Cen.Grand 9i-906 "Silver Fox"
Mar 19, 2024 at 1:39 PM Post #946 of 1,094
The Eagle has landed

I’ll need some more time with it before posting impressions but so far I can’t believe what I’m hearing with my Caldera. This is one incredibly competent SS amp

IMG_4867.jpeg
 
Mar 24, 2024 at 6:15 PM Post #947 of 1,094
I’m still trying to get my thoughts together, initial impressions are positive and I’m just blown away at how incredible this amp sounds with ZMFs

After some time comparing to my Agartha I have decided I prefer High Impedance over Low Impedance 1 (better dynamic range, sense of air and more natural decay)

Caldera - High Impedance / BTL
ZMF Dynamics (AC & VO) - High Impedance / Parallel

High Impedance / BTL with Caldera is a no brainer, it’s a more subtle distinction between the two choices with ZMF Dynamics but I feel Parallel is less shouty, has better decay and bloom, and bass is more articulated. Overall it feels like the SF is exhibiting just the right amount of control on the drivers without over damping them.
 
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Mar 27, 2024 at 7:22 PM Post #950 of 1,094
I am new to this world and I’m coming from a two channel set up. In two channel, I built my system from a top down approach. Curious if this holds any water in the TOTL headphone set ups….
What is 'top down' to you: source first? loudspeakers / headphones first? 🤔
 
Mar 27, 2024 at 8:06 PM Post #953 of 1,094
With headphones, I find that I greatly prefer solid-state amps. Which was a shock for me because with my two channel, I was a tube guy.
Which headphones? ..... I will say that with high-impedance headphones (Beyer DT880-600, ZMF dynamic-driver, Senn 600 / 6XX / 660S2), there is nothing like high output impedance tube h/p/a. With lower-impedance headphones, for me, SS can come into play. In fact, each headphone of mine has a h/p/a that I like most with that headphone 🤷🏻‍♂️🤪.
 
Mar 27, 2024 at 8:29 PM Post #955 of 1,094
Which headphones? ..... I will say that with high-impedance headphones (Beyer DT880-600, ZMF dynamic-driver, Senn 600 / 6XX / 660S2), there is nothing like high output impedance tube h/p/a. With lower-impedance headphones, for me, SS can come into play. In fact, each headphone of mine has a h/p/a that I like most with that headphone 🤷🏻‍♂️🤪.
I would normally agree with everything Jonathan stated here, however my mind was changed with the Silver Fox re: high impedance cans, specifically ZMF dynamics

@jonathan c feel free to swing by if you want to demo the SF sometime with some of your collection, just drop me a PM
 
Mar 31, 2024 at 2:23 AM Post #957 of 1,094
I’m still trying to get my thoughts together, initial impressions are positive and I’m just blown away at how incredible this amp sounds with ZMFs

After some time comparing to my Agartha I have decided I prefer High Impedance over Low Impedance 1 (better dynamic range, sense of air and more natural decay)

Caldera - High Impedance / BTL
ZMF Dynamics (AC & VO) - High Impedance / Parallel

High Impedance / BTL with Caldera is a no brainer, it’s a more subtle distinction between the two choices with ZMF Dynamics but I feel Parallel is less shouty, has better decay and bloom, and bass is more articulated. Overall it feels like the SF is exhibiting just the right amount of control on the drivers without over damping them.
Nice to see I'm not alone in this regard, if its a dynamic driver, I use parallel, and if its a planar, I go BTL!
 
Apr 8, 2024 at 5:33 PM Post #958 of 1,094
The Eagle has landed! Silver Fox is a lot prettier in person and am glad I went with black. Unit is ice cold at the moment, so I’m going to hold off on any serious listening. However, first song I listen to had the harmonic density I crave in music. Will report back later!
 

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Apr 8, 2024 at 6:07 PM Post #959 of 1,094
The Eagle has landed! Silver Fox is a lot prettier in person and am glad I went with black. Unit is ice cold at the moment, so I’m going to hold off on any serious listening. However, first song I listen to had the harmonic density I crave in music. Will report back later!
"Harmonic Density" is a great description of what the Silver Fox brings to music
 
Apr 13, 2024 at 6:36 PM Post #960 of 1,094
Got one of these used with gold knobs, feels like a real bargain. Can't wait to try it out.

Synergistic Research PINK Quantum Fuses × 1
Small 5x20mm (0.75") / Fast (F) / 16A

The above is correct I believe. Anyone confirmed the orientation?
 

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