[isuperfish]

  My Zeus-XRA is not hissing on AK380Cu and not even with the Amp on High Gain.

Did you try to hear it when the music is playing? when the music pauses there's absolutely no hiss sound. 

 

[isuperfish]

Yeah the hiss is not really bothering if i'm not in a very quiet environment and listening to quiet music. But I also saw other people saying no hiss at all, so I was wondering if there's something wrong with my AK380 or IEMs or just different standards. 

 

[proedros]

Let's just say Delta is extra lame - www.buzzfeed.com/amphtml/venessawong/delta-has-cancelled-3000-flights-this-week

 
3000 flights...damn.

 

[Kerouac]

  I actually forgot to mention this earlier, but I had the chance to A/B the XR and the XRA for the very first time, and the differences between them were larger than I had anticipated. I felt the XR had more resolution, much sharper and more precise imaging, a blacker background with greater dynamism (due to the better isolation, I presume), better linearity and coherence, and an overall more intimate and focused sound. The XRA, on the other hand, felt more stretched out, resulting in a better feeling of immensity. However, this resulted in the XRA being less engaging, as the music is more out-of-head, rather than you being in it. The XRA also sounded less resolute, and I felt the masterful balance in tuning that the XR had, was somewhat tampered with, resulting in a less even and less realistic/natural sound. I'd say, the XRA is great if you'd rather sit back and let the music surround you, at the expense of utmost detail retrieval and tonality. On the other hand, the XR is fantastic if you want to actively enjoy/critically listen to your music with ultra-high levels of engagement, clarity, and superior imaging and transparency.

 
That's an excellent (better than mine before imo) signature description of XR vs XRA, which largely corresponds with what I hear.
 
Regarding the 'less engaging and less realistic/natural' sound parts you wrote: I think that 'engaging' is mainly based on what ticks your boxes in this case. Especially when I'm listening to live recordings it sounds more realistic/natural to me, just because it is more out-of-head. But also with studio recordings, I imagine that if you would have been there during the recording and closed your eyes, the XRA would probably come closer to that experience (even on imaging) than the XR. Although the XR (like you wrote) absolutely has the edge on detail retrieval and resolution, I wouldn't call it more realistic/natural myself (but we can agree to disagree on that

)
 
I've tried the XRA with closed MAM today, but to my ears there still is some difference in signature. It absolutely does come closer to the XR's signature with MAM closed, but I wouldn't say that they sound exactly the same that way. But hey, maybe the carrot module (which I haven't got here to test) can pull that off.
 
Regarding the Paw Gold + Zeus hiss part which was mentioned before: imo it's not that bad. Sure, you can hear some hiss inbetween songs and during really silent parts, but it never ever bothered me personally. It could be a dealbreaker though if you're really focussing on...or even worse if you are highly sensitive to hiss. I can only say that I simply do enjoy that combination!

 

[Malevolent]

   
I actually forgot to mention this earlier, but I had the chance to A/B the XR and the XRA for the very first time, and the differences between them were larger than I had anticipated. I felt the XR had more resolution, much sharper and more precise imaging, a blacker background with greater dynamism (due to the better isolation, I presume), better linearity and coherence, and an overall more intimate and focused sound. The XRA, on the other hand, felt more stretched out, resulting in a better feeling of immensity. However, this resulted in the XRA being less engaging, as the music is more out-of-head, rather than you being in it. The XRA also sounded less resolute, and I felt the masterful balance in tuning that the XR had, was somewhat tampered with, resulting in a less even and less realistic/natural sound. I'd say, the XRA is great if you'd rather sit back and let the music surround you, at the expense of utmost detail retrieval and tonality. On the other hand, the XR is fantastic if you want to actively enjoy/critically listen to your music with ultra-high levels of engagement, clarity, and superior imaging and transparency.

 
Pretty well said, my friend.
 
I too, didn't really fancy the airy and expansive sound the XRA offers. Sure, the soundstage is immense, and yes, it did sound good, but I ultimately felt that its intimacy and engagement were attenuated to a point where I couldn't really fully enjoy my music.
 
I guess it's really a matter of taste (and choice). There are quite a number of people who love the XRA, but there are those who'd choose the non-ADEL version without a moment's hesitation.

 

[Cagin]

Hiss happens on the amp side of things. The more powerful the amp, the harder it is to keep the noise floor low. Most high-end IEMs won't hiss on any of these top DAPs. But the super super SUPER sensitive ones will pick up the hiss on most of them.

:confused_face_2:

The Cowon Plenue D, Fiio X5ii and Onkyo DP-X1 were more powerful than the Sony ZX-2 yet it was the Sony that was quite hissy while the others were quiet.

Using balanced 4.4mm cable on my WM1A I can hear noticeable hiss with my Zeus R whereas in single ended it was low and non distracting. That being said, the amount of improvements in the sound quality in balanced mode is such that I still prefer using it despite the hiss.

