[Chodorovski]

Honestly... unless you plan on using the inputs on the 600i with an external dac, the CMA400i is a dream.

It's a shame you just bought your 3s, I was gonna sell mine with the 400i as a pairing.

Interesting. How different is the 600i from the 400i aside from having those extra inputs? I kinda think the extra for the 600 could be worth that for future-proofing purposes

 

[Sweetmeat]

I dunno, when you look at how much power the LCD-3 actually needs, the Mojo and Hugo 2 have more than enough.

This is total crap my friend. There is a big difference between portable amps and high-current desktops like the Soloist. And you don't need a controlled comparison to hear it, especially with the LCD-3. The Soloist sounds better at all volumes.

 

[Phronesis]

This is total crap my friend. There is a big difference between portable amps and high-current desktops like the Soloist. And you don't need a controlled comparison to hear it, especially with the LCD-3. The Soloist sounds better at all volumes.

Do some homework: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...official-thread.831345/page-865#post-14256281

If you have enough power, additional power makes no difference. Let's not mislead people and steer them towards wasting money because of your misperception, in which you're overconfident.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

I dunno, when you look at how much power the LCD-3 actually needs, the Mojo and Hugo 2 have more than enough. Perception is tricky, I think you need a controlled comparison to reliably conclude that more power would improve the sound.

It's not about raw power, there are a ton more factors. I haven't owned a Hugo but I did have a Mojo and the difference between it and a full sized unit with my Audeze cans was pretty distinct.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Do some homework: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...official-thread.831345/page-865#post-14256281

If you have enough power, additional power makes no difference. Let's not mislead people and steer them towards wasting money because of your misperception, in which you're overconfident.

You seriously have no idea what you're talking about if you think all that matters is the wattage...

 

[attmci]

I'm not giving up. I hit a huge economic hardship and unless I win a lotto ticket I gotta sell them. :/

Then buy lottery, and keep the 3. God bless you.

 

[Sweetmeat]

Do some homework: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...official-thread.831345/page-865#post-14256281

If you have enough power, additional power makes no difference. Let's not mislead people and steer them towards wasting money because of your misperception, in which you're overconfident.

The fallacy of the continuous rating is that music consists of a very dynamic signal that is constantly peaking, for very short periods of time, at 10-100 times the current listening level, which the amplifier must cleanly reproduce. If I seem overconfident, it is mostly me being annoyed I guess.

@SomeGuyDude : Sorry to hear about the money troubles, but never sell your guitar or your LCD-3 if your can avoid it. They will take you through the hard times.

 

[x RELIC x]

The fallacy of the continuous rating is that music consists of a very dynamic signal that is constantly peaking, for very short periods of time, at 10-100 times the current listening level, which the amplifier must cleanly reproduce. If I seem overconfident, it is mostly me being annoyed I guess.

@SomeGuyDude : Sorry to hear about the money troubles, but never sell your guitar or your LCD-3 if your can avoid it. They will take you through the hard times.

Since it was my post that was linked a couple posts up I’ll respond for clarity.

The power chart shows that 120dB peaks would only require 2.64V and 24mA. That’s for painful peaks and I doubt many would listen that loud. Personally I’ve found 100dB measured peaks to be too loud, but I know others like to blast it.

The point of my post that was linked was that the LCD-3 doesn’t need anywhere near 1-4W of power as was the context of the discussion.

Edit: By the way, the Mojo and Hugo2 both are capable of 500mA output, which is respectable. If people don’t like them with the LCD-3 it isn’t from a lack of Current. The Soloist is a well respected amp and I’m sure it sounds great with LCD-3.

 

[Phronesis]

It's not about raw power, there are a ton more factors. I haven't owned a Hugo but I did have a Mojo and the difference between it and a full sized unit with my Audeze cans was pretty distinct.

Try back to back comparison with instant switching, same volume level, and see if you still perceive a distinct difference. I’ve done that kind of comparison and was very surprised to find that what I had thought was a distinct difference disappeared.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Seriously, and it's not about price, either. The Hugo costs more than the Soloist and CMA400i combined and I am saying right now that if there's no audible difference between the Hugo and the Mojo then the Hugo is not at all worth the money. I've heard the Hugo TT and I thought it sounded great, but I didn't put it through its paces. I didn't hear the regular Hugo at any point.

re: power, the CMA400i has less current than the Audeze Deckard and they cost nearly the same, yet I'm saying right now the 400i sounds leagues better with the 3 than the Deck, so once again that argument is blown out of the water.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Try back to back comparison with instant switching, same volume level, and see if you still perceive a distinct difference. I’ve done that kind of comparison and was very surprised to find that what I had thought was a distinct difference disappeared.

