[adrianm]

Interesting - everybody trying to defend a Headphone which maybe under the most excellent conditions and if everything falls in Place given the right stellar constellation might sound as good as other excellent headphones except that for the Expanse one you have to but over-TOTL something just that you can maybe hear music that actually sounds good.

Yes, it definitely sucks, don't buy it.

 

[gadus]

It's really strange to me why people at shows aren't enthusiastic enough about the Expanse and why there are some who just don't like it (I suspect that the reason for this is that it takes time and getting used to how good the Expanse is, the first time I listened to it I was really disappointed, today I'm happy every time)
For me (and this is of course subjective) they sound amazing, spacious and very detailed,
I don't lack bass/impact/dynamics at all,
It sounds natural and realistic,
Amplifier/dac make a very fundamental change with these headphones, which greatly affects the experience,

 

[number1sixerfan]

The Expanse is simply unique. Without its one or two quirks, it wouldn't have the unique strengths that it has, which really revolves around clarity and natural tone. This hobby is a game of tradeoffs, and the Expanse has its own just like everything else. The Susvara doesn't have a wow factor, the TC has midrange issues, the Sr1a bass issues, the 009 brightness, the list goes on and on.

I enjoy seeing ranked lists from people I trust, but all of them (even mine in my thread), should be taken with a grain of salt. And the more unique a headphone is, the less it will be appreciated by the masses.

Also, I will say that the Expanse's sound doesn't lend well to noisey show/meet conditions. At all. A quiet environment is a must given what it really excels at.

 

[davesa]

I agree with Gadus - when I was first looking at another headphone I was thinking of waiting for the Caldera or getting the Expanse - I had really liked my DCA Ether 2 and after reading about the tech in the Expanse thought it would be worth a try. Really glad I picked it up as I have loved it - it sounds great on both my tube amp, and my solid state. I have even traveled with it a few times with the Topping G5 - as it packs up so nice and small. It does prefer a more powerful amp though. I listen to a lot of house music and always thought the bass was awesome - not lacking in impact or detail, but not being overpowering or dark either.

 

[Benesyed]

I just got my expanse. Will give it more of a listen as I'm coming from the Atrium and Verite.

I will say that it's not as comfortable as those two on my head. There's a little more jaw pressure than I would like

 

[mrspeakers]

I just got my expanse. Will give it more of a listen as I'm coming from the Atrium and Verite.

I will say that it's not as comfortable as those two on my head. There's a little more jaw pressure than I would like

A neat thing about the teardrop shape is you can either orient the headphone so the point and headphone or fully on the jaw, or rotate the headband forward so the point comes down behind the jaw.

Either way start with your ear to the upper rear of the ear cavity, if you want a bit more upper midrange/lower treble then center your ear in the pad or even move the headphone back a little so your ear is closer to the front.

 

[Benesyed]

A neat thing about the teardrop shape is you can either orient the headphone so the point and headphone or fully on the jaw, or rotate the headband forward so the point comes down behind the jaw.

Either way start with your ear to the upper rear of the ear cavity, if you want a bit more upper midrange/lower treble then center your ear in the pad or even move the headphone back a little so your ear is closer to the front.

I have been moving it around and have found a few positions that are more comfortably. And perhaps things are just breaking in more so its becoming more comfortable.

General question that anyone can answer. Are there any DAPs that can adequately power these? Would be nice to use them sitting on the couch haha

 

[Currawong]

I have been moving it around and have found a few positions that are more comfortably. And perhaps things are just breaking in more so its becoming more comfortable.

General question that anyone can answer. Are there any DAPs that can adequately power these? Would be nice to use them sitting on the couch haha

The DAPs I've tried that are over $1k, due to the way they are set up, tend to run out of volume (gain) before they run out of power. Ditto the better dongle DACs, from Cayin and L&P up to the Woo Audio Tube Mini.

Portability wise, you'd want a Hugo 2, though a Mojo 2 would probably work too. I haven't tried many of the latest crop of super-high-end DAPs yet though.

 

[gammi]

I have been moving it around and have found a few positions that are more comfortably. And perhaps things are just breaking in more so its becoming more comfortable.

