[dudeX]

I'm thinking of getting a Bliss soon as my solid state and selling my Oor + Hypsos. Going to try and listen to one at CanJam SoCal this month, but I'm curious if anyone who's heard both amps have any thoughts on how the Bliss does vs. Oor for my headphones (they're listed in my signature). I'm liking the Oor, but really only enjoy it immensely with my Audeze headphones. It's not as an all-around great pairing for all my headphones like my Woo WA-23 is. I'm looking for the same type of great synergy with all my headphones but in a solid state. Thanks in advance!

I had a Ferrum Oor/Hypsos and kept my Bliss. This is what I think about the Oor vs Bliss.
Oor: its defining characteristic is that it adds warmth to the sound, and it has musicality (it makes you tap your feet when passively listening to music). It's not as detailed as the Bliss, but it's like 90 percent there. I would have kept the Oor if I didn't need the funds. When I say it's warm, it's like each instrument or voice has a touch of bass added to it, so it sounds satisfying.

Bliss: doesn't seem to have the musicality of the Oor, but it resolves detail better, and it has a bit more openness than the Oor in terms of instrument separation. The main thing with the Bliss though is that it has very good control of the drivers in your headphone, meaning that you don't hear it distort when playing busy passages in songs. If you pair your headphone with a high end cable on the Bliss, you will hear no distortion or muddiness regardless of the headphone cost. It's as if you're hearing the attributes of the headphone with no negatives. For example, the HarmonicDyne Zeus has a nice bump in the high register of the bass, and a nice soundstage, imaging effect, for a 300 USD headphone. Treble region sounds a bit muddy, and midrange is okay. It's a really enjoyable headphone for the price, but if you use Zeus -> high end cable (like thick silver/copper combo) it will not distort with busy passages, treble is clear, and the low end bass comes through a little better, while still getting that mid bass bump and imaging.

Just for reference, a song I listened to test the Oor and Bliss had these qualities, female vocals, with the same vocalist doing harmonies and backing, acoustic guitar, some electric guitar, and basic drums. When A/Bing the vocals on Oor vs Bliss using Susvara, the Oor had a bit more warmth to the lead vocal, where it sounds pleasing, but it made the backing vocals sound male when it's really the same female vocalist. Only noticeable when A/Bing, otherwise it sounds female with no reference.
The other instruments had a bit more weight because of the warmth of the Oor, but on the Bliss, they sounded clearer and sometimes punchier, or more distinct.
The Oor had a bit of blurring in the cymbals, while the Bliss had them splash perfectly. Low end bass was also a bit blurry on the Oor, while more fuller, but on the Bliss you can hear more texture and detail. In the end of the A/B test, while I felt the Oor felt a bit more musical, like I can really bop my head to it, the Bliss felt more reference in that I heard more of everything and it sounded accurate, and the low end came through better too, with clearer cymbals. Vocals did sound a bit colder, but I never got confused that it was male vocals. Oor made me feel like, I'm enjoying the music coming from a nice stereo with bass, while Bliss made me feel like I'm hearing everything nicely arranged as what they're truly are.

Even for low end dynamic headphones, the Bliss also sounded better because it was cleaner. Imaging is a lot stronger compared to the Oor.

 

[Leto Dal]

I had a Ferrum Oor/Hypsos and kept my Bliss. This is what I think about the Oor vs Bliss.
Oor: its defining characteristic is that it adds warmth to the sound, and it has musicality (it makes you tap your feet when passively listening to music). It's not as detailed as the Bliss, but it's like 90 percent there. I would have kept the Oor if I didn't need the funds. When I say it's warm, it's like each instrument or voice has a touch of bass added to it, so it sounds satisfying.

