[rmsanger]

This is so sad and pathetic where we need to visit each other stranger house to auditioned before making a purchase. Sad reality in the audio industry.

Well there is a tour thread going on which I just signed up for... At some point I'll get to audition the Burson 3X and just pay to ship it to the next person on the tour. I suggested for them to add the Flux Labs products so we'll see.

 

[gancanjam]

When COVID slows down a bit, I will need to visit you or you can come over again. How do you like the FCN-10 so far?

Hey @kdphan, thanks for loaning your Audio GD when I was struggling and I owe you one man! I will drop FCN-10 for your listening in a week, feel free to audition for sometime and share your impression here.

My short takeaway is that this is a good amp to be in rotation for most people out there. When cables cost $700, buying FA-10 or FA-12 or FA-10 pro for this price is a no brainer but would advice you to talk to Flux support before getting the amp of your choice with desired sound signature to be sure. However... against some of the popular sentiments out there, I do not want to call this an end game rig or the ONE amp which can replace other amps or the amp which can beat the other $4000+ amps just because this is more powerful. This amp has lot of good qualities from solid state analytical amps and with some tube amp vibes as well which I see as a positive.

Have found pairing is very important factor for this Amp with HPs as it sounds unpredictably different with different HPs and with few songs, the amp has some general characteristics which should be common across all HPs but the degree of that characteristics varies depending on the HP which is paired. For example, "Smooth Treble" is a general characteristics of this amp but the degree in which it smooths out the treble varies a lot between the three HPs i have tried. With Abyss 1266 phi it smooths treble to minimal degree, it reduces the sharp treble edges a bit but still will satisfy both Treble lovers & Treble haters with adequate sparkly Highs. With HE1000 V1 it smooths treble mainly in the sharper Mid treble region but retains High Treble region to retain decent amount of sparkles though overall treble resolution/clarity is slightly reduced. With Utopia, it smooths treble to a large degree to the point that the very lively Utopia losing shine to sound less engaging and uninteresting to my ears, treble response gets even more lower than some Tube amps I have tried with Utopia.

Likewise some songs sounds great to my taste with FCN-10 but some don't so as I said it's good to have this in rotation

Will share more impressions soon about Utopia & FCN-10, it is not my favorite pairing but some out there may like this pairing

 

[VitalyDon]

Do I understand it correctly that your review is mainly about FCN-10 as a combo but not as a separate amplifier?

 

[gancanjam]

Do I understand it correctly that your review is mainly about FCN-10 as a combo but not as a separate amplifier?

Yes review is about the FCN-10 DAC/Amp combo and not about FA-10 amplifier so say, if you use Chord Dave DAC + FA-10 Amp then it will best the FCN-10 combo any day at least in details/resolution But I think the FCN-10 combo still depicts the FA-10 signature reasonably well though so sometimes I interchangeably used FA-10 in my comments, thanks for highlighting this !

 

[rmsanger]

Yes review is about the FCN-10 DAC/Amp combo and not about FA-10 amplifier so say, if you use Chord Dave DAC + FA-10 Amp then it will best the FCN-10 combo any day at least in details/resolution But I think the FCN-10 combo still depicts the FA-10 signature reasonably well though so sometimes I interchangeably used FA-10 in my comments, thanks for highlighting this !

Well of course with the Dave. Topping D90, Ares II, MHDT Orchid, Rme Adi 2, Holo Audio spring 2 lvl 1 might be more price appropriate standalone DACs to comp. burson conductor 3xR and 3XP will also be comps as well for AIO.

 

[gancanjam]

Well of course with the Dave. Topping D90, Ares II, MHDT Orchid, Rme Adi 2, Holo Audio spring 2 lvl 1 might be more price appropriate standalone DACs to comp. burson conductor 3xR and 3XP will also be comps as well for AIO.

