swt61
Dr. Wood
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2005
- Posts
- 5,308
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- 27
I put my first audio system together in 1976 when I was 15 years old. I was introduced to an avid audiophile a few months before that, and I was hooked immediately. I can still remember how I felt when I heard his phone ring, only to discover that the ringing phone was actually coming from his Klipschorn corner loaded horn speakers. The album spinning on his Thorens was the then relatively new Heart “Dreamboat Annie”. I knew the album well, but through my Jenson car speakers, and Craig 8 track deck, I’d never noticed the phone before.
That was a seminal moment for me, and I’ve been a full blown audiophile ever since.
I purchased my first “audiophile” quality headphones in 1982, the now rare Yamaha YH-1000 orthodynamic. When the strut that holds the earcup to the headband broke several months later, I purchased the AKG K340 that I own to this day.
When a short that had developed in the cables of my K340 got bad enough to send me searching for a solution in 2005, I was introduced to Head-Fi, and philodox in particular. After a referral to Headphile, I was to rediscover my beloved cans with their new extensive mods Larry performed.
One of the first things I learned was that I wasn’t feeding my headphones anywhere near enough juice to milk all the performance from them that they were capable of.
That led me to my first headphone amp, and I’ve been riding the upgrade train at a fast pace every since.
My latest upgrade is the β22 balanced headphone amp designed by AMB. The main reason for this upgrade was to make a move back to solid state. I love the sound of tubes, but they’re just not conducive to my listening style. When the itch came to listen to music, I didn’t like having to wait for the amp to warm up.
ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT:
PS Audio Lambda CD transport
Twisted Pear Audio dual differential balanced Opus DAC with Zapfilter MkII discrete output stage
Heavily modded AKG K340 with balanced Black Clover cables by Fitz
AKG K240 Sextett with balanced Black Clover cables by Fitz
“Chocolate Donut MkII” custom woody orthodynamic with balanced Black Clover cables by Fitz
Black Clover balanced interconnects, Signal Cable Silver Resolution digital coax cable, looser101 digital coax cable, Virtual Dynamics Power3 power cord, Enigma Audio power cord, Signal Cable Magic power cord.
THE β22:
This particular version of the β22 is a four channel balanced unit with a Twisted Pear Audio Joshua Tree logarithmic programmable stepped attenuator, and twin Sigma 22 power supplies in a separate enclosure. The amp was built by fierce_freak’s Light Me Dark Audio, as was the previously mentioned Opus DAC.
LISTENING:
Powering up the β22 starts a series of electronic clicking noises lasting about three seconds. That’s the Joshua Tree stepper booting up if you will.
Joshua Tree - A Twisted Log Attenuator
I’ve come to really enjoy that sound, as it means good things are just ahead.
First off the background is pitch Black with no hint of static or light hum associated with some amps.
Dire Straits’ intro into “Down To The Waterline” places Mark’s guitar just left of center, as it should be. I’ve heard it placed dead center on some equipment, and this irritates me to no end. Mark is standing right smack in the middle of my frontal lobe when he sings, but his glorious guitar is just outside my head and to the left. I’m probably more familiar with this album than any other, and that’s why it’s always been my reference for imaging. All is well here, instruments are well defined, and placement is spot on. The little tambourine just behind Mark and slightly to the right is a dead giveaway. The soundstage on “Sultans Of Swing” spreads out a bit, and the β22 does not disappoint.
Diana Krall “S’Wonderful” is a nearly orgasmic experience. The Chocolate Donuts have the smoothest presentation of any headphone I’ve yet heard save the Omega II, and the β22 just seems to get out of the way and let them do their thing, while providing the prodigious power these orthodynamic drivers need. The soundstage on “Love Letters” is quite wide indeed. Bass is tight as a drum (no pun intended). Treble is extended without a trace of harshness. It’s becoming obvious that we’re in a whole new league here.
Junior Brown’s “Highway Patrol” has some raucous piano licks that are absolutely stunning compared to my previous setup. Junior’s fingers sliding up and down the guitar strings is an experience I simply have missed until now. “Sugarfoot Rag” has got to be one of my all time favorite guitar tracks, move over Eddie VanHalen. If you’ve not heard the track it’s near impossible to describe what he’s doing with the guitar, but the β22 is staying right with him, where my dual Darkvoice rig had a little bit of trouble here.
