gatorised caiman as head phone amp

[wee tee cee]

I fancy getting a head phone amp that that can be fed by usb straight from the lap top.Is the stan dac an extravagance with modest head phones.
I quite like the idea of having another dac in the stable to play around with.
Or should I consider something more modest......All my music is lossless on i tunes....Whats the on an i pod classic as an alternative...

[Welder]

Hang on; what is it you want, another Dac or a headphone amp?

I may be getting very confuzzeled in my old age but if I wanted a Dac I would get a Dac and if I want to listen to music at a decent quality through headphones I would get a headphone amp. In fact, that’s just what I did.

But, then again if I wanted a camera I wouldn’t get a cell phone

[wee tee cee]

Granted,the post was as clear as mud......
I have ripped all my cds to i tunes and want to listen to them on head phones.
I have a computer based system with no facility to listen via headphones other than directly into the lap top.
I could buy an external dac like one of stans with the headphone amp and just connect via usb to the lap top OR get a i pod classic and have the mobility/convenience .
Only reservation is that the classic my son had a couple of years ago sounded shite.... plus theyre £200.
The gatorised caiman appeals as it has a pre-amp that I can utilise as Im becoming aware using the lap top is frowned upon.
Hope that is a wee bit less muddied.....

[Tim]

It all depends on how serious you are about headphone listening Tony and how often you are likely to do so. The Caiman is fine for moderate usage as a DAC/Headamp and I know Stan will maybe not be 100% in agreement, but if you want to use it a lot, you really will benefit from a proper headamp IMO. It's been discussed a lot previously by myself and Werner, we both love the Caiman partnered with a competent headamp, but not by itself for serious listening.

Do some searching on the forum and you will see what folk have said before?

A lot will also depend on which headphones you are going to use - maybe worth contacting Stan for some advice on headphone types and what he thinks? My combination is very good indeed, with each element complimenting the other well and for not much outlay either (see sig).

[Tim]

. . . as Im becoming aware using the lap top is frowned upon.

By who Tony? Nobody should frown upon anyone here for what equipment they use, we all have differing needs and budgets but a love for music is the most important factor - how you achieve that should never be frowned upon IMO

[Alex_UK]

Fiio E7 is what I'll be buying soon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/FiiO-Portabl...3432161&sr=8-1

[StanleyB]

The Caiman is used as a kind of digital headphone amp by quite a lot of people, including some studio sound engineers around the globe. During a recent visit from one of the members on AoS I even stacked up a Gatorized Caiman fitted with a THS4032 opamp and Wima caps against a GS headamp. The differences in sound quality were really minimal. By chance I came across a webpage HERE,
which surprised me very much. The test results show that the Caiman headphone output is very good indeed.

But some people require an even higher output from the headamp than the standard audio PCB can deliver. Then is when you might need to check out some of the more expensive headamps, connected to the output of the Caiman. But forget about a headamp that costs less than a Caiman. I don't think that there is anything out there that is worthy contender if both are used for the same purpose as headamp.

[wee tee cee]

Tim,
Thanks for that,just tentatively dipping my toes in the head phone waters.
The lap top mention was in relation to using the volume control....Im concious I should maybe have a pre amp in the chain to let the lap top output with the taps open.
I ordered a sennheiser hd202 off amazon for £26.....came home early hours of the morning and plugged in cheap in-ear phones into the lap top and was really surprised how great it sounded.....first steps of a journey,just looking for some guidance from the great and the good on here....

[Tim]

Tim,
Thanks for that,just tentatively dipping my toes in the head phone waters.
The lap top mention was in relation to using the volume control....Im concious I should maybe have a pre amp in the chain to let the lap top output with the taps open.
I ordered a sennheiser hd202 off amazon for £26.....came home early hours of the morning and plugged in cheap in-ear phones into the lap top and was really surprised how great it sounded.....first steps of a journey,just looking for some guidance from the great and the good on here....

Well from your position a Caiman would be a significant step forward and I would certainly recommend one and as Stan has just pointed out quite rightly, the Caiman does need a good headamp to better it's own output. For most users the results are frighteningly good for the money, I just need more depth to the sound and when playing Classical the volume needs to go up and the Caiman alone cannot satisfy my needs. But it's still a very impressive product when paired with competent partners. I think you would be very pleased indeed and it's a very good place to start, as it's so much more than just a DAC.

[Werner Berghofer]

Stanley,

The test results show that the Caiman headphone output is very good indeed.

yeah, but do these charts also show how it sounds? ;-)

Werner.