[JWahl]

This is exactly what I feel about my stock Composer + Soloist after ~100 hours of burn-in time)

Anyway, I'm quite intrigued by all sparkos feedback in this thread.
I spoke to their local dealer yesterday, they have them in stock.
We'll see since I'm happy with the stock so far.

I think it is worth it. What I'm still trying to decide is if I prefer all SparkoS in the Soloist, or 1 pair of each mixed. Keeping one pair of the vivid in the buffer stage keeps some of the richness/sweetness at the slight cost of ultimate texture and resolution. I think the all-SparkoS configuration is technically more accurate and less colored, but can be a little less forgiving of poor recordings. I'm still leaning toward the full SparkoS configuration.

 

[Swisstoni]

yes

 

[Swisstoni]

Thanks gents,

Should have asked before I ordered a new balanced headphone cable but thanks for the info !

Glad to know I've not wasted a purchase

 

[Vercingetirex]

Asking again. Has anyone come from the Jotunheim 2 or Lake People G111 and can provide comparisons?

 

[qsk78]

Asking again. Has anyone come from the Jotunheim 2 or Lake People G111 and can provide comparisons?

I owned Violectric HPA V181 from Lake People. Ideal match for the HD800S. Very nice amplifier, transparent and detailed but it did not have enough power for my planars.
Soloist has roughly 2 times more power. If you need power from Lake People this will be their most expensive amplifiers like V281 and new generation including Nimbus line. So the price will be 2-4 times higher than Soloist.

 

[Slim1970]

I owned Violectric HPA V181 from Lake People. Ideal match for the HD800S. Very nice amplifier, transparent and detailed but it did not have enough power for my planars.
Soloist has roughly 2 times more power. If you need power from Lake People this will be their most expensive amplifiers like V281 and new generation including Nimbus line. So the price will be 2-4 times higher than Soloist.

I sold my Soloist 3XP when I got my Violectric V281. I just prefer the tone, the treble tuning, and bass punch of the V281 more. Not to mention it’s just as airy sounding as the Soloist but with a more weighted, authoritative sound. It’s a great match with my HD800S’s

 

[SQ13]

I think the V281 or V550 and Soloist 3xp are good amps to drive demanding headphones, just different flavours. it’s just down to individual’s sound signature preference and cost. i would like to try the Sparkos Aries and the Vioelectric V590/550.

 

[godmax]

Asking again. Has anyone come from the Jotunheim 2 or Lake People G111 and can provide comparisons?

I owned Violectric HPA V181 from Lake People. Ideal match for the HD800S. Very nice amplifier, transparent and detailed but it did not have enough power for my planars.
Soloist has roughly 2 times more power. If you need power from Lake People this will be their most expensive amplifiers like V281 and new generation including Nimbus line. So the price will be 2-4 times higher than Soloist.

I sold my Soloist 3XP when I got my Violectric V281. I just prefer the tone, the treble tuning, and bass punch of the V281 more. Not to mention it’s just as airy sounding as the Soloist but with a more weighted, authoritative sound. It’s a great match with my HD800S’s

I have the Soloist 3XP along with the HeadAmp GS-X mini and Violectric V281 in my collection, each of them offers some slightly different representation of sound that allows me to pair with different headphones dependent on mood and liking. While the Soloist 3XP might be the "leanest" sounding of all 3, the sense of space (having the notes just a hair longer lingering around) is the most appreciated quality of the Soloist for me. Bass emphasised headpones (like the EM-U Teak), just sound more educated on the Soloist

 

[Sam Spade]

I think the V281 or V550 and Soloist 3xp are good amps to drive demanding headphones, just different flavours. it’s just down to individual’s sound signature preference and cost. i would like to try the Sparkos Aries and the Vioelectric V590/550.

I think the Sparko Aries will make an impact on a lot of people. And i love my burson conductor 3x ref.

 

[normie610]

Posted this at the Diana thread, but I guess it’s relevant to do it here as well. Brilliant sounding combo

 

[realmassy]

Beautiful setup ^

 

[JWahl]

Please report back your findings on the HE6SE... that adorama price is great.

Got it in today (HE-6SE V2) and.....I'm hoping there's some burn-in/brain adjustment that needs to happen because my first impression is underwhelming, to be honest. It's a little brighter in the highest frequencies but still kind of warmer overall than my HD-650 (Modded). It's almost like there's some kind of distinct frequency suckout (maybe more than one) relative to my HD-650. It also feels more dynamically constrained. The Soloist 3X gets loud enough on high gain, but it might still be underpowered in terms of current delivery compared to a speaker amp. I owned the OG HE-6 many years ago and so far, this is nothing close to how I remember the old ones. I'll give it some more time and see. Some other users have reported positive results with removing the felt behind the drivers. I may try that later. It just sounds more muffled and laid back than I was expecting. Better recorded tracks fare a little better, but I was just expecting to be a little more wowed to be honest. On the plus side, they're actually fairly comfortable and seem lighter than I remember the original HE-6 being.

