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MassEDU
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Sep 25, 2015
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1) Registered, downloaded & installed Universal Driver from CEntrance (v. 7.4.17, dated Sept 14). I restarted after installation, just to be thorough. 2) After installing, there appeared a "UD" icon in the lower-right notification area. Double-clicking icon shows connected devices/control panel; of course, no devices connected at this point so it was blank. Right-clicking icon gives more settings. 3) I plugged in Slim into USB 3.0 port, Windows tried to search its database for drivers but it failed. 4) Afterwards I double-clicked icon, no devices were recognized. So I simply unplugged the Slim from laptop USB and replugged. It recognized the Slim this time via the icon, now showing the Slim's image and control panel global settings (I left those settings default for now). I checked Windows Playback device settings and it had automatically defaulted to the Slim for sound and 100% Windows OS volume; it also appears in Device Manager. 5) Plugged in headphones to Slim (the respectable Takstar HI 2050 at the moment) and sound came through on iTunes, no issues. Sound comes through on YouTube as well.
At 60 Ohms, my 2050s aren't the most demanding but I've read they scale to a degree. Therefore, I will take some time testing this diminutive DAC/Amp to see if it offers any noticeable changes over my laptop jack (Clevo P650SG).
Quick first impressions: I'm glad it seems to work on USB 3.0. Solid feeling construction. It gets warm when used but not hot IMO. The scroll resistance is nice on the volume pot. The low gain offers plenty of volume potential and my personal preferences keep me below the half-way point on low-gain. Sound-wise on first play-through, it's definitely not worse than my laptop jack which was already satisfactory to me, surprisingly. Is it better? Again, that's something I'll take my time figuring out while also letting the Slim "settle down." In brief comparison, it does sound a little more open. But...more later, hopefully.