[all2ofme]

Fantastic thread. Thanks to all who’ve contributed (and kept me occupied all afternoon while I thinned out the headphone flock)

 

[PierPP]

For what it is worth, I use a CFA3 with a Holo Audio May and it is a fantastic paring

+1 to that I'm super happy too, for what is worth

 

[IMHERETOSTAY]

Anybody used their CFA3 with a Denafrips DAC (particularly the Terminator II)?

 

[PierPP]

Anybody used their CFA3 with a Denafrips DAC (particularly the Terminator II)?

Never heard a T2/T2+ but I've used my CFA3 with the Venus II.
I prefer way more my actual Holo May: I feel it less "thin" and it can give the CFA3 the magic it deserves. Imho there's no need to pump-it/color-it with a preamp in this config.

 

[FOUNDERZERO]

My CFA3 arrived last week! Finally snapped some photos of it. Hard to capture the "3" on the amp and PSU. Got it in a nice rainbow gradient.

This amp sounds amazing! Fully maxed out build in a compact chassis, ELNA Silmic II caps and a TKD 4CP-2511 potentiometer, which feels GREAT. The knob is hefty and smooth.

Has anyone tried a tube dac or a more saturated sounding dac like a Terminator plus with the CFA-3?

Yes! My DAC is a fully restored and upgraded Sonic Frontiers SFD-2 MKII, which is a UltraAnalog D20400A and tube hybrid. It pairs remarkably well with the CFA3. The SFD2's signature isn't necessarily saturated, but rather comes off as being fast, fluid, precise and well-rounded with great tonality. Features a massive stage size (width, depth and height) with superb layering, image separation and transients. The CFA3 pushes the SFD2's capabilities even further with amazing control and resolution.

Massive thanks to @Dukei for making this happen! This amp is everything I could have hoped for.

 

[paradoxper]

Very nice.

Have a blast.

 

[normie610]

My CFA3 arrived last week! Finally snapped some photos of it. Hard to capture the "3" on the amp and PSU. Got it in a nice rainbow gradient.

This amp sounds amazing! Fully maxed out build in a compact chassis, ELNA Silmic II caps and a TKD 4CP-2511 potentiometer, which feels GREAT. The knob is hefty and smooth.


Yes! My DAC is a fully restored and upgraded Sonic Frontiers SFD-2 MKII, which is a UltraAnalog D20400A and tube hybrid. It pairs remarkably well with the CFA3. The SFD2's signature isn't necessarily saturated, but rather comes off as being fast, fluid, precise and well-rounded with great tonality. Features a massive stage size (width, depth and height) with superb layering, image separation and transients. The CFA3 pushes the SFD2's capabilities even further with amazing control and resolution.

Massive thanks to @Dukei for making this happen! This amp is everything I could have hoped for.

Whoaa amazing look! Congrats and welcome to the club!

 

[IMHERETOSTAY]

Anybody was able to compare the CFA3 to a Benchmark AHB2 (or 2 of them)?

 

[linshu1992]

Anybody was able to compare the CFA3 to a Benchmark ABH2 (or 2 of them)?

I have a cfa3 coming. I will be able to do a quick comparison

 

[GoldenSound]

A friend of mine kindly loaned me his CFA3 for a while (which ended up being a longer while than anticipated, man it's hard to find a box to fit this thing!)
It's a very impressive amplifier and I can certainly see why it's so widely adored.

For those curious I've posted a full set of measurements here: https://goldensound.audio/2022/07/04/kevin-gilmore-cfa3-headphone-amp-measurements/

At actual listening levels it does rather splendidly in most areas. At 4V/Unity gain output harmonic distortion is a lot higher, but then no one is going to be listening at those levels and it’s a good example of why testing in realistic circumstances is important.

Absolutely lovely amp (though not particularly compact! Make sure you’ve got plenty of desk space!)

 

[genefruit]

A friend of mine kindly loaned me his CFA3 for a while (which ended up being a longer while than anticipated, man it's hard to find a box to fit this thing!)
It's a very impressive amplifier and I can certainly see why it's so widely adored.

For those curious I've posted a full set of measurements here: https://goldensound.audio/2022/07/04/kevin-gilmore-cfa3-headphone-amp-measurements/

At actual listening levels it does rather splendidly in most areas. At 4V/Unity gain output harmonic distortion is a lot higher, but then no one is going to be listening at those levels and it’s a good example of why testing in realistic circumstances is important.

Absolutely lovely amp (though not particularly compact! Make sure you’ve got plenty of desk space!)

Interesting read and thanks for taking the time. Did you experience any differences in measurement between "low" and "high" gain settings?

 

[GoldenSound]

Interesting read and thanks for taking the time. Did you experience any differences in measurement between "low" and "high" gain settings?

I didn't do a full set with it in high gain but it seemed from the few checks I did that you basically just get a bit higher noise but otherwise same harmonic structure.
Unfortunately it's boxed up and about to head off across the pond else I'd do one in high gain as well.
Though given as the 'low gain' isn't exactly 'low gain' anyway at 16dB, and high gain is 25dB, it's pretty unlikely you'd ever need to use the high gain tbh

(Also worth noting as it's a common misconception, gain and power are different, and amps do not have more power available in high gain. Gain is a measure of how much the incoming voltage is multiplied. The maximum current an amp can supply is not altered and is the same regardless of gain)

 

[linshu1992]

I didn't do a full set with it in high gain but it seemed from the few checks I did that you basically just get a bit higher noise but otherwise same harmonic structure.
Unfortunately it's boxed up and about to head off across the pond else I'd do one in high gain as well.
Though given as the 'low gain' isn't exactly 'low gain' anyway at 16dB, and high gain is 25dB, it's pretty unlikely you'd ever need to use the high gain tbh

(Also worth noting as it's a common misconception, gain and power are different, and amps do not have more power available in high gain. Gain is a measure of how much the incoming voltage is multiplied. The maximum current an amp can supply is not altered and is the same regardless of gain)

I’m curious about your opinion of CFA3 vs AHB2 for susvara!

 

[GoldenSound]

I’m curious about your opinion of CFA3 vs AHB2 for susvara!

For Susvara I definitely preferred AHB2.
For other headphones it was a matter of flavour/mood

 

[omega1990]

Finally obtained an abyss 1266 phi tc and just had my first listening session with them on my cfa3. I have read many posts on impressions and reviews of this one and kept an open mind about what to expect.

Honestly, I thought my first time would be a rough one, but after adjusting things to the default position that I saw on the instructional abyss YouTube video and finally giving it a listen, I'm pretty impressed. Yes there is a bit of honk and glare, but the midrange is no where near as bad as I've read. I'm having fun time with them so far. What I like is how the bass can be big and impactful but not truly intrusive on the mids or treble. While I have not really been a fan of planars as I am more of a dynamic and estat listener, the lcd 4 and now the abyss 1266 seem to be planars that work for me.

This is also the first time I felt the need to use the cfa3 on high gain and the 1266 responds very well to the watts this amp puts out. I was also expecting this headphone to be more unforgiving from what I've read about its detail and resolution, but even on poorly recorded tracks I'm still having a good time. It's still too early but I'm not finding much of anything to complain about its sound. The fit is snug and the weight doesn't bother me at all.