Greetings all!
Today I was finally reunited with the neutral brilliance that is the Sennheiser HD600. This is my 2nd pair after having sold my first pair some years ago, as I felt the need to wander off into the world of Vintage HIFI. But I digress.
I will be comparing the DAC with the included 32 Ohm headphone amp and the DAC itself fed into a Little Dot Mk1 valve amp.
At first glance the Nuprime uDSD is an interesting unit given it's small form factor and price point it is quite baffling as to how they managed to squeeze in Sabre DAC and a small amp section into what is so little.
Driver install was a matter of going to Nuprime's website and downloading the driver to windows.
I used: Foobar/FLAC/Unit set to 24Bit/441.K
DAC/AMP combo (Volume at 2pm):
The clean and neutral sound signature produced is a perfect pairing to the HD600, the bass is slightly relaxed and with just enough warmth to bring the clear and well defined detail of the treble and mids together. Vocal clarity and the definition offered on string instruments is fantastic. In short the sound separation and imaging is so good it's almost analytical in nature. Noise wise there is nothing audible outputted to the headphone drivers from the solid state amp when you stop the source signal. You could definitely use the unit for mixing when you're on the go. The only flaw for me in this setup is the lack of volume (as to be expected as the unit is rated as a 32 Ohm headphone amp, but it did a good job none the less.) and impact/punch that you get from a larger high impedance amp.
DAC fed into Little Dot Mk1:
The rear connectors on the uDSD are well made and nicely gold plated adding some class to the tiny unit that you wouldn't expect for the price point.
When the DAC is driven by valves, it really shines. The volume issues are a thing of the past and the valves do there job in making sound punchier, slightly warmer and more relaxed in the upper treble range. This setup made a good combination for extended periods of listening, sound was more natural and less analytical, and if you added just a tad of cross-feed in Foobar you would thing you were listening to a good set of speakers in a room and not drivers right next to you ears.
I have to doubt that if you paired this wonderful unit with a even better amp of your choice you would not regret it, given it's price point and the way it separates and images sound I would take one of these over an AudioQuest dragonfly or a Schiit Modi any day. This unit punches way above it's weight and price point and NuPrime has done a fantastic job at offering a high quality and affordable audiophile grade solution to the masses. If you, like me are getting back into the headphone game or you are starting out and want something better, look no further!
This is my first review here, so excuse me for not hitting all the correct points, I will gladly answer any questions.
~ Thanks to Scubadude for assisting with the purchase of the HD600's and for loaning me the NuPrime uDSD.
Today I was finally reunited with the neutral brilliance that is the Sennheiser HD600. This is my 2nd pair after having sold my first pair some years ago, as I felt the need to wander off into the world of Vintage HIFI. But I digress.
I will be comparing the DAC with the included 32 Ohm headphone amp and the DAC itself fed into a Little Dot Mk1 valve amp.
At first glance the Nuprime uDSD is an interesting unit given it's small form factor and price point it is quite baffling as to how they managed to squeeze in Sabre DAC and a small amp section into what is so little.
Driver install was a matter of going to Nuprime's website and downloading the driver to windows.
I used: Foobar/FLAC/Unit set to 24Bit/441.K
DAC/AMP combo (Volume at 2pm):
The clean and neutral sound signature produced is a perfect pairing to the HD600, the bass is slightly relaxed and with just enough warmth to bring the clear and well defined detail of the treble and mids together. Vocal clarity and the definition offered on string instruments is fantastic. In short the sound separation and imaging is so good it's almost analytical in nature. Noise wise there is nothing audible outputted to the headphone drivers from the solid state amp when you stop the source signal. You could definitely use the unit for mixing when you're on the go. The only flaw for me in this setup is the lack of volume (as to be expected as the unit is rated as a 32 Ohm headphone amp, but it did a good job none the less.) and impact/punch that you get from a larger high impedance amp.
DAC fed into Little Dot Mk1:
The rear connectors on the uDSD are well made and nicely gold plated adding some class to the tiny unit that you wouldn't expect for the price point.
When the DAC is driven by valves, it really shines. The volume issues are a thing of the past and the valves do there job in making sound punchier, slightly warmer and more relaxed in the upper treble range. This setup made a good combination for extended periods of listening, sound was more natural and less analytical, and if you added just a tad of cross-feed in Foobar you would thing you were listening to a good set of speakers in a room and not drivers right next to you ears.
I have to doubt that if you paired this wonderful unit with a even better amp of your choice you would not regret it, given it's price point and the way it separates and images sound I would take one of these over an AudioQuest dragonfly or a Schiit Modi any day. This unit punches way above it's weight and price point and NuPrime has done a fantastic job at offering a high quality and affordable audiophile grade solution to the masses. If you, like me are getting back into the headphone game or you are starting out and want something better, look no further!
This is my first review here, so excuse me for not hitting all the correct points, I will gladly answer any questions.
~ Thanks to Scubadude for assisting with the purchase of the HD600's and for loaning me the NuPrime uDSD.
