Moon Neo Series 430 HAD Reference Headphone Amplifier
With optional DSD/32-Bit PCM DAC
 
Eric Neff
Headphone.Guru
June 2015
 
 
 
CanJam at RMAF last October was bursting at the seams. Jude Mansilla and his incredible team had filled their huge room at the Marriott Tech Center in Denver to capacity and then some. The spill over went out into the adjacent lobby and many exceptional Headphone manufacturers took up residence there filling that additional space as well. At one table was a company I did not expect to see at CanJam, but up in the Marriott tower with the other high end two channel companies. It was Simaudio. For 35 years this state of the art firm from Quebec has produced audiophile lust worthy solid-state excellence. They were debuting their new fully balanced pure analog reference headphone amp, the Moon Neo 430HA. This was their first foray into headphone specific gear and the unit was being introduced to the world at CanJam. I made a beeline to the table and quickly plugged in my HD800’s with custom balanced Toxic Cables Silver Widow’s. Then, a show patron came up and we had to postpone the listening session. Excellence delayed!
 
The next day I was introduced to Lionel Goodfield, Simaudio’s Director of Marketing. We discussed the 430HA and I asked if a review piece could be made available. He graciously agreed to ship a unit after CES. Patience is sometimes hard! Time slowly passed and soon after CES a brand new 430HAD (The D indicates the optional DAC board is included) arrived. I knew I was in for a fun review when the UPS deliveryman handed the box to me and said “Wow! Moon gear is amazing!” Turns out I have an audiophile deliveryman.
 
Opening the box I was presented with the Neo 430HAD, Power cord, small remote control and Owner’s Manual.
 
I placed the unit into the middle of my system as both a headphone amp and as a 2-channel pre-amp and got to it.
 
 
 
USES:
 
One of the big attractions for me with this unit is its incredible flexibility. Simaudio designed it to be first and foremost a no holds barred reference headphone amplifier. However, given the pedigree of the 430HAD it offers many of the features found in the Simaudio reference Evolution line. Most notably some trickle down tech from the Evolution 740P Preamplifier such as the M-LoVo (Moon Low Voltage) DC Regulation circuit, the M-eVOL2 530 step volume control an oversized power supply using seven stages of DC voltage regulation and significant internal bracing for vibration control. Additionally, the inclusion of the optional DSD/32-bit PCM DAC utilizing the TOTL ESS Sabre 9018K2M chip makes the 430HAD the digital centerpiece of both a high-end two channel or headphone rig. Adding the very affordable 180MiND streamer allows for local network access to all of your digital files and on line streaming services with your tablet device as an interface.
 
I decided to play with the Pre-amp functions while the amp burn in was progressing. Lionel had mentioned the unit needed 300 hours of burn in. He was right. The sound changed significantly over the first 200 hours or so settling in to its final full-bodied sound after the full 300 hours had passed.
 
I connected my VPI Scout 1.1 turntable to analog input 1. My two-channel uses the Vandersteen Model 2Ce Signature II’s fed by an Audio by Van Alstine Omega II 200wpc solid-state amplifier. Queuing up Leonard Cohen’s Almost Like the Blues from Popular Problems, I dropped the Dynavector 10X5. Incredible space and depth! The clarity and detail was immediately apparent. The funny thing about pre-amps is they seem to be something that is simply a switching device. You hook up gear through it and it is the traffic cop for the various sources. I had never heard the system sound this open and the only thing I changed was the 430HA taking center stage within the system. The most common comment I have heard from many listeners is “Clean”. Non-Digital also popped up from several people. I did not order this unit as a pre-amp but wow does it perform!
 
Next I put the optional DAC up against my Wyred 4 Sound DAC2 DSDse. This is a $2549 stand-alone reference DAC so it runs 3X the price of the Add on board. I ran the W4S from its balanced outputs using Wyred 4 Sounds C2 PCOCC Premium XLR cables into the Moon 430HA. Each unit uses the ESS 9018K2M chip too. A solid month of comparative listening led me to prefer the W4S unit to the Add in board, but not nearly by 3X in performance. The W4S DAC2 DSDse has a raft of Vishay resistors and a beefy power supply; The DAC board has its own separate oversized power supply, advanced DC regulation and an in house designed 3^rd order analog filter. No off the shelf unit for Simaudio! After much comparison, a small advantage in detail and depth was all I could credit to the higher priced unit.
 
Shortly after I finished my DAC comparison, the LH Labs Geek Pulse Infinity DAC/Headphone Amp came in. The Pulse sports the newest TOTL ESS chip the 9018A2QM. Also, the Pulse comes in at over $3500 in this configuration with again a raft of Vishay resistors at critical points, Femto clocking and the option of a separate power supply (The LPS or LPS4) for an addition $750-$1200. You can use the Pulse as a stand alone DAC or a combination DAC/Amp. It is similarly priced to the Moon 430HAD too. As a stand alone DAC sourcing the 430HA via the balanced outputs, I preferred it to both the DAC card and the W4S. More depth, more detail and as some would say, more plankton: Quite an achievement. There is no downside to the 430HAD DAC board as this was an even more expensive unit and while the differences are discernible, they are not large. We are reaching the summit of Detail Mountain here. Considering the totality of connectivity the 430HAD offers as a digital centerpiece to a higher end system the convenience/performance factor is very high!
 
 
 
Ultimately though, what we are here for is the 430HA’s Headphone performance.
 
Headphone Listening:
 
After a month of solid burn in I was ready to enjoy some headphone time. I am a big fan of Female vocals. To get started I plugged in the Sennheiser HD800 open dynamic headphones into the 4 pin balanced output and queued up Alison Krause & Union Station’s title song Forget About It. (CD Rip AIFF 1411 Bit Rate 16/44.1 Sample) Alison is one of our generation’s great talents as her voice has an amazing purity. She is backed by one of the most complete bands in Union Station. The individual talents here are huge. The 430HA conveys great space and location. It is a simple thing to visualize the band as if you were there listening live.  Piano strikes were distinct and clear. Guitar and Dobro finger work was clear with the nuanced timbre of fingers on strings. Drum kicks have a special reverb that creates a 3D quality to the listening experience allowing the extraordinary nature of Alison’s voice to shine through.
 
Next up I switched headphones to the MrSpeakers Alpha Prime closed planar magnetic headphones. Alter Bridge’s Fortress Cry of Achilles (CD Rip AIFF 1411 Bit Rate 16/44.1 Sample) brought the power. Alter Bridge is a long time favorite power rock band. Mark Tremonti is one of today’s best lead guitarists and the 430HA allowed that speed and skill to show through with the stadium filling energy of being there live. Myles Kennedy’s powerful tenor soars above the strong support of Brian Marshall’s thunderous bass and Scott Phillips manic drums. Guitar chords are crisp and tuneful. Some amps struggle with so much information blasting though them. Not the 430HA. It allowed each part to play individually and completely without smearing them into an indistinct wall of sound.
 
Moving to a hi-res file I switched to the Audeze LCD-X open planar magnetic headphones and Chicago V State of the Union. (24/192 AIFF HDTracks.com) I have enjoyed this album for over 40 years and the clarity of the horn work is excellent. I want to hear the brass. The tone leaving the bell of the horn should be clear and clean. The Audeze’s delivered in spades as the 430HA paired brilliantly with this TOTL planar can. Bass guitar work established a firm and succinct foundation for the guitar, horns, saxophones and vocals. The control the 430HA had with the low-end grandeur of the LCD-X’s was state of the art. The active bass line of the next song on the album, Goodbye, was as good of a headphone presentation as I have heard. High hat work shimmered off to infinity. This was a mountaintop experience!
 
