[Joelc87]

Ok well, I've done some more listening (quite a bit more actually) and from what I've heard I definitely like a lot. The DAC is wonderfully clear, I feel as though I may have misrepresented myself a bit before. When I said that this setup sounds warm and musical and not analytical I meant more that its tonal qualities lend itself more to high end personal listening and not analyzing in a studio. I didn't mean in anyway that it sacrifices detail, although I'm sure that it does that just a little. Overall I'd say that it sounds very nice with all ranges of music. Classical sounds very nice with a very wide soundstage. You hear the conductor breathing front and center and kettle drums and double basses way back in the back. Rock music is very punchy and this is where I notice the warmth the most. This setup is practically perfect to my ears, emphasis TO MY EARS. It has lots of detail but just enough warmth that there is no harshness either. I find myself not having to constantly adjust the volume to hear something and then turning it down to keep my ears from hurting on something else. Bass is low and I mean rumbly low(once again SE530s) very effortless almost as if there was unlimited power behind these little units. Mids are very articulate and "well thought out" but still very immediate and dynamic, this is probably the warmest range with the MicroStack. Vocals are very musical and transparent. Treble range is an interesting range and perhaps exaggerated because of my test headphones.(Shure SE530 and Grado SR60) This is where I most notice the balance between warmth and detail. Trebles are just so detailed but drop off before they get too harsh. Violins scritch and scratch but always pleasing. Every color of the tonal palette sounds smooth through these but still very realistic. It's almost as if someone were to record themselves scratching a chalkboard and play it through this setup, you would hear it and even feel it but it wouldn't hurt your ears. Reverb and decays seem to be very natural as well. I have yet to listen to this with some true full sized audiophile phones (HD650s) or some other type of 300+ ohm variety. Because of the punchy yet pleasing sound signature of this DAC Amp combo I'm pretty sure this would be a great K701 setup. I'll be curious to see what other people have to say about the new MicroStack with full sized phones. Senns, Beyers, and AKGs come to mind.