WEBVTT 00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:06.120 LH Labs makes a lot of amazing claims 00:00:03.199 --> 00:00:10.080 about the geek out but I have to take what they say with a grain of salt 00:00:07.759 --> 00:00:16.119 because they are a division of light harmonic the same company that brought 00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:20.560 us the 10 GB Lightspeed USB cable a 00:00:16.119 --> 00:00:25.500 $1,000 USB 2 cable for Chumps so welcome 00:00:20.560 --> 00:00:30.199 to my review of The Geek out 450 00:00:30.199 --> 00:00:36.000 with the purchase of a qualifying Intel processor SSD or knck you could 00:00:33.960 --> 00:00:39.719 instantly win an Intel gaming Jersey and be entered in the draw for the ultimate 00:00:37.600 --> 00:00:43.000 system click now to learn more all right so some of the stuff that they claim is 00:00:41.480 --> 00:00:46.920 outlandish but that doesn't mean everything that light harmonic says is 00:00:44.760 --> 00:00:52.359 going to be pure rubbish so first up and this is legitimately pretty cool the 00:00:49.280 --> 00:00:54.960 geek out natively decodes and amplifies 00:00:52.359 --> 00:01:00.280 pretty much any kind of audio signal that you can throw at it all the way 00:00:57.079 --> 00:01:05.799 from your Cheapo MP3s to high sample 00:01:00.280 --> 00:01:08.720 rate 384 khz 32bit PCM and even DSD 128 00:01:05.799 --> 00:01:14.159 I mean we're talking individual songs that are 500 Megs at the high end there 00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:19.720 and it does all that stuff in a very appealing form factor it's actually 00:01:16.280 --> 00:01:22.720 smaller than my previous carry around 00:01:19.720 --> 00:01:24.479 USB amp and Dack the file E10 to which I 00:01:22.720 --> 00:01:28.960 will be comparing it and it's more featur Laden to boot inside the Fairly 00:01:27.280 --> 00:01:33.439 robust chipping box you get a handy little carrying bag a usb2 cable in case 00:01:31.720 --> 00:01:38.320 your ports are a bit cramped and the unit itself which has a pleasing subtle 00:01:35.880 --> 00:01:42.720 brushed finish on the aluminum housing on the front are LED indicators to let 00:01:40.680 --> 00:01:46.880 you know what the DAC is doing and on the back is a key to help you interpret 00:01:44.719 --> 00:01:51.200 the aforementioned LED indicators on the top we've got the USB interface on the 00:01:49.159 --> 00:01:55.360 right are the volume buttons that offer surprisingly granular sound level 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:58.920 adjustments although be sure to turn your system volume down when first 00:01:57.320 --> 00:02:04.799 firing this baby up since otherwise it'll be really really loud and they 00:02:01.360 --> 00:02:06.280 have an extra feature called the 3D aier 00:02:04.799 --> 00:02:11.239 that is supposed to make your music sound uh more like it's surrounding you 00:02:09.399 --> 00:02:15.360 and less in your head which can be activated by holding both buttons at the 00:02:13.239 --> 00:02:19.040 same time for about a second I would have preferred a dial here because it 00:02:17.040 --> 00:02:23.200 would make adjusting volume by feel easier and additionally I didn't find 00:02:21.160 --> 00:02:27.080 the 3D feature made much of a difference with headphones and with some IMs I 00:02:25.959 --> 00:02:32.400 actually found that it added a significant background his that was extremely distracting 00:02:30.640 --> 00:02:35.920 finally on the bottom is where the headphones go up to two pairs of them 00:02:34.400 --> 00:02:39.720 which is actually a super cool feature if you sometimes listen with a friend if 00:02:38.120 --> 00:02:44.120 you're listening alone bear in mind the impedance rating next to the Jacks 00:02:41.840 --> 00:02:49.120 that's the output impedance of that output so the 471 will likely be best 00:02:47.319 --> 00:02:54.560 for your headphones unless you're driving larger cans with higher 00:02:51.400 --> 00:02:56.680 impedance LH Labs recommends this model 00:02:54.560 --> 00:03:02.239 for up to 100 ohm rated headphones with a higher-end geek out 1000 model 00:02:58.959 --> 00:03:05.480 available for big guns like the odsy LCD 00:03:02.239 --> 00:03:07.799 2s either output will work but pairing 00:03:05.480 --> 00:03:12.280 