[Skylab]

That comment was regarding the original. But not over the SRGII.

 

[vkvedam]

Ok. Thanks for that. So you feel SRG-II is a step above the Arietta/Swing.

 

[Skylab]

Hard to say without being able to compare directly, but I think so, from memory.

 

[oldson]

i see the plot is about to thicken!
the new "ultra linear" solo is around the corner.

 

[wakeride74]

Ok, so Miguel was generous enough to lend me his SRG II so I could hear it before buying one blind. I was told and have read elsewhere that the amp needs to warm up but like any impatient headfier I wanted to hear it as soon as it came so I unboxed it and plugged everything in. The sound? One word –dull. I at least expected to hear a preview of what it might do after warming up but nope. I thought to myself, my P-51 sounded better than this!

I let it warm up for about 3 hours then tried again… bingo! Soundstage totally opened up and the space between instruments was widened and filled with a nice black background. Bass sounds a little light just compared to my P-51 Mustang. Clarity is exceptional and the top end is very well extended but does sound a might harsh to my ears using the D5000, K702, DT880, UE-11, and PK1. I’m also hearing the sonic image leaning slightly towards the left side of my head with the DT880's at 12-1 o'clock, and UE-11 around 9. I also hear fuzz sound (with UE-11) in the background that increases with the volume when music is stopped. The DT880’s sound a bit dull with this amp but they do with the other SS amps I’ve heard them with as well so that’s a wash.

Overall the amp sounds very neutral, no midbass hump infecting the lower registers of vocals (which is usually where I personally hear midbass humps). Female vocals really sing with the amp, listening to Pink Martini ALAC > V-DAC > SRG II. The V-DAC warms up the signature a bit and I can hear the moisture on China’s lips more distinctly than I have with other amps. The sublime separation does not seem to be limited to instruments, it’s more refined to isolate each note or sound in it’s own space.

My gripes with the amp are personal tastes and related to the headphones I use but IMO the slight channel imbalance, background fuzz with IEM’s, and warm up time are significant deterrents. I was also a bit surprised with the amount of power the amp had being a bit less than expected. I was able to comfortably turn it up to 3 o’clock with some classical music when using the DT880 250ohm. I know many will argue that this amp was not designed for IEM’s and while that may be the case my intended use is a desktop application and as such I want it to do well with all the headphones I use in the office. I also removed the V-DAC from the mix for a while to listen to the amp from an ALO LOD-RCA which I found cooled the presentation a bit.

Although the top end was at times a tad hot for my tastes I did not detect any sibilance. After the amp had been on for about 6-7 hours I switched to the D5000 and heard a major improvement with the channel imbalance. I did most of my listening from this point on with the D5000 but did decide to try the K702 for a few tracks. The synergy between the two was actually very nice but once again the channel imbalance reared it's ugly head and became more obvious on certain tracks but was non-existent on other.... kinda odd.

In the plus column I find the SRGII to be simply stunning in detail retrieval and in its ability to isolate and clearly convey every nuance in a recording. The overall sonic balance from top to bottom is very even keeled and I don’t find the amp to favor a portion of the range or a specific genre. Of the headphones I own it sounded best with the APS V3 D5000, what a fantastic synergy these had together and the channel imbalance pretty much disappeared. I'm going to spend the weekend with it and have a NuForce HDP coming from Larry that I will compare but I feel pretty comfortable with my impressions thus far. A very special thank you to Miguel for being so gracious with his gear, it's being well cared for my friend

 

[oqvist]

About this warm up? I thought you just had to leave it on are you actually supposed to play music through it for several hours before listening to it?

I don´t have my old Slee Solo anymore but I certainly never did that.

 

[immtbiker]

Just leave it on. No need to play tunes through it after the initial burn-in hours.

SS needs some lovin', too!

 

[mrarroyo]

Yes the amps that Graham designs call for it to be on at all times. I am bit concerned w/ the channel imbalance you mention since I have never heard it, I hope the gorillas in the shipping department did not damage it.

I also have a MarkL modded Denon and I concur the two go great together. Another can that sounds great with the Solo SRGII is the HiFiMAN HE-5.

You must listen at very high volumes! I do not go past 9 o'clock with my Denons or Grado cans.

As far as the buzz never heard it either but I would suggest using the ground post on the back of the Solo to connect a cable to ground. The change may surprise you.

 

[wakeride74]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrarroyo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes the amps that Graham designs call for it to be on at all times. I am bit concerned w/ the channel imbalance you mention since I have never heard it, I hope the gorillas in the shipping department did not damage it. I also have a MarkL modded Denon and I concur the two go great together. Another can that sounds great with the Solo SRGII is the HiFiMAN HE-5. You must listen at very high volumes! I do not go past 9 o'clock with my Denons or Grado cans. As far as the buzz never heard it either but I would suggest using the ground post on the back of the Solo to connect a cable to ground. The change may surprise you.

Ha, yes I listen loud, might play a role is why I hear some of the things I do... who knows. The channel imbalance really is not at all noticeable with the D5000 or with most of the music I listened to with the K702. It seemed to be more of an issue in the first few hours the amp was warming up and most obvious with the DT880 and UE11. When I switched to the NuForce HDP I did not hear any imbalance. The amp and PSU1 were packaged very very well so even tossers would have had to hulk the hell out of that box to do any damage.

With the UE-11 I listen at about 9 and with the D5000 closer to 12. The K702 I could go to about 1ish. I really like the sound of the amp and am seriously considering ordering one but I still have some time to spend with the NuForce which I am also enjoying.

 

[paulb09]

I've had a slight channel imbalance from the get-go on mine, but it's at such a low volume it doesn't even affected ear buds for me.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wakeride74 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ha, yes I listen loud, might play a role is why I hear some of the things I do... who knows. The channel imbalance really is not at all noticeable with the D5000 or with most of the music I listened to with the K702. It seemed to be more of an issue in the first few hours the amp was warming up and most obvious with the DT880 and UE11. When I switched to the NuForce HDP I did not hear any imbalance. The amp and PSU1 were packaged very very well so even tossers would have had to hulk the hell out of that box to do any damage. With the UE-11 I listen at about 9 and with the D5000 closer to 12. The K702 I could go to about 1ish. I really like the sound of the amp and am seriously considering ordering one but I still have some time to spend with the NuForce which I am also enjoying.

Decisions, decisions...

 

[mrarroyo]

wakeride74 I almost sent a 2nd power supply that PinkFloyd built for me. It is a regulated 24 volt 2.5 amps unit which has a very punchy, layered, and detailed sound. The unit also sports an on/off switch which to me is welcome feature. On the other hand the PSU1 by Graham uses so little power (it is not a switcher) that the user does not have to worry about increasing the electrical cost.

I should be getting the latest Solo, the Super Linear so I may have to send it to the customary victims, I mean users.

 

[paulb09]

Graham is speeding along with development at the moment, and it seems each product brings something extra to the table. As such I'm very interested in the linear, especially if it'll use the same housing yet again, so an upgrade could be possible.

 

[mrarroyo]

wakeride74 I sent you a PM in case you wish to feel adventurous to try re-setting the op-amp. Cheers.

 

[wakeride74]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrarroyo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I should be getting the latest Solo, the Super Linear so I may have to send it to the customary victims, I mean users.

Is this replacing the SRG II in the line-up?