Ampang park / bank of China is fine with me, if COD can be earlier. else KL sentral 3pm is fine also.
The ZERO DAC + Headamp (NO 56K), OWNERS!!! REPORT IN!!!!
The ZERO DAC + Headamp (NO 56K), OWNERS!!! REPORT IN!!!!
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Mar 29 2008, 01:40 PM
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#21
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Ampang park / bank of China is fine with me, if COD can be earlier. else KL sentral 3pm is fine also.
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Mar 30 2008, 07:04 PM
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#22
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Finally COD with Godluvsxs at KL Sentral. nice seller with a lot of freebies.
My setup Sony DVD player NS76H -> Zero -> Soundstage 1.5 -> KEF Cresta 10 1st hour burn in, very shiok. test with Janis Ian, breaking silence and Guess u had to be there.. now can hear the bass and mid better. Improve soundstge. Bass is punchy, but is a bit stretch causing boominess at certain frequency. next fourplay chant (pa pa pa ra pa pa ra papapapapa),andy Mckee art of motion, and NAIM test CD Now the bass and instrument and high are begining to shine. as if the hidden instrument begin to uncover itself. next come the women voices III, jennifer wernes, rebecca pidgeon, alison krauss. The vocal is more true, the speaker is disappearing more and more (but still there) wait for next 24 hours. really worth the investment and wait This post has been edited by ccschua: Mar 30 2008, 08:45 PM |
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Mar 31 2008, 11:54 PM
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#23
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The more I listen to it, the more i feel engaged.
just dig out those audiophile CD and replay those songs, I felt like being thrown into it. Can feel more warm and depth, and the sweetness of mid and highs. wait another 24 hours. |
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Apr 3 2008, 08:50 PM
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#24
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Now 96 hours
Sony DVD player NS76H -> Zero -> Soundstage 1.5 -> (KEF Cresta 10) replaced with B&W 602 S3 HIFI quality. extended soundstage. Warm and crisp. low volume playing is very enjoyable. feel the matching of amp and speakers. However the bass at certain frequency (may be the 80 or 100 hz) is not controlled. suspect 1. stand 2. the dac. Dig back the women audiophile, and now with the B&W, i really feel the soundstage is there, as if the singer radiates no matter where i sit. When i sit right in front of the cd player, I can feel like holding the singer mic (as if the singer is there), the more I feel the speaker is gone. I am almost there, only to be awaken when the mid bass (not low bass, the speaker can go very low, it has 7" woofer) is present, a hum that is reavealing. Feel like rolling the browndog now. has anyone started browndog. will the browndog give me extended bass, or which opamp will give me the more complete bass. This post has been edited by ccschua: Apr 3 2008, 11:20 PM |
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Apr 3 2008, 11:22 PM
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#25
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QUOTE(kwekeugene @ Apr 3 2008, 10:36 PM) I had about 50 hours on my Zero. I saw that u were following the Penchuum thread. anything new to share. I just put in the OPA627 a mins ago. All I can say is that it's awesome. With the stock OPA2604, I felt there was some veil to the music, with the OPA627, crystal clear. The mids are very enjoyable I follow the thread, to discover when the phono turns green, I can use the knob to control the volume. I must say I am very happy with soundstage 1.5 tubeamp. |
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Apr 4 2008, 09:07 PM
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#26
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what is ms-1? dont even know that ?suspect no amp?
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Apr 4 2008, 11:50 PM
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#27
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Just try the OPA627 on Browndog.
Now i listen to the music longer, till the song finish instead of jumping the 'fav' songs. the feeling with OPA627 is quite obvious, so obvious and real that u think u are a step higher. The bass and high is extended, more background music, giving the extension more depth. However I feel the extended soundstage is making feel color or less neutral. (stock opamp is more tubelike, the vocal is rich and warm) more so at certain knocking at guitar and drums. cant seem to hear the knocking coming out. I just replaced the stock 2604 with browndog. Did I miss something? site note : Boy, the feeling of this OPA627 is like opium. |
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Apr 5 2008, 09:41 PM
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#28
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Well I tried LME49720 but I dont seem to find any discernable diff. plus i was so eager to try out the OPA627, so cant comment much. do u need to burn in the OPA 627 or not ?
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Apr 6 2008, 12:29 AM
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#29
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How is like comparing OPA 627 with LT 1364 in the DAC section? Has anyone tried it?
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Apr 6 2008, 10:55 PM
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#30
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As I am going thru the thread, I found the experience is more rewarding if I try to experiment diff opamp and analyse the behaviors of opamp for your liking.Pls find review from lawrence here and lets see who wants what.
