[incredulousity]

Is the Bliss KTE as a preamp as good as a Serene KTE?

I piped XLR out from Bliss to input in Envy, and compared to direct RCA in from May to Envy. Once volume matched, sounded identical. Probably a good test, as internal topology of Envy is SE.

As a preamp to 2 channel, it sounds great for what I have, but my lowly Audioengine HD6 and audio hostile room layout limit the validity of my experience/opinion here.

 

[GoldenSound]

Goldensound has both, then he probably gets a discount?

I rarely get discounts on products, and if I ever receive a substantial discount or get a product for free I'll always declare this. I've always made efforts to be as transparent and unbiased as I can. Hence why I never use affiliate links or take manufacturer sponsorships etc even though these for many reviewers are the primary sources of income.

I paid full MSRP for both my Holo May and my Holo Serene. The Bliss is here on loan for the review. I'm not sure if I'll buy it or not, but if I do I will pay full MSRP.

With the HM1 I received a small industry insider discount that still puts it very close to MSRP. It’s a hand-made, boutique product made by one guy and because of that, there isn’t much wiggle room on pricing to begin with. (Prices are actually going up next year)

I heard the HM1 in person at Munich high end earlier this year and was immensely impressed. I placed my order shortly after and sold quite a bit of gear to help fund it. (Including my Serene and AHB2)

 

[GoldenSound]

At this point, I'm sure he does get discounts. He has 3 OORs, that's 3/4 the price of a Zahl HM1. Some companies allow you to keep their units but impose no selling restrictions, right? Probably what happened. Goldensound previously was raving about the AHB2, the Serene being one of the best for Susvara etc. etc., and sold those off instead of 2 OORs lol. Anyway, I don't have a horse in the Zahl HM1 race, don't really care if he gets discounts. I'm set on my system components and will call it a day once my Bliss arrives.

The OORs are not mine, I've not purchased them. I have a review in the works and after that's done they'll be heading back to Ferrum. (It's taken far longer than expected due to various disruptions this past year, luckily now resolved, but as a result I've hardly been able to get many videos out in recent months.)
I can't sell what isn't mine, hence I sold my AHB2/Serene instead.

The reason there are three here is because Ferrum sent me a unit prior to the release of the product to do some beta-testing. I found a couple minor issues with it, which they then rectified and sent a new revision over.
I found another small problem, and again they made a new revision and sent another unit, which was flawless and that's what is being shipped to customers and is what I'm reviewing. Hence there's three here at present. Makes sense to ship them all back at once rather than separately.

In terms of keeping review units, generally speaking most companies won't let you keep stuff unless it's not particularly high end.
For a $200 IEM or $400 DAC for example, it's usually not worth the company's time/money to pay for return shipping, refurbish it, then sell it at a lower price due to being open box. So for that type of stuff they usually just let you keep it.
Whilst some might immediately think 'well that's an obvious incentive for you to be nice to them/their product!'...trust me...I REALLY do not need more DACs/amps sitting on the shelf XD. Pretty sure @Currawong mentioned he has several drawers full of DAPs and stuff at this point.
I don't sell review units. If I'm allowed to keep something I'll keep it and if possible use it as a comparison/point of reference in future vids.

I feel that maybe giving stuff to friends free of charge might be ok as it's of no financial benefit to me and it's far better that it would get used and enjoyed by someone rather than just sitting on a shelf, but I'd be curious to hear other's thoughts on that.

But if it's anything more than $500 or so, the company usually wants it back. Sometimes that's immediately, sometimes they'll ask if it can just stay with you until they need to send it elsewhere.

 

[tcode]

Anyone had opportunity to listen and compare Bliss vs Burson GT?

 

[Rayon]

So... how's the burn-in people? My own thoughts:

• It's very obvious that the soundstage got better especially in y-axis
  • In the beginning Bliss sounded like a surface in x and z-axis, now it's just... right
    • Space seems like it was infinite
  • This is definitely a logarithmic function (first 10-20h gets better faster and then it slows down)
• I think sound has gotten cleaner
  • I think I can see more into the music
  • It's like there is less in between me and music, more precense
• Today I have had strange feelings that I haven't heard my Utopias quite the way I have heard them today
  • Had to come here to ask about other people's experiences as to me it feels like the sound quality made some kind of a jump today
    • However I've also had a flu and it got much better today so maybe it's just that my hearing got better
• New toy syndrome is getting easier
  • No more excitement, but very gratified and confidence is growing as I don't find any obvious flaws

 

[XVampireX]

For me the soundstage on the Utopia seems rather exactly as it was recorded and it's possible to hear quite far in the space and where everything is being located quite clearly to say the least.

