I've tried this several times: there is an improvement in dynamics to a degree but it is outweighed by other decreases in sound quality which ruin the experience, so I stick to low gain. I'm thinking of buying a 600i as a speaker amp for use with actual speakers - are you saying it also lacks dynamics then, as a general rule? The 430 sounds lovely with headphones like the HD800S because it adds a smooth speaker like presentation but it falls flat for similar reasons on other headphones: perhaps I'll see the same behavior with the 600i in use with speakers?
The short answer is that the 600i is a much better amplifier in every way and not just in terms of power, IMO. It has significantly better dynamics than the 430HD which is known for its laid-back and soft character. You can set how much gain you want on my 600i from -10 to +10 on 600i. I was a little surprised at how much impact it had on the sound which gain I chose. I have the gain of +6 because that is where I think I have found the best balance between good dynamics and high SQ.
Just been told by my Hifiman contact that my EF1000 is now being shipped from China to the UK with delivery date scheduled for this coming Tuesday (27/04/2021) to my local Hifiman Dealer in Birmingham.
I get my TT2 back from repair tomorrow (after what feels like a life time of waiting). Currently I'm feeding a modest SMSL M200 DAC into it and I don't want to judge the amp on that. I will say I'm shocked at how the Susvara soaks up the power like it's nothing. Yesterday I was playing some music with a really high dynamic range and I had the DAC at full output to the Etude and into my Susvaras, nothing blew up.
Well I got my TT2 today and I've been listening to both my headphones with it and the Etude...though I'm still not ready for full impressions, initial ones are that bass quantity has definitely gone up on both my headphones when listening through the amp. They both have better physical impact when going through the amp. That's not to say that they weren't great already with the TT2, but I can't deny that there's an increase in that physical sensation from bass to sub bass. Not much seems to have been lost from details, but the sound out of the amp is a touch warmer and smoother than directly out of the TT2, probably due to some HF roll-off/attenuation or the emphasis in the lower frequencies making the upper ones less noticeable. I'll post more later as I evaluate over the weekend, but so far I'm not regretting getting the Etude.
I'm listening to this at work office right now through speakers (Audioengine 5+) at work right now with Qobuz 24/96 and it sounds really good but I'll have to try at home through my setup to enjoy the full effect. Yeah, this will be trippy. I wouldn't categorize this as "metal" though as it shows in Qobuz.
I'm listening to this at work office right now through speakers (Audioengine 5+) at work right now with Qobuz 24/96 and it sounds really good but I'll have to try at home through my setup to enjoy the full effect. Yeah, this will be trippy. I wouldn't categorize this as "metal" though as it shows in Qobuz.
Well, elements of metal are certainly there but they remind me more of atmospheric alternative rock like that of My Bloody Valentine. These genre names are semantics anyway to categorize and market/sell music. This one is hard to categorize but all that matters is how it sounds to the listener in the end. I look forward to listening with real gear when I get home!
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