I did exactly that. Mojo and Deckard plugged in, volume matched, back and forth and back and forth. This wasn't some cable or 320vsFLAC placebo. It was an immediate difference.

Y'all need to understand that what a DAC and amplifier do are not strictly algorithmic. Converting 1s and 0s into an analog signal and then amplifying it has a lot of moving parts. The notion that just because two units have the same level of current it means they'll sound the same is hilarious. It's like claiming that because two televisions have the same brightness capability they'll have the exact same picture.

 

[Phronesis]

I did exactly that. Mojo and Deckard plugged in, volume matched, back and forth and back and forth. This wasn't some cable or 320vsFLAC placebo. It was an immediate difference.

Y'all need to understand that what a DAC and amplifier do are not strictly algorithmic. Converting 1s and 0s into an analog signal and then amplifying it has a lot of moving parts. The notion that just because two units have the same level of current it means they'll sound the same is hilarious. It's like claiming that because two televisions have the same brightness capability they'll have the exact same picture.

Could you provide details on how you volume matched? Was it instant switching?

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Could you provide details on how you volume matched? Was it instant switching?

Let me preempt your loaded questions by saying that, yes, it's true that I didn't do everything with a ****load of meters and it was all by ear.

At this point I'm just annoyed. You aren't actually asking. What you're doing is coming with a conclusion that you believe is true and hunting down ways to try and feel satisfied that I did things incorrectly. They don't sound the same. I'm sorry if this hurts your feelings.

You know, it's funny watching this pan out. By your posts, all amps and DACs are the same. Nothing is different. A dragonfly is the same as a Chord DAVE. As long as it's the same volume, an iPhone dongle sounds the same as a Questyle gold stack. crap, why are we spending money on these things? Just get the dirt cheapest amps on Amazon we can find as long as they have enough current, right? Hell, why are we buying amps at all? You can get an Audeze to listenable volumes through a laptop, so what's all the fuss about??

The Mojo does not sound as good. It's a mobile dac/amp. If I need to guide you through how it's possible for friggin' amplifiers to sound differently, then I think you might want to stop spending money until you actually read how any of this hardware works.

 

[Phronesis]

Let me preempt your loaded questions by saying that, yes, it's true that I didn't do everything with a ****load of meters and it was all by ear.

At this point I'm just annoyed. You aren't actually asking. What you're doing is coming with a conclusion that you believe is true and hunting down ways to try and feel satisfied that I did things incorrectly. They don't sound the same. I'm sorry if this hurts your feelings.

You know, it's funny watching this pan out. By your posts, all amps and DACs are the same. Nothing is different. A dragonfly is the same as a Chord DAVE. As long as it's the same volume, an iPhone dongle sounds the same as a Questyle gold stack. ****, why are we spending money on these things? Just get the dirt cheapest amps on Amazon we can find as long as they have enough current, right? Hell, why are we buying amps at all? You can get an Audeze to listenable volumes through a laptop, so what's all the fuss about??

The Mojo does not sound as good. It's a mobile dac/amp. If I need to guide you through how it's possible for friggin' amplifiers to sound differently, then I think you might want to stop spending money until you actually read how any of this hardware works.

The reason I ask is that I've done comparisons in various ways, and I found that differences I perceived when allowing just a few seconds for switching disappeared when the switching was instant. These kinds of details matter. I've found that volume matching by ear is fine if what we're looking for are distinct differences in sound quality.

I'm not claiming that all DACs and amps sound the same. But when someone claims that there's a big difference between X and Y, they should explain the basis for that impression, since other people can be influenced in their purchasing decisions. The problem with your statements is that you present them as facts, rather than as impressions based on your perception.

Regarding my knowledge, while audio isn't my profession, back in the day I did study analog and digital electronics, and designed and built an amp, so I understand things like voltage, current, resistance, impedance, crossovers, clipping, different types of distortion, S/N ratio, etc.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

I mean, good for you. Power your LCD with a laptop then, it's obviously the same.