[XVampireX]

Personlly hope the VOLOT is a stremer with 9038pro and full mqa unfold

It's not a hybrid, it's a pure amp.

 

[XVampireX]

Caught that 4 days ago and emailed them. Yes it was a database issue.
Inquired also for Volot and its accompanying DAC. Here is the email:


Hello Michael

Everything is well,
Thank you for the enquiry

Just checked, sorry to tell you that was database error, already write our tech guy to fix it.

About upcoming VOLOT, it will be presented in a few month or so.
Our new DAC model is under engineering, I think it will be presented in 4-6 months

Stay with us and watch for updates. Sorry if any confusion caused by Atlas price issue

Keep in touch,
Vitaliy

Hmm, weird, they told me it's gonna be some time earlier than that....
Oh nvm, didn't know they are also making a new DAC besides Volot.

 

[saadi703]

It is kind of strange the Flux FA-10 is supposed to be more powerful amplifier as compared to Topping A90 and yet if volume matched then the volume nob on FA-10 is between 2 and 3 o clock position whereas on A90 it is 1 o clock position. I think the explanation is probably that the volume changes are not linear on FA-10 and I get very little volume until 12 o clock position and then it start changes quickly.

This is all fine but I found it strange that in headfonia review of FA-10 he had the volume set to 12 o clock and some time little more (for Susvara) based on his preference but I get very little volume at 12 o clock and nowhere close to listening level. Not sure it is my amp volume nob or it is supposed to be like this.

 

[tholt]

This is all fine but I found it strange that in headfonia review of FA-10 he had the volume set to 12 o clock and some time little more (for Susvara) based on his preference but I get very little volume at 12 o clock and nowhere close to listening level. Not sure it is my amp volume nob or it is supposed to be like this.

So you have to put the volume dial at 2 or 3 oclock for decent volume, even in high gain?

 

[saadi703]

So you have to put the volume dial at 2 or 3 oclock for decent volume, even in high gain?

3 o clock becomes too loud for me to sustain so never went to 3 or past 3. To me the weird part is that the change is volume is very little until 12 o clock on all gain levels and then it start to change very quickly once it is past 12 o clock. It seems this was not the case on the review unit as the reviewer was able to gain substantial amount of volume using the same headphone.
I have tried Arya and HD800S as well in mid gain and high gain as well. The volume is pretty low until 12 o clock and once it crosses 12 o clock and reaches 1 o clock then volume quickly become sufficient for my listening.

 

[saadi703]

First post here. High time to pay it forward to you guys/gals. While I’m not skilled in posting impressions, I paid for undergrad selling HiFi and HT back in the early 00’s (Krell, Vienna, Focal, REL, Martin Logan, Denon, Mirage, JBL Synthesis, B&K, Crestron, etc) at Tweeter.

Received my FA-10 today. Heading to the beach in the morning, but will post some notes upon my return / burn in.

First listen: wow! So clean, dynamic, and dead quiet. Puts the Heron 5 to shame and poops all over the RME’s output - but that’s why I ordered it!

Associated gear:

ZMF Verite C
Audeze LCD-XC
(Wireworld nano eclipse SE cables)

Hagerman Tuba - NOS Ei Tubes
Airist Heron 5

RME ADI-2-DAC FS (latest version)
NuForce DAC-80 w/ Schiit Eitr

Auralic Aires Mini
Pro-Ject Stream Box S2 Ultra
Sony SACD-9000ES

Random mix of Analysis Plus, WireWorld, Audioquest, iFi, old Monster power/audio cables/conditioners.

Do you also have this volume issue that until 12 o clock you get very little change in volume and after 12 o clock small changes result in big volume increments?

 

[wazzupi]

It is kind of strange the Flux FA-10 is supposed to be more powerful amplifier as compared to Topping A90 and yet if volume matched then the volume nob on FA-10 is between 2 and 3 o clock position whereas on A90 it is 1 o clock position. I think the explanation is probably that the volume changes are not linear on FA-10 and I get very little volume until 12 o clock position and then it start changes quickly.

This is all fine but I found it strange that in headfonia review of FA-10 he had the volume set to 12 o clock and some time little more (for Susvara) based on his preference but I get very little volume at 12 o clock and nowhere close to listening level. Not sure it is my amp volume nob or it is supposed to be like this.

buttt how do they sound !!

