[etc6849]

In my personal opinion when I was comparing side by side my current setup vs carbon I got a slightly deeper headstage, more layers however it was a bit more diffused than on carbon, and overall the sound was a bit cleaner but those are very subtle differences and I would be just as happy with the Carbon.

Something to be aware of is that iESL sound with vary with different amps connected to it, I went through 3 iterations before being satisfied beyond carbon.
First setup - Yamaha A-S2200 into iESL - not terrible but I would definitely pick Carbon over it.
Second setup - Flux Volot via its headphone XLR output into iESL - much better than yamaha on par with Carbon for me.
And finally my current setup - Holo Serene preamp into DIY amp based on Purifi 1ET400A and Neurochrome input buffers into iESL - slight preference compared to Carbon, incredible clarity, power and staging.

Of course that's just my opinion and I might be biased since when you build something yourself you enjoy it more. Next step I'm saving for Holo May and will be building new Hypex Nilai500 amp when it releases.

That amp performs very very well from a noise perspective.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...easurements-of-purifi-1et400a-amplifier.7984/

Definitely in the top 5 best performing amps I've seen measurements for:

My personal experience with sensitive speakers and even sensitive headphones has shown the lower the noise and lower power levels, the better. I suspect you are at the point of diminishing returns wrt your amp. At some point, as you eliminate more and more noise, your dynamic range will be limited by your ears and whichever DAC you are using.

Sadly, I think my main tri-amped speaker setup and headphone setup has no more room for improvement.

 

[iFi audio]

That amp performs very very well from a noise perspective.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...easurements-of-purifi-1et400a-amplifier.7984/

Definitely in the top 5 best performing amps I've seen measurements for:

My personal experience with sensitive speakers and even sensitive headphones has shown the lower the noise and lower power levels, the better. I suspect you are at the point of diminishing returns wrt your amp. At some point, as you eliminate more and more noise, your dynamic range will be limited by your ears and whichever DAC you are using.

Sadly, I think my main tri-amped speaker setup and headphone setup has no more room for improvement.

With all these monitors I have to say that you run a nice surveillance center

And it's great seeing iESL in there too

 

[deafenears]

With all these monitors I have to say that you run a nice surveillance center

He's just making sure no one tries to take off with his audio gear.... 24x7 surveillance of it.

And it's great seeing iESL in there too

You'll see more pics of people with iESLs when iFi Audio starts making more of them

 

[iFi audio]

You'll see more pics of people with iESLs when iFi Audio starts making more of them

Who knows, who knows, maybe we will

 

[ThanatosVI]

Who knows, who knows, maybe we will

Do it!

 

[BlueEmperor]

Estat lovers are really a niche even in the hobby so I fully understand that iFi needs to make good assessment before committing. I myself couldn't be happier with iESL, and for people who want one some dealers still have them... at least in my region.

 

[MokhaMark]

Torq is selling one over at the Headphones.com forum, FYI

https://forum.headphones.com/t/fs-ifi-audio-pro-iesl/18155

I'd get it in a heartbeat but I sold all my e-stats

 

[Miiksu]

Torq is selling one over at the Headphones.com forum, FYI

https://forum.headphones.com/t/fs-ifi-audio-pro-iesl/18155

I'd get it in a heartbeat but I sold all my e-stats

I wonder why someone wants to sell it. It's perfect. It has three unique features. Firstly it has a big battery bank for continuous power and the sound signal can't get cleaner than that. Secondly you can adjust output impedance and thirdly you can adjust bias.

 

[MokhaMark]

I wonder why someone wants to sell it. It's perfect. It has three unique features. Firstly it has a big battery bank for continuous power and the sound signal can't get cleaner than that. Secondly you can adjust output impedance and thirdly you can adjust bias.

Torq explains why he is selling it, he has 2 e-stat dedicated amps and building a third, and plenty of other amps for conventional cans. I think it is now redundant for him despite its utility, which he has also acknowledged....still, its a great deal for someone who needs it.

 

[Miiksu]

Torq explains why he is selling it, he has 2 e-stat dedicated amps and building a third, and plenty of other amps for conventional cans. I think it is now redundant for him despite its utility, which he has also acknowledged....still, its a great deal for someone who needs it.

Definitely. Only problem is to find the perfect amp for it.

 

[ThyDanMan]

How would this perform with the Fostex TH-900?

 

[Miiksu]

How would this perform with the Fostex TH-900?

Fine I guess. I would not use tube amp for regular headphones. You get audible hiss with most amps. You still need 4 pin XLR adapter. If I remember correctly wiring goes like this: 1pin R+, 2pin R-, 3pin L-, 4pin L+.

 

[Kiats]

@iFi audio Just wanted to check if the iESL Pro is still being produced? thanks!

 

[ThanatosVI]

@iFi audio Just wanted to check if the iESL Pro is still being produced? thanks!

It is not, however many of us keep requesting a new production run or improved black label version

 

[iFi audio]

It is not,

That's affirmative, our Pro iESL is now discontinued.