[mscott58]

  Maybe I should pick up the LCD3, even those who prefer the X all seem to feel there is a magic in the 3 that cannot be reproduced by others.It has really held it's own against the new models.

You can always try out the LCD-3's using CableCo's headphone lending library. Not sure how long the wait is for the LCD-3's right now, but for 5% of the purchase price you can rent them for a few weeks, and then if you want to buy them new (or any other HP) they'll credit you with the cost of the rental. That's how I tried out the LCD-X's and it worked great. Enjoy!

 

[jacal01]

That's not a bad idea, maybe I should scoop a Conductor to compliment my HPA-21.

 
I wouldn't especially recommend the Conductor as DAC, since I think that just another single bit sigma-delta conversion chip implementation, regardless of its discrete component amp section.  I would strive to support the HPA-21 with at least an off chip FPGA interpolation filter DAC, such as a Chord, if possible.  The upcoming Schiit Yggdrasil DAC has discrete multi-bit R2R ladder conversion, as well as DSP algorithm bit perfect interpolation filter (~like FPGA).  So I'm excited about its potential.
 
Nothing but the best supporting cast for the HPA-21, eh?
 
EDIT:  On further reflection, I better understand what you meant.  A stand-by integrated amp for if/when the Bakoon finally cuts out.  Hmm... May be entirely subjective, but I somewhat thought that the Grace 900 series might be a quality setup.  And you can prolly pick up a 901 or 902 for cheap, if the 903 is a little rich for you for stand-by mode.
 
I use a Soloist amp in my desktop setup at work, and while I really can't complain, the Burson seems to me a little too bright (fatiguing) with some headphones, and its chief claim to fame seems to be its 'moar power'.  I mostly have to use the first 1-2 click positions on the stepped volume attentuator for headphone listening.  Hardly ideal, as maybe it's optimized for its pre-amp function or orthos.

 

[vert]

  Do you have the fazor edition of the LCD3? and does low gain provide enough juice? 

Not sure what the fazor edition is. I believe mine are the unveiled ones.
 
I use the low gain with no problems.

 

[mscott58]

  Not sure what the fazor edition is. I believe mine are the unveiled ones.
 
I use the low gain with no problems.

Ah, there's a saga for you and the subject of hundreds of postings on this site and much hand-wringing and debate. Audeze incorporated the "Fazor" wave-guide technology pioneered in the LCD-X/XC into their LCD-3's without telling anyone, so there are now LCD-3C's (classic) and LCD-3F's (Fazorized) out there (although Audeze does not use this classification, it's more of a Head-Fi thing). The change was made earlier this year, after a fairly long period of not shipping out any new LCD-3's, even to the big dealers. You can tell if you have the F version by feeling the inside of the headphone and seeing if it has the distinct ridges of the wave-guide. I ordered my LCD-3's before the addition of the Fazor to the LCD-3 was known and I got one of the first pairs with the Fazor addition. I like the F version, it adds some extra clarity to the high-end while retaining the house sound and the magic of the mid's and the presence of the bass. The drivers on the new Fazor versions also changed the impedance of the cans, which are now 110 Ohms versus the prior 45 Ohms. I think I got all this right, but my friends here will be sure to correct me! Some people (like me) prefer the new Fazor version, while others prefer the Classic version - to each their own! Take care

 

[Soned]

  You can always try out the LCD-3's using CableCo's headphone lending library. Not sure how long the wait is for the LCD-3's right now, but for 5% of the purchase price you can rent them for a few weeks, and then if you want to buy them new (or any other HP) they'll credit you with the cost of the rental. That's how I tried out the LCD-X's and it worked great. Enjoy!

Actually, there's a place just north of me here in Toronto who I believe carry both.You're right , let the ears decide 

 

[Soned]

   
I wouldn't especially recommend the Conductor as DAC, since I think that just another single bit sigma-delta conversion chip implementation, regardless of its discrete component amp section.  I would strive to support the HPA-21 with at least an off chip FPGA interpolation filter DAC, such as a Chord, if possible.  The upcoming Schiit Yggdrasil DAC has discrete multi-bit R2R ladder conversion, as well as DSP algorithm bit perfect interpolation filter (~like FPGA).  So I'm excited about its potential.
 
Nothing but the best supporting cast for the HPA-21, eh?
 
EDIT:  On further reflection, I better understand what you meant.  A stand-by integrated amp for if/when the Bakoon finally cuts out.  Hmm... May be entirely subjective, but I somewhat thought that the Grace 900 series might be a quality setup.  And you can prolly pick up a 901 or 902 for cheap, if the 903 is a little rich for you for stand-by mode.
 
I use a Soloist amp in my desktop setup at work, and while I really can't complain, the Burson seems to me a little too bright (fatiguing) with some headphones, and its chief claim to fame seems to be its 'moar power'.  I mostly have to use the first 1-2 click positions on the stepped volume attentuator for headphone listening.  Hardly ideal, as maybe it's optimized for its pre-amp function or orthos.

