[dcguy73]

I just discovered something that blows my mind! Ever since getting the Pro iCan... about 3 or 4 months ago, I have never tried driving my LCD-3F's on the highest gain setting... I have gone back and forth on the lowest and middle settings. This evening, for the first time, I flipped the switch up to the highest setting. And, man alive... my sound really came alive! It was no slouch on the lowest setting, where I played it most of the time... and occasionally I tried the middle gain setting. Just this evening, I decided why not try the highest setting... so I did. Now, I won't go back after hearing this highest gain setting. I hear great focus, great transparency, and even more black background. Have you tried it with your phones? And, especially anyone using the LCD-3F's, I would like to hear from you.

Just so you know, besides the good Pro iCan, I have my music program Amarra 4 Plus on my 2016 MacBook Pro. My music files are stored on an external solid state drive. I use a PS Audio DirectStream DSD DAC. I'm really pleased with the sound from this system. Mighty fine!

I'm not sure the same thing applies to the HEKv2 as it does to the LCD-3Fs, @Skooks. I've tried high gain on the iCan Pro before, but didn't really care for it. After I read your post, I tried switching between medium and high gain on a few different albums. The one with the most palpable differences was U2's The Joshua Tree, specifically U2's "Where the Streets Have no Name." In medium gain at about ten o'clock, Bono's voice and Edge's ringing guitar occupy a shared space at a similar volume, a bit laid-back, neither really standing out from the other. When I switched to high gain at maybe eight or nine o'clock, I could physically feel each cadence of the guitar distinctly, one after another, and they occupied a separate space from Bono's voice. That part was great! But the overall sound was very in-your-face, and there was also a bit of hardness that crept into the sound that made me clench my jaw, as I always do when that happens.

I can see how a harder-to-drive headphone like your LCD-3Fs might benefit from it, but I think that for the HEKv2s, high gain is a little too much. If only there was a level of gain between medium and high -- that would be perfect.

EDIT: I was using an older tube single-ended CD player with the iCan Pro with an OCC copper headphone cable when I did this test. Not my usual setup of streaming music through the Holo Audio Spirng DAC to the iCan Pro with a silver headphone cable.

 

[tekkster]

I know the t1 isn’t talked about much these days, but i use high gain on the pro ican with the t1 exclusively. Love the sound with this combo. For the hd800 i use medium gain.

 

[Starcruncher]

I just discovered something that blows my mind! Ever since getting the Pro iCan... about 3 or 4 months ago, I have never tried driving my LCD-3F's on the highest gain setting... I have gone back and forth on the lowest and middle settings. This evening, for the first time, I flipped the switch up to the highest setting. And, man alive... my sound really came alive! It was no slouch on the lowest setting, where I played it most of the time... and occasionally I tried the middle gain setting. Just this evening, I decided why not try the highest setting... so I did. Now, I won't go back after hearing this highest gain setting. I hear great focus, great transparency, and even more black background. Have you tried it with your phones? And, especially anyone using the LCD-3F's, I would like to hear from you.

Just so you know, besides the good Pro iCan, I have my music program Amarra 4 Plus on my 2016 MacBook Pro. My music files are stored on an external solid state drive. I use a PS Audio DirectStream DSD DAC. I'm really pleased with the sound from this system. Mighty fine!

All three headphones that I use(d) with this benefited noticeably from high gain: Grado PS1000, Senn HD600, and Focal Elex, which are technically diverse in their power requirements. I'm postulating that headphones generally perform best with more power, assuming that the power is good and clean. Taste, of course, is relevant on this point.

 

[frogmeat69]

On high gain I can barely turn the volume knob past 9 o'clock, maybe 10 with the LCD-3, or most other headphones I have for that matter, before it gets to be too much to handle, guess I listen on average at lower volumes than a lot of you.

 

[Currawong]

If the gain setting is just changing the output, and not the circuit in any significant way, there will be no difference between them. It's easy to think you're hearing differences between gain settings when in reality you aren't.

 

[tonyo442]

hello,
new food for the ifi pro ican, or other pro materials from ifi,
Tony

https://www.audiophonics.fr/fr/alim...egulee-ifi-audio-pro-ican-15v-4a-p-12843.html

 

[Slim1970]

If the gain setting is just changing the output, and not the circuit in any significant way, there will be no difference between them. It's easy to think you're hearing differences between gain settings when in reality you aren't.

When I change the gain settings on my Pro iCan I just get a sense of more power. I don't really hear any changes to it's sonic character. I believe this is what you want from a good amp. When you had the Pro iCan in for a demo did you like it?

 

[Skooks]

I'm not sure the same thing applies to the HEKv2 as it does to the LCD-3Fs, @Skooks. I've tried high gain on the iCan Pro before, but didn't really care for it. After I read your post, I tried switching between medium and high gain on a few different albums. The one with the most palpable differences was U2's The Joshua Tree, specifically U2's "Where the Streets Have no Name." In medium gain at about ten o'clock, Bono's voice and Edge's ringing guitar occupy a shared space at a similar volume, a bit laid-back, neither really standing out from the other. When I switched to high gain at maybe eight or nine o'clock, I could physically feel each cadence of the guitar distinctly, one after another, and they occupied a separate space from Bono's voice. That part was great! But the overall sound was very in-your-face, and there was also a bit of hardness that crept into the sound that made me clench my jaw, as I always do when that happens.

I can see how a harder-to-drive headphone like your LCD-3Fs might benefit from it, but I think that for the HEKv2s, high gain is a little too much. If only there was a level of gain between medium and high -- that would be perfect.

