[greggf]

Maza says:


" Its just... after I got my VHP-2, it immidietly hitted me with a thought that my search for perfect amplifier (for me) has ended. I would LOVE to hear some SP amplifier someday, and I dont question that they are VERY good amplifiers, technically atleast, but I dont see reasons to upgrade my amplifier anymore. It delivers quite a bit of power too. Only thing that I truly want to upgrade anymore is source. It just is perfect for my ears because I simply cant hear anything wrong in its sound. What there is to upgrade?"


I agree completely. This is exactly how I feel. I was hit upside the head by this amp. My first thought was, "Well, I don't have to worry about the gd sideshow of amps anymore."

sacd lover:

This is an amazing product. Drop your skepticism. I had to, and I had as much as you have. Drop your fixation on your friend. I'm sure - well, I hope - he listens just fine.

Now shut up, get up off your fat a**, and buy a VHP-2 and try it out!

Seriously. Shut up about what you haven't heard, and stop relying upon second-hand sources. I'm sure you can afford it, based upon your gear. And it's 30 day returnable from either the manufacturer or else from Music Direct.

I say this, realizing that your innate prejudices may sour the results, but . . .

. . . I firmly believe that you'll come to the conclusion that, at the very least, the VHP-2/VAC-1 approaches Singlepower sound quality, and is a great bargain for those such as . . .

maza and myself, who prefer getting off the equipment racetrack and just getting back to the music!

 

[Dobro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaZa /img/forum/go_quote.gif Im not sure if this thread will ever go back to the topic unless OP finally posts his impressions.

He may have been frightened off by all the heat in this thread. Also he did mention time constrains. There is nothing to keep others who have heard this amp from making their contributions. Except maybe fear of being told that their opinion is invalid for one reason or another.

 

[sacd lover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tfarney /img/forum/go_quote.gif Minor clarification: I didn't say that, greggf did. My experience with studio, sound reinforcement and home speaker rigs, and my resulting views regarding the relative differences between competent electronic components, has kept me from initiating an expensive rotation of headphone equipment in the first place. I don't believe in giant-killers, because I don't believe in giants. MHO. YMMV. Tim

Whoops you are right. I dont know how I screwed that up.

I will edit the post.

 

[sacd lover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by greggf /img/forum/go_quote.gif Maza says: " Its just... after I got my VHP-2, it immidietly hitted me with a thought that my search for perfect amplifier (for me) has ended. I would LOVE to hear some SP amplifier someday, and I dont question that they are VERY good amplifiers, technically atleast, but I dont see reasons to upgrade my amplifier anymore. It delivers quite a bit of power too. Only thing that I truly want to upgrade anymore is source. It just is perfect for my ears because I simply cant hear anything wrong in its sound. What there is to upgrade?" I agree completely. This is exactly how I feel. I was hit upside the head by this amp. My first thought was, "Well, I don't have to worry about the gd sideshow of amps anymore." sacd lover: This is an amazing product. Drop your skepticism. I had to, and I had as much as you have. Drop your fixation on your friend. I'm sure - well, I hope - he listens just fine. Now shut up, get up off your fat a**, and buy a VHP-2 and try it out! Seriously. Shut up about what you haven't heard, and stop relying upon second-hand sources. I'm sure you can afford it, based upon your gear. And it's 30 day returnable from either the manufacturer or else from Music Direct. I say this, realizing that your innate prejudices may sour the results, but . . . . . . I firmly believe that you'll come to the conclusion that, at the very least, the VHP-2/VAC-1 approaches Singlepower sound quality, and is a great bargain for those such as . . . maza and myself, who prefer getting off the equipment racetrack and just getting back to the music!

Sorry,

I have been through almost every top SS amp mentioned on this forum, starting with an Audio Alchemy HPAV1.0 and McCormack Micro headphone drive I had when I joined head-fi in 2002. Since then I have progressed through a Headroom MOH, Pint, Gilmore V1/V2/V2-SE and GS-1 .... and I currently have a balanced Square Wave and a maxxed Mini-3 portable. I have also had some lengthy auditions = 2 weeks or so with RSA's, PS Audio and the like. I will say the balanced SS amp is quite a bit better than usual .... but I still prefer any of my single ended tube amps. I have NEVER heard a SS amp that compares with tubes for long term satisfaction for me .... and I have been in this hobby for close to 40 years.

The SS amps sound good to begin with but I soon start hearing the treble flaws and/ or grating high order harmonics??? that put me off .... and always lose interest. I especially dislike most chip based amps which is another reason I am skeptical about the CI. I have proven to myself repeatedly I dont like something about chip amps. I am sure I will hear the CI at a meet sometime. But, I am not going to buy one.

