[FullBright1]

8-10-2023

Thanks to Hifiman in NYC for getting this gear into my hands today.

So....I wanted to give you a heads up on it, as its special.

You can do the research and gaze at all the online specs at your convenience , as im only here to tell you about the build and the headphone amp.

In a word.... well, 2 words..

1.) "Class A output"

and

2.) "Powerful".

This is not a Toy.

Reader, If you spend more than $1000 on a Headphone Dac/amp, then when they deliver the box you want the box to feel significant. Such is the case with the Hifiman Serenade gear.
This is not a Toy, i repeat. This is a serious audiophile instrument, and it has some weight to it.

Im pairing it with, as (you'll see in the photo) a set of LCD-4's as i wanted to find out if this "class A headphone output" gear has the power to drive the beast.
And reader, no worries, as the LCD-4's have never sounded more full, or beautiful.
And that OLED display that the Serenade offers, is very nice also.
With the LCD-4, you can't even get the volume knob to "9".. and even "8" is making the LCD's bottom end just thump... = its loud.

This Serenade Amp is powerful.

The Volume knob is smooth as glass, and has no channel imbalance even at very low volume, = Outstanding.

This gear is a true "desktop", = full sized, non-portable.

The Sound :

"Class A" output headphone power circuit that is taken from the even more powerful $2500.00 USD Hifiman Prelude,
This means that there is a certain "class A" sound, a beautiful midrange sweetness surrounded by all that blazing power.
Also.... the hallmark of a good Dac-Amp is soundstage, instrument separation, dead quiet air between instruments, and a zealous presentation of micro and macro details that is never harsh but always crystal clear.
You'll hear it all with this gear.
Its good stuff for your ears.
-

a

 

[TheMiddleSky]

A plesant surprise from hifiman indeed!

I quite like the full body and smooth character of Serenade. Synergise well with various planars I tried (include Diana TC that a bit hard to "match").

For me Hifiman EF600 still has super strong value as a combo product, but Serenade is a clear winner in term of SQ in this case. Character wise they similar, but Serenade provide more detail, wider soundstage, better layers without being thin or dry at all.

 

[StaxEnjoyer]

8-10-2023

Thanks to Hifiman in NYC for getting this gear into my hands today.

So....I wanted to give you a heads up on it, as its special.

You can do the research and gaze at all the online specs at your convenience , as im only here to tell you about the build and the headphone amp.

In a word.... well, 2 words..

1.) "Class A output"

and

2.) "Powerful".

This is not a Toy.

Reader, If you spend more than $1000 on a Headphone Dac/amp, then when they deliver the box you want the box to feel significant. Such is the case with the Hifiman Serenade gear.
This is not a Toy, i repeat. This is a serious audiophile instrument, and it has some weight to it.

Im pairing it with, as (you'll see in the photo) a set of LCD-4's as i wanted to find out if this "class A headphone output" gear has the power to drive the beast.
And reader, no worries, as the LCD-4's have never sounded more full, or beautiful.
And that OLED display that the Serenade offers, is very nice also.
With the LCD-4, you can't even get the volume knob to "9".. and even "8" is making the LCD's bottom end just thump... = its loud.

This Serenade Amp is powerful.

The Volume knob is smooth as glass, and has no channel imbalance even at very low volume, = Outstanding.

This gear is a true "desktop", = full sized, non-portable.

The Sound :

"Class A" output headphone power circuit that is taken from the even more powerful $2500.00 USD Hifiman Prelude,
This means that there is a certain "class A" sound, a beautiful midrange sweetness surrounded by all that blazing power.
Also.... the hallmark of a good Dac-Amp is soundstage, instrument separation, dead quiet air between instruments, and a zealous presentation of micro and macro details that is never harsh but always crystal clear.
You'll hear it all with this gear.
Its good stuff for your ears.
-
a

What do you think how this amp/dac compares to others at its pricepoint?

 

[FullBright1]

What do you think how this amp/dac compares to others at its pricepoint?

The Serenade's R2R Dac is Class A Headphone Amp powered...., so this puts it into a more elite Sound Signature. .. IMO.
Its also very powerful, this gear.

