The head-fi.org community has long been a fan of Grado headphones. Jude Mansilla and the Grados have a relationship dating back a few years with two prior limited edition headphones which helped Jude purchase new servers for the HeadFi website and help the community grow while giving members access to a terrific headphone that has sensational sound quality, a win-win for both Head-Fi and the community.

The HF3 continues the tradition with a limited edition model designed and manufactured in Brooklyn and designed by John Grado. Priced at $350, with $100 of each headphone sold going to a charity that will be determined by Jude Mansilla and John Grado, the HF3 is available for purchase at the official Grado online store located here: https://www.4ourears.net/hf3_p/4e-hf3.htm

Design
Grado chose to use a CNC machined Red Oak wood housing for the design which incorporates their proprietary 2 step curing process for achieving correct tonal balance.

The driver is Grado's latest 44mm driver tuned to match the wood housing perfectly. Grado has introduced new wiring for the HF-3, which has a braided sheathing improving both sound quality and flexibility.

The headband is stitched in white over the black headband. The earpads are the Grado L shape cushions. The $350 price includes free shipping and a donation of $100 in the name of the Head-Fi community to a charity to be named.


Additional accessories offered include the $34.95 hard-shell travel case and new and exclusive to the 4OurEars Grado authorized web-store is a beautiful Mahogany storage box offered at $125 which will be discounted $25 if purchased with the Grado HF3 and there is also a $5 discount for the travel case as well if purchased together with the HF3.

Sound
Using the Auris Euterpe tube headphone amplifier which incorporates the latest ESS DAC chip as my prime listening source for evaluation, I put the HF3 on and started streaming from my Roon library. Setting the input selector to the low setting on the amplifier, I immediately noticed while listening to Taylor Swift’s “I Forgot you Existed” from her new album “Lover”, the sound was dynamic with excellent speed and transparency. Her vocal was clean and sounded articulate without any harsh sound in the vocal presentation. I could hear her voice clearly and the sound was sibilant free and her beautiful vocal sounded lifelike and articulated.

Tanya Tucker's new album just released “While I’m Living” brought back a country legend and on “The Wheels of Laredo” the staging came alive with musicians around Tanya and her location was front and center on the stage with razor-sharp imaging. The musicians on the stage were all defined in their own space and there was air and ample space between them creating an outstanding soundstage. Amazing for a headphone in this price range was the ability of the HF3 to recreate space with imaging that was breathtaking.

Listening to Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah” written by Leonard Cohen and recorded in 1994 is legendary. The track, that is one of the most beloved recordings of the song ever recorded, showcased the immense talent of Jeff Buckley. The HF3 presented an incredible soundstage with this recording and once again the imaging was nothing short of spectacular. Jeff’s vocal was crystal clear and haunting while he sang the lyrics. I could feel his presence while listening and the sound of his guitar was vivid with excellent body. The performance was lifelike and captured my attention and let me focus on the music.


Listening to the recording sensation Billie Ellish on “When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go” the track “bad guy” is indie-pop at its finest. The electronic beat on this tune has outstanding bass lines and the fast driver of the HF3 did not omit anything in the bass region nor disappoint with its excellent texture and slam.

The fast driver had exceptional speed while delivering a balanced presentation and highlighted the bass lines but also showcased a clean and extended treble without glare or any harshness. Billie's vocal was in the mix in her own space with excellent precise imaging.

Nils Lofgren's “Acoustic Live” is a well-recorded live performance from the legendary guitarist known for his work with Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. On “You” I could hear the acoustic guitar with great detail. The detail and body of the instrument was vivid and alive. The tonality of the instrument was beautifully recreated and the HF3, once again, was impressive with what it was able to extract from the recording.

The new recording of the “Lion King” has some exceptional layering of musicians on “the Circle of Life” and once again the HF3 did not disappoint. I could hear easily the layering of the stage with each musician in his or her own space. The layering was spot on and had a 3D soundstage much like I had heard in the movie theater on the large screen.

Turning the volume up on the Euterpe the soundstage was immense on this little wonder and I could hear clearly the beautiful instrumentation in layered sections, even at louder than normal listening levels (not recommended) never did the HF3 falter and the extension seemed endless.

The imaging remained sharp and focused and the layering of the stage never collapsed while recreating the performance flawlessly. The sound was breathtaking and the HF3 once again captured the spirit of this wonderful recording.

The second track “Life's Not Fair” by Hans Zimmer once again captured the beautiful instrumentation of the electronic instruments with finesse and never omitted any part of the performance. The beautifully composed tune had a deep and immense layering of the soundstage.

The sounds of the stage in this track are immense and the HF3 once again delivered the performance without a hitch. Impressive and at times majestic the HF3 did not disappoint in making this tune come to life.

Final Thoughts
The Grado HF3 Limited Edition Head-Fi is a sensational headphone destined for greatness. The beautiful midrange was classic Grado. Impressive to look at was the beautifully crafted red oak wood housing which contributed to the exceptional tonality and transparency.

Vocal recordings from both male and female singers were always sibilant free. The clarity of lyrics were transparent and the HF3 made the vocals come to life with a life of their own.

The bass lines were explosive at times and while not a bass head headphone the textured bass was always deep and never made me feel as if I was being cheated while listening. All electronic recordings I auditioned sounded excellent and the HF3 never faltered in its delivery of the recording.

The treble was never harsh or grainy. The sound of the treble was extended with a pristine transparency, never irritating, and always musical. While listening to horns and triangles, I was impressed at how lifelike the delivery was and extension in the upper region soared and seemed endless.

Soundstage lovers will be impressed with the immense soundstage. The HF3 has exceptional imaging with pinpoint focusing and the ability to create space for each musician within the stage. The space and air between performers is outstanding, especially for a headphone so reasonably priced.

While listening to bands or symphonies I continued to be impressed with the depth of the stage and the pinpoint focusing. The HF3 delivery was special and made me want to listen to more large scale recordings. I found myself searching for the best classical recordings in my library for the long listening sessions.

Long listening sessions were never a chore with the HF3. The comfortable lightweight design made for long listening sessions and kept me up long hours into the morning. I never felt any fatigue while listening nor any desire to stop listening.

Impressive was the HF3 ability to extract detail from the recordings, a good example being the end of “Hallelujah” in the Buckley recording. Jeff’s vocal at the end keeps soaring and he holds the notes for long periods of time and it is an exceptional demonstration of his ability to use his voice as an instrument. The HF3 was able to capture the entire performance and never faltered. The performance was close to reference caliber headphones at a fraction of the price it continued to impress me.

John Grado once again has come through with another opportunity for our members. $350 gets you a world-class headphone that is beautifully constructed and sounds sensational. The soundstage on this little wonder is nothing short of amazing at any price let alone one priced so reasonably.

Please remember $100 of the price is going to a charity to be named by Jude. If you're looking for one headphone that is comfortable for long listening sessions and can be taken anywhere, the HF3 is your ticket. The exceptionally balanced design is beautiful to look at and creates a sensational listening experience. The fact that it is a limited edition makes it a collectible that should be in everyone’s collection.

Rarely do we see new limited edition offering with Head-Fi come along. Being a part of the community over the years I am excited to have the opportunity to own this collectible. Bravo to Jude and John for bringing another exceptional product from Grado that is sensational to look at and makes music come to life. The HF3 deservers your consideration and is a must buy in my opinion. Highly Recommended.

 
BRAVO ERIB-2A EARPHONE PLANAR UNIVERSAL IN-EAR MONITOR TAKES LISTENING TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

oBravo is a company founded in 2006 and located in Taiwan have made air-motion technology a reality. David Teng, the owner and chief engineer, is creating hand made monitors that are one of the kind products that are both revolutionary in design and unique in the world. David has taken Dr Oskar Heil air-motion transformer speaker technology and incorporated planar magnetic drivers to create the world’s first planar-air motion-dynamic 2 way in ear monitor.
The ERIB-2A is a new design that incorporates an air-motion transformer tweeter to a planar magnetic driver.   The new design is a universal and users can easily adjust them with tips to fit their own comfort levels thus eliminating the need to visit an audiologist for ear impressions.  David has been working on perfecting the design since the company started manufacturing in 2006. Every pair is meticulously designed to provide the listener with a realistic and emotionally involving experience. The company is dedicated to making products that are both exciting and offer exceptional performance. The coaxial design is the world’s first two way that is using both planar and air-motion technology that includes a aluminum body, The company offers two other versions, one with a carbon body and another in wood.
CONTENTS：

1. earphone body
   ●1.2m    3.5mm earphone Cable
   ●3.5mm-to-6.3mm adapter

SPECIFICATION: 
●Tweeter :8 mm PMD Tweeter
●Woofer:13 mm Neodymium Dynamic Driver
●Frequency Response Range:15 Hz～45 KHz
●Sensitivity:105 dB
●Impedance:16 Ω
oBravo supplies a well thought out carrying case for the ERIB-2A that includes an optional 1/4 inch jack for use with larger systems. The tips vary in size and are made by Comply. The supplied large tips worked well for me and gave me an exceptional seal. My Astell & Kern AK240 has  a wide variety of different music loaded making it perfect for earspeakers. The reference system, which includes the Chord DAVE and VPI 229D tube amplifier, was also used while streaming Tidal. The VPI Scout turntable with the Ortofon Black 2M cartridge was spinning vinyl.

Listening

Doug McLeod’s “Run with the Devil” from his “There’ a Time “album is an excellent acoustic song that comes alive and makes you feel as if Doug is sitting right in front of you playing. The ERIB-2A  brought his guitar to life. The sound coming from the instrument was as if Doug was in the room with me and the tonality of his guitar and the body of the instrument was vivid, detailed and transparent. The tonality of the instruments was as good as I have heard in any in-ear-monitor and competed with products that’s are priced much higher.   The sound of his vocal work was transparent with articulation and clarity that was impressive. Never did the earspeaker compromise his performance. Doug was sitting in a chair and with my eyes closed I could envision him in the studio singing this tune and it always was engaging. The musicality of the performance was as good as when I had him preforming this live.
Imagine Dragon’s “Night Vision” has some terrific music and the track “To me” had my feet and body rocking with the music. The monitor had an excellent sound stage with good front to rear depth and nice air and space between instruments. The ERIB-2A  kept me involved and I never lost focus. Closing my eyes, the music was all around me and the performance was spectacular. The band was rocking on this tune and the sound was dynamic with a terrific top end without any harshness or grunge. The oBravo had its own sound signature which made music come alive.
“Demons” another track on the same album was more of the same. The song had terrific balance and once again the dynamic sound of the ERIB-2A was noticeable. The monitor was able to make the tracks come to life and the AK240 played the song easily and once again highlighted the performance with exceptional musicality.
Holly Cole’s “Temptation” is one of my reference discs when I when I want to know what a product is capable of doing in the bass and treble region, The “Train Song” also has excellent treble extension and the earspeaker made the tune come to life. Holly’s vocals were both seductive and  inviting. I could hear the acoustic bass definition with texture and extension. The bass is balanced and had excellent definition with terrific texture. The treble region was outstanding and the sound was never harsh. The room was present and the shakers were alive in the recording as well as Holly’s vocals. The ERIB-2A was able to reproduce all the music in a defined and realistic sound stage took me to the venue. The interaction between the performers was inspiring and easy to envision. The sound of the room was evident in this song and the sound stage was pinpoint with imaging and excellent air and space between the musicians.

“Jersey Girls” brought Holly front and center with background vocals on the left, The bass again was balanced and had good extension with excellent texture. The sound kept me focused with the performance and Holly’s singing was clear and articulate. Holly’s vocals always captivate me.
Leonard Cohen’s latest album” “You Want it Darker”  is  a prophecy of  Leonard’s final year and preparation for his departure from this world. Using the Chord DAVE with Tidal’s streaming service with the ERIB-2A  gave the planar monitor more power and dynamics using the supplied ¼ inch jack. The title track came alive and Leonard’s vocal was articulate and the sound stage sounded more defined with even better imaging and space. The bass also had more slam with increased dynamics and the top end once again sparkled and was never harsh. nor strident.
Van Morrison’s new album: “Keep me Singing” brought Van to my room. The VPI 229D headphone amplifier is a tube wonder. Using the VPI 229D and the DAVE as the source, “Let it Rhyme” had Van’s vocal dead center and his band in a well defined sound stage with exceptional imaging. The sound stage had air and excellent separation between performers. The VPI 229D delivered tube magic and increased the sound stage and improved the dynamics significantly. The imaging was taken up a couple notches as well. The magic of the tubes brought the tonality to another level and the ERIB-2A  never floundered in recreating the music.
“Hello Babe” from Madeline Peryoux’s “Secular Hymn” provided some excellent definition while  using the DAVE. Madeline’s interaction with the band had terrific synergy. Differences using the big system gave me more of everything. The sound stage was taken to another level and the power the amp brought to the earspeaker  increased the dynamics and bass extension considerably. Madeline’s interaction with the band was special on this track.
Conclusion
The Obravo ERIB-2A is an refreshing new design that is transparent and musical and provides outstanding tonality. The instruments all sounded realistic and the vocal presentation competed with designs that cost significantly more. The vocals were  articulate and presented for both male and female vocalists with clarity and spooky good transparency.  Listeners who are enamored with sound stage will not be disappointed as The ERIB-2A  delivers a fantastic image with both excellent width and depth. The space and air between performers is exceptional. Closing my eyes I was able to clearly identify all performers in a sound stage in a defined space. The detail within the stage was defined without ever getting overly analytical  and the imaging was  superb.
Tonality is important in realistic sound production. Instruments sound realistic and lifelike with the ERIB-2A. The sound of acoustic guitar had accurate string tonality and you could hear the inner body of the guitar. Listening to acoustic instruments with this planar design was a treat. The sweet sound of the violin and the detail of the bow and body of the instrument at times gave me goosebumps and the treble extension was as good as it gets. The extension and clarity of drum cymbals were sparkly and never sounded harsh or splashy.  The Hammond organ recording I heard during this audition was never piercing; products with poor treble extension can make your ears ring while trying to reproduce a Hammond organ. The ERIB-2A reproduced horns and organs realistically and musically.

The bass was noticeable in recordings that require deep bass reproduction, rock and large scale recordings always sounded dynamic with good bass extension. Never did I feel that the earspeaker was missing anything in the bass region and the ERIB-2A benefited greatly when using amplifiers with power . The AK240 always delivered a terrific musical presentation but  switching to the VPI 229 and Chord DAVE brought the performance up significantly. The ERIB-2A scaled up enormously with increased dynamics making the music come to life.
So is it perfect? Well not exactly, as good as it sounded, there were some nitpicks that I had. The supplied 1.4 jack always came out while using the reference system. The jack was getting stuck in the amplifiers and if you moved the jack it would cutoff sound and  had to be jiggled to get it to work properly. I had to remove the bare jack from the amps on more than one occasion. Users planning to use this on a full range system would want to invest in an after market cable to address the jack issue. The US distributor Moon Audio offers cable upgrades for this planar design and would be well worth the investment to get the best cable and would eliminate the issues.
The ERIB-2A offers exceptional value rarely found in products ($899) in this price range. The sound was alive and had detail without ever sounding analytical. The ERIB-2A always delivered musical performances on recordings with outstanding transparency and unlimited dynamics. The product always had me involved with the music and my long listening sessions never made me want to use other earspeakers or full size headphones. oBravo has hit a home run with this revolutionary product and created the  worlds first hybrid planar-air-motion transformer design.  If you looking for the ultimate in transparency you need to check out the ERIB-2A. Outstanding product and highly recommended.
AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY IN THE US AT MOON AUDIO
https://www.moon-audio.com/obravo-erib-2a-earphones.htm

Chord has been on a roll over the last two years introducing ground breaking digital products. The landscape for digital products has made a significant leap in sound quality over that period of time. The introduction of the Hugo portable amplifier and digital to analogue converter was a game changer. Listening impressions of the Hugo had people ecstatic with the purity and the analogue sound of the music. The Hugo was a groundbreaking design from Chord”s legendary Rob Watts.   Rob is the creative genius that keep pushing the boundaries in digital design. The  partnership between John Franks and Rob Watts over the years have been creating stellar products that have in my opinion been not only creative, but also groundbreaking and have established new industry benchmarks in digital design.  

John Franks is an innovative thinker. He challenged Rob Watts to create a product for the mass market that would be close to the sound of the Hugo but it also had to be more affordable. John and Rob both envisioned the need for a product that could change the sound of portable music devices. The introduction of many portable music players and Iphones and android devices created more listeners with music on the go. The challenge after the Hugo was to create a product that the mainstream could buy, yet still offer sound that would be reference quality.  The Mojo priced at $599 was  introduced to the mainstream audio world. Once again Chord brought a product that would redefine portable audio. The  affordable price was now within the reach of many more listeners and brisk sales have been the norm for the little Mojo. Fast forwarding to 2016 brings us with another top of the line no compromise design from Rob Watts and the Chord team. DAVE has landed and the next chapter begins.

Listening to the DAVE at CES in Las Vegas with the  Audeze LCD 4 had my full attention. The DAVE was giving me  satisfaction that over the years I had previously struggled to achieve with digital devices. I knew then that I wanted to spend some time with the DAVE in my system and see what Rob Watts’s new design was capable of producing. John Franks and I spoke and he graciously gave us the opportunity to review this world class product.