You should check out FCN-10 or FA-10 for your Abyss 1266, if you already have a DAC then would suggest to get (try to audition first though and i understand it is not easy ) only the FA-10 amp. They do have 15 days policy in case you change your mind, you may have to pay for shipping

 

[Slim1970]

You should check out FCN-10 or FA-10 for your Abyss 1266, if you already have a DAC then would suggest to get (try to audition first though and i understand it is not easy ) only the FA-10 amp. They do have 15 days policy in case you change your mind, you may have to pay for shipping

My Abyss are arriving today. I’m not sure when my FA-10 will be getting here. I have several DAC’s I’m going to tryout with the FA-10 but I’m leaning initially with the RME before trying it with my Chord DAC’s.

 

[rmsanger]

You should check out FCN-10 or FA-10 for your Abyss 1266, if you already have a DAC then would suggest to get (try to audition first though and i understand it is not easy ) only the FA-10 amp. They do have 15 days policy in case you change your mind, you may have to pay for shipping

Awaiting feedback on FA-10 with the 1266 phi tc before I place my order. Probably will go with a Holo Audio Dac or MHDT instead of the flux integrated.
Less interested in the FA-10 smoothing of the highs but more on mids clarity and bass impact/accuracy. My Lyr and Phonitor are not sufficiently driving the 1266s.

 

[gancanjam]

My Abyss are arriving today. I’m not sure when my FA-10 will be getting here. I have several DAC’s I’m going to tryout with the FA-10 but I’m leaning initially with the RME before trying it with my Chord DAC’s.

Unless you are a Mid's head, Abyss is one of/probably the best HP i have heard so congrats on your HP. I listened to Abyss only for a very short amount of time with Flux so take it with a pinch of salt on what i am going to describe, if you are buying FA-10 for the power to drive Abyss, support the Bass supremacy of this HP, Soundstage, impact, non sharp Treble but still very much present Treble then this amp should work for your needs but do share your impressions after your try outs. Resolution is good in Flux with Abyss 1266 but not great though it is not noticeable unless compared with 3-5 times expensive amp side by side, this can be handled to some extent by pairing it with a highly resolving DAC. Some DACs i like are Chord TT, in $1500 category used Qutest, in $1000 category RME are good choices.

 

[Slim1970]

Unless you are a Mid's head, Abyss is one of/probably the best HP i have heard so congrats on your HP. I listened to Abyss only for a very short amount of time with Flux so take it with a pinch of salt on what i am going to describe, if you are buying FA-10 for the power to drive Abyss, support the Bass supremacy of this HP, Soundstage, impact, non sharp Treble but still very much present Treble then this amp should work for your needs but do share your impressions after your try outs. Resolution is good in Flux with Abyss 1266 but not great though it is not noticeable unless compared with 3-5 times expensive amp side by side, this can be handled to some extent by pairing it with a highly resolving DAC. Some DACs i like are Chord TT, in $1500 category used Qutest, in $1000 category RME are good choices.

I agree the mids on the Abyss are not its strong suit. The Susvara's has better mids in comparison. The FA-10, without having heard it, seems to be made for music enjoyment. The Abyss are highly resolving already and the mix of musicality from the FA-10 should pair well with them. I've had highly resolving amp and felt they lacked emotion and wasn't drawing me into the music like I wanted them too. The FA-10 with its midrange emphasis and bass reproduction seems to fit what I'm looking for. Why, because music lives in the midrange. If the midrange isn't right, then everything around it seems to sound out of place. This goes for headphones as well.

I have the TT2 and Hugo 2 which are both excellent at extracting details and are very resolving DACs. The RME is no slouch either. So I should be covered. On top of the that, the way you described what you are hearing with the Flux and Abyss pairing is exactly what I hoped the combination would be. The FA-10 seems to be a heck of an amp. Like you said, it can be made even better with a high performance DAC. I cannot wait to get mine.

