[Nellie75]

I really like headphone power amp mode but hate holding the button down for 12 seconds and then navigating the menu every time to use the preamp to my loudspeakers.

Would there be any negatives to using XLR splitters out the back of my DAC and feeding my Burson 3XP and a separate amp and speakers? I realize this will bypass the preamp of the Burson but my other preamp is just as good. RCA outs from my DAC are not an option at the moment.

 

[mikeypas]

Just received my Soloist 3XP today and had a question. Is there a recommended burn in time ?
It's connected to Gustard R26 DAC and first impressions aren't that great.
Firstly, with Hifiman edition XS, on low gain, I can go to 100 volume! Medium gain I can go to 65-70, and high gain around 45
I would have thought that the soloist has more than enough juice for the hifiman edition XS.

Would using balanced cables help with this situation?

(previously I was using schitt asgard 2 and there was plenty of volume around the half-way mark of the volume control)

 

[531412]

Just received my Soloist 3XP today and had a question. Is there a recommended burn in time ?
It's connected to Gustard R26 DAC and first impressions aren't that great.
Firstly, with Hifiman edition XS, on low gain, I can go to 100 volume! Medium gain I can go to 65-70, and high gain around 45
I would have thought that the soloist has more than enough juice for the hifiman edition XS.

Would using balanced cables help with this situation?

(previously I was using schitt asgard 2 and there was plenty of volume around the half-way mark of the volume control)

What? No. Never ever.
I use a HE1000V2 (non-stealth) and have approx. 75db at 35/100 in medium gain.

That you do not even use a balanced chain with your expensive equipment is a shame btw ... you should change your priority. Just smashing expensive gear together into a chain does not archive the goal

 

[Slim1970]

Just received my Soloist 3XP today and had a question. Is there a recommended burn in time ?
It's connected to Gustard R26 DAC and first impressions aren't that great.
Firstly, with Hifiman edition XS, on low gain, I can go to 100 volume! Medium gain I can go to 65-70, and high gain around 45
I would have thought that the soloist has more than enough juice for the hifiman edition XS.

Would using balanced cables help with this situation?

(previously I was using schitt asgard 2 and there was plenty of volume around the half-way mark of the volume control)

Trying adjusting the output volume on the R26. It could be low.

 

[mikeypas]

What? No. Never ever.
I use a HE1000V2 (non-stealth) and have approx. 75db at 35/100 in medium gain.

That you do not even use a balanced chain with your expensive equipment is a shame btw ... you should change your priority. Just smashing expensive gear together into a chain does not archive the goal

Wow, what a typical audiophile forum response.
I posted for some suggestions and help, not criticism. And yes, I asked whether balanced cables would help, and you tell me the exact same thing and to change my priorities?

Do the next person asking for help a favor, and don't reply

 

[mikeypas]

Trying adjusting the output volume on the R26. It could be low.

Thanks for your input. I put the R26 in FIXED mode, in order to control the volume with the Burson. I was informed this be the best setup, but I am open to try various configurations. Thanks!

 

[Marlowe]

Wow, what a typical audiophile forum response.
I posted for some suggestions and help, not criticism. And yes, I asked whether balanced cables would help, and you tell me the exact same thing and to change my priorities?

Do the next person asking for help a favor, and don't reply

I honestly refrained from posting my honest response to your earlier post, but after this petulant response I won't. You spent almost $3K in electronics to drive a relatively insensitive $500 headphone and then complain you have to raise the volume too much when you decline to spend even seventy-five bucks for a decent balanced cable. Some people have more money than sense. (I guess this particularly gnaws at me since I'd like to upgrade my primary amp and DAC this year, am leaning to a Class A amp and a R2R DAC, and my aspirational setup is the Burson Soloist 3X and Gustard R26; since I'm retired on a fixed income, that will require six months or more of saving. I may happily "settle" for something like the Singxer SA-1 and Denafrips Ares II or Twelfth edition, which will only require four months or so. And yes, I realize I am luckier than most and am being sarcastic. Mostly.)

 

[mikeypas]

I honestly refrained from posting my honest response to your earlier post, but after this petulant response I won't. You spent almost $3K in electronics to drive a relatively insensitive $500 headphone and then complain you have to raise the volume too much when you decline to spend even seventy-five bucks for a decent balanced cable. Some people have more money than sense. (I guess this particularly gnaws at me since I'd like to upgrade my primary amp and DAC this year, am leaning to a Class A amp and a R2R DAC, and my aspirational setup is the Burson Soloist 3X and Gustard R26; since I'm retired on a fixed income, that will require six months or more of saving. I may happily "settle" for something like the Singxer SA-1 and Denafrips Ares II or Twelfth edition, which will only require four months or so. And yes, I realize I am luckier than most and am being sarcastic. Mostly.)