Design

The DAVE is based on the Spartan 6 field programmable gate array, which was used in the other DAC’s manufactured by Chord. . The main difference is the LX75 is used at the heart of the DAVE. The new design incorporates a huge version of the Spartan 6. The DAVE while using this bigger version of the Spartan 6 delivers music according to Chord with unmatched reality and musicality. DAVE is a preamplifier, headphone amp and world class digital to analogue converter in one well thought out chassis. The specifications are mind-boggling.

The DAVE does uses a USB style input and has a range of 44hz -768HZ and not only does DXD but also Quad DSD. Pricd at $13000 without the optional stand which adds an additional $2500

Setup

Lee Shelly took pictures of the DAVE for Chord and delivered it to my house when he completed the work for Chord. Once the DAVE arrived my anxiety levels starting to climb. Remembering those early listening sessions in Las Vegas I was anxious to get it into my system and start listening to music.  Using Nordost excellent Heimdall USB cable inserted into the Imac computer provided  me with a enormous amount of music to stream through both headphones and also use as full near-field reference system.

The DAVE was also connected to the system with the Rogue Cronus Magnum 11 amplifier and Cavalli Liquid Gold headphone amplifier so it could be used as a DAC in a full stereo system with the Fritz carbon 7 monitors. The cables used were all Nordost Blue Heaven interconnect and speaker cables.

Music sources from the iMac included DSD and high-resolution download files using Aurdirvana and iTunes. Music coming from Tidal’s lossless streaming library gave me an endless CD quality library to listen too. The Dave was ready to be fired up and the anticipation of music coming out of the system put a big smile on my face.

Listening

Once the DAVE was fired up and ready to play music, I put on familiar tracks to get the feel of the music. Primarily using the DAVE with  the Audeze LCD4 brought me back to that magical day in January when I fell in love with the DAVE. The sound coming from Holly Cole’s “The Train Song” had me completely consumed with her intoxicating vocals. The sound coming from the system was very transparent and musical. The sound of her voice was alive and more realistic than I have heard it reproduced previously. Listening to headphones is a personal experience and it sounded as if Holly was singing not only to me but for me. The delicate and seductive sound of her voice gave me the chills. Imaging was exceptionally real with Holly in her own space and standing out with each musician also well defined within the sound-stage.

Instruments were also outstanding with the DAVE. The tonality of the bass guitar on Patricia Barber’s Company from “Modern Cool” had the juices going. The LCD 4 reproducing the bass was thunderous and the DAVE was able to reproduce the stellar sound from Michael Arnopols bass with detail and extension. There was no abnormality in the sound. The sound was live and more importantly nailed the tonality of the instrument. The headphone amplifier never called any attention to itself and was always at peak performance. The sound coming from DAVE was beyond anything that I had experienced with any digital converter that  has been in the reference system. The DSD recording came to life and it was as if everything just disappeared except the music. There were no boundaries. The system evaporated and music was focused with imaging and sound that was as good as any analogue system I had heard regardless of price.

DAVE was convincing musically. The tonality of the instruments was spectacular. Listening to Bernstein’s Candide with the HiFiman flagship HE 1000 headphones was a revelation. The tonality of the instruments sounded realistic but it also had delicacy reproducing the violins on the Candide Suite. The Reference Recording engineered by Keith Johnson with Eji Que conducting the Minnesota Orchestra put me in the hall. I could hear the room acoustics clearly.

The layering of the orchestra in its proper location and sound staging was wide and deep with air and space between each section of the orchestra. The DAVE just played music. The sound was more like listening to a analogue record without any of the drawback that you would get listening to vinyl and had the explosive dynamics and range that only digital can provide. The DAVE sound was not digital in any way. The musicality and tonality were exceptional.

Argento’s Ring of Time from Valentino Dances also featuring the Minnesota Orchestra is a special piece of music. The chimes in this recording with the right equipment is an incredible listening experience   The DAVE nailed the extension of the chimes and you could hear not only inner detail but the hall reverberation in the recording as well. Jaw dropping sound with musicality and tonality that was realistic and alive. The Dave was able to reproduce this track better than I had heard it reproduced in the system, indeed the sound coming from the DAVE had my complete attention and had me in long and deep listening sessions. Amazingly after full days with long hours of listening, it was all without fatigue.



Switching to the Liquid Gold, my reference headphone amplifier and using the DAVE fully balanced, made little difference in the sound. The stand-alone amplifier increased the soundstage minimally. The Liquid Gold can deliver high current with more power but I noticed no difference in musicality or tonality using the Gold over the DAVE’s internal amplifier. The strength of the Liquid Gold is soundstage and bass , and the DAVE as a source was more thunderous and had slightly better staging . I could hear more even more extension and slam but the silky smooth sound of the stand-alone DAVE left little to be desired. The unit was performing flawlessly in the listening sessions and the sound was spectacular.

Intrigued with headphone listening, using the Ether C closed reference headphone from MrSpeakers was a terrific synergistic match for the DAVE. Jeff Buckley’s vocal with his opening whisper on the “Hallelujah” track brought me directly to the recording studio. The delicate sound of his guitar coming from the DAVE and Ether C was a revelation. Buckley’s vocal sounded as if I was in the studio booth with him. I could hear the room acoustics and not get distracted listening to Buckley’s vocal.

This is one of the best renditions of the Leonard Cohen’s tune and has not been surpassed with any performance since Buckley recorded his version . Emotion in the recording was felt with the DAVE and the sound was sublime, yet involving and it sounded spiritual. The delivery and performance had me captivated. I could only hear Buckley’s crystal clear vocal located  in a defined space with razor sharp imaging and envision the studio room where he recording this majestic tune. Wow maybe there is a God above  lyric started to come to life for me. Listening to Buckley sing it was as if he was empowered from that God above.



Removing the headphone I switched to the system and replayed the track through the Rogue Cronus Magnum 11 with the Fritz Carbon 7 speakers. Immediately upon playing it on the system, my wife hearing the track left what she was doing and came into the room. She asked what unit was is in the system and thought I playing a vinyl record. I told her it was the DAVE. She told me she never heard the system sound like that before. She sat down and we both started listening together, something we hardly ever do together.

The Rogue Cronus Magnum 11 was synergistic with the DAVE and the Fritz Carbon 7’s. The entire system disappeared and all we were left with was Jeff Buckley in the room. The sound was as if I was playing the best vinyl, but missing was any noise or anything that would distract us from the music we were playing. Buckley’s vocal was a spiritual experience in this system. I could feel as if he connected with me  while he was singing this song. Amazingly I was lured into the performance and never wanted it to end.

The DAVE in the 2 channel system continued to excite me with its sound. Using other DACS in the system never had me this excited. Switching to Duke Ellington’s “Back to Back” and listening on the system without headphones had my total attention.  Johnny Hodges’s sax on “Wabash Blues” had Johnny coming out of the right channel and the speakers disappeared and the sound was to die for. The musicality and rhythm of the music brought these musicians to my listening room and had Paula and me completely in tune to the performance. She was amazed at how good the music sounded and kept telling me this was the best the system had ever sounded.



Ellington’s piano came to life and the rhythm section was  in tune with the music. It sounded as if they playing in the room. Instruments all sounded as they should and the air and space was beyond reproach. The imaging and detail was all evident on this recording. Air around the performers was among the best I had heard. Hodges sax was floating in its own space and every part of the band had its own  defined space and you could hear inner details, like brush strokes on a cymbal clearly. Each instrument solo had its own space with excellent imaging and focus. The DAVE never called attention to any of these recordings that were streaming lossless from Tidal. The performance from Duke Ellington was breathtaking,

Final Thoughts:

When DAVE entered my system I knew that music listening would never be the same once it left. The musicality with the DAVE in the system was the best I have heard from any digital unit has that been in my system. The only digital to analogue converter I have heard that  comes close to competing with DAVE is the Spectral 19K SDR-4000 SL, which is also a CD player and converter, minus the preamplifier and headphone amplifier.

The DAVE used as a headphone amplifier competed with my Cavalli Liquid Gold and also  functioned as a world class stand alone DAC in the 2 channel system. Listening in my system I was not prepared for how good it would perform as a source and left astonished. Listening with my non-audiophile wife Paula, we both agreed we were hearing the best digital system in my listening room. The sound coming from the DAVE was in another class and at the top of the heap.

Analogue sound has always been a priority in my 2 channel systems. The DAVE made me forget about the analogue and digital debates and stay focused with what is most important to me, which is the music. The DAVE is like adding a fine musical instrument. The $13K price is not inexpensive,but the sound coming from the DAVE is beyond and above anything I have experienced in a high end component.  Flawless and near perfect, the DAVE delivers musicality and resolution like no other digital product I have experienced. The sound and tonality of piano and acoustic instrument is beyond realistic –it is real music.

Violins sounds so delicate and yet refined with the DAVE. Body and tonality were what I hear in acoustic halls every time I attend live concerts. Listening with headphones like the LCD-4,Ether C and the HE-1000 made me realize how good the DAVE amplifier was in conveying the musicality I so much crave. Never once did I feel the need to use any other headphone amplifiers other than to make comparisons. The DAVE is a special musical instrument that captured me and had me completely in tune with the music.

If you can afford to write the check or have a system that is looking for the final source to bring all of your music to life,the DAVE can be the answer. For me, sadly I could not figure a way to keep the DAVE. Not that  I did not try, especially when Paula (my wife) told me it was the best she heard the system sound. Even after me continuously reminded her of that, I could  not convince her to let me write that check. I would have had to streamline my system down and sell of chunks of it to buy the DAVE.  If I had the funds to buy the unit I would without question have most definitely written that check.

When DAVE was here, my listening sessions were more involving and musicality soared. Sadly I had to return it and the loss of DAVE has created a void in my listening room(and life). Rob Watts has hit it out of the park with this design and John Franks the innovator and master behind the scenes at Chord keep raising the bar and Rob Watts always delivers and exceeds the goals he sets for himself. Chords team is gifted and talented and continues to keep changing the benchmark of what products should be. DAVE I will miss you and look forward to our next encounter. Highly recommended

 
Photography by:
leeshellyphoto.com

HA-2-with-PM-3-on-stand-small
When I was reviewing the PM-1 planar headphone for OPPO I mentioned to Jason Liao (VP of product development at OPPO) how good the PM-1 sounded when paired with the Chord Hugo. The sound was so synergistic that while speaking with Jason I asked if it was possible to get a closed version of the PM-1 to use portably. Jason mentioned they were working on a closed version and may have a prototype ready to show at the Rocky Mountain Audiofest .

One of my first stops when I arrived at Rocky Mountain was to visit CanJam and head over to OPPO’s booth and see if the portable closed headphone was there. I not only found the PM-3 but also the HA-2 amplifier/DAC available for audition. Immediately seizing the opportunity like a kid in a toy store looking for his fix I dug right into a session. I was impressed with the sound coming from the combo; so much so it was reminiscent of what I had experienced with the Chord Hugo and PM-1. The sound of the paring was synergistic and musically engaging.





OPPO PM-3 Design

The PM-3 design is derived from its sibling brother the PM-1. The driver technology was derived from OPPO’s technology derived from the PM-1. The PM-3 uses a planar magnetic driver and the sound coming from a light push pull symmetric design is similar in sound signature to the PM-1. The headphone is built with the same high quality construction found in OPPO products. The PM-3 weighs 10 ounces and is light enough for portable use. The PM-3 is shipped with a 3-meter cable terminated with a ¼ jack and includes a 1.2-meter portable cable. OPPO gives the customer the choice to select the right cable for the device being used .You can order the cable with an inline microphone which will allows you take incoming calls if your using a smart phone The Denim carrying case is included. The PM-3 is designed to fold flat and fit nicely in the denim traveling case. The price is $399.

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OPPO HA-2 Portable Headphone Amplifier/DAC

The HA-2 is an attractive slim beveled aluminum design. OPPO’s design choice was interesting in that the amplifier does not look like most of the portable products out there. The amplifier has a genuine leather casing with stitching. The finish is first rate and typical OPPO high quality construction. Aesthetically attractive and the look an feel of a modern device-the HA-2 is an eye appealing and hip looking piece of gear.

The amplifier is a hybrid class AB design with a USB DAC that support 384 kHz PCM and also does DSD 256. It offers s high performance digital conversion for Apple iPhone/iPods and iPads and a can also be used with many Android devices.

The HA-2 has a built in rechargeable battery and also can serve to charge mobile devices as well on the go. The internal battery can be recharged in 30 minutes fully using the rapid charge supplied with the unit.

The DAC used in the HA-2 is the high quality high end ESS Sabre 9018 –K2M chip and delivers high quality sound with low noise and distortion.

The HA-2 has two USB DAC inputs ports; one for Apple devices and the other for Android devices. The 3.5 mm input would work with other portable players that do not support USB. The amplifier has two gain adjustments. The High Gain deliver 300mw into 16 ohms for more power hungry headphones and Low Gain is designed for sensitive in ear monitors. The HA-2 uses an analog volume control with bass boost for the bass head. The entire HA-2 package is loaded with features and sells for $299.



The Journey

The PM-3 and the HA-2 were hooked up to the iMac with the supplied USB cable. Listening to Alabama Shakes’ new album “Shakes Sound and Color” had me totally involved in the music. The sound coming from the track “Don’t Want to Fight” had my body moving to the hard hitting beat and Brittany Howard ‘s vocal was clear and articulate. I was really into the recording and her soulful voice had me hooked.

Melody Gardot’s “Mira” from her “Absence” album has a Caribbean flavor. The vocal performance from this track has Melody involved in her performance.Closing my eyes I could vision her moving around and dancing while singing this wonderful track. The percussion was first rate and believable. The treble extension was awesome with this combination. The soundstage is within the headphone and never felt as if it was out of my head. The bass extension was good and impactful. The HA-2 bass boost control added some more heft to the bass and is a nice feature on the portable amplifier. It subtly increased the extension of an already excellent bass presentation.

Amber Rubarth’s binaural recording was excellent listening with the PM-3 and HA-2 and had more space within the stage than a normal lossless recording. It was evident while listening to this binaural recording that the soundstage width had more space and better layering than regular recordings. Amber’s vocal was crystal clear with excellent inner detail and free of any sibilance. The percussion was in the rear of the stage to her right and had nice detail and I could easily hear hands hitting the drum skins. The PM-3 and HA-2 were working synergistically and were able to dig out the inner detail of this excellent recording.

Switching to the Copland and not expecting much from the PM-3 and HA-2 on this wide dynamic and torturous recording, I was pleasantly surprised with the delivery of ” Fanfare for the Common Man”. The thunderous whack of the tympani is a real test for any device to reproduce. The PM-3 had sufficient speed to make the track believable and the HA-2 kept up with the performance and was able to play the recording without clipping or falling apart “ Appalachian Spring” from Copland is a beautiful piece of music. The PM-3 while having a smaller stage than many other more costly headphones was still able to produce all the frequency range of this recording without a hitch. The performance was still musical and the PM-3 and HA-1 delivered the performance with dynamic and enjoyable musicality.

Using the UE 18 IEM on the same recordings really showcased how a high end IEM could perform. The sound coming from the UE 18 had the orchestra spread out in a wide and layered stage with air and space. The sound using the low gain setting on the HA-2 was noise free and had no audible distortion. The musicality was on another level and the HA-2 was able to scale up while using a flagship IEM that cost almost 4X more than the PM-3. The HA-2 handled the higher end IEM with musicality and finesse. The sound was incredible, transparent and musical.



AK240 Balanced and the PM-3

Hooking up the PM-3 to the AK240 balanced was a revelation. Gone was the loose bass. The PM-3 loved the additional power that the AK240 had over the HA-2. The soundstage was much more defined with better air and space between the performers. The PM-3 loved the additional power (as most planar do) the AK240 was giving it. It was if I gave it a tankful of high-test gas. The performance level soared.

The additional power the AK240 provided took the PM-3 to a different level of musicality. The improvement was far from subtle. The PM-3 had more and better focus with increased bass slam. The bass was now tight and focused. The performers were more focused in the soundstage with more air and separation between the musicians.Using the same Copland track, the PM-3 was faster than it was while using the HA-2. The layering of the orchestra improved with more of the hall and space audible. The tympani whacks had more impact and made the performance more enjoyable and involving.

Listening to the DSD recording of Patricia Barber track “Company” from Modern Cool the PM-3 had similar extension that I hear while using the PM-1 and the Audeze LCD X headphones. Listening to Nardis from Barber’s “Café Blue” was more of the same eargasms. The treble extension on Nardis had the cymbals shimmering and was never splashy or restricted. They just sounded like live drum cymbals.

Performance like this is rare in many flagship headphones yet the $399 PM-3 delivered what many portable headphones in this price range fail to do (sound real). The fact that this type of bass and treble extension in a product this reasonably priced is a major achievement for OPPO. The PM-3 soared to another level and showed it could scale up to higher levels using more expensive gear.



Conclusion

The PM-3 and HA-2 products released by OPPO Digital are amazing products for the price. OPPO has been releasing outstanding products for a number of years. OPPO’s entry into personal audio with the introduction of the PM-1 and PM-2 full range headphones last year had the industry buzzing. They followed it up with their Swiss Army knife HA-1 amplifier that was built like a tank and did many different things and became a new benchmark in affordable high-end audio.

