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Originally Posted by Jeremy /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Very interesting breakdown. Thank you. I've been quite torn about this decision and the only thing that has stopped me deciding on the Duet over the Pico is the opinion of its good but colorless to the point of tasteless amp. I love the tube-like rich sound of the SR-71 amp and am worried I'm going to end up with a clinical emotionless sound coming from the headamp of the Duet. If ONLY I could hear them both, then I could make my own decision with my own ears once and for all. But that is not an option, sadly.
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Jeremy, if I've hindered you from getting a Duet, my sincere apologies. Please let me remind you that I also wrote that when I compared the Duet and Pico both DAC+Amp to DAC+Amp, I sold the Pico (had a string of offers in minutes). Let me offer a bit of perspective. The amp is netural but I agree with others who have championed it. It is a surprisingly good headamp. Tasteless? That's not really a negative statement. The musicians and producers you listen to already add in their taste. They are all taking great pains to use modern and vintage equipment along with digital emulations to create a warm and lively presentation. The Duet does little to add its own taste (again this is its design for pro monitoring), but (and this is critical) does nothing to detract from it. That's all I meant by "tasteless." In the end, I would be pleased to back off of using it. Words to me that describe a negative neutrality are "boring," "flat," and the dreaded "sterile." The Duet's headamp is none of these things.
This is what I would guess for you. I think you'll be very content with the Duet as is. Once you take the line out and plug in your SR71, I'm pretty sure you'll be even happier. [You really should stop reading here]
Against the Pico? Iron Dreamer wrote a pretty comprehensive comparison between the Pico and the Apogee Minidac far far in favor of the Pico. There are important differences between the Minidac and Duet, but in the areas of his assessment they carry to both. You all realize the only reason why we don't have a war here, or at least a bit of a skirmish, is because we're staying on "Dedicated Source" turf and not writing this all up on the "Headphone Amp" forum. As all of you I'm sure, I have no desire to debate it; the Pico is a fantastic product. But, for the reasons that it's clear to Iron Dreamer's mind that the Pico is superior, I think the exact opposite. To him, the bass is focused and the presentation nice and close. I heard it as weak in bass (not just distinct) and small in soundstage. The apogee sound to me is rumbling in the bass and presents a wide lush intimate soundscape. Does that sound slightly biased? In the end, it may have a lot to do with system synergy. I'm pairing up with RAL-cabled K701s. That may explain a lot of the preference.
Jeremy, if you're still reading. I apologize in advance.