[krude]

It did, but I believe the burn in rather happened between my ears Have found repeatedly that I need some time to get used and adjusted to changes in my audio chain when I swapped out components, happened also with pre-owned and well used equipment.

Mental burn in is one thing, but a lot of high end gear has very radical physical burn in with sound characteristics changing 180 often more than once. I experienced it a lot recently with Sophia Electric tubes, Niagara and Bliss. All 3 had ridiculous changes happening over the course of first say 60h, the common thing is that all of them leveled out and became balanced after the initial period of radical changes. A friend who recommended Niagara said he wouldn't even listen to it for the first 100h because it will sound terrible, and he had a couple of pocos over the years ... and he was right, I wanted to send it bacl for the first few days bc it sounded like trash (just plain wrong, off balance, limp dynamics, just destroyed the sound of my system at first)

 

[orrman]

It did, but I believe the burn in rather happened between my ears Have found repeatedly that I need some time to get used and adjusted to changes in my audio chain when I swapped out components, happened also with pre-owned and well used equipment.

Absolutely true and just as important as burn in for new equipment or even more so. It takes time to grasp changes, different presentations, little details that are suddenly a bit different. We tend to talk about gear as if it's night and day different between each other but the honest truth is that from a certain point they are all very good and just lay everything a little different and that's where synergy and personal preference play a big part in our enjoyment of gear and music.

 

[krude]

Absolutely true and just as important as burn in for new equipment or even more so. It takes time to grasp changes, different presentations, little details that are suddenly a bit different. We tend to talk about gear as if it's night and day different between each other but the honest truth is that from a certain point they are all very good and just lay everything a little different and that's where synergy and personal preference play a big part in our enjoyment of gear and music.

Indeed, that's why I tend to keep gear for a good few weeks if not months to make sure the comparison is trully mature. I already had to buy HA6a, Utopia and Susvara twice

 

[1laraz]

I was experimenting with different levels of filtration with May and it easily can loose dynamics and bass when there isn't enough current on tap.

I was also experimenting by plugging Holo May into different sockets of PS Audio PP15. When plugged into regular outlet, there was audible hum from the box with external power supply. When plugged into a high current socket however, the hum is almost inaudible so i decided to leave it there. By the way, as per PP15 measurements, Holo May DAC alone consumes 50W of power when switched on, and Holo Serene 20W.

 

[OneEyedHito]

Are you using any power conditioning in your system or straight to the wall?

I see you also have May, when you swap Bliss for Ferrum, don't you get sharper mids and treble on Ferrum than on Bliss?

Sorry if you mentioned it in one of your previous posts but which voltage are you running from the Hypsos to the Oor, in my experience with those two it makes a noticeably audible difference in exactly the characteristics you are mentioning when changing from 24v (standard Oor preset) on Hypsos to 30v. It sharpens up the soundstage and the notes on the higher frequencies. I have mentioned this in the past in the Oor thread a year or more ago.

 

[krude]

Sorry if you mentioned it in one of your previous posts but which voltage are you running from the Hypsos to the Oor, in my experience with those two it makes a noticeably audible difference in exactly the characteristics you are mentioning when changing from 24v (standard Oor preset) on Hypsos to 30v. It sharpens up the soundstage and the notes on the higher frequencies. I have mentioned this in the past in the Oor thread a year or more ago.

All impressions here are on nominal 24v, I've played with voltage quite a bit and indeed you can make small but meaningful adjustments, this is on top of what I've noticed with power conditioning though.

 

[oronymo]

For the sake of completness of comparing Ferrum and Bliss after another few days of burn in and intense listening I can add some objective and subjective differences :

Thanks for that detailed comparison. The Ferrum is the one amp i haven't heard yet (in theory I'm getting a demo unit sometime soon..)

How would you compare the bass detail/impact/fullness between Ferrum and Bliss?

