[gancanjam]

Did anyone step up from the current generation of THX amps (887/888 etc) to Fa-10 ?
Did you feel there were marginal or big differences with your cans ?

Monoprice THX is clean sounding, nice sparkly highs , instrument separations, clean Bass/Treble reproduction with instruments like Guitar, Piano, Sax, Violin et.al playing in the middle and everything has it's well defined place in the song, I really like this AIO but still with TOTL HPs like Utopia I think Utopia is few tiers more than Monoprice THX in terms of technicalities. Compared to FA-10, certainly some Monoprice THX deficiencies can be observed as FA-10 have more Impact, Bass layering, Bass quality, dynamics et.al.

Drop THX 789 is one of best purchases for $300 especially for HE1000 which pairs well and one can probably live with it, I did not found THX 789 to be too fatiguing even though it is bit analytical sounding amp. I would rate FA-10 to be at least one tier more than THX 789 with better clarity, impact, musicality and refinement. As @cangle said, sound signature is also important as FA-10 is a Class A amp sound with best of breed vibes from solid state and Tube, a crowd pleaser signature so even though THX and FA-10 is not apple to apple comparison with different sound signatures, I would conclude by saying FA-10 will be an upgrade

 

[Lohb]

Any clearly noticeable sonic benefit going from DAC-in RCA to XLR ? Does it also cause less volume pot range dial on XLR on FA-10 ?

 

[teknorob23]

Any clearly noticeable sonic benefit going from DAC-in RCA to XLR ? Does it also cause less volume pot range dial on XLR on FA-10 ?

Either way makes no difference the fa10’s not balanced the xlrs are just there for convenience

 

[Otter7]

....
Its also worth noting, all of my listening has been with relatively easy to drive dynamic HPs, Focal Stellia, Senn HD820, beyer DT1770pro and slightly harder 600ohm Beyer t1.2s. The only planners ive used are the Mr Speakers Ether C 1.1, which are not the hardest to drive either. For the record these pair the best out of all ive tried with the Fa12 whereas i prefer the Stellia's with Fa10.

I wish I had seen this before my FA-12 shipped. I was planning to use it with the Stellia. I agree the FA-12 tonal balance does not complement the Stellia well.

After listening to the FA-12 for a while, I decided to go back to my Ragnarok 1 rather than get the FA-10. The Raggy has greater detail and better bass definition than the FA-12. Based on your previous comments the FA-10 might have helped with the bass; However the Raggy has very well defined and deep bottom. I did end up adjusting the tonal balance by switching interconnects. I switched from Belden 1800F to Mogami 3080. This improved the tonal balance and definition. Both were big improvements. I also tried Mogami 2534 and found that to be not as pleasing as the 3080 but still a big improvement over the Belden.

 

[Lohb]

Would this fuse below be 'correct' for FA-10 to bring more improvements to SQ ?

Hi-Fi Tuning Supreme Fuses 5 x 20mm T (Slow Blow)​

 

[manishex]

Would this fuse below be 'correct' for FA-10 to bring more improvements to SQ ?

Hi-Fi Tuning Supreme Fuses 5 x 20mm T (Slow Blow)​

I'd recommend the hifi tuning supreme 3 silver, 5x20mm slow blow. You can use 2 or 2.5a. The stock glass fuses sound a bit hollow and less dynamic in comparison.
I tried synergistic Research's black fuse for my mains plugs and they sound really open and airy but are also double the price.

 

[Lohb]

I'd recommend the hifi tuning supreme 3 silver, 5x20mm slow blow. You can use 2 or 2.5a. The stock glass fuses sound a bit hollow and less dynamic in comparison.
I tried synergistic Research's black fuse for my mains plugs and they sound really open and airy but are also double the price.

Thanks, did you test below one by any chance ?

AMR AUDIO GRADE GOLD PLATED FUSE ​

 

[manishex]

Thanks, did you test below one by any chance ?

AMR AUDIO GRADE GOLD PLATED FUSE ​

Yes I've tried it, it's a bit denser sounded and not as refined on the top which is bad match with the fa-10. Tbh the glass fuse inside has more soundstage and isn't bad. There's two types of the stock fuse though, one with straight wire and one with coiled. The coiled one is inferior.