Another band I enjoy is Muse. They remind me of Queen in their orchestration and operatic approach to rock music. Their album, The 2nd Law (24/96 AIFF HDTracks.com) has a tune called Madness, with some great low frequency electronica that lights up the bass of any high-end headphone. Layering awesome guitar work on top and you have a calliope of sound delivered in all the beauty of a newly painted circus wagon. Each sound was as distinct as a new color painted on for primary or accent yet once again the great separation allowed the whole to exist as an intricate and beautiful creation.
 
For my final listening session I switched to a CD played on my Denon DVD-5900 DVD/SACD player. Fitting for the end of this review I chose The Last Goodbye from The Hobbit The Battle of the Five Armies performed by Billy Boyd. (CD 2014 Warner Bros.) The song speaks of the snow falling on fallen brothers. Symbolic, because this amp has slain every solid-state amp I have ever listened to. The emotion it allows through my reference headphones (and my Vandersteen’s as system Pre-Amplifier) is the best solid-state sound I have experienced in my home. I have realized that it does not matter what I listen to with this extraordinary device. I will get the best presentation.
 
Wrapping Up:
 
I have the opportunity to roll a lot of great gear through the Headphone Man-Cave. The Moon Neo 430HAD is the single best Solid State headphone amplifier I have used. It pairs beautifully with every pair of headphones I have tried. The on board DAC is at a level where only the most particular user would look for something better. The flexibility as a Pre-Amp in addition to the top of the mountain Headphone performance makes it a keeper for me. I am buying the review unit. Hats off to Simaudio!
 
Enthusiastically recommended!
 
 
 
Technical Specs:
 
Type                                                               Solid State
Configuration                                                Fully balanced differential
Headphone Impedance                                20 - 600Ω
Power Supply Transformers                       2 x 25VA
Power Supply Capacitance                         35 000μF
Type of Amplification                                  Discrete Transconductance
Balanced Inputs (XLR)                                1 pair
Single Ended Inputs (RCA)                         2 pairs
Mini-jack input                                             1 (1/8”)
Input Impedance                                          22,000Ω
Output Device Type                                     Bipolar
Balanced Headphone Outputs                   4-Pin XLR (1) and 3-Pin XLR (2)
Single-ended Headphone Output              1/4” Stereo TRS (1)
Single-ended Preamp Outputs (RCA)       2 pairs (fixed and variable)
Output Power @ 600Ω                                667mW / channel
Output Power @ 300Ω                                1.33W / channel
Output Power @ 50Ω                                  8W / channel
Audible Frequency Response                   20Hz - 20kHz (±0.1dB)
Full-Range Frequency Response              5Hz - 100kHz (+0/-3.0dB)
Output Impedance                                       1.25Ω
Signal-to-noise Ratio (20Hz-20kHz)           120dB @ full output
Crosstalk @ 1kHz (without crossfeed)      110dB
Gain - Selectable                                         14dB or 20dB
Maximum Output Voltage (Preamp)          8 Volts
IMD                                                                 < 0.005%
THD (20Hz – 20kHz)                                      < 0.005%
12 Volt Trigger Output Operation              Direct Logic (0V = off, 12V=on) using a 3.5mm mono microphone jack with an output impedance of 1000 Ω _and current requirement of 12mA
Available Faceplate Finishes                     Black, Silver and 2-Tone
Remote Control                                           Full-Function (CRM-2)
Power Consumption @ idle                      15 Watts
Power Consumption @ Standby              0.5 Watts
AC Power Requirements                           120V / 60Hz 240V / 50Hz
Shipping weight                                          17 lbs. / 7.5 kgs
Dimensions (W x H x D)                             16.9 x 3.5 x 13.8 in. (42.9 x 8.9 x 35.1 cm.)
 
Features & Specifications subject to change without notice
 
Additional Moon Neo 430HA technical information and specifications details can be found here: 
 
http://www.simaudio.com/en/product/37-headphone-amplifier.html
 
Price                         $3500 USD
DAC Card Option     $  800 USD
 
PROS:
Exceptional depth and clarity.
Power to drive ANY headphone via 2 levels of gain.
Totally black background. No noise with sensitive IEM’s at Lo Gain.
Incredible attention to detail leveraging 35 years of award winning high-end audio experience.
Runs cool with very low power use in stand by.
The Moon Neo 430HAD is a true reference piece.
The addition of the DAC board creates a true digital hub for any system.
 
CONS:
None for headphone use!
2-channel pre-amp output function is Single Ended only.
 
 
Associated Gear:
 
ALO Audio Studio Six Tube Headphone Amp
LH Labs Geek Pulse Infinity DAC/Amp
Wyred 4 Sound DAC2 DSDse with Femto clock upgrade
VPI Scout 1.1 Turntable with Dynavector 10X5 MC Cartridge
Stillpoints LP Isolator Long Spindle record weight
MacMini Late 2012 with i7, 16GB, 1TB
Light Harmonic Lightspeed 10G USB Cable
Audioquest Carbon USB Cable
Denon DVD-5900 SACD Player
Cambridge 651P Phono Pre-amp
Sennheiser HD800’s
Sennheiser HD650’s
Audeze LCD-X’s
MrSpeakers Alpha Prime’s
JPS Labs Abyss-1266’s
JH Audio JH16 Freq Phase CIEM’s
Ultimate Ears UE11 CIEM’s
Amarra 3.03
Audirvana+ 2.0.12
Wyred 4 Sound C2 PCOCC Premium XLR Balanced cables
Toxic Cables Silver Widow SW22 Balanced & SW25 Single Ended cables
Blue Jeans Cables RCA interconnects
Vandersteen 2CE Signature II speakers
Audio by Van Alstine Omega II 200 wpc speaker amplifier

 
 
 
Let’s be clear, this is a terrific headphone amp! I got my attention at RMAF. That was in show conditions, always an uncertain environment for any true impressions. Still, I wanted some alone time with Lady Crimson. Now as I sit down to write this review I am listening to Patricia Barber’s The Wind Song from her Smash album (AIFF 24/96 HDTracks) and I am not “Listening” as usual. I am “Experiencing” her performance. She is whispering in my ear, not singing from the stage. Mmmmmmm. Lady Crimson, you had me at the on button….
 
Disclosure: The amp I received is one of two pre-production units. It was provided to me by Cavalli Audio for review purposes. After the review I returned it to Cavalli Audio as requested. I would like to thank them for the generous loan of their final version prototype Liquid Crimson headphone Amplifier.
 
OK, back to business! First let me introduce Alex Cavalli. He is a long time member of the Headphone community. A software engineer by trade he got pulled back into hardware nearly twenty years ago. A school project for his Son led him to designing simple tube amps. He began to post his designs as DIY projects on headwize.com. He focused on headphone designs because speaker amps were big, heavy and expensive. Alex took a lot of suggestions from the DIY community and his designs became very popular.
 
I asked Alex to describe the early days of Cavalli Audio and his interest in electronics and amplifiers:
 
EN: When did you start building amplifiers?
 
AC: When I was 10 years old.
 
EN: How did you end up starting Cavalli Audio?
 
AC: I had a whole stack of ideas from the on-line community experience and it led to my starting Cavalli Audio. The people building the designs convinced me to go commercial. The first design was the Liquid Fire. At CanJam Chicago 2010 Cavalli Audio and Audeze had Tables next to each other. The Liquid Fire was powering the first LCD and was one of the few amps that had the power to run Planers.
 