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The PM-3 and HA-2 are making another splash (rightfully so). The PM-3 has the same build quality the PM-1 and PM-2 are known for in a smaller lighter package. The isolation is as good as many IEM monitors. The PM-3 folds neatly into the sleek looking Denim bag and is easy to carry and use. The PM-3 worked well with the AK240 balanced digital player and eliminated the need for a separate amplifier. The performance was extraordinary and really showcased the PM-3 strengths. The bass delivery was extended and midrange was to die for. The treble extension with the PM-3 was not compromised or left me feeling anything was missing.

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The HA-2 is another marvelous achievement from the sleek modern beveled aluminum to the striking volume control and lovely leather case. The $299 amplifier has a no compromise ESS 9018 sabre DAC. Users using a MacBook, iPad, iPhone or android device will benefit using the HA-2. The amplifier is fully transportable .The sound from the iPad and MacBook was drastically improved and more in tune with reference listening that music enthusiast want in portable devices.

The HA-2 had a few shortcomings when compared to the more expensive AK240 internal amplifier. The bass and treble extension on the more expensive AK240 went deeper and had more slam. The HA-2 could not compete with the AK240 treble extension and the transparency was better on the 10 times more expensive reference digital player as it should be.

OPPO is known for building battleship products at real world prices. The PM-3 and HA-2 offer extraordinary value and follow in the same tradition of value and high quality. OPPO is to be commended for offering reference level sound and build in value oriented products that perform as if they should cost twice as much.

Value and musicality is what we come to expect from OPPO and the PM-3 and HA-2 offer that and more. The PM-3 and HA-2 are musical products designed to provide years of enjoyment for all music lovers. The PM-3 and HA-2 deliver exceptional sound for a ridiculously low price. The PM-3 and HA-2 are serious products that are attractively priced and deserve your consideration. Highly Recommended

Specifications

Designs and specifications are subject to change without notice.

Headphone Specifications

Acoustic Principle Closed back

Ear Coupling Circumaural

Nominal Impedance 26 Ohm

Sensitivity 102 dB in 1 mW

Clamping Pressure 5 N

Cables 3 m detachable cable (3.5 mm with 6.35 mm adapter) 1.2 m detachable cable (3.5 mm)

Cable Connectors Output: 3.5 mm stereo jack Input: 6.35 mm stereo jack, 3.5 mm stereo jack

Weight 320 g (without cable)

Included Accessories Carrying Case User Manual

Driver Specifications

Driver Type Planar Magnetic

Driver Size (Round) 55 mm diameter

Magnet System Symmetric push-pull neodymium

Frequency Response

In Free-Field 10 – 50,000 Hz

Long-Term

Max Input Power 500 mW according to IEC 60268-7

Pulse Max Input Power 2 W

iPad®, iPhone®, iPod® and iPod touch® are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. All trademarks are are the property of their respective owners.

Specifications

Designs and specifications are subject to change without notice.

General

Dimensions (W x H x D) 2.7 x 6.2 x 0.5 inches, 68 x 157 x 12 mm

Weight 6.2 oz, 175 grams

Frequency Response 20 Hz – 200 kHz

Audio-in Level 1 Vrms

Line-out Level 1 Vrms

Recommended Headphone Impedance 16 Ohm – 300 Ohm

Maximum Headphone Output Power 300 mW into 16 Ohm 220 mW into 32 Ohm 30 mW into 300 Ohm

Headphone Amplifier Output Impedance 0.5 Ohm

Output Jacks 3.5 mm stereo headphone 3.5 mm stereo line-out

Input Ports Analog: 3.5 mm stereo audio-in Digital: USB A for iPod / iPhone / iPad; USB micro-B for smartphones with USB OTG feature and computers.

DAC Chip ESS Sabre32 Reference ES9018-K2M

Input Format Stereo PCM, Stereo DSD (DoP v1.1 or native)

PCM Sampling Frequencies 44.1 kHz – 384 kHz, 16 / 24 / 32-bit

DSD Sampling Frequencies 2.8224 MHz (DSD64), 5.6448 MHz (DSD128), 11.2896 MHz (DSD256, native mode only)

Profile USB 2.0, USB Audio 2.0

Included Accessories Power Supply Unit (Rapid Charging Charger) USB A – USB micro-B data and rapid charging cable USB A – Lightning data cable (for Apple devices) USB micro-B to micro-B data cable (for Android and other smartphones) 3.5 mm – 3.5 mm stereo audio cable Silicone rubber band (2 pieces) User guide and warranty documents

Battery

Built-in Battery type 3000 mAh lithium polymer rechargeable battery

Battery Operation Time Approx. 13 hours for analog source via Audio-in; approx. 7 hours for digital sources via USB

Charging Time Approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

“Made for iPod”, “Made for iPhone”, and “Made for iPad” mean that an electronic accessory has been designed to connect specifically to iPod®, iPhone®, or iPad®, respectively, and has been certified by the developer to meet Apple performance standards. Apple is not responsible for the operation of this device or its compliance with safety and regulatory standards. Please note that the use of this accessory with iPod, iPhone, or iPad may affect wireless performance.

iPad, iPhone, iPod and iPod touch® are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

Compatible iPod/iPhone/iPad Models USB works with iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPad (4th generation), iPad mini, iPod touch (5th generation).

The HA-2’s USB input B works with Android devices that support USB OTG (USB On-The-Go) and USB Audio Class 2.0. Not all devices are compatible.

Android is a trademark of Google Inc.

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.



www.oppodigital.com

- See more at: http://headphone.guru/oppo-pm-3-headphone-and-ha-2-portable-amplifierdac/#sthash.Dmg8W7mO.dpuf

Around 2009, the rumbling and chatter at Headfi.org was getting louder… It was beginning to roar. There was mention of a DIY designer who had an amp that would not only change headphone listening but also create an entirely new standard for headphone amplifiers. People were talking about how he was making a difference in the community with his DIY designs. The person they were talking about was Alex Cavalli.
Back then, with the encouragement and support of the headphone community, Cavalli decided to go “commercial” and manufacture some of the designs that had been rattling around in his mind for the last ten years. Alex knew he could build a terrific sounding product. Yet the biggest challenge was to find the right suppliers to make the product to his specifications and quality. This process took eighteen months time to get  the supply chain where it was up to Cavalli’s high standards. The searching for and using various different suppliers was painstaking. Finally, Cavalli was able to locate the suppliers who were capable of producing the quality he was demanding of his products. If it was to have the Cavalli name it would have to be the best it could be.
If you have been reading reviews by our team members at Headphone.Guru and more at other sites, the consensus has been that Cavalli products are designed and built to extremely high standards. Cavalli Audio’s goal has been to offer reference grade products that are transparent and without coloration. Alex’s goals are to design components that just get out of the way. His objective has always been is to produce products that have intelligent circuit topology and offer listeners an unbelievable listening experience.
Alex started designing and building amplifiers at the age of ten, stopped for a few decades, and returned in the mid to late 90’s . The Liquid Gold is a result of years of research and development. The goals behind the Gold were to produce an amplifier that would power any current headphone in existence and also be able to adapt to any future headphones that may come down the pike. The vision started in 2010 when Audeze designed its first LCD2 and Cavalli moved forward with the Liquid Fire- a hybrid design that was powerful and could easily drive any of the popular planers that were becoming rampant in the personal audio community.

Design

The Liquid Gold is manufactured in Austin, Texas and uses all high quality parts that offer superb performance and reliability. The construction of the Liquid Gold is a labor of love. Cavalli products are offered direct through the  website located here. Cavalli amplifiers are not inexpensive and never offered in large quantity. Outsourcing the labor or parts to foreign countries would reduce the cost of the amplifier but Alex also feels that anything built with the Cavalli name has to be exceptional; which is why he demands the most from his vendors and from himself.
Load impedances vary with headphones. They could be as low as 25ohm and also go as high as 600 Ohms. The product would have to be able to adjust to the different loads and also be able to get the most of what each headphone was capable of producing. Many designers have not been able to make an amplifier that was capable to handle all the different load schemes.
High Impedances headphones such as the Sennheiser HD800 and Beyerdynamic T1 with loads of 300 Ohm and 600Ohm respectively, create another set of issues that can be challenging on amplifiers. The Gold to drive both high and low impedance headphones and do it musically and efficiently. As if that was not enough to scare some designers, it was being designed as a true differential balanced amplifier. Many headphones – including the new flagship K812 designed by AKG – are single ended and cannot be changed to a balanced configuration without modification.
The Liquid Gold is a true differential solid-state design. Each channel has its own independent rail regulators. The chassis is in a single package (housing the power supply) in stealth black. The Gold has 9W of power going into a 50-Ohm load. The unique features of the RCA single ended input is that converts to balanced. There is a gain switch on the front of the amplifier for adjusting the gain to accommodate both high and low impedance and various load of different headphones. The gain on low is 4X(12db) and 8x(18DB) making it adaptable for any current headphone designed,except for extremely sensitive IEMs and similar sesitivity headphones
The Gold operates in Class A for the first 2.25W of output power. The power supply is no afterthought. The 35.0000 uf in capacitance is enough headroom to bring the finest symphony orchestra to full crescendos with unlimited headroom. Designed into the Liquid Gold is an auto fault protection circuit. When you power up the Liquid Gold there are two protection circuits that are illuminated with LEDs. The design will show a white light on start up with two red lights and once the amplifiers goes through the warm up the red-light disappear one at a time and change to white. The whole process takes about two minutes to complete. The purpose is to protect the headphones and amplifier. The amplifier weighs in at 12 lbs. and has both a 4pin XLR in the front and two neutrix combo pro jacs. For anyone interested in all of the design principals of the Gold, you can find an excellent white paper if you click other stuff here.

Listening Sessions:

The HD800 is perceived to be one of the most difficult headphones to pair with an amplifier. Curious to see how it would pair with the Liquid Gold, the Sennheiser HD800 an easy first test (the Nordost Heimdall balanced cable was used during the sessions with the HD800).
Hugh Masekela album, Hope, has the classic song, “Stimela”, which is a powerful expression of apartheid in South Africa with lyrics talking about the gold and silver mines in Johannesburg. The lyrics are involving and it was easy to get involved with this recording. Masekela’s flugelhorn was pinpoint focused within the soundstage. The instruments were all defined in their own space and the instrument tonality was accurate. Absent from the presentation was any grunge or glare that is common in many solid-state amps. The amplifier had a sound that was very difficult to describe. The notes of Masekela playing the flugelhorn were noticeable and other musicians playing were spread out in a layered soundstage with space and distance within the stage with air around the performers. The drums had excellent definition with good impact. The high-end cymbals and other percussion were all shimmering and sounding what you would hear in a live performance. There was nothing in the way of the music while using the Liquid Gold. The dynamics were explosive. The amplifier easily had speed and finesse to recreate all the dynamics this album provides.
The song, “Birds of St. Marks”, from Jackson Browne’s new album, Standing in the Breach, induced a similar experience. The Liquid Gold once again disappeared and all I was left with was the music and Jackson’s strong vocal performance in the opening track of this great cut. I could feel the performance as if I was there in person. The music was all well defined. The HD800 sounded as good as I have heard it using any amplifier, at any price.
Joshua Redman’s album, Live at the Village Gate, has some of the best live sax I have ever heard on record. Recorded in 1995 at the historic Village Gate nightclub in Greenwich Village, the recording (when played on the right equipment) exudes the excitement of being at the live venue. Closing my eyes on “Jig’ a Jug”, I could visualize the club (as I’ve actually been there numerous times). The venue is a small jazz club and the Gold made the venue come to life. You know something is special when you are completely involved in the performance, with eyes shut and toes tapping and your body moves up and down and totally consumed with the music.
The AKG K812 single ended headphone proved to be an exceptional match with the Liquid Gold. The new reference headphone from AKG (full review coming) has exceptional detail. The bass was a deeper on the same “Jig Jug” track and with excellent definition and focus. I could hear all the acoustic bass notes and the treble was very extended. I never lost the “toe tapping” while listening to the K812. The dynamics and musicality was exceptional. I could hear people moving glasses at the tables and the drum sticks hitting the skins. I could feel the impact of the bass drum and once again, I had that quintessential “I am there” feeling.

Joe Beck’s new album, Get Me, has some incredible jazz guitar tracks. “Manha de Carnival” is well recorded and the K812 allowed me to distinguish all of Beck’s finger work with his guitar. Beck opens with soft delicate guitar work and when the band joins in the bass guitar was grumbling and had deep extension. There was nothing missing in the track. The K812 is a detail monster and the liquid Gold brought out the best of what the K812 had to offer.
The Beyerdynamic T1 is another single ended headphone, one that is more difficult to drive than the K812 due to the 600-OHM load. The T1 has a reputation of sounding excellent with tube amplifiers. The Beyer T1 has been a love/hate relationship with me for over five years. The T1 can sound stellar with the right amplifier or can be bright and shrill on others. The performance with the Liquid Gold was exceptionally transparent here. Missing was any bright or shrill sound on recordings. “Peel Me a Grape”, from Diana Krall’s album, Love Scenes, sounded exceptional. The acoustic bass on this track is excellent and the notes were deep and Krall’s voice was seductive and involving. The T1 and Gold worked well single ended and once again I was treated to an amazing vocal performance.
The Oppo PM-1 is another planar design that many people feel is restricted in soundstage. Switching to the album, Classics, from the band, She and Him, the soundstage felt more expanded with the Moon Silver Dragon balanced cable and the Liquid Gold and I felt as if a veil was removed with the PM-1. I immediately noticed the increase sound stage extension with more transparency. The music was crystal clear and there was no evidence of any electronic noise in the system. The Silver Dragon with the Liquid Gold made the PM-1 come to life. The music was so involving and Zoey Deschanel’s sexy vocal lured me into the performance. The song “She” opens with an acoustic guitar and M. Ward supplying the vocal, the sound was clean and realistic. I could hear the acoustic guitar in its own space and M. Ward’s excellent vocal as if he was singing this song to Zoey directly. The Liquid Gold was able to just let all of the music come through in a romantic and realistic performance. The music just flowed and had me totally involved in the performance.
The Alpha Prime balanced can be a difficult headphone to drive. Getting the most out of the Prime requires good amplifier matching and power. Amplifiers that are restricted in dynamics and power will not deliver everything the Prime is capable of delivering. The Liquid Gold was able to drive the Prime effortlessly. Kiasmos’ new self-titled album is outstanding electronic music. The track “Looped” showcased the Alpha Prime. There was no shortage of power or any sense that dynamics were lacking in the performance. The performance was outstanding on this track. The melodies sweeping around the bass was exciting and involving. I could feel the impact and delicacy of the song at the same time. The more time listening the more involved I became with the music.
Justin Townes Earle’s new album, Single Mothers and Absent Fathers, is another album that is extremely personal. Justin’s father Steve Earle left his mom at a very young age. This album is redemption for Justin. The opening track “Worried Bout the Weather” is a great opening track and the album is filled with terrific and gifted songwriting. The album is very personal. “Single Mothers” talks about his Dad being absent and you can feel his attachment to his mom and you can feel some of his pain he feels in his expression and lyrics. The songwriting is exceptional and Earle really put his heart and soul into this recording. The Prime and Gold let me become a part of his personal world. Both the headphone and amplifier disappeared. The pairing was exceptionally synergistic together.
Using the Hifiman HE560 (single ended) was similar to the other headphones. The Liquid Gold had no problem again driving the HE560. Listening to the “Suite from Candide” from the Reference Recordings, Bernstein with Eiji Oue conducting the Minnesota Orchestra, is exceptional. The violin sections in the recording are stellar and the HE560 reproduces a violin as good as I have heard on any headphone. The Liquid Gold did not disappoint here. The soundstage was layered and the performers were on the stage in their own space with excellent air and depth. The sections of the orchestra were easily identifiable and never did I feel the Gold was underperforming or leaving anything out of the performance. The HE560 is great on classical music and the soundstage sounded as good as I have heard when using the Liquid Gold. I was able to identify the individual sections of the orchestra. The amp never ran out of steam, as it was able to easily handle the big dynamic swings of the recording and sailed through the music without any distractions.
The Audeze LCD X and LCD XC were easy to enjoy with the Gold. The power requirements were less demanding than the Alpha Prime and overall easier to drive. The 9W Liquid Gold drove both of them effortlessly. Melody Gardot’s “Worrisome Heart” is a stellar recording and showcases this amazing Canadian talent. Her vocal was crystal clear and reproduced with detail and sibilance free with the XC. The soundstage was focused with Melody in the front of the band. There was good space and air between her and the band. The sound was involving and easy to pick out where each member of the band was in the stage.
Caribou’s album, Our Love, came to life using the LCD X. The soundstage exploded with the electronic rhythm and vocals. The track, “Cant Do It Without You”, has excellent and grunting bass. The Gold was able to rattle my head with deep extension and I could feel the intensity of the music. The LCD X was really performing well with the Gold. The LCD X and this amp were really playing nice with each other. “The Sorcer’s Apprentice”, from the Mephisto & Co. album, from Reference Recordings, is a favorite of mine to use because it has excellent soundstage layering and explosive dynamics. The LCD X was up to the task and the Gold had enough speed to get the most out of this dynamic recording.
Valentino Dances, another superb recording from the Reference Recording label, is a great test piece for equipment evaluation or for exceptional musical bliss. When properly reproduced this magnificent Keith Johnson recording takes the listener to the venue with the magnificent Minnesota Orchestra. The “Ring of Time” is excellent for listening to treble extension. The chimes in the recording are complex and well recorded. The Liquid Gold was able to deliver a stellar performance with this engaging and beautiful piece of music. I could hear the shimmer of the chimes with extension and the speed of the orchestras this vastly dynamic recording came to life. The Liquid Gold and LCD X were in unison. The music kept flowing and the start and stop of the orchestra was special. I could hear deep into the layered soundstage and the hall acoustics were easily heard. The LCD X delivered all of the dynamics and more so kept me totally involved with the music. The piece is broken into four sections and the chimes are dominant throughout the twenty-eight minute track and the music is very beautifully composed. The Minnesota Orchestra, under Eiji Oue’s direction, nailed the performance. The combination of the LCD X and Liquid Gold left nothing out of this wonderful recording.