 

[tholt]

3 o clock becomes too loud for me to sustain so never went to 3 or past 3. To me the weird part is that the change is volume is very little until 12 o clock on all gain levels and then it start to change very quickly once it is past 12 o clock.

That sounds like a design decision on how they ramped gain. Maybe on easier to drive HPs would be more gradual? But kind of strange, sounds like you essentially get between 12 and 3? I'd ask Flux about that

 

[saadi703]

That sounds like a design decision on how they ramped gain. Maybe on easier to drive HPs would be more gradual? But kind of strange, sounds like you essentially get between 12 and 3? I'd ask Flux about that

Yes, may be this is the case. I will also check with them.

 

[saadi703]

why you tease us bro, how is the A90 vs FA-10

lol, I was just trying to be caution as I might be called wrong for my impressions. Anyways, no worries. I am going to post my impressions in the below post.

 

[Era in Ear]

It is kind of strange the Flux FA-10 is supposed to be more powerful amplifier as compared to Topping A90 and yet if volume matched then the volume nob on FA-10 is between 2 and 3 o clock position whereas on A90 it is 1 o clock position. I think the explanation is probably that the volume changes are not linear on FA-10 and I get very little volume until 12 o clock position and then it start changes quickly.

This is all fine but I found it strange that in headfonia review of FA-10 he had the volume set to 12 o clock and some time little more (for Susvara) based on his preference but I get very little volume at 12 o clock and nowhere close to listening level. Not sure it is my amp volume nob or it is supposed to be like this.

The operation algorithm of such a regulator does not need to be compared by the operation of the volume knob in a conventional amplifier.

FA10 uses a digitally controlled relay control, which allows you to select a large number of steps for working with low volume and allows you to precisely adjust the level even when working with "sensitive" headphones

 

[cfranchi]

It is kind of strange the Flux FA-10 is supposed to be more powerful amplifier as compared to Topping A90 and yet if volume matched then the volume nob on FA-10 is between 2 and 3 o clock position whereas on A90 it is 1 o clock position. I think the explanation is probably that the volume changes are not linear on FA-10 and I get very little volume until 12 o clock position and then it start changes quickly.

This is all fine but I found it strange that in headfonia review of FA-10 he had the volume set to 12 o clock and some time little more (for Susvara) based on his preference but I get very little volume at 12 o clock and nowhere close to listening level. Not sure it is my amp volume nob or it is supposed to be like this.

What is your DAC output voltage ? Can you play with it ?

 

[saadi703]

I have been using FA-10 since last 3-4 days and I have used THX 887 for good 6-7 months whereas I have used Topping A90 for one day. Here is a quick comparison / impression of FA-10, A90 and THX 887.

Let us first have a look tonality.
Bass: Both FA-10 and A90 has fantastic bass performance with great impact and slam. It is hard to pick a winner here as in some songs A90 seems to have slightly more slam and impact whereas in other FA-10 seems to have more whereas in some songs they seems on par with each other. I think you would be happy with the bass performance of anyone of them. Listening to songs like "Chocolate Chip Trip" by tool is such a fun experience on both amps. The drum hits are so intense on both the amps. THX887 falls little bit behind both of them in terms of bass performance as it lacks in punch and slam quality shown by other two amps. Bass is where FA-10 and A90 are more similar whereas they both are very different in mid range and treble areas. THX 887 bass impact can feel little plastic at times depend upon the song.

Mid Range: To be honest all three amps has fantastic mid range however there are differences so depending upon your preference you might like one over the other. The FA-10 has full bodies and meatier mid range as compared to the other two amps but this does not mean that other two sound thin. THX 887 has very capable mid range however A90 now trumps it in terms of mid range as it provide such detail nuances in the mid range that you notice every single subtle change. In fact, I prefer the mid range of A90 over the FA-10 because although FA-10 sound fuller and very natural but it does not present as many nuances as A90 does. A90 also appears to me more accurate in terms of how a person sounds. I played back my own voice as well as my friends and family voices as I am very familiar that how they sound in real life and to me A90 came on top. Having said that there are certain songs and singers where I prefer FA-10's full bodied and meatier presentation however in certain songs it becomes boring and monotone. Having said that, I do not have any problem with the mid range of any one of them. Fans of full bodied and meatier mid range will definitely enjoy FA-10 more. Songs like "House of Rising Sun" sounds amazing on FA-10 where the singer already has pretty fuller voice. I do not enjoy FA-10 as much on the female singers though as they appear to sound different than they normally do. If the mixing engineer has not used de-esser on the vocal or their is harshness in the vocals than FA-10 is most forgiving among all these amps and it would make small problems less noticeable.