Bliss: doesn't seem to have the musicality of the Oor, but it resolves detail better, and it has a bit more openness than the Oor in terms of instrument separation. The main thing with the Bliss though is that it has very good control of the drivers in your headphone, meaning that you don't hear it distort when playing busy passages in songs. If you pair your headphone with a high end cable on the Bliss, you will hear no distortion or muddiness regardless of the headphone cost. It's as if you're hearing the attributes of the headphone with no negatives. For example, the HarmonicDyne Zeus has a nice bump in the high register of the bass, and a nice soundstage, imaging effect, for a 300 USD headphone. Treble region sounds a bit muddy, and midrange is okay. It's a really enjoyable headphone for the price, but if you use Zeus -> high end cable (like thick silver/copper combo) it will not distort with busy passages, treble is clear, and the low end bass comes through a little better, while still getting that mid bass bump and imaging.

Just for reference, a song I listened to test the Oor and Bliss had these qualities, female vocals, with the same vocalist doing harmonies and backing, acoustic guitar, some electric guitar, and basic drums. When A/Bing the vocals on Oor vs Bliss using Susvara, the Oor had a bit more warmth to the lead vocal, where it sounds pleasing, but it made the backing vocals sound male when it's really the same female vocalist. Only noticeable when A/Bing, otherwise it sounds female with no reference.
The other instruments had a bit more weight because of the warmth of the Oor, but on the Bliss, they sounded clearer and sometimes punchier, or more distinct.
The Oor had a bit of blurring in the cymbals, while the Bliss had them splash perfectly. Low end bass was also a bit blurry on the Oor, while more fuller, but on the Bliss you can hear more texture and detail. In the end of the A/B test, while I felt the Oor felt a bit more musical, like I can really bop my head to it, the Bliss felt more reference in that I heard more of everything and it sounded accurate, and the low end came through better too, with clearer cymbals. Vocals did sound a bit colder, but I never got confused that it was male vocals. Oor made me feel like, I'm enjoying the music coming from a nice stereo with bass, while Bliss made me feel like I'm hearing everything nicely arranged as what they're truly are.

Even for low end dynamic headphones, the Bliss also sounded better because it was cleaner. Imaging is a lot stronger compared to the Oor.

Great write up. I highly recommend pairing Bliss with bit warmer headphones like most of the ZMF lineup, this way I felt like having best from the both worlds with Caldera and AC, lots of weight and fullness of the instruments body, still with perfectly clean airy and very spacious overall soundscape.

 

[krude]

I had a Ferrum Oor/Hypsos and kept my Bliss. This is what I think about the Oor vs Bliss.
Oor: its defining characteristic is that it adds warmth to the sound, and it has musicality (it makes you tap your feet when passively listening to music). It's not as detailed as the Bliss, but it's like 90 percent there. I would have kept the Oor if I didn't need the funds. When I say it's warm, it's like each instrument or voice has a touch of bass added to it, so it sounds satisfying.

Bliss: doesn't seem to have the musicality of the Oor, but it resolves detail better, and it has a bit more openness than the Oor in terms of instrument separation. The main thing with the Bliss though is that it has very good control of the drivers in your headphone, meaning that you don't hear it distort when playing busy passages in songs. If you pair your headphone with a high end cable on the Bliss, you will hear no distortion or muddiness regardless of the headphone cost. It's as if you're hearing the attributes of the headphone with no negatives. For example, the HarmonicDyne Zeus has a nice bump in the high register of the bass, and a nice soundstage, imaging effect, for a 300 USD headphone. Treble region sounds a bit muddy, and midrange is okay. It's a really enjoyable headphone for the price, but if you use Zeus -> high end cable (like thick silver/copper combo) it will not distort with busy passages, treble is clear, and the low end bass comes through a little better, while still getting that mid bass bump and imaging.

