Dac-amp combo unit that can drive AB-1266 & Susvara?
Apr 27, 2021 at 12:57 AM Post #2 of 12
Flux FCN-10, drive HE6se perfectly.
 
Apr 27, 2021 at 10:42 AM Post #4 of 12
roach7 said:
awesome, let me look into this!
Click to expand...

You can also read reviews of the Flux FA-10 amp : FCN-10 is mainly a FA-10 + DAC & streamer.
 
Apr 27, 2021 at 11:25 AM Post #6 of 12
roach7 said:
thx, i'm actually reading this thread as we speak...

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/flu...people-reviews-impressions-discussion.930883/

do you know how the burson conductor 3 compares to the flux?
Click to expand...

https://soundnews.net/amplifiers/he...n-10-review-a-muscle-car-for-your-headphones/

Quoted from the above review:

«Burson Conductor 3 Reference or in short C3R ($1800) VS Flux Lab Acoustics FCN-10 or in short FCN-10

In terms of features, C3R is having an LCD screen where you can choose the selected input, it has slightly more digital inputs including a Bluetooth input. It can be used as a DAC + preamp in a speaker-based setup. Burson guys went with a dual ESS 9038Q2M setup which in their case worked absolutely great with their class-A amplification and with their discrete op-amps.

FCN-10 might not have an LCD screen, an optical, coaxial and Bluetooth input, but on the other hand, it has a full blown streamer inside working via Ethernet or via Wi-Fi, it can accept music from external USB flash or HDD drives and play it back without the need of an OS or computer. It supports DLNA and AirPlay, you can even link a Tidal, Qobuz or Google Music account to an app like Bubble UPnP and control everything with your smartphone. To me, FCN-10 is a much more advanced unit in terms of features and believe me or not, via DLNA and Wi-Fi it sounds slightly better than via USB, because it bypasses the Operating System and some of the drawbacks of the USB connection (cable quality, USB noise and latency).

In terms of power, C3R is offering about 7.5 Watts and it drove all my headphones with absolute control and authority. I didn’t like how it played with my sensitive IEMs, because at any volume position, even at the lowest, I would spot a noisier background making it absolutely unusable with IEMs, some readers even reported a bad compatibility with big and sensitive headphones like Focal Stellia. All in all, I really liked how C3R performed with the big cans, I really liked that the Burson team chose to go with an ESS chipset to counterbalance the warmth of its discrete amp section.

From the first second, FCN-10 feels more powerful, dynamics are just through the roof with this one, it is oozing bad attitude from it, it sounded nastier from the first second. It slammed harder, it offered better dynamics, they rose higher and faster with my music. I felt a slightly better engagement factor and it made me feel like the king of the hill. Both units are using dual-mono DACs so in terms of depth and soundstage I would put them both on the same boat, with just a mention that FCN-10 sounded by a hair deeper and wider especially with live music. In terms of frequency response, they both offered everything from the lowest notes to the highest octaves, so it’s a tie. As for the ultimate refinement and detail retrieval, I’m again placing the C3R slightly above the FCN-10 just because it offered a clearer background with small and big cans and as a direct result it sounded more transparent, airier and more detailed.

The things I liked more about C3R is that it offered an LCD screen, it has a optical input, so I can use it with my TV and my gaming console, it has a coaxial input, so it can be used with digital transports, with an audio receiver and also that metal remote was helping a lot especially in a speaker based setup where C3R would work as a DAC and preamp.

Everything else, I like a lot more on the FCN-10. Having more power on tap, clearer power for super sensitive loads, more advanced streaming capabilities, an internal music player, linking some Hi-Fi streaming services to it and playing it back with just a smartphone - it’s a really big thing for me and I can only congratulate the Flux lab Acoustics team for having such a nice unit at such an attractive price point. I think I found a new champion when it comes to DAC/headphone amp combos and it could probably wear that crown for a very long time. »
 
Apr 27, 2021 at 11:28 AM Post #7 of 12
cfranchi said:
https://soundnews.net/amplifiers/he...n-10-review-a-muscle-car-for-your-headphones/

Quoted from the above review:

«Burson Conductor 3 Reference or in short C3R ($1800) VS Flux Lab Acoustics FCN-10 or in short FCN-10

In terms of features, C3R is having an LCD screen where you can choose the selected input, it has slightly more digital inputs including a Bluetooth input. It can be used as a DAC + preamp in a speaker-based setup. Burson guys went with a dual ESS 9038Q2M setup which in their case worked absolutely great with their class-A amplification and with their discrete op-amps.