 

[PinkyPowers]

:confused_face_2:

The Cowon Plenue D, Fiio X5ii and Onkyo DP-X1 were more powerful than the Sony ZX-2 yet it was the Sony that was quite hissy while the others were quiet

Implementation is of utmost importance. Any amp can be built to be utterly silent. It's just more and more difficult the more powerful it is.

My NFB-28 is a stronger amp than any DAP, and it's dead quiet on IEMs.

 

[Deezel177]

   
That's an excellent (better than mine before imo) signature description of XR vs XRA, which largely corresponds with what I hear.
 
Regarding the 'less engaging and less realistic/natural' sound parts you wrote: I think that 'engaging' is mainly based on what ticks your boxes in this case. Especially when I'm listening to live recordings it sounds more realistic/natural to me, just because it is more out-of-head. But also with studio recordings, I imagine that if you would have been there during the recording and closed your eyes, the XRA would probably come closer to that experience (even on imaging) than the XR. Although the XR (like you wrote) absolutely has the edge on detail retrieval and resolution, I wouldn't call it more realistic/natural myself (but we can agree to disagree on that

)
 
I've tried the XRA with closed MAM today, but to my ears there still is some difference in signature. It absolutely does come closer to the XR's signature with MAM closed, but I wouldn't say that they sound exactly the same that way. But hey, maybe the carrot module (which I haven't got here to test) can pull that off.
 
Regarding the Paw Gold + Zeus hiss part which was mentioned before: imo it's not that bad. Sure, you can hear some hiss inbetween songs and during really silent parts, but it never ever bothered me personally. It could be a dealbreaker though if you're really focussing on...or even worse if you are highly sensitive to hiss. I can only say that I simply do enjoy that combination!

 
I think my conclusion is based on the fact that I tend to rely on detail retrieval and clarity to support imaging and engagement factor; the more I hear in the recording, the better I can picture the recording setting/the mixing that took place/etc., and the more "meat" I can dive into. That's simply how my brain/ears work and I can totally understand using spatiality to imagine a recording setting's dimensions (and therefore, its contents) as an alternative to that. Thank you for the kind words, good sir.
 

   
Pretty well said, my friend.
 
I too, didn't really fancy the airy and expansive sound the XRA offers. Sure, the soundstage is immense, and yes, it did sound good, but I ultimately felt that its intimacy and engagement were attenuated to a point where I couldn't really fully enjoy my music.
 
I guess it's really a matter of taste (and choice). There are quite a number of people who love the XRA, but there are those who'd choose the non-ADEL version without a moment's hesitation.

 
I concur; the XR non-ADEL was an instant purchase as soon as I made the comparison. I realised that it was an apples-to-oranges comparison rather than a better-or-worse, and I happened to enjoy apples significantly more.

 

[ironpeg]

 
Did you try to hear it when the music is playing? when the music pauses there's absolutely no hiss sound. 

No hiss while music is playing but the background isn't black while there is no music.

 

[bavinck]

Even though I find details easier to hear with the carrot:
a) not sure that makes the carrot more detailed than g1 or just easier to hear the same details.
b) the expansive, airy sound with great separation and clarity of the g1 is sooooooo good compared to the carrot. Worth it to work harder for details.
c) different presentations for different preferences. I can feel pressure build using the carrot, but not with g1 so it is worth it to me to use the Adel.

 

[isuperfish]

  No hiss while music is playing but the background isn't black while there is no music.

quite the contrary.... interesting 

 

[bavinck]

I must say, Zeus OG sure brings out the rich nature of piano.

 

[nogi replicant]

  My Zeus-XRA is not hissing on AK380Cu and not even with the Amp on High Gain.

With Zeus XRA I get no hiss on my 380 (black) alone, but very noticable hiss with 380 amp (black).

 

[Ike1985]

I actually forgot to mention this earlier, but I had the chance to A/B the XR and the XRA for the very first time, and the differences between them were larger than I had anticipated. I felt the XR had more resolution, much sharper and more precise imaging, a blacker background with greater dynamism (due to the better isolation, I presume), better linearity and coherence, and an overall more intimate and focused sound. The XRA, on the other hand, felt more stretched out, resulting in a better feeling of immensity. However, this resulted in the XRA being less engaging, as the music is more out-of-head, rather than you being in it. The XRA also sounded less resolute, and I felt the masterful balance in tuning that the XR had, was somewhat tampered with, resulting in a less even and less realistic/natural sound. I'd say, the XRA is great if you'd rather sit back and let the music surround you, at the expense of utmost detail retrieval and tonality. On the other hand, the XR is fantastic if you want to actively enjoy/critically listen to your music with ultra-high levels of engagement, clarity, and superior imaging and transparency.p

Appreciate the excellent impressions!

 

[Ike1985]

For sure, that's fair. I wasn't trying to say one was more intrinsically valueable than the other, just that I agreed that non-Adel makes details more apparent. I can see myself using both modules. I initially got the carrot just to complete the collection and curiousity about sq changes. Didn't intend on using it much, but now I am thinking it will get more use than I thought.

Imagine if they create an ADEL module that has the massive soundstage WITH detail and resolution like non-ADEL.