Just for reference, a song I listened to test the Oor and Bliss had these qualities, female vocals, with the same vocalist doing harmonies and backing, acoustic guitar, some electric guitar, and basic drums. When A/Bing the vocals on Oor vs Bliss using Susvara, the Oor had a bit more warmth to the lead vocal, where it sounds pleasing, but it made the backing vocals sound male when it's really the same female vocalist. Only noticeable when A/Bing, otherwise it sounds female with no reference.
The other instruments had a bit more weight because of the warmth of the Oor, but on the Bliss, they sounded clearer and sometimes punchier, or more distinct.
The Oor had a bit of blurring in the cymbals, while the Bliss had them splash perfectly. Low end bass was also a bit blurry on the Oor, while more fuller, but on the Bliss you can hear more texture and detail. In the end of the A/B test, while I felt the Oor felt a bit more musical, like I can really bop my head to it, the Bliss felt more reference in that I heard more of everything and it sounded accurate, and the low end came through better too, with clearer cymbals. Vocals did sound a bit colder, but I never got confused that it was male vocals. Oor made me feel like, I'm enjoying the music coming from a nice stereo with bass, while Bliss made me feel like I'm hearing everything nicely arranged as what they're truly are.

Even for low end dynamic headphones, the Bliss also sounded better because it was cleaner. Imaging is a lot stronger compared to the Oor.

Very interesting, to me Oor Hypsos was ultra clean and detailed being on the warm side of neutral. Bliss is also on the warm side of neutral. Oor was more punchy and had more pronounced treble and bass, Bliss is softer and more spacious. I would never say Oor was blury or unnatural, the oposite in fact for me it was ultra clean while being natural. Especially midrange on the Oor was spectacular, ultra detailed while lush and clear at the same time, like the best tube amp you can imagine. I guess maybe that's question of system pairing and ofc we all hear things differently. TLDR Oor for me is in the same league but Bliss for me has a better synergy with Abyss headphones.

 

[RustyGates]

I just got my Bliss and am wondering if the 1/4 inch output is meant to work with XLR input? I've got my MMT output to XLR1, and everything is fine with XLR out, but when I try 1/4" I don't hear anything.

Does this happen for anyone else?

 

[genefruit]

I just got my Bliss and am wondering if the 1/4 inch output is meant to work with XLR input? I've got my MMT output to XLR1, and everything is fine with XLR out, but when I try 1/4" I don't hear anything.

Does this happen for anyone else?

No issue here with the above

 

[ceteris paribus]

I just got my Bliss and am wondering if the 1/4 inch output is meant to work with XLR input? I've got my MMT output to XLR1, and everything is fine with XLR out, but when I try 1/4" I don't hear anything.

Does this happen for anyone else

No. All 3 headphone outs (XLR, 6.3, 4.4) work for me when using XLR-1 input.

 

[RustyGates]

Damn it. Already had to wait 7 weeks for it.

 

[genefruit]

Damn it. Already had to wait 7 weeks for it.

have you moved XLR-1 input to XLR-2 input and/or RCA input and have the same result? Multiple 1/4" cables/headphones tried?

 

[dudeX]

Very interesting, to me Oor Hypsos was ultra clean and detailed being on the warm side of neutral. Bliss is also on the warm side of neutral. Oor was more punchy and had more pronounced treble and bass, Bliss is softer and more spacious. I would never say Oor was blury or unnatural, the oposite in fact for me it was ultra clean while being natural. Especially midrange on the Oor was spectacular, ultra detailed while lush and clear at the same time, like the best tube amp you can imagine. I guess maybe that's question of system pairing and ofc we all hear things differently. TLDR Oor for me is in the same league but Bliss for me has a better synergy with Abyss headphones.

I said the Oor blurs the details, but technically you're right, it is very clean; it's that the Bliss can eke out more resolution to my ears. I am using a May DAC, so maybe there is some synergy there, but it is very noticeable when directly A/Bing (I had the Oor in power amp mode with Bliss as Pre, but I like this rather than straight connection to May).

The Oor does have a nice presentation in general, but it's not as clear for me when directly A/Bing. It's very noticeable. I don't think the Bliss is "cold/cool" just that it's not warm in the same way the Oor is. When I listen to hip hop on the Bliss with Susvara, the bass and music comes across very very well, so the Bliss does add a touch of warmth, but it's not the same as the Oor.

That being said, I do miss my Oor, and in the future, I will get the stack again, with a Wandla DAC.

