Massdrop x Eddie Current ZDT Jr. (Official Thread)

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by Hands, Nov 15, 2017.

  1. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I can check. I have some doubts with Paradox because you need to crank up the volume on most amps. However, the Paradox doesn't seem sound soft without a lot of power.
     
  2. Ringingears

    Ringingears Honorary BFF

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    I was wondering as the Horizon has to be cranked up with them.
     
  3. EagleWings

    EagleWings Friend

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    Hey guys, ^^ that's my quick intro..

    As you can see in the intro post, I am currently driving my HD800S from a Lotoo Paw Gold. The device has no problem driving the 800S with authority. But LPG has a slightly bright tone and an aggressive presentation. So the synergy is not the best with the HD800S. In the pursuit of finding a good amp, I read about the ZDT Jr here and I joined the drop (btw, thanks for your impressions and feedback).

    In the meantime, I have a rather absurd question, given that I am not familiar with tube amps and their sound presentation. When I pair the 800S with my iPhone 6 or Macbook Pro, while they may lack in areas such as dynamics, resolution and depth in the stage, I really like the warmth and body they add to the tone and the mid-range. Is this what I could expect from a tube amp like the ZDT Jr from a tonality perspective?
     
  4. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I dunno. The iPhone 6 is OK. Sounds warm, generally clean, but also soft with HD800, but yet at the same time has a brittle treble which I find fatiguing after listening to anything for more than 15 minutes. Macbook Pro outputs sound kind of warm too, but also kind of soft, like soft poo. ZDT Jr isn't the hardest hitting amp, nor does it have the more crisp transients, but it's not anywhere near poo. I have only heard the regular Lotoo which was glarey and made me want to kill myself regardless of IEM or headphone I used with it. It was so bad that I never said anything.

    But anyway, ZDT Jr, like most other full tube amps, will take the glare and edge off the HD800. The inherent bloom will counteract the inherent dry nature of the HD800S. However, with HD800S do get those vintage American GE driver tubes. The stock Russian tubes are dry, aggressive, and dull, all at the same time. Also, your source will matter too. The main proponents of the ZDT Jr. all seem to be running very excellent DACs, and multibit ones at that. Similar results cannot be guaranteed if your source isn't up to snuff.
     
  5. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Wait... if you are farting around with the $$$$ likes of Lootoo Gold and Audeze iLCD4, you really should be considering vastly better sources and amps.
     
  6. Ice-man

    Ice-man Friend

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  7. EagleWings

    EagleWings Friend

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    Thanks, that's great to know. Yea, LPG's HO is bright, but its LO isn't so is what I hear. LPG's DAC section is very good (very resolving and dynamic). I used up last of my funds on the 800S and the ZDT Jr. For these reasons, I plan on using the LPG as the source for the ZDT. Currently, most of my listening is done on the portable gear. May be after I gradually start spending more time on the desktop gear, I could plan for better gear.
     
  8. thesoundapprentice

    thesoundapprentice New

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    This is the perpetual "problem" with this hobby that we all suffer from on occasion, the mentality that there's always something better if you just spend a little more. Sometimes you just have to stop and enjoy the music instead of chasing the next best thing. Now, if you know what you really want, you're financially smart to just save up and get it rather than making incremental upgrades along the way.

    That said, if the ZDT Jr. turns out to be as good as described, it's probably worth every penny, and it might be a nice addition to a collection. Given the 6-7-month estimate until it's released, you're only looking at having to set aside $70 or less to afford it.
     
  9. Arun Kumar

    Arun Kumar Friend

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    I haven't heard a tube amp or a NOS dac before. How is this amp compared to the inbuilt amp in the Amethyst. I ask this because of the BF Metrum deal. If the amps are comparable I might as well (think of) buying the Amethyst
     
  10. ButtUglyJeff

    ButtUglyJeff Stunningly beautiful IRL

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    I haven't heard the ZDTjr but I can tell you not to buy the Amethyst for the headphone amp. Its okay at best, and that's very headphone dependent. Actually, the Amethyst DAC in to the ZDTjr might be special. I bet @Hands would know for sure...
     
  11. Priidik

    Priidik MOT: Estelon

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    I tried the NightBluesMini (the original Laconic predecessor of the ZDT Jr, which is likely 5% worse) with Amethyst.
    These amplifiers are certainly not comparable. The built-in one in Amethyst is severely holding the dac back, while the NBM not so much.
    It's wise to try the NOS sound out before throwing bucks at it. You might not like the way NOS staging is done.
    The NBM + Amethyst is possibly the least offensive, but still engaging and competent amp+dac pairing for headphones I know.
     
  12. Arun Kumar

    Arun Kumar Friend

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    Thank you guys. I will stick to the current plan of getting the ZTDjr :) . If only there was a schiit BF deal... :rolleyes:
     
  13. WNovizar

    WNovizar Facebook Friend

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    Well Schiit is always black friday everyday, so there is that
     
  14. kloen

    kloen New

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    Would a Modi Multibit be considered NOS DAC since it’s multibit? And you mention that pairing being the least offensive (too polite?), is this because of the way NOS staging sounds?

    I’m considering a Modi Multibit for the ZDT Jr, but I’m not sure what other options compete with a Modi Multibit. Plus, is it due for an upgrade in the next 6-7 months? I wouldn’t mind waiting for that and just grabbing an MD sdac meanwhile. I can always use it in the office afterwards.
     
  15. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    A Modi Multibit is only NOS for files 176 and up. 96 and below are upsampled. You don’t want to use Modi Multibit for NOS.
     
  16. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    NOS = Non-Oversampling

    Multibit does not necessarily imply NOS. It's just the type of DAC architecture, though, usually a NOS DAC will also be multibit.

    Modi Multibit does 4X oversampling, whereas many other DACs do 8X oversampling. Thus if you feed it a signal that is already 4X (176 or 192), it will effectively not oversample it.
     
  17. kloen

    kloen New

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    Thanks for the info guys! It’s been a while since I’ve done DSP so I just assumed NOS dacs only didn’t oversample if you gave it audio with high sample rates. I figured I f you didn’t oversample audiofiles with lower sample rates you’d get aliasing or something, which I assume would sound like distortion/glitches if you don’t filter them. I should probably do some reading when I get home on NOS dacs.

    Back to the topic at hand, is there a dac in $300-400 range that you’d recommend over the Modi Multibit to pair with the ZDT Jr?
     
  18. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    What you think you'd hear from NOS based on measurements and white papers doesn't usually correlate with how they actually sound in most cases, aside from the mild treble roll-off. It's quite odd, actually.

    And, no, Modi Multibit is a good way to go in that price range.
     
    Last edited: Nov 22, 2017
  19. Brad Tombaugh

    Brad Tombaugh Facebook Friend

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    They have updated their site with a new banner:

    50% BLACK FRIDAY AND CYBER MONDAY!*

    *Only applies to new 200% higher pricing. We've already applied the discount throughout the site for your convenience.

    For the math challenged, see SCHIIT.COM/about/on-deals

    ;-)
     
  20. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Modi Multibit with ZDTJr and stock tubes is good with a variety of headphones. Modi Multibit's slightly dark and laid back nature compliments stock Russian tubes.
     

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