QUOTE I am highly recommended OPA627. See below: The op-amps used are generally of poor quality, corrupting the analogue signal, having a disastrous effect on the sonic capabilities of the CD player. The effects are a smearing of detail, reduced dynamics, congestion of instruments on complex music passages causing a mass of sound, rather than a spacious, airy, sound stage. The quality of the mid-high frequencies is particularly poor, where the mid-band is brittle and aggressive, and higher frequencies are edgy, cold and fatiguing to listen to. The following op-amps produce the poorest results; NE5534, NJM2114, NE5532, NJM4558, NJM4560, AD711, AD712, LM833. The performance of op-amps from different manufacturers varies considerably. Therefore, selecting a single type of op-amp to meet the parameters required for the analogue output stage involved analysing data sheets and conducting many listening tests. The important parameters for sound quality are high speed (or bandwidth) low THD, fast settling, and low input noise. The most natural and musical sounding were FET-Input types as opposed to bipolar. Burr Brown OPA 627 BP(single, ceramic) on Browndog adaptor Price: US$28 each (Total US$56 for 2 singles) Browndog adaptor $5 Total: $61 Comment: Two words sum this chip up........ "absolute class" This is single chip and it was necessary to fit two single channel 627's onto a single to dual Browndog adaptor which Adapts two single-channel DIP-8 op-amps to a dual DIP-8 pinout. These 2 single channel op amps absolutely trounced anything that had gone before them ..... the width of the soundstage, the clarity and the sheer presence make this my choice of op amp for use in the Chiarra without a shadow of a doubt. The sound is just so "clean", so "natural", so "musical" and so "detailed" with the 627's on board. The Burr Brown 627 "is" headphone heaven....... absolute class act. LM4562(dual, ceramic) Price: US$30. Comment : A "Very" revealing chip, sound similar to the OPA627 but puncher around the edges. I found this chip gave out "way" too much information for my liking. It is analytical to the point that certain pieces of music can become impossible to listen to, especially bad recordings, it reproduces every last detail / imperfection with microscopic accuracy which, at times, can be detrimental to the overall enjoyment of the music. For those that love a warts and all insight into the music then this is the star of the show but it may not be to everyone liking. It may be an op amp which can beat OPA627. Burr Brown OPA2604 (dual, ceramic) Price: US$10. Comment: OPA2604 sounded very warm, very laid back and very easy to listen to but slightly veiled in the detail department. "Chocolaty" and "syrupy" though a good easy to listen to Op amp., This may just be what the doctor ordered for those who like a laid back, thick, chocolaty, easy going and easy to listen to sound. Linear techonolgy LT1057(dual, ceramic) Price: US$20, Comment: Without a shadow of a doubt this op amp is the star of the the centry. Easy to listen to, easy to pick out every last detail and ever so natural. There was an ethereal quality to the sound that only ever heard on high quality loudspeaker based systems. It's hard to put what this op amp does into words but listening to the sound with it on board is as close to headphone heaven. Very analytical. Linear techonolgy LT1028(single, ceramic) on Browndog adaptor Price: US$15 each (Total US$30 for 2 singles) Browndog adaptor $5 Total: $35 Comment: It provided very similar results to the LT-1057 but each component of the sound was treated to an additional air of realism and effortless delivery that was immediately evident. Linear techonolgy LT1028(single, metal) on Browndog adaptor Price: US$25 each (Total US$50 for 2 singles) Browndog adaptor $5 Total: $52 Comment: It provided very similar results to the LT-1028 but the sound is ten times better LT-1028 with their punch , detail , range of frequency ..... especially the naturality. Analog device AD797 (single, ceramic) Price: US$25 each (Total US$50 for 2 singles) Browndog adaptor $5 Total: $52 Comment : Smooth, highly analytical, warm, uncoloured, laid back yet all detail is present (and then some) Very electrostatic quality to the sound with that super solid state bass underpinning the proceedings without overwhelming them. Start and stops are followed by an inky black silence and the timbre of the drums is very realistic indeed. Something that is very evident with this op amp is it's inherent ability to provide accurate timing which I really do like! There is no bass overhang, the drums start and stop as they should and, as a result, the timing is pretty much spot on. This is like listening to music with a stethoscope with the metronome ticking away in the background but it also adds a touch of valium to make the experience very bearable and extremely enjoyable. Analog device DY2000 (dual, ceramic) Price: US$20 Comment : These chips makes the sound more valve like than the tube sound ever did if that can possibly make any sense! Melodious, slightly laid back and warm yet it brings out every last bit of detail from a recording. Overall a very nice sound. A kind of hybrid valve and solid state mix which gives the best of both worlds. Nice smooth valve like mids and highs with lovely solid state bass oomph . This is the Op amp for those who prefer a valve like sound but would also like a solid state bottom end delivery. With this Op amp you can have your cake and eat it. Smooth as silk. Analog device DY2000 (dual, metal) Price: US$35. Comment : It provided very similar results to the DY2000 ceramic but the sound is ten times better with their punch , detail , range of frequency ..... especially the naturality. Thank you very much ! Best regards, Lawrence This post has been edited by ccschua: Apr 6 2008, 10:58 PM |
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Apr 7 2008, 09:31 AM
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#31
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Based on what Lawrence say make me tick for LT1057, AD797 on browndog and DY2000 (metal). I would also like to try LT1364.
