DAC,Heaphone Amp, soundcard suggestions

[sicknature 0]

yeah, much had been heard about the Fubar II, but wonder how is this external DAC in comparison with sound cards liek 0404 or even Juli@?

[Nu_Omega 0]

Jaben has both the Fubar II and the Juli@, you can head down there to give it a spin.

[stussyking 0]

getting my ne20 real soon.. are these the headphone amps to get or chu moy amps a way to go ..any opinions ?

[Nu_Omega 0]

--deleted--

Edited September 26, 2006 by Nu_Omega

[bluemoon39 0]

went to try fubar+beyond at jaben...would say the combo rocks..pair furbar wif ld2..its somehow not the way i 1 it...beyond seems to b faster.when listen ld2 n beyond side by side u can hear imeediate difference...anyway juz new to audio so stilling trying stuff out

[bluemoon39 0]

Thank to u la...keep intro me stuff..no choice gota go down n hear it myself..wats GEP..dun use chim term on me la..u know i juz started audio..

 

well i played the FIR CD as i forgot to bring my source..got it from fren whom went wif me..ermm tried wif beyond n ld2...beyond handles it well as it kinda fast pace..when comes to classical i believe not a much diff to me on both amps ( for my ears onli )..but like u say can change opamps mah..so i conculde according to my ears beyond is a beter steal as it can handle fast n slow..further more ld2 heated up fast... gota becareful of its placement at home...

 

As for buying 2 amps well didnt have the $$...i juz up my budget...was intendin to get ld2 as its cheaper..but after listen to beyond tink mayb give it a try....the best ting abt fubar is its USB..if u r intending or does have a laptop...it would b sweet to have it plug either desktop or laptop

Edited September 26, 2006 by bluemoon39

[bluemoon39 0]

where got gifted...u always ask me go down mah...later dun go down u dun ans my qns then muz google liao..haha..u r my google..

 

oh ya juz to add when test beter dun use other types of headphone..cos u will b gian...now find my setup not tat nice compared to 1st used..its like when listen to gd quality then when listen back to normal 1 u will find it lousy...tat will b a danger to ur wallet..

Edited September 26, 2006 by bluemoon39

[david.chew 0]

' date='26 Sep 2006, 02:21 PM' post='80442']

Congrats, you are far beyond others who just sit behind the computer and wait for reviews,

You've advanced into the GEP class, bluemoon39!

 

Alas, the GEP is called off already.

 

 

Were you from GEP? You seem almost sad that it's been phased out.

[bluemoon39 0]

i heard go vibe pair wif fubar also a gd combination...any1 else tried?hows go vibe compare to beyond?well no time go down try..mayb hear some reviews 1st then go try...1 is portable 1 is not..both solid state...

[Zakyn 0]

Try the Chaintech AV 710 soundcard, if you are not getting any USB DAC devices.

 

One of the better soundcards out there. At least it uses Wolfson DAC etc

 

 

[nightbreed 0]

The DAC will replace the sound-card if you plug that into your PC. Rather than let the sound card / chip do the D/A conversion, the digital signal will be routed to the external DAC.

 

I am using a Fubar II linked to my PC via a USB2 cable. It's then RCA to Xenos REP or RCA to my nEar speakers. All I can say that there was an audible difference (for the better) for music generated via the FuBar II. And I'm using an Audigy card on my PC

 

I would like to seek clarification on this point: "Rather than let the sound card / chip do the D/A conversion, the digital signal will be routed to the external DAC."

 

My laptop's soundcard is not working well (I spilt coffee on the keyboard) and after playing MP3s for about 10-15min at 65% volume, the SQ starts to degrade to the point where it's horrible to listen to. Since I won't change the card, can I bypass the soundcard altogether and let the DAC convert MP3s and CDs to my speakers? Is using USB (not USB2) possible?

 

My idea is that I connect a DAC (FubarII also) to my laptop, then a headphone amp to the DAC, then my headphones or speakers.

 

Can?

[madsumm 0]

Enjoy your purchase

 

The Firestone Beyond headphone amp is one great, under-rated amp! (can't seem to find any decent reviews on the 'Net anywhere). Probably because of it's funky exterior, most "audiophiles" probably sniff at it and wouldn't give it the time of day. In fact, I was kidding with Wilson that the surest way of making itself noticed would be to put the same amp in a fancy aluminum case and jack the price 3 times higher!

 

If you have a PCDP, try hooking up the Beyond to the line-out using quality interconnects. The sound can give any full-sized CDP a run for its money, and it's relatively portable, to boot! That's my bedside listening setup

 

 

I've had the Beyond for a while now. Have also changed the opamps 2-3 times to get the best chip.

Added heat sinks..etc. Its so bloody warm, and the bass is so smooth.

 

One thing about why I like Cutie so much is its ease in upgrade.

 

Rgds

[bluemoon39 0]

What chip are you using now?

 

I've had the Beyond for a while now. Have also changed the opamps 2-3 times to get the best chip.

Added heat sinks..etc. Its so bloody warm, and the bass is so smooth.

 

One thing about why I like Cutie so much is its ease in upgrade.

 

Rgds

 

[jmmtn4aj 0]

My idea is that I connect a DAC (FubarII also) to my laptop, then a headphone amp to the DAC, then my headphones or speakers.

 

Can?

 

Absolutely.

[madsumm 0]

What chip are you using now?

 

If I remember, AD8066.

 

Rgds