your gear correctly will deliver the best results all right so what's the 00:03:10.640 --> 00:03:16.040 process of actually using this thing like on Mac and Linux no drivers are 00:03:14.360 --> 00:03:21.280 needed but since apparently Windows isn't 100% compliant with devices that 00:03:18.680 --> 00:03:25.280 support asynchronous USB audio Class 2 you need a driver on Windows it's 00:03:23.040 --> 00:03:28.799 unfortunate but not a complete deal breaker in my mind once you download and 00:03:27.280 --> 00:03:33.760 install the necessary file all you need to do is for standard listening change 00:03:31.159 --> 00:03:38.519 your default audio device as usual with that finished we can do listening tests 00:03:35.720 --> 00:03:42.159 now right not yet I actually added an extra step and I can't find the bloody 00:03:40.360 --> 00:03:47.319 thing right now but we'll overlay it I added an extra step that was missing in 00:03:43.920 --> 00:03:50.120 my last amp to amp comparison a sound 00:03:47.319 --> 00:03:56.680 level meter to help me ensure that the volume was the same between each amp I 00:03:53.640 --> 00:04:00.319 used a 1 khz Test tone and dialed each 00:03:56.680 --> 00:04:02.680 amp in at 85 DB with each head phone 00:04:00.319 --> 00:04:07.840 before doing any side-by-side listening this is really important because pretty 00:04:04.480 --> 00:04:11.280 much across the board people will report 00:04:07.840 --> 00:04:13.519 that louder music sounds better if all 00:04:11.280 --> 00:04:18.000 other things are equal so I started with my usual listening methodology top 40 00:04:15.760 --> 00:04:23.479 music from the Google Play Music Store on my favorite headphones my hd8 DJs and 00:04:21.400 --> 00:04:29.360 then I threw in a pair of dt770 pro adoms for variety and side by side at a 00:04:27.320 --> 00:04:33.120 reasonable listening volume there's no difference with either of these 00:04:30.720 --> 00:04:37.919 headphones that I can detect at higher volumes like if we get irresponsible and 00:04:35.639 --> 00:04:41.919 just crank it till it sounds fun the geek out scales noticeably better than 00:04:39.960 --> 00:04:46.840 the E10 without sound getting unbalanced or distorted though so that's a definite 00:04:44.320 --> 00:04:51.560 point in its favor if you're into that of course this product wasn't designed 00:04:48.960 --> 00:04:56.120 for your typical streaming quality music files though it was designed for high 00:04:53.479 --> 00:05:00.440 definition audio files so after the usual I decided to mix things up a 00:04:58.160 --> 00:05:05.600 little bit and order this ALB in four flavors from the 2L music store I went 00:05:02.919 --> 00:05:14.759 with high quality 320 kobit pers second MP3 44 khz 16bit CD quality flak 192 khz 00:05:11.080 --> 00:05:20.639 24-bit highres flak and finally the 6 00:05:14.759 --> 00:05:22.880 gig mother of all albums DSD 128 quality 00:05:20.639 --> 00:05:28.080 the highest quality one they provided I Then followed this Yamaha guide combined 00:05:25.720 --> 00:05:32.560 with this imer post to correctly configure Fubar to even and play the 00:05:30.360 --> 00:05:36.440 super high resolution files found myself a quiet room to sit in and tried 00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:41.440 desperately to tell the difference between any of them now to be clear 00:05:39.000 --> 00:05:46.400 crummy MP3s are rubbish and easy to pick out of a lineup but these high bit rate 00:05:43.840 --> 00:05:50.560 ones I don't know man sometimes I was sure the flax had a little bit more 00:05:47.960 --> 00:05:54.800 detail and dynamic range but other times I was equally sure that there was no 00:05:52.160 --> 00:05:58.880 difference at all and for myself if the difference between high-end 00:05:56.880 --> 00:06:04.280 highdefinition audio files and high quality MP threes is that difficult to 00:06:01.600 --> 00:06:10.199 hear then I'll save my hard drive space and money so back to the product itself 00:06:06.919 --> 00:06:12.479 for the conclusion subjectively must be 00:06:10.199 --> 00:06:16.680 my tin ear but when it comes to amp and da upgrades I'm usually pretty hard 00:06:14.919 --> 00:06:21.360 pressed to tell the difference compared to changing out headphones so I'll Focus 00:06:19.360 --> 00:06:25.080 here on