I know that Hi-Z says the power is reduced in the spec, but the impedance is also changed which might be why I did not sense a difference in volume when switching between Hi-Z and Low-Z on the Susvara. I did not test this with other headphones
I just tested again switching RCA and XLR with a remote. The volume is 100% the same, it was the same when i was testing both RCA and XLR going to Envy, there’s no difference in volume. 6V through balanced xlr just correlates to 3V rca unbalanced and vice versa
Hello all, I have a bit of a conundrum and I was hoping to community can help me resolve it. I just sold my Holo Bliss to another Head-Fier. Long story short, they are unhappy with the lack of headroom on Susvara and feel that the Low-Z vs. High-Z setting don’t make a noticeable difference. They are using it with the May.
Personally, I’ve always had to push the Bliss to about 0 (which is 12db below max) to drive headphones like the Susvara or Tungsten satisfactorily. I’ve always run it in Low-Z for planars, and being kind of on the upper limit of the amp was normal to me.
My buyer insists that from other reviews/impressions, the Bliss should have a lot more headroom, and that most people are running Susvara at -15 to -10 db, which has not been my experience. Other reviews (like Soundnews) cite that the Sus is at home at about the 0 setting. For me, most music is somewhere between 75db and 85db at 0 on the Bliss (with peaks around 90), though of course this also heavily depends on the mastering.
So here’s the question: what’s everyone else’s experience with May + Bliss + Susvara as far as the volume pot is concerned? Is what I am describing above normal, or have I been living with a bad unit for years without realizing it?
You should ask what kind of music the buyer is listening to and at what level he's listening music at normally, that's very important because if he's listening to music at super loud levels, then maybe he's not going to have much headroom left and also ask him if he's doing any EQ or DSP, if he's doing some crazy EQing on his end, he's going to have to digitally attenuate the signal to avoid clipping and headroom is going to be impacted.
I just tested again switching RCA and XLR with a remote. The volume is 100% the same, it was the same when i was testing both RCA and XLR going to Envy, there’s no difference in volume. 6V through balanced xlr just correlates to 3V rca unbalanced and vice versa
I currently have my Bliss connected via RCA as I am using the XLR output of the May for another amp. Today I again connected both outputs to the Bliss to double check this. I also used a better recording which is also higher in amplitude. I agree both ( RCA input and XLR input ) got to ear crushing levels and I could not tell a difference. So same volume using either connection as you stated. Interesting as I had thought I checked this, but thank you for correcting me.
Tested a few recordings and if someone likes to listen very loud with a low amplitude recording, it is possible they might want it louder. I am fine with it and have no issue.
probably not very helpful since I'm using TT2... but I listen to Bliss and Sus loud and I'm at 0 to +10, keep in mind TT2 outputs 5v instead of 5.8 that May outputs.
Hello. I'm looking for some advice from those who have heard the Bliss and other amps of a similar caliber.
I love my Bliss, but on 90 plus days, my room starts to get too hot. No central air here.
I can run fans, but fan noise....
I had a pleasant sounding Gustard H26 amp that I sold to a friend that powered everything but my Susvara well.
The Susvara was OK on the H26 but not as good as the Bliss.
In my smaller work setup, my Topping A90D is passable for pop, but not classical or jazz.
Thus it's not an option for my main setup.
Is there another amp that is close to the same level as the Bliss but doesn't get as hot?
Yes, I know class A amps like the Bliss get hot and what I am asking for may not exist...
BTW, I'm hoping to stick with solid state as tube amps aren't my thing ,
even though the Bliss has been described as the most tube like sounding solid state amp.
Thank in advance for reading and any recommendations.
Hello. I'm looking for some advice from those who have heard the Bliss and other amps of a similar caliber.
I love my Bliss, but on 90 plus days, my room starts to get too hot. No central air here.
I can run fans, but fan noise....
I had a pleasant sounding Gustard H26 amp that I sold to a friend that powered everything but my Susvara well.
The Susvara was OK on the H26 but not as good as the Bliss.
In my smaller work setup, my Topping A90D is passable for pop, but not classical or jazz.
Thus it's not an option for my main setup.
Is there another amp that is close to the same level as the Bliss but doesn't get as hot?