Do, I really think the CI will surpass what I own or have owned .... the answer is no. I also think that part of your inability to hear much difference between the Zana and the CI is .... source: Onkyo DX-7555 cd player. I should have checked your profile sooner. Someday I think you will discover that the better amps scale with better sources and that an amp like the CI will not. I have an Eastsound E5 that is a competent player. But, the E5 definitely holds back my better amps and makes all of them much closer in sound quality compared to my Sacdmods players or modded Zhalou dac's.

Furthermore, I dont know about you, but I dont buy things I think I would return. That is a disservice to the seller and only wastes money I could spend on what I know I like.

Like this ..... and no the amp IS NOT a SP.

 

[tfarney]

MaZa said:

Quote:

Only thing that I truly want to upgrade anymore is source.

Even there, I'd proceed very slowly with my ears wide open and a big measure of skepticism. Most people listen almost exclusively to redbook cds or files ripped from them. That requires nothing more than 16 bit resolution (upsampling schemes are dubious, and may even reduce resolution), and IMO anyway, the differences between good quality 16-bit DACs are at least as subtle as the differences between competent, well-matched amps. Maybe even smaller. And when they are there, they are, again, MHO, mostly due to deliberate coloration of the output stage.

This is another component that should, theoretically anyway, be transparent. Its purpose is to convert from digital data to voltage that which was converted from voltage to digital data in the studio, and - again, theoretically - the analog information at each end should match, the device should be transparent. Three things keep that from happening are analog distortion, jitter and color added deliberately to taste. The first two are negligible in most decent equipment. The last is subjective, and can be very expensive. In the studio, where coloration is something to be avoided, and uber-detail is something to be revealed, very competent, well-regarded studio clocks (Apogee Big Ben comes to mind) can be had for <$1500. Audiophiles have been known to pay a lot more for DACs, to change the sound coming out of the studio (the opposite of transparency).

Not that there's anything wrong with that. But if you're like me and you would rather have sources and amps that are relatively neutral and add color to taste in front of the signal chain (digital eq) or at its very end (transducers), good sources don't need to be expensive. If we're talking about stand-alone DACs without fancy cases, built-in amps and lots of inputs, a couple of hundred bucks, well spent, should be more than enough. It's quite a bit more than goes into the DAC built into a $2000 cd player.

Tim

 

[MaZa]

Quote:

Even there, I'd proceed very slowly with my ears wide open and a big measure of skepticism. Most people listen almost exclusively to redbook cds or files ripped from them. That requires nothing more than 16 bit resolution (upsampling schemes are dubious, and may even reduce resolution), and IMO anyway, the differences between good quality 16-bit DACs are at least as subtle as the differences between competent, well-matched amps. Maybe even smaller. And when they are there, they are, again, MHO, mostly due to deliberate coloration of the output stage. This is another component that should, theoretically anyway, be transparent. Its purpose is to convert from digital data to voltage that which was converted from voltage to digital data in the studio, and - again, theoretically - the analog information at each end should match, the device should be transparent. Three things keep that from happening are analog distortion, jitter and color added deliberately to taste. The first two are negligible in most decent equipment. The last is subjective, and can be very expensive. In the studio, where coloration is something to be avoided, and uber-detail is something to be revealed, very competent, well-regarded studio clocks (Apogee Big Ben comes to mind) can be had for <$1500. Audiophiles have been known to pay a lot more for DACs, to change the sound coming out of the studio (the opposite of transparency). Not that there's anything wrong with that. But if you're like me and you would rather have sources and amps that are relatively neutral and add color to taste in front of the signal chain (digital eq) or at its very end (transducers), good sources don't need to be expensive. If we're talking about stand-alone DACs without fancy cases, built-in amps and lots of inputs, a couple of hundred bucks, well spent, should be more than enough. It's quite a bit more than goes into the DAC built into a $2000 cd player. Tim

I've had my eyes on Stello DA100 for a while now. Im aware that it has a slight coloration, (punchier bass IIRC) but otherwise it should be quite good DAC. That slight coloration should match my rather bright taste in headphones. I doubt I would use its upsampling feature though, whole concept seems dubious at best, and luckily its toggleable. And USB input should not have any jitter at all AFAIK. If it turns out to be good, I believe it will be my last upgrade (and im already stretching the limits of my ability to hear the possible improvements). Possible switching around headphones will be just about curiosity of trying new soundsignatures, nothing more.

 

[tfarney]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaZa /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've had my eyes on Stello DA100 for a while now. Im aware that it has a slight coloration, (punchier bass IIRC) but otherwise it should be quite good DAC. That slight coloration should match my rather bright taste in headphones. I doubt I would use its upsampling feature though, whole concept seems dubious at best, and luckily its toggleable. And USB input should not have any jitter at all AFAIK. If it turns out to be good, I believe it will be my last upgrade (and im already stretching the limits of my ability to hear the possible improvements). Possible switching around headphones will be just about curiosity of trying new soundsignatures, nothing more.