 Actually , I should have said "Soloist" I source directly from my Oppo , pretty simple setup, no need for a DAC.Maybe down the road I'll revisit the wonderful world of amps, but I'm more than content with my Bakoon.I do want one "open" headphone though...

 

[jacal01]

Yeah, most remaining CD player models have an onboard upsampling DAC as well as disk transport.  I have a Cambridge 851C that I use like that, feeding directly into my SET tube amp and speakers for my morning and cooking time ambient music.  And ironically, it usually cost more to get a disk transport only model without the DAC than an integrated disk player. 
 
But the new disk transport models appear now to double duty as a download audio file server as well, and that's exciting, because you can avoid using a USB port entirely to output your digital file data to an external DAC, using instead the made for audio ports such as RCA/BNC SP/DIF and EBU/AES/XLS, and in a rare case direct I2S. USB was never intended for audio data feed, and while USB digital input conversion circuits to I2S are continually improving, inherent problems with maintaining original audio output data integrity will always remain.
 
Having said all that, I'm proud of my PSA PWT transport feeding into an audio-gd M7 DAC via balanced HDMI I2S.  That was a minor triumph, altho none of the DIY board work effort was mine.     

 

[Sanlitun]

I was curious, are there any published measurements for either the HPA-21 or HPA-01? I have been looking around but other than a little bit of info on the Satri modules themselves I can find nothing at all.

 

[Soned]

  You can always try out the LCD-3's using CableCo's headphone lending library. Not sure how long the wait is for the LCD-3's right now, but for 5% of the purchase price you can rent them for a few weeks, and then if you want to buy them new (or any other HP) they'll credit you with the cost of the rental. That's how I tried out the LCD-X's and it worked great. Enjoy!

I just pulled the trigger on an LCD-3.I couldn't resist the deal, brand new

 

[mscott58]

  I just pulled the trigger on an LCD-3.I couldn't resist the deal, brand new

Congrats! See you over at the LCD-3 forum! 

 

[Soned]

  Congrats! See you over at the LCD-3 forum! 

Thanks

 it was inevitable . Lots of LCD-3 forums, which gets the most action?

 

[vert]

  Ah, there's a saga for you and the subject of hundreds of postings on this site and much hand-wringing and debate. Audeze incorporated the "Fazor" wave-guide technology pioneered in the LCD-X/XC into their LCD-3's without telling anyone, so there are now LCD-3C's (classic) and LCD-3F's (Fazorized) out there (although Audeze does not use this classification, it's more of a Head-Fi thing).

Yes, nothing like audio nervosa!
 
I noticed now all I hear is noise going back to my previous headphone amp reference. It's amazing how quickly our ears adjust to a new a piece of equipment that raises the bar.
 
Does anyone find the sound on the Bakoon to be a bit a soft though? Or is it just the lack of edge from the noise/grain that we're used to hearing that's no longer there? 

 

[mscott58]

  Thanks

 it was inevitable . Lots of LCD-3 forums, which gets the most action?

These are the two I follow:
New Audeze LCD3
 

Audeze LCD-3 Impressions Thread

 
Enjoy!

 

[mscott58]

  Yes, nothing like audio nervosa!
 
I noticed now all I hear is noise going back to my previous headphone amp reference. It's amazing how quickly our ears adjust to a new a piece of equipment that raises the bar.
 
Does anyone find the sound on the Bakoon to be a bit a soft though? Or is it just the lack of edge from the noise/grain that we're used to hearing that's no longer there? 

vert - How would you describe the "soft" element you are experiencing? Does it affect any specific frequency range? 
 
In my experience the Bakoon sound is different in being able to hear every detail and contour of the sounds. What once sounded like a standard bass with not a lot of texture now has the full "space" and tone around the instrument, almost like you could identify the brand if you knew bass guitars really well. One reviewer said that if you focus on any specific instrument or voice you'll hear more than you ever thought you could, and that when you pull back and let the whole sound envelop you that you get the full picture, in a way that is different from what you are used to as all the detailed pieces fit together. I think that's a good description. 
 
Finally there is also the element of break-in, which is not as great on the Bakoon as say it was on my Burson Conductor, but there is still some smoothing out that happens with a bit more playing. However, you can't leave it on 24/7 to help speed the process due to the batteries. Yes, you pay for the black background with that darned charging cycle! 

 

[kurochin]

I personally found the HPA-21 a tad too reserved with the pre-fazor LCD-3. I think it's mainly to do with how the amp in Current mode drives headphones based on their impdance curves. With orthos having almost ruler flat impedance curves to start with, you get a clean, smooth and neutral kind of amplification from the Bakoon. Great if you want that kind of sound, but I preferred the more energetic way it drove standard dynamic driver cans, particularly the TH-900 in low-gain Current mode.

Admittedly, I didn't give the Voltage mode much of a go during my short time with the HPA-21. Maybe I would've preferred it's signature with orthos in that mode. Or maybe the various DACs I employed in the chain just failed to give the HPA-21/LCD-3 combo that special extra.