dacs

Can a portable headphone amplifier satisfy demanding audiophiles?

There's good sound, and there's high-end sound; the difference is in the details. Case in point: the little Cruise USB digital-to-analog headphone amplifier from Alpha Design Labs by Furutech.

The Cruise sounds clear, clean and remarkably transparent. Regarding the details, connectivity comes in two flavors, there's a 3.5 mm analog stereo line input and 24/96 USB digital input. The Cruise can run off its external AC power supply, internal rechargeable lithium ion battery, or USB power from your computer. Furutech claims the battery is good for 80 hours of playback time.

High-end gear has to look the part, and again the Cruise scores. It may be a little thing, but it feels solid. Mirror-polished, nonmagnetic stainless-steel end caps flank a curvy, high-gloss carbon fiber body. Resting on my desktop the Cruise absolutely looks the part; it's the real deal. … Read more

Improve the sound of headphones & desktop speakers for $39

I wasn't expecting much from the Hifiman Express HM-101; it's just a $39 outboard USB digital-to-analog converter and headphone amplifier. Well, this tiny USB-powered (it doesn't need batteries or an AC power supply) device definitely pumped up the sound of my Audio Technica ATH-M50 headphones! They sounded significantly better with the Express than they did plugged directly into my Mac Mini's headphone jack. Sure, the Mac's sound is perfectly acceptable--until you compare it to something better.

The Express is a lot better.

Before we go any further, the Express isn't just for headphones, it also has a line-out 3.5mm jack you can run to a set of desktop-powered speakers, like myAudioengine 2s. DAC resolution isn't specified, but it's probably 16-bit/48-kHz.

Switching over from the computer's headphone jack to the Express, the first thing I noticed was that the Express could play a lot louder. That's great, but when playing drummer Ginger Baker's "Going Back Home" CD at equal volume levels from the computer and the Express, the Express unleashed more of the drummer's hard-hitting dynamics. The computer squashed his sound, especially Baker's mighty bass drum. Wow, the little thing delivers. If anything, the Express errs on the side of too much bass fullness, which isn't such a bad thing.… Read more

This USB-powered headphone amplifier will delight audiophiles

A great headphone amplifier is one that makes headphones sound better than you thought they were. Judged by that standard, the Centrance DACport will be an awesome upgrade for buyers who have already invested in high-quality headphones.

This component, which was made in the U.S., is downright elegant in its simplicity. There's no power adapter or batteries; the Centrance DACport ($400) runs off your laptop or home computer's USB port, and it doesn't care if it's running Mac, PC, Linux, or iOS. The DACport has a 1/4-inch (6.3 mm) headphone jack at one … Read more

A better-sounding way to play CDs

I've owned, listened to, and reviewed a lot of high-end CD players, but none of them sounded as good as PS Audio's PerfectWave Transport and Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) components.

The Transport uses a CD-ROM drive mechanism that "reads" and rereads the data on the CD as many times as necessary until a bit-perfect match is achieved. PS Audio's Web site says the CD's data is placed in a 64MB memory buffer as the music plays, so you're not directly listening to the CD. To prove that claim remove the disc from the Transport and the music will continue playing for approximately 30 seconds!

The Transport can also play high-resolution WAV files off DVDs, with sample rates up to 192-kHz with 24-bit resolution. I had a few of these DVDs on hand for this review, and the PerfectWave components really shined with high-resolution audio. … Read more

High-end audio on the cheap from NuForce

NuForce makes pricey preamplifiers and power amps that sell for thousands of dollars, but it's one of the few American high-end audio companies that also offers truly affordable gear. Most of the products NuForce sells are upgradable; it provides its customers with the most up-to-date technology, as well as value.

The NuForce uDAC-2 is a tiny (2.75 inches by 1.5 inches by 0.75 inches) USB Digital Audio Converter (DAC) that connects your personal computer's audio with your home stereo, desktop sound system, or headphones. The uDAC-2 processes incoming data via a USB audio receiver, which … Read more

Brick-and-mortar store demos 100 headphones

Reading about the sound of high-end headphones on my blog is one thing, but there aren't too many places where you can actually compare the sound of top-of-the-line headphones before you buy a pair.

That's why Ken Ball started 32 Ohm Audio. The shop has about 100 headphone models on hand from AKG, Beyerdynamic, Denon, Grado, JH Audio, Koss, Monster, Skullcandy, Sennheiser, Ultrasone, and so on, as well as a large assortment of headphone amplifiers and digital-to-analog converters you can try out. Or you can just plug the headphones directly into your iPod or Zune to try them. You can't do that online, and face it, there's no substitute for an ears-on headphone audition.