EN: What is your design philosophy? How would you describe the Cavalli Audio sound?
 
AC: My amps have similar character. I actually try to build amps that sound like nothing. My amps are designed to pass the signal through as transparently as possible. No Color. What typically happens to my amps is people realize that their system chain may not be as solid as they had thought. These amps will expose any weakness. Given a great recording and equipment chain you will get what you are seeking.
 
EN: What do you shoot for when designing a headphone amplifier?
 
AC: Transparency from the source.
 
EN: The Liquid Crimson is a Hybrid Tube/Solid State design. What was it about the 6922 that made it work for the single tube choice?
 
AC: Primarily, as tubes go it is a low voltage tube. It needs only 90-100 volts so you do not have to make these massive high voltage supplies.
 
EN: I notice there is a two-stage delay when the amp is first turned on. What is the purpose of that?
 
AC: There are no capacitors protecting the circuit. I always have a startup delay to allow the tube to be fully warmed up before the amp powers up the rails. Next there is an output detector that makes sure the DC voltage applied to the headphone does not exceed a nominal value (500-600 mVolts). If it does it trips a detector and the headphones will not be powered. The power on circuit is a momentary switch that detects the flipping of that switch. A power outage would trip the power circuit and shut the amp off and you would need to use the power on switch again and it would require a restart of the sequence.
 
EN: This shows a lot of thought for protecting both the amp and the headphones.
 
AC: I like to be thorough. I am not aware of any other amp using a two-stage protection protocol.
 
EN:  Is the Crimson a class-A amplifier or something else?
 
AC: Class A to about 2.5W into 50ohm then class AB to 5-6 watts per channel and 50 Ohms.
 
Background and Technical Specs:
 
The original Liquid Fire (an embedded hybrid) had a capacitor between the tube stage and the output stage of the amplifier. It was a design that Alex brought to a commercial market from the DIY world. The Liquid Crimson is the successor to the Liquid Fire and is totally DC Coupled. Unlike the Cavalli Audio Liquid Glass, a design aimed at active tube rollers, tube rolling in the hybrid amps is not as noticeable since the tube is imbedded into the circuit. It is blended in with the Solid State for that blended sound. It does have the tube’s characteristics but a flat response. You don’t get as much difference when you roll tubes.  Currently Alex is shipping the Liquid Crimson with a new generation Genalex Golden Lion 6922.
 
The Liquid Crimson is a single ended amplifier. It has three headphone outputs located on the front of the amp. From L to R they are Low, High and 4 Pin XLR High. The High output ¼” and the 4 pin XLR, deliver the same power with a 4x gain over low power. The 4 pin XLR is there for cable convenience and is a single ended output. The High and 4 pin XLR are wired together for output. The third Low gain connector is a ¼”low gain output with resistors in series so if you have lower impedance higher output headphones you can get a lower noise floor and lower gain. There is a Low/High gain switch that when switched increases gain from the 4x to an 8x on the left of the volume knob. On the right is the input selector for the rear RCA inputs. There are 3 RCA inputs on the back. Input one on the left, a tape loop in the middle and input two is on the right.
 
The unit under review is one of two pre-production units. Specs are close to final. Here are the current specs subject to final production adjustments.
 
 
 
Specifications
 
Size: W 12” (31cm) D 11.5” (29cm) H 2.5” (6.25cm)
Weight: 10lbs (4.5kg)
Maximum Power: Approximately 6W into 50R
Gain: 4X (12db) and 8X (18db), hot switchable from front panel to adjust for different headphones
Inputs: 2 x  RCA, front panel selectable. Loop out on Input #2.
Outputs: 4 Pin XLR,  2 x TRS. One TRS is low output.
 
Features
 
-- Tube Hybrid using single 6922.
-- Pure Class A output for the first 2.25W (50R) of output (extremely clear low level detail)
-- High quality hardware and electronics with impeccable build quality and auto fault protection
 
Listening impressions:
 
First, I want to go back to one of the questions I asked Alex Cavalli.  What is the Cavalli Sound? He answered, “I actually try and build the amps to sound like nothing”.  All components of an audio chain are dependent on the others in that chain. Cavalli amps are particularly dependent. Their transparency means they will send through what they receive as closely to what they get as is possible. That level of transparency is both good and potentially very revealing of the quality of the other part of that chain be they electronics or recordings.  A “What is there is what you get” approach will tell you how the other parts measure up. Don’t be surprised if you find a naked emperor or two within your chain! Ah the trade-offs of working your way higher up to the summit of audio.
 
First up on the listening docket is Sinead O’Conner’s Am I Not Your Girl. (iTunes, 16/44.1 256k MP3) The album is a collection of 40’s torch songs that came as quite a surprise for me. I had never heard her sing anything like these and the genre fits her beautifully. I began with the Liquid Crimson, Wyred 4 Sound DAC2DSDse and the HD800’s using the Toxic Cables Silver Widow 25.5ga 4 Pin XLR cables. The sense of space was fabulous on Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered. The backing orchestra was appropriately arranged around her. I love a 3D sound. The Crimson was precise and solid locating all instruments with Sinead at the center. You can sense the room as the sound moved throughout decaying in a natural way. Bass guitar offered a solid but not overweight foundation throughout the song. Trumpets and trombones were not harsh but bell like throughout their registers. Clarinets and other woodwinds had that haunting and melancholy sound that these songs require. Very satisfying!
 
Next up is an old favorite with a new album. I have been enjoying Bryan Ferry for years. His new album Avonmore (180 Gram Vinyl 2014 BMG) delivers new material that sounds as comfortable as an old favorite shoe. I have always liked his layered approach to a song. This can create a challenge to a rig. Will the chain give you the sonic experience as a coherent whole or separate out each part? I personally do not want a pile of individual parts or notes hurled at me. I want the show in all its completeness. The title track harkens back to his Bête Noire album. A strong bass line anchors a sonic symphony that surrounds you. Lesser amps can turn this wonderful calliope of sound into a sonic mush. The Crimson provides the muscle and yet gets out of the way to allow the complex arrangement to reveal itself to the listener.
 
Switching up the Headphones I pulled out the Audeze LCD-X’s ( www.audeze.com )and queued up a guilty pleasure, Chickenfoot’s self titled debut album. Turnin’ Left showcases this super groups’ collective talent in all its Rock and Roll bombastic glory. Joe Satriani’s soaring guitar, Sammy Hagar’s ripping vocals, Michael Anthony’s booming bass line and backing vocals and Chad Smiths incredible drumming make this unlikely debut a special treat for classic rock fans. Once again the Liquid Crimson was up to the task allowing the energy and the party into the room. The LCD-X’s are an easy to drive planer magnetic. Yes, that is not an oxymoron! 2.5watts of pure class-A opens them up and let’s the deep bass and detail shine through. Satriani is one of the best guitar players in the world. His talent on this track is amazing. He takes a rock song and turns it into a guitar clinic. Listening through the Crimson, I can enjoy each carefully crafted note and chord. His bends and slides bring all their energy to me via the Crimson. Before I knew it I had listened to the entire album.
 