Conclusion:

Using eight different flagship headphones of various impedance and loading was a tremendous challenge for any amplifier to pass. The amplifier would have to adjust to both using balanced headphones and single ended headphones with ease. The load variances were different with each headphone and some were extremely difficult to drive while others were not. The second part of equation was that the amplifier would have to do all of this and be able to handle the various recordings and different variances. Yet the Liquid Gold never subtracted or added any coloration to the performance. The Gold had no specific sound signature: It was neither warm or cold nor analytical. The transparency was on an entirely other level than what I been accustomed too as it had all the necessary speed to handle the wide loads of different headphones and recordings.
 
The words, genius and masterpiece, are used frequently in the high-end audio circles. Yet I must admit that the Cavalli rumblings that I had heard in various forums for the past seven years were accurate. Alex Cavalli is a rare talent. He created an amplifier that will work with any high-end headphone available and allows the listener and music to come together in unison.
 
The amplifier had no identifiable faults, although some may not like a simple chassis designed without all the added bells and whistles. However, if sound is your main objective (as it is for me), the Gold delivered well beyond what I ever thought was possible with a solid-state device. For this level of performance, the $3950 price is a bargain. There are amplifiers in the same price range (with the fancy meters and chassis) that don’t come close to this level of performance and can struggle with different headphones. The Liquid Gold delivered a big performance every time used, no matter what recording or headphone I threw at it.
 
The tube designs, including my reference Viva Egoista, have character and an identifiable sound. What makes the Liquid Gold so special is the transparency. The amplifier completely disappeared. In all my years of reviewing I have never heard a solid-state amplifier that can do everything the Liquid Gold does with transparency and musicality. If you’re looking for you next fix or if you’re a high end junkie like me, the Cavalli Audio Liquid Gold will give you the highest of highs. The Liquid Gold never fails to perform and has kept me up on many sleepless nights. It is a rare masterpiece worthy of reference status.
Cavalli Audio Liquid Gold: $3950
 

 
 
 
 
Headphones Used for the Review:

1. Sennheiser HD800 balanced
2. AKGK812- single ended
3. Beyerdynamic T1-singleended
4. MrSpeakers Alpha Prime balanced
5. Audeze LCD X-balanced
6. Audeze LCD XC-balanced
7. Hifiman HE560-single ended
8. Oppo PM-1

 
Source:

1. Oppo BDP 105
2. iMac –Aurdirvana
3. Tidal

 
Cables:
 

1. Nordost Blue Heaven
2. Wywires Platinum
3. Nordost Heimdall balanced cables
4. Wywires- Red
5. Moon Silver Dragon

 


- See more at: http://headphone.guru/cavalli-audio-liquid-gold-cavallis-masterpiece/#sthash.6juE6vn6.dpuf

          
 


 
Alpha Prime-The Final Frontier
Prior to attending the Rocky Mountain Audiofest Dan Clark had mentioned that he was working on a modification to the Alpha Dog and the result was significantly better, so much so that it warranted a new model designation.Dan felt that there was still a higher level of performance that was possible with the driver that would make the sound more defined and improve the performance of the Alpha Dog. The research led Dan on another path and his creative genius took over and he developed the technology that produced the Alpha Prime.
 
 
Intensive research and development led to a new way of configuring the driver. The V-Planar technology he developed addressed some critical areas of the driver performance. Dan knew that a conventional planar driver is assumed to move as a flat surface. According to Dan (who cites others) is that in reality this is not possible, as the driver substrate is not very elastic and is also “Locked” at the boundaries, so it moves as an arced surface, and that’s prone to creating oscillations on the panel.
 
A technique called knurling is used to address some of these issues. Knurling applies light creases to the traces across or around a driver to create mini-boundaries that break up standing waves on the driver and smooth frequency response.The new V-Planar technology extends upon knurling by very deeply creasing the driver, enough to really leave deeper texture under tension. The re-formed material can more expand slightly as the creases open slightly during driver excursion. Since the drivers are now able to stretch more easily the panel’s motion becomes closer to the ideal, and with increased compliance the driver is faster and higher resolution. Dan Clark has more detailed information on the new technology on his website located here: https://mrspeakers.com/alpha-prime-headphones/
 
 
The Alpha Prime as a result of the engineering Dan built in the design has much better dynamics. The frequency response is more extended and has much lower distortion than previous models.
My first opportunity to hear the new Prime was at Jude Mansilla’s annual CanJam at the Rocky Mountain Audiofest. Pushing the play button on the music server I immediately noticed better bass resolution with more definition and deeper extension. The bass appeared to be faster with much greater impact (head rattling). Transparency also was improved and the treble was more refined and extended than the previous models offered. Everything from the midrange to the upper treble seemed more coherent. The imaging, always good on the Alpha series, was now at another level entirely.
 
 
The November NY Headfi.org member meet was held this year in Stamford Ct. Dan Clark was at the meet, but it also was my daughter Michelle’s first Headfi.org meet and a special day for me. My daughter has Down syndrome and is a music lover and headphone geek with her own headphones. Sharing a table next to MrSpeakers kept Michelle busy. If you’ve been to shows and meets where Dan is present you know the traffic at his table is non-stop and always crowded. I was able to listen briefly as many members were crowding around Dan with questions and anxious to hear the new technology.
 
 
Dan asked me at that meet to send him my Alpha Dogs and he would do the modifications that would change it to an Alpha Prime. The modification would require the drivers to be replaced and re-engineered and would not take long. The Alpha Dog has become my go to closed headphone and knew that being without it I would miss it terribly. Knowing when they returned I would have the opportunity to listen to the Alpha Prime in my own system with music I was familiar with had me anxious and excited at the same time.
 

Listening
 
10 Days after sending the Alpha Dog in for modification the Prime arrived. Like a kid at a candy store opening the box was exciting. I could not wait to get it unwrapped and installed in my system. Plugging it in to the Cavalli Liquid Gold and using the Oppo BDP 105 and Tidal as my main music source I immediately got consumed with the music.
 
 
The “Art of Conversation “ an album by Kenny Barron and Dave Holland is rich with midrange and bass. Dave Holland’s acoustic bass on the opening track “The Oracle” is defined and extended. The bass notes were transparent with texture, definition and extension. Barron’s piano playing was masterful. Both performers were in their own space and the bass definition was noticeably better than it was on the Alpha Dog. The Prime was a different headphone with more definition, and the imaging was now razor sharp
 
“Hallelujah” is a legendary song written by Canadian songwriter Leonard Cohen. Listening to KD Lang ‘s performance from her “Hymns of the 49th Parallel“ album is one of the best performances of this classic song I have heard. The Prime placed KD in the center and upfront on the stage. It was as if I was at the concert sitting in a first row seat. The vocal was articulate and there was just the music. No sibilance was evident in the recording. The Prime was excellent with portraying her image with separation and space between her and the backup musicians.
 
“Minipops” 67 from Apex Twin’s “Syro” album has deep bass extension and terrific impact. The Prime’s performance was magnificent with electronic music. The grunting bass on this recording had my head rattling, yet was articulate and tight. Nothing was missing from the performance.
 
 
The New Basement Tapes compilation of Bob Dylan bootleg songs, produced by T Bone Burnett, is an excellent collaboration featuring Marcus Mumford, Elvis Costello, Rhiannon Giddons, Taylor Goldsmith and Jim James. Dylan’s lyrics come to life on this stellar recording. The Alpha Prime was very dynamic and had my head and toes bobbing and weaving to the tunes.
Rhiannon’s vocal on Spanish Mary with her banjo was totally engulfing. Consumed with the performance this soulful vocalist had my undivided attention. The Alpha Prime was so good at recreating the space within the recording. The soundstage was very wide on this track and it felt like the headphone was performing like an open headphone. Many closed headphones have issues with creating a soundstage and can make the listener feel confined. The Prime takes closed listening to another level and ranks with the very best in recreating a wide and deep soundstage. It feels as if you’re listening to an open headphone.
 
Grammy winner Sam Smith’s “In the Lonely Hour” is another of my favorite releases. “Stay with me” also highlighted the soundstage and Smith’s articulate vocal. The music is dynamic and fast with excellent bass. The Prime was able to sort out the arrangement and put each performer in their own space within the soundstage with air and separation between the performers.
 
 
Pitbull’s “Globilazation” album is presented with fast pace and excellent bass. The album makes you just want to dance. The Prime had the speed to recreate the performance and make Pitbull’s performance believable and alive. The music had me totally consumed. I never wanted the music to end. The Prime evaporated and left me with nothing but terrific music.
 
 
Ed Sheeran new album” X “has a dynamic get up and kick ass beat to it. Sheeran’s “ I am a Mess” will get your body grooving. The Prime made it a fun listen and made the
song exciting. The vocal was articulate and track after track I could see why Sheeran’s star is rising. Listening with the Prime kept my attention and had me totally involved with the music and the artist.
Critically listening on the tune “Sing” I could hear the extension in the treble. Missing was any evidence of any shrill sound or harshness Many headphones fail to deliver proper extension in the treble area. The Alpha Prime had the refinement that made percussion and cymbals sound lifelike with the proper amount of shimmer in the delivery.
 

Conclusion
The many hours spent listening to the Alpha Prime confirmed in my mind what I had already concluded months ago; Dan Clark is a gifted and serious designer. Dan’s endless hours of research into design technology show his commitment to designing serious musical instruments. He has taken the Fostex T50RP and recreated an entirely different headphone. The innovative technology he developed from working with prior designs transformed his new creation into a spectacular and accomplished design. The Alpha Prime is a serious headphone that gets it right musically. The Prime is an emotionally and musically rewarding monitor.
 
 
Dan has assured me that the Alpha Prime modification is final. There will be no more modifications to the design. Dan feels he has achieved the most from this model. After spending considerable hours using the Prime I can confidentially say this is one of the very best closed headphones I have experienced. It is very comfortable and can be worn for long periods of time and lets me concentrate on what matters most-the music.
 
 
The market is getting very crowded with reference headphones and good closed phones are hard to find. The Alpha Prime narrows the gap in high quality closed phones and achieves reference grade status. Amazingly the Prime gives you the performance levels of open headphones. The isolation is excellent and I am able to shut out outside noise in my listening room and get deeply involved with the performance.
 
 
The change from the Alpha Dog to the Alpha Prime is not subtle. The bass extension is deeper and the transparency stepped up to another level entirely. The treble is more refined and extended and the midrange ranks up there with the best of any closed headphone currently produced.
Dan’s accomplishment with this design has been an adventure for me as well as many of his devoted listeners. Dan’s genius is evident in every new design he has created and one can only imagine what will come next from this gifted designer. I have a sneaky suspicion we have not heard the last from MrSpeakers. If you’re considering closed headphones the Alpha Prime deserves serious consideration and highly recommended.
 

Back in 1997 I visited my brother-in-law in Rochester, NY and not having much to do (because of the frigid weather in the region) we decided to go listen to some high end gear in a few local audio boutiques. Two-channel audio was king in those days and I had been looking for a new amplifier, so we decided to venture out and explore.
There was a shop in Rochester that was carrying B&W speakers and Steve McCormick’s DNA amplifiers. We made that our first stop and it became my first introduction to an amplifier designed by Dennis Had. The main system was playing Holly Cole. The speaker was a B&W floor standing model. The vocal was seductive and lifelike. The baby Cary 300B mono amplifiers were being used in the system.
I remember that the sound was liquid and palpable and was unlike anything I had ever heard or experienced before. Little did I know at the time it was the beginning of a love affair with tubes (and that passion still burns in my heart and soul as strong today as it was then). The amplifier really made realize what was possible in music reproduction. The baby mono amps were priced at $3500 pair (not inexpensive) and unfortunately were not in my budget at the time.
When Drew Baird (of Moon Audio) had told me that Dennis Had was coming out of retirement and was inspired to do a headphone amplifier, my head start buzzing. Those feelings and fond memories of those early day auditioning the Cary sound immediately came to mind.
Dennis Had has been building and designing amplifiers since he was a young boy. His time with Cary produced products that are in still in production today and have achieved a legendary status. The newly created Inspire Dragon is old school in design philosophy. Dennis believes in single-ended topology in his designs and still builds amplifiers the old-fashioned way; using simple circuits and minimal parts. The Inspire IHA-1 Dragon was designed after Dennis realized that there were lot of people using headphones and the designs had matured to where they needed good and clean amplification to bring out the best sound and musicality. After listening to various headphones, Dennis became so excited and decided to build his own amp.

Design

The Dragon IHA-1 is a simple circuit that Dennis designed to provide the purest output available. There are no parts in the signal path. The amplifier sports two 6SN7 driver tubes driven by a 5Y3GT rectifier. The rectifier acts more like a power tube.   The features of this amplifier are available from the Moon website and listed here: http://www.moon-audio.com/headphone-amplifiers/dragon-inspire-iha-1-tube- headphone-amp.html.
The amplifier is is painted in a high quality clear coat attractive paint finish that resembles a fine Merlot. The Dragon has a DACT 100K attenuator that runs a pair of 6SN7 tubes and puts out 1W of power. The Electro Harmonic 5Y3GT rectifier is included as part of the standard tube package, which also includes two Russian 6SN7. Tube rollers will be able to substitute any 5U4 type rectifier or 274B tube.
There are two headphone outputs in the front. One ¼ inch singled and a 4-pin XLR output as well. The amplifier is transformer coupled allowing for the use of just about any dynamic or planar headphones available today. The amplifier weighs a hefty 15 pounds.
 

Sound

The Dragon was setup with the Chord Hugo driving mostly lossless files from my iMac. The majority of my listening was done with my LCD X and HD 800. Also used were the Hifiman HE560 and the Alpha Dog planar headphones. The Oppo PM-1 saw some listening time as well. The Dragon volume control was used with the Oppo BDP 105. While using the Hugo as a source I used its digital volume control. The Hugo had sufficient gain and was able to drive the Dragon to loud levels.
Michael Buble’s “Close Your Eyes”, from the album To Be Loved, is a beautiful song. The track immediately will draw you in with its wonderful lyric and the song is a personal favorite that reminds me so much of my wife. Michael vocal is pristine and the Inspire Dragon made me feel the song. I became intensely involved with the lyrics.
The Dragon emotionally drew me in and had me thinking of that special person who is so important in my life. Buble’s voice is inspirational and brought tears to my eyes. I completely forgot about the gear and connected emotionally with the lyrics. Shelby Lynne’s vocals on “Just a Little Loving”, is well recorded and the vocal is one of my favorites in evaluating amplifier performance. The Dragon was articulate and had her vocal centered in the front of the soundstage. Shelby voice was clear and had body and you could feel her delicate and deliberate phrasing while singing this beautiful track.
The Dragon, utilizing the stock rectifier with the upgraded Sylvania 6SN7 chrome top tubes, delivered the right amount of texture. The sound was clean and dynamic. The bass line was very identifiable with the Electro Harmonic rectifiers. Using the Sophia 274B, I felt that the bass was not as defined and far less dynamic. The Sophia tubes were simply less enjoyable.

The midrange delivery of the Dragon is classic “Had” design. I was transported back to that time in Rochester when I had first heard the magic Cary 300B sound. This amplifier has that wonderful midrange tonality. Listening to Chris Botti’s trumpet on Impressions, “Prelude No. 20 in C minor” has that rare sense of “you are there” feeling. The trumpet was dead center and slightly up front with air around the instrument, which made it stand out in the performance.
Closing my eyes, the performers around Botti were defined and focused in their own space with excellent separation. The delicate lyrical tonality of his trumpet was all there. The instrument sounded live and realistic. There were no artificial or electronic glare or glaze. The music was so delicate and inviting and the Dragon brought out the best in Botti’s performance.
On the second track “Per Te”, with Andrea Bocelli, I became focused on the trumpet in the opening of the track because it was so delicate. The tonality was beautiful and absent were any hard or harsh sounds coming from the trumpet. The trumpet started to fade and Bocelli’s vocal started coming in and was inspiring. The beauty of the lyrics, although sung in Italian, felt universal as the Dragon disappeared into the music. All that was left was the beauty of Bocelli’s vocal and exquisite musical tonality. Never did I feel there was anything missing, the midrange was special and the treble was also musical. The magic that tube amplifiers provide with tonality usually is only heard in live performances. And the Dragon had that magic.

