[itwasluck]

It feels like I have been posting far too much in the Silver Fox thread. I have the Little Silver Fox after all! I have been using and enjoying the amp for the last week or so. I’ve been leaving it on most of the time with music being fed to it.

I’ve experimented with a variety of different combinations of inputs, output modes and impedance settings. With my Elite and Auteur I have pretty much settled on using the XLR input, 4-pin XLR output, High Impedance, and Parallel mode as my optimal settings. I occasionally switch to BTL mode, but only with the Elite. BTL mode has too much of a noise floor with the Auteur unless I switch to Low Impedance 2 or 3.

There is definitely more background noise from the amp when using the single-ended RCA inputs. The amp converts the signal to balanced, and this conversion introduces some noise. I’d personally recommend sticking to the XLR inputs. If you only have a single-ended DAC, it’s worth investing in some RCA-to-XLR adapters to avoid this noise floor issue.

The amp has been treating me to some wonderful listening sessions! It’s good enough that I have officially put my former number one, the Quicksilver Headphone Amp, up for sale. That was my plan when buying the Little Silver Fox, but I wasn’t sure if it would live up to the high expectations I set for it. Luckily for me, it is an exceptionally musical amp that pulls at my heartstrings just like a good tube amp has the ability to do.

The form factor is quite large for an amp called the Little Silver Fox. It’s by far the biggest headphone amp I’ve ever used, much less owned. I have grown to like the volume knob that I was a little critical of at first. It’s high quality in feel and looks. I’m almost positive it’s metal at this point. I’m really glad I went with the silver version over the black. While the black unit is very handsome, it is also a dust and fingerprint magnet. Silver always manages to look clean!

I believe the weakest link in my chain is my DAC at this point. I’ve always been very satisfied with my OG Bifrost 2, but this amp along with my Meze Elite has me considering an upgrade. I’m leaning towards a Yggdrasil variant, but I’m open to suggestions.

I actually wonder if I’d even be able to tell the difference between my Little Silver Fox and the full-size Silver Fox. The Meze Elite is so relatively easy-to-drive that the Little is basically overkill already as far as power output is concerned. I also think that the most important aspects of the Silver Fox’s amp design made their way into the Little version. In that regard, I believe this amp is an excellent deal for the asking price.

I do wonder how it stacks up against the other popular high-end solid-state amps, namely the V550 and Bliss. I’m not curious enough to make any more purchases though! The Little Silver Fox does everything I need it to in my setup. It’s allowed me to get out of the tube hunt for the foreseeable future, which was a constant drain on my wallet. For that I am very thankful!

I hope some more Little Silver Fox owners join the conversation soon! Thanks again to @ArthurPower and @project86 for helping me decide on this amp. The advice from both of you was very helpful along the way!

Thank you for your thoughts! If you are looking at a DAC rec, I cannot recommend the Gustard R26 enough. It has a way of producing sounds that seems limitless, on chip based DACs you can tell where sounds end. There is a hard wall where music just stops, with the R26, music comes from everywhere, there is this airiness to every sound its quite astonishing. It's such an organic sounding DAC without the limitation of traditional R2Rs, this has just the right speed, no muddiness whatsoever, bass impact is hard, and soundstage is truly holographic. You won't be hammered by details either, it will present in a smooth way.

For the price, the A26 and R26 easily match DACs 2-3 times their price, I highly recommend checking the comparison thread there!
(https://www.head-fi.org/threads/comparisons-gustard-a26-vs-r26-discrete-dac.968200/)

 

[RobertSM]

It feels like I have been posting far too much in the Silver Fox thread. I have the Little Silver Fox after all! I have been using and enjoying the amp for the last week or so. I’ve been leaving it on most of the time with music being fed to it.

I’ve experimented with a variety of different combinations of inputs, output modes and impedance settings. With my Elite and Auteur I have pretty much settled on using the XLR input, 4-pin XLR output, High Impedance, and Parallel mode as my optimal settings. I occasionally switch to BTL mode, but only with the Elite. BTL mode has too much of a noise floor with the Auteur unless I switch to Low Impedance 2 or 3.

There is definitely more background noise from the amp when using the single-ended RCA inputs. The amp converts the signal to balanced, and this conversion introduces some noise. I’d personally recommend sticking to the XLR inputs. If you only have a single-ended DAC, it’s worth investing in some RCA-to-XLR adapters to avoid this noise floor issue.

The amp has been treating me to some wonderful listening sessions! It’s good enough that I have officially put my former number one, the Quicksilver Headphone Amp, up for sale. That was my plan when buying the Little Silver Fox, but I wasn’t sure if it would live up to the high expectations I set for it. Luckily for me, it is an exceptionally musical amp that pulls at my heartstrings just like a good tube amp has the ability to do.

