Review: Resonessence Labs Invicta - new high end DAC/amp/playback system - Page 13

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmichels 

Too bad the Invicta cannot be battery operated, with it's SD Card reader and headphone Amp, it will be the best portable ring to bring on travel or... Under the patio :-).
->. Anybody know of a USB 24/192 battery operated ( or USB) portable DAC/Amp of the quality of the Invicta to go With my MacBook Air or my Tablet Pc ?
Tanks

IIRC, CEntrance HiFi M8 could be an option.  You might want to look out for reviews, actual sales firs though.

Leckerton UHA 6S MKII could be another one, however that tops out at 24.96

To force Invicta to be transportable, you could always try something like this.  Impractical, I know, but the only alternative is a DAP or an almost equally clunky laptop + portable usb powered DAC/amp.

--

Though I understand the reasons for separating threads, I think it "kills" the conversation to a degree.  An alternative would have been to title this the Resonessence Labs thread / Invicta / Concero, reviews by Project86

It works really well for Woo Amp owners, and they've got great dialogues in there among regulars who don't always own the same Woo product.

But, I generally don't like the format of how component discussions are handled on head-fi anyway, so I understand that my view is mostly out of phase with the powers that be.

Quote:

Originally Posted by project86 

 

I agree about the thread thing - it's a double edged sword, and both methods have their ups and downs. I'm totally fine with general Invicta discussion or just chatting in general taking place in this thread (or the other, whatever). I just didn't want a new person starting out to have to wade through all the unrelated stuff to get to the "meat" of the Concero discussion. 

I understand.  Like I said, I'm not in love with how Head-fi organizes product information anyway.  For example, instead of a "thumbs up" button, new comers would have been better off if there was a "flag as impression" button.  That way you could "hide" all non-impression related posts in a given thread and get to the "meat" much faster.  Or maybe link those posts to the product pages for those components.  Those product pages have potential.

But, eh, it is what it is.  

On Invicta related news, it seems it's already out for delivery, so I should be getting it today!  Psyched.

=]

I am still searching for my ultimate transportable Ring hat can run away from an AC plug...

- So far I am tempted by the Red Wine Audio battery powered ballanced DAC/Amp : the Audeze Edition.

- But...  the ultimate solution for me will still be " a battery powered version" of the Resonessence INVICTA. It has everything that is needed, including an internal source via the SCD card reader !

So, I just sent this mail to Resonessance labs... without too much hope of course ! :

------------------------------------------------------- mail to Resonessance labs... ---------------------------------------------------------

Ended up receiving it yesterday b/c of some issues (fuse was out, sent it back for tests) - it should be noted that I bought it used and Resonessence were pretty helpful (for a nominal fee).

I put it in my speaker rig yesterday and the result was pretty amazing.  Right away I can confidently say, more detail than Zodiac, more extension.  Speakers disappeared.  Looking forward to listening further.

I will get my Invicta soon. According to Mark, there has been some changes on the headphone amp section since Project 86's initial review from last year. Still, I am wondering how good the headphone amp on Invicta currently is. With HD800, which are the dedicate amps that will offer noticeable improvement over Invicta's integrated headphone amp? In particular, how about the Bryston BHA-1 (SE or balanced)?

The Liquid Glass and Balancing Act are both a large step up from the Invicta with the HD800 and planars such as Audeze and Hifiman.  That said, if I needed something to listen to on the (semi) go or at the office and wanted to keep it simple, the Invicta would be more than adequate with the HD800's.

Radio_head, thanks for the reply! Guess I will have to stick with Invicta's amp for a while before I can afford either Liquid Glass or Balancing Act. It's good too know that with the integrated amp, the HD800s are still enjoyable :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by econparanoia 

Radio_head, thanks for the reply! Guess I will have to stick with Invicta's amp for a while before I can afford either Liquid Glass or Balancing Act. It's good too know that with the integrated amp, the HD800s are still enjoyable :)

 I've been using my HD800s with the Invicta now for quite awhile and find this combo to be an incredibly fine match.   One thing to keep in mind is that whenever you use an external amp (regardless of its quality) with a DAC, you are introducing the variable of the cable connection and probably other external factors that may affect overall performance, sometimes in an adverse way.   So I think there is much to favor sticking with a high quality amp/DAC combo such as the Invicta that was designed as a unit from the get-go.  I would say that unless you really need higher power for headphones (the Invicta is plenty for HD800s) or for some reason must have balanced headphone drive, I wouldn't even bother with an external amp.  As a aside, you might want to experiment with the different digital filters that the Invicta now offers as part of their software upgrade.   Recently I've been favoring the Minimum Phase IIR filter, which seems to open up and expand the soundstage to an amazing degree - perhaps more than I've ever heard using even a balanced set up.     

Quote:

Originally Posted by twsmith 

 I've been using my HD800s with the Invicta now for quite awhile and find this combo to be an incredibly fine match.   One thing to keep in mind is that whenever you use an external amp (regardless of its quality) with a DAC, you are introducing the variable of the cable connection and probably other external factors that may affect overall performance, sometimes in an adverse way.   So I think there is much to favor sticking with a high quality amp/DAC combo such as the Invicta that was designed as a unit from the get-go.  I would say that unless you really need higher power for headphones (the Invicta is plenty for HD800s) or for some reason must have balanced headphone drive, I wouldn't even bother with an external amp.  As a aside, you might want to experiment with the different digital filters that the Invicta now offers as part of their software upgrade.   Recently I've been favoring the Minimum Phase IIR filter, which seems to open up and expand the soundstage to an amazing degree - perhaps more than I've ever heard using even a balanced set up.

Twsmith, thank you for sharing your experience with the Invicta. I cannot wait to try the Invicta now! A question about headphone cable: With the Invicta integrated amp, do you use the stock cable of HD800? I am considering upgrading the stock cable to some aftermarket ones. The Q cable and the Black Dragon V2 seem to have received many good reviews and are relatively inexpensive. Any comments/suggestions on choice between these two cables for connecting HD800 to the Invicta, or recommendations of other cables (for less than $400)?

BTW, I ordered the unit directly from Mark, and I live in US. I read some post on another forum that complained about high brokerage/tax fee charged by UPS on delivery for importing unit into US. Did you experience any C.O.D. from UPS? I am expecting the UPS to deliver my package next week, and am a bit worried.