yammy1688
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2003
- Posts
- 171
- Likes
- 10
Hello folks,
I've been 'downgrading' my system as of late due to a move and took the opportunity to try and simplify things a bit. I previously owned a Singlepower Maestro and a pair of PS-1's, and although I loved the sound, something that big and expensive with exposed tubes sticking out of it just made me constantly worried
, having three cats and all. I've also owned a Prehead in the past as well.
The PS-1's were great too, but they had a tendency to want to slip off my head, so I had to sit upright all the time. So I decided to look for a more practical setup, namely a SS amp + comfy phones.
Did a little bit of research and picked up a Dynahi-SA. Ordered mine with only one set of inputs, neutrik jack, and stepped pot, so the input selector knob on mine doesn't do anything, which is good
Just FYI, my current setup: RME 96/8 & word clock -> glass optical -> Big Ben -> Stealth Varidig -> Audio Logic 2400 -> Pure Note Cerulean -> Dynahi. Also using Tapian and VD Nite power cords.
OK so with my little back story out of the way, onto my impressions.
Build quality:
Very very good! I didn't bother taking the covers off as the vents were big enough to give me a good peek at the inside. Everythign is laid out and wired very nicely and the boards themselves appear very well built. The big heatsinks are reassuring. It runs really hot, with certain parts of the chassis being almost too hot to touch. I've had it on for five days straight (against recommendation) however without incident, so I don't think much of it. It's just the nature of Dynahi's I hear.
Sound:
In my opinion, for amps, you've just about hit the point of diminishing returns at this price point, and differences between amps really aren't night and day. So please don't think this amp is 4000% better than a prehead etc etc...
I've had the burning in for almost two straight weeks with little 'power-off' time. I was also able to get in some listening time with the PS-1s before being shipped off.
With that said, I can say it sounds, excellent. I was truely suprised at how good it sounded when first plugged it in at home.
It trumps the Prehead MK1 in all areas. The best way I could describe it would be it sounds 'livelier'. Complex passages are ultra detailed while solos still sound pretty darn sweet. The BASS is really nice as well. Very, very tight, yet still impactful. I guess you could say it's like a Prehead (MK1, I haven't heard their newest), but better. It really does a good job of conveying music.
I'd say it matches the Maestro in it's ability to resolve and provide tight bass, but it's just missing that bit of tube sweetness, which is expected
. It's still got that 'in your face' type of sound, but one I can easily live with given their costs. It could be that my system itself is a bit on the 'dry' side so that my be a contributor.
I really, really liked this amp with my PS-1's. I kind of regret selling them now, but oh well. Currently listening to them with SA-5K's and they're great. Absolutely wonderful for trance/electronica music/classical stuff. For rock/blues/jazz, I prefered the Grados, but the SA5k's are pretty darn good too
In case you can't tell, I really like this amp. It's just a really (IMO) friggin good amp, and perfectly suit my current needs. I think you'll need a good source though. I don't know how transparent of an amp it is, but I was feeding it from my laptop (T40) for a while and it sounded OK, however plugging it in at home made a TREMENDOUS difference. That's just my expereince.
I don't know how most of the other amps around this price point sound, since the only point of reference I have is the Prehead, but I'd be very suprised if they sounded better than the Dynahi.
Oh and the service was great too. I was kept abrest of everything as it happened and Guru was very responsive.
Disclaimer:
This is all IMO so please don't flame me.
I've been 'downgrading' my system as of late due to a move and took the opportunity to try and simplify things a bit. I previously owned a Singlepower Maestro and a pair of PS-1's, and although I loved the sound, something that big and expensive with exposed tubes sticking out of it just made me constantly worried
The PS-1's were great too, but they had a tendency to want to slip off my head, so I had to sit upright all the time. So I decided to look for a more practical setup, namely a SS amp + comfy phones.
Did a little bit of research and picked up a Dynahi-SA. Ordered mine with only one set of inputs, neutrik jack, and stepped pot, so the input selector knob on mine doesn't do anything, which is good
Just FYI, my current setup: RME 96/8 & word clock -> glass optical -> Big Ben -> Stealth Varidig -> Audio Logic 2400 -> Pure Note Cerulean -> Dynahi. Also using Tapian and VD Nite power cords.
OK so with my little back story out of the way, onto my impressions.
Build quality:
Very very good! I didn't bother taking the covers off as the vents were big enough to give me a good peek at the inside. Everythign is laid out and wired very nicely and the boards themselves appear very well built. The big heatsinks are reassuring. It runs really hot, with certain parts of the chassis being almost too hot to touch. I've had it on for five days straight (against recommendation) however without incident, so I don't think much of it. It's just the nature of Dynahi's I hear.
Sound:
In my opinion, for amps, you've just about hit the point of diminishing returns at this price point, and differences between amps really aren't night and day. So please don't think this amp is 4000% better than a prehead etc etc...
I've had the burning in for almost two straight weeks with little 'power-off' time. I was also able to get in some listening time with the PS-1s before being shipped off.
With that said, I can say it sounds, excellent. I was truely suprised at how good it sounded when first plugged it in at home.
It trumps the Prehead MK1 in all areas. The best way I could describe it would be it sounds 'livelier'. Complex passages are ultra detailed while solos still sound pretty darn sweet. The BASS is really nice as well. Very, very tight, yet still impactful. I guess you could say it's like a Prehead (MK1, I haven't heard their newest), but better. It really does a good job of conveying music.
I'd say it matches the Maestro in it's ability to resolve and provide tight bass, but it's just missing that bit of tube sweetness, which is expected
I really, really liked this amp with my PS-1's. I kind of regret selling them now, but oh well. Currently listening to them with SA-5K's and they're great. Absolutely wonderful for trance/electronica music/classical stuff. For rock/blues/jazz, I prefered the Grados, but the SA5k's are pretty darn good too
In case you can't tell, I really like this amp. It's just a really (IMO) friggin good amp, and perfectly suit my current needs. I think you'll need a good source though. I don't know how transparent of an amp it is, but I was feeding it from my laptop (T40) for a while and it sounded OK, however plugging it in at home made a TREMENDOUS difference. That's just my expereince.
I don't know how most of the other amps around this price point sound, since the only point of reference I have is the Prehead, but I'd be very suprised if they sounded better than the Dynahi.
Oh and the service was great too. I was kept abrest of everything as it happened and Guru was very responsive.
Disclaimer:
This is all IMO so please don't flame me.