Bass with the Dragon is excellent. The use of the stock rectifiers brought out a well-defined and tight bass. Much more than the Sophia 274B rectifier, which I found, was a little light in bass delivery. Kenny Barron’s, The Art of Conversation, has Dave Holland playing acoustic bass. On the opening track, “Oracle”, I could hear the texture of the bass notes with excellent extension and definition. The instrument was focused and spooky in realism while rendering its own space within the soundstage. There was separation and space between Holland bass and Barron’s piano. Kenny was to the left and you could hear and feel his involvement with the instrument as his hand was moving across the keys and Holland’s bass was in its owns space and had excellent extension.
Pat Methney’s masterful work with Charlie Haden on Beyond the Missouri Sky – an album filled with terrific melody and tonality – is exceptional. Pat acoustic guitar is beautifully placed in the forefront and his delicate playing on “Waltz for Ruth” is something special. Haden’s bass is almost behind Methaney and on some lesser equipment it is hard to notice the separation of the two performers.
The Dragon did not disappoint in being able to distinguish the separation and I was able to visualize some distance between the performers in the soundstage. Haden’s playing is exceptional and the Dragon was letting it all come through in a defined space within the soundstage.
Listening to large-scale recordings like Copland’s majestic Fanfare for the Common Man, the Dragon was able to deliver a terrific performance. It had sufficient speed and dynamics to make this track come to life. The performance was all there and the soundstage was layered and I could hear every section of the orchestra. The Inspire Dragon was able to make it a believable performance. The Dragon never clipped while playing this wide dynamic recording. Many amplifiers I have used have struggled in reproducing this track.
The Hugo volume control was being used with the Inspire dragon. I noticed I was getting more volume at higher levels with difficult to drive headphones. The Hugo added more gain and could drive the little Dragon to concert hall sound levels.
The amplifier performed well with any headphone. Whether I was using the Alpha Dog or the HD 800, the Dragon did not have difficulty in driving either headphone. The Alpha Dog can be difficult with some amplifiers because it is not as efficient as some other planar designs and loves power. The Dragon easily drove the Alpha Dog and is a synergistic and good match.

Conclusion

The time I had spent in 1997 up in Rochester audio boutiques had opened my eyes and ears to tube amplification. Dennis Had’s baby Cary amps forever changed my life with how I would listen to audio components. The sound was more musical than any solid-state amplifier I had heard in audio at the time. The sound was magical and for me made me want to explore and eventually purchase tube amplification.
My lifelong love affair with tube amplifiers is still as strong today as it was back then. The Dragon delivers clean sound with nothing getting in the way of the performance. The musicality and tonality of the amplifier is there with nothing left out. The design is simple with no parts in the signal path and nothing in the way of musical delivery. Headphone enthusiasts can utilize just about any efficient headphone with either a XLR-4 or singled ended cable. The Dragon delivers for me everything I look for in a good tube design; it always had me involved and never left me wanting for anything during my listening sessions.
The Return of the Legend was well worth the wait as Dennis Had has brought an affordable music lover’s product to the marketplace. So if you want to see what the fuss is all about with the Dennis Had design, call Drew Baird over at Moon Audio to arrange an audition. The Dragon is the triumphant return of a masterful artisan designer and is highly recommended for any music enthusiast. It’s a well-designed product that offers both performance and excellent value and an easy recommendation.
- See more at: http://headphone.guru/inspire-ha1-amplifier-return-of-a-legend/#sthash.XTGZwUkz.dpuf

 

 
 

Konsatnzy is located at the western part of Lake Constance in Germany. The area is better known as University City. It is here where a company has been designing high-end audio products since 1986 and releasing them under the brand names: Lake People and Violectric.
Fried Reim began Lake People by designing products for the pro audio market. Lake People products are used in television studios, recording studios, and even airports. Fried attributed much of the success and survival of Lake People due to manufacturing headphone amplifiers. My first experience with Violectric started in 2010 with the V200 headphone amplifier. The V200 is a single ended class AB design that uses two operational amplifiers in the signal path and designed with discrete transistors. The design is quite popular in the headphone community today and remains in the current product lineup. The retail price for the V200 is $1000 USD.
The V200 is a quiet sounding amplifier. Perhaps the most silent design I have ever encountered in a solid-state amplifier. The V200 is a warm sounding amplifier and reminiscent of many tube designs. The amplifier also has enough power to drive practically any headphone. There are not many amplifiers available in its price category that can compete with the V200. The only minor quibble I had during my time with the V200 was that the soundstage felt restricted, as if it could use more depth and was lacking in air and space. The amplifier was musical and had super tonality but the soundstage was constricting and needed to be improved upon for large-scale recordings.
Being a tube amplifier aficionado, the V200 put a smile on my face with the tonality and warmish (colored) sound signature but was always musical and never fatiguing as I had found with many other analytical designs. The V200 had excellent detail retrieval and was so quiet you could hear explosive recordings with startling clarity.
Fried Reim is an avid listener and is directly involved within the headphone community. Many people were asking for a true balanced design and for over two years Fried went to work on designing one. The challenge was to design an amplifier to have a more extended soundstage while maintaining the same black background that V200 was so well known for. The challenge was also to produce an amplifier that could be powerful and dynamic. The amplifier would also have to be fully balanced with its inputs and outputs and have upgraded protection circuitry. After two years of research and development the V281 was born.

 

Design:

The main design principal Violectric employed in the V281 was low internal gain. According to Fried, the amplifier needed to operate under stable conditions without unwanted oscillation. Gain reduces the dynamic range of an amplifier and adds noise. The V281, with low gain of 8db, is a stable design. The results are a black background of pure silence and free from any noise or grain.
Pre-Gain settings on the rear of the amplifier are as follows: -12 / -6 / 0 / +6 / +12 dB (factor ¼ / ½ / 1 / 2 / 4). The settings are user adjustable and can be changed by adjusting the switches in the rear of the unit. The pre-gain setting will allow users to tune their headphones to their liking (the amplifier must be turned off to make these adjustments). The stock setting is referred to as “Unity Gain” and the setting I actually preferred most.
The V200 employs a 25-Watt toroidal transformer. The V281 has a high supply voltage and offers more than 40 Veff (RMS) into a 600 ohm load (making it a world record, according to Freid). Inside the chassis of the V281 you will find two Violectric V200 amplifiers, thus, a true balanced design.

HPA V281 Features:

Code:

[color=black] - Balanced inputs with gold-plated Neutrik XLR connectors - Unbalanced inputs with gold-plated RCA connectors - Balanced line outputs with gold plated XLR connectors - Unbalanced line outputs with gold plated RCA connectors - Line outputs assignable to be with fixed or variable level - 6 optional digital audio inputs 24 Bit / 96 or 192 kHz - 3 switchable inputs with dedicated buttons on the front - PRE[b]-GAIN[/b] = switchable input gain in five steps - Independent channel design - ALPS RK27 High-Grade motorized volume control - ALPS RK27 High Grade balance control - High-Quality op-amps in the signal path - High-quality MKP capacitors in the signal path - 0.1 and 1% metal film resistors throughout the unit - [b]Discrete-design power amp[/b] [b]with 8 transistors per channel[/b] [b]- 4 amplifiers for true balanced headphone output[/b] - 2 silver-plated Neutrik headphone outputs - 1 gold plated Neutrik 4-pin XLR output - Relay-based headphone output cut- off with delayed switch-on - output management with dedicated buttons on the front: line outputs active, headphone outputs active, both active, both off (Mute) - 2 x Large toroidal transformer (15 + 25 W) - Large filtering capacitors in the power supply (36.000 uF) - Switchable ground lift - Rugged aluminum case with Nextel coating - Solid, laser-engraved front panel [/color]

 
For more technical information and compete specifications, check out this link:http://www.violectric.de/home.html. The V281 has two XLR and one single ended RCA input jacks located on the front. The V281 can also be used as a high quality pre-amplifier in a home system. The base price is $1889 USD. There are three different DAC options available using the PCM 1798 chip and adds $249 USD to the base price of the amplifier. You have a choice of optical, USB or coaxial for the DAC. You can add a remote control (handy for two-channel systems) for an additional $289 USD.
The unit that was sent for review had the remote control and USB DAC option. There is also a stepped volume control option available for additional cost.

 

Sound:

I have found that the HD800 paired with the Nordost Heimdall balanced cable to be incredibly revealing. The V281 used at the factory default gain setting was extremely neutral as there was no tipped presence in either the midrange or treble. The V281 actually has a similar sound signature to the V200. The character of the amplifier was smooth and the background was silent. There was definitely no unwanted noise or grunge coming from the V281.
Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man on the Reference Recording label is a revealing test for any amplifier. The first thing I noticed was a wide and deep soundstage that had the Minnesota Orchestra spread out an layered in a well focused stage. The explosive start and stop of this recording was very special on the V281. The transparency of the recording was very notable. Clarity of the instruments with space and air were admirable.
Lang Lang’s excellent “The Mozart Album” highlighted the inner detail of the V281. The sound was detailed with the sweet and yet delicate sound of Lang Lang striking the piano keys. The HD800 let me hear deep into the recording and the V281 did not mask any of the delicacy or beauty of this recording. I could hear the orchestra layered and each section of this wonderful recoding was so romantic but never fatiguing. The piano came to life and stood out in front of the orchestra slightly to the left in its own space with air and pinpoint imaging.

Both the Audeze LCD X and XC both like power. When I moved the gain setting to +12db the X and XC both felt like they had an infusion of power. The additional setting was noise free and made large scale recording felt as if they had more headroom with additional speed and dynamics. Listening to Chrissie Hynde’s excellent Stockholm Album with either the LCD x or XC revealed more of the same. The sound was always very open and on tracks like “You or No One” Hynde’s vocal was articulate yet still had her trademark clarity. The V281 had terrific dynamics while still being delicate and made her voice come to life.
Comparing the same recording on the Viva Egoista($10K) increased the transparency and added a wider and more focused soundstage with more air an space in the recording. The 15W amp really was explosive in dynamics. Surprisingly the V281 kept pace with the big Egoista and was never embarrassed. The treble extension on the V281 was exceptional. There was never any tinny sound on drum cymbals. The shimmer and delicacy of the cymbals was portrayed in a realistic non-electronic way. There never was any harshness in the recording and the drums were excellent on “Dark Sunglasses”.
The Alpha Dog closed headphone by Mr Speakers is harder to drive than many other headphones and once again the V281 was up to the task. The MrSpeakers headphone is also very revealing. Hotel California from the Eagles Hell Freezes Over, is a reference disc for bass. The track opens with guitar and when the kick drum comes in it is explosive. When properly reproduced it can be felt and at times rattle you head when listening with headphones. The V281 and the Alpha Dog came through with a big bite. The sound was very detailed. I could hear the guitar strings snapping and the bongos in the rear and that head banging kick drum. The V281 was very convincing and transported me to the concert. I could hear the shimmer in the treble and was never disappointed with the bass performance using the V281. Henley’s vocal was transparent and the vocal was crystal clear and not disappointing. The track sounded as it should, live and believable.   Breathtaking was the word that kept coming to my mind while listening to the track and the performance. The Eagles never sounded better than on this recording. The combination of the V281 and the Alpha Dog kept me listening late into the evening.
When using single ended headphones it was reminiscent of times when I had used the V200. The soundstage was neither as wide nor as deep in dimension as the balanced section of the V281. The Hifiman HE560 on “Take It Easy” (The Eagles) was enjoyable. The volume control was pushed higher than it was when using balanced headphones, but while it was still fun, the V281 clearly performed better with balanced headphones.

Using my two of my custom in ear monitor, the Roxanne’s by JH Audio and the Ultimate Ears UE18 was great. Both IEM’s were quiet and had no hiss or identifiable noise on any of the tracks I heard while using CDs or recordings off my computer library. The black background of the V281 is apparent. Often, I would get startled at hearing the dead silence and then the start of dynamics in a recording would make me come to life and sometimes make me jump from the realism. Switching to the internal DAC in the stock unit was a different sound than I had heard while using the ESS Sabre DACs in the Oppo. The transparency and dynamics were considerably improved.
Most of the magic I had been hearing prior with the Oppo was missing. The DAC had less detail and was not as lively. The V281 stellar amplifier section was so transparent and switching back to the Oppo BDP 105 brought all the magic back. Considering that the DAC option is $249 some people may want to use this internal DAC until they could afford a better external one. The reference quality V281 amplifier deserves the best source you can afford to give it.

 
 

Conclusion:

 
 
When listening to amplifiers I usually look for a product that I can listen to for long hours that has dynamics and is non-fatiguing. Cold solid state and overly analytical amplifiers lose my interest quickly. Tube amplifiers are my preference as they typically deliver more of what I hear in live performances. The V281 is not an amplifier that creates any issues for me though. The amplifier section of this balanced beauty is transparent. It is dynamic, musical and one of the quietest amplifiers I have experienced, regardless of price. The musicality and delivery of music with V281never disappointed me. I listened extensively to all types of music during some long listening sessions. During those sessions I was never tempted to turn the amplifier off. I always felt and enjoyed the music. More importantly the amplifier had me totally involved and focused.
 
There was never anything in the performance of this amplifier that called attention. The battleship build quality and features of the product are special. Attention to detail with the V281 is easily noticed from the quality jacks to the laser engraved faceplates. The sturdy chassis is designed for years of use. Violectric obviously addressed the shortcoming of the V200. Gone is the smaller soundstage for a wider and deeper soundstage with more air and space between instruments.
 
 
The V281 performed much better using external DACs, which is a testament to the transparency of the amplifier. Using the best source you could afford with the V281 will pay big dividends in musicality. The Violectric V281 has everything I look for in a reference product. If you’re looking for a high-end solid state all-in-one unit, the V281 could be exactly what you’re looking for.
 

Hifiman HE560 Planar Headphone.

 

 
HiFiman has been building and designing headphone solutions since 2006, and have earned a reputation for making some of the very best sounding headphones on the planet.
 
The company, located in China, is operated and owned by Dr. Fang Bian.  Fang went to school in the United States.  Over the years and by getting to know Fang personally I have come to admire his commitment to the personal audio community. His dedication and devotion to creating affordable reference level products have always been his major goals.
 
Fang is a music lover first and foremost., and he regularly attends live classical concerts. In all his prior designs the soundstage and tonality have always been stellar. Having personally been involved with Fang’s prototypes in the past with HE6 and now the HE560, one thing I can attest to is that he listens to the community when he develops a new model.  He likes community involvement during his design process, and focuses on giving his customers his best effort, ensuring products that offer both exceptional sonic and value.
 
In the past some people found that the HE6 and HE500 were heavy and uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. The ear pads on these two headphones were an issue that made Fang rethink the design of the ear pad and ultimately redesign them for the HE500, HE6 and HE400 models.   The new design was better but still not perfect.  The clips were an improvement but the material used on the ear pads still had a  scratchy feeling while being worn and  were very uncomfortable for long listening sessions.
 
The HE6 was a notoriously difficult headphone to drive. The community and HE6 users needed either a very powerful headphone amplifier or high-watt speaker amplifiers to get the best performance out of them.  The HE500 was easier to drive but lacked the soundstage or transparency of a well-driven HE6. The treble extension was much better on the HE6 and the HE500, but they were still uncomfortable during long listening sessions.
 
The weight would cause noticeable fatigue and the scratchy ear pads were, for me, too uncomfortable. Once again Fang sought the advice and opinion of the headphone community, and the development of his new HE560 and HE400i came as a result of input he received over months of trials with prototypes he distributed in the field.
 

Design

 
The HE560 planar headphone has been completely redesigned from the bottom up. The new models are much lighter, the ear pads are much more comfortable, and the scratchy feeling is gone. The headphone is now made of lightweight aluminum, and the overall weight has been reduced to 13.3 ounces. The feel of the headphone is much lighter than all of the other HiFiMan designs. The new design is much more comfortable for long listening sessions.
 
The new design is very light and more comfortable on my large head. The ear pads are no longer uncomfortable and the lighter weight will make it more suitable for more listeners who dislike heavy headphones. Fang paid attention to the wood used on the cups in the design process. The new veneer used looks to be very stable   and should provide years of trouble free use.
 
The HE560 has 50-ohm impedance and sensitivity is listed at 90-db/mw.  The rating indicates that the HE560 is both efficient and easy to drive. The frequency response is listed at 15-50 KHZ.
 
The cable is a silver plated copper cable with the same familiar connectors used in past HiFiMan designs. I have not had trouble with these connectors in prior designs and actually find them easy to use. The cable does not get tangled with this and has a nice clean presentation.
 
The grill appears to be the same one used in prior HiFiMan designs. The headband is adjustable and has a pleather type band that has some cushioning and is much better than previous designs. The construction on the HE560 appears to be very well thought out.
 
The wood-sliding box that comes with the headphone is also an improvement over past designs.  The company also offers an optional travel-case available that is lighter than the box and easier to pack for travel. The price for the portable case is a very reasonable $29.00.
 
The HiFiMan HE560 retail price is $899.00.

 

Sound:

 
Prior to having the HE560 production model I had the prototype in early development, which had different wood in the design but was otherwise was very similar to the production model. The finished production model has some minor modifications made to the ear pads, and the teak wood was replaced with the darker veneer that is used currently on this model. The wood changes were made for consistency and durability and still are very attractive.
 