The next headphone up is the Mr. Speakers Alpha Prime’s.  
(https://mrspeakers.com/ ) . Dan Clark has worked magic with the Fostex drivers. Transferring them to 3D printed closed cups and then modifying them almost beyond recognition he has transformed them into a planer headphone rivaling the top brands. They are also “Fun”! I can just put them on and get to the music and spend time listening for fun. So for fun, queued up Neon Tree’s Picture Show and Everybody Talks. (iTunes 16/44.1 MP3) This song also struck me as a perfect beach party song. I need that given the -22F outside this morning! The Crimson brought the Class-A heat to this beach party as the perfect date for the Alpha Prime’s. Jangling guitars, great back beat of drums and a solid bass line make for lots of energy and a big smile on my face. Reviewing is not all seriousness and hushed library tones. Have some fun while you are sitting there (Or doing your best Risky Business Tom Cruise moves with the blinds down!) At the end of this song (and several other songs) I knew the Liquid Crimson could deliver the party goods besides the club and concert vibe. I am very pleased about this performance.
 
For my final listening session I pulled out the Audeze LCD-3F’s and moved on to Acoustic Jazz. Quiet Winter Night from the Hoff Ensemble is a Norwegian export I really enjoy! (A 2L recording. DSD128 www.2L.no) Stille, Stille Kommer vi is such a beautiful piece. I do not speak Norwegian and I still love it’s quiet beauty. The brushed snare drums, the pure bell of the trumpet and the extraordinary sense of space in the old church where this live recording was done. The Liquid Crimson delivered it all. Well-reproduced Female Vocals are critical for my listening enjoyment. The purity of Helene Boksle’s voice is breathtaking. Only gear at or closely approaching the summit of summit-fi can put you in this place. This is why you seek out gear at this level.
 
Wrap Up
Amp reviewing can be a challenge. I am a tube fan generally. I appreciate what tubes bring to the chain. Reviewing a piece of gear designed to NOT have a signature is an interesting exercise. It does require using other gear I am familiar with since I need to know what I am hearing. What does this piece bring (or not) to the party? The Liquid Crimson brought performance, power and subtlety. It played exceptionally well with the other kids in the sandbox. Of course all those other kids were top-level contenders. Given that strong across the board quality the results were special.
 
Hats off to Alex Cavalli. We now have another amp to strive for.
 
Availability:
 
The Cavalli Audio Liquid Crimson headphone amplifier can be purchased for $2850.00 USD. It is now available for order at www.cavalliaudio.com. Shipping begins early 2015.
 
Pros:
Extremely transparent signature
Produces more than enough power to drive nearly all headphones
All headphones used were driven beautifully.
Class-A amplifier that was warm but not hot to the touch
Best in class circuit protection design
True reference class performance
 
Cons:
Single Ended only
The review took longer than expected as I kept listening rather than reviewing!
I don’t own one!
 
Associated Equipment:
 
Computers:
2012 Mac Mini with OSX Yosemite
2010 Mac Book Pro with OSX Yosemite
 
 
Software:
Amarra 3.03
Audirvana+ 1.5.12
 
Sources:
Wyred 4 Sound DAC2 DSDse w/Femto Clocks
LH Labs Geek Out IEM with version 1.5 firmware.
VPI Scout 1.1 Turntable with a Dynavector 10X5 Hi Output MC Cartridge
 
Amplifiers:
Cary SLI-80 with F1 Mods
Cavalli Audio Liquid Crimson Pre-Production model
 
Headphones:
Sennheiser HD800 (Toxic Cables & Nordost Cables)
Sennheiser HD650 (Toxic Cables)
Audeze LCD-3F (WyWires & Nordost Cables)
Audeze LCD-X (WyWires & Nordost Cables)
Mr. Speakers Alpha Prime (WyWires Cables)
JH Audio JH16 w/Freq Phase CIEM’s (Toxic Cables)
 
Audio Accessories
Light Harmonic 10G USB Cable (http://www.lightharmonic.com )
Stillpoints Vibration control devices (www.stillpoint.us )
Toxic Cables 22ga Silver Widow Single Ended Headphone cables (www.toxic-cables.co.uk )
Toxic Cables 25.5ga Silver Widow balanced & CIEM Headphone Cables
Toxic Cables Silver Poison Single Ended Headphone Cables
WyWires Red Series Balanced Headphone Cables (http://www.wywires.com )
Nordost Heimdall 2 Balanced Headphone Cables (http://www.nordost.com )

MEIER AUDIO CORDA CLASSIC & DACCORD

“Welcome to Head-Fi, sorry about your wallet!” So goes a common refrain at the biggest headphone forum in the world. The chase for the tone dragon can consume any audiophile or headphonista. The quest to keep reaching deeper into the music is never-ending. One thread discusses “end game” set-ups. Occasionally someone will decide that they have found their ultimate system and everyone else takes odds how long that will last.
When I first got involved with audio I worked at a brick-and-mortar audio store. Our motto: “Best sound for the money” – and we strove to make that happen. Sure, we were thrilled to sell the high-priced systems, but we mainly assembled modest-yet-amazing ones. We always kept our eyes peeled for affordable gear that could take you close to the summit.
Jan Meier, Ph. D. founded Meier Audio in 2000. The company began as a result of demand for his innovative DIY Headphone amplifier that incorporated a crossfeed circuit into the amp. He posted the design on Headwize (www.headwize.com) and the demand for his DIY kits was so strong he decided to start Meier-Audio. It is based in Germany and has developed a reputation for making great headphone gear without breaking the bank. The Corda QuickStep and PCStep are widely popular portable units. Meier Audio also offers two desktop devices, the Corda Classic Headphone amp and the Corda DACCORD Digital Audio Converter (which incorporates a Crossfeed circuit you can turn on or off as desired). Each is a stand-alone unit that can be purchased individually and used with other gear. This review will focus on using them as a combo.

“Machined from virgin blocks of carefully mined unobtanium the…”
Many high-end audio components are built with extraordinary casing and spectacular finish. With some components however, a large portion is spent on the appearance alone, perhaps resulting in an exorbitant final price tag. Meier Audio takes the pragmatic approach. Contained in either a standard Black or Silver basic metal case, the front of the Corda Amp is finished with simple universal switches and a single volume knob. The Corda uses a two-position gain switch (a blue indicator light showing whether it is in the high gain position or not). Nothing extraneous is added to the physical structure. The enclosure gets out of the way using clean and simple lines.
The Corda Classic Headphone Amp has two RCA Single Ended inputs and a plug for a typical IEC power cord. Located on the front are an input selection switch, Crossfeed Circuit switch, Tonal Balance, Neutrik Single Ended ¼” (6.3mm) headphone jack, Hi/Lo gain switch, Gain indicator light, Volume control, Power indicator and Power switch.

Daccord
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The Corda DACCORD boasts two coaxial inputs, an optical toslink and a single USB (that can accept up to 24/192kHz files). Windows users will need to download a USB driver while Mac users can plug and play. The DACCORD is not DSD capable. There are two RCA outputs: One fixed output for connecting to an amp (like the Corda Classic) and one variable output to use the DACCORD as a preamplifier with powered speakers or a power amplifier. Located on the front are: A tonal balance switch, the volume control for the variable pre-amp outputs, the crossfeed intensity switch, the sample rate indicator lights, the input selection switch, a Power ON LED and the power switch.
The DACCORD utilizes a crossfeed circuit to simulate a natural listening environment. The Meier-Audio website has a detailed page on the basics of what Crossfeed is (http://www.meier-audio.homepage.t-online.de) In short, it is a circuit that feeds partial amounts of left channel information to the right earpiece and parts of the right to the left earpiece to simulate a normal sound environment rather than keeping pure left and right information separated. There are three settings: High, low, and off.
I have owned the Decware Taboo III Headphone amp with their Lucid mode circuit and I have spent time with the SPL Phonitor 2 Headphone amp which also offers crossfeed capability. In each case I have found the approach to be intermittantly useful. Generally, I prefer it when listening to small group music such as: Jazz trio’s, chamber music, club settings, et cetera. These types of recordings benefit from an increased sense of space. I find that using crossfeed is distracting for Rock, Big Band and larger orchestral works.