Treble: This is where A90 and THX 887 are more similar and FA-10 is different. A90 is the most detailed and textured treble among all three amps. I really love the treble of A90 as it has loads of effortless detail. THX887 is the close second in terms of detail and texture. FA-10 does not lack much in detail but the leading and trailing edges of each note are smoothed out so it has less texture and hence smooth treble. I personally prefer the treble performance of A90 as the reason why I have spent thousand of dollars is to listen to a high end system which present every bit of detail and still sounds nice and A90 does that for me. Having said that for modern music with some genres like Hip-hop and R&B etc. some times you want smooth treble and this is where FA-10 shines as the treble removes all the harshness with little to no loss of detail. I personally do no listen to such genres and recording so this does not bother me. If you do not compare FA-10 with one of the most detailed amps like A90 then you would not feel that it lacks in that department either. I am using Topping D90 which is known for easy going treble so this DAC might not be good pairing with FA-10 if you want to have more textured treble. You would be more better off using any high end ESS based DAC which has little be hot treble (such as Matrix X-Sabre Pro). I think it might improve the FA-10 treble performance.

Details and Texture: In terms of details and textures A90 beats the other two amps where THX 887 is second. FA-10 does not lack in detail either but it has the tonality where you have to search and listen for the details whereas on other two amps such details are pretty obvious. A90 is the detail and texture monster.

Dynamics: All three amps are excellent for dynamics however I feel A90 win in the dynamics department as well because it feels very dynamic and engaging on almost every song whereas other two amps can be little picky and like certain type of recordings.

Power: In terms of power FA-10 wins however both A90 and THX 887 has more than enough power to drive any headphone even the hardest to drive headphone such as Hifiman Susvara. A90 can drive the susvara to 80-85db at 1 o clock (high gain) with enough headroom available for quiter recordings. FA-10 can also drive the Susvara to same level with volume knob betwen 2 and 3 o clock however if you further increase the volume then it can make the headphone so loud that it will become speaker but at that point you risk damaging your headphone. THX 887 has a flaw though that if you are using balanced input then it would clip and exhibit distortion in high gain mode. This is the design fault of THX 887. So you have to use unbalanced input on 887 to use high gain without clipping but this seriously decrease the headroom availability. The other two amps does not have this problem.

 

[NickT23]

Do you consider HD600 to be warm ? If so that is your opinion, but in reality its nuetral. Also graph able to distinct it but people perceived things differently nonetheless. Through blind A/B test will able to proof the result. Someone will need to be the moderation of the A/B test to avoid false complacency and biasness.

Also, am not referring to people definition of warm and nuetral. And also, there are many ways to define it not necessary they have to follow all the harman target of FR.

I thought we are discussing the amp in this thread, not the headphones. I did my A/B testing on the amps and I do not "think" based on assumption that they sound certain way. Opinions are always biased as they are based on personal preferences. Even the harman target is listener's "preference" curve. I have never heard HD600 so I can not comment just based on looking at the graphs, graphs does not tell you that how a particular headphone sounds until you hear them in person.

Am just stating in general. Not necessary just amps. Also there could be some who say the that the A90 is warm and most probably could be their dac is warm or some other external factors. Usually i will always find proof of why am right amd such but thats not the point. All am saying if they so happen to described it diferently from others, it does not really matter really. Thats all am saying. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[NickT23]

I have been using FA-10 since last 3-4 days and I have used THX 887 for good 6-7 months whereas I have used Topping A90 for one day. Here is a quick comparison / impression of FA-10, A90 and THX 887.