Once again, I did not decline to spend $75 on cables, I asked if balanced would help with this situation.
You want to make assumptions, do it on your time.
I've done a lot of reading on forums before making my purchases, but these forums should be a place for people to share ideas , ask for help.

All that needed to be said was "buy a balanced cable", which is what I originally asked.

P.S. You have no idea the "audio" journey I took before purchasing these units. Don't assume $3K is nothing for me either, I saved up long time for this too.

 

[Thetaburn]

I honestly refrained from posting my honest response to your earlier post, but after this petulant response I won't. You spent almost $3K in electronics to drive a relatively insensitive $500 headphone and then complain you have to raise the volume too much when you decline to spend even seventy-five bucks for a decent balanced cable. Some people have more money than sense. (I guess this particularly gnaws at me since I'd like to upgrade my primary amp and DAC this year, am leaning to a Class A amp and a R2R DAC, and my aspirational setup is the Burson Soloist 3X and Gustard R26; since I'm retired on a fixed income, that will require six months or more of saving. I may happily "settle" for something like the Singxer SA-1 and Denafrips Ares II or Twelfth edition, which will only require four months or so. And yes, I realize I am luckier than most and am being sarcastic. Mostly.)

Nah. Save up for the Gustard x26pro or the A26.

I have had the Soloist paired with the Ares2 for a month.
The Ares 2 is good for classical and acoustic and average for rock, pop and electronics.
The soundstage is great as it has good width, depth, and layering. The vocals and timbre are great. The issue is that background instruments are soft, and diffused.
Ares 2 is average for bass as well.
TerrorSandmann stated a while back R2R dacs might not be the best pairing for the Soloist.
I am on the lookout for a Gustard for an upgrade.

 

[531412]

@mikeypas maybe I was a bit to harsh (sorry fot that), but you have spend so much money (and have bought a fully balanced amp and a fully balanced DAC) and it seems you do not even know where the difference between a balanced and a unbalanced chain is?

My recommendation: switch from RCA to XLR (the 2 cables from your DAC to your amp) and get a balanced headphonecable. This will improve several areas of your audio chain. You should have muuuuch more power. And no, I do not belive in "cable sound". Just get some with Neutrik plugs or so and you are done. 50-100$ for the 2 XLR cables is more than enough.

Side note: It is already to late, but I would never spend that much money if you have such a cheap headphone. The headphone makes 80% - 90% of the sound. DAC and amp is just fine tuning to shift the sound in the direction you prefer. The most expensive component should be the headphone and not the DAC and/or the Amp. But this are just my 50 Cent out of my experience.

 

[tigon_ridge]

@mikeypas maybe I was a bit to harsh (sorry fot that), but you have spend so much money (and have bought a fully balanced amp and a fully balanced DAC) and it seems you do not even know where the difference between a balanced and a unbalanced chain is?

My recommendation: switch from RCA to XLR (the 2 cables from your DAC to your amp) and get a balanced headphonecable. This will improve several areas of your audio chain. You should have muuuuch more power. And no, I do not belive in "cable sound". Just get some with Neutrik plugs or so and you are done. 50-100$ for the 2 XLR cables is more than enough.

Side note: It is already to late, but I would never spend that much money if you have such a cheap headphone. The headphone makes 80% - 90% of the sound. DAC and amp is just fine tuning to shift the sound in the direction you prefer. The most expensive component should be the headphone and not the DAC and/or the Amp. But this are just my 50 Cent out of my experience.

Disagree regarding the amp. DAC sure, but the amp can make an enormous difference, often night and day. Sometimes, a headphone sounds mediocre because it's just mediocre. Sometimes, it sounds mediocre because you don't have the right juice for it. You can find the right juice for your headphones, instead of just throwing money at the problem with a much more expensive headphone like a typical neophyte with more cash than experience. I spent $380 on a loudspeaker amp, and it's made my Sundara sound better than any headphone system I've ever heard, and I've owned quite a few somewhat expensive gear. Granted, I had to build an adapter and stuff, but it's cheap, easy, and fun.

