[Slim1970]

The Pontus II gives depth to the music that the ADI-2 does not which was the dac I used previously. The Pontus II also helps the music sound more real by giving more texture to instruments.

I'm curious though what a better dac would give as the Pontus is still an entry level product from Denafrips. I'm interested in things like the Terminator Plus, Audiobyte Hydra, or the sagra dac that you use.

I have a Chord Dave as well in what I call my reference setup. I have it affixed to my GS-X MK2 because it does an outstanding job of maintaining the Dave’s transparency levels.

I find the Sagra DAC a better pairing with the Formula S/Powerman. It’s essentially made for them. So the synergy is darn good, if not outstanding. The Sagra DAC is surprisingly very detailed with incredible tone and depth to the sound. It to sounds very realistic with nice weighty notes and rich in texture. I just think this is the nature of R2R DAC’s. I’m not sure what the variance would be from moving up the ladder with a R2R DAC, but I do know moving up to the Dave from the TT2 was a revelation.

 

[qboogie]

A note on the hum that some have mentioned a few pages back. I do hear a hum with more sensitive headphones like LCD-4z and Ether CX. But I am hearing the hum with no music playing and the volume turned all the way up. The hum becomes noticeable when the knob goes to 7 o'clock or so which is way louder than I ever see myself going on this amp. It isn't really an issue when listening to music. Also I hear no hum with the 1266. It's only on the LCD-4z where I hear some noise right when I plug in the headphones but it's very quiet and I don't notice it when music is playing. I wouldn't recommend the 4z on this amp anyways just cause it's so easy to drive and the useable range of the volume knob even on low gain shows a bit of channel imbalance (to be expected with the alps pot they use).

The hum is not a problem for me though especially since I use the 1266 95% of the time and I hear no hum with that connected.

The hum I'm getting only occurs when the TT2 is connected. When you disconnect your dac is there still a buzz/ hum?

 

[cangle]

The hum I'm getting only occurs when the TT2 is connected. When you disconnect your dac is there still a buzz/ hum?

I get a constant hissing sound without the dac connected. With my dac connected over xlr, the hum only happens when I turn the volume up all the way

Edit: I plugged the power for the powerman directly into the wall and the hiss without the dac connected went away. Plugged into the wall and connected to the dac, the hum when the volume is increased is still present. I use a Furman power strip but maybe that's causing a problem

 

[jlbrach]

I have never heard a hum but I have predominantly used it with susvara and abyss tc and in the past lcd-4

 

[Slim1970]

I have never heard a hum but I have predominantly used it with susvara and abyss tc and in the past lcd-4

It’s definitely there with low impedance, high sensitivity cans. My TC’s and Susvara’s are dead quiet.

 

[cangle]

How do people connect their audio equipment (dac, amp, transport, etc) to power? I started looking into this yesterday after noticing that my Formula S and Powerman hissed when just connected to my power strip and not my dac but not when connected directly to the wall. I thought my power strip was supposed to reduce noise so was surprised to hear the hiss out of the Formula S when connected to that. Do people separate power for digital and analog components?

I've been using a Furman PST8 power strip to connect my pc and audio equipment to the wall for a year or so now. Yesterday I ordered a nicer Furman power conditioner, the Elite 15 PFI to separate my audio and pc power and also to have access to high current outlets for my amp. I think these high current outlets (up to 45 A for this unit) are more for speaker amps but don't think it would hurt for a headphone amp.

 

[qboogie]

Does anyone know how much current is being delivered into an abyss 1266 TC?

 

[MasonStorm]

My Powerman just arrived today. What’s the correct way to use the two power switches now?

1) Leave the Formula S in the On position at all times, and control the overall power only with the Powerman’s switch? Or
2) Turn on the Powerman first, and then the Formula S? (And then presumably turn off the Formula S first, and the Powerman 2nd)?

 

[DJJEZ]

My Powerman just arrived today. What’s the correct way to use the two power switches now?

1) Leave the Formula S in the On position at all times, and control the overall power only with the Powerman’s switch? Or
2) Turn on the Powerman first, and then the Formula S? (And then presumably turn off the Formula S first, and the Powerman 2nd)?

Number 1) You only need to turn the powerman on and off from now on.

 

[MasonStorm]

Number 1) You only need to turn the powerman on and off from now on.

Thank you

 

[cangle]

Does anyone know how much current is being delivered into an abyss 1266 TC?

I'm not sure about this and I've looked for Formula S current ratings on these two sites but can't find anything:
https://abyss-headphones.com/collections/abyss-electronics/products/eleven-audio-xiaudio-formula-s
http://xiaudio.net/?page_id=383 (use chrome to translate this page)

I wonder if this is something that can be computed using other parameters of the amplifier.

 

[genefruit]

I'm not sure about this and I've looked for Formula S current ratings on these two sites but can't find anything:
https://abyss-headphones.com/collections/abyss-electronics/products/eleven-audio-xiaudio-formula-s
http://xiaudio.net/?page_id=383 (use chrome to translate this page)

I wonder if this is something that can be computed using other parameters of the amplifier.

https://www.rapidtables.com/calc/electric/watt-volt-amp-calculator.html

 

[qboogie]

https://www.rapidtables.com/calc/electric/watt-volt-amp-calculator.html

Thanks. With FS power 6W into 16 ohm loads, and 1266 TC impedance 47 ohms, the calculated current output comes out to 206 mA, but what's the corresponding volume in dB?

 

[genefruit]

Thanks. With FS power 6W into 16 ohm loads, and 1266 TC impedance 47 ohms, the calculated current output comes out to 206 mA, but what's the corresponding volume in dB?

Not exactly the answer you seek but this should provide you some idea - http://www.digizoid.com/power.php as will this - https://www.headphonesty.com/headphone-power-calculator/

 

[cangle]

Got some new cables today from Audio Envy. I ended up with a pair of xlr cables and two power cables. The cables themselves are fairly lightweight and flexible and use nice connectors. Power cables are for dac and amp. I don't notice much of a difference but will let them play for a bit then swap back to what I was using before to see if I notice anything.

I also got a Furman Elite 15 pfi in the mail the other day so when I do hear something different it's hard to say what it's related to. Regardless the Formula S and Powerman still sound great with the 1266.

Here's a picture of the cables that arrived today: