So granodemostasa and I decided to get together this Saturday afternoon while Berkeley classes are still not in full swing yet to compare how the HD650s sound.
Our setups are as follows:
Setup One:
HD650s running balanced from the balanced outputs of the Lavry DA10, using a stock cable re-terminated in XLR.
Setup Two:
HD650s (with stock cable) running single ended from a Dynahi, sourced by a Lavry DA10 using XLR-to-RCA adapters and cables.
Me and Grano (David from now on) both have Lavry DA10s, so we basically went back and forth. Here are the songs that we listened to:
1) La valse d'Amelie (piano) - this is from the Amelie soundtrack
2) Night Fight - this is from the Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon soundtrack
3) Foreign Bodies - Part I: Body Language - this is from "Wing on Wing" by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
4) Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley - from the Grace album
5) Straight Life by Art Pepper - from Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section
My overall impression is that the Dynahi has much more power and force than the Lavry's balanced output. Drums hit much harder and with much more impact on the Dynahi. This was made apparent to me when I listened to the Art Pepper track, as it contains a great drum solo by Philly Joe Jones. On the Lavry, the drum hits sound softer, more blurred, whereas on the Dynahi, the drum hits really make you feel the impact. So to my ears, the Dynahi produced bass that is tighter and more forceful than the Lavry. This isn't to say that the Lavry's bass is muddy or boomy, but it is not as precise and well-defined as the Dynahi's bass.
The midrange sounded pretty much the same to my ears on the Lavry and the Dynahi depending on the song playing. But again, the Dynahi simply had more power reserve, so everything sounded a little bit fuller, although the differences are somewhat negated when I cranked the Lavry, but this results in a listening level that is a little bit too loud for my usual tastes. For example, on Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah", the Dynahi made his voice sound richer and weightier, resulting in a more seductive midrange. The Lavry, on the other hand, seemed to lack just a tiny bit of body in contrast.
Highs is where I felt the Dynahi had a clear advantage than the Lavry. Art Pepper's sax sounded smooth and extended, but yet also full of dynamics on the Dynahi. But on the Lavry, I had to crank it up pass my listening level to get the same level of dynamics; but with this increase in dynamics comes an increase in sibilance. The sax, in this mode, sounded too sharp to my ears. Similarly, in "Hallelujah", I had to turn up the volume on the Lavry, but this came at the cost of greater sibilance. There is this part in "Hallelujah" where Jeff Buckley sings:
"And she tied you to her kitchen chair
And She broke your throne and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah "
The "ch" and "sh" sounds from words like "kitchen", "throne", and "lips" sounded too sibilant out of the Lavry. But on the Dynahi, I could get the listening level that I wanted, but without any of the sibilance.
Soundstage wise, I thought the Lavry's balanced outputs had a slight advantage in terms of height. The Lavry can give you a better perception of height in the soundstage, whereas the Dynahi's soundstage, while big, doesn't give you the same perception of height. But lateral soundstage sounds identical to me on the Lavry and the Dynahi.
David thought that the Lavry's balanced had a hair more detail, but my personal impression was that the detail level is about the same on both setups.
So my overall preference is the Dynahi. Why? Because I am a power nut and think that you can never have too much power
The Dynahi has some big brass balls that can really control the HD650s. And everything sounded a touch sweeter and warmer on the Dynahi, which is surprising, since the Dynahi doesn't sound like your typical SS stuff. I didn't find it harsh or grating; sure, it's not "tube-like" in its portrayal of the midrange, but it doesn't sound like it has digititis either. It's much smoother than the lower-end Gilmore designs that I've heard.
But for those who have the Lavry DA10, I highly, highly recommend going balanced with them if you have the HD650s. For the price of the Lavry, you get a pretty good DAC and a pretty good amp. The balanced outputs on the Lavry is a level better than it's headphone jack. Such a setup yielded a lot of performance, so it's got a great price-to-performance ratio. Plus it has a small footprint, so it is transportable to boot.
