Review: Mayflower Electronics O2 ODAC/Headphone Amplifier
Mayflower Electronics is a small US based company that handmake affordable “audiophile” equipment for connection to PC computers. I have been following the company through some of my favorite tech YouTubers and I’ve wanted one of their ODAC/headphone amplifiers for some time, but always talked myself out of buying one; there was always something more important to spend my money on. But, thanks to my mother-in-law buying me one for Christmas, I now have an O2 sat under my monitor.
The O2 did not come in a pretty box with glossy photos, but a standard USPS box with all the parts packaged inside. Inside the box was a power brick, high-quality USB to mini-USB cable and the Objective 2 itself. Setup was as simple as plugging in the USB, power brick and powering on, Windows 10 instantly found the O2 without a restart, I changed the audio output from the system tray and played some tunes.
The Mayflower Electronics Objective 2 is roughly 4.3″ (w) x 1.25″ (h) x 3.4″ (d) in size, made entirely of metal with four non-slip rubber feet on the bottom and is surprisingly heavy for such a small device. On the front panel of the unit, there is a power switch, 1/4″ headphone jack, red power LED, volume knob, gain switch and 1/8″ input jack while on the back there is a mini-USB input and DC power input.
I am using a pair of JVC HA-RX900 with the Objective 2 which produces a neutral sound with little to no colorization. However, I prefer a little colorization of my audio. I am using Equalizer APO with the PEACE GUI to customize the EQ curve to my liking. No complaints about the O2’s ability to drive my HA-RX900 cans, the volume is ear-bleedingly loud without the gain switch activated at 100% Windows volume.
I have personally set my Windows volume to 60%, activated the gain switch and run the Objective 2 at about 2/3 volume, which is about the maximum comfortable listening level for me. Although I am a former live sound technician, I don’t buy into the elitist “audiophile” mentality. What sounds good is subjective at best, what sounds good for one person may sound terrible to another person.
Clearly, I would recommend the Mayflower Objective 2 ODAC/Amp, the question is how important is high-quality headphone sound to you? if the sound you hear from your onboard/internal soundcard is adequate for you, don’t buy the O2. However, if you want to hear audio in a new light, get an O2 ODAC/Amp, the difference in audio quality is amazing, punchier bass, fuller mids and crisper highs.
I’ve been rediscovering my music since hooking up the Mayflower Electronics Objective 2. I have been noticing new elements in songs that I’ve heard a thousand times, bringing new life to my music collection.