[NU62]

In the caption accompanying the picture of the DNA 2A3 amp in Post #6 there was mention of a modded Senn 580 (foam removed and recabled), so this is directed at the owner of those cans.  What is the improvement from the foam removal?  I have a Senn 650 that is not seeing much use - can the foam removal mod be performed on the 650 and if so, what are the steps?  Thanks.
 
 

 

[Jon L]

Quote:

In the caption accompanying the picture of the DNA 2A3 amp in Post #6 there was mention of a modded Senn 580 (foam removed and recabled), so this is directed at the owner of those cans.  What is the improvement from the foam removal?  I have a Senn 650 that is not seeing much use - can the foam removal mod be performed on the 650 and if so, what are the steps?  Thanks.
 
 

Well, this is the modded HD580 in question.  Hopefully the owner will see this post and respond.  
 
 
 
 

 

[Mr.Sneis]

I am jelly bros!  I loved my old Moth EC2a3, wish I still had it and glad to see we're getting some new 2a3 based amps for headphones. 

 

[purrin]

 
Quote:

I am jelly bros!  I loved my old Moth EC2a3, wish I still had it and glad to see we're getting some new 2a3 based amps for headphones. 

One can still get the BA in 2A3/45 configuration. Hmmmm.
 

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

 
 
Quick impressions under meet conditions, but with my headphone and the Super7 (which I am familiar with since Anax has stolen this several times from Craig already.) You may also want to confirm with Anax since he studied the DAC more intensely than me:
 

1. Transients and attacks are a little blunted
2. Bass extends decently well, is powerful, but is rounded
3. Maybe lacks that last half-octave down low
4. Good detail
5. Little bit sharp in the treble when volume is turned up.

 
Overall it's good for the money.
 
My reference is the PS Audio PerfectWave.

I can second this.  
 
Put simply it is basically neutral.  Resolves quite well and better than I was expecting.  There is a slight euphonic signature in that it doesn't have that flat digital signature yet there is no treble roll off or bass bloom to muck up and warm everything.  It's actually quite interesting and pleasant in it's voicing.  I can say I've heard about 3 different AKM DACs and this was the most 'organic' sounding but in a more natural transparent way rather than colored.  Just lacks that extra bit of refinement you get from something like the PWD where it might come off a bit grainier when played through very transparent amps.  For the money it's definitely a solid piece of kit and recommended.  For absolute performance I'd wait for their statement or go another direction.  

 

[Anaxilus]

 
Quote:

In the caption accompanying the picture of the DNA 2A3 amp in Post #6 there was mention of a modded Senn 580 (foam removed and recabled), so this is directed at the owner of those cans.  What is the improvement from the foam removal?  I have a Senn 650 that is not seeing much use - can the foam removal mod be performed on the 650 and if so, what are the steps?  Thanks.

I'm sure it's just the Apuresound mod.
 
http://apuresound.com/hdsennmod.html
 

 

[Misterrogers]

Good stuff, thanks!
 
Quote:

I can second this.  
 
Put simply it is basically neutral.  Resolves quite well and better than I was expecting.  There is a slight euphonic signature in that it doesn't have that flat digital signature yet there is no treble roll off or bass bloom to muck up and warm everything.  It's actually quite interesting and pleasant in it's voicing.  I can say I've heard about 3 different AKM DACs and this was the most 'organic' sounding but in a more natural transparent way rather than colored.  Just lacks that extra bit of refinement you get from something like the PWD where it might come off a bit grainier when played through very transparent amps.  For the money it's definitely a solid piece of kit and recommended.  For absolute performance I'd wait for their statement or go another direction.  

 

 

[Butler]

 
 
Quick impressions under meet conditions, but with my headphone and the Super7 (which I am familiar with since Anax has stolen this several times from Craig already.) You may also want to confirm with Anax since he studied the DAC more intensely than me:
 

1. Transients and attacks are a little blunted
2. Bass extends decently well, is powerful, but is rounded
3. Maybe lacks that last half-octave down low
4. Good detail
5. Little bit sharp in the treble when volume is turned up.

 
Overall it's good for the money.
 
My reference is the PS Audio PerfectWave.

It sounds like a perfect pairing with the Asgard, which makes sense. From what I've read, and somewhat through my own experience the Asgard tends to dull Trebles so it sounds like they'll balance out nicely.

 

[rhythmdevils]

Purrin, what did you think of the Rev2 given our conversations (and your measurements) of the Rev1? 

 

[purrin]

Quote:

Purrin, what did you think of the Rev2 given our conversations (and your measurements) of the Rev1? 

I actually liked the r2 this time around. I did not like the r2 at the Buena Park Headroom meet (just a big horribly noisy vendor show.) But I swear the r2 at the vendor show sounded different from the one at this smaller meet. I'll have to dig up my notes, but I think it was along the lines of "more treble in a certain spot past 10k than even HD800, disjointed, not cohesive, a bastardized blending of the LCD2 and HE6 without necessarily any of their better qualities, etc." 
 
The r2 I heard at this meet had no such issues. It sounded less shelved down than the r1, a bit faster, had good bass integration, but the FR was still a bit rough in the treble. It wasn't bad. As for what accounts for the perceived differences? It could be batch variation, varying meet conditions, a cherry picked sample just for me, or just simply me talking out of my ass. Anaxilus can corroborate my story though - although it's possible I may have influenced him with my telepathic powers - but that's doubtful given his personality.
 
