So can it (i.e Izotope Ozone or Noozxoide) compete with the effects from iCan, or does the iCan bring something unprecedented.
I do not have either setup with the software approaches as I have drastically simplified to using the Altmann Tera Player. So going just from memory, I would say the Noozxoide had the most realistic effects for creating a wide soundstage, with the iCAN a close 2nd. The iCAN to me has a great advantage since it is so simple to use and there are only three choices or settings. I find with the more complex software with lots of adjustments, I can spend more time tweaking my sound than listening to music. And yet it is nice to be able to vary the sound a bit when I get restless or the sound of a particular piece of music is too bright or too lively. With the iCAN, this just means reaching over and flicking a switch. I wrote this about it in a follow up post on my review thread:
I have had some more time with the Beyer T1s and the iCAN, and it is making me appreciate the lower ("one dot") setting on the 3D effects switch. I was intrigued that Vincent from iFi said he mostly listened to this setting, as on the HD650s it is kind of soft and muted although the music is nicely focused and unified. But the T1s tend to be very bright to my ears with already pretty good soundstage so the high end boost and space infusion of the "three dot" upper setting is simply too much on a lot of music. So I spent some time with the switch down on the one dot setting and found that with this very different effect, the T1s became very easy to listen to. The upper setting is a bit like the Ferrari in my car metaphor: tremendous potential but a bit finicky and difficult to get the most out of it. The lower setting is more like a big luxury sedan that you can just relax and enjoy. Still a nice taut and powerful ride, but a lot of comfort and ease also. The Ferrari can be incredibly stimulating and fun, but not necessarily something you want to spend days and days of driving with.
So the T1s with the full on 3D effect work best with simple ensemble music (say 1-5 musicians) where the added space and detail creates that spooky real sense of the sound being in the room. With more complicated music or with music that already has a lot of room ambience in the original recording, the sound gets a little scattered. And with overly bright recordings the sound gets a little too edgy. But then I just reach over and switch to the one dot setting and everything calms down and is much more forgiving. Again it is a sound you could listen to for hours. The little bit of crossfeed makes it much easier on your brain to just take in the flow of the music and not have to work so hard at keeping everything sorted.
In contrast the HD650s seem to need that injection of adrenaline and space that the three dot setting provides. Otherwise they can seem kind of thick and heavy. So with these phones, it is much more of a set it and forget it proposition. Mostly I just leave the switch up in the three dot position and listen from there. Only very occasionally does a song come on that has me wanting to tone things down a bit and now I go to the one dot setting for my dose of relaxation.
Instead of just one sound signature, I seem to like a lot of variety of sounds, which typically means reaching for a different set of headphones. But with this amp, I can just flick a switch when I get restless and experience a new gestalt to the music instantly.
