[ezduzit2500]

Hi, I don't think so. Find someone who can mod your H20, modded one can serve Susvara even VERY well! H20 is technically more advanced design than THR-1 and after upgrade is sounding better to me.
I'm getting last missing components for my CFA3 build and hopefully I'll have good etalon soon to compare H20 SQ to. After this comparison of H20 to CFA3 I'll be smarter. But now I'm enjoying my H20 with Burson V6 Vivd OP amps, and they are AWESOME!

Thanks, I followed your and others posts when modding in the H20 thread. I want to upgrade the power supply caps first but I'm having trouble finding ones with a greater value that will fit inside the unit without undue modding of the top of the enclosure. Any thoughts?

 

[migo]

Thanks, I followed your and others posts when modding in the H20 thread. I want to upgrade the power supply caps first but I'm having trouble finding ones with a greater value that will fit inside the unit without undue modding of the top of the enclosure. Any thoughts?

hmmm. current components supply shortage is a pain. Use exact Epcos model like me and @b0bb It is not only about increased capacity. For me most noticable was mod with adding/changing 100uF caps with 180uF ones, added caps makes H20 usable with Susvara. But I've made mostly all mods before so maybe it was only summed together and rewarded me. Biggest problem with modding H20 is removing components with no harm to PCB and other components around. You will need a really good soldering iron for this and a bit of practice and patience. Inserting new one and solder it is not a problem.

 

[migo]

Thanks, I followed your and others posts when modding in the H20 thread. I want to upgrade the power supply caps first but I'm having trouble finding ones with a greater value that will fit inside the unit without undue modding of the top of the enclosure. Any thoughts?

Hi, is this one you are looking for?
https://www.digikey.at/en/products/detail/epcos-tdk-electronics/B41231A6478M000/3493500

 

[ezduzit2500]

Hi, is this one you are looking for?
https://www.digikey.at/en/products/detail/epcos-tdk-electronics/B41231A6478M000/3493500

This looks about right. The width is really close - did you have any troubles with fitment width-wise?

 

[migo]

This looks about right. The width is really close - did you have any troubles with fitment width-wise?

no problems here. maybe we should move to H20 thread better.

 

[haasaaroni]

Less than a day of burn-in with this beauty so far, but what a match made in heaven with the VO. I can't stop listening! So much weight, body, and slam. Looking forward to seeing how burn in changes the sound.

 

[FiGuY1017]

Less than a day of burn-in with this beauty so far, but what a match made in heaven with the VO. I can't stop listening! So much weight, body, and slam. Looking forward to seeing how burn in changes the sound.

It really is a special sounding amp. Even with my Flux Labs Volot I still find it the second best amp I've ever heard. All around, it's hard to beat imo.

 

[dermott]

Less than a day of burn-in with this beauty so far, but what a match made in heaven with the VO. I can't stop listening! So much weight, body, and slam. Looking forward to seeing how burn in changes the sound.

The Eagle has landed! Congrats, man! Can't wait to hear your impressions when it is done burning in. Any thoughts on how the brand new unit sounds compared to what you heard before from your loaner experience? Kind of a bummer this amp doesn't have gain control other than offering a lower output single ended plug. You mentioned that the volume ramps up pretty quickly with this amp. Are you still finding this with your new unit as well? I think all of your headphones are more sensitive than mine (Arya V2), so maybe I might not find that to be the case (?) I do tend to listen at more modest volumes rather than rocking out, so just want to make sure I have decent control at those lower levels. I think you are also running this with your Gungnir if I am not mistaken. I am also interested in moving to an R2R dac, but as I recall you thought the pairing of this with some of the Denafrips stuff brought too much softness and was not incisive enough (?) I am looking to maximize the staging capabilities of the V2 (the reason someone would own them), but also just warm it up and smooth out some of the edges. When I first listened to them, it was a revelation not having the "in your head" feeling a lot of headphones offer. Congrats again!

 

[haasaaroni]

The Eagle has landed! Congrats, man! Can't wait to hear your impressions when it is done burning in. Any thoughts on how the brand new unit sounds compared to what you heard before from your loaner experience? Kind of a bummer this amp doesn't have gain control other than offering a lower output single ended plug. You mentioned that the volume ramps up pretty quickly with this amp. Are you still finding this with your new unit as well? I think all of your headphones are more sensitive than mine (Arya V2), so maybe I might not find that to be the case (?) I do tend to listen at more modest volumes rather than rocking out, so just want to make sure I have decent control at those lower levels. I think you are also running this with your Gungnir if I am not mistaken. I am also interested in moving to an R2R dac, but as I recall you thought the pairing of this with some of the Denafrips stuff brought too much softness and was not incisive enough (?) I am looking to maximize the staging capabilities of the V2 (the reason someone would own them), but also just warm it up and smooth out some of the edges. When I first listened to them, it was a revelation not having the "in your head" feeling a lot of headphones offer. Congrats again!