Let us first have a look tonality.
Bass: Both FA-10 and A90 has fantastic bass performance with great impact and slam. It is hard to pick a winner here as in some songs A90 seems to have slightly more slam and impact whereas in other FA-10 seems to have more whereas in some songs they seems on par with each other. I think you would be happy with the bass performance of anyone of them. Listening to songs like "Chocolate Chip Trip" by tool is such a fun experience on both amps. The drum hits are so intense on both the amps. THX887 falls little bit behind both of them in terms of bass performance as it lacks in punch and slam quality shown by other two amps. Bass is where FA-10 and A90 are more similar whereas they both are very different in mid range and treble areas. THX 887 bass impact can feel little plastic at times depend upon the song.

Mid Range: To be honest all three amps has fantastic mid range however there are differences so depending upon your preference you might like one over the other. The FA-10 has full bodies and meatier mid range as compared to the other two amps but this does not mean that other two sound thin. THX 887 has very capable mid range however A90 now trumps it in terms of mid range as it provide such detail nuances in the mid range that you notice every single subtle change. In fact, I prefer the mid range of A90 over the FA-10 because although FA-10 sound fuller and very natural but it does not present as many nuances as A90 does. A90 also appears to me more accurate in terms of how a person sounds. I played back my own voice as well as my friends and family voices as I am very familiar that how they sound in real life and to me A90 came on top. Having said that there are certain songs and singers where I prefer FA-10's full bodied and meatier presentation however in certain songs it becomes boring and monotone. Having said that, I do not have any problem with the mid range of any one of them. Fans of full bodied and meatier mid range will definitely enjoy FA-10 more. Songs like "House of Rising Sun" sounds amazing on FA-10 where the singer already has pretty fuller voice. I do not enjoy FA-10 as much on the female singers though as they appear to sound different than they normally do. If the mixing engineer has not used de-esser on the vocal or their is harshness in the vocals than FA-10 is most forgiving among all these amps and it would make small problems less noticeable.

Treble: This is where A90 and THX 887 are more similar and FA-10 is different. A90 is the most detailed and textured treble among all three amps. I really love the treble of A90 as it has loads of effortless detail. THX887 is the close second in terms of detail and texture. FA-10 does not lack much in detail but the leading and trailing edges of each note are smoothed out so it has less texture and hence smooth treble. I personally prefer the treble performance of A90 as the reason why I have spent thousand of dollars is to listen to a high end system which present every bit of detail and still sounds nice and A90 does that for me. Having said that for modern music with some genres like Hip-hop and R&B etc. some times you want smooth treble and this is where FA-10 shines as the treble removes all the harshness with little to no loss of detail. I personally do no listen to such genres and recording so this does not bother me. If you do not compare FA-10 with one of the most detailed amps like A90 then you would not feel that it lacks in that department either. I am using Topping D90 which is known for easy going treble so this DAC might not be good pairing with FA-10 if you want to have more textured treble. You would be more better off using any high end ESS based DAC which has little be hot treble (such as Matrix X-Sabre Pro). I think it might improve the FA-10 treble performance.

Details and Texture: In terms of details and textures A90 beats the other two amps where THX 887 is second. FA-10 does not lack in detail either but it has the tonality where you have to search and listen for the details whereas on other two amps such details are pretty obvious. A90 is the detail and texture monster.

Dynamics: All three amps are excellent for dynamics however I feel A90 win in the dynamics department as well because it feels very dynamic and engaging on almost every song whereas other two amps can be little picky and like certain type of recordings.

Power: In terms of power FA-10 wins however both A90 and THX 887 has more than enough power to drive any headphone even the hardest to drive headphone such as Hifiman Susvara. A90 can drive the susvara to 80-85db at 1 o clock (high gain) with enough headroom available for quiter recordings. FA-10 can also drive the Susvara to same level with volume knob betwen 2 and 3 o clock however if you further increase the volume then it can make the headphone so loud that it will become speaker but at that point you risk damaging your headphone. THX 887 has a flaw though that if you are using balanced input then it would clip and exhibit distortion in high gain mode. This is the design fault of THX 887. So you have to use unbalanced input on 887 to use high gain without clipping but this seriously decrease the headroom availability. The other two amps does not have this problem.

Interesting.... no offense seems like you like A90 slightly more than FA-10. Whic one do you prefer on your susvara ? How does it performs on both single ended and balance configuration on both amps ?

Is it good enough to own both amps ? Alsoo, i assume you use toping D90 as your main dac for your FA-10 ?