[goodvibes]

I suspect it's more to do with the transport having an advantage internal of the AK240 without the added jitter and reclocking of using an outboard DAC. When an internal dac is relatively close, it should be playing with a significant advantage. On other phones the Hugo amp stage may also play a bigger roll. I also suspect if using both as outboard DACs, the Hugo would be the clear victor. This is how good products excel at their primary function.

 

 

[MacedonianHero]

  I suspect it's more to do with the transport having an advantage internal of the AK240 without the added jitter and reclocking of using an outboard DAC. When an internal dac is relatively close, it should be playing with a significant advantage. On other phones the Hugo amp stage may also play a bigger roll. I also suspect if using both as outboard DACs, the Hugo would be the clear victor. This is how good products excel at their primary function.

 

 
Could be...hard to say though? I'm a big fan of the A&K DAPs...and these IEMs are the real deal to my ears!

 

[edwardsean]

   
Not a stupid question at all...it's fairly competitive to all of my headphones that aren't the SR-009s. They really are in my top 4-5 of all time (and the others are all full sized headphones).

 That's why I'm so impressed with them...I didn't think IEMs could fully compete this way.

Hi. Since this is a Roxx "vs." Layla thread. How would you compare the Layla to the Roxx? Many of these kinds of things were said when the Roxx came out. Would you agree with the OP that is a Layla a lateral move. Or, has the Layla made another jump in bringing IEMs up to the abilities of full-size phones?

 

[MacedonianHero]

 
Hi. Since this is a Roxx "vs." Layla thread. How would you compare the Layla to the Roxx? Many of these kinds of things were said when the Roxx came out. Would you agree with the OP that is a Layla a lateral move. Or, has the Layla made another jump in bringing IEMs up to the abilities of full-size phones?

 
The Layla's have surpassed most full-sized headphones I've heard actually. 

 

[edwardsean]

   
The Layla's have surpassed most full-sized headphones I've heard actually. 

Yes, I believe that, but a lot of people feel that way about the Roxxs. In terms of getting the scale of sound of full-size phones how do you think the Layla compares with the Roxxs?

 

[MacedonianHero]

 
Yes, I believe that, but a lot of people feel that way about the Roxxs. In terms of getting the scale of sound of full-size phones how do you think the Layla compares with the Roxxs?

 
No comparison. I came really close to picking them up last fall...glad I waited. These are a game changer for me...and I really liked the Roxannes!
 
Jude mentioned the universal Layla's are the best IEMs he's heard (custom or universal) in his southern CAN JAM video today.

 

[lojay]

Just auditioned the Layla yesterday night. I must say I was extremely impressed. I put a DXD version of Rebecca Pidgeon's Spanish Harlem on repeat on an Astell and Kern player. Everything was done well, particularly the tonality which I felt was very much spot on. Tonality is an aspect I felt lacking in all other IEMs I have heard, including the Roxanne that I have auditioned on the same occasion. The details and width of soundstage were noticeably better than the Roxanne but I would say it is the instrumental separation and imaging that sets it far apart from other IEMS.
 
I may be nitpicking but I feel that the HD800, when properly driven and fed with a good source is still a notch better than the Laylas in terms of effortlessness, naturalness and transparency. The HD800 just scale higher and higher. The technicalities of the Layla are all there but something just doesn't gel. I suppose it may be the Astell and Kern player's fault. But I am not quite ready to dish out so much dough just to see how the Laylas sound in my main rig. 

 

[MacedonianHero]

  Just auditioned the Layla yesterday night. I must say I was extremely impressed. I put a DXD version of Rebecca Pidgeon's Spanish Harlem on repeat on an Astell and Kern player. Everything was done well, particularly the tonality which I felt was very much spot on. Tonality is an aspect I felt lacking in all other IEMs I have heard, including the Roxanne that I have auditioned on the same occasion. The details and width of soundstage were noticeably better than the Roxanne but I would say it is the instrumental separation and imaging that sets it far apart from other IEMS.
 
I may be nitpicking but I feel that the HD800, when properly driven and fed with a good source is still a notch better than the Laylas in terms of effortlessness, naturalness and transparency. The HD800 just scale higher and higher. The technicalities of the Layla are all there but something just doesn't gel. I suppose it may be the Astell and Kern player's fault. But I am not quite ready to dish out so much dough just to see how the Laylas sound in my main rig. 

 
Well...based on your post...I'm not switching over to Rebecca Pidgeon's Spanish Harlem (have it in high res.) 

 
The Layla's are the only IEM to come close to my HD800/HeadAmp GS-X Mk2/Metrum Hex setup...and tonally, I prefer the Layla's by a small margin. That's a game changer IMO. No other IEM ever came close...as did most full sized headphones.

 

[acain]

Can you really get the out of head experience with the Layla's like the HD800's?

 

[MacedonianHero]

  Can you really get the out of head experience with the Layla's like the HD800's?

 
You get an out of the head experience like or better than most full sized headphones with them...but the HD800s are a special breed that way. 

 

[lojay]

  The Layla's are the only IEM to come close to my HD800/HeadAmp GS-X Mk2/Metrum Hex setup...and tonally, I prefer the Layla's by a small margin. That's a game changer IMO. No other IEM ever came close...as did most full sized headphones.

 
I suppose it's the A&K's problem. Problems with tonality are often, I find, a delta-sigma problem. I suppose you are preferring the Layla to the HD800 tonally-speaking when driven out of the GSX mk2 and Metrum Hex?

 

[MacedonianHero]

   
I suppose it's the A&K's problem. Problems with tonality are often, I find, a delta-sigma problem. I suppose you are preferring the Layla to the HD800 tonally-speaking when driven out of the GSX mk2 and Metrum Hex?

 
I prefer the tonality of the Layla's over the HD800s regardless of the HD800 rig I've heard them. 

 

[lojay]

   
I prefer the tonality of the Layla's over the HD800s regardless of the HD800 rig I've heard them. 

You haven't Anax modded the HD800's I presume?

 

[MacedonianHero]

  You haven't Anax modded the HD800's I presume?

Tried that too...I've gone back a while ago.

 

[lojay]

  Tried that too...I've gone back a while ago.

 
I know you have heard every rig there is, but you should hear mine. I prefer it to the Layla I've heard but again, I haven't heard the Layla on my rig so we are comparing apples and oranges here. 
 
I'm in fact waiting for the Layla to come up with a custom version, that would up the game a notch I presume.