rayk said:

Well I have the MSpros which are probably the more tamer grados around. I'll try a proper test including the ESW9s and a SPL meter.

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I don't know if your in the US, but did you make sure it's switched to 115V instead of the 230V default?

Yeah my source is pretty standard 2.25vrms, voltage switch is correct for AUS.
 
Using the SPL meter with the pot set around 11/12 o'clock it's pushing about 80dB which is pretty different to the impression I've been told with RS2 only getting loud around 3/4 of the pot. The usual volume I listen at is about 50-56dB.
 
I think I will just ask to get a replacement and see how that goes.

My T1 & Concerto now have around 200 hours of burn-in, I will be spending a few hours this evening trying to decide what to do... I really did expect more of this combo. I know that running it straight from my iMac is a long way from ideal, but really am suprised that even with the computers sound at 100%, and the volume of iTunes at full, I have to have to turn the Concerto almost to full volume to get a loudish reroduction. SQ wise the bass areas have matured, the mids have opened-up and the highs are not in the least sibilant... so why am I not happy ? I really wanted to like this combo ! Now I find myself very seriously considering what to do. Do I just go ahead and buy the StageDac when Jan gets back from his well deserved holiday, or should I reall y look to another setup ?? I will spend all of this evening listening to the T1 & Concerto alongside my speaker setup as well as my inexpensive portable rig (ATH M-50 & Voyager + iPod Classic)
Will post again tomorrow........Mike
 

Mike - sorry if you have posted this already - but you are sure you are operating the Concerto in high-gain mode?  It's hard to imagine not having enough volume with the T1's, which are very efficient in terms of sensitivity, and the Concerto in high-gain mode, unless the iMac's output is very weak.
 
What happens if you connect your iPod Classic to the Concerto (via the LINE OUT, not the headphone out)?
 
I apologize if these questions have been asked and answered already.

Quote:

skylab said:

Mike - sorry if you have posted this already - but you are sure you are operating the Concerto in high-gain mode?  It's hard to imagine not having enough volume with the T1's, which are very efficient in terms of sensitivity, and the Concerto in high-gain mode, unless the iMac's output is very weak.
 
What happens if you connect your iPod Classic to the Concerto (via the LINE OUT, not the headphone out)?
 
I apologize if these questions have been asked and answered already.

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Exactly...on high gain, I never go past 11 o'clock for fear of blowing out my ear drums.

Quote:

macedonianhero said:

Exactly...on high gain, I never go past 11 o'clock for fear of blowing out my ear drums.

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Even on low gain I would never go past 12 with the T1 (when I had them). Something must be wrong with Mike's setup or the source has a problem. Like Skylab said - try connecting another source Mike!

Thanks to all three of you for the response... ;-D
I have connected the Concerto to my iPod Classic via line-out and listened to around 15 - 20 different artists & albums, all need the volume on the Concerto to be at LEAST  at 12 o clock position, all can easily be played at full volume, same story on my sons iPod touch and my iPhone 4. I have triple checked (again) that the Concerto is in high gain mode - switch in the up position.... Another thing that suprises me is that I cannot hear ANY difference with the crossfade filter activated, no matter what material is played, old blues originals from the 30s or Beatles songs that are crude stereo with hard L/R tracking...
I know the iMac is a long way from ideal, but with all HQ AIFF files, and the computer output turned all the way-up as well as in iTunes, I really do not know what is happening with the Concerto ?
 
Quote:

skylab said:

Mike - sorry if you have posted this already - but you are sure you are operating the Concerto in high-gain mode?  It's hard to imagine not having enough volume with the T1's, which are very efficient in terms of sensitivity, and the Concerto in high-gain mode, unless the iMac's output is very weak.
 
What happens if you connect your iPod Classic to the Concerto (via the LINE OUT, not the headphone out)?
 
I apologize if these questions have been asked and answered already.

Click to expand...

No matter what computer your using,you need to have optical,coaxil or usb out to a dac then analog to the concerto to get its full benifits.Even a cheap dac will give decent performance.

Well, here we are on page 41, and 41 days after it shipped I finally have my Concerto amp. Gonna take a few days to fully grasp its sound, but it's nice to finally have it safely sitting on my desk.