On to Brahms “Piano Sonata in f, Op.5”. Every little nuance is apparent, the way the keys land on the strings. I’m not a musician, and I can’t detail the event like a classically trained pianist could, but when it sounds right, it just sounds right. Again the dead Black background is so important here.
Michael Buble’s “Me And Misses Jones” is a favorite track of mine, and it’s just so lush and involving. They managed to get a wall of sound behind Michael without drowning out his powerful voice at all. This is another track where an expansive soundstage adds the needed realism to make the track believable. Close your eyes and your brain paints the auditorium for you, and in this case it’s a large one.
So you’re saying “OK Steve, that’s fine if you’re an old fart, but what have you got that might help a new millennium kinda guy like me understand where this amp lies in the bevy of choices out there.” Well to you I say don’t shed a “Teardrop” we’ve got some Massive Attack in the house. This song is a departure from all the other tracks I’ve played for several reasons. One being that this song was mixed to sound like a vinyl LP, complete with little pops and ticks. It really is a palpable impersonation. The other being that Massive Attack is arguably mixed for headphone listening. “Inertia Creeps” is a feast for the eardrums on a quality headphone system, and let me just say that we’re feasting big time. The ability to handle complex passages, and place every instrument at a defined place in space is impressive to say the least. I’m reminded of the Headamp KGSS/Omega II system that I recently spent an afternoon with, and that’s pretty heady territory.
LET’S WRAP IT UP:
The problem with my upgrades is that I never seem to be willing to hold onto my current system to do a direct comparison with the incoming rig. Chalk that up to the cheapskate in me. However it’s an easy realization that I’ve moved into new territory this time out. I’m absolutely thrilled with the amp, and can’t imagine letting it go in the foreseeable future.
The other issue is that this time out I’ve upgraded too many components to readily judge how much of an effect each individual component has on the system as a whole. The amp, DAC, transport, VD power cable and Chocolate Donut MkII have all invaded my audio rack at the same time. “What a problem to have” you might say, but keep this in mind when reading through my review.
I am receiving no monetary compensation for this review, and the impressions listed are solely my own. I am however open to monetary compensation by any manufacturers reading this review (just kidding of coarse).
I would like to say that my experience with fierce_freak during this process was unanimously positive, and I’m very grateful for his workmanship as well as his friendship throughout the entire process.
At this point one would normally include a few pictures of the reviewed component, but I’m going to add those later, because I have some added aesthetic touches coming soon.
That was a seminal moment for me, and I’ve been a full blown audiophile ever since.
I purchased my first “audiophile” quality headphones in 1982, the now rare Yamaha YH-1000 orthodynamic. When the strut that holds the earcup to the headband broke several months later, I purchased the AKG K340 that I own to this day.
When a short that had developed in the cables of my K340 got bad enough to send me searching for a solution in 2005, I was introduced to Head-Fi, and philodox in particular. After a referral to Headphile, I was to rediscover my beloved cans with their new extensive mods Larry performed.
One of the first things I learned was that I wasn’t feeding my headphones anywhere near enough juice to milk all the performance from them that they were capable of.
That led me to my first headphone amp, and I’ve been riding the upgrade train at a fast pace every since.
My latest upgrade is the β22 balanced headphone amp designed by AMB. The main reason for this upgrade was to make a move back to solid state. I love the sound of tubes, but they’re just not conducive to my listening style. When the itch came to listen to music, I didn’t like having to wait for the amp to warm up.
ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT:
PS Audio Lambda CD transport
Twisted Pear Audio dual differential balanced Opus DAC with Zapfilter MkII discrete output stage
Heavily modded AKG K340 with balanced Black Clover cables by Fitz
AKG K240 Sextett with balanced Black Clover cables by Fitz
“Chocolate Donut MkII” custom woody orthodynamic with balanced Black Clover cables by Fitz
Black Clover balanced interconnects, Signal Cable Silver Resolution digital coax cable, looser101 digital coax cable, Virtual Dynamics Power3 power cord, Enigma Audio power cord, Signal Cable Magic power cord.
THE β22:
This particular version of the β22 is a four channel balanced unit with a Twisted Pear Audio Joshua Tree logarithmic programmable stepped attenuator, and twin Sigma 22 power supplies in a separate enclosure. The amp was built by fierce_freak’s Light Me Dark Audio, as was the previously mentioned Opus DAC.