EDIT: I was using an older tube single-ended CD player with the iCan Pro with an OCC copper headphone cable when I did this test. Not my usual setup of streaming music through the Holo Audio Spirng DAC to the iCan Pro with a silver headphone cable.

It is a system of components that reproduces sound... not just a source or USB cable or DAC or interconnects or amp or headphone cable or headphones. You can swap out any one of the components and you will get a different sound in your ears... some changes might be very subtle, while others might be more prominent. And, some components, such as the DAC or amp might have the flexibility to tweak the sound... such as the Pro iCan Headphone Amp which has several ways to tweak the sound, such as you can choose all solid state or tube hybrid... and with the tube selector, you can choose one or two tubes to tweak the sound... you can choose increments of bass boost... you can choose increments of stage width... and you can choose three increments of gain, from 0db, 9db or 18db. All of these things affect the sound.

Now, let's think about it a bit more... take cables for instance... one cable maker's use of copper can vary greatly with another maker's use of copper... and also the quality of copper varies. But, how the cable maker utilizes copper or silver or a hybrid of the two, makes a difference in the sound.

Also, think about DACs... one DAC maker can use the same chips as another, but how he uses those chips in his design will make a difference in the sound. And, of course, all who have tube components know very well when you start tube rolling that you can change the sound from slightly to greatly.

Also, you have to know that your choice of music... the same recording... can vary depending on the type of media... CD, SACD or digital files... and digital files of the same recording vary greatly, such as bit depth and etc. When I go to HDtracks to buy musical files, there might be two or three different levels, and higher the level more it costs.

So, you can't judge accurately what one Head-fier says about the sound he hears from his system and portrays it to you in his words unless you have the same components he has in his system. And, even how many hours you have on your components makes a difference... especially if one or more of the components are not "broken in." The sound can change drastically as a component burns in. And even after a component is broken in, you leave it totally off for a period of time, and it has to "warm up" before it will give you its best sound... and, for tubes, you must give them at least an hour after being off to hear what that component can truly sound like... what that system of components can sound like.

I hope this can help us as we read a review of a particular component... everything makes a difference!

 

[tekkster]

One small quirk I notice with the iFi Pro iCan.

It seems much more sensitive to nearby wireless devices than my H2, Mojo, Jot, or adi-2.

Not a big deal, I just need to make sure to keep the area around the iCan clear. But it was a little surprising to realize the difference. The H2 is immune to nearby wireless devices.

 

[Currawong]

When I change the gain settings on my Pro iCan I just get a sense of more power. I don't really hear any changes to it's sonic character. I believe this is what you want from a good amp. When you had the Pro iCan in for a demo did you like it?

As you would if you turned the volume up an equivalent amount. That is ALL a gain setting change does.

 

[bildar]

hey what does tube+ do on this thing? Skooks mentioned something about using one or two tubes. It tube mode one tube with ss and tube+ is two tubes? I have been hooked on tube+ lately.

 

[frogmeat69]

hey what does tube+ do on this thing? Skooks mentioned something about using one or two tubes. It tube mode one tube with ss and tube+ is two tubes? I have been hooked on tube+ lately.

Pulled from the iCan Pro manual :
Solid-State mode:
is a pure, solid-state circuit and uses J-FETs and is fully-discrete Class A.
Tube mode:
2 x NOS GE5670s are engaged with the J-FET circuitry switched out for an all-valve Class A operation.
Tube+ mode:
reduces negative feedback to a minimum. As a result, a greater amount of the tubes’ natural
harmonics are produced (Even Order harmonics dominate).

 

[Beolab]

I just discovered something that blows my mind! Ever since getting the Pro iCan... about 3 or 4 months ago, I have never tried driving my LCD-3F's on the highest gain setting... I have gone back and forth on the lowest and middle settings. This evening, for the first time, I flipped the switch up to the highest setting. And, man alive... my sound really came alive! It was no slouch on the lowest setting, where I played it most of the time... and occasionally I tried the middle gain setting. Just this evening, I decided why not try the highest setting... so I did. Now, I won't go back after hearing this highest gain setting. I hear great focus, great transparency, and even more black background. Have you tried it with your phones? And, especially anyone using the LCD-3F's, I would like to hear from you.

Just so you know, besides the good Pro iCan, I have my music program Amarra 4 Plus on my 2016 MacBook Pro. My music files are stored on an external solid state drive. I use a PS Audio DirectStream DSD DAC. I'm really pleased with the sound from this system. Mighty fine!

iFi spec the best result is to use the middle or low gain setting and turn up the volume to 12+ o'clock where the vol. nobe got betetr SNR spec with almost no loss.

If your headphones is to sensitive at the Lower gain setting with 12 o'clock volume, the you can in some cases adjust the output signal of your source to tune this in.

Try this and you will get an even better SQ.

 

[bflat]

According to iFi the best result is to use the middle or low setting and turn up the volume to 12 o'clock where the nobe is bit perfect without any loss.

If your headphones is to sensitive at the Lower gain setting with 12 o'clock volume, the you can in some cases adjust the output signal of your source to tune this in.

Try this and you will get an even better SQ.

Can you give more details on this? There is nothing digital inside the iCan Pro amp so not sure if that statement applies. Perhaps that was in reference to their DACs?

 

[Beolab]

The amp is pure analogue, but the volume is one of the most critical component for the sound, and less than 5% is “bit perfect” in the mid-fi range, because the high end volume ciructs is often to costly for a integrated amp in the mid range price point.

A volume knob is only true efficent at serten levels where it can pass through the best SNR and on a Pro Ican the most efficent setting is a 12 O’clock.

If i remember correctly; for every 3 db the volume nobe restains the signal , you miss out 1 bit in resolution, that is an average estimation / conversation, to understand what loss you will have.