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pott
145
Aug 28, 2018
Just received mine today; I tested it on two PCs: a) my laptop w/hub, where it replaced a Topping D50 + Schiit magni3. The DAC is definitely an improvement here, the whole sound felt wider and more expansive. I really enjoyed it. This was solely through my headphones b) my desktop straight to USB, where it replaces a Schiit Jotunheim w/ DAC. Here I have mixed feelings. I listen to music through powered speakers (Adam A3Xs), so the DAC + preamp out impact was expected to be small. Mostly I wanted something smaller which didn't run as hot as the Joti, and has a remote. The Quattro II does all of this. On this PC I barely ever use my headphones (HD6XXs)
But.
The Joti did two things better: * I could connect the headphones at the same time as the speakers, which meant I didn't need to keep them unplugged to hear music. Useful to burn-in headphones if that's your thing, or even just for convenience * The volume control was a lot less gradual and WAY easier to use
The Quattro's volume control is way to grainy, and much tougher to adjust. I feel it's overkill in this respect. It does run cooler though.
Another issue... THAT one is a big problem: my unit lets out some noise through the headphones. They sound electronic in nature. I've had this happen before and it eventually went away; I'm not sure what I did to help it. Weirdly, this did not happen on my laptop, but does happen on the PC. I will try different USB outputs, or maybe the spare Schiit Wyrd I have. Oh and I will try to use install the driver too... which I have not! UPDATE: as expected installing the driver had no effect here... We'll see. I think this may become my office setup actually, as I'm still waiting for the SMSL SU-8 and the HPA-3 which will become my home balanced setup and, I hope, fix these issues.
pott
145
Sep 29, 2018
pottWeird, the noise went away on its own.
This is a VERY good DAC. I've not tried it with headphones yet.
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