Thanks to
@KKNAYANA, here is a longish review of the HDA-5210MK4 from a Korean reviewer. I think the review will be of interest to those curious about the amp because it has a good amount of headphone pairings included. Of particular note is the euphonic praise for the HD600s. Quite staggering...must re-purchase a pair! Big thanks again to
@KKNAYANA who is a real asset to the Bakoon community!
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A simple impression of Changing to Bakoon (5210 mk2).. (Note: A long post!)
[Guess there is a typo.. I think that it's mk4 on the photos]
Recently, I was obsessed with Bakoon sound.. I was going to buy a Bakoon portable amp that will be released soon, but I thought that a stationary type would be better than a portable one.. so I bought a stationary type.
The special feature of this amp is the current amplification method, like another famous maker, Questyle. The current amplification method has a special taste different from the voltage amplification method. I've also tried the Questyle product.. I was curious about Bakoon's current amplification method, because people say the taste of Bakoon is special haha;;
Looking at the rear input of Bakoon, there is a regular rca input and a proprietary current type input called SATRI LINK. So, the general rca terminal cannot be connected to SATRI LINK. In order to use a regular rca cable with SATRI LINK, an additional adaptor is required.
So, if you look at the back side, it protrudes like that. It looks a little unstable, but the terminal is solid and interlocks, so the fastening itself is good.
The front looks like this. You can set the driving method (current, voltage) on the far left. As you noticed in the rear input, it is a dual amplifier that allows you to hear both current and voltage types with one amplifier.
Next to it is Bakoon's signature orange knob. But curiously, this knob is 'gain'. Not 'volume'. It is controlled by a total of 23 steps? I guess, but the word is 'gain'.. It actually plays a role in volume. However, there is a large difference in sound level between each steps, so it is better to adjust the volume on the source device.
Additionally, the gain of the current method can be adjusted to high or low. Lastly, the unusual thing is that there are separate voltage and current headphone terminals. Both voltage and current do not come out of one hole (?), but each has its own terminal, so you have to carefully look at the terminal and plug it in according to the way you want to hear it.
5210MK4 was placed at a table with a very cute Ryan character on it. In fact, what's more encouraging than buying Bakoon is that the listening area has now been expanded to the alcove in addition to my main audio room. When I said I would clean the room and install it, the "chairman" (wife) said OK, so I finally succeeded in expanding.. But increased concentration, inevitably..
This isn't the main camp. It's an expansion.I thought it would be too much work to get a separate DAC, so I decided to listen to it simply with sp3000 as the source device.
When I first heard it, it felt really great! Bakoon is not something that is delicate, sharp, and has great separation. However, its tremendous dynamics, damping and sonic power are unrivaled.
Rather than the feeling of analyzing the sound as a whole, it moves people's emotions. From my standards, the analytical t+a ha200 and the emotional Bakoon 5210mk4 seem to represent this tendency very well.
Even before I bought this amp, I heard that it is the king of DD phone amplifiers, especially good compatibility with hd800s or hd600. In fact, the first time I heard this amp was because I was shocked with the Focal Utopia 2022, and I shouted OMG when listening to it.
BTW, the compatibility with real dd phones is so so so so good. The headphones don't sound like how I knew about them. The hd600 in particular is truly amazing. If you are passionate about head-fi, I would recommend you to listen to this combination.
The hd600 is usually famous for its bland and uninteresting sound... Maybe it's because this tendency still accepts Bakoon's sound as it is, it changes so much that it's a really different headphone. The sound image is really big.. In particular, the damping feeling and dynamics are really amazing. Overall, the sound energy is overflowing, and the thick and powerful sound lines and clear sound images are impressive. And overall, it has a hot feeling... the rising sound makes people feel a bit dazed... but this taste is really special. I can see why people keep saying Bakoon! Bakoon!
And, unexpectedly, the compatibility with Heddphone is also quite good. For reference, Bakoon's driving power is pretty good. I was also disappointed that there was only an unbalanced stage... But I realized that it is meaningless to crave for a balanced one if you have a well-made unbalanced stage. A well-made unbalanced stage can even surpass a balanced stage...I felt that. For example, tha Chord famous for Mojo and Hugo are also famous for not making balanced stages. It's nice to see being so stubborn.
Anyway, I haven't listened to it for a long time... but it's certain that it gives out a demonic sound that makes it hard to take off the headphones once you put them on. I can assure you, if it suits your taste, you can put an end to the head-fi, and even if it doesn't suit your inclination, you can have at least one as a delicacy.
As always, the article has become long as I write. I would recommend that you give it a listen. Thank you for reading this long post and I wish you a pleasant Sunday night.
PS: I didn't mention one big drawback.. The current stage is very vulnerable to noise. At first, I was also bitten by the the noise coming up very badly, when I plugged 5210 on high-voltage industrial power strip in the room. But after trying it on other power strips, there were no noise. If you are planning to purchase, you may need to check the electricity situation.
A headphones pairing report of Bakoon 5210mk4
Definitely, Bakoon's combination with the reference DD headphone is really great. In particular, the hd600 and hd800s are really special. But personally, I would like to pick hd600 as the single best.
However, the compatibility with Tago is not very good. Looking at it like this, it doesn't seem to be pairing good with all reference DD phones..;;
Next is Heddphone, an unexpected great pairing. It seems that the headroom is also getting bigger, and it feels like a spoonful of a strong bass is poured on the Heddphone, which is on the flat side in a way.
Planar magnetic headphones such as Susvara, LCD-5 were not very good in pairing with the current amplification method. They were rather better on Bakoon's voltage headphone output. Surprisingly, however, Abyss AB1266 Phi TC pairs with the current method pretty well. As usual, AB1266 has excellent bass... but when it meets the current amplification method, it feels like someone is hitting the side of the face with a fist. Good!
I haven't tried all my headphones, but... As far as the phones I've tried, the HD600 was the best. I think I will have to overwork the old man (HD600) again for the time being..
p.s
The Abyss stand is perfect for Dali BT speakers. I don't think I need to buy an additional stand..