[HC1205]

I've been a/bing Power amp mode and found out it does make the music more energetic and hits bass harder. Also compared to modius, the composer brings a clearer and bigger soundstage. Really glad about my purchase now I can't imagine better sounding than right now haha

 

[531412]

Has anyone experience (and compared) with the Soloist 3XP and the Conductor 3XP?
Currently, I have a Fiio K9 Pro, but I want a bit more smoothness and character in my music. Option a) would be the Fiio K9 Pro as DAC and the Soloist as amp and option b) would be a replacement and switch completally to the Conductor 3XP.

 

[MalinYamato]

Ok 3GT on GT speciffic Supercharger vs 3XP on Supercharger impressions time :

- GT has about 10% more perceived power. 60 on GT = roughly 66 on 3XP
- GT is a lot wider, and this is the main difference
- Tonality is very similar, GT has the 3XP sound characteristics with all the good and bad
- GT on vivids can still produce harsh treble with sets like 1266 TC, but that's why we do op amp rolling which I will do in the next few days after it burns in a bit more

So in short, 3GT is a wider version of 3XP.

For 1266 TC - still has hot top end on vivids but you can op amp roll to change the tuning.
For Empire Ears Odin - it still has audible noise floor (no black background), but other than that it's spectacular. Odins are so wide on it it's unbelievable, the whole range is super smooth, precise, holographic, full bodied, it's a god tier pairing (minus the silightly noisiy background).

Also fan noise on mine is audible, had to stuff it on one of the lower shelves next to my desk, but it's still audible.

I will be keeping it tho, because the sound stage upgrade is seriously impressive.

Crossfeed is implemented well, it's subtle and organic on 1266. It's a nice feature if you want to play with the width of the soundstage and the FR. At the moment I have it off because I'm enjoing the width of the stage comparing to 3XP.

I will follow up with some op amp rolling impressions.

Update :
I have been feeding it with Holo May L2 which is also a full dual mono design, so the GT allows for harnessing the full performance of a dual mono DAC. Your mileage may vary with lesser source, for me the differnce in staging is really pronounced.

the newest GTs comes with a new fan it seems, from noctua that is more silent. If you have the old black fan you may perhaps swap it with a noctua.

 

[emorrison33]

Ordered a Soloist yesterday. Shipped out already. Expected to arrive next Tuesday! "Upgrading" from a Jot 2. I wanted to try something non-schiit, so hoping I get some improvement...looking mostly for a little more soundstage, maybe some extra detail. There's no where around me to try before I buy. Well there is one place not too far away, but it's for EXTREMELY high end audio gear, mostly home audio type stuff. Anyway, I will be running a Bifrost 2 balanced into a Lokius balanced into the Soloist, balanced.

 

[TheFrator]

"Upgrading" from a Jot 2

Please do share your comparison between the two amps. I own the Soloist but can't help but to feel that it might be overkill

 

[msing539]

Hello, I'm the same, 52 is less noisy than 51. Have you solved this?

Interesting... on my 3XP, there is a hiss on high gain only present at certain locations on the pot, and it is consistent at these locations--

0-19 - no hiss
20-35 slight hiss
36-51 more hiss
52 up - no hiss

There's an audible small pop whenever it changes from no hiss to hiss. Also using the super charger.

 

[emorrison33]

Hello, I'm the same, 52 is less noisy than 51. Have you solved this?

After reading all 163 pages of this thread, I think I can answer this for you...in some, if not all of the first few batches of this amp, the volume control chip has the volume issue at 51, 52. You can contact Burson and they will send you a new one/replacement.

 

[Tormenta]

Interesting... on my 3XP, there is a hiss on high gain only present at certain locations on the pot, and it is consistent at these locations--

0-19 - no hiss
20-35 slight hiss
36-51 more hiss
52 up - no hiss

There's an audible small pop whenever it changes from no hiss to hiss. Also using the super charger.

My amplifier is 3x gt. As a result of the manufacturer's inquiry, it is said that it is a characteristic of the volume chip of use. It's not inconvenient to use.

