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Topic: "Good looking" ODAC/Objective? (Read 13050 times) previous topic - next topic
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Re: "Good looking" ODAC/Objective?

Reply #50 –
I believe the Audeze unit is made in China, unlike their headphones.  The boards do look very similar.  Of course, the BMW DesignWorks case on the Audeze unit will greatly improve the sound quality.

Re: "Good looking" ODAC/Objective?

Reply #51 –
That would be a shame, I kinda like the Matrix case better :))

Re: "Good looking" ODAC/Objective?

Reply #52 –
OP. If you are looking for a reliable, ground loop free, transparent DAC with a decent HP amp and guaranteed hassle free drivers in perpetuity the best place to look is not audiophile grade products but the genuine professional article. They are called audio interfaces rather than simple DACs and act as multipurpose tools. (Multiple (DAC), (multiple) ADC, mixer, HP amp, DI box, EQ and effects package, monitor controller - all rolled into one device.

Pretty much top of the range is the RME Babyface pro which will set you back a top of our budget 700 Euros. The SPL Crimson and Audient i22 and MOTU Ultrlite are all less expensive and excellent. The babyface is bottom of the RME range but all the oher brands mentioned have cheaper alternatives. Focusrite is a good budget brand.


Re: "Good looking" ODAC/Objective?

Reply #53 –
Cheap audio interfaces sometimes have laughable headphone amps.  I can't find any specs for the Babyface.

Edit: According to the manual, the Babyface has a headphone output of 30 ohms.  Not good.

Re: "Good looking" ODAC/Objective?

Reply #54 –
Would the M-Audio SUPER DAC be a contender then?  It has both high gain and low gain 

Output: 190 mW (32 ohms) & 210 mW (16 ohms) @ 1 kHz
Drive Ability: 16-100 ohms (1/8" / 3.5 mm); 100-600 ohms (1/4" / 6.35 mm)

Re: "Good looking" ODAC/Objective?

Reply #55 –
Quote from: HeadEx on
Would the M-Audio SUPER DAC be a contender then?  It has both high gain and low gain 

Output: 190 mW (32 ohms) & 210 mW (16 ohms) @ 1 kHz
Drive Ability: 16-100 ohms (1/8" / 3.5 mm); 100-600 ohms (1/4" / 6.35 mm)

If you only want unbalanced line output (fixed-level), you could just get a Fiio E10k.  I believe the headphone amp is equivalent, although Fiio actually properly specifies their output impedance.

Re: "Good looking" ODAC/Objective?

Reply #56 –
Quote from: theriverlethe on
Edit: According to the manual, the Babyface has a headphone output of 30 ohms.  Not good.
Which manual was that? In the manual V1.1 for the Babyface Pro I read two figures: 10 Ohm for the 6.3 mm jack, and 2 Ohm for the 3.5 mm jack.

Re: "Good looking" ODAC/Objective?

Reply #57 –
Here is the manufacturers link for the Babyface.

Babyface Pro


This is the relevant text for the headphone amps

DA, Phones 3/4

Quote
AS DA Line Out, but:

    Output: 6.3 mm TRS jack, unbalanced
    Output impedance: 10 Ohm
    Output level at 0 dBFS, 1 kOhm load: +13 dBu
    Max power @ 0.1% THD: 50 mW
    Output: 3.5 mm TRS jack, unbalanced
    Output impedance: 2 Ohm
    Output level at 0 dBFS, 1 kOhm load: +7 dBu
    Max power @ 0.1% THD: 70 mW

Two headphone amps - 2 Ohm and 10 Ohm.

SPL crimson is similar.

Re: "Good looking" ODAC/Objective?

Reply #58 –
I found out where the discrepancy came from: The figure quoted by theriverlethe comes from the older Babyface, not the new Pro.

Re: "Good looking" ODAC/Objective?

Reply #59 –
Quote from: pelmazo on
I found out where the discrepancy came from: The figure quoted by theriverlethe comes from the older Babyface, not the new Pro.

Correct.  That still looks pretty weak in terms of power output.  I would check the Matrix Mini-I Pro.

Re: "Good looking" ODAC/Objective?

Reply #60 –
Actually, I don't see any advantage of the mini-I pro vs the mini-I.  Just be aware of the 12 ohms output impedance.
 

Re: "Good looking" ODAC/Objective?

Reply #61 –
Of course there are other ways to get the performance of the O2 without the unsightly wires:



Re: "Good looking" ODAC/Objective?

Reply #62 –
:)) True. But even the Odac/Objective isn't available here, only on import and then it costs not much less than say an Emotiva, with the same level of support. So I'll keep looking a bit more :))

Re: "Good looking" ODAC/Objective?

Reply #63 –
After some "enhanced interrogation," I managed to discern that the headphone output impedance on the TEAC unit is 56 ohms.

Re: "Good looking" ODAC/Objective?

Reply #64 –
I'll be incorporating NWAVGUY's mods into my new Behringer UCA202:

http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/behringer-uca202-review.html
http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/03/behringer-uca202-frankendac.html

I detect faint but audible hiss, but the analog volume control seems to track reasonably well. With several hundred dollars left over, I'm sure a person could figure out a way to make it look more attractive.

Re: "Good looking" ODAC/Objective?

Reply #65 –
Thanks for the link to the Behringer. Not my kind of thing, output impedance of 47-50 Ohms. In a separate thread I've been asking for closed headphones and one of the candidates I ordered for evaluation is a Panasonic HD10. Impedance 18Ohm. So I would need an output impedance on my amp of 2 Ohms or less if the "8x" rule from NwAvGuy is absolute. I will have a look at what else Behringer has to offer though. Theriverlethe, thanks for your efforts in looking that up! Teac is then really no longer an option for me.

BTW, this little Behringer device reminded me of this one, which I came across a while ago, decided against it because of USB powered:
fostex_pc_100_usb_hr

Any good? I might get one of these for use at work.

Still looking into the 'goodlooking Odac' alternative. I'm running out of options: either the Pioneer, which is at the top of my price range, or risk importing something and hope I never need support.

I did find a dealer for the Odac/Objective with cables at the back and 6.3mm plug, as mentioned in the beginning of this thread. Price is rather high. If I wanted to make a custom case for this and tuck the powerbrick inside, would it be enough to use a metal case and put metal sheet around the powersupply and then attach the case to the mains earth?