 

[krude]

Thanks for that detailed comparison. The Ferrum is the one amp i haven't heard yet (in theory I'm getting a demo unit sometime soon..)

How would you compare the bass detail/impact/fullness between Ferrum and Bliss?

I would say bass is the most similar thing between the 2. Both can hit like a truck.

 

[krude]

Thank you. My experience and perception comparing Ferrum Oor+Hypsos and Bliss with the LCD-5 is exactly the other way round - details, clarity and transparency is Bliss, relaxed bigger sound (but smaller soundstage) is Ferrum. I‘m selling Ferrum stack and keeping Bliss.

Just did some wall vs conditioner comparisons and indeed from the wall Bliss has a bit more clarity, probably due to the spatial presentation, from a power conditioner Ferrum has more clarity than Bliss from the same conditioner but it also loses a fair bit of warmth and charm. My main takeaway is that Ferrum generally sounds better to me from the wall (I had this experience time and time again over the course of almost 1.5 years of ownership) and Bliss time and time again sounds better from Niagara for me. Just to note, all the descriptions here are in relation to each other, both Bliss and Ferrum are absolutely stellar top class amps.

 

[SLC1966]

For the sake of completness of comparing Ferrum and Bliss after another few days of burn in and intense listening I can add some objective and subjective differences :

1. Ferrum has upper mids / lower treble filled in, it is a bit sharper and more full in this region (where snap of snare is, lower pitched cymbals etc.), and Bliss has a dip in this region.
2. Ferrum in general sounds sharper and faster, but it makes it also a bit more clinical and less relaxed.
3. This makes the Bliss sound wider and more "stereo", while imaging on Ferrum is more in front (you could say more correct, having a dip in around 2k region is a well known psychoacoustic trick to make the stage seem wider)
4. In general Bliss staging is a lot wider and more to the sides ... which can make it less coherent or even borderline blurry in comparison, Ferrum stays sharp in front with perfect imaging, but significantly smaller stage and less "organic" sound.
5. That also makes bliss lose some of the small details in and around 2k region, like distant pianos are less discernible in comparison with Ferrum, Ferrum pulls a lot more detail to the foreground especially in midrange and treble.
6. I think Ferrum fills in this 2k region on purpose bc Susvara (and other HiFiMans) have a dip in this region and they are going for "all the facts" presentation, but without fatigue etc. Ferrum is a fairly relaxed sounding amp, but Bliss in comparison is another level of sounding relaxed.

So if you're after ultimate details and clarity, Ferrum is your guy. If you're after more immersive sound with bigger, wider stage and relaxed sound ... but you don't mind losing some details and speed .... Bliss is your guy.

The funny thing is, that both Ferrum and Bliss apparently are tuned for Susvara, but both are really different, and while I can see how Ferrum fills in Susvaras deficiencies making it even more "true to life" and maximises resolution, Bliss goes kinda the other way and makes Susvara sound even softer, even bigger ... bass for me is more less in the same league on both ...

... and the funny thing about it is that those qualities make Bliss the perfect amp for TC by accident it seems

+1 You nailed it. I could not agree more. Well laid out!

 

[Leto Dal]

Got May Level 2 recently, which I am absolutely in love with, probably most substantial audio hardware upgrade I had in years.

Currently eying Bliss, struggle to find many reviews for it to decide if its worth it for me (while it would beautifully line up in the May stack haha)- Currently using HA-3A as tube amp and Burson Soloist 3x as solid state. Though I am mostly on HA-3A atm, but intended to use ZMF Caldera I wait for with Burson.

How much of an upgrade would Bliss be to Burson Soloist or HA-3A? What should I expect? Would it make much sense to run Bliss as pre-amp for HA-3A for headphones that prefer tubes like Verite?

 

[Nighthawk7397]

Got May Level 2 recently, which I am absolutely in love with, probably most substantial audio hardware upgrade I had in years.

