thomaskong78
100+ Head-Fier
I have Dave and Mscaler.It's weird how and when you learn things about audio.
I had been using a LDR passive pre-amp between my DAC and Carbon for years with a Yggdrasil A1. That worked pretty well. Any other DAC I used I would get fatigue and headaches. When I upgraded the Yggdrasil to A2 that would cause fatigue as well.
I thought it was because it was too bright. It wasn't. I finally discovered it was distortion caused by the passive pre and took it out of the audio chain.
Here is the thing. I liked and had become accustomed to the distortion it was causing - even though it was causing me fatigue. By my research online, this wasn't even order distortion but mostly odd order - thus the fatigue.
So when I took it out of the chain fatigue was gone but Carbon > 009 sounded a bit dry and grainy in the mids. I swapped it back in and sure enough - back to the sound I liked but it caused fatigue very quickly.
Thing is, I had never warmed up my Carbon at all before listening to it. Like really ever. I would usually plug in, turn on and go. With the passive pre, and the distortion it provided it sounded right to me from the get go. Or I couldn't hear that well. Or both.
Now I''m thinking I need to get some type of tube amp in the chain because I was addicted to distortion. But I need the right type so I don't continue to fry my brain. Just bought a very expensive DAC. Really don't want to have to buy anything for a while!
Then I left my Carbon on for an hour, accidentally, and listened again. Mids are liquid, highs are extended, no fatigue. Wow, this thing does change pretty significantly when warmed up!
Now while the Carbon is a bass monster with the 009, I'm sure a GG or a BHSE would have more liquid mids - but you know what - it sounds freaking great as is! And what's more, my LCD4s sound awesome from Dave's headphone out. It's super transparent, all the bass I could want and no strain at all. Beats my V281 by a mile.
I never loved the Yggdrasil A1, but it was the only DAC I could listen to the Stax rig with. A2 is good, but slightly too dark for my taste.
Now I've got my Dave>Carbon>009 and it sounds just like I want it to with no fatigue. Finally! Lost in song when I should go to sleep for work. Dave's depth coupled with the 009 and live music is really unbelievable. This has been years to be happy with my 009 rig. Bought and Sold Dacs. Bought and returned the 009S, And it should given the cost of the components, but as we all know - it doesn't always work out that way.
It's funny how we discover things about audio and our setups.
Now it's time to sell some stuff and relax and listen to music for a little while
I had bought Stax009s and Carbon which will be delivered July 9th.
From reading your post, I have more expectation.