There's also this weird trend within this industry/hobby where as you go higher up in $$$$ for headphones, they tend to sound more and more analytical, often to the point of being artificially detailed rather than truly transparent and natural. Don't know what that's all about, but definitely not my cup o' tea

 

[mikeypas]

I'd really love to clear the air and get passed the last few comments.
Obviously I am learning as I'm going along, but I have spent many many hours researching these products and reading on forums.
Believe me, for every user that states balanced headphone cables are better SQ than unbalanced, I can find 5 posts saying the opposite. These forums are filled with people with different experiences, finances, and preferences.

I don't just have 1 headphone and I purchased a good DAC and AMP, I have several. I wanted something that if I upgrade later on, would still be sufficient to run those.
I know adding a balanced cable will provide more power, but even so, I was curious why these such a big difference between gains (in my experience) and what others have been saying. I simply asked a question and really felt attacked for having purchased highly recommended units.

Anyway, I'd really appreciate it if we can move passed all this. I did order balanced headphone cables and interconnect, and will happily enjoy the benefits. I was never saying that I did not want these, I simply asked a question.

I hope that everyone is having a good day and enjoying their respective music systems.

(My previous setup was Topping D50 with Schitt Asgard 2 and sometimes Little Dot MKIII - so this is a sonically significant upgrade for me)

 

[The Hawk]

Firstly, with Hifiman edition XS, on low gain, I can go to 100 volume! Medium gain I can go to 65-70, and high gain around 45
I would have thought that the soloist has more than enough juice for the hifiman edition XS.

Would using balanced cables help with this situation?

(previously I was using schitt asgard 2 and there was plenty of volume around the half-way mark of the volume control)

The Soloist has plenty of power to run those cans. But even though they have low impedance they have pretty poor sensitivity (92db) so you’re going to have to at least run medium gain and crank the volume up a fair ways to play it at decently loud levels.

Don‘t fret that the Soloist does not have enough power because you have to crank the volume to what are perceived as high levels (65+ on the volume) Keep in mind the Soloist is different in its volume gain to many amps. For one it goes up very slowly in 0.5db increments and it’s linear in that regard from 0-100 (some amps the volume ramps slowly and goes up more aggressively after 12 o’clock for example) Also note that comparing it to your Asgard is kind of fruitless because it likely has a different gain structure vs the Soloist (sorry couldn’t find the gain specs of the Soloist but the Asgard is +15.6db HI / 0db LO). The Asgard also makes more power vs the single ended output of the Soloist (5w vs 4w @ 16ohm) Bottom line…..as long as you can hit the listening levels you want at say medium gain without maxing out the volume you shouldn’t be concerned.

Just to give you an example I run my LCD-X off my Soloist (which is being fed by a Bifrost 2/64 DAC using XLR out which provides 4V out) via a balanced cable. The LCD-X have similar impedance to your cans (20ohms) but are far more sensitive (103db) On medium gain I often hit 60+ on the volume indicator at what I consider to be above normal listening levels. I also have listening sessions where a music file doesn’t have a lot of volume and I have to crank the volume up to 80+ to achieve the listening level I want.

With all that out of the way I would certainly consider upgrading your headphone cable with a balanced one as it’s the only way to get the maximum output from the Burson (4W max SE / 8W max XLR) In my case I also found using the balanced output provided a small sonic benefit vs the single ended on my LCD-X. Nothing dramatic mind you just a little bit cleaner and punchier in the bottom end

Enjoy……it’s a great amplifier and will run just about anything which is nice to have for future headphone purchases when “Upgrade-itus” rears it’s head

 

[531412]

It also depends on your DAC. How much V the output of the DAC can provide. My Gustard X18 has over 5V via the balanced XLR output, that is more than average. Therefore I am around 30-40 on medium gain with my HE1000V2-nonstealth. RCA output of a DAC has usually just 2V, that is less than 50% of the output power my DAC provides. This also needs to take in consideration if you compare your "volumen setting" to others.

And I would ALWAYS recommend a fully balanced chain in case your devices have the possibility. Less crosstalk, a bit more dynamic range, much more power and not susceptible to external disturbances. It is not just 1 benefit, it provides bunch of benefits

 

[Nellie75]

So, the Soloist and Bifrost 2 stack gets pretty toasty when they're right on top of each other - too much so for my liking, even with some spacers between them. So I ended up getting a small set of shelves for them. Now I'm comfortable that the Soloist is not gonna cook the Bifrost! I'm sure it would've been fine either way, but this gives me more peace of mind.

The sound of this pairing continues to be fantastic. I was listening to Hiromi's Move and the low end piano notes had such nice weight to them. The soundstage became larger and more realistically shaped as well, which makes live albums that much more immersive.

Did you remove the rubber feet to put those after market feet on? I can’t see how to remove the rubber without tearing it.