It seems as if I'm always getting e-mails from readers asking about the difference in sound quality between decent set of $100 'phones and a top of the line $1,000 Grado or Sennheiser. I understand the dilemma, but all I can do is report what I hear. I'm thrilled there's at least one place where people can go hear them with their own ears. The store also sells custom-molded in-ear headphones from JH Audio, which 32 Ohm Audio can demonstrate before you buy--the shop work with a local audiologist who makes custom ear molds.

Don't get the wrong idea, most of 32 Ohm Audio's customers aren't buying $1,000 headphones, but because of the store, they know they exist. Ken Ball says the Grado SR 80i ($95) is, "Dollar for dollar, the best sounding headphone you can buy, they're amazing."

Headphone comfort is another area that's subjective, there's no substitute for putting a pair on your ears, and listening to a song or two to see how they feel. Sure, they might feel fine at first, but give 'em some time before you commit to buying them.  I'm sensitive to headphones that make my ears sweat, as the B&W P1's do for me. However, the P1 doesn't have that effect on everyone, so you can't know in advance how it's going to work for you.

It's also great to hear how a high-end headphone amplifier can transform the sound of a headphone--it's not a small change. The same applies to digital converters; at 32 Ohm Audio you can hear the difference. Bring your laptop in and have 32 Ohm set you up with a first-class headphone rig. … Read more

Using Apple's AirPort Express with a DAC: A how-to guide

Want brilliant sound quality from your AirPort Express? So did we. And for that, we needed to connect it to a dedicated audio processor via fiber-optic cable.

Apple's AirPort Express does much more for audio lovers than you might think. You're probably aware that it lets you stream your iTunes library, from your Mac or PC, over Wi-Fi, through the APE to your hi-fi. But you may not know that it has a digital fiber-optic output, meaning it can stream lossless audio, with bit-for-bit accuracy, to a dedicated sound processor (a DAC), and into a hi-fi sound system.

Um, why should I be interested exactly?

Because when you send audio via AirPort Express, it's processed by its on-board sound chip. It's fine for most people, but it's basic. If you've invested in a decent hi-fi you're going to want to let a DAC process your audio properly, which means taking sound away from the AirPort Express via optical digital cable. By doing this, the APE simply passes the digital signal on, instead of converting it to audible sound and passing it over a standard audio cable.

Sounds awesome. By the way, what the hell is a DAC?

Ah, yes, we're assuming here you know what a DAC is. For those of you who don't know, it's usually a dedicated box, and it has just one job: turn a digital signal of ones and zeroes into sound. This requires specialist circuitry and audio chips, so it's something usually confined to the audiophile world. But if you've got a decent home audio system, it's something to seriously consider investing in.

This is a DAC. The iBasso D10, to be precise.… Read more

Star Trek D-A-C for Xbox Live Arcade hands-on

Haven't had enough of your "Star Trek" fix now that the J.J. Abrams reboot has sent America into a Trek frenzy? Has the week rolled around only to have you cry out in despair, "more, more?" Well, Paramount Digital Entertainment is there for your desperate cries. Its movie-based multiplayer shooter, Star Trek: D-A-C, hits Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday, exclusively for the 360, costing you a cool-as-Spock 800 points.

What does D-A-C mean? We don't know. And you don't get to know that until you play through the game (we're serious). Set … Read more

Don't plug high-end headphones into AV receivers

Sure, most AV receivers have "good enough" built-in headphone amplifiers, which are fine for occasional listening.

But if you regularly listen to a decent set of headphones over your home theater system or computer, I recommend moving up to a high-quality headphone amplifier, like Benchmark's DAC1 USB ($1,275).

AV receivers' headphone amps, even on $1,000+ models either sound anemic, with little or no bass, or they're muffled sounding things. Whenever I review high-end headphones, I always plug them into an iPod, AV receiver, and a dedicated headphone amplifier, just to see how they perform in different contexts. But headphones always do their best when plugged into a good headphone amp.

Benchmark is one of the few manufacturers of professional audio gear that has consistently wowed audiophiles. The company offers a range of headphone amplifiers, and I reviewed the Benchmark DAC1 USB when I tested the Denon AH-D5000, Grado GS-1000, and Ultrasone Edition 9 luxury headphones for Home Entertainment magazine. … Read more