 

[gancanjam]

I agree the mids on the Abyss are not its strong suit. The Susvara's has better mids in comparison. The FA-10, without having heard it, seems to be made for music enjoyment. The Abyss are highly resolving already and the mix of musicality from the FA-10 should pair well with them. I've had highly resolving amp and felt they lacked emotion and wasn't drawing me into the music like I wanted them too. The FA-10 with its midrange emphasis and bass reproduction seems to fit what I'm looking for. Why, because music lives in the midrange. If the midrange isn't right, then everything around it seems to sound out of place. This goes for headphones as well.

I have the TT2 and Hugo 2 which are both excellent at extracting details and are very resolving DACs. The RME is no slouch either. So I should be covered. On top of the that, the way you described what you are hearing with the Flux and Abyss pairing is exactly what I hoped the combination would be. The FA-10 seems to be a heck of an amp. Like you said, it can be made even better with a high performance DAC. I cannot wait to get mine.

@rmsanger also was referring to the Abyss 1266 Mids in his earlier message. Based on my hangout with tholt who owns Abyss 1266, he mentioned that Flux Mids are more present than his earlier setups so am hoping it will work. However Abyss 1266 will still hold it's signature with Flux by retaining focus on the extreme ends, just trying to set the right expectation with you I like the Mids of Focal Utopia better than Abyss 1266 with an intimate presentation of all Mids/instruments/details coming together to hit your face when paired with an analytical amp it is a love or hate presentation but very unique

 

[tholt]

I’ve had the pleasure of listening to the FCN-10 (essentially the FA-10 with a built-in DAC) for 3 days now and here are some brief impressions in no real order.

I’d like to thank @gancanjam for graciously loaning me his unit for a few days to allow for a more extended listening period than we had at his house. He said he had about 60 hours on it at the time and I put on another 15 or so.

I used the FCN-10 as amp only (since I was more interested in the FA-10), bypassing the internal DAC for my own (Aqua La Voce S2). Music was streamed or served via Innous Zen Mk III server using Roon and Tidal. Headphones were Abyss 1266 Phi CC.

TL;DR

In sum, I would say the general character is a smooth and warmish sounding amplifier. Top to bottom, there is no bloat, distortion, etchiness or brightness present. The sound is full throughout the spectrum, and nothing drew undue attention to itself. It was detailed and offered plenty of information, and it was balanced throughout the frequencies. It was musical in the sense that it didn’t harm the music in any way, nor was it ever offensive in its presentation.

Other things I’ll say is I thought it was just a tad on the softer/rounder side — leading edges weren’t quite as incisive or distinct as I’ve heard, bass could go deep but not as impactful as I’ve heard, highs were plenty extended and detailed but didn’t “shimmer”, for lack of better term. I’m not saying these by themselves are bad or considered lacking, just some relative observations. As all things audio, the sonic qualities of this amplifier will be subjective and also dependent on associated gear.

Further details –

The Abyss 1266 Phi is not the easiest headphone to drive, but synergy is also key. Raw power is not enough to bring out the best of these headphones. The Schiit Mjolnir 2 I briefly tried some time ago had plenty of power on paper (8w @ 32Ω, 5w @ 50Ω) but sounded horribly flat, thin and off. The FCN-10 worked and performed very well with the Abyss, nothing was obviously amiss. Synergy and power were definitely there and I wasn’t left wanting. For those of you looking to pair this amp with Abyss, it’s definitely a contender.

Speaking of power, though the FCN-10 has tons of output power, it didn’t feel at all like I was being bludgeoned with raw power or that my drivers would blow out. The opposite in fact — the volume control was easily past 12 o’clock on the dial (Gain setting at Mid) most of the time, and when things got loud or rumbly, all that power translated to greater control. That’s exactly what power should do — give your headphones the juice they need when they need it.