Someone I know at this recent meet who has disliked every LCD2 (r1 or r2) he had heard felt the r2 sounded pretty good - better than the LCD3 in some respects.
 
Coming away from this meet, I'm almost certain you would like the LCD3 and R10. 

 

[Donald North]

Hi Purrin,
 
Thanks for arranging this meet. It was a lot of fun to see old friends and meet new ones! Thank you for sharing your comments about the 2A3 amp. A couple points to clarify:
 
1. The output transformer secondaries are always grounded for safety. The toggle switch switches between grounding the center tap for balanced drive and grounding the negative (-) tap for unbalanced (single ended) drive.
2. Yes, the input tube used is the 6N1P which will be stock for the amplifier.
 
As for the sound of the amplifier, I try to make it present the music with a natural clarity and tangible presence. Some listeners may like this, some may prefer something else. An analogy is wines: Some people like them dry; some like them juicy. I prefer juicy

 
Quote:

 
I didn't hear the LCD3 on the 2A3, but I did spend quite some time listening to it with my modded HD800s and HP1000s. I may as well post some impressions. This is one of those amps where a lot of headphones sound good with it. The HD800s were an excellent match - as were the HP1000s. 
 
It's a neutral sounding and euphonic amp with the chinese 2A3 tubes. I spoke with Donald and he mentioned that he used a variety of different headphones and easily obtainable tubes to voice it. His philosophy was to allow a buyer to get something good out of without having to spending another chunk of change on expensive tubes.
 
One nifty feature is dual function switch and let's the user do one of the following:
 

• Cut gain by 6db on the single-ended headphone output. This can be useful for headphones of high sensitivity or IEMs.
• Change between common ground or isolated ground on the balanced headphone output.

 
As expected, the 2A3 does share certain traits with the Sonett - similar tone - but with more authority and control in the bass. I know I loved this amp with the HD800. It definitely took the treble nastiness off the HD800. The amp sounds lush, romantic, but not overly warm amp, while being able to maintain a good level of detail extraction. It's got quite a bit of the classic tube sound, but it's definitely not bloated, bloomy, rolled-off, etc.
 
Since the Eddie Current 2A3 was there too, someone put it best: "The Eddie Current 2A3 is solid-state sounding with the inner detail* of tubes. The DNA 2A3 has that tube lushness that I've been looking for."  *This statement is for poetic illustrative purposes only and not to start an argument
 
Now this is not to say that you can't swap in some old stock or KR/EML tubes into the 2A3. I don't remember what the input tube was, a 6N1P? 
 
 
EDIT: The 2A3 was fed by a Sonic Frontiers SFCD-1 - so that needs to be taken into account.

 

 

[DouglasQuaid]

Quote:

tangible... Some people like them dry; some like them juicy. I prefer juicy

 

Words of wisdom.
 
Hard to go wrong with any post listing both "tangible" and "juicy"

 

[CEE TEE]

Quote:

The r2 I heard at this meet had no such issues. It sounded less shelved down than the r1, a bit faster, had good bass integration, but the FR was still a bit rough in the treble. It wasn't bad. As for what accounts for the perceived differences? It could be batch variation, varying meet conditions, a cherry picked sample just for me, or just simply me talking out of my ass. Anaxilus can corroborate my story though - although it's possible I may have influenced him with my telepathic powers - but that's doubtful given his personality.

 
 
This kind of paragraph is why I pay attention to you guys.  Hilarious, incisive, and data points?  Cheers.  

 

[ocswing]

Many thanks to Purrin for putting the meet together and everyone for showing up with their gear! I had a lot of fun talking to people and even just listening to others talk.
 
Oh, and the gear wasn't bad either! Obviously the SR-009, LCD-3, AKG K1000, and Donald's 2a3 were awesome to listen to, but it was great to talk to everyone. From the bigger names on these forums to others like me who are still trying to figure all this out. xxhaxx let me roll tubes in my Lyr (which has the unfortunate side effect of making me want to spend money on tubes.) Alpha Mike and I compared the Q701 and K701 and at least to our ears there is no difference. Also did some direct comparisons with igotyofire's DT880 and my DT990, and was able to check out his Bottlehead which looked great. If only I could solder.
 
Listened to a few out of LFF's collection including his Fostex's. Very neutral though I couldn't quite wrap my head around the soundstaging. They felt closed, but sounded open and it was something I hadn't experienced before so kind of confusing. 
 
Overall, it was a great meet up. I had a ton of fun, and I'd definitely be interested the next time one is hosted around here. Jon L those are some great pics as well!

 

[purrin]

Quote:

As for the sound of the amplifier, I try to make it present the music with a natural clarity and tangible presence. Some listeners may like this, some may prefer something else. An analogy is wines: Some people like them dry; some like them juicy. I prefer juicy

 
I think you've hit a good balance. With those inexpensive Chinese tubes (which actually sounded surprisingly good considering their cost) it certainly was juicy. I'm sure if we rolled in some of the central european KR's, we can get it a bit drier sounding. So a lot of flexibility here to cover a wide range of tastes.