 

[Slim1970]

I wish I had seen this before my FA-12 shipped. I was planning to use it with the Stellia. I agree the FA-12 tonal balance does not complement the Stellia well.

After listening to the FA-12 for a while, I decided to go back to my Ragnarok 1 rather than get the FA-10. The Raggy has greater detail and better bass definition than the FA-12. Based on your previous comments the FA-10 might have helped with the bass; However the Raggy has very well defined and deep bottom. I did end up adjusting the tonal balance by switching interconnects. I switched from Belden 1800F to Mogami 3080. This improved the tonal balance and definition. Both were big improvements. I also tried Mogami 2534 and found that to be not as pleasing as the 3080 but still a big improvement over the Belden.

Yeah, the FA-10 has more of a neutral tuning that plays well with warmer sounding headphones. In fact, it plays well with a wider variety of headphones in general. You may not need all of the FA-10’s power with the Stellia’s, but having that extra headroom on tap comes in handy. Another thing I’ve noticed is going from low to medium gain gives you a nice bump in dynamics, clarity and resolve. It’s now my preferred setting on my FA-10.

 

[Slim1970]

Would this fuse below be 'correct' for FA-10 to bring more improvements to SQ ?

Hi-Fi Tuning Supreme Fuses 5 x 20mm T (Slow Blow)​

I use a 2A Hifi Tuning Supreme small fast blow fuse found here:

https://www.musicdirect.com/fuses/hifi-tuning-fuses-supreme-small-fast

I and a couple of other members have commented on the improvements it brings to the FA-10. Just search this thread for more feedback.

 

[brianfromspace]

Just got my FA-12 in today. Ordered 2nd wk of Jan.

Will start the search for a nice desktop DAC to acompany it (thinking about a Denafrips Pontus II). If anyone has a tip for a good balanced DAC, I’m all ears.

Also planned a comparison with a Mytek Brooklyn Bridge (balanced) as i still think that all in one box is pretty sweet as a desktop (mainly headphone) solution under my monitor.

btw i only have 1 headphone: Hifiman Arya.
btw 2: Very happy with the black knob, that was a suprise.

 

[Ichos]

I have used extensively the Pontus ii with the FA-10 and they match greatly.
I recommend it.

 

[cangle]

Just got my FA-12 in today. Ordered 2nd wk of Jan.

Will start the search for a nice desktop DAC to acompany it (thinking about a Denafrips Pontus II). If anyone has a tip for a good balanced DAC, I’m all ears.

Also planned a comparison with a Mytek Brooklyn Bridge (balanced) as i still think that all in one box is pretty sweet as a desktop (mainly headphone) solution under my monitor.

btw i only have 1 headphone: Hifiman Arya.
btw 2: Very happy with the black knob, that was a suprise.

Congrats on your FA-12, it looks great on your desk. I'm interested in your search for a new dac as I'm looking for an upgrade to my ADI-2. Denafrips is a brand I've considered as is Holo Audio. However I'm definitely not set on any dac in particular.

 

[lalawilson168]

Just got my FA-12 in today. Ordered 2nd wk of Jan.

Will start the search for a nice desktop DAC to acompany it (thinking about a Denafrips Pontus II). If anyone has a tip for a good balanced DAC, I’m all ears.

Also planned a comparison with a Mytek Brooklyn Bridge (balanced) as i still think that all in one box is pretty sweet as a desktop (mainly headphone) solution under my monitor.

btw i only have 1 headphone: Hifiman Arya.
btw 2: Very happy with the black knob, that was a suprise.

I have been eyeing on a FA-12 for a while now, but I am sort of happy with my diy amp with my verite closed so have held off the upgrade. I got a pair of used Arya (less than a mth old) recently thinking I would like it as I used to own an Ananda and liked that. Somehow I found it a bit bright and almost silbilant. So really want to hear your opinion of the FA 12 on the Aryas.

 

[brianfromspace]

Prob this week i will do a comparison with FA-12 / Brooklyn Bridge / Audio Valve RKV HAA edition. With a very expensive DAC to see which of the headphone amps suits me best and let the amp be the ‘weak’ element. Or will it be the Arya...