I'd love to hear how the Concerto is pairing with the Beyer DT990 600's, Reputator. (I have a pair that is wanting for the Meier amp after having a so-so run on the impedance mismatched GLite.)

Agreed, the DT990/600 + Concerto is a combo I've seriously been considering to purchase for a while now. Testimonies from fellow head-fi'ers who own this have mostly been extremely positive. What I need to know is whether or not this combo would also be positive in favor for a basshead. I listen to a lot of bass-heavy music and just love that droning feel of sub-bass (the kind of bass so low that you can feel it more, rather than hearing it), and from what I've read the DT990 is up for it, but will the Concerto also be able to suit a basshead's needs (straight from source with no EQ'ing) ?

I'll be sure to post impressions real soon guys.
 
Look how nicely it fits in my little spot for it.
 

 
I really couldn't get an amp much bigger than this. The size is just right.

The DT990 does very well with the Concerto. Bass? Oh yeah there's bass. If the song has a lot of bass in it, you will have your skull compressed with bass. Deep, powerful, satisfying, and of course well-controlled. This amp takes this strength of the DT990 and really harnesses it, it's a great union.
 
One thing that I was worried about was treble. Everywhere you look you'll read that the Concerto has "neutral treble", meaning there's no roll-off, no de-emphasizing of the highs like some amps. It's been said if a headphone has a lot of treble to begin with, it will probably be fatiguing on the Concerto. And, well, the DT990 has plenty of treble, no one can deny that. The first headphone I tried on the Concerto was my highest-end one, the HE-5LE, and this amp really wakes up the treble and brings out some real extension and presence there that I didn't get on other amps before. So I was a little apprehensive plugging in the DT990 and listening to this particular aspect, but to my surprise, treble is damn near perfect on this amp with this headphone. It's actually REALLY smooth and even, none of this peakiness that makes treble hard to listen to on other setups. It's definitely alive and sizzling, but not overbearing whatsoever. Combined with the well-utilized bass the sound is just plain good on the DT990.
 
Before the Concerto I had the Purity Audio KICAS, a good amp by all means, but I quickly realized it just wasn't for me. It did best with my HE-5LE, mainly because the strongest point of the KICAS is the mids, and the HE-5LE has really smooth, rich mids. But it wasn't my idea of a fun amp, and that's a big detraction in my book, because a lot of my music, techno and rock being the bulk of it, hinge on being fun to listen to. The KICAS is too laid back for me, too polite. It's got very nice soundstage, VERY deep bass (as deep or deeper than the Concerto, probably), but it doesn't like to get in your face, doesn't like to get in your way or become a distraction. I'm a very poor multitasker, such that usually when listening to music I can't concentrate on much else, but with the KICAS I had no problem with this, and if I was typing something and the song ended, it might be a while before I realized that it was over. It's bad when you almost forget you started playing something. To me, I just couldn't get into the music on the KICAS. My simple little built-in amp on my sound card was more enjoyable than the KICAS. So I had to sell it.
 
It just goes to show how important synergy is. Even though on every technical level the KICAS was superior to my Xonar STX, it didn't mesh with my headphones, mainly my DT990, one of my star pairs. Tone and emotion and fun-factor are just as important to me as all the technical aspects (extension, soundstage, detail, separation, etc). If I'm not getting into my music, there's just no point. While still early on, it's looking like the Concerto has no problem doing that.
 
One thing I noticed across the board is the extreme channel separation this amp has. I didn't think I'd notice the balanced ground feature that much, but it really does separate the channels and add air and space to the sound, not to mention an extremely black background. This contributes to some pretty major instrument separation and depth to the music. Also on a side note, I don't think this amp is ideal with the K702. There's very little bass, and it actually sounds colder than it did on my KICAS, which did a better job bringing out the bass on the K702, and just overall synergized better with it. Not a deal-breaker for me, since I'm not a big fan of the K702 to begin with, but I just thought it might be nice for others to know.

Nice to read that, Reputator, and lovely pic as well (is that one of them, whaddaya call it, kitchen paper towel holders, you're using as a "headphone stand" for your DT990???)

Yes, thanks indeed for that, Reputator! I cannot wait to try out my DT990's on the Concerto.