LISTENING:
Powering up the β22 starts a series of electronic clicking noises lasting about three seconds. That’s the Joshua Tree stepper booting up if you will.
Joshua Tree - A Twisted Log Attenuator
I’ve come to really enjoy that sound, as it means good things are just ahead.
First off the background is pitch Black with no hint of static or light hum associated with some amps.
Dire Straits’ intro into “Down To The Waterline” places Mark’s guitar just left of center, as it should be. I’ve heard it placed dead center on some equipment, and this irritates me to no end. Mark is standing right smack in the middle of my frontal lobe when he sings, but his glorious guitar is just outside my head and to the left. I’m probably more familiar with this album than any other, and that’s why it’s always been my reference for imaging. All is well here, instruments are well defined, and placement is spot on. The little tambourine just behind Mark and slightly to the right is a dead giveaway. The soundstage on “Sultans Of Swing” spreads out a bit, and the β22 does not disappoint.
Diana Krall “S’Wonderful” is a nearly orgasmic experience. The Chocolate Donuts have the smoothest presentation of any headphone I’ve yet heard save the Omega II, and the β22 just seems to get out of the way and let them do their thing, while providing the prodigious power these orthodynamic drivers need. The soundstage on “Love Letters” is quite wide indeed. Bass is tight as a drum (no pun intended). Treble is extended without a trace of harshness. It’s becoming obvious that we’re in a whole new league here.
Junior Brown’s “Highway Patrol” has some raucous piano licks that are absolutely stunning compared to my previous setup. Junior’s fingers sliding up and down the guitar strings is an experience I simply have missed until now. “Sugarfoot Rag” has got to be one of my all time favorite guitar tracks, move over Eddie VanHalen. If you’ve not heard the track it’s near impossible to describe what he’s doing with the guitar, but the β22 is staying right with him, where my dual Darkvoice rig had a little bit of trouble here.
On to Brahms “Piano Sonata in f, Op.5”. Every little nuance is apparent, the way the keys land on the strings. I’m not a musician, and I can’t detail the event like a classically trained pianist could, but when it sounds right, it just sounds right. Again the dead Black background is so important here.
Michael Buble’s “Me And Misses Jones” is a favorite track of mine, and it’s just so lush and involving. They managed to get a wall of sound behind Michael without drowning out his powerful voice at all. This is another track where an expansive soundstage adds the needed realism to make the track believable. Close your eyes and your brain paints the auditorium for you, and in this case it’s a large one.
So you’re saying “OK Steve, that’s fine if you’re an old fart, but what have you got that might help a new millennium kinda guy like me understand where this amp lies in the bevy of choices out there.” Well to you I say don’t shed a “Teardrop” we’ve got some Massive Attack in the house. This song is a departure from all the other tracks I’ve played for several reasons. One being that this song was mixed to sound like a vinyl LP, complete with little pops and ticks. It really is a palpable impersonation. The other being that Massive Attack is arguably mixed for headphone listening. “Inertia Creeps” is a feast for the eardrums on a quality headphone system, and let me just say that we’re feasting big time. The ability to handle complex passages, and place every instrument at a defined place in space is impressive to say the least. I’m reminded of the Headamp KGSS/Omega II system that I recently spent an afternoon with, and that’s pretty heady territory.
LET’S WRAP IT UP:
The problem with my upgrades is that I never seem to be willing to hold onto my current system to do a direct comparison with the incoming rig. Chalk that up to the cheapskate in me. However it’s an easy realization that I’ve moved into new territory this time out. I’m absolutely thrilled with the amp, and can’t imagine letting it go in the foreseeable future.
The other issue is that this time out I’ve upgraded too many components to readily judge how much of an effect each individual component has on the system as a whole. The amp, DAC, transport, VD power cable and Chocolate Donut MkII have all invaded my audio rack at the same time. “What a problem to have” you might say, but keep this in mind when reading through my review.
I am receiving no monetary compensation for this review, and the impressions listed are solely my own. I am however open to monetary compensation by any manufacturers reading this review (just kidding of coarse).
I would like to say that my experience with fierce_freak during this process was unanimously positive, and I’m very grateful for his workmanship as well as his friendship throughout the entire process.
At this point one would normally include a few pictures of the reviewed component, but I’m going to add those later, because I have some added aesthetic touches coming soon.