 

[Tormenta]

After reading all 163 pages of this thread, I think I can answer this for you...in some, if not all of the first few batches of this amp, the volume control chip has the volume issue at 51, 52. You can contact Burson and they will send you a new one/replacement.

Thank you bro

My amplifier is 3x gt. As a result of the manufacturer's inquiry, it is said that it is a characteristic of the volume chip of use. It's not inconvenient to use.

 

[emorrison33]

Thank you bro

My amplifier is 3x gt. As a result of the manufacturer's inquiry, it is said that it is a characteristic of the volume chip of use. It's not inconvenient to use.

Good to know! but if it's not inconvenient, and the music sounds good, it doesn't really matter!

 

[emorrison33]

My Soloist arrived on Friday. Not sure how it shipped from Hong Kong in 2 days, but I'm happy that it did. My initial thoughts are below. Keep in mind this is only after about 10 hours of listening, and my ears are 52 years old....I can't hear anything past 16 or 17 kHz. The amp I have to compare it to, is the Jot 2. I have only used it balanced, input and output, with the Meze Empyrean. Chain is Bifrost 2<Lokius<Soloist.
1) This amp runs hot! I can't leave my hand on the left hand side for than 10 seconds. I don't think it would burn me, but it gets uncomfortable. I would not leave this amp on, if I was not using it.
2) This amp has some power. You can just plain hear it. I started with Low gain, and I was up in the 80's on the volume. Switched to Medium gain, normal listening is in the 30's.
3) Soundstage is more holographic than the Jot 2. I don't think the Soloist is any wider than the Jot 2, but maybe a little more depth. There's just more spatial information than the Jot 2, which is why I say "holographic"
4) Bass is more refined. Not as punchy as the Jot 2, but still deep. The bass on the soloist seems a little pushed back in the mix, compared to the Jot 2. I'm not saying the bass is less, just not as prominent.
5) The whole general sound is neutral. I think the Jot 2 is on the warmer side compared to the Soloist.
6) Treble has more definition/clarity and extends a little more than the Jot 2. It's crispy/sharp, but not harsh or sibilant in any way. I was using the Hart audio cable (OFC Copper) on Friday. Saturday morning I switched to the silver cable (Silver Dragon). Didn't like the silver cable with the Soloist. I thought the top end was too sharp, and it had a digital quality to it. I think the silver cable overall gave the music a digital quality actually. So I'm sticking with the copper. And I'm not a true believer in cables, but I think that's what I was hearing.
7) If we go on price alone, the Jot 2 is the better amp. The 2 amps are just that close. They are just different in certain ways. I think the Soloist steps up on a few things slightly, like the resolution/clarity/naturalness, the treble is more extended and sharper, and the bass is clearer/cleaner.
Questions for anyone that can answer: Do you need a TRSS jack for the 3.5mm output? Or is TRS ok? As in, I'm not using a headset with a microphone. Example, the Grado Hemp's are 3.5mm without an adapter. What is the power consumption? The Jot 2 is 25W. Just wondering is all.
I'll try and post my full impressions in 2 or 3 weeks, after this baby has been used awhile.

 

[TheFrator]

Questions for anyone that can answer: Do you need a TRSS jack for the 3.5mm output?

No, regular TRS will do. I have an IEM or two that I hook up directly to that 3.5mm output.

 

[531412]

7) If we go on price alone, the Jot 2 is the better amp. The 2 amps are just that close. They are just different in certain ways. I think the Soloist steps up on a few things slightly, like the resolution/clarity/naturalness, the treble is more extended and sharper, and the bass is clearer/cleaner.

But thats normal. The price does not scale lineary with the better sound. Amps in the 250 - 500 EUR range have the best price / sound ratio.
But this scaling topig is not new and not just in our audio area.

 

[akelew]

If i listen carefully even on loud songs, I can hear slight pops when switching between volume level around 90 up, this is on medium gain on my LCD-3. Is this normal?

 

[akelew]

But thats normal. The price does not scale lineary with the better sound. Amps in the 250 - 500 EUR range have the best price / sound ratio.
But this scaling topig is not new and not just in our audio area.

Hey, how does your 4Z go with the soloist? What gain/volume range do you tend to use? Any power amp mode?