General question that anyone can answer. Are there any DAPs that can adequately power these? Would be nice to use them sitting on the couch haha

My Topping G5 (which is among the more powerful portable amps) can power it "fine" but there is obviously a bit of veil to it and it's low on bass.
It works and the sound is "good" but Expanse would not be the first thing I grab if I'm going out with my DAP, it's a heavily damped headphone and it shows when using low power amps.

 

[Benesyed]

The DAPs I've tried that are over $1k, due to the way they are set up, tend to run out of volume (gain) before they run out of power. Ditto the better dongle DACs, from Cayin and L&P up to the Woo Audio Tube Mini.

Portability wise, you'd want a Hugo 2, though a Mojo 2 would probably work too. I haven't tried many of the latest crop of super-high-end DAPs yet though.

My Topping G5 (which is among the more powerful portable amps) can power it "fine" but there is obviously a bit of veil to it and it's low on bass.
It works and the sound is "good" but Expanse would not be the first thing I grab if I'm going out with my DAP, it's a heavily damped headphone and it shows when using low power amps.

Fair enough. Let me up the question for a better chance of success. What's the most portable dac/amp that would be able to power the Expanse to satisfaction.

 

[gammi]

Fair enough. Let me up the question for a better chance of success. What's the most portable dac/amp that would be able to power the Expanse to satisfaction.

Depends on what's satisfactory to you. My answer is still none because personally I would never be satisfied knowing I'm getting a suboptimal experience and I don't think any DAP is going to drive the Expanse 100% so I would just use my IEMs or something easy to drive like my Liric.

Expanse is one of the hardest to drive headphones, comparable in difficulty to the Susvara which is renowned for needing speaker amps (or comparable) to drive it fully. I didn't feel I was getting its true capability until I got above 10W. It's perhaps my favorite headphone but a poor choice for a DAP imo.

If you're personally satisfied with it having a little bit of a veil and less bass, then anything with the G5's power or above is fine.

 

[Currawong]

Fair enough. Let me up the question for a better chance of success. What's the most portable dac/amp that would be able to power the Expanse to satisfaction.

What is "satisfaction"? For each 6dB increase in volume, you have double the sound pressure level, and a great deal more power is required from the amplifier. It's really going to depend on what music you listen to, and how loud. For example, classical, which tends to be mastered at a lower level, may not be loud enough out of a DAP or dongle. Movie soundtracks with 20-30 Hz bass may cause portable gear to clip at louder volumes. If you listen to modern recordings mostly, and not particularly loud, you may be fine with a lot less amplification than other people.

 

[Spawn300Z]

Fair enough. Let me up the question for a better chance of success. What's the most portable dac/amp that would be able to power the Expanse to satisfaction.

The Chord Hugo2/Cayin C9 combo works well for Stealth/Expanse. This is my travel combo.

 

[Benesyed]

Depends on what's satisfactory to you. My answer is still none because personally I would never be satisfied knowing I'm getting a suboptimal experience and I don't think any DAP is going to drive the Expanse 100% so I would just use my IEMs or something easy to drive like my Liric.

Expanse is one of the hardest to drive headphones, comparable in difficulty to the Susvara which is renowned for needing speaker amps (or comparable) to drive it fully. I didn't feel I was getting its true capability until I got above 10W. It's perhaps my favorite headphone but a poor choice for a DAP imo.

If you're personally satisfied with it having a little bit of a veil and less bass, then anything with the G5's power or above is fine.

sorry I was not clear. I have conceded a DAP and a portable dac amp isn't going to be enough. Are there any smaller sized desktop dac amps that can drive the Expanse well or at least as well as my JDS elements with boost

 

[Benesyed]

What is "satisfaction"? For each 6dB increase in volume, you have double the sound pressure level, and a great deal more power is required from the amplifier. It's really going to depend on what music you listen to, and how loud. For example, classical, which tends to be mastered at a lower level, may not be loud enough out of a DAP or dongle. Movie soundtracks with 20-30 Hz bass may cause portable gear to clip at louder volumes. If you listen to modern recordings mostly, and not particularly loud, you may be fine with a lot less amplification than other people.

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