[bugstone]

Now here is a less favorable impression of the Black Widow from the Big Sound 2015 Participant Report with Aaron (ab_ba.)  So, as usual, impressions vary.
 
I found the Eddy Current Black Widow and the Burson to be a bit shouty sounding. (Sorry if that's not much of a technical term. Let me try again: strident and somewhat harsh.) I see that they are cheaper than the others, and so I would say they are quite excellent for their prices.
 
Big Sound 2015 Participant Report Aaron (ab_ba) | InnerFidelity
 
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[raybone0566]

Now here is a less favorable impression of the Black Widow from the Big Sound 2015 Participant Report with Aaron (ab_ba.)  So, as usual, impressions vary.

I found the Eddy Current Black Widow and the Burson to be a bit shouty sounding. (Sorry if that's not much of a technical term. Let me try again: strident and somewhat harsh.) I see that they are cheaper than the others, and so I would say they are quite excellent for their prices.

 
Big Sound 2015 Participant Report Aaron (ab_ba) | InnerFidelity

Bugs

Yes, but another head-fier(Roy), picked the Black Widow in the top 3 amps he would choose with each headphone. It all comes down to ones personal preference.

 

[Thenewguy007]

Would love to hear more opinions from somebody who owned other high end solid state amps to compare them directly with.

 

[audiofrk]

its awsome and organic.
 
 
 
There go buy it.

 

[bugstone]

Here is another very positive response to the Black Widow from Tyll's 'Big Sound 2015' event.  At 8:04 in the video, Jamie from Headroom said, “I thought that was really outstanding sound.” “Very clean, punchy, sounded nice and wide”
 
HeadRoom in for a Quickie | InnerFidelity
 
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[Tyll Hertsens]

This post by Romaz is VERY positive about the Black Widow.
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/big-sound-2015-participant-report-roy-romaz
 
I liked it quite a bit as well---colored a bit like a warm tube amp, but a lovely, lovely sound.

 

[pedalhead]

Yep Romaz is a credit to the BS2015 project. Tyll, any thoughts on whether the warmth of the BW plays nicely with the HE1000?  I have a BW on order at the moment though I'm concerned the HE1000 is already warm enough. Cheers.

 

[bugstone]

Here is Romaz had to say:
 

Eddie Current Black Widow - This is the spoiler of the lot. It was very dynamic yet with tube-like midrange warmth and it played all of the non-electrostatic headphones well. Best value, bar none and yet competitive with any of the other amps regardless of price. Paired with the Dharma, you could have a top-of-the-line combo for well under $2,500, a combination I could easily be happy owning.

Read more at http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/big-sound-2015-participant-report-roy-romaz#GClkVOfdAbXwAb3d.99
 
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[bugstone]

Here is what Hands (Tyler) had to say about the Black Widow at 'Big Sound 2015.'
 

Black Widow: Such a nice, solid state amp for the price! I preferred this to the Ragnarok, though one thing I didn't check to see was which amp had more power and slam. Ah, well, maybe some other time. The BW has a slight hint of sweetness to it, not too unlike a tube sound. It wasn't quite as large, lush, or powerful sounding as the Teton, and the treble was a bit sharper and less natural as well, but damn if this is not an awesome amp. Actually, I think some of these traits I mentioned depend on the headphone, including treble sharpness. The fact that I didn't find myself too worried going back and forth between the Teton and BW with the HD800 says something, I think. Sure, the BW sounded a touch more strained and congested than the Teton with the HD800, but when you consider the price difference and solid-state vs. tube implementation, it makes sense. I found the BW paired better with orthos and even the HD650 compared to the HD800. I should reiterate and clarify that while it was not quite as sweet sounding as the Teton, it did not have the sort of edge the Ragnarok did and was very pleasing because of this. Highly recommended.

 

Read more at http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/big-sound-2015-participant-report-hands-tyler#IwcMpwEeuBm4DlPc.99
 
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[NA Blur]

  Now here is a less favorable impression of the Black Widow from the Big Sound 2015 Participant Report with Aaron (ab_ba.)  So, as usual, impressions vary.
 
