Holo Audio Bliss
Jan 29, 2023 at 3:37 PM Post #1,201 of 3,309
I just continue to be amazed how good HQP-May-Bliss-Susvara sounds. I feel grateful for being able to own such a system. It's a bottomless well of satisfaction.
 
Jan 29, 2023 at 4:30 PM Post #1,202 of 3,309
I‘m in my third week now with Audeze LCD-5 on Bliss. Previously used the LCD-5 with Ferrum Oor+Hypsos and had been very satisfied, but I‘m amazed by how much better the Bliss drives it - expansion of soundstage, both horizontal and depth, speed and accuracy, treble extension, clarity and transparency - I love the Ferrum stack and just wanted to add the Bliss KTE for completeness because I mostly use the May KTE as DAC, but May KTE + Bliss KTE + LCD-5 for me turned out to be yet another level I must say.

The two most prominent differences with Bliss compared to Ferrum in my perception are (1) tighter, clearer, much more precise and controlled bass, mid to very low, which can now easily be located even in rather congested mixes, and (2) what I would describe as quite a somehow extended and clearer treble, something that I often still perceive as too much and sharp when I start listening, but when I focus I tend to realise that this clear upper treble, I guess the area between 2 and 8 kHz, is new to my ears in this clarity and presence, and I need to adjust and get used to. I‘ll do some measurements with my Sound Professionals in-ears in the next days to try to determine whether this upper treble is right or too much.

What I can certainly say is that with the Bliss, the LCD-5 is the very best I have heard it so far.
 
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Jan 31, 2023 at 9:56 PM Post #1,203 of 3,309
Anyone who has spent some time with both the V550 and Bliss have some comparisons? Enquiring minds want to know.
 
Jan 31, 2023 at 10:11 PM Post #1,204 of 3,309
Anyone who has spent some time with both the V550 and Bliss have some comparisons? Enquiring minds want to know.
I think I know where this is going...
 
Jan 31, 2023 at 10:18 PM Post #1,205 of 3,309
I think I know where this is going...
It’s not like I already have my V550 listed in the classifieds or anything. Oh right… 😂
 
Jan 31, 2023 at 10:39 PM Post #1,206 of 3,309
I‘m in my third week now with Audeze LCD-5 on Bliss. Previously used the LCD-5 with Ferrum Oor+Hypsos and had been very satisfied, but I‘m amazed by how much better the Bliss drives it - expansion of soundstage, both horizontal and depth, speed and accuracy, treble extension, clarity and transparency - I love the Ferrum stack and just wanted to add the Bliss KTE for completeness because I mostly use the May KTE as DAC, but May KTE + Bliss KTE + LCD-5 for me turned out to be yet another level I must say.

The two most prominent differences with Bliss compared to Ferrum in my perception are (1) tighter, clearer, much more precise and controlled bass, mid to very low, which can now easily be located even in rather congested mixes, and (2) what I would describe as quite a somehow extended and clearer treble, something that I often still perceive as too much and sharp when I start listening, but when I focus I tend to realise that this clear upper treble, I guess the area between 2 and 8 kHz, is new to my ears in this clarity and presence, and I need to adjust and get used to. I‘ll do some measurements with my Sound Professionals in-ears in the next days to try to determine whether this upper treble is right or too much.

What I can certainly say is that with the Bliss, the LCD-5 is the very best I have heard it so far.

If you find that brightness still a bother and you can spare another $200, I recommend Mitch's filter to complete the package.

I didn't want to keep sounding like a broken record, but amazed every time I get them on and trying to take them off and watch Wakanda Forever.
 
Jan 31, 2023 at 11:04 PM Post #1,207 of 3,309
If you find that brightness still a bother and you can spare another $200, I recommend Mitch's filter to complete the package.

I didn't want to keep sounding like a broken record, but amazed every time I get them on and trying to take them off and watch Wakanda Forever.
I’ll second this
 
Jan 31, 2023 at 11:10 PM Post #1,208 of 3,309
Anyone who has spent some time with both the V550 and Bliss have some comparisons? Enquiring minds want to know.
I owned the 550 very briefly, I sure hope the bliss is better
 
Feb 1, 2023 at 2:42 AM Post #1,209 of 3,309
If you find that brightness still a bother and you can spare another $200, I recommend Mitch's filter to complete the package.

