[rsbrsvp]

Hey CFA3 lovers and owners... after much time and thought, I believe now is a good time to give some impressions of my CFA3.

Chain:
Roon Labs from my iMac- USBe Perfect - Denafrips Iris - I2S into Denafrips Pontus - CFA3 or Icon Audio HP8 ( I also own a Cembalo Labs Spring 1).

First things first, this amp sounds incredible. I am only using it on low gain. I am controlling gain by either using XLR or RCAs from my DAC. The 8 or so watts on low gain are more than enough for the headphones I own. Even the Code X, which loves power. Most of the CFA3 owners have a 1266 TC, Susvara, LCD-5 etc. My headphones are not in that zipcode. I currently have a Code X, Radiante 1706 and an Auteur (mostly for my Icon HP8). All 3 headphones sound blissful on the CFA3. The CFA3 throws the largest soundstage I have ever heard from an amp. Instrument placement is spot on; air between the instruments is the perfect amount, which leads to hearing all of the space between the notes. It is a visceral experience, one I am thrilled to have the opportunity to enjoy. Bass is perfect. I can hear the strike of the pick or finger against the string, the entire length of the note with the perfect decay. There is no lack of speed, or musical integrity. PRAT is the single most important quality I look for in my equipment. I want to hear my music at the right pace and time. Timing is everything as they say, and the CFA3 allows for perfect timing. Midrange is huge and articulate. It opens up like a parachute and allows you to float above the melody with guitars, pianos, wind instruments and my favorite, the hammond organ. Which sounds like falling water. I can feel the water falling onto my head from all directions. Yes, the stage is as holographic as anything I have heard. I thought the Cembalo Spring 1 was the best amp I had heard. It is still incredible, but the CFA3 is better. I didn't think I would ever say that. Treble is shimmering without any sense of etch or sibilance. Cymbals sound lifelike and forceful. But, the bass. Oh, the bass. So good!

I mostly listen to improvisational rock, jazz and funk. Phish, Panic, Goose, Xavier Rudd, Railroad Earth, Miles, Beck (Sea Change and Morning Phase), Mark Knopfler, Grant Green, and anything else with a strong bass pocket, a drummer who plays like he/she has Octupus Arms, piano/keys/organ, and a soaring guitar player with a strong sense of tone, melody and phrasing. If it is live, improvisational and delectable, I will listen to it. The CFA3 has become the perfect complement.

Big thanks to Miroslav and @paradoxper for guiding me on my journey. For those who have had Miroslav build you a CFA3, you already know what type of person he is. If you haven't and are just reading along trying to determine whether or not you want a CFA3, know that he is the best of us. One of the nicest, most talented guys I know. He only surpasses these qualities with his level of integrity. He is the real deal. Same goes for @paradoxper ... so if you are wondering whether or not I like the CFA3, hopefully I am putting the B in Subtle enough to give you a firm YES!!! I am so happy to be part of the CFA3 family. Last but not least, a big thanks to Kevin Gilmore for designing and providing us with your designs to enjoy and pass on to others. We've never met, but thank you just the same.

My review is a bit choppy, but you get the gist. The CFA3 is a beast with the sound taboot!

Thank you. Would you say it is "COLD" sounding?

 

[geoffalter11]

Thank you. Would you say it is "COLD" sounding?

No, not at all

 

[rsbrsvp]

No, not at all

Thanks....

 

[paradoxper]

Hey CFA3 lovers and owners... after much time and thought, I believe now is a good time to give some impressions of my CFA3.

Nods. Very, very happy for you.

 

[geoffalter11]

I know there is chatter about whether the CFA3 is cold, analytical or bright sounding. That is not what I hear. It is extremely transparent and extremely faithful to the source. This amp to my ears is NOT bright or cold. It is so musical and fast and transparent. The bottom end is pure magic and the midrange is so expansive it gives off the sense of being bright and cold, but that isn't what it is at all. Once my ears adjusted to the size of the soundstage any sense of that feeling of brightness was gone. Everything is laid bare with power and incredible dynamic swing. The amp does not skip a beat. This is just my two cents....

