[Jeff Guidry]

Ran into some money and I've been getting back into headphones lately, so I figure I would get a decent amp and start back right.

Can anyone tell me what I can expect from this combo? My source is a Sony 500v (remember that FOTM?), I've got some headphile basic interconnects on the way, and I use V6's (all around), KSC75's (primarily for exercise with pcdp), and XD400's (almost exclusively for movies). I will likely be rebuying the HD580/Meier Oehlbach replacement cable combo I had once for the small (but growing) Aretha Franklin and Frank Sinatra collection I have. Otherwise, I listen to hard rock/pop and some ambient/trance, but mostly that's from computer on Pandora......

 

[Hirsch]

I've got a review coming on these. Short story: warm and dynamic sound, with loads of power in reserve. Strong low end, open highs. A steal at the price. More coming soon.

 

[Jeff Guidry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hirsch I've got a review coming on these. Short story: warm and dynamic sound, with loads of power in reserve. Strong low end, open highs. A steal at the price. More coming soon.

Goody! Does this unit come with a stock power cable, or will I have to buy one to get started? How does the Supplier connect to the Cute Beyond?

 

[DoomV1]

Pulling the trigger on the amp is good idea. Pulling the trigger on the supplier is probably not..

 

[J@ck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Guidry Goody! Does this unit come with a stock power cable, or will I have to buy one to get started? How does the Supplier connect to the Cute Beyond?

Everything you need will be in the package.
The Supplier connects to the Beyond via a DC power cable.
Also you can compare the differences with and without the Supplier. Looking forward to see some of your impressions.

 

[Jeff Guidry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoomV1 Pulling the trigger on the amp is good idea. Pulling the trigger on the supplier is probably not..

Why?

 

[Hirsch]

The Supplier helps the amp fill out the low end, strenthening bass performance. There are other effects throughout the frequency range that manifest as a better sense of space and more open sound. The Beyond is a good sounding amp with the stock power supply, but the Supplier does make it better.

 

[immtbiker]

I think that it was meant as a joke thinking that the "supplier" was the company selling the Cute, and "pulling the trigger on them" wouldn't be a good idea.

 

[Jeff Guidry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by immtbiker I think that it was meant as a joke thinking that the "supplier" was the company selling the Cute, and "pulling the trigger on them" wouldn't be a good idea.

Ah yes. My humor detector is not set on 'subtle' today (nor any day usually).

 

[Veniogenesis]

Maybe I should just get one of these instead of going through the trouble of building a M^3.

[size=xx-small]I'll look good with my Fubar I guess. haha[/size]

 

[AdamWill]

I also just ordered one of these, along with the Spitfire DAC. Will post my impressions when they arrive.

 

[AdamWill]

My Spitfire and Beyond just arrived, and I'm taking an initial listen currently. Caveats - using stock power supplies plugged into an El Supremely Cheapo 7-way powerbar along with my PC, monitor, printer and God knows what else, and using the IC that came with the amp, no idea how good it is, if you're a cable believer. If I notice a significant difference when the custom IC I have on order from GrandEnigma shows up, I will update this thread.

Setup - AV710 optical out > Spitfire > Cute Beyond (low gain mode) > Grado HF-1

previous setup - AV710 Wolfson out > Twinstarr Black (Apheared 47 design) > Grado HF-1

first thing that struck me is I'm glad I was smart and set all volume levels to zero before trying these puppies out: since the Beyond is a general-purpose amp that can power very high impedence cans, its output (even in low gain mode) is way, way more than Grados need. My standard listening volume is a little below the first notch out of 9 on the dial - around 8 o' clock. Above that level the volume rapidly gets very, very, very loud. Not a problem - it's perfectly possible to set a good listening volume, and there's no channel imbalance - but a surprise, compared to my old, built-for-Grados amp

. In high gain mode there's a tiny, tiny gap between silence and deafening - definitely not recommended.

So, that aside, how do they sound? Very nice. Clearly better than the previous setup, though I can't tell how much is down to the DAC and how the amp (I would A/B the amps connected to the DAC, but I don't have a stereo RCA -> mini cable to hand, which I'd need). The expected differences: improved detail, and more controlled, present bass. I can't detect any particular change in general character of sound, or soundstage (but then, these are Grados). For anyone wondering whether the jump from a budget setup like my previous one is worth it, I say - maybe. There clearly is a difference, but it isn't an order of magnitudes kind of difference, much more subtle than that. Overall I'm happy I made the jump so far, even with the quite high cost (the stack is $420), for what my opinion is worth.

Have to give an honourable mention to the Taiwanese postal service: the DAC and amp were sent out last Thursday (by EMS) and arrived here today. Not bad at all!

 

[AdamWill]

Following up a day later - I bought a couple of $100 power bars (don't panic, staff discount to the rescue: I only paid $12 for each :>) and plugged all my other stuff into those, leaving two wall sockets free, the amp and DAC are now plugged directly into those. Don't know if it's that, 'burn-in', me adjusting, placebo or a combination of all the above, but I'm noticing even more in the way of improved detail today. Still no particular difference in the 'character' of the sound, which I take as a good thing, I don't want the intermediate components to impose any kind of character on the sound but simply deliver it to the phones.

Also wanted to make it clear my previous post wasn't a criticism of these products in any way, I was just attempting to give a _general_ impression of the level of improvement you get going from a $100 setup to a $500 one, for the benefit of newbs / undecideds who aren't sure whether to expect everything to sound 10x better or not. I think the sound I'm getting now is clearly better than what I was getting before and I feel the change is worth the price, but it's not a night and day thing, and it doesn't make me feel like I was listening to crap for the last year or so.