 

[Solasuke]

I said the Oor blurs the details, but technically you're right, it is very clean; it's that the Bliss can eke out more resolution to my ears. I am using a May DAC, so maybe there is some synergy there, but it is very noticeable when directly A/Bing (I had the Oor in power amp mode with Bliss as Pre, but I like this rather than straight connection to May).

The Oor does have a nice presentation in general, but it's not as clear for me when directly A/Bing. It's very noticeable. I don't think the Bliss is "cold/cool" just that it's not warm in the same way the Oor is. When I listen to hip hop on the Bliss with Susvara, the bass and music comes across very very well, so the Bliss does add a touch of warmth, but it's not the same as the Oor.

That being said, I do miss my Oor, and in the future, I will get the stack again, with a Wandla DAC.

I find the same results with my set up.

 

[RustyGates]

have you moved XLR-1 input to XLR-2 input and/or RCA input and have the same result? Multiple 1/4" cables/headphones tried?

Yep, tried that. Its still stuffed.

 

[lllkkkoo]

Very interesting, to me Oor Hypsos was ultra clean and detailed being on the warm side of neutral. Bliss is also on the warm side of neutral. Oor was more punchy and had more pronounced treble and bass, Bliss is softer and more spacious. I would never say Oor was blury or unnatural, the oposite in fact for me it was ultra clean while being natural. Especially midrange on the Oor was spectacular, ultra detailed while lush and clear at the same time, like the best tube amp you can imagine. I guess maybe that's question of system pairing and ofc we all hear things differently. TLDR Oor for me is in the same league but Bliss for me has a better synergy with Abyss headphones.

I also had both in my system and my finding were similar to Krude. I find the oor's midrange to be its strong point in terms of organic/natural impression with more pronounced treble while bliss is softer/gentler in the treble but with more (not boosted) information in the lower octave instead. At this level though i think any of those amps can shine with the right chain. Other than that is the size is to consider i suppose since bliss takes up more desk space.

 

[Superunknown2]

I am debating selling my Oor/Hypsos and getting a Bliss. Would you all say the Bliss is better over all? Or are neither better but they are just two slight variants of each other?

 

[AcousticMatt]

I also had both in my system and my finding were similar to Krude. I find the oor's midrange to be its strong point in terms of organic/natural impression with more pronounced treble while bliss is softer/gentler in the treble but with more (not boosted) information in the lower octave instead. At this level though i think any of those amps can shine with the right chain. Other than that is the size is to consider i suppose since bliss takes up more desk space.

Thanks everyone for their Oor + Bliss comparisons. I find what I don't like about Oor is that the soundstage is too small, isn't the best in bass or slam (unless it's an Audeze LCD-2 or 3 for whatever reason - synergy is fantastic there) and definitely does not bring out the best in Susvara (I've tried bypass mode). These things aren't bad per se, but my Woo WA-23 kills it in mostly every way for all of my headphones, where the Oor sounds good on all, but only great for some. So I'm hoping to find a solid state equivalent in the wheelhouse of the Woo where it works great for all my headphones. Seems Bliss may be better for that than the Oor.

 

[Delta9K]

Would you all say the Bliss is better over all?

I'm less than 30 hours listening time with Bliss so it's still too early to render a decision and should probably keep my mouth shut until I finish the run with Bliss and put the Oor back in line to see what it is I miss from Bliss, or.. happy to have back with the Oor, but at the moment I'm finding more the opposite of the general consensus here, in that I feel the Oor has more impact and heft and is richer in tone. Yes stage with Oor is less deep IMO and that detracts from some of the added space the Bliss offers. I think it could be a matter of preferences and library but I'm missing some emotion from the music with Bliss that Ferrum stack gave me.

As mentioned it's really early on and I haven't spent enough time so trying not to make judgment's just yet, but did want to share my interim impression.

Edit - I need to mention that I've been comparing using the Susvara as the hp - the setup used is steup 1 in my sig. Just swap the Bliss w Ferrum