 

[rsbrsvp]

I know there is chatter about whether the CFA3 is cold, analytical or bright sounding. That is not what I hear. It is extremely transparent and extremely faithful to the source. This amp to my ears is NOT bright or cold. It is so musical and fast and transparent. The bottom end is pure magic and the midrange is so expansive it gives off the sense of being bright and cold, but that isn't what it is at all. Once my ears adjusted to the size of the soundstage any sense of that feeling of brightness was gone. Everything is laid bare with power and incredible dynamic swing. The amp does not skip a beat. This is just my two cents....

That was a very meaningful post to me....

 

[geoffalter11]

That was a very meaningful post to me....

Thank you

 

[normie610]

I know there is chatter about whether the CFA3 is cold, analytical or bright sounding. That is not what I hear. It is extremely transparent and extremely faithful to the source. This amp to my ears is NOT bright or cold. It is so musical and fast and transparent. The bottom end is pure magic and the midrange is so expansive it gives off the sense of being bright and cold, but that isn't what it is at all. Once my ears adjusted to the size of the soundstage any sense of that feeling of brightness was gone. Everything is laid bare with power and incredible dynamic swing. The amp does not skip a beat. This is just my two cents....

+1 definitely not cold…I’m still amazed that it can be very smooth sounding while at the same time it has explosive dynamics and impact. Best of the best.

 

[geoffalter11]

That was a very meaningful post to me....

I think the other reason the amp can be construed as bright is the amount of air between the notes and instrument separation. To me it sounds like sitting right at the soundboard in a venue like the Fillmore West. You hear everything as the soundboard engineer is hearing and mixing. You get the whole experience. The holographic nature of the soundstage is what I think can be construed as bright or cold. I think an amp like this benefits from an extremely musical DAC.

 

[geoffalter11]

+1 definitely not cold…I’m still amazed that it can be very smooth sounding while at the same time it has explosive dynamics and impact. Best of the best.

Agreed. Nailed it!

 

[K3cT]

Explosive dynamics and impact seem to be the common theme of KG's amp design. Both BHSE and the GS-X are also displaying those qualities.

 

[rsbrsvp]

Explosive dynamics and impact seem to be the common theme of KG's amp design. Both BHSE and the GS-X are also displaying those qualities.

Agreed. I think these sonic attributes are at least partially a product of "POWER". Power= impact, control, slam, dynamics etc......

 

[EstrangedBaron]

the tube input section is nothing like a tube preamp. it has no voltage gain. only current gain, and it has much lower thd than even the best of the tube preamps.
fully balanced, fully differential and dc coupled input thru output.

the tube input has a very high input impedance. the solid state input has an input impedance of about 5k.

Out of curiosity, around what input impedance are we looking at for the tube input version of the CFA3 then? 50k? 60k?

 

[paradoxper]

CFA Hybrid:

Very clean with a sweet insight. Doesn't seem as brute or, say, as dynamically explosive but nothing too rounded nor bloomed.
Vocal presence carries a more forward and bodied fullness ( not a density) while treble extension seems more softened lacking that crispness or my favored flowery crystalline peering. Bass delineation certainly feels slower with less control and stage cues don't seem as wide nor immediate in nature.

 

[genefruit]

CFA Hybrid:

Very clean with a sweet insight. Doesn't seem as brute or, say, as dynamically explosive but nothing too rounded nor bloomed.
Vocal presence carries a more forward and bodied fullness ( not a density) while treble extension seems more softened lacking that crispness or my favored flowery crystalline peering. Bass delineation certainly feels slower with less control and stage cues don't seem as wide nor immediate in nature.

Looks great! Can the tube section be switched in/out of the circuit? If so, would you say when it is switched out that it's comparable to your other CFA3? No need to immediately respond if more time is needed to form your conclusion. Thank you in advance.