kwekeugene, can i try yr opamp? |
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Apr 7 2008, 06:21 PM
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#32
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Well they are Ibasso, Yulong, Zhaolu (new version) and other DAC to compare with but it boils down to costs and the flexibility of rolling. With other DAC, any mistake in the swapping and soldering will fry the chip. Zero is just plug and play and good play ground before one matures.
how I do the burn in, feed the ZERO with thousands of mp3 with the headphone connected .. is there other way? This post has been edited by ccschua: Apr 7 2008, 06:24 PM |
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Apr 8 2008, 09:58 AM
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#33
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Steve,
1xLT1057, 1set of 2xAD797 on browndog and DY2000 (metal) 1xLT1364. can u help on this. |
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Apr 8 2008, 10:37 PM
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#34
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While I still prefer to have OPA627 in the DAC, I find the cello and bass guitars is missing. The sound of bass strumming seems rather weak. Perhaps I have tubeamp thats why I want to try the tube like LT1364, knowing that it will fry my fingers.
I would still love the rich vocals and the guitar/cello bass |
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May 18 2008, 06:51 PM
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#35
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hi abel,
are u using tube amp? happy with your tube amp, mind to share your hifi setup ? |
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May 19 2008, 11:42 PM
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#36
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Hi Kwek,
Can I borrow your LT1361 and LT1469? I am in Cheras, I can meet you anywhere in KL. I dunno why Lawrence recommended AD797 since it is not unit gain stable. I felt missing out AD797 since this chip is widely used in MBL DAC. besides i am looking for 1. 1x LT1028 2. 1x DY2000 (ceramic or metal) how to find above ?? recently i switch back to stock OP2604 as I changed my tube to Mullard, meant for vocal, laid back listening. I found i am able to listen longer using tube like opamp. ----- i have order these Part Number Description QTY LT1028ACN8 Ultra Low Noise Op Amp 2 LT1057ACN8 Dual Precision JFET Op Amp 1 LT1361CN8 Dual 4mA 50MHz 800V/uSec OA 1 LT1469CN8 Dual 90MHz 16-Bit Accurate OA 1 is it correct part number ? This post has been edited by ccschua: May 20 2008, 12:33 AM |
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May 20 2008, 08:29 PM
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#37
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QUOTE(abel @ May 20 2008, 04:50 PM) sorry for late reply well the soundstage 1.5 hybrid is 35W / channel. My setup is quite musical. I have lots of choice with the setup. I can change the tube or the DAC opamp to get the best results. As for power, I seldom turn the volume more than 10 oclock, usually at 9.00 clock. quite happy with the power. The sound since I change to Mullard is very warm. Tonal separation is quite good. but suffers from dynamic, fast moving musics, till the point music get congested, and out of sync. Well a comprise is required. since i am getting more opamp, I will test and see. i just use diy Tube Buffer ...... my setup very normal only Marantz PM-4001 amp and Marantz CD5001 cd player with Mordaunt Short Carnival 2 speaker if not using the tube buffer sound very light .... vocal thin i saw ur signature u using soundstage 1.5 what i know soundstage amp enuf power for ur B&W ... n little sound bright ? bcoz B&W is using metal dome dunno la this my own opinion The Linear email confirm I should receive my sample in 5-8 days time. cant wait for the opamp to come for rolling. |
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May 22 2008, 09:26 PM
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#38
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when is the big day. may be someone interested to come and test. is kwek still in.
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May 27 2008, 12:33 AM
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#39
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Hows the meeting up ? is it this weekend. hopefully some good news on delivery. After more opamp rolling, I am focus on OP2604, LT 1364 and DY2000..
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May 31 2008, 10:54 PM
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#40
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I go back to OPA2604 and found the sonic quality is more to my liking.
for those who follow the zero dac, u may want to come for a tt at puchong area. please refer the bulk thread zero DAc. We can audition the zero dac with mcintosh and harbeth loh. ____________________________ The TT goes on as planned. very interesting though. a budget DAC makes it to the HIFI world. Rolling of DAC section still ongoing. looks like another opamp comes out in the Penchuum forum as well. http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/tweaks/me.../15/155776.html This post has been edited by ccschua: Jun 1 2008, 11:47 PM |
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