When I was auditioning the prototype model the familiar HiHiMan soundstage was apparent. The soundstage width was very noticeable. The width and air and separation found in other HiFiMan products were still all there.  The focus within the soundstage was exceptional however the overall sound appeared to be thin.   The HE560 production model was much different with more body and a fuller presentation. The changes were welcomed.
 
The SACD disc of Jerry Goldsmith’s music is a favorite recording for me to use to evaluate headphones.  The opening track “Star Trek” is well known to most avid music fans and is very dynamic, and Goldsmith conducting the London Symphony orchestra makes this a must listen-to disc.  “Star Trek” has terrific extension in addition to the dynamics. The HE560 had pinpoint focus playing this track. I could hear the explosive dynamics. The music also highlighted the speed of the planar driver used in the HE560. I was able to hear very deep into the soundstage. The presentation is very smooth and tonality is spot on.  Easily heard were the individual sections of the orchestra. The soundstage had width and air and instrument separation was good as well. The headphone had no harsh sound.
 
The HE560 sound has a very different presentation. The sound is silky smooth with good transparency. Compared to the HE500 the improvement is a much better soundstage with a smoother presentation. The music seems to just float. It is very easy to get lost in listening sessions with the HE560.
 
Tierney Sutton’s “Something Cool” album, in addition to providing some of the best-recorded female vocal in my library, also had great bass extension - especially on the  “Route 66” track. The HE560 had Sutton’s vocal coming front and center more like a first row seat in a concert hall. The band was very well defined. In the rear of the soundstage you can hear the percussionist hand hitting the bongos clearly. The piano tones coming from the left were every realistic and also very musical. The bass notes were evident and very balanced in the presentation.  The textured bass made it easy to hear the strings and notes of the acoustic bass instrument, and the separation of musicians on this track was first rate using the Viva Egoista amplifier with the Oppo BD105 and WyWires Platinum interconnects. The reference system was getting the best out the HE560 and I melted away, lost in the musicality of the performance.
 
The emotional involvement with Tierney’s sexy and seductive performance was all there. When I switched to the Violectric V281, using it in the same single ended configuration as the Egoista, the sound was still full and transparent but gave up some of the Viva’s detail and transparency slightly.  The difference in the price of the V281 is considerable.  The sound was still very good considering the differences in price of the two amplifiers. The V281 had the detail and tonality that tube lovers will really enjoy, despite the fact that it is a solid state design. The V281 was using the BDP 105 in a balanced configuration with Nordost Blue Heaven interconnect. I was still very satisfied with the sound coming from the V281 and could easily live with both the sound and transparency using this less expensive combination.
 
Beck Morning Phase album may be Beck Hanson’s best work. The opening track “Cycle” lead into “Morning” with Beck’s opening acoustic guitar and clearly you can hear the string of the guitar and the kick drum in the rear with Beck’s vocal in the center. The bass extension on the HE560 is excellent. I could feel the presence of the kick drum and also hear the cymbals clearly.  The cymbals were similar to what you hear live, missing was splashy and tinny sound that comes from lesser quality transducers. The treble has excellent extension. Also notable in the listening sessions was that the performance was always balanced and neutral. The bass is not as deep as some other competitors but more balanced in presentation. The HE560 delivers what is on the recording. The bass on the HE500 may have been harder hitting, but the comfort levels and neutrality of the HE560 makes this a better overall listening experience.
 
Willie Nelson’s “Band of Brothers” recording is Willie’s first new material in 14 years, and is very well recorded. The first track “Bring it ON” has Willie front and center in the recording with good band separation. The synergy of Willie with his longtime band is clearly outlined in this performance. Track 9: “Get Go” has a vocal performance by Jamey Johnson. Both vocalists had good separation and when Jamey’s deeper voice comes into the song you can clearly differentiate the two vocalists.  
 
The real treat for me was using classical recordings with the HE560. Listening to Issac Stern’s SACD recording of “Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major” was more than mesmerizing; it was both energetic and delicate at the same time. I could hear Fang Bian’s influence in the voicing of the HE560. The violin performance was spectacular.  The strings were so real, so vibrant - and most importantly: transparent. There was no harshness in the performance and Stern’s playing was indeed very special. The musicality of this performance was astonishing. The violin reproduction on the HE560 is some of the very best heard on any headphone at any price I have experienced. Classical music lovers will love the sound and performance of the HE560 .
 
Many headphones will smear the sound or, worse yet, be too bright and screechy with violin reproduction. Listening to violin recordings on the HE560 made me forget about the gear. I listened to the entire recording and just relaxed. The music was so involving and Stern’s performance was as good as I had heard. The tonality was exceptional.
 

Conclusion:

 
Fang Bian has been a designer consumed by his relentless pursuit of perfection. His goals are to create exceptional products at affordable prices for consumers. The designs he comes out with usually end up being best-sellers in the personal audio community. Fang’s commitment to our community is exemplary, and his involvement in the community is legendary.
 
The HE560 is another product that pushes the boundaries. The weight and comfort levels are better that any other HiFiMan product that was offered before. The HE560 weighs less than a pound, and the ear pads, which were one of the weaknesses of prior HiFiman designs, have been improved.  The HE560’s sound signature is very neutral and the presentation is balanced. The design has an adjustable aluminum headband that is much more comfortable than the previous HiFiMan designs. The HE560 still has the smooth treble extension and clearly defined bass that HiFiMan is known for. The soundstage is excellent. The HE560 is a delightful headphone to listen too.
 
The HE560 has excellent midrange and makes vocal recordings come to life. Classical musical lovers will appreciate violin recordings and enjoy listening to the silky-smooth presentation. The HE560 never calls attention to any areas of the listening spectrum, it just delivers music. My listening experiences with the HE560 were always pleasant, and I appreciated the light weight. I could easily leave these on for long listening sessions.
 
Is the HE560 perfect? Well there is still some room for improvement with the ear-pad clips. The Oppo PM1 and PM2 ear-pad design is better and easier to take on or off, but the HE560 is more comfortable and never scratchy on my ears. Some listeners may miss the deeper bass slam of the HE500, but I found the bass of the HE560 to be excellent in both detail and definition. The soundstage is typical HiFiMan, excellent side-to-side definition with good depth and air, but still falls short of the HD800’s soundstage (all headphones do).  The HE560, for half the price of many top tier planar and dynamic headphones, still delivers what many want in a reference headphone. It offers terrific value and transparency that is usually found in the higher priced models that are available.
 
Once again Dr. Fang Bian has delivered a product that, for the price, will be hard to compete with. The HE560 offers the listener a super listening experience.  If you’re looking for a planar headphone that offers exceptional sound and is a pleasure to wear, the HE560 merits your consideration. I can think of no other headphone in this price range that delivers the performance and comfort the HE560 offers.
 
The HE560 is a well designed and thought out product and will keep many listeners happy, and for many may end the ride on the merry-go-round. This could be just the product that can deliver you into sonic bliss. Fang has hit another home run with the HE560. It delivers superior performance and, for the asking price, offers exceptional value. The HE560 merits serious consideration and is highly recommended.
 
 
 

Viva Egoista- Majestic Masterpiece-
 

 
While at the Newport Beach audio show I ran into Dan Muzquiz from Blackbird Audio. We were hanging out poolside with Bob Clarke from Profundo (who distributes some really special products). They both invited me to visit their room to hear a $10,000 amplifier.  Naturally, my curiosity – and my love for everything headphone related – inspired me to contact another one of my fellow enthusiasts to share the
excitement of listening to such a world-class product
 
 
 

 
So, Kevin Venable (a friend and fellow scribe) came with me to listen to the Viva Egoista. This modern amplifier looked like it belonged on the cover of a magazine. The black faceplate along with the automotive Porsche yellow paint finish was spectacular. And the sound produced by the Egoista was like nothing I had ever experienced before. Kevin and I spent a mystical hour listening to this amplifier and I was hooked. Soon thereafter, Bob Clarke and Dan Muzquiz arranged for a review sample to go home with me following the Capital Audiofest in Washington DC.
 
Viva Audio is based in Italy and has been producing world-class tube components since 1996. According to Profundo, the Amedeo Schembri, together with his brother Giampietro, wanted to develop audio systems that would reproduce music with realistic lifelike tonality.  Amedeo’s career began at an early age when he started designing loudspeakers. He was also gaining experience working with various recording studios as an acoustic designer. Working alongside musicians, the special qualities of live music became embedded in Amedeo’s mind. His desire was to develop audio products for music lovers that would fully capture the lifelike realism and musicality inherent in the sound.
 
Amedeo likes to think “out of the box” when it comes to his designs. The pursuit of a live performance is always the ultimate goal. Viva products are designed with the goal of being able to properly recreate the live music from a recording – a few Viva employees even work for major orchestras. It’s easy to see that the main objective has never wavered since Viva first began – a product that recreates the live performance. People who go to live concerts not only want to hear the music, but to feel the music and get immersed in it.  Amedeo and Giampietro want their customers to experience a live concert every time they listen to a Viva product.
 
Viva Audio has withstood the test of time, despite their bespoke approach (Viva components are not mass produced, these are high-end beauties). Each and every component is designed and hand built by Amedeo. He tunes each product himself to ensure that the tonality and sound reproduction is as close to perfection as possible. Amedeo utilizes many of the golden era technologies in his products and the amplifiers are built one at a time. He prefers point-to-point wiring and uses only the finest materials available.
 
 Amedeo’s relentless pursuit of perfection is clearly evident with the design, build, and sound of the Egoista headphone amplifier. People who purchase a product such as the Egoista are buying a finely tuned musical instrument.
 
The Egolista is a single-ended triode design (SET). The amplifier is housed in an aluminum chassis with transformers of the highest quality. There are five RCA inputs located on the back of the amplifier. The front of the Chassis has two headphone jacks (two people can listen at the same time) and the volume selector is a smooth design (no steps). The huge transformers are capable of putting out 15 watts per channel into headphones. The feet on the amplifier are also screwed in aluminum high quality machined feet. The top of the chassis is open so the tubes breathe easily. The bottom of the chassis has ventilation.  The rear uses a standard 3-prong power cord. The 65-pound single-chassis amplifier is finished in an automotive paint finish and available in a wide variety of colors.
 
As with all Viva products, the amplifier is built by hand. It is also entirely point-to-point wired, meaning that no circuit boards are used in the design. The tubes are two Shuguang 845 tubes, a single Russian-made 6N1P, and a single (new production) Tungsol 6SN7 driving the huge 845 triodes (rocket ship-bayonet mounted). There are two 5U4GBEH Electro Harmonic’s rectifiers used for the all tube rectification.
 
The day I spent in Newport Beach with Kevin Venable listening to the Egoista was truly eye (and ear) opening. The room was setup with the Egoista along with other Viva components running the Viva Monoblock’s along with The One speakers using the $10K Numerico DAC/transport as the source. The Egoista was hooked up to the $10K Numerico. The total cost for the headphone system with the Audeze LCD3’s was around $22K (without the cost of interconnects).
 
The two-channel system in the room was over $100K. Audeze LCD3’s was the headphone we used for the session. Listening to various different tracks of music I realized immediately that this was an incredibly special system. The sound was liquid. I could hear no artificial or electronic artifacts. The music was just flowing. The tonality of the instruments were natural and with vivid inner detail.
 
Vocals came to life, as if I was in the room with the vocalist. When I handed Kevin the LCD3’s, I was in awe and at a complete loss for words. The $100K system in the room had the same qualities. The room had disappeared and I could notice little difference between the $100K system and the headphone system. The differences were minute. The $22K system was performing like the $100K system, but more personal. The Egoista was definitely getting the most out of the LCD3’s. This demo made me want to listen to the Viva with many other headphones, which unfortunately, were not available to me in Newport Beach.
 
CanMania provided me with another opportunity to hear the Viva. Knowing beforehand that the Egoista prototype would be coming home with me caused anxiety and excitement at the same time. The impressions from people at the Capital Audiofest who heard this magnificent amplifier made me want to dig deeper and find out what it is capable of.
 
At CanMania, Profundo were using the Audeze LCD3’s.  Astell &Kern was kind enough to lend me an HD800 to pair with the Viva as well.  Profundo’s Bob Clarke helped me connect the Chord Hugo to the Egoista and the AK240 I had connected to the Hugo (optically) had a wide variety of music loaded.  The Hugo provided me with familiar music to check out the system.

 
The HD800’s playing Elvis Presley’s Stereo ‘57 brought me to directly into the recording session itself. The details I heard were miraculous. I felt as if I had travelled through a time machine and was actually there. Presley was in the left channel and his band was in the right channel on this early binaural recording. The HD800 was sounding better than ever before. The headphone and the system simply disappeared.
 
The 845 triode of the Egoista was explosive. And the sound was fast and without any sluggish overtones. It was neither syrupy nor mushy. The Egoista was acting as if a musical instrument. It has a lack of signature that just let the music flow as I was engulfed in the performance itself. The tonality was impressive, but more important was the way the Egoista delivered the dynamics. It was as if I could visually see the performers in the live setting. It was spooky realistic.
 
Chris Botti’s Live at Boston took me to Symphony Hall. The vocal performance by Steven Tyler on “Smile” was so good that with my eyes closed I could see Tyler in the center and the band layered with real spacing between the performers. Live-recorded performances can sometimes be tricky to properly reproduce. The Egoista recreated this performance in a live setting with ease – it was hard to believe I was listening through a sound system.
 
Keith Urban’s album Fuse gave me more of that same feeling. Having just seen Keith live three days before CanMania, the sound of his terrific concert was still fresh in my mind. Listening to Keith on the Viva Egoista brought me right back to the Delaware Sate Fair and made me feel as if I was at the show again. The vocal performance was just as what I had experienced live at the Urban concert (it was awesome). On well-recorded discs, the sound just comes alive with the Egoista.
 
On that Fuse, the HD800 again let me know exactly what the Viva Egolista was capable of. The dynamics and musicality of the Egoista was clearly evident. The sound had a signature I associate only with live music. It did not sound electronic at all. The Egoista recreated the true tonality of the instruments.
 
 The CanMania listening session made me want to listen to the Egosista more than ever in my home system. I wanted to know if it would perform as well without the $10K Numerico in the chain. I knew it performed well with the Hugo, which is part of my system, so I was really looking forward to taking it home.
 
John Williams, the VP of Hospitality for the Los Angeles Audiophile Society (not the film composer), was staying at my home and helped me pack and load the 65-pound amplifier into a traveling crate (60 extra pounds!) supplied by Profundo. The   amplifier inside the crate was cumbersome and took the both of us to get it into the house. Once uncrated, the amplifier was placed on my top rack.
 
The Viva was setup in my reference system utilizing the Oppo BDP 105 as the primary source. Interconnects used in my system were WyWires Platinum Silver one meter interconnects ($1500) connecting the Egolista to the Oppo BDP 105 via single-ended connections.   
 
The Chord Hugo was connected into the second RCA input with Nordost Blue Heaven 1-meter interconnects. The power cords used in the entire system were all Nordost Blue Heaven.
 
The headphones used at home would include the Audeze LCD X and XC, Mr Speaker Alpha Dog, Hifman HE560, Oppo PM-1 and the Sennheiser HD800. The cable’s used with the headphones are Wywires Red along with Nordost Heimdall on the HD800’s.
 
Once the system was all setup I placed Train’s California 37 into the Oppo BDP 105 and hit play. 
 
Stay Tuned for Part 2-coming  soon.
BY FRANK IACONE  AMPLIFIERS, FEATURED, TUBENOVEMBER 3, 2014

VIVA EGOISTA AMPLIFIER “A MAJESTIC MASTERPIECE”: PART II

Train’s opening track, ‘This Will Be My Year”, aptly opens with the lyric, “maybe this will be my year” and I can’t help but think, as I listen to the Egoista – maybe this will be MY year. Maybe this is the last headphone amplifier I’ll ever want. Maybe this is the top of the mountain.

Listening to this song with the Viva Egoista was profound. The Viva prototype sounded liquid and the lead vocal was centered in the front of the soundstage, clearly defined and surrounded by the band in a defined soundstage. The drums coming from the rear of the stage were distinctive. The HD800 was performing better that I had heard it with any other amplifier used in my system. The HD800, along with the Nordost Heimdall cable, had no brightness to the sonic signature. The midrange is where most of the music lies and was realistically reproduced on the Viva here. Minute details that were in the recording were easy to pick out. The Egoista was unmasking these small nuances and digging deeper into the recording than I have yet experienced.

Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” open with cymbals and it is an excellent test for treble extension. The cymbals were never splashy and had full extension with terrific shimmer. And in the rear of the soundstage with air and separation you could hear the thunderous whacks of the mighty Tympani. The performer was striking the skins with uncanny realism. The sound was full and this recording had tremendous dynamic range. The Egoista and HD800 delivered a vivid and lively presentation. The conclusion of the track was all there. The speed of the amplifier became apparent and the HD800 never fell short in showcasing the Minnesota Orchestra. The system had all the speed that is required to make this recording believable. The tonality of the instruments was close to what you would hear live. The space of the recording venue was all there.

The Egoista reproduces air and space better than any amplifier that has graced my listening room. The Viva does not have any “electronic” sound. The Minnesota Orchestra playing “Appalachian Spring” was romantic and warm. The sound was layered, with each individual section apparent and vividly present. The sound coming from the system was majestic. The pinpoint focusing and layering of the orchestra was special and it felt like I was at the session in the hall with the performers. The Viva Egoista strives to recreate the live performance and listening to this piece of music, I admit that it achieved the designers’ goal. The music kept flowing and the performers were all “alive” in my mind, as if I was at the actual performance.

