pataburd
Headphoneus Supremus
Am using a HeadphoneLounge 4x 24 AWG UPOCC pure silver cable [balanced] with excellent results.
Recently upgraded the USB data source of my Sony TA-ZH1ES from an iPhone as a Roon endpoint to a Sonore microRendu with their basic linear power supply, also as a Roon endpoint. The Utopia on the Sony now sound amazing, very detailed, but with less glare than when I was using iPhone as the Roon endpoint.
I think using a phone causes RFI that causes some brightness, and using 'airplane mode' helps with that. I could be totally wrong.
Congratulations!
In my humble experience, the Utopia just keep getting better from this point forward.
How are you enjoying the HiFiMAN's in comparison with Utopia? Do they pair well with the 3F as well?
Mostly agree. Especially HEKse/3F pairing. To me, HEKse vs Utopia is a tough call. Things I like about both. Personally, to my ear, on my equipment...ok, enough throat-clearing...I would disagree regarding cymbal strikes on Utopia vs HEKse. I find the Utopia being a bit too emphasized in that frequency region. Very fast, which can make a cymbal strike 'crisper', but (again, to my ears) the 'tizz' can overwhelm the tone.Remarkable transparency, fine granular detail retrieval and clean flat bass were the HEKse's high points for me.
The HE-1000se sounded their best with the 3F, but I ended up selling them because of what I thought was their unnatural rendering of the upper treble frequencies. I compared cymbal strikes between the HEKse, Utopia, ADX5000 and HEDDphone. To my ears, the HifiMAN sounded the least convincing [the ADX5000 sounded the most convincing].
Upper treble was the deal-breaker for me with the [original] HE-6, too, notwithstanding how much I was enamored of--and heavily invested in--them at the time.
Remarkable transparency, fine granular detail retrieval and clean flat bass were the HEKse's high points for me.
The HE-1000se sounded their best with the 3F, but I ended up selling them because of what I thought was their unnatural rendering of the upper treble frequencies. I compared cymbal strikes between the HEKse, Utopia, ADX5000 and HEDDphone. To my ears, the HifiMAN sounded the least convincing [the ADX5000 sounded the most convincing].
Upper treble was the deal-breaker for me with the [original] HE-6, too, notwithstanding how much I was enamored of--and heavily invested in--them at the time.
Mostly agree. Especially HEKse/3F pairing. To me, HEKse vs Utopia is a tough call. Things I like about both. Personally, to my ear, on my equipment...ok, enough throat-clearing...I would disagree regarding cymbal strikes on Utopia vs HEKse. I find the Utopia being a bit too emphasized in that frequency region. Very fast, which can make a cymbal strike 'crisper', but (again, to my ears) the 'tizz' can overwhelm the tone.
I note that @pataburd uses the Amorphous core transformers in his 3F -- I have both. There's not a huge difference, but I prefer the Nickel core transformers with both HEKse & Utopia, although the preference is stronger for the 3F/Utopia pairing. I doubt the difference is enough to change @pataburd 's opinion. For sure, if you like the open/airy HEKse stage, the Amorphous core transformers help that aspect the most. Also help the Utopia stage, but the Nickel transformers help other aspects of Utopia at least as much.
Setting cymbals aside for a moment, I really appreciate the fuller sound of the HEKse (compared to HEKv2) which, to me, makes them very competitive with Utopia. I would call them 'side grades' but also pretty close cousins as both are pretty neutral in tonality and both are quite detailed.
Note that I've never heard ADX5000, so express no opinion there.
...If it is the case you find 3F pairs better with the Utopia (as it should), what amp pairs better with the HEKse than the Utopia? How does the Liquid Platinum fare, and are you using warmer tubes with that?...
What @pataburd saidAll of the headphones at my disposal: Utopia, HE-1000se [when I had them], HEDDphone, Mikros 90 and even the [420 ohm] ADX5000 sound their best for me with the DSHA-3F...
If you want the iPhone to be a Roon access point, WiFi must be on. The iPhone via an Apple USB camera adapter is a pretty decent Roon access point with the Sony and can pass through even the highest sampling rates to the Sony bit perfect. That said, the microRendu Roon access points takes the Sony/Utopia combo to a different level. Both signals are bit perfect so this is all about noise leaking into the DAC.I use my iphone to feed the Hugo2, and I think you are 100% right. It is not airplane mode per se but the Bluetooth module which needs to be switched off to do the magic.
If you want the iPhone to be a Roon access point, WiFi must be on. The iPhone via an Apple USB camera adapter is a pretty decent Roon access point with the Sony and can pass through even the highest sampling rates to the Sony bit perfect. That said, the microRendu Roon access points takes the Sony/Utopia combo to a different level. Both signals are bit perfect so this is all about noise leaking into the DAC.
Remarkable transparency, fine granular detail retrieval and clean flat bass were the HEKse's high points for me.
The HE-1000se sounded their best with the 3F, but I ended up selling them because of what I thought was their unnatural rendering of the upper treble frequencies. I compared cymbal strikes between the HEKse, Utopia, ADX5000 and HEDDphone. To my ears, the HifiMAN sounded the least convincing [the ADX5000 sounded the most convincing].
Upper treble was the deal-breaker for me with the [original] HE-6, too, notwithstanding how much I was enamored of--and heavily invested in--them at the time.