TWIFOSP
Headphoneus Supremus
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- Feb 21, 2003
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Apex Arete
Review notes
I received the Apex Arete with the Volcano PSU from Todd The Vinyl Junkie as part of his Apex loaner program. Unless otherwise noted, all sound impressions will be with the Volcano PSU.
Technical details about the amp can be found here: https://www.ttvjaudio.com/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=717
Source used: Jriver audio Flac -> WASAPI -> Schiit Bifrost
Headphones used:
- Audeze LCD2
- Sony MDR 3000 with Cardas recable
- Ultimate Ear UE 10 Custom
- Shure 535c IEM
Amps Compared at Length: (amps I own)
- Schitt Lyr (lorenz stuttgart triple mica grey shields)
- SPL Phonitor
- Apex Butte
Look and Feel
The look of the amp is classic and clean. Some might criticize the amp for too basic of an aesthetic. Personally I am not one of those people, I tend to like simple looking gear that gets out of the way. The materials used are thick and heavy metals. The controls are tight and the volume control has the right feel when you turn it, however I thought it was a bit too sensitive. I would have liked a wider range.
Sound Impressions
My first impressions of the amp is that it has a clean solid state sound with a very slight tendency to the warm side. As I spent more time with the amp, when it is compared to a more neutral analytical amp (more on that later) I did start to notice almost a slight tube like harmonic present in the sound, despite retaining an unmistakably solid state sound.
Treble
The treble presentation was typically accurate and pleasant sounding. On neutral and brighter headphones it could be harsh with certain classical recordings, a minor complaint if I'm honest. With a warmer headphone such as LCD2s the treble always sounded nice.
Midrange
I found the mid range to be my favorite part of this amp. It excelled with electronic music as the attack on saw and sine sounds sounded fast with a lot of presence. The result of this was a lot of texture on mid range with electronic music and heavy rock guitar genres.
Bass
With rock and electronic music, the bass is heavy and musical. It is usually accurate, but occasionally could sound slightly muddy, but only when compared to a more neutral amp such as the Phonitor. I enjoyed the musicality of the bass on rock genres and heavy electronic music such as psytrance or dubstep. With classical music, and the IEMs the bass, while technically accurate, sounded too forward and not accurate enough for my tastes.
Soundstage
The sound stage is not open or closed in, but somewhere in the middle. With the LCD2s it sounded intimate, with the Sony 3ks, it sounded wider, but still closed in for the 3ks. The IEMs really depended on the recording. I'd have liked more separation of instruments on classical recordings.
With the stock power supply:
I did not do a lot of extended listening with the stock power supply. However the biggest improvements from the volcano were the lower frequency accuracy and improved mid range speed. Soundstage unaffected.
Headphone Comments
LCD2 -- This amp pairs very well with the LCD2s. When I first started using the amp, my first impressions with the LCD2s was that the amp was not all that different sounding than the Apex Butte. Initially I still preferred the Schitt Lyr with the Lorenz tubes. As I spent more time with the Arete, it's cleaner presentation combined with those slight tube like harmonics while not having any tube smear eventually won me over. When I switched back to the Apex Butte after a week of solid listening, the differences between the Butte and Arete were more obvious. The amps are still close with the LCD2s.
Sony MDR 3000s -- These cans are still my all time favorite dynamics for classical music. Despite any flaws the 3ks have, the sound stage is so wide and open that I personally love the way they image orchestral music. I mention this first because I did not like the Arete with the sony 3ks. The sound stage became too pinched in and the warmer tendencies of the amp over powered the 3ks weak bass presentation. Not a good synergy.
UE10s -- I didn't listen to the Arete much with these, they picked up a bit of noise and the background was not black so I didn't bother. The UE10s are quite sensitive and pick up noise from a lot of amps.
Shure 535 -- No noise with these IEMs. Bass improved, details improved, but pinched in soundstage does not pair well with the Shures already weak "in head" sound stage.
Amp Comparisons
SPL Phonitor -- (compared with all crossfeed off) -- The Phonitor is a relatively new acquisition, but I was able to compare these two at length. With all sound processing off, it should sound similar to the Auditor, which I would consider to be in direct competition with the Arete standalone. The phonitor has a much more analytical and neutral sound signature. It does lack some of the midrange presence of the Arete, but trades off with slightly better detail. The arete had faster midrange attack with the LCD2s and was able to control heavy electronic music better. I preferred the bass on the phonitor as having a noticeably lower range and still being able to render bass guitar texture and accuracy. The phonitor has a much wider and preferable sound stage.
At the end of my time with the Arete, I preferred the Arete to the phonitor when paired with the LCD2s and electronic music. I preferred the phonitor for everything else.
Schiit Lyr (lorenz stuttgart triple mica grey shields) -- With these tubes, they share a lot in common despite having a completely different sound. The sound stage on the Lyr is better. The midrange is very similar. The bass on the lyr suffers from some smear, but still has enjoyable texture. My baseline for bass guitar rendering Pink Floyd - Young Lust, both amps render the bass guitar similarly. The bass might be a bit louder with the Lyr, but the texture is slightly better on the Arete. At the end of the day, the sound is different enough that it will come down to preference and music types.
Schiit Lyr (stock tubes) -- Not much to say here. Arete out performs it in every category.
Apex Butte -- The Arete and the Butte sound very similar, and no surprise since they were created by the same designer. The butte doesn't have the musical harmonics that the Arete seems to have. It is also less warm than the Arete. I actually prefer the Butte to the Arete with my IEMs. But with the LCD2s, no contest, the Arete improves upon that LCD2 slam we all enjoy.
Cavalli Liquid Fire - I do not own this amp, but I had a chance to do some short comparisons at the Texas Head-Fi meet earlier this month. The Liquid Fire takes everything the Arete does well and does it even better, while having none of the Arete's flaws. While I enjoy the mid range on the Arete, you will notice there is yet more texture and attack to be had when compared with this end game amp. I only compared the LCD2 with this amp.
Conclusion
At the end of my time with the Arete, I did contemplate purchasing one. In the end, for me, more of my gear and music choices had better synergy with other amps. If all I used was the LCD2, I probably would have bought one. I also already own the Butte, which gets you a lot of the Arete sound for less than 3 times the price of the Arete and Volcano combo. One criticism I do have for the Arete and Volcano combo is that, as a consumer I feel like it might be priced too high when compared to other amps it competes with. Had the combo been cheaper, I probably would not have hesitated to buy it.All that said, those are just my own personal decisions, and my only reason for sharing them is to give perspective for those who might be facing a similar decision. At the end of the day, it is a fantastic amp that I enjoyed immensely. If someone is looking for a mid to hi end headphone amp that will also serve as a wonderful pre-amp, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend putting it on your list of amps to consider.
