[bavinck]

I've been burning on my h10 for the last 30hrs or so, curious to see tonight if I notice any change in sound....

 

[No_One411]

Guys, while the amp does improve drastically over time with burn-in, you should still take some time to listen to it in between. 
 
It's a journey, one which you should enjoy. 
 
I wasn't really impressed with the amp until one day it kinda just "clicked". It's really hard to tell any difference if you don't have a baseline for how it sounds. 
 
Thanks to those who were willing to take the leap of faith with us. You're in for quite a treat. 

 

[Liu Junyuan]

Yeah this amp is odd in this way. But I still would listen to it on the way. Keep your ears open for around day 4 of burn-in.

 

[olek]

Yes, day 4 is a real eye-opener, but please do keep listening along the way, it makes it more fun!
 
By the way, after trying my new K553 headphones on my amplifiers, I found that they sound the best on ... H10. It just takes those already fairly smooth headphones and cranks smoothness to the next level. And they were not supposed to respond all that much to amplification, right.

 

[bavinck]

I'm almost 50hrs in and the sound is just ok. I think it has gotten worse since day one. The bass is lacking and it sounds too closed in. However, I have read about you guys experiencing this so I will work to 200hrs and hope big changes do indeed occur.

 

[Liu Junyuan]

I almost sold mine on the second and third days. seriously. I was dead set on going for a Meier amp.

 

[Lohb]

This amp sounds like a prime candidate to settle hardware burn-in DBT /electrochemical settling from what you guys are reporting on first 200 hours.

 

[Liu Junyuan]

Actually, now that I think about it, the amp sounded worse to me on day 2 and 3 than in day 1.

 

[bavinck]

Actually, now that I think about it, the amp sounded worse to me on day 2 and 3 than in day 1.

Thanks for the hope, if it stays like this I won't be happy long term. I swear it is worse than it was 30 hrs ago.

 

[lukeap69]

Really? That's news to me. Hope it turns out well

 

[Liu Junyuan]

Thanks for the hope, if it stays like this I won't be happy long term. I swear it is worse than it was 30 hrs ago.

 
On day 2, it sounded overly dark, congested, and two-dimensional. The detail was always present, but the image that came in my mind was of music playing in a dim-lit room, which was especially apparent switching back and forth between my other amps. 
 
For some reason on day 4 what had before been muddled had since become extra layers added to the music. I noticed that those who put the H10 up for sale did so on like the first or second day of receiving it. 
 
You might want to look into upgrading your DAC, though. The Modi 1 was a major bottleneck in my system for like 6 months. The Modi 2 Uber is a huge upgrade over it as it sounds nearly indistinguishable from the $550 Bifrost Uber, which is a fantastic DAC.

 

[Hibuckhobby]

 

Actually, now that I think about it, the amp sounded worse to me on day 2 and 3 than in day 1.

Thanks for the hope, if it stays like this I won't be happy long term. I swear it is worse than it was 30 hrs ago.

The bass that I am hearing is deep and taut, but not in any way exaggerated.  This is an amp that is on the warm side of neutral, but is
not in any way "bass heavy".  I have bass heavy cans and those that are not and the H10 clearly shows them for what they are.  IMO, what
it does is establish a firm grip on the drivers in the bass region.   If you turn it off, it does take a few minutes for the sound to come back up to speed...but I'm used to tubes amps, so this seems fairly normal for me.
Hibuck....

 

[bavinck]

On day 2, it sounded overly dark, congested, and two-dimensional. The detail was always present, but the image that came in my mind was of music playing in a dim-lit room, which was especially apparent switching back and forth between my other amps. 

For some reason on day 4 what had before been muddled had since become extra layers added to the music. I noticed that those who put the H10 up for sale did so on like the first or second day of receiving it. 

You might want to look into upgrading your DAC, though. The Modi 1 was a major bottleneck in my system for like 6 months. The Modi 2 Uber is a huge upgrade over it as it sounds nearly indistinguishable from the $550 Bifrost Uber, which is a fantastic DAC.

I just ordered an x12, so that should be here in about a month from Tiiawan. I think the modi is my bottle neck.

 

[olek]

Modi, coupled with H10, is definitely a bottleneck, although ... do not expect get stronger bass from upgrading DAC. Better lows extension? Yes. Better bass texture? Yes. Stronger bass? Mmm... not likely, Modi is not particularly lacking in bass quantity.
 
Lets hope that it is not just H10's signature that does not work for you. It is one gentle amplifier - in both lows and highs. Somebody compared it to a 'velvet glove', and the more I listen to it, the more I agree. Listening now to the NAD 1020 I have recapped this morning, and while it sounds great, it is quite different character - slight 'fun' 'v-curve' makes for more aggressive sound, and it is quite different from H10 (not bad actually, but different). If you are after this kind of sound, H10 might not be for you. You will see soon enough for yourself, as burn-in progresses.

 

[bavinck]

Bass depth and texture is probably a better description of what I am hoping for. Moar bass I would need to look at headphones.