Yes, I know class A amps like the Bliss get hot and what I am asking for may not exist...
BTW, I'm hoping to stick with solid state as tube amps aren't my thing ,
even though the Bliss has been described as the most tube like sounding solid state amp.
Thank in advance for reading and any recommendations.
3 amps come to mind. As I do not own them, we will have to ask others about how hot they get. In no order:
- Ferrum Orr
- CFA-3 from Headamp. Excellent amp, but I have no idea how hot it gets. I am sure others can comment, you can also call Headamp. They are taking pre-orders now at a discount.
- Zahl HM-1. One of my favorite amps. Expensive. I do not have my own yet, so I do not know how hot it gets. I never thought to check on that during my auditions.
Hello. I'm looking for some advice from those who have heard the Bliss and other amps of a similar caliber.
I love my Bliss, but on 90 plus days, my room starts to get too hot. No central air here.
I can run fans, but fan noise....
I had a pleasant sounding Gustard H26 amp that I sold to a friend that powered everything but my Susvara well.
The Susvara was OK on the H26 but not as good as the Bliss.
In my smaller work setup, my Topping A90D is passable for pop, but not classical or jazz.
Thus it's not an option for my main setup.
Is there another amp that is close to the same level as the Bliss but doesn't get as hot?
Yes, I know class A amps like the Bliss get hot and what I am asking for may not exist...
BTW, I'm hoping to stick with solid state as tube amps aren't my thing ,
even though the Bliss has been described as the most tube like sounding solid state amp.
Thank in advance for reading and any recommendations.
Hello. I'm looking for some advice from those who have heard the Bliss and other amps of a similar caliber.
I love my Bliss, but on 90 plus days, my room starts to get too hot. No central air here.
I can run fans, but fan noise....
I had a pleasant sounding Gustard H26 amp that I sold to a friend that powered everything but my Susvara well.
The Susvara was OK on the H26 but not as good as the Bliss.
In my smaller work setup, my Topping A90D is passable for pop, but not classical or jazz.
Thus it's not an option for my main setup.
Is there another amp that is close to the same level as the Bliss but doesn't get as hot?
Yes, I know class A amps like the Bliss get hot and what I am asking for may not exist...
BTW, I'm hoping to stick with solid state as tube amps aren't my thing ,
even though the Bliss has been described as the most tube like sounding solid state amp.
Thank in advance for reading and any recommendations.
You might want to look at the FluxLabs Mentor and M-Field amps, they don't get that hot and have plenty of juice to drive everything under the sun, specially if you go for the double mono version, tho space considerations come to play in your set up. They have so much ass in that configuration that if there's ever a headphone they cannot drive properly and to their fullest potential, then I have no problem in stating that the headphone is the problem and not the amps.
You might want to look at the FluxLabs Mentor and M-Field amps, they don't get that hot and have plenty of juice to drive everything under the sun, specially if you go for the double mono version, tho space considerations come to play in your set up. They have so much ass in that configuration that if there's ever a headphone they cannot drive properly and to their fullest potential, then I have no problem in stating that the headphone is the problem and not the amps.
Haha. Thanks for that. I may get that just for the days its hot but not too hot. On the really hot days, its just too hot in my listening room after an hour or 2. And then any cross ventilation is too loud to enjoy the music. Thus, I'm looking for another amp in the summer or maybe a permanent replacement if it is good enough. Right now in NY, its been raining all day, and is 72F outside. So no problems. On a 90F day.... listening to music and working becomes a sweaty chore. lol
Haha. Thanks for that. I may get that just for the days its hot but not too hot. On the really hot days, its just too hot in my listening room after an hour or 2. And then any cross ventilation is too loud to enjoy the music. Thus, I'm looking for another amp in the summer or maybe a permanent replacement if it is good enough. Right now in NY, its been raining all day, and is 72F outside. So no problems. On a 90F day.... listening to music and working becomes a sweaty chore. lol
Oh wow yeah. Even a cooler amp wouldn't help for your personal temperature in that heat.
These fans do take the chassis temps right down. I am impressed with the dispersion with very little noise from the fans.
I use my bluetooth stuff when it's too hot for body heat I move to the cooler parts of the house.
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