This review is intended primarily for those with hearing disabilities.
I just bought the Classic-ff and have been very pleased with it. I did not do any direct comparisons with other amps; therefore, I won't comment on the audio quality.
I am really enjoying the crossfeed function on this unit as it is helping to negate some of my hearing disability. I have moderate single-sided hearing loss in my left ear and the crossfeed is helping me to hear things that I would otherwise not be able to notice. I can now hear those sounds in my right ear, but I can still tell that the sound is coming from my left side. Sounds that normally come from a single channel are now heard from both channels, but stereo/directional-hearing is still maintained.
I find crossfeed to be a much better alternative to mono listening, as with mono there is the loss of directional hearing and also the potential for the loss of information.
I went ahead and opened the unit up and changed the jumper position to increase the amount of crossfeed provided. The jumper was glued to the PCB, so I had to clean it off first. I also changed the balance on my PC audio-out to lower the volume in my good ear and set the volume to max on my bad ear. I am not using an external DAC since my motherboard's onboard audio is highly rated. I am using a 3.5mm stereo to RCA cable to connect the amp to the PC.
I definitely recommend this unit (or the less costly non-ff version) to anyone with minor to moderate hearing loss in one ear, and anyone looking for a hardware-based crossfeed. For people with more severe hearing loss, I would recommend sticking with a software crossfeed solution.
I found the LEDs to be far too bright, but remedied it by using a toothpick to push them in and behind the faceplate.
Ordering from Meier through email was straightforward and he was quick to respond. Shipping to the USA was slow (2 weeks) but that's to be expected.
I just bought the Classic-ff and have been very pleased with it. I did not do any direct comparisons with other amps; therefore, I won't comment on the audio quality.
I am really enjoying the crossfeed function on this unit as it is helping to negate some of my hearing disability. I have moderate single-sided hearing loss in my left ear and the crossfeed is helping me to hear things that I would otherwise not be able to notice. I can now hear those sounds in my right ear, but I can still tell that the sound is coming from my left side. Sounds that normally come from a single channel are now heard from both channels, but stereo/directional-hearing is still maintained.
I find crossfeed to be a much better alternative to mono listening, as with mono there is the loss of directional hearing and also the potential for the loss of information.
I went ahead and opened the unit up and changed the jumper position to increase the amount of crossfeed provided. The jumper was glued to the PCB, so I had to clean it off first. I also changed the balance on my PC audio-out to lower the volume in my good ear and set the volume to max on my bad ear. I am not using an external DAC since my motherboard's onboard audio is highly rated. I am using a 3.5mm stereo to RCA cable to connect the amp to the PC.
I definitely recommend this unit (or the less costly non-ff version) to anyone with minor to moderate hearing loss in one ear, and anyone looking for a hardware-based crossfeed. For people with more severe hearing loss, I would recommend sticking with a software crossfeed solution.
I found the LEDs to be far too bright, but remedied it by using a toothpick to push them in and behind the faceplate.
Ordering from Meier through email was straightforward and he was quick to respond. Shipping to the USA was slow (2 weeks) but that's to be expected.