I found the DACCORD’s crossfeed to be subtle. The crossfeed provided a variety to my listening during the ripped CD of Al di Meola, John McLaughlin & Paco de Lucia on theirPassion Grace & Fire album (16/44kHz, 1411 bit rate in AIFF). The ability of the DACCORD crossfeed to open up the intimate trio’s performance offered some nice contrast to the listening experience. The sense of space and placment of each artist made the listening experience an almost 3D event. You could almost see where they were during the recording. Turning off the crossfeed removed some of this clarity and dropped the experience to a more conventional 2D image. Still fun but not as immersive. Turning off the Crossfeed removed the depth from the recording.
On Donald Fagen’s “Out of the Ghetto” from Sunken Condo — in 24/88 in FLAC from HDtracks – I used my HD800’s with Toxic Cables Silver Widow cables and it sounded beautiful. One of the sounds I enjoy when listening to small group or Jazz reccordings is the sound of fingers on strings. The Bass players fretting was clear and firm. The shimmer of the high hat was crystalline. The spacing of the instruments was easily discerned within the recording. Next up was the 24/192 FLAC of Chicago V, also from HDTracks. Terry Kath is one of my favorite 70’s guitar players. His crisp rhythym playing on Dialogue Pt’s 1 & 2 provided a solid foundation to the classic tune. The horns had the full bell like ring that keeps me coming back to the early Chicago albums. The Meier stack did not color or amend the recording. I heard the music and not the amp/DAC.
Just for fun I switched over to my HD650’s (with Toxic Cables Silver Poison interconnects as well). This headpohone/cable combo is a favorite of mine and I listen to it often while traveling. Generally, I am using the Audioquest Dragonfly Version 1.0 or the LH Labs Geek Out 1000 as a portable DAC/Amp with the HD650’s. The Meier combo had substantially more power – as you would expect from a desktop based system. Both the Meier and the Geek Out outperformed the Ver. 1.0 Dragonfly. The GO1000 was not as present on the top end and low end slam as the Meier.
I was pleased but not surprised that the Meier combo outperformed two highly regarded portable AMP/DAC units. Time to see how it stacks up to bigger desktop competition.
My primary headphone rig consists of a modified Cary SLI-80 and a maxed out Wyred 4 Sound DAC2 DSDse with the Femto clock upgrade. The Cary upgrades include all of the factory F1 Mod components, except the Hexfred Rectifier’s. I also have added a 4th input, courtesy of Dennis Had (creator of the SLI-80). The Cary, in this form, retails for around $5,500 and the W4S comes in at $2,549.
On Elton John’s “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” in 25/96 AIFF off of Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. This version from HDtracks is the best I have ever heard. Both combos relayed the recording wonderfully. The Meier gear offered a neutral presentaion not coloring the presentation, but delivering it cleanly. Compared to the much more expensive Cary/W4S combo, the Meier was missing the clean high’s that I experience with the Cary/W4S combo. The shimmer of the cymbals extended longer and higher from the big tube unit. The soundstage was also more substantial. Elton John’s engineers added some L/R ambience that was much smoother and more immersive via the tubes and EJ Sarmento’s finest DAC.
My rig provided additional micro-detail. You could discern the sublte differences between the striking of the mallets on the piano strings versus the plucking of the bass strings. Ultimately, I preferred my home rig. There should be some value for the six fold additional cost! But, the Meier gear had nothing to be embarrased about. They provide great value.
Using the HD800’s On Steely Dan’s “Jack of Speed” from Two Against Nature (running at 24/96 AIFF), the superb bass line walked along with balance and slam. I always enjoy the nice “SNAP” of the snare drum with the high hats singing. Once again, the Meier gear provided an engaging presentation, but left details on the table to the bigger Cary/W4S rig. Audio is a cruel mistress. She does not make stepping up to another level easy. You have to build a quality chain of gear and improvements are rarely a little more money, but a substantial step up. Reaching for the last few percents improvement can get expensive. With the Meier stack you can sleep well knowing you would need to drop much more money to make an major difference to your sound.
The Meier combo provided an overall neutral sonic presentation. I have a clear personal bias toward tubes and the character (some say colorization) they bring to the table. When signal rolled off with both units, it was done in a natural way and never abrupt or overly harsh.
The DACCORD uses Wolfson chips and having spent a long time with the Cambgride DacMagic Plus (with the WM8740 chips), I have a strong comfort level with Wolfson’s presentation. I have found Wolfson’s chips to have a more organic presentation than my Sabre Dac devices. Sabre’s can be a bit clinical and more detailed. Each can be enjoyable, yet they do have their particular sonic characteristics. The Meier implementation was smooth and neutral. I never noticed a bias toward too clinical or too soft. Digital files were received and presented in a direct an pleasing manner. Compared to my Wyred 4 Sound DAC2 DSDse with the Sabre ES9018 reference DAC chip, I was missing some of the small micro details that first attracted me to the W4S unit. However, had I not heard them side by side, I would never feel as though I was missing something. It was a complete presentation, yet it simply did not go as far into the detail.
Again, the Cary/W4S combo is over six times the cost of the Meier stack. The Meier combo had nothing to apologize for in the bang for the buck arena. The fact that I’m seriously comparing the two should shed light on how the Meier overperforms it’s pricepoint in a neutral and honest way.
As I mentioned earlier, my early days in audio were spent searching for “bang for the buck” gear. The Meier combo easily qualifies. If you want your money to go toward your sound and not audio jewelery, this is a pair worth auditioning.
 
Pros:

1. Good bang for the buck sound!
2. Nothing wasted on fashion for fashions sake.
3. Very versatile between Crossfeed and tone controls for sonic tastes.
4. Quiet noise floor for IEM’s or standard headphones.
5. Plenty of gain to drive most headphones.
6. Very neutral presentation.

 
Cons:

1. The manual is not as clear as it could be to describe the switches. Perhaps a translation issue?
2. The review units came with no cables. I do not know if a power cable is supplied when purchased.
3. No DSD Capability
4. Limited to 24/192 USB

 
A quick word about amplifier gain and noisefloor: Using my HD800’s with the high gain employed, I had more power than with my Cary SLI-80. The Meier was also dead quiet at low volumes with the HD800’s. Using my JH16’s at low gain, the unit was dead quiet at any volume. The 63-step attenuation increased with small signals as I increased the amp volume, but no hiss was evident.
 
 

Corda Classic High-end Headphone Amplifier:  USD $720.00

Corda DACCORD DAC:  USD $775.00

 
Meier Audio Web Site:
http://www.meier-audio.homepage.t-online.de
 
DACCORD and Corda Classic web page & technical information:  
http://www.meier-audio.homepage.t-online.de/amplifiers.htm
 
Meier Crossfeed White Paper with sample audio files:
http://www.meier-audio.homepage.t-online.de/crossfeed.htm
 

Associated gear:

MacBook Pro
MacMini
Amarra 3.02
iTunes 11.3.1 (2)
Cary SLI-80
Denon DVD-5900 SACD/CD/DVD-Audio player
Wyred 4 Sound DAC2 DSDse with Femto clock
VPI Scout 1.1 with Dynavector 10X5 high output moving coil cartridge
Cambridge Azur 651P MM/MC Pre-amp
Sennheiser HD800 with Toxic Cables Silver Widow’s
Sennheiser HD650 with Toxic Cables Silver Poison’s
JH Audio JH16 Freq Phase CIEM’s with Toxic Cables Silver Widow’s
 


Review re-posted from www.headphone.guru

Following the crowd to better sound for less $$

“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in”
– Michael Corleone, The Godfather Part 3

Click to expand...