 

[Slim1970]

Got it in today (HE-6SE V2) and.....I'm hoping there's some burn-in/brain adjustment that needs to happen because my first impression is underwhelming, to be honest. It's a little brighter in the highest frequencies but still kind of warmer overall than my HD-650 (Modded). It's almost like there's some kind of distinct frequency suckout (maybe more than one) relative to my HD-650. It also feels more dynamically constrained. The Soloist 3X gets loud enough on high gain, but it might still be underpowered in terms of current delivery compared to a speaker amp. I owned the OG HE-6 many years ago and so far, this is nothing close to how I remember the old ones. I'll give it some more time and see. Some other users have reported positive results with removing the felt behind the drivers. I may try that later. It just sounds more muffled and laid back than I was expecting. Better recorded tracks fare a little better, but I was just expecting to be a little more wowed to be honest. On the plus side, they're actually fairly comfortable and seem lighter than I remember the original HE-6 being.

The Soloist is a little to bright and airy sounding for the HE6se’s. It can drive them with no problem but it lacks the body and tone to be a good match amp wise for them in my opinion.

 

[JWahl]

Got it in today (HE-6SE V2) and.....I'm hoping there's some burn-in/brain adjustment that needs to happen because my first impression is underwhelming, to be honest. It's a little brighter in the highest frequencies (around 10k Hz) but still kind of warmer overall than my HD-650 (Modded). It's almost like there's some kind of distinct frequency suckout (maybe more than one) relative to my HD-650. It also feels more dynamically constrained. The Soloist 3X gets loud enough on high gain, but it might still be underpowered in terms of current delivery compared to a speaker amp. I owned the OG HE-6 many years ago and so far, this is nothing close to how I remember the old ones. I'll give it some more time and see. Some other users have reported positive results with removing the felt behind the drivers. I may try that later. It just sounds more muffled and laid back than I was expecting. Better recorded tracks fare a little better, but I was just expecting to be a little more wowed to be honest. On the plus side, they're actually fairly comfortable and seem lighter than I remember the original HE-6 being.

After an hour or so of brain adjustment/burn-in it does seem to improve a bit. It still feels underwhelming though, even at the discount price. Although the treble quantity isn't as offensive as the HE-4xx I had, there's a similar slight metallic sheen to it that annoys me. Resolution and separation is a little better than my HD-650. To be honest, I'm wondering if it's just less forgiving and what I'm perceiving is just the so-called Delta-Sigma treble quality that the HD-650 may be covering up? I'll reserve final judgement until the Bifrost 2 arrives to use as the source. Right now I'm using the Neo iDSD as source into the Soloist.

I also want to clarify that when I say it seemed a little muffled, I don't mean the whole sound, but just certain parts. It's probably the slight 1k-2k Hz dip. By comparison, once my brain is adjusted to the HE-6SE V2, going back to the HD-650 immediately sounds a little muffled and closed in by comparison. As I was typing this I hooked the Modius back up to the Soloist, and it takes a little of the metallic edge off. This could be promising for the Bifrost 2 pairing. I think the Neo is a little elevated in the upper treble, and I probably didn't notice on the HD-650. Maybe I'll try some software EQ later. I think if some of the frequency oddities are normalized, it could really have potential. It seems like it's gradually opening up to become a little closer to what I was expecting. On certain tracks, I almost think I hear a little distortion on the left channel, but I'm not sure. I do have a strong suspicion that these Adorama discount specials are really just Hifiman QC rejects that function, but maybe don't meet their measurement standards for channel matching or distortion (think binning in the silicon industry). No measurement gear here to test that theory though, so it's just speculation. I'm really hoping the Bifrost 2 does improve it with regard to the upper-treble sheen, because it's really just on the cusp of greatness but not quite there. I'm hoping it's just exposing the downstream weaknesses in my chain.

One other nitpick unrelated to sound. The cable sheathing...is bizarre. Someone said it feels like a straw, but to me it's like the cable is sheathed in one long and slightly stiff green onion.

 

[JWahl]

The Soloist is a little to bright and airy sounding for the HE6se’s. It can drive them with no problem but it lacks the body and tone to be a good match amp wise for them in my opinion.

I can believe that. It is almost makes me tempted to go for the Fluxlab FA-10 and cash out the difference. I can tell the potential that these headphones have. I think I just started with a poor synergy off the bat. Throwing a V6 Vivid pair back in the buffer stage also helps a bit (I've been using the SparkoS in both spots).