The texture of the music is important in reproducing or giving the illusion of a live performance. Instrument tonality also has to be correct to recreate the performance. Many amplifiers and transducers fail in allowing the listener to be engaged with the music. And the Egoista delivers the tonality of the instruments with a realistic sound not found in many other amplifiers.

The Production…

Many companies make a prototype amplifier to sound exceptional when given out to a reviewer or listener. And the Egoista prototype was a majestic beast (in a good way). So much so that I when I first heard the amplifier I knew I would want to use it as my tube reference amplifier. So I called Dan Muzquiz (the dealer) and decided that I wanted to one one. Together Dan and Bob Clarke the US distributor made my dream a reality. I purchased one and Viva built the Egoista (there is no stock model of the Egoista).

The finish of the chassis is personally selected, so I decided that I wanted to go with the black faceplate and Lamborghini yellow paint. The model was then produced and manufactured to my specifications. Upon arrival of the Egoista, I saw that the paint finish was brighter than the mustard yellow of the prototype. It was more vivid and a welcome change. There were also some minor differences in the rear of the amplifier that were different than the prototype.

Amedeo had decided to add a tuning pot to allow tuning of the 845 tubes from the outside (for specific headphones). Instead of having to open up the chassis to make those adjustments, it is now easier with simply tuning screws on the back. There are instructions included with how to make the adjustments if you need to fine-tune the sound. The factory sets the settings and no adjustments were necessary to get the Egoista up and running.

The production model was not burned in completely and the hours that were put on the amplifier at the factory were to make sure everything was working properly before making the long journey from Italy to my home on New Jersey. The unboxing was easier than the prototype and the unit was well packed. FedEx was careful with this box as I seen no apparent signs on the carton of it being abused (as I have seen on other products from different shipping companies). Once removed, the amplifier was placed in the same spot the prototype had resided in my system.

Viva said that there would be differences in sound up to about 200 hours. The sound out of the box was excellent but not as “open sounding” as the prototype. The sound after about 50 hours started to open up and now the Viva sounds even better than the prototype it replaced (perhaps because it is mine). The sound differences I hear mostly concern transparency and detail retrieval.

Billie Holiday’s, Songs for a Distingue Lovers, is in my opinion, her finest work. Billie vocals were still vivid and not worn down from her addictions as it had gotten in later recordings. Billie’s storytelling was always special and the musicians on this recording were all stellar (as they always were in a Norman Granz recording). “Day in and Day Out” is a jazz standard that has been performed by many. Listening to Billie do it is unlike any other performance I have ever heard. Her magical vocal and exceptional story telling charm is indeed very unique and very special. The music coming from the band was spectacular, with air and separation rarely heard in recordings.

On “Foggy Day”, I was transported with Billy and felt the connection to the music, but more important it was if I was connected to her. It was as if she was in my listening room. The feeling was spooky because it felt so real. The involvement of the Egoista in delivering her performance was so good it made me listen deeper into the music. Hearing the muted trumpet solo in the song and then the sax player coming in for his individual solo had both separation and air around the instruments. When I closed my eyes I could visualize the sax and performer clearly.

BY FRANK IACONE  AMPLIFIERS, FEATURED, TUBENOVEMBER 3, 2014

VIVA EGOISTA AMPLIFIER “A MAJESTIC MASTERPIECE”: PART II

The thing I love most about tube amplifiers is that more often than not they out perform solid-state amplifiers with soundstage. The 845 tubes used in this amplifier are maybe the best triodes I have experienced to date, in that they can recreate the soundstage with exceptional front to back depth. The Egoista recreates air and space better than any other tube amplifier I have experienced. The exceptional rendering of tonality is as good as I have heard in any other product.

The performance on the Holliday album for me was as good as I have heard it in recreating the actual performance. The midrange was so good that I never felt there was anything missing. Billie had that magical quality that would grab hold of a listener and just consume you with her performance. She was a very special recording artist and one of my all time favorites. Breathtaking is defined in the dictionary as “astonishing or as taking one’s breath away”. With the Egoista and the Billie Holliday performance it was more than astonishing. I never felt cheated or wanting for anything more in the performance. The Egoista just got out of the way and let Billie’s voice come trough as if she was in front of me.

Daft Punk “Random Access Memories” on the Audeze LCD X (and LCD XC) delivers huge bass. The Egoista is not an amp that is bass shy. The Viva has terrific extension and the dynamics are easily heard in this recording. The music on this album reminds me of the 80’s dance scene in the NY City dance clubs I frequented in days gone by.

“Lose Yourself to Dance” make me feel like I did when I went to the clubs. It transports you to the venue and you want to get up and dance. The 80’s were filled with musical excitement and the clubs were always jammed with people partying and dancing. The performance of the Egoista with this album will take you back to that time in this retro yet modern performance.

The Viva Egoista delivers no matter what headphone you use with it. The amplifier has power on tap to deliver a dynamic and very realistic performance. The Egoista never runs out of steam or power on any recording. If you need the reserve for large-scale recording the Egoista can deliver a full-scale symphony recording with precise and very fast dynamics. There is nothing sluggish or syrupy in the performance of this amplifier. The amplifier will play soft and sensual recordings from Tierney Sutton to the more fun and danceable Daft Punk. The magnificent Minnesota Orchestra delivering Copland takes you to the venue. In a word, the Egoista is versatile. The Alpha Dogs love power and the Egoista is effortless in delivering and getting the most out of the headphone.

The Egoista is a detail monster as well. I continuously hear more in the recording than with any other amplifier or system I have had in my listening room before. The Egoista will extract everything that was recorded. The subtle differences from recording to recording are all delivered in different performances. The Egoista will allow you to hear cable changes and equipment changes easily.

Using the Egoista let me hear the increased transparency of the Wywires Platinum interconnect over Nordost Blue Heaven. I could hear subtle differences. The most noticeable for me was that the platinum allowed for more inner detail to become more vivid in the soundstage. The price difference in cables is substantial, so I expected to hear differences between the two cables.

Switching to the Chord Hugo from the Oppo BDP 105 also presented easily noticeable differences. The ESS sabre DAC of the BDP105 is brighter in sound and transparent while the Hugo is more open and. The Hugo digs deeper into the recording presenting more information and thus delivers a bigger performance. Both are excellent performers and the Egoista let me hear differences in everything that was passed through it (while some differences were subtle, they were still noticeable and easily identified). Many amplifiers mask details and leave some information out.

Many listeners and readers may still wonder where the Egoista falls short. The musical performance is hard to criticize. The amplifier delivers it all. The treble is the best extension I have ever heard. The inner detail is so good that you can also hear a drum cymbal and high hat spacing with air around it and the distance of the space between the high hats. Cymbals sound as if you are in a live concert hall. The dynamics and bass extension is also first rate. The bass goes deep and hits as hard as I have heard in any amplifier. The Egoista does this all with balanced presentation.

The amplifier never calls attention to itself except in one area: The Egoista runs extremely hot. The 845 tubes are huge and it throws off lots of heat. The sides of the amplifier are hot to the touch as are the headphone jacks and the switch, but never hot enough that it would cause the user to get burned. And the footprint is huge. The 65lb beast needs a lot of space and room to breath. You definitely need to shut it down while not being used for long periods of time.

Equipment Comparison…

The only other amp I had in house was the Violectric solid state V281 that was equipped with a Texas instrument 24-192 digital to analog converter. The retail of the stock balanced design is $1889. And the extras (remote) took this amp to almost $2400. The amplifier is basically a balanced amplifier capable of delivering over 4 watts into 50 ohm loads and is priced substantially less than the Egoista. The V281 (review to come) does not give up much ground, but the differences were noticeable and sometimes not subtle comparing it to the much more expensive Egoista. The Egoista stepped up the soundstage width and depth and also had more body and was better with imaging. The V281 is an outstanding amplifier and priced much less and did not embarrass itself against the much higher priced Viva Egoista.

Yet the Egoista allowed me to hear the differences as it had done with the cables. The more I looked at what the Egoista was capable of doing as a review tool the more it impressed me. The difference in switching from headphone to headphone was always easily noticeable. Little differences in system changing to major sound differences in the sources – the Egoista always stepped up and delivered.

Viva products are hand built, one-at-a-time in Italy. The fit and finish of the product is astonishing. The custom painted chassis and quality of the parts used to make the Egoista are on display. The Egoista is a statement product. The two brothers – Amedeo and Giamperto Schembri – are committed to musical perfection. Amedeo has a reputation for never being satisfied with his products. He is relentless in his pursuit of being able to manufacture a product that recreates a live performance and he continues to push the boundaries.

Attention to detail is clearly evident in the performance of the Egoista. The inner detail is the best I have experienced from any amplifier. The sound of chimes or the soft tap of a vibraphone to a concert violinist moving their bow across the instrument is all well defined in a lifelike manner. The bass is clearly some of the very best quality in tube amplification available.

Dynamics and speed are also major strengths of the Egoista. Vocal recordings are lifelike and a treat to listen to. No matter what headphone that I used, the Egoista always performed brought the best out of them. The Egoista has qualities rarely found in most products and is near perfect (WOW, I finally said it).



As I said before, the shortcomings from the Egoista are mostly superficial. It weights a hefty 65 pounds and requires it’s own space and the amplifier runs hot. Users with small children will want to make sure that the amplifier is not within reach because the tubes are exposed. Other than those minor quibbles (not an issue for me), this is the best amplifier for headphones I have heard. The amplifier leaves me wanting for nothing. Thankfully, the Egoista uses all current production tubes. Amedeo advises against tube rolling as this amplifier is voiced specifically for the tubes he selected. This is a welcome relief. The cost to re-tube this amplifier would cost less that using exotic tubes or NOS RCA 845 tubes. The total for replacing tubes (if you ever need to do it) should be under $350 total.

That early visit to Newport Beach and the first listen to the Egoista prototype got me excited about this amplifier. The months spent with both the prototype and the current production model have made me realize how gifted the design truly is. The Egoista leaves the listener never wanting. It allows you to concentrate and listen to the performance. The music comes to life better than any other product I have experienced and it is now my current reference amplifier.

If you ever have a chance to listen to this magnificent amplifier, I urge you to take the opportunity and perhaps you will be as impressed as I am. Built to last a lifetime and provide years of musical enjoyment, the Egoista is an incredibly special product that merits your consideration. Of course, the Egoista’s performance does not come cheap at $10K, but musical performance like this is truly rare. The Egoista never fails to keep me smiling. The Egoista makes me feel like I have reached the top, that this is the year, my year, and this may be the last headphone amp I’ll ever desire.

 

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Review: Violectric V200 the Smooth Operator

 
German made products always spike my interest. When I think of products manufactured in Germany usually what comes to mind are precise products that are well designed and usually built well. The Violectric V200 is one such product. Developed and designed by Freid Reim and manufactured in Germany the V200 is a superbly built and designed headphone amplifier. The company Lake People has been building both professional and home use amplifiers since 1986 in Germany. Freid told me he hires educated employees and pays them well so his products are always manufactured to high standards. He only uses high quality parts and from the look of the casing you could see this is not a run of the mill design. All manufacturing is done in Germany which makes the cost of this amplifier higher than many others that are outsourced to China. 1K buys an amplifier that is not only built to last but sounds very good as well.
 
After reading other reviews and impressions of this amplifier I asked Robert from Aphrodite if I could get a unit to listen to and give some impressions and Robert graciously sent me a new unit for the review process. Robert is a first class guy and someone you want to do business with. A better person you will be hard pressed to find. My preference in high end audio design has always been biased toward tube amplifiers.  Some say the V200 is tube like in performance. I figure if so many solid state designers are trying to design solid state amp that sound like tube amps then tube amps must indeed be special. In my 35 years of experience I have yet to hear any product to sound more real or live than a tube based product. Tube amps in my opinion are hard to beat in what they do with tonality. Focus and sound stage is always better in my tube based products than in my solid state counterparts.  I was curious if the V200 could compete with my Decware Tube Amps as well as m my other solid state options like the vintage Pioneer SX650 and the newly acquired RSA Hr-2.
 
The equipment used for evaluation is my usual assortment of top tier headphones, the Beyer T1, Denon D7000 and the HE500. The source I used for this review was the Marantz SA8004 SACD/CD player. All interconnects were audio quest diamondback.  Also other amps compared were the Ray Samuels Audio Design HR-2, Pioneer SX 650 and the Decware tube combination of the Taboo and CSP2 preamp. Music used ranged from Classical, jazz, vocals and pop recordings and folk. The only music not used was metal and Electronic. Female vocalists recordings used were from Eva Cassidy, Holly Cole, Gillian Welch and others. Male vocalist include Harry Connick and Frank Sinatra
The first thing that strikes you about the V200 is the build quality and you can see where there were few compromises in the design philosophy. The amplifier is described as a hybrid op amp and discrete transistor design    Parts used are all of the highest quality. The power section of the amplifier has 16 total transistors all discrete. The amp will put out a maximum of 2.7W into 50 ohms. The volume control is an Alps 27 in steps. The design is a class AB design. The amplifier is a well built piece of kit and leaves little to be desired in build quality. You can understand why the retail price is 1K when you see the detail put into the build and the casework. The name Violectric is silk screened to the front panel and makes this an amplifier many would be proud to own.
 
 
The V200 was a new unit and I heard no changes either at the 100 hour mark or after. The V200 is a smooth performer. The sound is very easy sounding. The music just flows in a quiet jet black velvet background. There is no trace of any harshness or grain I could hear. The V200 is dead silent and would qualify as the quietest solid state amp I have yet experienced.  Signature of the amplifier is different than most other solid state amp designs that I have experienced. Cold and Sterile this amp is not. It also is not analytical or boring. When listening to music you forget there is a solid state or any amp in the performance chain. There are some adjustable gain switches in the rear of the amp that will allow you to adjust the gain of the amp to pretty much tailor the sound to any headphone in use. The T1 required 12DB or 4X gain to sound best while the other two headphones used unity gain stock no gain added was best and also has the smoothest  presentation on the V200. Tube like is not a term I like to use describing solid state amps it’s either a tube amp or it not. The v200 is a solid state amp that has a touch of warmth but not an overly warm or syrupy sound. Musicality and tonality are part of the strength of this product. 
 
The midrange is excellent on this amplifier.    Instrument tonality is accurate in this amplifier. The V200 is not what I would consider to be a balanced and neutral amp. Bass is very noticeable with the V200 so much so that it has to be considered a strong point but it also make the amp a little restricted as it is more extended than the treble and reduces the sound stage size in both width and depth.   The music is addictive enough to keep you involved.  You can hear clearly the guitar notes and piano keys being struck. Piano sounds very realistic and violins have that delicate sound and you can also tell differences from a viola. The midrange is very liquid. The vocal presentation is done in a very clear precise manner with good detail of both male and female vocalist. The sound is sibilant free with no favoring of either male or female vocalist. Instrument tone is nicely presented with musicality and details something many amps fail to deliver. This amp gets it. The midrange is very good. 
Treble is nice and easy to listen too. It is neither hard nor harsh and extension is good. The tube amps have more extended treble with a more natural sheen to it and the RSA HR-2 treble is also more extended that the V200.  The V200 is better than my Pioneer SX650 in treble extension and the clear winner here for sound stage is the RSA HR-2.  Drum cymbals are not as extended in comparison to the other amps used for this review. They do not have the crisp sheen also that I hear on the HR-2.  Treble while very good is not as extended as the other amps but still acceptable.
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The bass is very extended and deep. It is very fast with good texture and hits very hard. The V200 is black. It is the quietest amp I have ever experienced. Music just seems to come from everywhere when called for. I would hear passages with dead silence and then music just appears. The best part is listening to a classical orchestra is when the orchestra stops and then starts again. The dynamics of the V200 is excellent and competes with most any amps I have heard to date. It is exciting and enjoyable to listen too. I never experienced any fatigue and even after some 14 hr sessions I always looked forward to my next session. Acoustic bass and drums sound very extended. I can feel the drum pedal hitting drum skins.
 