Michael Corleone must have been an audiophile.
There I was, about to receive my new Geek Out 1000 from the Kickstarter campaign when the good folks at LH Labs launched another crowd-funded endeavor on Indiegogo. And I had been patiently waiting for my GO1000. It was practically in the mail. But NO! “We have come up with another great idea!” The Geek Pulse, they called it. A Geek Out on steroids for your desktop pleasure.

“When they come, they come at what you love….”
-Michael Corleone, The Godfather Part 3

Click to expand...

 Before I dig into the Pulse, here are a few words about Crowd Funding:
Crowd funding generally leads to a product being adjusted or modified from its original form during the process. That is part of the benefit to crowd funding; group customization. However, it can both delay the product past the originally anticipated release date as well as changing the product and its pricing into something different than originally advertised due to the requests and input from the crowd itself. (Such as the Geek Force, the registered participants on the http://lhlabs.com/force forums)
The end benefit is the supporters receive a significant discount from retail for their support and participation. In a sense you as a backer are accepting a certain level of development risk in exchange for a discounted final cost. Refunds may not be available as your contribution is being spent developing the product you had decided to support.
This is very different from our normal role as a consumer where we select and pay for a ready to go product and pay retail for the privilege of an immediately available and full tested product. One that may be returned for a refund later should we decide it is not what we wanted.

Who is Light Harmonic?

In 2010, Larry Ho founded light Harmonic in Sacramento, California. Larry had just finished creating the prototype for the Da Vinci DAC and his friends convinced him to take it to the marketplace. He had thrown everything he had into his new product and had enlisted help from fellow engineers in the US and Europe. Today the Da Vinci DAC is a highly regarded summit fi DAC yet is no longer their top end device. The Sire DAC at $120,000 has claimed that spot for now.
More info can be found about Larry and Light Harmonic HERE. And about the LHlabs approach to Crowd Funding concept HERE.
I asked Casey Hartwell, LH Labs Director of Digital Marketing, a few questions regarding their new product line:
 

1. Eric Neff (EN): What prompted a High End company to move to the other end of the price scale?
2. Casey Hartwell (CH): Larry & Gavin were showcasing Da Vinci at RMAF 2012 and were approached by a young man that asked if he could possibly listen to his own compilation of music (hip-hop, EDM, etc.) through Da Vinci in the listening room. Both of them happily obliged the request. The look of awe on the young mans face and the fact that he said “that was the best he’d ever heard his music sound.  Too bad I’ll never be able to afford this” is what inspired them to embark on the mission of making the high-end audio experience affordable for everyone.  From that, Geek Out was born and every other product has been influenced and designed around the same goal.
3. EN: What drives a product development decision? See a niche? Have a great idea?
4. CH: We’re huge crowd-design advocates.  We present the crowd with our ideas and ask them to help us make it better and more useable.  We’ve found that when we launch a product the crowd has so many great ideas it’s like having a team of 1,000+ designers helping to make our products perfect.
5. EN: Considering the forthcoming Keep Mono Block amps and the Soul, is the goal to provide a full system at some point?
6. CH: That could be a goal 
   
7. EN: When people think of Light Harmonic or LH Labs what do you want to be the top thing coming to mind? What does the brand stand for in your mind?
8. CH: For LH Labs & Light Harmonic we want to be seen as being different.  We want to be known as a company that is not full of BS.  We test whatever we do and are able to provide the concrete evidence around every product we produce.  There is no marketing spin and no empty promises.  We deliver only the best gear, without compromise.
9. EN: Do you anticipate Crowd funding to be your primary development-funding model going forward?
10. CH: Yes.  It allows us the opportunity to not only develop our products through crowd-design but to ultimately make a larger splash outside of such a niche industry.  We love making our products for audiophiles but we love it even more when we are able to introduce non-audiophiles to our products and expose them to the world of audio that they didn’t even know they were missing.

 

Product Specs

Generally, product specs are straightforward and simple to list. In the case of the Pulse the variations can confuse.
So, there are 3 versions of the Pulse:
The Geek Pulse $999 retail ($399 while the Indiegogo campaign is open)
LH Labs Description – “This is what others might call a base model, but we prefer to think of it as where awesome starts.”
The Geek Pulse X $1799 retail ($777 while the Indiegogo campaign is open)
LH Labs Description – “This is a fully-balanced, dual mono version of Geek Pulse. On the front, in addition to the 1/4″ stereo headphone jack, you get a four-pin balanced headphone output. On the back, there’s another way for your stereo: a pair of balanced XLR outputs.”
The Geek Pulse X-Fi $3199 retail ($1399 while the Indiegogo campaign is open)
LH Labs Description – “This is Geek Pulse X on steroids. Remember that optional dual Femto clock upgrade? This is where you get it. It also has upgraded passive components (capacitors and resistors) as well as upgraded active components (opamps and controllers).”
Geek Pulse measures at a depth 8.25 inches, width of 7.375 inches and height of 3 inches.
A complete description of the specs comes from the LH Labs Geek Pulse chart:
Chart courtesy of LH Labs – Specs are subject to change

 
Note that all versions of LH Labs and Light Harmonic DAC’s process all digital music in its native format. DSD stays DSD as opposed to many DAC’s, which convert DSD to PCM for playback. In addition to the choice of DAC’s they also offer a companion Linear Power Supply that comes in two versions.
The LPS $899 retail ($529 while the Indiegogo campaign is open)
LH Labs Description – “This is Geek Pulse’s linear power supply buddy that we told you about earlier. It has one 120 or 240 volt AC input, one 12 volt DC output, one USB input, and one USB output.”
The LPS 4 $1299 retail ($639 while the Indiegogo campaign is open)
LH Labs Description – “This is just like Geek LPS, but it has four 12 volt DC outputs instead of just one. It’s perfect for other audio gear you might have that uses 12V DC power.”
What formats can the Pulse handle? How about any of them currently available from basic Redbook CD 16/44.1 to 24/384 as well as DSD64 and DSD128? As usual a driver is required for Windows use. No driver is needed for Mac use.
The Geek Pulse has several selectable settings accessed via the volume knob on the front. Pressing the knob brings up the selectable menu.

1. Input – USB, AES, SPDIF 1, TOSLINK, SPDIF 2
2. Gain Select – Low, Medium, High
3. Digital Filter – TCM (Time Comprehension Mode), FRM (Frequency Response Mode)
4. Volume Setting – Knob Control, USB
5. Firmware Version Display – Currently Ver. 1.0

The gain setting is handy as it allows for IEM use with a dead quiet background in Low, or set to high for the fill 3 Watts of output for those hard to drive low impedance cans.
Usually when reviewing an audio product there are a couple of sonic considerations. One is does it sound good? And the second is does it sound good “For the Money?” In this case we have two price points due to the open crowd funding option on Indiegogo.
The qualities I have experienced make the Geek Pulse a great buy at its projected retail price. At the crowd-funding price it is a flat out steal.
 