Sonically, as I and others previously noted, I thought it to be on the warmer side of the spectrum. Personally, I like that. I also feel that the Abyss benefits from such a signature. To me, they are the epitome of ‘neutral’, factual, not colored very much, if at all. Depending on upstream gear, they can be warm and inviting or clinical and cold. They are extremely fast, resolving and extended in both extremes. It’s really up to the upstream gear to provide any flavor. For me, I like tubes in my system with these headphones. So the FCN-10 fit right in there and sounded great. I’m not sure I would go so far as to call it ‘tube-like’, but warmish and smooth would be good descriptors.

One thing that can be part of a warm/smooth character is a sense of sluggishness or slowness. The FCN-10 didn’t exhibit that at all. For all my electronic tracks, there was never a sense that timing and pace was slowed. The FCN-10 kept right up with the quickness of the beat, providing drive and engagement.

Other notes —

Resolution: details are plenty there but they are not the forte of this amp. It’s more about the overall presentation. This is not what I would call a ‘resolution monster’, however, don’t let that statement suggest that details are missing. They are just more a part of the overall whole.

Soundstage and imaging: decently wide and deep, nothing to complain about. Perhaps a touch flatter than I’ve heard before. Again I’d say like resolution, these characteristics are woven into the overall presentation and not standouts on their own.

Clarity and transparency: both present, but again not what stands out.

Treble/mids/bass: I’m grouping these because I can kind of say the same thing as everything above. Nothing really stands out, but nothing is missing either. No area is lacking, but no area impresses (or overwhelms) over another. Comparatively, I’ve heard amps that had lower and more impactful bass, and I’ve heard more distinctive and shimmery highs. However, I will say the mids are nice and full, giving things like vocals, acoustic guitar, tom toms, etc a nice sense of body and presence.

I guess reading over what I just wrote, the overall sonic signature really is one of a cohesive whole. All the information is there, but nothing really draws attention to itself. To me, that's much more of a positive than a negative.

Parting thoughts —

(Very) minor nits:

• Not sure why the gain settings aren’t in order. They’re arranged High, Low, Mid
• Wish the switches were a little bigger and/or longer. They’re pretty tiny and not the finger-friendliest
• A bit plain and spartan looking. Obviously colored faceplates will add flair, but it’s your standard box. That said, it’s well put together and feels solid in use. It’s also more compact than a standard 17” wide component, which might be easier to place
• With this kind of power, would be nice to see some binding posts and perhaps a remote so it could be used as an integrated as well.

Pairing is likely key with this amp. If your headphones or other gear are already warm or smooth, this amp will add to those qualities. With the Abyss, the FCN-10 was a nice complement. I could also imagine something like a Senn HD-800 being a nice pairing.

I thought the balanced output sounded ever so slightly better than the SE for some reason. I totally could be wrong here, but it seemed a hair more impactful and clearer. I spent the majority of my time listening balanced out.

I could see this as your only amp paired with headphones that are complementary to its character, or an alternative amp to have alongside something considered more “neutral”.

Conclusion –

If the FA-10 was priced between USD$1k - $1.5k, I wouldn't think it unreasonable. For just $600 more, the FCN-10 gives you a great built in DAC and streaming capabilities. If you’re looking for a musical, warmish presentation that presents everything well, with nothing standing out (in a good way) and can power anything at a very competitive price, the FCN-10 (or FA-10) is a serious and worthy contender. Not to mention, from my personal experience and hearing from others, Flux Lab has terrific customer support and real passion for their products.

 

[omniweltall]

I’ve had the pleasure of listening to the FCN-10 (essentially the FA-10 with a built-in DAC) for 3 days now and here are some brief impressions in no real order.

I’d like to thank @gancanjam for graciously loaning me his unit for a few days to allow for a more extended listening period than we had at his house. He said he had about 60 hours on it at the time and I put on another 15 or so.

I used the FCN-10 as amp only (since I was more interested in the FA-10), bypassing the internal DAC for my own (Aqua La Voce S2). Music was streamed or served via Innous Zen Mk III server using Roon and Tidal. Headphones were Abyss 1266 Phi CC.