David has the pictures, and he will upload them along with his impressions when he gets home.
Our setups are as follows:
Setup One:
HD650s running balanced from the balanced outputs of the Lavry DA10, using a stock cable re-terminated in XLR.
Setup Two:
HD650s (with stock cable) running single ended from a Dynahi, sourced by a Lavry DA10 using XLR-to-RCA adapters and cables.
Me and Grano (David from now on) both have Lavry DA10s, so we basically went back and forth. Here are the songs that we listened to:
1) La valse d'Amelie (piano) - this is from the Amelie soundtrack
2) Night Fight - this is from the Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon soundtrack
3) Foreign Bodies - Part I: Body Language - this is from "Wing on Wing" by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
4) Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley - from the Grace album
5) Straight Life by Art Pepper - from Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section
My overall impression is that the Dynahi has much more power and force than the Lavry's balanced output. Drums hit much harder and with much more impact on the Dynahi. This was made apparent to me when I listened to the Art Pepper track, as it contains a great drum solo by Philly Joe Jones. On the Lavry, the drum hits sound softer, more blurred, whereas on the Dynahi, the drum hits really make you feel the impact. So to my ears, the Dynahi produced bass that is tighter and more forceful than the Lavry. This isn't to say that the Lavry's bass is muddy or boomy, but it is not as precise and well-defined as the Dynahi's bass.
The midrange sounded pretty much the same to my ears on the Lavry and the Dynahi depending on the song playing. But again, the Dynahi simply had more power reserve, so everything sounded a little bit fuller, although the differences are somewhat negated when I cranked the Lavry, but this results in a listening level that is a little bit too loud for my usual tastes. For example, on Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah", the Dynahi made his voice sound richer and weightier, resulting in a more seductive midrange. The Lavry, on the other hand, seemed to lack just a tiny bit of body in contrast.
Highs is where I felt the Dynahi had a clear advantage than the Lavry. Art Pepper's sax sounded smooth and extended, but yet also full of dynamics on the Dynahi. But on the Lavry, I had to crank it up pass my listening level to get the same level of dynamics; but with this increase in dynamics comes an increase in sibilance. The sax, in this mode, sounded too sharp to my ears. Similarly, in "Hallelujah", I had to turn up the volume on the Lavry, but this came at the cost of greater sibilance. There is this part in "Hallelujah" where Jeff Buckley sings:
"And she tied you to her kitchen chair
And She broke your throne and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah "
The "ch" and "sh" sounds from words like "kitchen", "throne", and "lips" sounded too sibilant out of the Lavry. But on the Dynahi, I could get the listening level that I wanted, but without any of the sibilance.
Soundstage wise, I thought the Lavry's balanced outputs had a slight advantage in terms of height. The Lavry can give you a better perception of height in the soundstage, whereas the Dynahi's soundstage, while big, doesn't give you the same perception of height. But lateral soundstage sounds identical to me on the Lavry and the Dynahi.
David thought that the Lavry's balanced had a hair more detail, but my personal impression was that the detail level is about the same on both setups.
So my overall preference is the Dynahi. Why? Because I am a power nut and think that you can never have too much power
The Dynahi has some big brass balls that can really control the HD650s. And everything sounded a touch sweeter and warmer on the Dynahi, which is surprising, since the Dynahi doesn't sound like your typical SS stuff. I didn't find it harsh or grating; sure, it's not "tube-like" in its portrayal of the midrange, but it doesn't sound like it has digititis either. It's much smoother than the lower-end Gilmore designs that I've heard.But for those who have the Lavry DA10, I highly, highly recommend going balanced with them if you have the HD650s. For the price of the Lavry, you get a pretty good DAC and a pretty good amp. The balanced outputs on the Lavry is a level better than it's headphone jack. Such a setup yielded a lot of performance, so it's got a great price-to-performance ratio. Plus it has a small footprint, so it is transportable to boot.
David has the pictures, and he will upload them along with his impressions when he gets home.
