[Hansotek]

They need to put some official specs up on their website. 

I want to know when it kicks over to AB

THD 

Impedance output 

yadda yadda

Not sure, but I would speculate that if you are bleeding from the ears it is running in class A. If you are bleeding from the eyes, it is running in class AB.

 

[grizzlybeast]

 

They need to put some official specs up on their website. 

I want to know when it kicks over to AB

THD 

Impedance output 

yadda yadda

Not sure, but I would speculate that if you are bleeding from the ears it is running in class A. If you are bleeding from the eyes, it is running in class AB.

lol

 

[ufospls2]

Hey guys,
 
So. My new amp (Wells Audio Milo) came in this afternoon. I have **** luck, and the right driver of my Abyss seems to be dead, so no impressions with them yet. However, I thankfully have my other headphones, and have put about an hour of listening in. I’m using my Mojo as my DAC until I can afford a desktop option. Please keep in mind, these are very, very early impressions. Those impressions that hit you the first little while with a piece of gear, rather than the small nuances you pick up over time.
 
First things first. WOW. A budget friendly masterpiece. I haven’t heard the Wells Enigma or HeadTrip, but if they improve on this then good god, I better win the lottery.
 
I’d say the overall character of this amp is very slightly warm, but not gooey, sweet and mushy. There is still this great clarity present. The treble isn’t etched or strident, it is well presented and clear. The mids might be what contributes to the slight warmth I’m hearing, they certainly aren’t recessed. The bass isn’t boomy or overblown, its just there, fast and precise. This amp costs the same or a little bit less than my Auralic Taurus (which I am selling now….) and it is much more to my taste than the latter. The Auralic does have great clarity, but its a bit sterile and lifeless. I say that being VERY picky, it is still a great amp, I just prefer the Milo more, that is all.
 
Some may dislike this characteristic, but I think this amp is like the Abyss, its fun! It may not be the answer if you want a “wire with gain” type of amp, like the GSX-Mk2 or something along those lines. However, if you want to enjoy your music, and are not doing extreme critical listening, I think this might be something for you to check out, regardless of your budget. I’ve heard lots of amps, and this Milo is punching above its weight class, most definitely. I can’t say an exact price point where this type of quality resides is, but I am enjoying this amp just as much as the Simaudio Moon Neo 430HA, a solid $4000 amp. That is saying something, as I really like the 430 HA.
 
This thing is a little power monster, putting out 18W into 32ohms. You need to spend a lot of money elsewhere to get that kind of power, apart from the iFi I can pro which does a max output of 14W and costs the same. However, power isn’t everything. I think the need for power gets overstated quite a lot, but for my headphones, at least the LCD-4 and Abyss, power is a good thing. They love power, it transforms them. I’ve only listened with the LCD-4 out of the two so far (due to my Abyss’s right driver being dead) and it is like listening to a different headphone compared with my Auralic. The bass is bigger, it sounds fuller, and more punchy. This amp is certainly quite dynamic.
 
Now, my HD800S doesn’t need the same amount of power as my other headphones, but its a bit of a picky bugger when it comes to amps. Not as picky as its older brother the regular HD800, but picky nonetheless. You can drive an HD800/S off your motherboard if you like, and it will sound great! But connect that same headphone to the right amp, and it really does take it to another level. The slight warmth of the Milo really does work well with the HD800S, and I’m sure it would with the regular HD800, as I used to own them and know them well. There is more bass, not mushy bass, just fast precise kick you in the face bass, compared to listening to the HD800S out of the Chord Mojo. It warms up the mids a little bit, and cools down the treble a tiny tiny bit. You have to be a bit more careful with the volume knob of the Milo when using the HD800S, but apart from that, this is a pretty damn good pairing.
 
Summing it all up. I’m impressed. Most impressed. This thing drives anything on the market, and not only does it drive anything, it sounds good whilst doing it. The Milo is fun, it has a bit of warmth, but not too much. When I say warm, think of a cozy living room in the wintertime, with a nice fire in the background. I listened to the Schiit Mjolnir 2 (with stock tubes) and was highly unimpressed. It was mushy and undefined. That might change using different tubes from the stock ones, I’m not sure. The bass is big, fast, and precise on the Milo. The treble is clear without piercing your eardrums. You sure as hell could do a lot worse than this amp, not only at $1699, but at any price. In my books, Jeff Wells has a winner on his hands, and I hope he sells lots of them. Now, I’m off to buy a lottery ticket so I can send this back and buy a HeadTrip! Thanks for reading, hope some of you find this helpful.
 

 

[ufospls2]

 

[gr8soundz]

Thanks for the great early impressions and pics. And for mentioning the Schiit MJ2. Was considering the MJ2 but think I'll cross it off my list (prefer something with more impact).
 
Sounds like the Milo lives up to the hype.
 
Sad to hear about your Abyss though (on the same day you finally got your Milo; must feel like winning and losing at the same time).

 

[ufospls2]

  Thanks for the great early impressions and pics. And for mentioning the Schiit MJ2. Was considering the MJ2 but think I'll cross it off my list (prefer something with more impact).
 
Sounds like the Milo lives up to the hype.
 
Sad to hear about your Abyss though (on the same day you finally got your Milo; must feel like winning and losing at the same time).

Im enjoying it typing this. Its just clearer than my Auralic, and the soundstage and depth are better. Yeah its a real bummer about my Abyss, horrific timing.

 

[rigo]

Are those XLR inputs that are covered in the back?

 

[ufospls2]

Are this XLR inputs that are covered in the back?

Yup, I opted to just get RCA inputs.

 

[grizzlybeast]

 

Are this XLR inputs that are covered in the back?

Yup, I opted to just get RCA inputs.

wait does it cost more to get the XLR ?
 
Is the amp fully balaned?

 

[rigo]

Yup, I opted to just get RCA inputs.

Okay so the 4 pin output is standard correct?

 

[gr8soundz]

Look like everything is standard EXCEPT for the dual XLR inputs (says those are available upon request). Thought I read somewhere they were additional $200? but not sure.
http://www.wellsaudio.com/milo-manual/
 

 

[ufospls2]

  wait does it cost more to get the XLR ?
 
Is the amp fully balaned?

$200 for XLR inputs. Amp is not balanced, its single ended.

 

[ufospls2]

Okay so the 4 pin output is standard correct?

yes.

 

[rigo]

wait does it cost more to get the XLR ?

Is the amp fully balaned?

No it is not. It costs more to have the XLR inputs but they are there for convenience.

ALREADY ANSWERED

 

[grizzlybeast]

 
wait does it cost more to get the XLR ?

Is the amp fully balaned?

$200 for XLR inputs. Amp is not balanced, its single ended.

Uh oh... Maybe it hasnt been settled.

XLR inputs on the enigma is a big price difference as well.