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+--- Thread: Oriolus headphone stack (/showthread.php?tid=3157)
Oriolus headphone stack - grasshopper - 11-13-2020
Hi,
I enjoy listening to music via headphones (Sennheiser HD650's) or IEM's (FIIO FH7's) probably more than I do a speaker setup, I already have a decent DAP but wanted a semi portable headphone setup that folks could move about the house if necessary, just plug in, access the NAS & play Tidal, but I wanted it to be a step up from my DAP (Hiby R6 Pro) which is (IMO) a very engaging DAP sounding great with my cans & IEM's using the 4.4 balanced output.
So I took a punt on the new Oriolus stack as it's quite new & there are not many reviews of it about.
It comprises of the BD20 balanced DAC that uses the ES9038PRO chip, BA300S balanced tube amp & BA20 balanced amp that includes user swappable op-amps I have yet to try.
So my setup is Pi3b (MoOde) > USB out > BD20 DAC > 4.4 balanced out > BA300S tube amp (this amplifies to 6db only & is not adjustable) > 4.4 balanced out > BA20 Amp > FH7's via 4.4 balanced.
Great little set up, the Pi powered by a powerbank means it's easy to move about the house and it's more convenient than leaving your phone connected using UAPP, easier to select music etc. The sound is amazing, just a joy to listen to, nice & warm & incredibly detailed.
I don't have the ability to do blind AB testing at the moment as I am isolating alone but I have switched back & forth between MoOde and UAPP in bit perfect mode, I can't tell the difference on anything I listen to.
On contrast I tried a trial of Audirvana in Windows and the Tidal app in Windows (in exclusive mode) connected to the BD20 via USB, not a patch on MoOde, rubbish, really.
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