The form factor is quite large for an amp called the Little Silver Fox. It’s by far the biggest headphone amp I’ve ever used, much less owned. I have grown to like the volume knob that I was a little critical of at first. It’s high quality in feel and looks. I’m almost positive it’s metal at this point. I’m really glad I went with the silver version over the black. While the black unit is very handsome, it is also a dust and fingerprint magnet. Silver always manages to look clean!

I believe the weakest link in my chain is my DAC at this point. I’ve always been very satisfied with my OG Bifrost 2, but this amp along with my Meze Elite has me considering an upgrade. I’m leaning towards a Yggdrasil variant, but I’m open to suggestions.

I actually wonder if I’d even be able to tell the difference between my Little Silver Fox and the full-size Silver Fox. The Meze Elite is so relatively easy-to-drive that the Little is basically overkill already as far as power output is concerned. I also think that the most important aspects of the Silver Fox’s amp design made their way into the Little version. In that regard, I believe this amp is an excellent deal for the asking price.

I do wonder how it stacks up against the other popular high-end solid-state amps, namely the V550 and Bliss. I’m not curious enough to make any more purchases though! The Little Silver Fox does everything I need it to in my setup. It’s allowed me to get out of the tube hunt for the foreseeable future, which was a constant drain on my wallet. For that I am very thankful!

I hope some more Little Silver Fox owners join the conversation soon! Thanks again to @ArthurPower and @project86 for helping me decide on this amp. The advice from both of you was very helpful along the way!

What's your budget for a new DAC?

 

[ckhirnigs113]

What's your budget for a new DAC?

Probably no more than $2K. I was planning on getting a used Yggy A2 or LIM. If I get a good deal on a B-stock from Schiit, that would be ideal.

 

[RobertSM]

Probably no more than $2K. I was planning on getting a used Yggy A2 or LIM. If I get a good deal on a B-stock from Schiit, that would be ideal.

I think the Yggy is a great DAC. All of the versions too!

 

[ckhirnigs113]

I don't really have any complaints with my current chain: Zen Stream>OG BF2>Little Silver Fox>Meze Elite. I might have to sell a few more things before the DAC upgrade. My Quicksilver tube amp is currently for sale, and I am tentatively considering selling my Auteur. I listen to the Elite 99% of the time at this point, so I'm only holding on to my Auteur out of sentimentality. It's also one of the most-handsome ZMFs Zach has ever made, in my opinion at least!

 

[ken6217]

Any other impressions of the Little Fox?

 

[ckhirnigs113]

I’m not sure if anyone has heard the amp besides me and @project86. I assume there will be a few new owners soon, but most people at this price tier probably can’t resist the temptation to go all in on the full-size Silver Fox.

 

[itwasluck]

Any other impressions of the Little Fox?

I should be ordering mine very soon!

I’m not sure if anyone has heard the amp besides me and @project86. I assume there will be a few new owners soon, but most people at this price tier probably can’t resist the temptation to go all in on the full-size Silver Fox.

For me its simply because the full sized one can't fit onto my setup nicely. The Little SIlver Fox on the other hand will stack quite nicely with the R26!

 

[ken6217]

I’m curious of the tonality of one versus the other. Do you still get that same muscular sound signature, or is it leaner and more neutral?

 

[ckhirnigs113]

I’m curious of the tonality of one versus the other. Do you still get that same muscular sound signature, or is it leaner and more neutral?

@project86 and @ArthurPower are the only ones who can answer that one.

 

[project86]

Copy and paste from my PM with @ken6217 about the differences between the two:


After doing careful comparison, I do hear a bit more of a difference than I did at first. I still very much appreciate that the Little version captures a healthy dose of the magic heard from the full size model. It's got very similar tonality and character but just doesn't go as far in most aspects. The big version has more resolution, more extension on both ends, superior imaging/openness, and just hits with more authority. If you have a system capable of taking advantage of it, there's definitely some worthwhile benefits to be had by going all out with the original model, if you can stretch the budget.

That said, I will reiterate that the Little Silver Fox is an absolutely killer value. At roughly 57% of the cost of the big model, I'd say it delivers maybe 75% of the performance (arbitrary number but you get the idea - the value ratio is in our favor). And depending on the rest of the system it may actually sound nearly indistinguishable from big brother.

 

[ken6217]

If anyone is interested, @ArthurPower has both a silver and a black Little Silver Fox open box amp for sale at a great price. You won’t find a better amp for that price.

 

[RobertSM]

If anyone is interested, @ArthurPower has both a silver and a black Little Silver Fox open box amp for sale at a great price. You won’t find a better amp for that price.

Bummer! I was too late. I see a black demo LSF for sale on the Power Holdings site but it looks like the silver unit has been sold.

 

[ken6217]

Bummer! I was too late. I see a black demo LSF for sale on the Power Holdings site but it looks like the silver unit has been sold.

It’s not. Arthur didn’t list it yet. Drop him an email.

 

[ken6217]

I just looked and I don’t see the black, but now I see a silver. I guess he sold the black?