what you get objectively you get format compatibility that really is 00:06:23.680 --> 00:06:30.000 exceptional if you feel like that sort of thing is important you get a compact 00:06:27.280 --> 00:06:35.000 USB amp that is legitimately better than what your PC or as this amusing image 00:06:32.800 --> 00:06:38.800 from a headfi user demonstrates other device probably has on board and third 00:06:37.560 --> 00:06:44.039 you get to feel like one of the cool kids for having a Neo device that enables you to get the most out of your 00:06:41.720 --> 00:06:46.919 highdefinition music collection and that you can also put in your pocket just 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:52.720 don't do both of those things at the same time because this puppy gets mucho 00:06:49.759 --> 00:06:58.120 hot when it's running speaking of mucho hot Mast drop has a seriously Hot Drop 00:06:56.319 --> 00:07:03.360 right now and I don't know where that mod mic ended up 00:07:00.440 --> 00:07:09.240 ah there it is there a speaking of mucho hot Mass drop has a seriously Hot Drop 00:07:05.520 --> 00:07:11.960 available now the mod mic 4.0 which you 00:07:09.240 --> 00:07:16.400 can check out my review of here it's a mic that you can attach to any pair of 00:07:14.280 --> 00:07:20.639 headphones to provide clear voice Communications while still enjoying the 00:07:18.319 --> 00:07:24.599 sound quality of a proper pair of high-end headphones as opposed to a 00:07:22.240 --> 00:07:29.639 gaming headset it's pretty affordable as it is but for the next week Mass drop is 00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:33.360 offering you the insane price of we don't know yet so there will be a 00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:36.879 graphic I'm sure most of you have heard of mass drop by now but if you haven't 00:07:35.360 --> 00:07:40.560 you should definitely check them out they're a site that facilitates group 00:07:38.680 --> 00:07:44.199 buys for a wide variety of products from clothing to multi-tools like the 00:07:42.280 --> 00:07:47.120 Leatherman Wave to computer hardware like the mod mic they work directly with 00:07:45.720 --> 00:07:50.440 manufacturers and Distributors to guarantee you the best price available 00:07:48.919 --> 00:07:54.599 and they ship to as many countries as the manufacturer will allow they have 00:07:52.319 --> 00:07:59.560 two options to buy you can buy in at any price or you can commit to buy and only 00:07:57.560 --> 00:08:03.479 confirm your order if the drop reaches lowest price I've used them before my 00:08:01.759 --> 00:08:08.120 team uses them and I know that many of you probably use them already anyway so 00:08:05.199 --> 00:08:11.800 I have no issues fully recommending Mass drop and to top it off they're actually 00:08:09.919 --> 00:08:14.960 giving away a few units of the mod mic to some of our lucky viewers just sign 00:08:13.720 --> 00:08:19.919 up using the link in the video description and you will be entered to 00:08:17.199 --> 00:08:23.680 win but lonus you might say I've already got a mass drop account because they're 00:08:21.639 --> 00:08:27.479 awesome uh how do I enter they've got you covered just leave a comment below 00:08:25.400 --> 00:08:30.639 this video mentioning either a product you'd like to see me review next or a 00:08:29.159 --> 00:08:34.399 product you'd like to see on mass drop and you will be entered to win winners 00:08:32.399 --> 00:08:39.560 will be contacted by mass drop September 6 6 00:08:37.000 --> 00:08:42.279 6th anyway guys like this video if you liked it dislike it if you disliked it 00:08:40.959 --> 00:08:46.000 leave a comment letting me know if you thought it like sucked so much that a 00:08:44.240 --> 00:08:50.279 dislike isn't quite enough or whatever else it is you want to leave in the comments check out the video description 00:08:48.880 --> 00:08:55.200 for the support us link you can give us a monthly contribution by a sweet t-shirt like this one or you can just 00:08:53.600 --> 00:08:58.680 change your Amazon bookmark to one with our affiliate code so we get a small 00:08:56.640 --> 00:09:01.959 Kickback whenever you buy stuff everything helps us us out a lot thanks 00:09:00.240 --> 00:09:14.880 again for watching and as always don't forget to subscribe