I like the Dynamics, how all of the frequency ranges are in the front and balanced instead of playing around, a much more aggressive amplifier, in a good way.

I really love the amp, all the details that I wouldn't have guessed are in the recording because of what you people would call a "Black background"

Sometimes, even watching Youtube videos, even documentary videos, when there is a music in the background that is recorded properly it's like Earcandy/Eargasm/etc...

I mean, it's obvious who won the fight between Volot and Bliss for me. But I'm definitely not saying Volot is bad, it's just that Bliss is that much better....

 

[incredulousity]

It’s nice when I have to cool the tubes on Envy, that Bliss is not at all a step down, just a different flavor of great fun.

A solid state amp that gets equal love and use next to that high level tube amp is not something I previously thought possible.

 

[chesebert]

Anyone had opportunity to listen and compare Bliss vs Burson GT?

I don't think you need to listen to conclude Bliss >>>> Burson by reason of fully discrete design with BJT output vs opamp/MOSFET. I personally wouldn't pay more than $500 for an opamp design....

 

[rmsanger]

For me the soundstage on the Utopia seems rather exactly as it was recorded and it's possible to hear quite far in the space and where everything is being located quite clearly to say the least.

I like the Dynamics, how all of the frequency ranges are in the front and balanced instead of playing around, a much more aggressive amplifier, in a good way.

I really love the amp, all the details that I wouldn't have guessed are in the recording because of what you people would call a "Black background"

Sometimes, even watching Youtube videos, even documentary videos, when there is a music in the background that is recorded properly it's like Earcandy/Eargasm/etc...

I mean, it's obvious who won the fight between Volot and Bliss for me. But I'm definitely not saying Volot is bad, it's just that Bliss is that much better....

Wow that is quite a statement! So lets say you were starting out with neither and could get the Volot for $1900 used vs. Bliss KTE for $3500. You still think the Bliss is worth the $ spent for step up in performance? Or is the SQ spread pretty close?

 

[brianfromspace]

If someone is interested in the Bliss KTE, I have one 1week like new for sale. PM me if you are interested.

Its sold

 

[tcode]

If someone is interested in the Bliss KTE, I have one 1week like new for sale. PM me if you are interested.

PM'd

 

[XVampireX]

Wow that is quite a statement! So lets say you were starting out with neither and could get the Volot for $1900 used vs. Bliss KTE for $3500. You still think the Bliss is worth the $ spent for step up in performance? Or is the SQ spread pretty close?

In a way it might be an Apples and Oranges comparison, I can't say for sure that it is the difference, for those who can push the budget it's probably worth it over the Volot.
But Volot is like SoundNews described it, a "Gentle Giant", I don't have the proper headphones to give Volot a fighting chance because it does prioritize high gain over low gain and Utopia's are very sensitive headphones already and might be one of the limiting factors for this comparison while Bliss does not have the high gain problem.

 

[Chartreuse]

I don't think you need to listen to conclude Bliss >>>> Burson by reason of fully discrete design with BJT output vs opamp/MOSFET. I personally wouldn't pay more than $500 for an opamp design....

I have both and honestly I think the Burson is a GREAT amplifier. I haven't done much side by side since I have new toy syndrome and am pretty much only listening to the Bliss, but I think the Burson is still one of the top amps out there to run a Susvara. My initial impressions are that the Bliss is a bit more transparent and detailed, but depending on how important $2500 vs. $3500 is to you, I don't think it's 40% better than the 3x GT. That's of course not how anything in this hobby works, but I certainly wouldn't dismiss the Burson!

The Burson is 10W of Class A and is dynamic as hell, and if your Susvaras sound thin or congested on something else it's a great solution. if they were the same price I'd buy the Bliss, but can't dismiss the value of a $1000 price difference. FWIW I prefer the Burson to the Ferrum as well, having auditioned both side by side before buying the GT in the first place.

 

[George Hincapie]

Wow that is quite a statement! So lets say you were starting out with neither and could get the Volot for $1900 used vs. Bliss KTE for $3500. You still think the Bliss is worth the $ spent for step up in performance? Or is the SQ spread pretty close?

The peace of mind of buying new and knowing the precise provenance, as well as obvious warranty advantages carry a hefty value IMHO. Don't overlook that.

 

[PcChip]

FYI, Tim (Kitsune) and Jeff (Holo) said that the Bliss does not support the LCD-R