[Triode User]

Thanks for the invitation anyway never say never Did you have a chance to compare your XA30.8 to the XA25 or any of the First Watt amps?

The invitation is open, we are middle of UK and in prime Stilton Cheese and Melton Pork Pie area!

The XA25 had not been launched when I got the XA30.8 and I never had the chance to try any of the First Watt amps. I just fell in love with the XA30.8 sound as soon as I heard it.

 

[miketlse]

They said Autumn, they didn't say in what year

The invitation is open, we are middle of UK and in prime Stilton Cheese and Melton Pork Pie area!

The XA25 had not been launched when I got the XA30.8 and I never had the chance to try any of the First Watt amps. I just fell in love with the XA30.8 sound as soon as I heard it.

It is the pork pies that are more interesting. French pork pies leave something to be desired.

 

[dakabali]

Great write up @dakabali thank you!

FedEx delivered my First Watt F2J today...I can't wait to compare BluDAVE direct vs FW F1J vs FW F2J into my Omega Super Alnico Monitors and Voxativ 9.87's. As I mentioned previously, the FW F1J's made the Omega SAMs a completely different speaker (almost full range), even with the usual hit to transparency vs BluDAVE direct.

Thanks Ray. It's a pitty my dealer hasn't got an F1(J) or F2(J) I wish you could also audit one of the SIT series along the Fs.

 

[ray-dude]

Thanks Ray. It's a pitty my dealer hasn't got an F1(J) or F2(J) I wish you could also audit one of the SIT series along the Fs.

After you get tired of pork pies, keep heading west and we can enjoy some fish tacos and margaritas while putting things through their paces!

 

[dakabali]

After you get tired of pork pies, keep heading west and we can enjoy some fish tacos and margaritas while putting things through their paces!

Haha Be prepared for a best seller cookbook "Traveling around the HiFi world or how to hear the taste" by a Central European audiophile.

 

[Triode User]

Haha Be prepared for a best seller cookbook "Traveling around the HiFi world or how to hear the taste" by a Central European audiophile.

It’s not a silly idea. I have met some really nice people who have come to listen to my system after getting in touch on Head-Fi.

 

[miketlse]

It’s not a silly idea. I have met some really nice people who have come to listen to my system after getting in touch on Head-Fi.

Not such a silly idea. Many of us enthusiasts, can identify with other enthusiasts on Head-Fi, but the next step is to say hello, and propose a communal listening session. That session enables experiences/ideas to move forward.

 

[Arcabonne]

Yesterday I visited the local Passlab/FW dealer (who happens to be the local Chord dealer, too) and managed to listen to some 95 dB speakers with FW F7, SIT-2, PL XA25 and with BluDave direct.

Thank you very much for your comments. Very appreciate.

 

[paul2qute]

It is the pork pies that are more interesting. French pork pies leave something to be desired.

The French love their food, so passionate like Focal with their or there speakers, it's a shame they lost the plot with the headphones, love the technology but please put that technology into a sound we can all love,why can't focal do bass? Is it a French thing?Keep the crossover simple, no bi wire or bi amp but things change.Company put loads of there or their profit back into improving there or their products but these are business men not the ppl that started the business with all that passion, now you have to be savvy as well as passionate but something has been lost

 

[jarnopp]

The French love their food, so passionate like Focal with their or there speakers, it's a shame they lost the plot with the headphones, love the technology but please put that technology into a sound we can all love,why can't focal do bass? Is it a French thing?Keep the crossover simple, no bi wire or bi amp but things change.Company put loads of there or their profit back into improving there or their products but these are business men not the ppl that started the business with all that passion, now you have to be savvy as well as passionate but something has been lost

I am really liking the Focal Elex and can’t wait to hear it from a TT2 and then with added mScaler. Which ‘phones are you missing bass from?

 

[paul2qute]

I am really liking the Focal Elex and can’t wait to hear it from a TT2 and then with added mScaler. Which ‘phones are you missing bass from?

Every Focal headphone that I've owned, the Focal professional,Focal Utopia, Focal Clear, bore me senseless, how a company can make headphones that sound nothing like their speaker range is beyond me and have the audacity to call one of them Utopia is laughable.
The argument... should headphones sound like speakers?absolutely but they never do,originally headphones domestically were designed to listen to music so as not to upset anyone else in the household, doesn't matter how much money they throw at the design and how much they rip the consumer off with ridiculous prices, they have never been able to achieve headphones sounding like top of the range speakers.You could say it's physically or scientifically impossible by design but how many ppl would of said that about the Chord hugo twenty years ago

 

[GryphonGuy]

The French love their food, so passionate like Focal with their or there speakers, it's a shame they lost the plot with the headphones, love the technology but please put that technology into a sound we can all love,why can't focal do bass? Is it a French thing?Keep the crossover simple, no bi wire or bi amp but things change.Company put loads of there or their profit back into improving there or their products but these are business men not the ppl that started the business with all that passion, now you have to be savvy as well as passionate but something has been lost

My experience is that Focal Utopia headphones are not lacking in bass via DAVE at least. My system has does bass quite well (IMHO) and the Utopias reflect that by making the bass impactful when the musicians play that way. Double bass string plucks from jazz musicians sound like you are at the front table in an intimate jazz hall. Utopias are THE most transparent headphones I have tried over many years. Although I must admit that I haven't tried electrostatic headphones like stax. ANY change in my system, including power cable changes, can be heard through the Utopias. So I have never understood the complaints about lack of bass through Focal Utopia headphones.

Regards
GG

 

[nogi replicant]

Each to their own. I prefer my Utopia’s over all other cans I have heard. (haven’t heard abyss phi), but have heard most others. The susvara when driven well can be as satisfying but in a very different way. I tried the Abyss Diana last week and felt the utopia was far better imo. I use a Hugo 2 for the Utopia. I have an m scaler on order and hope to throw a Dave or TT2 in the chain in the near future.

 

[doraymon]

The Etude Amplifier will be released for production in a few weeks we’ve a large number on order so they should be readily available for you to listen to one in one of our dealers shortly.

Thanks for the clarification.
I also tried to understand how much power this will put into 8 Ohm Nominal impedance speakers (either B&W CM9 or 705 S2) but could find only the information for 4 Ohm speakers (150W).
The purpose is to understand if the Etude can drive these speakers easily or I should be looking at something more powerful.

Sorry for the OT but there is no dedicated thread for this amp...

 

[Mojo ideas]

Thanks for the clarification.
I also tried to understand how much power this will put into 8 Ohm Nominal impedance speakers (either B&W CM9 or 705 S2) but could find only the information for 4 Ohm speakers (150W).
The purpose is to understand if the Etude can drive these speakers easily or I should be looking at something more powerful.

Sorry for the OT but there is no dedicated thread for this amp...

Most loudspeaker do not have anything like a flat response this mean that at different audio frequencies they will have a different impeadance the nominal swing voltage will give you 75watts at a nominal 8Ohms many speaker dip to around two Ohms so if an amplifier does not have to drive much lower impeadaces to ever increasing power levels it will be found wanting, the Etude is an outstanding amplifier capable of driving 4Ohms continuously. It has been specifically designed to take advantage of the superb qualities of the our Dave Dac
Etude will drive right down to a single Ohm for long period burst music tones so please make sure you audition one as soon as they become available around September.