I’ll second this

Thank you, that's a very good point, which I second as well - I forgot to mention that I already use Mitch's filter for the LCD-5 too, in HQPlayer's Convolution engine. The filter only corrects up to 7kHz though, so I thought maybe the area above that is what's bothering me. Anyway, will need to measure to know more, haven't done that yet.

On the other hand, this isn't something I had noticed whem using the Ferrum stack. And since @GoldenOne (in his review of the Zähl HM1) and others perceive the treble with Bliss to be rather on the warm side, I tend to believe that my perception for the moment is rather a temporary case of brain 'burn-in' / adjustment. (Unlike many here, I found that the biggest influencing factor on the sound quality I perceive is myself, my brain, my mood and its daily changes etc. The brain is a very powerful equalizer - I even liked the Raal SR-1a for a year and thought it was perfectly neutral, only when I moved away from it I noted how off it was :wink: )
 
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Feb 1, 2023 at 3:20 AM Post #1,210 of 3,309
Thank you, that's a very good point, which I second as well - I forgot to mention that I already use Mitch's filter for the LCD-5 too, in HQPlayer's Convolution engine. The filter only corrects up to 7kHz though, so I thought maybe the area above that is what's bothering me. Anyway, will need to measure to know more, haven't done that yet.

On the other hand, this isn't something I had noticed whem using the Ferrum stack. And since @GoldenOne (in his review of the Zähl HM1) and others perceive the treble with Bliss to be rather on the warm side, I tend to believe that my perception for the moment is rather a temporary case of brain 'burn-in' / adjustment. (Unlike many here, I found that the biggest influencing factor on the sound quality I perceive is myself, my brain, my mood and its daily changes etc. The brain is a very powerful equalizer - I even liked the Raal SR-1a for a year and thought it was perfectly neutral, only when I moved away from it I noted how off it was :wink: )

Oh! Nice. But convo engine? You're not using the Matrix Pipeline?
 
Feb 1, 2023 at 3:41 AM Post #1,211 of 3,309
Oh! Nice. But convo engine? You're not using the Matrix Pipeline?
No, Mitch's filter came as a .wav file, which I reference in the Convolution section.

Do you have a different version / file format / individual settings from Mitch? I thought his FIR filters always come in .wav format?
 
Feb 1, 2023 at 3:51 AM Post #1,212 of 3,309
No, Mitch's filter came as a .wav file, which I reference in the Convolution section.

Do you have a different version / file format / individual settings from Mitch? I thought his FIR filters always come in .wav format?

No, it's the same file/s but Jussi mentioned putting in the Matrix Pipeline can use more features like added peq and utilizing more cores. Should be the same sound. Disregard. Enjoy!

Screenshot 2023-02-01 025043.png
Screenshot 2023-02-01 024530.png
 
Feb 1, 2023 at 3:59 AM Post #1,213 of 3,309
Many thanks for pointing that out - I wasn't aware that Matrix also accepts .wav files, not only .txt as I had thought (and used for some headphones in the past, e.g. for @oratory1990 EQ)

I'll give putting Mitch's filters in Matrix (and disabling Convolution) a try, as you say I wouldn't expect a difference either, but you never know and it's always fun to play around with these things :wink:
 
Feb 1, 2023 at 4:22 AM Post #1,214 of 3,309
(Unlike many here, I found that the biggest influencing factor on the sound quality I perceive is myself, my brain, my mood and its daily changes etc. The brain is a very powerful equalizer - I even liked the Raal SR-1a for a year and thought it was perfectly neutral, only when I moved away from it I noted how off it was :wink: )
Yup, brain is the most important element of human hearing system. Ears are only the receivers - they catch the sound information that needs to be decoded by brain for us to understand. And here is the biggest problem - our brains are prone to persuasion.
 
Feb 1, 2023 at 8:41 AM Post #1,215 of 3,309
I owned the 550 very briefly, I sure hope the bliss is better
What was the issue with the V550 exactly? I actually like mine, esp paired with the LCD-5 (I’m just hoping the Bliss is a significant step up)
 

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