustration purposes and following up on what Uncle Erik said):
Take a car with active suspension and traction control vs. a car without, such as a Mercedes S600 vs. a C300. The S600 has much more power and better braking ability than the C300, but for the sale of this example, the engine isn’t really a factor due to our speed. Now take the road, a 270 degree freeway on ramp with a 30 MPH posted speed limit (in my neck of the woods, a posted 30 MPH can be taken by low end late model cars at say 40 MPH). Now let's equate the condition of the road to the source being driven. Style differences equate to different sound signatures. Do you prefer the S600 or C300 styling, there is no right or wrong answer.
But comparing the Fuze amp to an external amp, the comparison could actually be a Toyota Corolla vs. a S600. But to try to keep things simple, I will just use a C300 and S600.
Great condition (easy to drive load) = line in of an amp or powered speakers, etc.
Good condition (fairly easy to drive load) = some headphones
Poor condition (hard to drive load) = a few headphones, such as my IE8 IMO
Somewhere between good and poor (some complexity) = a lot of headphones
And a straight, smooth road = 1KHz test tone
The song can be equated to the weather, some songs are a clear day, some are cloudy, some are rain, sleet, or snow. The more complex song, with more space the worse the weather, which can also increase at higher bitrates.
Equate the amp configuration and capacitors used in the line out signal path vs. the HPO signal path to tires:
The HPO = stock tires
The Griffin dock with tantalum caps and aluminum wire = the cheapest possible tire
Dock with AVX caps = good all around (better than stock) tires
Dock with AE caps = similar to AVX, but are a little stiffer and higher performance
Dock with film caps = best all around tires money can buy
So, taking that onramp at 30 MPH in either car on a smooth road with perfect weather conditions is going to be similar. Add some incremental weather, bumps and potholes, and there will be a difference in how the two cars handle, as the S600 will have better control. As the road becomes bumpier and the weather gets worse, which would you rather be in? Oh, and ultimately how the car handles can depend on the tires used, where the rubber hits the road, or in audio, what is directly in the signal path. The better car with the worse tires may perform worse than the other car with the best tires.
And let’s talk about how the same driver would fair in both cars (same source DAC internally in the Fuze). I would bet the S600 driver would have less of a chance of losing control going the same speed in poor conditions with poor weather, even with the same quality tires. Increase the quality of tires, and the differential is even bigger.
And let’s not forget to take into account the ability of the driver, as some drivers know how to drive in poor weather and road conditions better than others. Going 30 MPH on a bumpy pothole filled road in driving rain might be scary for one driver, whereas another driver might think it was fun, and yet another might think nothing of it. Perspective.
So to emphasize my points:
- Poor road conditions combined with poor weather conditions would show the advantage of the better car and tires. Driving down a smooth straight road at a normal speed would not bring any benefit (1K test pattern, so the amp is not driving the entire, complex load). In amp terms, the more complex the headphone load, the better the LO via an amp
may sound vs. the HPO. The more complex and spacious the song, the bigger the difference between the HPO vs an amp via LO.
- Tires used make a difference, even with the same car. Some tires may perform about the same but give the car a different feel. In Fuze terms: different docks will perform differently depending on the caps used. Some caps may be similar from a distortion and other specification standpoint, but have a certain sound signature that people prefer.
- The same driver (same DAC feeding the HPO and LO) can have less of a chance of losing control due to a better car (signal path including amp, FM antenna), plus the tire part of the equation. In Fuze terms, while the same DAC is used to feed both the HPO and LO, the rest of the signal path will affect performance.
- Human ability to drive, and for the amp/Fuze hearing ability!
Summary: There will times with certain equipment and songs that people may notice a difference (quantified as only they can), other times there will be little to no difference. And some people may notice a difference for almost all music, just depends on their equipment, the source music, and their ears!
Let me know what you think; tear me apart or build me up