TL;DR

In sum, I would say the general character is a smooth and warmish sounding amplifier. Top to bottom, there is no bloat, distortion, etchiness or brightness present. The sound is full throughout the spectrum, and nothing drew undue attention to itself. It was detailed and offered plenty of information, and it was balanced throughout the frequencies. It was musical in the sense that it didn’t harm the music in any way, nor was it ever offensive in its presentation.

Other things I’ll say is I thought it was just a tad on the softer/rounder side — leading edges weren’t quite as incisive or distinct as I’ve heard, bass could go deep but not as impactful as I’ve heard, highs were plenty extended and detailed but didn’t “shimmer”, for lack of better term. I’m not saying these by themselves are bad or considered lacking, just some relative observations. As all things audio, the sonic qualities of this amplifier will be subjective and also dependent on associated gear.

Further details –

The Abyss 1266 Phi is not the easiest headphone to drive, but synergy is also key. Raw power is not enough to bring out the best of these headphones. The Schiit Mjolnir 2 I briefly tried some time ago had plenty of power on paper (8w @ 32Ω, 5w @ 50Ω) but sounded horribly flat, thin and off. The FCN-10 worked and performed very well with the Abyss, nothing was obviously amiss. Synergy and power were definitely there and I wasn’t left wanting. For those of you looking to pair this amp with Abyss, it’s definitely a contender.

Speaking of power, though the FCN-10 has tons of output power, it didn’t feel at all like I was being bludgeoned with raw power or that my drivers would blow out. The opposite in fact — the volume control was easily past 12 o’clock on the dial (Gain setting at Mid) most of the time, and when things got loud or rumbly, all that power translated to greater control. That’s exactly what power should do — give your headphones the juice they need when they need it.

Sonically, as I and others previously noted, I thought it to be on the warmer side of the spectrum. Personally, I like that. I also feel that the Abyss benefits from such a signature. To me, they are the epitome of ‘neutral’, factual, not colored very much, if at all. Depending on upstream gear, they can be warm and inviting or clinical and cold. They are extremely fast, resolving and extended in both extremes. It’s really up to the upstream gear to provide any flavor. For me, I like tubes in my system with these headphones. So the FCN-10 fit right in there and sounded great. I’m not sure I would go so far as to call it ‘tube-like’, but warmish and smooth would be good descriptors.

One thing that can be part of a warm/smooth character is a sense of sluggishness or slowness. The FCN-10 didn’t exhibit that at all. For all my electronic tracks, there was never a sense that timing and pace was slowed. The FCN-10 kept right up with the quickness of the beat, providing drive and engagement.

Other notes —

Resolution: details are plenty there but they are not the forte of this amp. It’s more about the overall presentation. This is not what I would call a ‘resolution monster’, however, don’t let that statement suggest that details are missing. They are just more a part of the overall whole.

Soundstage and imaging: decently wide and deep, nothing to complain about. Perhaps a touch flatter than I’ve heard before. Again I’d say like resolution, these characteristics are woven into the overall presentation and not standouts on their own.

Clarity and transparency: both present, but again not what stands out.

Treble/mids/bass: I’m grouping these because I can kind of say the same thing as everything above. Nothing really stands out, but nothing is missing either. No area is lacking, but no area impresses (or overwhelms) over another. Comparatively, I’ve heard amps that had lower and more impactful bass, and I’ve heard more distinctive and shimmery highs. However, I will say the mids are nice and full, giving things like vocals, acoustic guitar, tom toms, etc a nice sense of body and presence.

I guess reading over what I just wrote, the overall sonic signature really is one of a cohesive whole. All the information is there, but nothing really draws attention to itself. To me, that's much more of a positive than a negative.

