taipan254
100+ Head-Fier
This is what arrived a few days ago (spoiler: and stays):
And with the EMPYs and LCD-3s (and the satri, with holster):
Both headphones transform —yes, just like that-with the HDA-5520 MK2. I don't think I've ever listened to the LCD-3 like I did today with the satri. Not even with the OOR have I achieved this level of satisfaction (with the LCD-3s)... which is not to say that the OOR is below the satri. The OOR certainly grunts more. But perhaps it's because of the magic of the satri circuit that the LCD-3s let loose like a charm, though without, of course, falling into shrillness. It's as if they have freed themselves from themselves. They don't sound like AUDEZE: there is clarity, a lot of clarity... even if the cream is still there. The SCL amp offers brutal transparency... and naturalness. Yes, I know: it's an almost impossible combination. But I don't know how best to describe it. It's not "musical", as the term is commonly understood in our little world. However, it engages. It is a cliché, but the satri disappears. In its place, the cruel purity of the notes. In any case, nothing to do with the cold sharpness of, say, the Topping. It is, in short, Japanese refinement. The HDA-5520 MK2 is a samurai: violent when necessary, precise cutting - there are no extra slashes - but also capable of tasting the most sublime haiku or of internalizing Zen aphorisms. It is like this. Now, as I write these notes, I am listening to an otherwise exquisite recording of Alec Frank-Gemmill -https://open.qobuz.com/album/fm57y6gav8eoa-... and I don't want to go to sleep. Tomorrow I think I'll go around with the sunglasses.
With the EMPYs... well, more of the same. It's very surprising. Very. It's not the usual EMPY..... They scale up to the point that the ELITE become "unnecessary".
Even if it is always about the set, I am more and more persuaded of the importance of the amplifier design, beyond the power, when it comes to see what a headphone can do.
By the way, I don't know why, but the satri works better -or so it seems to me- with the 1v output of the SE300. With the 2v output, fine... but I would say that the music gets strained a little bit. It's subtle. But after a few hours you notice it... without noticing it.
I have been eyeing a SCL for my Caldera as well. I'd be very interested if you shared your Caldera impressions off the current output!
I'd also welcome any opinions on the 5520mk2 vs. 5230mk2!