Review perspectives and caveats:
I am not going to include an LPS commentary in this review. I had a ton of questions on the forums about the LPS and all of its connectivity uses. There is a list of information on the LHLabs.com web site relating to the LPS. Given the variety of power grid quality as well as the many components people will use with the Geek Pulse and LPS, I cannot adequately cover that ground under my deadline commitments. Time, and too much variable iteration make that too large a challenge. However, I cannot imagine with high-resolution audio that adding clean power would not be in the listener’s best interest. I also believe in giving the best circumstances to gear as possible. So, I will be using the Light Harmonic Lightspeed cables and Stillpoints vibration control devices for best possible results.

Listening

First up on the hit list is The Eagles “Hotel California” via CD Rip AIFF 16/44.1 1411 kbps. OK. So it gets used a lot. I love this song and this particular rendition. The space in the Hall for this live performance is tough to reproduce with headphones. I always enjoy sitting near the front of the Hall. You easily achieve this sense with the Pulse. Wide-open and spacious, the concert hall opens up in your mind and keeps expanding outward. The opening notes contain the delicate sounds of fingers on strings as the song unfolds. Fretwork is clean and the sliding of fingers up and down the neck trace sonic pathways between the notes. Percussion floats airily in the background providing a base to the guitars lead. Don Henley’s vocals center the performance. The bass guitar adds a strong foundation throughout the song.
Compared to my reference rig, the Cary SLI-80 with F1 Mods and the Wyred 4 Sound DAC2 DSDse I experienced similar detail and top end openness. Both DAC’s use the ESS Sabre 9018 chips. Perhaps the Cary and W4S provided a bit more space and some warmth that the Solid State Pulse would not inject. Tube effect perhaps? Both were wonderful listening sessions. Your preference here could go either way. Considering the Cary/W4S combo clocks in at almost 2X the Pulse/LPS combo’s cost, it was a good showing for LH Labs.
Next up Evanescence, Made of Stone. CD Rip 16/44.1 AIFF 1411 kbps. This is a great track that happens to be highly compressed in post-production. It is hard to pull the layers out given the compression. Drums, bass and rhythm guitar are heard as individual as I have experienced. This is tough to accomplish since they seemed to have been engineered as a wall-of-sound. It is worth the effort, as Amy Lee kills it with this track. Her high notes are exquisite. Here is where the Pulse does a great job of separating the parts and providing a nice coherent package back. Amy and the boys always provide great energy and it comes through via the Pulse. Volume is no trouble as I could make my ears bleed at medium level.
Fiona Apple’s Extraordinary Machine has that club vibe. CD Rip 16/44.1 AIFF 1411 kbps. The song, “Get Him Back”, presents an intimate space. You can visualize Fiona at her mic with the band around her. Her voice fronts the drums and piano. They can easily be perceived as being behind and to the right of her in the track. Cymbals shimmer, as they should over the top. I have a nice table upfront in the club. One of my favorite listening metaphor’s is “Did I see the smoke in the club?” Michael Mercer would call it: Gestalt. It is the physicality or three-dimensionality of the listening experience. The pulse provides that experience. For me that is a “must have” part of the package.
Moving to higher resolution I queued up Heart’s Dreamboat Annieat 24/192 AIFF from HDTracks.com. Clean. I have listened to this album since it’s release in 1976. This release cleans up the hash (wrong example for a 70’s record?) and what you hear is a layered presentation. Each part can be heard clearly without any interference between layers. It is like being inside a snow globe with perfectly clean water inside. All sides of the music can be enjoyed from all points without any noise to obscure the presentation. This gives me some insight into the quality of DAC implementation from LH Labs. You would not be able to look through the music so clearly without a first class DAC and top-level implementation. Overall the Pulse provided a beautiful presentation and one that led me to listening to the entire album before I realized it.
Moving to the top of the resolution scale I went to the Hoff Ensemble of Norway’s “Quiet Winter Night –an acoustic jazz project” from www.2L.no. This performance was recorded in DXD 24/352.8. I am listening to the DSD128 version available from 2L’s website. My Norwegian is very rusty (OK, I married a Lady of Norwegian heritage, but I can’t speak a bit). The clarity and spaciousness of the recording is breathtaking. Piano is always a reference for me. My father is a professional musician and I grew up listening to him play in many venues. Listening to the attack of the strike on the strings it was life-like and the decay was as it should be. Sustain and timbres are appropriate. This is a joy to experience. Once again, if Larry and his team at LH Labs had not done their job then there would be plenty to distract from enjoying the performance. I feel small ensemble pieces are harder to reproduce because there is no place to hide a problem. Not enough trees in that forest as it were. A big thumbs up in this regard.

Conclusions

I was having a conversation with a good friend who is a long time owner of a high-end audio shop. He carries some of my favorite aspirational gear and we have spent many hours auditioning his stock. We were discussing a well-regarded speaker and he made the comment that you could pick apart the music with the speakers but it seemed too surgical. The parts were all individual and not part of a whole. The sound “lacked coherence”. I have to agree. I felt the same way about those speakers. And they are not the first pair that gave me that same experience. High end is not about pulling things apart. It is about presenting them as a whole in the best light the gear can manage. It is a function of all the parts of the system chain.
I am very familiar with my HD800’s and the rest of my reference gear. Substituting new equipment is always interesting. Discerning the nuances of a change always make for a fun night in the listening room. Yet sometimes those new parts are not the best. They may be fine with other components in a new chain, but they are not always right with mine.
In the case of the Geek Pulse X-Fi with LPS, I have a winning combination. Gear that integrates easily with my other components and yet brings it’s own flavor to the event. Being a tube fan I sometimes struggle to find solid-state gear that I could live with. The Geek Pulse would easily make that short list. I also applaud the ESS Sabre 9018 implementation. It seems to be a tricky chip to wrestle into place. Mission accomplished for the LH Labs team!
The Indiegogo campaign has been reopened. You can find it HERE.
 

Pros

1. Hi Rez audio powerhouse in a small chassis
2. Accepts all major digital inputs
3. Native DSD
4. Accepts all popular digital file types
5. Single Ended and Balanced (4 Pin) Headphone outputs
6. High-end sparkle, sweet Midrange and Low-end slam are all present
7. Great value at it’s retail price, a steal during the IGG campaign

 

Cons

1. Device style is basic black with no bling
2. Device must be on and be selected as the active sound device prior to opening Amarra or Audirvana+
3. If you want to isolate the USB power via the LPS you will need two USB cables. Keep the total length less than five meters or the signal may be unstable. (This is really a USB issue, not a Pulse/LPS issue)

 

Associated Equipment

1. Cary SLI-80 Integrated Amp
2. Wyred 4 Sound DAC2 DSDse with Femto Clock
3. Sennheiser HD800 Headphones with balanced Toxic Cables Silver Widow’s
4. Sennheiser HD650 Headphones with Single Ended Toxic Cables Silver Poison’s
5. Beyer DT1350 Headphones
6. JH Audio JH16 FP CIEM’s with Toxic Cables Silver Widows
7. ACS Custom T1 CIEM’s
8. Light Harmonic 10G Lightspeed cable
9. Light Harmonic 1G Lightspeed cable
10. Stillpoints Ultra SS
11. Stillpoints Ultra 5 with Ultra Base
12. Amarra 3.03
13. Audirvana+ 1.5.12

Music sourced from a MacMini Late 2012 2.3 GHz i7 with 16 G Ram
 
Review copied from original review located at:  www.headphone.guru/geek-pulse
 

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 ​

The Cary SLI-80 has been around in basically the same version since 1999. A consistent top seller it has earned a large following in the audiophile community as a convenient, simple and elegant one box device. Housing a pair of Class A/B1 Mono amps utilizing a quad of KT88 tubes in a Push/Pull configuration alongside a simple and effective pre-amp the SLI-80 presents a striking classic tube look. The rest of the tube compliment include a pair of 5U4G Rectifiers, 6SN7's for phase inversion and 6922's for input/output.
 
