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The Headcase pico Lovefest: Post your impressions here


thrice

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I compared the headroom micro amp/dac combo to the pico today. The headroom pair is almost 300 dollars more than the pico and way larger, and require a mini-mini to operate.

Too bad the headroom combo got dusted badly by the pico. Both units were tested using grado sr60/flac/foobar/usb. The headroom unit had a higher noise floor, less detail, and slightly fatiguing. This was a bit of the thin diffuse sound I'm used to hearing from portable rigs, and I wasn't enjoying the experience.

Plugging in the pico, I noticed the background was much quieter, allowing each instrument to be easily discernible. The soundstage wrapped around my head more, and the vocals had more body, making them more believable. Bass sounded cleaner and sibilance was reduced. Overall the presentation was more accurate and listenable.

Biggie.

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Biggie, I believe the Micro stack combo retails for $600 for the pair so only a $100 more than the Pico. Regardless though, I pretty much agree fully with your assessment of the two, the difference between them isn't subtle.

On the headroom site, they be $399 each. ^^

Unless what I listened to is a discontinued model?

Biggie.

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It was the older 9V Micro Stack not the newer stuff. Mackay Maus picked them about a year ago, they were included in a couple of boxes of demo gear Headroom sent for a meet we had about a year ago, he decided to keep those. If I remember correctly those retailed for $299 each and were reasonably well regarded, especially the DAC.

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How about the iBasso D2? Same DAC chip for $300 less. I believe the two amps feature the same DAC chip, but the PICO has an upsampling circuit and the D2 doesn't. It will be interesting to hear the two side by side.

http://www.ibasso.com/ShowNews.aspx?ID=63

Including the asynchronous resampling circuit, oscillator, DC/DC converter, voltage regulators & filtering, output stage for the DAC, i have around $35 in components surrounding the $5 DAC chip. None of these things are being mentioned. "Same DAC chip" is really simplifying things too much. It is not an "all-in-one" type chip where you just apply power and go. If it were that simple, I could side-step to a different $5 chip and end the comparisons, which is exactly what iBasso did but for other reasons. I'm trying to figure out if it's a good thing that iBasso wants to draw this comparison instead of against other DAC/Amp units.

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Including the asynchronous resampling circuit, oscillator, DC/DC converter, voltage regulators & filtering, output stage for the DAC, i have around $35 in components surrounding the $5 DAC chip. None of these things are being mentioned. "Same DAC chip" is really simplifying things too much. It is not an "all-in-one" type chip where you just apply power and go. If it were that simple, I could side-step to a different $5 chip and end the comparisons, which is exactly what iBasso did but for other reasons. I'm trying to figure out if it's a good thing that iBasso wants to draw this comparison instead of against other DAC/Amp units.

Thanks Justin for clarification. The iBasso D2 even use similar chasis to yours Pico but your looks way better probably sound wise too.

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Heh, one can only hope. I know he is slammed with orders and busy as can be building, shipping and so forth.. so my hopes aren't high.

I was debating offering to write an order taking application for him to help automate all of that. I'd do it for the fun of it (ie: free).. and it would surely be easier to monitor and update than a 173 page thread on headfi :>

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Heh, one can only hope. I know he is slammed with orders and busy as can be building, shipping and so forth.. so my hopes aren't high.

I was debating offering to write an order taking application for him to help automate all of that. I'd do it for the fun of it (ie: free).. and it would surely be easier to monitor and update than a 173 page thread on headfi :>

Or you could let him run his business the way he wants to?

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Heh, one can only hope. I know he is slammed with orders and busy as can be building, shipping and so forth.. so my hopes aren't high.

I was debating offering to write an order taking application for him to help automate all of that. I'd do it for the fun of it (ie: free).. and it would surely be easier to monitor and update than a 173 page thread on headfi :>

But then billy would spam it with fake orders...so i'd have to take some money, which I don't want to do.

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