Poor Man Reviews: Final Audio Shootout

Egads, back in 2009, had I been in competition with today's headfiers, TouchMyApps would have sunk. One such awesome reviewer is thatonenoob, host of Poor Man Reviews of various headphones and related equipment. 

His reviews are easy to follow and to the point. His photography is above average. Well done.

Be sure to check out his Final Audio Heaven VII, VIII, and Lab 1 shootout and tell me what you think.

AUDIOENGINE D1 – GUARANTEED FOR THE REACHAROUND

Despite not driving low-Ω loads to perfection, the D1 is a great USB-powered DAC/headphone amp. Its output is nearly hissless, and it is powerful. And while it may not look as good in pictures as the D3, I prefer it. For 169$, it is a steal. 

I've got more to say about it at Headfonia.

Headfonics reviews the AudioEngine D3

And it's a good read. Here's how Marcus sums things up:

“The D3 tonally surprised me. Granted it’s my first USB “stick” and there is a lot more to try out there in the market but I honestly wasn’t expecting much. I got a lot more than I expected to be fair. More than enough power for most on the go cans and high impedance headphones and a nice analog natural sound that really made the old classics and a lot of folk music sounding rather authentic and appealing. It is a great contrast to the more digital sounding FiiO E18 and more in league with the likes of the smoother Cypher Labs Piccolo AMP/DAC which is a big step up in price and quality for me.”

I think Marcus adds in a bit too many to me's, but he stays away from tossing around the term impedance, which, at this juncture, is a good idea. Overall, this is another excellent review of an excellent DAC.

Hardware Canucks's beautiful YouTube review is probably the most helpful, and then there is mine, at Headfonia, which hands down, is the best shot. 

Sony will sell a “premium sound” microSDXC card to audiophiles in Japan

Ars Technica promoted the following comment to this post about Sony's new audiophile microSDXC card which will hit Japanese-only shores soon enough.

“Okay, everyone here needs to take a step back. I am an actual analog circuit designer, so here is my take:

First of all, let me start by saying I’m sure, just like everyone else, that these devices have no practical effect on the audio produced by pretty much any practical system. That said, people seem to be confused about the nature of noise in a system.

As the story correctly notes, digital systems are inherently noise resistant, and often include error correction. There is no SD card or cable in the world that will help improve digital transmission if all the data is already being successfully transmitted. However, analog systems are susceptible to noise. In fact, a significant amount of analog design is dedicated to dealing with noise. In addition to random noise, which is introduced by thermal movement or other random processes in the devices, analog signals are also susceptible to interference, or other nearby signals which can corrupt the analog signal. Nearby electromagnetic fields can couple to analog traces on the board, degrading performance. A significant effort goes into carefully routing and shielding analog traces, as well as moving sources of interference further away.

High speed digital systems are a large source of interference. The fact that digital systems involve several wires switching at “full swing” at high frequency means that it produces a comparatively large electromagnetic field in the immediate vicinity. Again, a significant effort goes into keeping digital and analog components apart from each other in high quality audio systems. If your analog trace goes next to a memory running at hundreds of MHz, it will effectively increase the noise floor of your audio.

It is conceivably possible that Sony actually did design an SD card which generates less electromagnetic interference (EMI). This could conceivably lessen the amount of interference coupled into an audio signal somewhere. That said... it’s not going to make any difference in reality. If the SD card noise was having a practical effect on your audio then the whole systems was crap to begin with. So, as I think everyone in this thread can agree, this is snake oil.”

And there really is nothing left to say until Sony get into the business of making porper hi-end ethernet cables.

via @Lachlanlikesathing

DAR: Oppo HA-2 review

Terse more than it is tongue-in-cheek, DARKO's newest review is an excellent read. The takeaway is that it drives well, but isn't exactly pocketable. 

Read the entire thing: OPPO HA-2 portable DAC and headphone amplifier review

Hardware Canucks: Audioengine D3 DAC Review

The D3 DAC may be the perfect solution for your portable needs if the built-in DAC on your notebook/ MacBook just doesn't cut it. The linear and clean response should excite most audio enthusiast that like the reference sound.

Speaking of Audioengine's D3 USB DAC, have a go at Hardware Canucks's video review (embedded above), which in my opinion, is the most-helpful D3 review out there. Actually, Hardware Canuck's reviews of products from mice to cameras, are incredible. 

My review will be out this evening at Headfonia.

The Audioengine D3 USB DAC

Disclaimer: this D3 came directly from Audioengine USA for the purposes of an upcoming Headfonia review. I covered duties, applicable taxes, and tariff paperwork, but nothing for the unit itself. Many thanks, Audioengine.

The Audioengine D3 has been hostage in my studio for about three months. Reviewing it has been neither painful, nor bothersome. The D3 is a striking unit. But I've been struck down by the move of a lifetime. The result is this: chaos in the studio, chaos at home; chaos, chaos, chaos everywhere. 

The D3 has done its part to alleviate some of that stress. (The rest melted into metabolised whisky and scotch.) The D3 is easy to use. You'll probably forget that it comes with a manual. It is a simple plug-and-play USB DAC with a powerful headphone amp. It lacks batteries, and works optimally when stuck into notebook computers, or portable devices that can kick out enough amperage to power the D3's internal circuitry. 

It will not work stuck into an iPhone. Or an iPad. 

Its main job has been to decipher data from iTunes and Audirvana. It tracks perfectly with OSX's software volume limiters, not to mention Audirvana's overrides. And, its amp is up to snuff. It kicks out decent enough current to keep signal quality high when pushing tough-to-drive earphones like the Earsonics SM2. And even though its sweet spot is something like the Audio Technica ES7, it can kick pretty strong signal into Mr. Speakers's Alpha Dog headphones. It has voltage up the wazoo. 

Its signature sound is warmish and anchored in the midrange. Highs roll gently off before 20Hz, and distortion levels meet valve levels. It's a whisky amp. It's meant for the comfy listening chair. And even though I don't want to hear you say it, you could say that it sounds very good with your favourite inbred selection of audiophile jazz records. 

Better than the Jones and the Kralls are the Smiths, the Denvers, The Alan Parsons Projects, in addition to the Kusanagis, and The Boards of Canadas. It's for your moody days, and for the days when you're prepping for that date. (Here's hoping for your luck.)

More to come tomorrow at Headfonia.

Relevant links:

iPod shuffle 512MB
Earsonics SM2
Mr. Speakers Alpha Dog