Currently eying Bliss, struggle to find many reviews for it to decide if its worth it for me (while it would beautifully line up in the May stack haha)- Currently using HA-3A as tube amp and Burson Soloist 3x as solid state. Though I am mostly on HA-3A atm, but intended to use ZMF Caldera I wait for with Burson.

How much of an upgrade would Bliss be to Burson Soloist or HA-3A? What should I expect? Would it make much sense to run Bliss as pre-amp for HA-3A for headphones that prefer tubes like Verite?

I went from Soloist to Bliss, I think the bass improved a bit and things are little more technical. Don't think you would be disappointed though if you are able to hear differences between DACs (something I can't do). I just buy stuff for the looks, lol.

 

[krude]

Got May Level 2 recently, which I am absolutely in love with, probably most substantial audio hardware upgrade I had in years.

Currently eying Bliss, struggle to find many reviews for it to decide if its worth it for me (while it would beautifully line up in the May stack haha)- Currently using HA-3A as tube amp and Burson Soloist 3x as solid state. Though I am mostly on HA-3A atm, but intended to use ZMF Caldera I wait for with Burson.

How much of an upgrade would Bliss be to Burson Soloist or HA-3A? What should I expect? Would it make much sense to run Bliss as pre-amp for HA-3A for headphones that prefer tubes like Verite?

Dynamic drivers only from tubes, easy to drive planars as well ... actually all planars sound great from tubes if you have enough grunt ... with HA3A it's easy to drive stuff.

If I were you I would :
1. Invest in tube rolling
2. Invest in op amp rolling
3. Invest in power
4. Invest in cabling

... then identify what you want to improve, if anything at that point, and consider all amps at given price range. Bliss is a great amp, but you can make massive gains from simple tube / op amp rolling, power upgrades etc.

My biggest surprise of the past few weeks is how much difference cables make, both power and interconnects, but that only starts to matter when you have REALLY resolving cans and a TOTL setup. I haven't heard the Caldera but it might have enough res and clarity for those little difference to make a big difference.

For context ... I'm considering getting a 2k euro XLR interconnect ... I'm that floored with the differences cheaper used cables made already.

 

[Leto Dal]

I went from Soloist to Bliss, I think the bass improved a bit and things are little more technical. Don't think you would be disappointed though if you are able to hear differences between DACs (something I can't do). I just buy stuff for the looks, lol.

Little bit? Hmm, not sure if its worth 3k+
Tbh I dont get how some people dont hear differences from May to something like D90. It was like getting a new headphone. Verite sounds entirely different with different stage, more pronounced bass and microdetails I never heard before in tracks I head hundreds of times. I didnt expected the difference be this huge tbh.

 

[Leto Dal]

Dynamic drivers only from tubes, easy to drive planars as well ... actually all planars sound great from tubes if you have enough grunt ... with HA3A it's easy to drive stuff.

If I were you I would :
1. Invest in tube rolling
2. Invest in op amp rolling
3. Invest in power
4. Invest in cabling

... then identify what you want to improve, if anything at that point, and consider all amps a given price range. Bliss is a great amp, but you can make massive gains from simple tube / op amp rolling, power upgrades etc.

My biggest surprise of the past few weeks is how much difference cables make, both power and interconnects, but that only starts to matter when you have REALLY resolving cans and a totl setup. I haven't heard the Caldera but it might have enough res and clarity for those little difference to make a big difference.

For context ... I'm considering getting a 2k euro XLR interconnect ... I'm that floored with the differences cheaper used cables made already.

Yeah got an offer of 300 eur for a usually 1k priced usb cable for May, still not sure if I should bite this bullet, couldnt hear much difference upgrading XLR cables so far, at least not on my Verite. So you suggest to wait with Bliss, thanks for the advice. I rolled plenty of tubes with HA-3A so far, the difference is not as prominent as with Feliks Euforia OTL I had once, but was plenty of fun. Though once you get a really good combination though its difficult to find something that would be an upgrade without burning a LOT of money. Any op amp you would suggest?