Parting thoughts —

(Very) minor nits:

• Not sure why the gain settings aren’t in order. They’re arranged High, Low, Mid
• Wish the switches were a little bigger and/or longer. They’re pretty tiny and not the finger-friendliest
• A bit plain and spartan looking. Obviously colored faceplates will add flair, but it’s your standard box. That said, it’s well put together and feels solid in use. It’s also more compact than a standard 17” wide component, which might be easier to place
• With this kind of power, would be nice to see some binding posts and perhaps a remote so it could be used as an integrated as well.

Pairing is likely key with this amp. If your headphones or other gear are already warm or smooth, this amp will add to those qualities. With the Abyss, the FCN-10 was a nice complement. I could also imagine something like a Senn HD-800 being a nice pairing.

I thought the balanced output sounded ever so slightly better than the SE for some reason. I totally could be wrong here, but it seemed a hair more impactful and clearer. I spent the majority of my time listening balanced out.

I could see this as your only amp paired with headphones that are complementary to its character, or an alternative amp to have alongside something considered more “neutral”.

Conclusion –

If the FA-10 was priced between USD$1k - $1.5k, I wouldn't think it unreasonable. For just $600 more, the FCN-10 gives you a great built in DAC and streaming capabilities. If you’re looking for a musical, warmish presentation that presents everything well, with nothing standing out (in a good way) and can power anything at a very competitive price, the FCN-10 (or FA-10) is a serious and worthy contender. Not to mention, from my personal experience and hearing from others, Flux Lab has terrific customer support and real passion for their products.

Thanks for the useful impression. Can you compare with previous SS amps ur familiar with? THX 789 would be one good comparison.

Cheers

 

[tholt]

Thanks foe the useful impression. Can you compare with previous SS amps ur familiar with? THX 789 would be one good comparison.

I haven't heard the 789, but from what I've read about that amp, this would probably be warmer and fuller sounding.

 

[Slim1970]

I’ve had the pleasure of listening to the FCN-10 (essentially the FA-10 with a built-in DAC) for 3 days now and here are some brief impressions in no real order.

I’d like to thank @gancanjam for graciously loaning me his unit for a few days to allow for a more extended listening period than we had at his house. He said he had about 60 hours on it at the time and I put on another 15 or so.

I used the FCN-10 as amp only (since I was more interested in the FA-10), bypassing the internal DAC for my own (Aqua La Voce S2). Music was streamed or served via Innous Zen Mk III server using Roon and Tidal. Headphones were Abyss 1266 Phi CC.

TL;DR

In sum, I would say the general character is a smooth and warmish sounding amplifier. Top to bottom, there is no bloat, distortion, etchiness or brightness present. The sound is full throughout the spectrum, and nothing drew undue attention to itself. It was detailed and offered plenty of information, and it was balanced throughout the frequencies. It was musical in the sense that it didn’t harm the music in any way, nor was it ever offensive in its presentation.

Other things I’ll say is I thought it was just a tad on the softer/rounder side — leading edges weren’t quite as incisive or distinct as I’ve heard, bass could go deep but not as impactful as I’ve heard, highs were plenty extended and detailed but didn’t “shimmer”, for lack of better term. I’m not saying these by themselves are bad or considered lacking, just some relative observations. As all things audio, the sonic qualities of this amplifier will be subjective and also dependent on associated gear.

Further details –

The Abyss 1266 Phi is not the easiest headphone to drive, but synergy is also key. Raw power is not enough to bring out the best of these headphones. The Schiit Mjolnir 2 I briefly tried some time ago had plenty of power on paper (8w @ 32Ω, 5w @ 50Ω) but sounded horribly flat, thin and off. The FCN-10 worked and performed very well with the Abyss, nothing was obviously amiss. Synergy and power were definitely there and I wasn’t left wanting. For those of you looking to pair this amp with Abyss, it’s definitely a contender.

Speaking of power, though the FCN-10 has tons of output power, it didn’t feel at all like I was being bludgeoned with raw power or that my drivers would blow out. The opposite in fact — the volume control was easily past 12 o’clock on the dial (Gain setting at Mid) most of the time, and when things got loud or rumbly, all that power translated to greater control. That’s exactly what power should do — give your headphones the juice they need when they need it.