I found the Eddy Current Black Widow and the Burson to be a bit shouty sounding. (Sorry if that's not much of a technical term. Let me try again: strident and somewhat harsh.) I see that they are cheaper than the others, and so I would say they are quite excellent for their prices.
 
Big Sound 2015 Participant Report Aaron (ab_ba) | InnerFidelity
 
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I also found it a bit shouty at higher volumes. Something about its midrange was just too present with most of the cans I tried including the LCD-3 and HD 800. For the cost, however, the Black Widows sounds awesome compared to the much more expensive amps in Big Sound 2015 and it has both single ended and 4-pin balanced outs. If I did not already have the BUDA I would be looking at one to add to my collection.

 

[AppleheadMay]

Has anyone here who heard the BW also heard the Mjolnir 2 Lisst? If so how do they compare?

 

[Barra]

  Has anyone here who heard the BW also heard the Mjolnir 2 Lisst? If so how do they compare?

That is hard to say blow by blow as I didn't hear them back to back for direct comparison, but in general I can say that they are very different in signature and performance. Heard the BW in a home audition and the Mjolnir 2 at RMAF. The BW is obviously a league or two or three above the Mjolnir 2 in performance. Schiit gear is typically a bit on the bright side to my ear having heard their entire lineup and owning the original Mjolnir. The tubes/solid state setup I heard at RMAF did not warm the Mjolnir up at all. The Mjolnir remains on the energetic side which is good, but can be fatiguing for long listens. Maybe a different tube would help, but I heard Schiit's pick at RMAF which you would assume to be a good one.
 
The BW on the other hand can be listened to for hours with no fatigue. Comparing the BW to the ZD, the ZD is more traditional tube sounding, but the BW has much of the tube like musicality too, but in a more analytical format. However, while being smooth, the BW is no slouch on detail retreval. The BW is a stand out amp and I have heard so many that they typically tend to blur. If I cannot convince my wife to get a ZD, I will probably get a BW.
 
Bottom line, if you listen to them side by side, both tube fans and analytical fans will see a clear step up with the BW - Craig created an end game amp for many in the BW. Those on a budget will appreciate the Mjolnir's price performance, but it cannot touch the BW performance. 

 

[AppleheadMay]

  That is hard to say blow by blow as I didn't hear them back to back for direct comparison, but in general I can say that they are very different in signature and performance. Heard the BW in a home audition and the Mjolnir 2 at RMAF. The BW is obviously a league or two or three above the Mjolnir 2 in performance. Schiit gear is typically a bit on the bright side to my ear having heard their entire lineup and owning the original Mjolnir. The tubes/solid state setup I heard at RMAF did not warm the Mjolnir up at all. The Mjolnir remains on the energetic side which is good, but can be fatiguing for long listens. Maybe a different tube would help, but I heard Schiit's pick at RMAF which you would assume to be a good one.
 
The BW on the other hand can be listened to for hours with no fatigue. Comparing the BW to the ZD, the ZD is more traditional tube sounding, but the BW has much of the tube like musicality too, but in a more analytical format. However, while being smooth, the BW is no slouch on detail retreval. The BW is a stand out amp and I have heard so many that they typically tend to blur. If I cannot convince my wife to get a ZD, I will probably get a BW.
 
Bottom line, if you listen to them side by side, both tube fans and analytical fans will see a clear step up with the BW - Craig created an end game amp for many in the BW. Those on a budget will appreciate the Mjolnir's price performance, but it cannot touch the BW performance. 

 
Thanks for this comparison answer Barra. You told me all I need to know and confirmed what I already heard about the BW. Mjolnir sounds like a big no for my taste.

 

[Youth]

Would love to hear a comparrison with the Black Widow and Liquid Carbon.

 

[raybone0566]

Would love to hear a comparrison with the Black Widow and Liquid Carbon.
[/quote only the carbon has been released, I believe the chassis of the black widow is being redesigned at this time.