[slumberman]

Hi Slumberman, did it make any difference when you drove it with your Origa amp?

Origa amp specs are even lower than LP6 unfortunately, so same volume restrictions apply, with Storm.

 

[LuckyPantsu]

What do you mean by "chocked"? LP6 was set to high gain and max volume, and STORM was still underpowered and quiet?! So, STORM needs at least 2x more power than HD800s to be driven efficiently?!

There is a difference between a pair-up synergy preference and "chocking" to drive something efficiently

Storm is a new phenomenon. Creating earphones that can’t be driven from DAP is just wow. Firstly I thought that it was just another tail from the audio community but then I tried it in London on CJ with an extra amp ( Sassy GT) and it was absolutely different iems and they were quite good with it
P6pro obsidian is quite powerful, however, amplification is really bad in terms of quality. Hope they fix it in P6Pro Ti
LP6 is not good for driving 800 properly btw In and Daps in general are not for this. The only exception is 390 and Lotoo Mj with M30

 

[Kiats]

@Kiats Do you think that the P6 Pro Ti99 will be able to drive the DC Ti properly? Do you think it's a good match? Thanks

In respect of the P6Pro Ti, it would be a matter of conjecture as it is not out yet. However, I use the P6Pro on high gain at volume 32 with the DC Ti. In fact, I am listening to it as I type this. I think it is a good match. I reckon it would be a good match as the P6Pro Ti will use elements from the LP6 Ti AE, which works nicely with the DC Ti.

Of course, do bear in mind that I listen primarily to acoustic music, vocals, jazz vocals and what is considered to be ACG. For what I listen to, both the Titan and DC Ti works well with the P6Pro.

 

[Kiats]

It’s not a power thing. I think it’s the impedance and sensitivity. I emailed LP when it happened and they confirmed it wouldn’t be an ideal pairing.

Interesting. Quick question: who did you email at LP? I cannot say I recall the Storm being discussed on the LP 199 WeChat group. Just curious. Thanks!

 

[Ojisan]

YES. I mention this in every post about it. LP6 does NOT drive Storm properly. It cuts out at higher volumes , with sharp transients such as kick drums, bass hits etc.
By choked he means the sound cuts out. It goes silent briefly.
It’s not a power thing. I think it’s the impedance and sensitivity. I emailed LP when it happened and they confirmed it wouldn’t be an ideal pairing.
It sounds ok at lower volumes.

I had this happen to me on my 7AE when I was using 7AE in USB DAC mode and out of 4.4 to drive a (STAX) desktop amp. I think what is happening is that it has to do with using the upper range of volume for reasons like hard-to-drive IEMs and low impedance loads. The amp section of LP6 draws so much current that the digital section (DACs, CPU, display) will lose power and cut out. No sound and no response to screen/buttons. The way I look at it, you are susceptible to digital cutting off while using LP6's upper volume range. Don't use anything that requires more than 1/2-3/4 of the available volume.

If LP6 had iBasso-style separate batteries for the analog section and digital section, it wouldn't be so catastrophic. The volume will just not increase beyond a certain level but at least you have control of the digital side.

 

[Kiats]

P6pro obsidian is quite powerful, however, amplification is really bad. Hope they fix it in P6Pro Ti

The P6Pro Ti will likely be different from the normal production run of P6Pro. However, do bear in mind that the use case of the P6Pro is portability. Hence, there will be limitations on what can be implemented within that form factor. That is why portable amps like Phatlab Sassy GT find its niche.

 

[Damz87]

YES. I mention this in every post about it. LP6 does NOT drive Storm properly. It cuts out at higher volumes , with sharp transients such as kick drums, bass hits etc.
By choked he means the sound cuts out. It goes silent briefly.
It’s not a power thing. I think it’s the impedance and sensitivity. I emailed LP when it happened and they confirmed it wouldn’t be an ideal pairing.
It sounds ok at lower volumes.

The standard P6Pro acts differently but equally inefficiently: at higher volumes it distorts: first barely noticeable (but obvious to me) then clearly breaking up.
The transients are softened regardless of volume, but not because of the R2R implementation. It’s an amplification issue.

Just tested this and it starts clipping at 90dB. That is an extremely loud listening level and will cause hearing damage if listened to at that level.

At normal listening levels between 77-85dB, it sounds great and drives Storm quite well IMHO.

 

[bigbeans]

If one's hearing is so impacted that 90dB is 'regular listening level', perhaps a 5k reference monitor may not be the best use of funds?

 

[aaf evo]

If one's hearing is so impacted that 90dB is 'regular listening level', perhaps a 5k reference monitor may not be the best use of funds?

You’d be surprised how loud some people listen normally. 90dB doesn’t even feel that drastic compared to what I have seen from others.

 

[bigbeans]

You’d be surprised how loud some people listen normally. 90dB doesn’t even feel that drastic compared to what I have seen from others.

The sad thing with hearing damage, it's like time. Once it's lost you can't get it back.

 

[Damz87]

If it were me I’d be spending that money on a high-end hearing aid instead of a high-end IEM or DAP.

 

[Steranko]

Wow, super set up. The P6Pro Ti99 can reach 125db. Should be enough to blow any ears off. Haha!

 

[stacey]

You’d be surprised how loud some people listen normally. 90dB doesn’t even feel that drastic compared to what I have seen from others.

Regular listening at >95db?

 

[aaf evo]

Regular listening at >95db?

My normal is around 75dB, I know people who regular do 90+.

 

[slumberman]

as I mentioned before, I don’t listen at loud levels all the time, but it happens enough times that the DAP behavior wasn’t acceptable for me. If it sounds good to you, that’s great. It’s a fact that It doesn’t run Storm ideally , and it was confirmed by the LP team. It doesn’t mean it can’t be enjoyed as is. Plug Storm into a DX320Max and it’s a completely different world, and it’s the way it’s supposed to sound according to my taste.

Thanks everyone for their concerns about my hearing though: I check it yearly and it’s still within the upper ranges of my age group, despite years of work in a very “noisy” field.