Sonically, as I and others previously noted, I thought it to be on the warmer side of the spectrum. Personally, I like that. I also feel that the Abyss benefits from such a signature. To me, they are the epitome of ‘neutral’, factual, not colored very much, if at all. Depending on upstream gear, they can be warm and inviting or clinical and cold. They are extremely fast, resolving and extended in both extremes. It’s really up to the upstream gear to provide any flavor. For me, I like tubes in my system with these headphones. So the FCN-10 fit right in there and sounded great. I’m not sure I would go so far as to call it ‘tube-like’, but warmish and smooth would be good descriptors.

One thing that can be part of a warm/smooth character is a sense of sluggishness or slowness. The FCN-10 didn’t exhibit that at all. For all my electronic tracks, there was never a sense that timing and pace was slowed. The FCN-10 kept right up with the quickness of the beat, providing drive and engagement.

Other notes —

Resolution: details are plenty there but they are not the forte of this amp. It’s more about the overall presentation. This is not what I would call a ‘resolution monster’, however, don’t let that statement suggest that details are missing. They are just more a part of the overall whole.

Soundstage and imaging: decently wide and deep, nothing to complain about. Perhaps a touch flatter than I’ve heard before. Again I’d say like resolution, these characteristics are woven into the overall presentation and not standouts on their own.

Clarity and transparency: both present, but again not what stands out.

Treble/mids/bass: I’m grouping these because I can kind of say the same thing as everything above. Nothing really stands out, but nothing is missing either. No area is lacking, but no area impresses (or overwhelms) over another. Comparatively, I’ve heard amps that had lower and more impactful bass, and I’ve heard more distinctive and shimmery highs. However, I will say the mids are nice and full, giving things like vocals, acoustic guitar, tom toms, etc a nice sense of body and presence.

I guess reading over what I just wrote, the overall sonic signature really is one of a cohesive whole. All the information is there, but nothing really draws attention to itself. To me, that's much more of a positive than a negative.

Parting thoughts —

(Very) minor nits:

• Not sure why the gain settings aren’t in order. They’re arranged High, Low, Mid
• Wish the switches were a little bigger and/or longer. They’re pretty tiny and not the finger-friendliest
• A bit plain and spartan looking. Obviously colored faceplates will add flair, but it’s your standard box. That said, it’s well put together and feels solid in use. It’s also more compact than a standard 17” wide component, which might be easier to place
• With this kind of power, would be nice to see some binding posts and perhaps a remote so it could be used as an integrated as well.

Pairing is likely key with this amp. If your headphones or other gear are already warm or smooth, this amp will add to those qualities. With the Abyss, the FCN-10 was a nice complement. I could also imagine something like a Senn HD-800 being a nice pairing.

I thought the balanced output sounded ever so slightly better than the SE for some reason. I totally could be wrong here, but it seemed a hair more impactful and clearer. I spent the majority of my time listening balanced out.

I could see this as your only amp paired with headphones that are complementary to its character, or an alternative amp to have alongside something considered more “neutral”.

Conclusion –

If the FA-10 was priced between USD$1k - $1.5k, I wouldn't think it unreasonable. For just $600 more, the FCN-10 gives you a great built in DAC and streaming capabilities. If you’re looking for a musical, warmish presentation that presents everything well, with nothing standing out (in a good way) and can power anything at a very competitive price, the FCN-10 (or FA-10) is a serious and worthy contender. Not to mention, from my personal experience and hearing from others, Flux Lab has terrific customer support and real passion for their products.

Do you think some of that smoothness character you were hearing came from the DAC you were using? The Aqua La Voce S2 uses the Burr Brown PCM1704 DAC chips and they are known to be on the warm and smooth side of things. Do you think a more neutral, dynamic sounding DAC would change the way you are hearing the FCN-10 or FA-10?