Nothing wrong with a little coloration as long as you know it's there and what you want to do with it. This is about half of what "synergy" is about, IMO -- balancing colors of components and transducers (the other half is about power and load). Your last point is the reason why I want my headphone system to stay relatively neutral, though. When you can virtually change high-end speakers, completely transforming your system, for a few hundred bucks by adding a second or third pair of cans, that is remarkably powerful. But you hamstring your ability to do that if your system is balanced for "synergy" with one kind of cans. My HD580s are very warm and sound good with bright, neutral components. As long as I avoid excessively bright phones, I should be able to taste a lot of different colors with the same components. I do want to replace the old HK integrated at some point, to retrieve desk space if nothing else. But when I do, it won't be with anything that has too much personality of its own. And actually, the old HK is on the warm side. Pretty tubey for a solid state amp.

Tim

 

[MaZa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tfarney /img/forum/go_quote.gif Nothing wrong with a little coloration as long as you know it's there and what you want to do with it. This is about half of what "synergy" is about, IMO -- balancing colors of components and transducers (the other half is about power and load). Your last point is the reason why I want my headphone system to stay relatively neutral, though. When you can virtually change high-end speakers, completely transforming your system, for a few hundred bucks by adding a second or third pair of cans, that is remarkably powerful. But you hamstring your ability to do that if your system is balanced for "synergy" with one kind of cans. My HD580s are very warm and sound good with bright, neutral components. As long as I avoid excessively bright phones, I should be able to taste a lot of different colors with the same components. I do want to replace the old HK integrated at some point, to retrieve desk space if nothing else. But when I do, it won't be with anything that has too much personality of its own. And actually, the old HK is on the warm side. Pretty tubey for a solid state amp. Tim

As a metalhead, my tastes are in clarity and energy in midrange and highs and fast bass, but such headphones often lack bass strength for proper impact which this music calls for aswell. (Headphones are always about compromises. Its impossible for one driver to do it all right from what I have seen. My current SA5000 is VERY close though!) Hence the reason for source that is known for for slightly impactfull presentation of bass. (EQ isnt good, software ones atleast, it sounds wrong everytime I use it even slightly for some reason) I can accept slight coloration from source, and quite a bit of coloration from headphones if it serves the music, but none from the amplifier. Its simply not its job.

 

[tfarney]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaZa /img/forum/go_quote.gif As a metalhead, my tastes are in clarity and energy in midrange and highs and fast bass, but such headphones often lack bass strength for proper impact which this music calls for aswell. (Headphones are always about compromises. Its impossible for one driver to do it all right from what I have seen. My current SA5000 is VERY close though!) Hence the reason for source that is known for for slightly impactfull presentation of bass. (EQ isnt good, software ones atleast, it sounds wrong everytime I use it even slightly for some reason) I can accept slight coloration from source, and quite a bit of coloration from headphones if it serves the music, but none from the amplifier. Its simply not its job.

If it is properly implemented, software-based eq should only change the digital data for the volume levels of the frequencies involved. It shouldn't introduce any distortion. But eq isn't as easy as it seems, and less is almost always more. One trick I learned here recently, for example, is how to address the recessed mids of my Senns, right at the vocal range. Instead of boosting there, cut a couple of db below the range, where a big mid-bass was masking the vocal frequencies above them. It works like a charm and is very clean.

Tim

 

[MaZa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tfarney /img/forum/go_quote.gif If it is properly implemented, software-based eq should only change the digital data for the volume levels of the frequencies involved. It shouldn't introduce any distortion. But eq isn't as easy as it seems, and less is almost always more. One trick I learned here recently, for example, is how to address the recessed mids of my Senns, right at the vocal range. Instead of boosting there, cut a couple of db below the range, where a big mid-bass was masking the vocal frequencies above them. It works like a charm and is very clean. Tim

I know. I always cut too. But its not distortion im talking about. I dont know, but something goes off for my ears in the frequency response, or the sounds I alter feel like they arent part of the whole sound anymore. Hardware alterations doesnt seem to do it. For example, if I use my Little Dot with mullard tubes I get a huge bass boost to the deep and midbass regions, but when I try to do the same with EQ it sounds wrong. And I assure you, I'm always subtle when I use EQ. I boost/cut frequencies no more than 2db. Very slight finetuning is more to my tastes. But I guess it is possible that Im doing it wrong, and im just adjusting wrong frequencies. *edit* Or perhaps Im just imagining things.

 

[vcoheda]

on cd players where you can switch between upsampling and none, i always preferred upsampling.