Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions
Strawberryseed
33
Nov 25, 2020
checkVerified Buyer
Good but not great. (2019 unit, no faults)
There is nothing particularly wrong with the O2+SDAC; the SDAC measures very well, and the amp is more than adequate in both power and distortion, except... there are simply better choices. It is the year 2020, and O2 was a 2011 amp designed to be DIY & portable. So nobody seeking a commercial desk amp should buy it, it is neither the time nor the purpose that this amp was meant for. Any modern amp at this price will outperform it in terms of power and distortion, such as Schiit stack, Topping L30 (hmm so good), JDS labs atom, etc... You can even get fully portable dac/amps like Xduoo XD-05, that is everything that O2 + sdac is meant to be, but with modern implementation. These beat the O2 in every aspect. The SDAC is still good, but as part of this all in one, it has only USB input; also by having the SDAC you cannot use batteries with the O2 amp, and you can't change components easily, which was kind of the point 10 years ago.
(Edited)
Recommends this product? No
RingoLebowski
8
Jan 5, 2021
StrawberryseedI appreciate this insight, thanks. As part of a home office/gaming PC revamp, I'm looking for a dac and headamp for the PC audio. I've got a Schiit stack (magni 3+/modi) bedside and a jds labs Atom that I use in a headphone-only turntable setup. Both headamps are great in their own way, and power my magnficent 6xx 'phones with aplomb. But this new Topping line, the L30 headamp you mentioned as well as the E30 DAC, look amazing. And like the Magni, the L30 can act as a preamp so I can hook it up to the surprisingly nice sounding little powered Edifiers I just got. Except with the Magni you have to unplug the headphone to get the preamp to pass the audio, with the L30 there's a switch in the front, even better. A Topping stack appears to be perfect for what I need, thanks for making me aware.
PRODUCTS YOU MAY LIKE
Trending Posts in Audiophile