I think if you’re looking to maximize the stage of the Arya V2 while also adding warmth and body, this is a great solution. The Arya SE is more efficient than the Arya V2, so you’ll have marginally more play with the volume pot compared to me, but you might want to use a volume attenuator to get more range. I can only get mine to around 9:00 on some tracks (not most), but I find the control good even though the range is limited.

From the audition a month ago until now (if memory serves me at all here), I actually don’t notice that much if a difference. I believe the fully burnt in unit was smoother in the treble, had a more spacious stage, and the bass was a little tighter, but the general character of the amp seems to be there from day 1. It just makes my Soloist 3XP seem soft and grainy in comparison.

And yes! An R2R DAC would really complement it well. It would maybe soften the sound a bit while adding some naturalness to the Arya’s timbre, and really expanding the stage. The Gungnir is great, and definitely punches harder than something like the Pontus II, but can’t match its sense of scale and dimensionality.

 

[dermott]

I think if you’re looking to maximize the stage of the Arya V2 while also adding warmth and body, this is a great solution. The Arya SE is more efficient than the Arya V2, so you’ll have marginally more play with the volume pot compared to me, but you might want to use a volume attenuator to get more range. I can only get mine to around 9:00 on some tracks (not most), but I find the control good even though the range is limited.

What about dialing back on the source side? Sounds like the Musician Draco is very similar to the Pegasus with the main difference (aside from build quality) is that the output voltage is lower (2.8V on Draco, 3.55 on Pegasus). Or on the Soekris 2541, the line out has "volume control" so that the signal being sent to the Kinki could be dialed back. Seems like a decent attenuator (Goldpoint?) would be like 3/4 the price of the Kinki itself.

 

[haasaaroni]

What about dialing back on the source side?

Yes, if you get a DAC with a preamp function, that would work wonderfully.

Sounds like the Musician Draco is very similar to the Pegasus with the main difference (aside from build quality) is that the output voltage is lower (2.8V on Draco, 3.55 on Pegasus)

I remember reading about how different the two dacs sounded actually. If I remember right, the Draco is more aggressive and less refined. I wouldn’t factor in output voltage in your choice of DAC. Find out what you like first, and then see if you can make it work.

Seems like a decent attenuator (Goldpoint?) would be like 3/4 the price of the Kinki itself.

@Pharmaboy has suggested these to me, isn’t that right? http://www.britaudio.com/accessories.html

I’m still not totally convinced I need them, but in case I do I’ll probably pick up a pair of 3-pin XLR attenuators between my DAC and THR-1. The Gumby is wonderful, but it’s fixed output.

 

[Pharmaboy]

What about dialing back on the source side? Sounds like the Musician Draco is very similar to the Pegasus with the main difference (aside from build quality) is that the output voltage is lower (2.8V on Draco, 3.55 on Pegasus). Or on the Soekris 2541, the line out has "volume control" so that the signal being sent to the Kinki could be dialed back. Seems like a decent attenuator (Goldpoint?) would be like 3/4 the price of the Kinki itself.

My main system's DAC (MHDT Labs Orchid) doesn't have an attenuator, so I tried 2 different attenuation schemes with the THR-1:

1. I installed a transformer-based passive volume controller (NHT PVC) in line between the Orchid & the THR-1. This device worked perfectly well, but the PITA factor is that I had to use another interconnect to make it happen
2. I also tried a high-quality pair of 10 dB attenuators that fit in the RCA inputs on the THR-1's back panel (and the RCA cable from the DAC plug into those). These also work perfectly well, are sonically transparent, and obviate the need for a 2nd IC

Without attentuation in this single-ended system (DAC outputs 3.0 volts), I couldn't use the THR-1 at all...but with attenuation, I can readily hear that it's a borderline-spectacular headphone amp.

 

[PAM005]

Also using Kinki THR-1 with low-ohm headphones (Focal), the use of a -10dB Rothwell RCA attenuator makes the THR-1 very listenable. Highly recommended!

 

[dermott]

Also using Kinki THR-1 with low-ohm headphones (Focal), the use of a -10dB Rothwell RCA attenuator makes the THR-1 very listenable. Highly recommended!

Sounds like most folks are using the RCA inputs with the attenuators rather than the XLR. Since most DACs output is "hotter" on XLR (usually twice) compared to RCA, should someone be looking at the -20dB if you plan on using a balanced DAC?

 

[PAM005]

What i've read is that THR-1's design isn't fully balanced, that's why i did opt using RCA inputs. Attenuators for RCA were easier (and cheaper) to get at my place. And most DAC's are symmetric build, even in single-ended mode. That's why soundquality don't differ that much in both modes.