Dac's these days, tend to be crystal clean and sort of sterile....... in other words, Hyper Neutral. "Straight Wire"..
So, the Serenade's R-2-R Dac is very neutral, but its being pushed into the cables by a Class A Headphone Amp, so this gives it gives it a touch of harmonic distortion that the human ear perceives as .... a bit of warmth.
Class A also tends to add more control to the Bass, and all of this can be a really good thing if you are using headphones that are "dark" or "boomy" or "bass heavy".
It can be the cure.

Something like the Meze Empy 1, which is a round toned and very balanced sound... is actually the perfect gear to power by Class A Amplifiction.
An Audeze is a good candidate for Class A.

 

[StaxEnjoyer]

The Serenade's R2R Dac is Class A Headphone Amp powered...., so this puts it into a more elite Sound Signature. .. IMO.
Its also very powerful, this gear.

Dac's these days, tend to be crystal clean and sort of sterile....... in other words, Hyper Neutral. "Straight Wire"..
So, the Serenade's R-2-R Dac is very neutral, but its being pushed into the cables by a Class A Headphone Amp, so this gives it gives it a touch of harmonic distortion that the human ear perceives as .... a bit of warmth.
Class A also tends to add more control to the Bass, and all of this can be a really good thing if you are using headphones that are "dark" or "boomy" or "bass heavy".
It can be the cure.

Something like the Meze Empy 1, which is a round toned and very balanced sound... is actually the perfect gear to power by Class A Amplifiction.
An Audeze is a good candidate for Class A.

Thanks for the reply! Only form of amp/dac i have is a Dragonfly Cobalt and a Stax energiser. I think getting the serenade would be a good upgrade.

 

[FullBright1]

Thanks for the reply! Only form of amp/dac i have is a Dragonfly Cobalt and a Stax energiser. I think getting the serenade would be a good upgrade.

Another option is this one..
Its WAY more affordable.
ITs not "Class-A" but its a very good product.
-

AUNE S9c Pro DAC with Headphone Amp.​

10MHz Clock Input​

32bit/768kHz/DSD512/MQA​

Dual-DAC Chip​

6.35/XLR/4.4 Jack​

PLL/Clock Sync Tech/Twin JFET​

-

 

[StaxEnjoyer]

Another option is this one..
Its WAY more affordable.
ITs not "Class-A" but its a very good product.
-

AUNE S9c Pro DAC with Headphone Amp.​

10MHz Clock Input​

32bit/768kHz/DSD512/MQA​

Dual-DAC Chip​

6.35/XLR/4.4 Jack​

PLL/Clock Sync Tech/Twin JFET​

-

This is ess so its not R2R however have you seen the Aune S17 Pro? Its at the almost the same pricepoint. Ive listen to R2R Serenade before and i just love the big sound it gives. Maybe the S17 would be a better alternative.

 

[FullBright1]

This is ess so its not R2R however have you seen the Aune S17 Pro? Its at the almost the same pricepoint. Ive listen to R2R Serenade before and i just love the big sound it gives. Maybe the S17 would be a better alternative.

Nice one.
Its only a Head-Amp. So, if you don't need the Dac, then the S17Pro is going to give you a fine sound.

 

[Lazonby]

The Serenade's R2R Dac is Class A Headphone Amp powered...., so this puts it into a more elite Sound Signature. .. IMO.
Its also very powerful, this gear.

Dac's these days, tend to be crystal clean and sort of sterile....... in other words, Hyper Neutral. "Straight Wire"..
So, the Serenade's R-2-R Dac is very neutral, but its being pushed into the cables by a Class A Headphone Amp, so this gives it gives it a touch of harmonic distortion that the human ear perceives as .... a bit of warmth.
Class A also tends to add more control to the Bass, and all of this can be a really good thing if you are using headphones that are "dark" or "boomy" or "bass heavy".
It can be the cure.

Something like the Meze Empy 1, which is a round toned and very balanced sound... is actually the perfect gear to power by Class A Amplifiction.
An Audeze is a good candidate for Class A.

I would agree here. I just had my Serenade delivered yesterday and am listening to it now. It's exactly what I was looking for: slightly warm and highly musical. What I didn't want was a sterile sound. I prefer music to float across space (i.e., large soundstage) without any hard edges while being accurate, balanced, and simply pleasing to the ear. In other words, I prefer the equipment to get out of the way and let the music shine through. I realize people have different tastes, but if what I described sounds like something you would enjoy, I'm not sure you could go wrong with the Serenade.