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    Astell&Kern Launches KANN Ultra DAP and AK HB1 Bluetooth Amp/DAC

    Hi guys! I noticed something strange about my Ultra and got curious if anybody else has similar experience. Apparently when playing wirelessly via Ethernet to active speakers, the LED light remains stuck with the color of the first album I’ve played and keeps it the same throughout the entire...
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    Focal Stellia Review, Measurements, Interview - Head-Fi TV

    How does getting worse look like? Mine got even dark brown but I wouldn’t call it exactly bad looking. It doesn’t look stained, grayish or dirty in any way. It’s just less flashy or fashion-inspired, but rather bringing a more understated, more grown-up type of aesthetic. If anything, it now...
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    Focal Stellia Review, Measurements, Interview - Head-Fi TV

    That’s a very good question that seems to pop up regularly in this thread but still nobody has pointed at a product that effectively cleans already discolored headbands. Please share here if you find a solution. My Stellia’s leather got coffee-brown, quite darker than I expected, just within two...
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    Astell&Kern Launches KANN Ultra DAP and AK HB1 Bluetooth Amp/DAC

    Congrats! How do you like the sound? At first I thought the bass was a bit lackluster but soon it warmed up and extended even reaching lower than I expected. The high frequencies however seemed to me particularly refined in the Ultra and I loved them right out of the box.
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    Astell&Kern Launches KANN Ultra DAP and AK HB1 Bluetooth Amp/DAC

    It’s rather a matter of slight improvements but in almost every aspect of SQ. I’m not sure if it’s worth the upgrade from Max but for me, once I got it, it felt like a general step up in everything and never regretted it. Even the larger size doesn’t bother me as Max wasn’t exactly a...
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    Astell&Kern Launches KANN Ultra DAP and AK HB1 Bluetooth Amp/DAC

    You’re right, I totally forgot that issue. Sorry to hear about your troubles and hope you’ve found what you were looking for in your SE300. I myself don’t stream, all my music is on my player’s memory card and I’ve never had any Wi-Fi issues during the brief times I’ve connected to the internet...
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    Astell&Kern Launches KANN Ultra DAP and AK HB1 Bluetooth Amp/DAC

    You’re right, I totally forgot that issue. Sorry to hear about your troubles and hope you’ve found what you were looking for in your alternate choice. I myself don’t stream, all my music is on my player’s hard drive and I’ve never had any Wi-Fi issues during the brief times I’ve connected to the...
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    Astell&Kern Launches KANN Ultra DAP and AK HB1 Bluetooth Amp/DAC

    I reckon another reason this thread is so oddly quiet is that there’s simply nothing to complain about the Ultra. The Kann series has been going on strong for quite some time now with each new model coming out as a slight but undeniable improvement on its predecessors and Ultra is exactly that...
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    New tube amp: the Cayin HA-1A MK2

    Did you find the PSVanes a bit noisy? Recently I picked up a set of PSVane Art Series and actually quite liked their accentuated sound signature and extra bass slam, but they also brought this rustling noise- like crumbling paper or maybe be a bit like a scratchy vinyl record. The same setup...
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    Focal Stellia Review, Measurements, Interview - Head-Fi TV

    Nicely said. That line right there- “Great character that demonstrates our shared history”- it should be in Stellia’s web page. It would put a smile on many owners’ faces. Cheers!
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    Focal Stellia Review, Measurements, Interview - Head-Fi TV

    Further back in this thread there were some interesting posts from various head-fiers with products that had helped them successfully with the tanning, as well as others with cleaning products that supposedly helped keeping the leather clean as new, for those who decided to go the other way...
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    Focal Stellia Review, Measurements, Interview - Head-Fi TV

    Well, it’s worked out nicely! :)
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    Focal Stellia Review, Measurements, Interview - Head-Fi TV

    Thanks for the reply, Kevin. That’s great to hear! I’m also using them at similar rate as yours, do your experience gives me an approximate timeline to look forward to. I really like that darkened look. Cheers!
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    Focal Stellia Review, Measurements, Interview - Head-Fi TV

    Looks great, indeed! Classy and somewhat sophisticated. How long did it take for the headband to darken so evenly?
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    Astell&Kern Launches KANN Ultra DAP and AK HB1 Bluetooth Amp/DAC

    Nobody could give you a straight answer about what you should or should not purchase. For me personally the Ultra feels like a subtle but clearly tangible improvement over Max in every aspect. The treble is instantly noticeable as significantly refined and crisper, but also the staging is a bit...
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    New tube amp: the Cayin HA-1A MK2

    That's a great advice. Thanks!
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    New tube amp: the Cayin HA-1A MK2

    I’ll give the iFi IE Match a try. Thanks for the input. I also found interesting your point about the ringing sounds from the tubes when the amp is lightly knocked. I did this test immediately after purchasing the amp and back then there was no such issue at all. Tried it again now and this...
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    New tube amp: the Cayin HA-1A MK2

    Thank you for the reply. I think you’re totally right. Cheers!
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    New tube amp: the Cayin HA-1A MK2

    Guys, has anyone managed to completely get rid of the noise floor of the HA-1A MK2? So far I’ve reduced the initially strong hiss to practically nonexistent, but there’s still a quiet low hum left. Nothing to worry about but can’t help but to think it may be just as solvable as the hiss issue...
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    New tube amp: the Cayin HA-1A MK2

    Amazing finding. Thank you so much for sharing, Lubak! I just attached a RCA from the preouts of HA-1A Mk2 to a spare DAP that I keep around but no longer use and it cleaned up the hiss entirely. I keep the DAP off and detached from power at all times. Btw if there’s nothing at the opposite end...
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    Chord Electronics Qutest DAC - Official Thread

    Interesting findings. Although in my case I have a simple Astell &Kern Kann Max connected via toslink straight to the Qutest. I keep the Kann Max with all upsamplibg features off. I wonder if it’s rather a case of some files being provided as upsampled FLACs right from the start by the...
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    Chord Electronics Qutest DAC - Official Thread

    Thank you, Rob! Much appreciated and good to know. Love the Qutest, btw. Both, the sound signature and the distinct iconic appearance.
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    Chord Electronics Qutest DAC - Official Thread

    I have a slightly off-topic question regarding the sample rate indicator light. I’m connecting a DAP via toslink to my Qutest and it works great, even with 192 kHz files. I noticed, however, that sometimes the indicator light glows in green for some 96 kHz albums, as it should, but then for...
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