Comparison to the Ray Samuels HR-2 is fair since the 875.00 price is close to the cost of the V200. The HR-2 has the wider and deeper soundstage with a more extended treble. The bass on the V200 is more extended and deeper but the RSA is no slouch in the area. The tonality of the amplifiers is different.   RSA is livelier and a touch brighter not as warm sounding but it also is neither cold nor sterile. Musicality with more soundstage is what the HR-2 does better than the V200. The V200 is more quiet but only slightly so. The Decware amps are not really a fair comparison. They are a step up in every direction from all my solid state amps. The V200 has less focus and  a more restricted sound stage and does not exhibit the transparency of the Decware  taboo or CSP2. The Decware combo with good tubes is a 2400.00 combination so it’s more than twice the price of the V200. The Pioneer SX650 is as good and in some ways better than the head amps that I have but many will not like the size and weight plus the maintenance that will be required as this receiver is 35 years old and starting to show signs that it will need to be rebuilt at some point. Most noticeable the SX650 has more power and a wider and deeper soundstage than either the V200 or HR-2. Most people will appreciate the size of the headphone amplifiers and more appreciate the idea of using less real estate.
 The V200 is a well built amp. The time spent listened to this amplifier has been very enjoyable. It is well made and manufactured to high standard and pleasure to listen to and have in my possession. Is it worth the asking price? If I had the money for the unit and I was looking for a primary headphone amp I could honestly say I could be happy with this amp. If you have limited funds and want an amp that will play well with any headphone the V200 could be your end all amplifier. I have enjoyed my time with it and it is one of the best solid state amps I have heard and it is the quietest.  If I did not own the HR-2 and the Decware amps I would have seriously considered the purchase of this amplifier. If you are looking for a great solid state amp that does most thing well the V200 can be your solution. The V200 will handle both high and low impedance headphones and do it musically. If musicality is what most important and you do not want a tube amp look no further than to call Robert and order the V200. This amp is highly recommended for its build quality and simplicity and most of all its majestic sound. Sadly this is on its way back to Robert and I will miss it but will fondly remember it. If you’re looking for a top tier product and want one headphone amp that will play well with all headphones you need to consider the V200. It definitely can play in the big leagues and is made by a seasoned veteran of high end design that can swing the bat with anyone. This amplifier will certainly please most and is an easy recommendation.    I want to thank Robert for the loan of the amplifier and Fried for being so available to answer my questions.   The V200 is highly recommended for anyone looking for a fantastic solid state design.
 
Disclaimer:
The above review are my impressions of this amplifier and in context with my headphones and other gear, It is one man’s impression and others may be either more impressed or disagree with my impressions. The best recommendation I can give is to always audition a product in your system to see if you like it. Hopefully it’s a starting point for some and gives some insight. Robert website is at aporoditecu29.com for additional information regarding this amplifier.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

REVIEW PS AUDIO GCHA
 
Paul McGowan is considered by many including myself to be a legend in the high end audio industry. Ps audio was founded in 1974 by Paul McGowan and Stan Warren who is no longer affiliated with the company. I have heard many of their 2 channel amplifiers over the years and was always impressed with their products so I decided to order a GCHA to see if would live up to my expectations for a reasonable 500.00 solid state amplifier for my LCD2 and Denon D7000. I was also confused as to why it has not been a best seller and is being discontinued.
 
Originally when this amp was released it was being sold for $1000.00 and that could have been some of the reasons why it did not fare well for PS Audio. I took delivery last week of the amplifier and used it without changing back to my reference Decware CSP-2 until the last couple of days to see how it compared. I had been using the Matrix M Stage as my only solid state amp and that was only being used to drive the Denon D7000 as my CSP-2 was used for my other cans. The GCHA was left on for the whole audition period and had close to 100 hours when I felt I was finished with my audition.
 
The GCHA is different than most solid state headphone amps as it has no gain adjustment switches but a new technology to adjust gain for each individual headphone called Gain Cell technology. The volume knob in itself serves as a gain adjustment and adjusts the gain so the amplifier is able to deliver the necessary power to properly drive the headphone it is playing. I noticed that most of the cans including the T1, LCD2 and the Denon were most comfortable between 12-1 o’clock.   The amp is said to put out 2W into the load and I found it very powerful and unstressed with all the headphones I used. It certainly had the power and finesse to make all headphones sound good whether it was the high impedance T1 or the more difficult to drive LCD2. The amplifier never clipped no matter how high the volume was on any of my headphones.
 
The shipping weight on the GCHA is 15 pounds and the build quality is the best I have has in any solid state amp I have heard to date. It certainly is built well beyond the bargain basement price it is currently selling for and in my opinion is as super buy for anyone who is the market for a powerful well built amp. The warranty if you register within 90 days is 5 years. The power cord itself supplied with the amp is very thick and solid and not a cheap cord thrown in. The amplifier runs warm to the touch and never was as hot as the Asgard. The bottom of the chassis was also warm as well. The front volume knob can be turned off and it allows for safe input and output of the headphones and the blue led turns off when the switch is turned down but the amp is still on.
 
The sound   I am about to describe would make most tube lovers enjoy this solid state design. It is slightly warm in signature with a very wide sound stage and also has great depth. The bass is present but not as tight as the Matrix. It is very refined and had a much better sound than both the Matrix and Asgard in my system. It s treble was rolled off. It was not as extended as I would have liked but never hard nor harsh. The amplifier always played jazz, pop and classical and did all in a very balanced and neutral presentation. The GCHA also had detail but not as good as my tube amp but on par with the Matrix and better than the Asgard. The sound stage was not as upfront as the Matrix. Sound stage was really very good as it presented the performers in their proper location and also was more laid back than upfront and in your face. The amp was better than the Matrix and Asgard by a wide margin in both refinement and sound stage presentation.
In the time I spent with the PS Audio GCHA I found very little not to like. It had good bass very detailed mid rang and slightly rolled off highs. In listening to large scale recordings it opened up the LCD2 with a very wide sound stage and had plenty of power on tap that it never congested. It had good bass but was softer than the Matrix in this regard so I felt in while being dynamic it lacked some of the speed and bass impact which the Matrix delivered in a smaller footprint but also was better with the slam I enjoy in solid state designs. The T1 played very well because the GCHA was able to produce the sound stage so well.  It also made me see where the treble was slightly rolled off. The Denon D7000 had much better synergy with the Matrix perhaps more because of the dynamics and bass slam the Matrix can deliver. Overall all headphones played well and the LCD2 and the T1 are a very good match for this amp.
 
In concluding I decided as much as I liked the GCHA it would not be a keeper for me. I am a hopeless tube addict and I prefer the sound of organic tube amps. The Decware outclassed the GCHA in pretty much dynamics, bass and treble extension. When I switched back to the CSP-2 I completely forgot about the gear and just enjoyed the music. So where does this put the GCHA. It is a very good amp for the money and it will drive every can I tried and do it well. If you are in the market for a 500.00 well built amp that has a non aggressive and musical tone this amp will please you. If you want more bass and more dynamic slam it will not be the answer. Overall for the current price it will provide years of enjoyment and also for many the satisfaction desired. For solid state lovers who want that less aggressive sound this amp is recommended. It also may be the last amp PS Audio develops for the head market so I recommend you take a listen if you’re in the market for an amp that is both musical and enjoyable.

LCD2 REVIEW
Once in a great while in my 32 years in the hobby I have seen products come to market that can make a significant change in the way the game is played. Rarely if ever does one come to the market that completely changes the game and rewrites the rules such is the case with the LCD2. Audeze is a start up company that has two passionate owners who have somehow managed to bring to market a product which has challenged the majors in a big time way. The LCD2 is a planar headphone that not only competes with the flagship products offered by Sennheiser and Beyer but in many ways easily outpoints them in many of the categories important to many people who really enjoy music. Alex and Sankar have managed to up the ante and have created what I believe will be a benchmark for others to follow.
 
The hype on Head Fi for this product was very exciting and prompted me to order a pair to see if they met my expectations. They not only met them but exceeded them in some very significant ways. The equipment I have been using to review this product has been my Decware CSP-2 OTL and Matrix Solid state amplifiers with my Marantz DV6001 as my main source for playback of both red book CD’s and SACD disc.  Audioquest Black Mamba interconnects were using during the review process.  Using  various  types of music  from classical, jazz, female and male vocal recordings and some rock for my audition. I used no metal or electronic music. I have had the LCD2 for almost three weeks and now feel comfortable in describing the sound signature. My other two reference headphones are the T1 and Denon D7000.
 
The LCD2 are very transparent and excel with vocal recordings. Listening to female vocalist is a treat and rivals my Maggie MMG for the best vocal reproduction that I have ever experienced. The sound of vocalist and the clarity of which the LCD2 reproduces them has brought me closer to the recording studio. So much that  I envisioned myself there at the event. Diana Krall and Ella Fitzgerald never sounded so good and it really what makes the LCD2 so special. Jazz recordings are best portrayed with this headphone it really does a wonderful job of what you expect from a flagship headphone.
 
Classical recordings showcase the tone of instruments in an accurate way. Violins sound like violins and I can distinguish the difference in violins and cello very clearly. The sound stage in comparison to the T1 is smaller and has less air and space but you can locate the performers in a defined sound stage. Focus is better on the wider sound stage of the T1 but the LCD2 is no slouch in this area. I would have liked to see a wider and deeper sound stage with more focus. I also can get the full bass impact on large symphony recordings as the bass is an area unequalled by any headphone I have heard to date. The LCD2 is very fast in transient response and give you the excitement and slam demanded and needed to reproduce classical music and with all the excitement that makes a great symphony sound so exciting.
 
The bass is very deep and extended. There is no doubt that this is how bass is supposed to be portrayed.  Percussion and drum recording are very exciting to listen to on the LCD2. Drums recordings with brushes is very easily noticed. The LCD2 allow you to hear the sticks hitting the drums and if a congo or bongo instrument you can hear the hands hitting the skins in a very transparent  way. I have not other headphone that can unravel inner detail as well as the lCD2. The treble is also very clearly defined. I hear the correct tone of the cymbal and the proper decay after the drummer strikes it. Treble while being sparkly is still not extended as the T1 which sometimes makes you want more air and space around the instrument. The bass is very special on the LCD2 and will leave  even most bass heads satisfied.
 
The LCD2 hits most of the marks better than most other flagships. Is it better than the other contenders? Some individual will prefer the presentation more others will prefer some of the strong points of other contenders but it is in the same class and in many ways beats the other headphones in important areas. It is worthy of being placed in the same class as the other contenders for best headphone and really when you consider its price it is a bargain.
 
Much has been made about the weight and comfort issues. Make no mistake they are heavy but not what I would call uncomfortable to wear. I have worn these for as much as 12 hours in a day and have experienced no major issue. The headband is unique and different from the other flagship headphones and I would prefer a leather headband similar to my T1 but I have managed to get used to the one supplied. The pads are comfortable and overall the LCD2 is not all that bad for comfort.  This is one area where I would like to see some improvement. The wood cups are Caribbean rosewood and really give a nice finish to the headphone. Build quality is good they are sturdy and the box that they are stored in demands to be shown as it is so beautiful.
 
The amazing clarity and transparency is a notch above my T1 and D7000. The sound signature portrays natural tone and is neither dark nor bright. The midrange is indeed very special.  I did not notice any recessed treble as some have experienced. It plays the recording in a very accurate and precise manner.  It is also very musical and  has never shown any sign of fatigue when I listened  in marathon sessions.
 
In concluding I would like to say that Alex and Sankar have done an outstanding job with the LCD2 and should be proud of their accomplishment.  The LCD2 has lived up to the hype for me and is part of my daily listening.  I have not regretted buying them nor have I looked to sell them. This headphone will allow me to forget about gear and just enjoy the music which is what the hobby is really about.  Audeze has established itself with the benchmark product and others will need to get much better to compete. You will want to use the best gear you can afford to listen with and it really sounded special on the CSP-2 tube amp with vocal and jazz recordings. The SS Matrix gave it the slam and bass drive and power for classical music.   Beware there is a new kid on the block that has raised the bar that others will now have to follow. A new Star is born..

When I ordered the T1 I really was not sure it would be a keeper. I bought a open box unit with full warranty. The headphones were burned in so listening time was much quicker for me as they needed no burn in. The first time I put them on using my Matrix M Stage and Marantz DV6001 was uneventful. There were no wow moments with this headphone.
 
During the weeks that followed with the T1 I started to realize there were no problems or colorations I could identify. I started to realize that there was something special with the T1. The sound reminded me less hifi and more of a live musical event. I had noticed the tone of instruments were nearly what I had heard live in a concert ,whenI attended with Chris Botti and the Philadelphia orchestra.
 
The sound coming from the T1 is really unique in a headphone. It is balanced with great detail and an open window into the sound stage that extends both wide and deep depending on the recording. The midrange is grain free with well defined imaging, and the transparency is like I have never heard  other headphones. The bass is tight ,well controlled, and sound almost perfect. There is no tipping of any bass or treble with these cans
 
The most impressive quality of the T1 is can be used with any genre. It feels comfortable whether playing Pink Floyd or Beethoven. Vocals are presented with a lifelike transparency with no sibilance on  vocals unless it is a poor recording. The T1 just plays music as recorded and presents what the source is presenting.
 
Beyer manufactured a headphone that is built like a Mercedes Benz and will provide the listener with years of enjoyment. The T1 has performed with my Matrix M Stage to a very high level. The headphone is the most neutral headphone I have heard to date. It just plays music as it was meant to be heard.
 
The T1 is not a wow headphone. It is a reference headphone that plays the recordings as they would be played in a live setting. The most important quality that I see in the T1 is that it is so good playing all types of music, and it is the only can I own that can do that. If you are looking for IMO the most near perfect phone, the T1 is a can't miss can to own. I find its gets the most of my head time and I decided tyo buy the T1 as I feel this will be my end all headphone. I am sure there is better but I have not heard any that will perform as near perfect as the T1. Very highly recommended and a true Five star performer.

I have been  looking at these headphones since I started posting to HeadFi last year and havd  always wanted to try them and finally the opportunity came for me to audition the cans and see if they were  as good as all the hype that I had been hearing about them.  When I first started to listen to the Denon's I really did not like them at all. Out of the box the bass was overpowering, bloated and flabby. They were also very dark. I then proceeded to burn them in for the next 125 hrs using both my Outlaw 2150RR and Matrix M Stage as my primary amps with both the DV6001 and the Onkyo DX7555 CD player on repeat.. 
 
Usually when I get a high end piece of equipment my past experiences has always told me if it sounded good out of the box it was usually going to sound better after burn in was completed. With the Denon I thought they really did not sound good before burn in, and never thought I would hear a significant difference after the burn in. Boy was I not only wrong but  I was shocked at the difference in sound.
 
The Matrix M Stage amp and my Marantz DV6001 Universal player was the source used for my audition. I used the Audioquest Black Mamba interconnects with my source and amp. Music listened to ranged from Classical,Jazz,Vocal and Rock. I did not listen to any Metal or other types of music. The Albums I used were mostly well recorded audiophile grade CD's  and SACD for my audition.
 
Initially upon listening to the D7000 before burn in I noticed sibilance presence on female vocals. The transformation after burn in I noticed the sibilance was gone. The bass became very well defined and tight. The soundstage really became focused and very wide for a closed can and 3D, as I noticed the performers were more defined and imaging was spot on, and the bass was no longer bloated.  The biggest difference I noticed over both my 701 and the 840 was a refinement. The Denon's projected a very smooth and well balanced presentation in regard to my other cans. I could see the reason they were priced so much higher than the 701.
 
The midrange on these cans is excellent. I find the slightly recessed mid very much suited to my taste. Having owned many high end speakers these remind me most of my PSB Stratus Gold's They were warm with deep bass into the low twenty's and very defined and balanced with a slightly tipped treble. Hearing and listening to the FIM SACD of Antiphone Blues with pipe organ and solo saxophone, recorded in Spanga Church. the pipe organ was produced unlike I had heard with any other headphone. I could feel the pipe organ petal and feel the power of the instrument. It was a wow moment. To produce the lower register of a pipe organ requires bass to go into low 20's to achieve the proper sound of the instrument and the D7000 reproduced the organ with no problem. 
 
Listening to albums with vocals and live recordings on these headphones is a pleasure. On Sinatra at the Sands it was like I was in the room sitting at a table and listening to my favorite Sinatra performance. I could hear all of Count Basie's orchestra with a very wide soundstage .Listening to Jerry Garcia and David Grisman, I was in the studio listening to two great artist create their masterpiece. Shady Grove. Garcia's playing was a revelation of detail on hearing guitar strings and hearing the inner detail of his acoustic guitar.  The presentation was eye opening. Listening to Beyond Missouri Sky with Pat Metheny and Charlie Haden was another wow moment.
 
I heard the best separation of the two performers that I have heard,  and you could hear the guitar strings snapping and the glory of Hadens Acoustic bass, with nice separation between the performers.  . I knew it was two distinct performers. Many headphones and speakers do not get this track right. The Denons reproduced this recording without effort. You could really hear the detail in Haden's bass not present with my other headphones
 
Classical recordings were somewhat more of a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed the power of the bass and detail in general but on large scale orchestra I prefer the 701. On smaller scale recording's the D7000 shines. Violins are produced without etch or grain and cello is aided by the bass. I noticed no etch in tremble on well recorded albums. I would define cymbal reproduction as accurate with no etch.I could clearly hear space in high hat reproduction. Good air and space around instruments and nice depth to the soundstage. In the higher regions of recordings the Denon were no match for the 701.  The AKG reproduce triangle and high's better than any other can I own.I do find the AKG701 and the Denon are perfect stablemates. The open cans give me the presentation I desire for classical music. The D7000 gives me the dynamics and power I desire for most other music.
 
In concluding I have to say I am very impressed with the D7000 I find them very much refined with great detail and bass extension.  Outstanding musicality and it makes me believe I am listening to a full range speaker with much more intimacy. They are now part of my headphone collection and I am enjoying many hours of pure music magic.  Denon produced a winner with this headphone. It is a beautiful and balanced headphone that has really grown on me and I have come to enjoy a great deal.
 
The matrix M Stage amp is a perfect match with its powerful bass and detail. It really made the D7000 shine. If you enjoy 3D sound with super bass and a very balanced midrange these headphones are a must audition. Be prepared to buy them if you do listen to them. Nice indeed.