FCN-10 might not have an LCD screen, an optical, coaxial and Bluetooth input, but on the other hand, it has a full blown streamer inside working via Ethernet or via Wi-Fi, it can accept music from external USB flash or HDD drives and play it back without the need of an OS or computer. It supports DLNA and AirPlay, you can even link a Tidal, Qobuz or Google Music account to an app like Bubble UPnP and control everything with your smartphone. To me, FCN-10 is a much more advanced unit in terms of features and believe me or not, via DLNA and Wi-Fi it sounds slightly better than via USB, because it bypasses the Operating System and some of the drawbacks of the USB connection (cable quality, USB noise and latency).

In terms of power, C3R is offering about 7.5 Watts and it drove all my headphones with absolute control and authority. I didn’t like how it played with my sensitive IEMs, because at any volume position, even at the lowest, I would spot a noisier background making it absolutely unusable with IEMs, some readers even reported a bad compatibility with big and sensitive headphones like Focal Stellia. All in all, I really liked how C3R performed with the big cans, I really liked that the Burson team chose to go with an ESS chipset to counterbalance the warmth of its discrete amp section.

From the first second, FCN-10 feels more powerful, dynamics are just through the roof with this one, it is oozing bad attitude from it, it sounded nastier from the first second. It slammed harder, it offered better dynamics, they rose higher and faster with my music. I felt a slightly better engagement factor and it made me feel like the king of the hill. Both units are using dual-mono DACs so in terms of depth and soundstage I would put them both on the same boat, with just a mention that FCN-10 sounded by a hair deeper and wider especially with live music. In terms of frequency response, they both offered everything from the lowest notes to the highest octaves, so it’s a tie. As for the ultimate refinement and detail retrieval, I’m again placing the C3R slightly above the FCN-10 just because it offered a clearer background with small and big cans and as a direct result it sounded more transparent, airier and more detailed.

The things I liked more about C3R is that it offered an LCD screen, it has a optical input, so I can use it with my TV and my gaming console, it has a coaxial input, so it can be used with digital transports, with an audio receiver and also that metal remote was helping a lot especially in a speaker based setup where C3R would work as a DAC and preamp.

Everything else, I like a lot more on the FCN-10. Having more power on tap, clearer power for super sensitive loads, more advanced streaming capabilities, an internal music player, linking some Hi-Fi streaming services to it and playing it back with just a smartphone - it’s a really big thing for me and I can only congratulate the Flux lab Acoustics team for having such a nice unit at such an attractive price point. I think I found a new champion when it comes to DAC/headphone amp combos and it could probably wear that crown for a very long time. »
Click to expand...
i have a mix of iems & cans so i guess the burson is out :beerchug:
 
Apr 27, 2021 at 12:06 PM Post #8 of 12
roach7 said:
i have a mix of iems & cans so i guess the burson is out :beerchug:
Click to expand...

FCN-10 is an excellent combo at an « affordable » price, the other combo I would consider is the new Violectric V590, but it is 3 time the FCN10 price...
 
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Apr 27, 2021 at 12:18 PM Post #10 of 12
roach7 said:
i've heard good things on the violetric but yeah not sure if it's going to be 3x better
Click to expand...

For sure not, you also pay for the brand, more functionality, etc
 
Jun 28, 2021 at 5:52 PM Post #11 of 12
I got a HE6se v2 was wondering how the original AB1266 compares, if anyone has any general impressions it would help me out. Thanks in advance.
 
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