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Lavry DA10/DA11 too good without separate amp? - Page 3

post #31 of 43
11/26/09 at 2:58pm
what do you think lavry compare to pico ? aside from colder...
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post #32 of 43
11/26/09 at 3:14pm
I've had my DA11 since CanJam 09 and I'm a big fan of it's built-in amp. I agree with most of the assessments on this thread; however I do feel the amp suffers a bit in the highs occasionally, especially when listening to opera and some classical with my HD650s. The issue seems to be one of resolution and there's also a feeling of congestion. The soundstage feels slightly compressed too. I'm being very picky here! I do not experience these limitations with other types of music, and with my Grado RS-1s the amp performs flawlessly. However, I never listen to opera or classical with my Grados.

Since I listen to classical and opera about 90% of the time, I decided to add a really good neutral sounding tube amp to the chain. Anything less would barely register as an upgrade to the DA11's built-in amp. I know this from having auditioned other amps of lesser quality. My tube amp lifts away the limitations I heard with the DA11's built-in amp and allows the DA11's truly excellent DAC to shine.
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post #33 of 43
11/27/09 at 5:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by winzzz View Post
what do you think lavry compare to pico ? aside from colder...
well the lavry is still pretty new and I'm sure things will change after 200 hours or so. Right now the DA11 is a step or two above the pico in terms of details, soundstage and clarity. But I'll have to agree with others about the part which it lacks punch, I'm hoping the burn in will fix it a bit cause right now the bass really is well...anemic oh and just FYI I havent even get pass the 10 hours mark, so everything is pretty new to me
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post #34 of 43
11/27/09 at 2:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sieg9198 View Post
well the lavry is still pretty new and I'm sure things will change after 200 hours or so. Right now the DA11 is a step or two above the pico in terms of details, soundstage and clarity. But I'll have to agree with others about the part which it lacks punch, I'm hoping the burn in will fix it a bit cause right now the bass really is well...anemic oh and just FYI I havent even get pass the 10 hours mark, so everything is pretty new to me
Is the bass anemic or is it simply not over-emphasized like so many other set-ups out there? The headphone amp certainly has the power to drive decent bass according to most of the discussions I have found.
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post #35 of 43
11/30/09 at 2:22pm

Levels?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sieg9198 View Post
well the lavry is still pretty new and I'm sure things will change after 200 hours or so. Right now the DA11 is a step or two above the pico in terms of details, soundstage and clarity. But I'll have to agree with others about the part which it lacks punch, I'm hoping the burn in will fix it a bit cause right now the bass really is well...anemic oh and just FYI I havent even get pass the 10 hours mark, so everything is pretty new to me
Just out of curiousity, what levels (per DA11's numeric volume readout) do you typically listen to the DA11 at?
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post #36 of 43
12/2/09 at 8:37am
ok now after some burn in, I'll take back what I said about the bass being anemic. Right now I got a pretty punchy and clear bass. But dont expect big bass out of the DA11, the DA11 is all about transparency, if there's no bass in your recording, you wont magically hear it coming out.

@USAudio
I normally listen to 15 with my headphones(low impedance), and 5 for the ATH-CK100 IEM, this thing can get pretty loud, I cant imagine any headphone short of K1000 going over 50.
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post #37 of 43
12/2/09 at 8:53am
wow...15 ? what headphone are you using...

almost 30 for me with my grado...am i beginning to deaf already...
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post #38 of 43
12/2/09 at 11:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by winzzz View Post
wow...15 ? what headphone are you using...

almost 30 for me with my grado...am i beginning to deaf already...
Depending on the recording, between 15 and 20 with my 25 ohms Beyer DT48E as well...
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post #39 of 43
12/3/09 at 12:07am
I remember it was around 21~24 when I tried it with the RS-1.
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post #40 of 43
12/3/09 at 3:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sieg9198 View Post
ok now after some burn in, I'll take back what I said about the bass being anemic. Right now I got a pretty punchy and clear bass. But dont expect big bass out of the DA11, the DA11 is all about transparency, if there's no bass in your recording, you wont magically hear it coming out.

@USAudio
I normally listen to 15 with my headphones(low impedance), and 5 for the ATH-CK100 IEM, this thing can get pretty loud, I cant imagine any headphone short of K1000 going over 50.
Yep, that's the whole purpose of the DA11 (per Dan Lavry), both as a DAC and headphone amp; transparency.

I normally listen between 24 and 31 with my HD800's. The reason I asked is because, for me, increasing the DA11's volume a dB or 2 really seems to make a difference in perceived bass. But not too loud please, protect that hearing!
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post #41 of 43
12/3/09 at 8:31pm

Transformers

I have a DA10 in the studio and love it for it's transparency, depth, and width when feeding the monitors. For a headphone amp I prefer something more euphonic.
The perceived lack of punch and dynamics are easily explained by the lack of transformers. Transformer thump is what adds that weight to kicks, snares and basses. That same weight will add perceived dynamics very nicely. As the low end instruments kick in, you get an extra lift, more seperation from the previous passage.
If you are into ruthless transparency you will probably love the Lavry DAC's. If you enjoy some nice fuzzy coloration and roundness in just the right spots, you will want to add a seperate headamp, something with some iron in it.

For me, the DA10 headphone amp is too spikey for laidback fun. To get the volume up to where the bottom is satisfying, I am usually hitting 28 to 32 on a pair of Denon 7000. That lasts about 2 minutes before the pain starts to register. I then switch to the couch and one of various vintage receivers, and that usually does the trick.

That Sonnett headamp looks like just the right thing for me. The purity of the Lavry with a subtle transformer tube stage. Wonder if he offers it in Black?
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post #42 of 43
5/16/10 at 6:11am

My JH13 Pro's are arriving very soon and I am thinking seriously about getting the DA11... Is the built-in headphone amp too powerful for sensitive IEMs?


Edited by pekingduck - 5/16/10 at 11:51am
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post #43 of 43
5/16/10 at 10:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pekingduck View Post

My JH13 Pro's are arriving very soon and I am thinking seriously about getting the DA11... Is the built-in headphone amp too powerful for sensitive IEMs?



Possible, there's a post on the lavry website forum about it, if you want to try, set the volume to the min first.

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