The amp can be run as a 40 watt Triode amp or an 80 Watt Ultra linear amp. Weighing in at 42 pounds, the Cary sports huge in house made transformers with tons of reserve power for peaks and transients. This results in great headroom for orchestral works. More intimate jazz and folk artists are presented in almost 3D sound. The SLI-80 is also at home with rock and can provide the low end slam and crystal highs of cymbals with flair. For Headphone fans the SLI-80 performs with elan'. The signal going to the Single Ended Headphone jack comes straight off the tube circuit. A couple of resistors step down the voltage and leave the full benefit coming from the tubes for your enjoyment.
 
Over the years a number of incremental upgrades have been made available. The popular F1 model's various upgrades are now all available as ala-cart choices either as a new order or later as factory upgrades. This allows any SLI-80 owner to keep his rig as up to date as any new model rolling off the factory bench.
 
If you are looking for great sound or if you are limited in space and cannot have a room full of different gear for different applications will appreciate all the SLI-80 has to offer. It will provides years of worry free sonic bliss!

I have been mainly a Sennheiser fan for many years. The DH650's are my go to home HP's and the HD25-1 ii's are the "On the road" reference HP's. There I was in Best Buy and much to my surprise next to the latest Beats was a couple of pair of the DT-1350's! So before I knew what I was doing I had them in the car and plugged into the Fostex HP-P1 and the iPod Classic filled with AIFF lossless files. Luckily I had some time between appointments!
 
Over the next 4 days I have logged 15+ hours on them and I am really enjoying the experience. They are a terrific compliment to the Senn HD25's. More neutral with a smoother Bass. The 25's have more low end punch.
 
I found that I had a similar experience to the one Jude described in Head-Fi TV Episode 004:
 

 
I am now tossing both the HD25's and the DT-1350's into the bag for travel. I'll post more as I get more time and can consider my comments, but each of these portable reference headphones are long term keepers!

After spending some time with my Sennheiser HD650 headphones I knew it was time for an upgrade. I like these cans but I felt I could get better performance from a better cable than the stock that came with them. One of the advantages of a widely owned and acclaimed headphone is an active market for cables. Many choices are available. After reading extensively many forums and reviews I decided to take the plunge with Frank and his Toxic Cables. http://toxic-cables.co.uk/
 

 
Frank has developed a devoted following by building great cables that are immaculate in their construction and by being meticulous about his cable materials. Custom designed for his specs he sells the raw cable for the DIY crowd as well as the finished product for us clients with too many thumbs.  
 

 
Listening was done with a Mac Mini using Amarra 2.4.1 as the source, a Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus connected via Audioquest Cinnamon USB via USB 2.0. The Sennheiser's were plugged directly into the DMPlus as the Pre-Amp for all computer audio. All files were ripped AIFF Lossless via iTunes 10.6.3. CD/SACD/DVD-A discs were played in a Denon DVD-5900 connected either via Coax to the DMPLus or via Denon Link 2 to a Denon AVR-4311ci using AKM4358 DAC's.The HD650's were plugged into either the DMPlus or the Denon AVR-4311 when using the DVD-5900.
 

 
Growing up in the 70's I am a big Pink Floyd, Steely Dan, Alan Parsons fan. I have all of their respective works ripped and several of them on SACD or DVD-A. After a 120 hour burn in I queued up Dark Side of the Moon and let it rip with Time. Great bass as expected but the sustain was amazing. the signature bass note seemed to go on forever. followed by the chimes as clear and bright as I had ever heard them. One of the challenges for high notes or chimes can be the breaking up of the top end. None here. The Silver Poison's kept everything together, clear and sustained with no hint of strain. You could turn up the volume without fatigue. David Gilmour's guitar work is legendary and the Silver Poisons allowed each note to flow beautifully.
 
Alan Parson Project's The Turn of a Friendly Card on DVD-A in 24/96 is a gorgeous production. The Gold Bug is an instrumental track which is a great de-stresser for me. Lovely Saxophone over a solid bass line soft backing vocals and chimes. It is a real workout for any system to have the pieces all come through clearly. No problem for the Silver Poisons. Smooth and concise they allowed the music to shine through with no hint of strain.
 
Steely Dan was next ripped lossless AIFF from the Redbook CD of the Definitive Collection. Babylon Sisters had everything I like, great attack, tight strong bass, soulful female backing vocals and a personal fave, electric piano with Donald Fagen (My Dad was a musician and he played electric piano. Lot's of great evenings watching the band play) Electric Piano can get smeared if not treated properly. The Silver Poison's were once again at their best reproducing that signature sound I grew up with and loved so well.
 
I probably have about 50 hours of close listening so far after the break in time. I spent a big chunk of the 4th of July indoors on a beautiful July  day because I could not take the HD650's off my head. One more song, I would say. How about some Alison Krause, Linda Ronstadt, Lana Del Ray, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Led Zepplin, Judas Priest, Toto, Fleetwood Mac, Norah Jones and right now....Steely Dan's classic Cousin DuPree.
 

 
So, final verdict...5 Stars.... Tighter Bass, Smoother Mids, Clearer Highs, Liquid...This is what I was after and I got it with the Silver Poison's Highly recommended! 

I purchased the DMPlus to work alongside my MacMini. The MacMini has been stripped to just Mac OSX and Amarra Mini ver 2.4 using iTunes as the librarian. The Mini's USB output to the DMPlus is via an Audioquest Forest USB cable. I have 2 ways to listen to the DMPlus. First, I plug my Sennheiser HD650's directly into the headphone jack. In this mode the DMPlus acts as a headphone amplifier. iTunes and Amarra feed directly to the HD650's. The sound is wonderful and open. Great soundstage. You can see in your mind where each instrument is placed. The imaging is spot on...after you adjust the balance that is. 
 
One of the pluses of the DMPlus is the user adjustability. There are 3 different slope settings to set to user preference. Also, you can choose between synchronous usb 1.1 or Asynchronous usb 2.0. The default is 1.1. You have to read the manual to see how to adjust this setting. Until you do the device will not be recognized as a usb 2.0 device by the computer.
 
Balance is another adjustment that is not labeled. You must hold down the Filter/Phase button and then the volume knob becomes the balance adjust. Release the button and the knob returns to a volume control.
 
Once the unit is dialed into your setting preferences it is ready for action. I have it's unbalanced RCA outputs connected to my Denon AVR-4311ci receiver so I can enjoy the DAC through my M&K S-150's. There are Balanced outputs as well if you have the equipment for it. The difference of the Mac Mini via Toslink to the receiver and the DMPlus via RCA is interesting and fun to A/B. The TosLink utilizes the Denon's AKM DAC's so this set up allows me to have my choice of DAC output.
 
Most of the time I find myself using the HD650's directly plugged into the DMPlus. It is a simple setup. Mac Mini as source, DMPlus as DAC/Preamp/Amp and HD650's as cans of choice.
 
Life is good! (and simple!)
 

 
Here is another review from Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity:
 
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/dacs/dacs-reviews/cambridge-audio-dacmagic-plus.html