HiFlight
Headphoneus Supremus
I copied this thread title from the "Full-size Amps" forum, as it probably more correctly belongs here. Thanks to Lucifix for beginning this thread, which undoubtedly will grow to some great length!
I spent considerable time tonite running thru part of my opamp supply, namely the ones that I thought would most likely show promise in the P3. I was comparing each to the D3 as many folks really like the presentation of that amp.
Phones used were my JVC DX-1000s and recabled RS1s.
Source was iRiver H140 line out.
P3 gain was set to 10 (high) as I wanted to check max driving ability.
Music was high bitrate MP3 both vocal and classical. Sorry, no rock tonite!
I will list the different combinations with a few comments I made as I ran thru the changes.
I found that, indeed, the P3 has great potential and is capable of matching the sound quality and soundstage of the D3.
I also should mention that a number of different combinations sounded very similar, and it would probably take better ears than mine to detect the very subtle differences, if any.
To cut to the chase, I will first list my top 2 favorites.
1. LME49720 in LR, iBasso buffers, and THS4032 in ground.
This combination just sounds really right, soundstage, tonal
accuracy...it has it all. Probably not real great on battery
life, but, hey...that's what AC adapters are for, right??
2. ADA4841-2 in LR, iBasso buffers, ADA4841-2 in ground.
This is about an exact replication of the D3. So far, it is as
close as I have been able to come. I doubt I could reliably
tell the difference. Battery life should be excellent.
Additional combinations, in no specific ranking, are as follows:
OPA2111 LR, bypassed buffers, ADA4841-2 ground: large soundstage, a bit bright.
ADA4841-2 in both LR & ground...bypassed buffers
A little brighter than the D3, lively & detailed. Expect very long battery life.
THS4032 LR, buffers bypassed, OPA2134 ground...dynamic and punchy..probably very good rock combo.
OPA2134 LR, buffers bypassed, THS4032 ground...better balanced than above.
AD746 LR, bypassed buffers, ADA4841-2 ground...nice soundstage, highs a bit recessed.
ADA4841-2 LR, bypassed buffers, LMH6643 ground...rather narrow soundstage that is back aways from the listener. Similar to that heard with crossfeed.
LT1028 LR (x2) sibilant with anything I tried with them.
Good ground opamps:
The THS4032 is very low noise, and can output a lot of current and is stable at a gain of 1, which makes it an ideal ground opamp. It lives up to its specs, IMO.
AD8599, neutral, nice balance.
AD8066 wide soundstage, detailed bass.
OPA2134..nice allaround performer.
LMH6643...works very well with ADA4841 & AD8066
Generally speaking, the iBasso buffers add some body and warmth as well as more output current. I did try the BUF634, a very much-used buffer, but preferred the sound of the iBasso-supplied buffers in most cases.
I tried several combinations using the AD8599 and OPA2134 in LR, in addition to using them in the ground channel socket. They both sound quite similar and work well, sounding very well-mannered with all types of music, especially with buffers and the THS4032 in the ground channel.
I think that the P3 is capable of driving any dynamic phones that currently on the market, as I never even began to approach the limits of the P3 output while running the tests.
I have more combinations to try, but I was reaching the point where everything was beginning to sound alike, so I knew it was time to hang it up for the evening, and just listen.
I will keep the LME49720/buffer/THS4032 combo in my P3 for awhile and see how it wears on me for several days.
All of the above comments are my opinions only. YMMV!!!!
I spent considerable time tonite running thru part of my opamp supply, namely the ones that I thought would most likely show promise in the P3. I was comparing each to the D3 as many folks really like the presentation of that amp.
Phones used were my JVC DX-1000s and recabled RS1s.
Source was iRiver H140 line out.
P3 gain was set to 10 (high) as I wanted to check max driving ability.
Music was high bitrate MP3 both vocal and classical. Sorry, no rock tonite!
I will list the different combinations with a few comments I made as I ran thru the changes.
I found that, indeed, the P3 has great potential and is capable of matching the sound quality and soundstage of the D3.
I also should mention that a number of different combinations sounded very similar, and it would probably take better ears than mine to detect the very subtle differences, if any.
To cut to the chase, I will first list my top 2 favorites.
1. LME49720 in LR, iBasso buffers, and THS4032 in ground.
This combination just sounds really right, soundstage, tonal
accuracy...it has it all. Probably not real great on battery
life, but, hey...that's what AC adapters are for, right??
2. ADA4841-2 in LR, iBasso buffers, ADA4841-2 in ground.
This is about an exact replication of the D3. So far, it is as
close as I have been able to come. I doubt I could reliably
tell the difference. Battery life should be excellent.
Additional combinations, in no specific ranking, are as follows:
OPA2111 LR, bypassed buffers, ADA4841-2 ground: large soundstage, a bit bright.
ADA4841-2 in both LR & ground...bypassed buffers
A little brighter than the D3, lively & detailed. Expect very long battery life.
THS4032 LR, buffers bypassed, OPA2134 ground...dynamic and punchy..probably very good rock combo.
OPA2134 LR, buffers bypassed, THS4032 ground...better balanced than above.
AD746 LR, bypassed buffers, ADA4841-2 ground...nice soundstage, highs a bit recessed.
ADA4841-2 LR, bypassed buffers, LMH6643 ground...rather narrow soundstage that is back aways from the listener. Similar to that heard with crossfeed.
LT1028 LR (x2) sibilant with anything I tried with them.
Good ground opamps:
The THS4032 is very low noise, and can output a lot of current and is stable at a gain of 1, which makes it an ideal ground opamp. It lives up to its specs, IMO.
AD8599, neutral, nice balance.
AD8066 wide soundstage, detailed bass.
OPA2134..nice allaround performer.
LMH6643...works very well with ADA4841 & AD8066
Generally speaking, the iBasso buffers add some body and warmth as well as more output current. I did try the BUF634, a very much-used buffer, but preferred the sound of the iBasso-supplied buffers in most cases.
I tried several combinations using the AD8599 and OPA2134 in LR, in addition to using them in the ground channel socket. They both sound quite similar and work well, sounding very well-mannered with all types of music, especially with buffers and the THS4032 in the ground channel.
I think that the P3 is capable of driving any dynamic phones that currently on the market, as I never even began to approach the limits of the P3 output while running the tests.
I have more combinations to try, but I was reaching the point where everything was beginning to sound alike, so I knew it was time to hang it up for the evening, and just listen.
I will keep the LME49720/buffer/THS4032 combo in my P3 for awhile and see how it wears on me for several days.
All of the above comments are my opinions only. YMMV!!!!