[SP Wild]

Quote:

Nice review! Was that all with the Xcan? Are you also trying it with your other amps?
 

 

Sorry, I forgot to mention that most of the sound quality review was based on the BCL as amp - and more importantly, with the Bryston Dac.  It all still applies with the XcanV3 paired to the same Dac.  All my observations and opinions are void when using the Dacmagic or Ipod LOD.
 
I am quite surprised that the Xcans managed to dig itself out from its grave with the aid of D7000 and LCD2.  Its funny because they were marketed as a HD650 amp - when in fact it's ability to drive a 300ohm load like the HD650 is poorer than its ability to drive low resistance cans, like D7000 and LCD2.
 
I would like to pair the LCD2's with the Asgard and see if it also acquits itself well - for 250 dollars, I suspect this is the real McCoy in terms of amazing value.

 

[Frank I]

Nice impressions and look forward to the amping. Let me know how it does with the OTL

 

[SP Wild]

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Nice impressions and look forward to the amping. Let me know how it does with the OTL

Thanks.  I don't have a OTL amp for comparisons - but it's general consensus that OTL's are superb with high ohm cans - like 600ohm T1s for e.g. - but are poor in gripping low ohm cans - which includes particularly the Denon range - which go as low as 27ohm.  This is just from what I understand - not from any personal experience.  Hope that helps - There are OTL tube amps that are known to address this specific problem and are desgned well enough to drive low ohm cans, but I don't know which these are.

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

Were there no major differences between the BCL and the XCAN then? Any minor differences?

 

[Frank I]

 
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Thanks.  I don't have a OTL amp for comparisons - but it's general consensus that OTL's are superb with high ohm cans - like 600ohm T1s for e.g. - but are poor in gripping low ohm cans - which includes particularly the Denon range - which go as low as 27ohm.  This is just from what I understand - not from any personal experience.  Hope that helps - There are OTL tube amps that are known to address this specific problem and are desgned well enough to drive low ohm cans, but I don't know which these are.

My Decware works with the D7000 pretty well. Just curious to see and Skylab when he had the Decware said it did drive them.

 

[Equus]

Quote:

I would like to pair the LCD2's with the Asgard and see if it also acquits itself well - for 250 dollars, I suspect this is the real McCoy in terms of amazing value.

 
Heard that pairing briefly at the last local meet.  I was personally impressed by what the Asgard could do at the price point, but there was at least one person who thought differently.  I didn't really get enough of a chance to do any decent critical listening, however.

 

[sachu]

^^ you will at the portland meet buddy..They do a decent job but not suited for the LCD-2 IMO. Much better match with the HE-5, HE5LE.

 

[Equus]

Heh...now I gotta decide if I'm going to get the new grills installed before the Portland meet or go with the slightly scratched first run grills on there right now.  I have the new headband too, but I'm not sure I'm going to install it until the old one gets beaten up.  The old one has the serial number on the inside, and I kinda like having that there for some reason.
 
Agreed on the decent job part.  They didn't wow me, and it didn't seem to sound as wide an airy as it did with some of the other amps.

 

[MacedonianHero]

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My Decware works with the D7000 pretty well. Just curious to see and Skylab when he had the Decware said it did drive them.

I agree with Frank. As well, I have NEVER heard a better amp paired with Grados than the MAD Ear+HD tube amp. While a general rule of thumb, there are exceptions.
 
The K701/2s NEVER did work with tubes...as hard as I tried.

 

[SP Wild]

 
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Were there no major differences between the BCL and the XCAN then? Any minor differences?

The main differences between the BCL and the Xcan are as follows:  For really top notch recordings, the BCL is more transparent and it pushed the LCD2s speed capabilities, treble was very extended and bass very low and tight - it's clinical precision.  With less than perfect recordings, the Xcan V3 shines.  It's not quite as quick, but it does have the tubes in it which helps with soothing over recording errors.  I can't say I prefer one presentation over the other.
 
Tonally they're different as well - the BCL is neutral.  The Xcan is forward of neutral, with a slight roll-off in subbass and treble extension - which doesn't actually hurt the LCD2s as it has so much bass extension and treble extension to spare.

 
Quote:

 
Heard that pairing briefly at the last local meet.  I was personally impressed by what the Asgard could do at the price point, but there was at least one person who thought differently.  I didn't really get enough of a chance to do any decent critical listening, however.

What was the source connected to the Asgard.  People don't generally connect top line sources to $250 amps...but I think the Asgard will benefit from state-of-the-art sources as much as more expensive amplifiers.  The XcanV3 certainly benefitted tremendously from the Bryston Dac - and was more than transparent enough to bring up the distortions in entry/mid level sources like Dacmagic and Ipod LOD.

 
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My Decware works with the D7000 pretty well. Just curious to see and Skylab when he had the Decware said it did drive them.

The Decware seems like a really good tube amp - much better than my own tube amps, which whilst I preferred them for my HD650 and K701 - the D7000s and LCD2s illustrated their limitations.  If only I was able to audition the Decware, that would be great.

 

[Currawong]

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The Xcan is forward of neutral, with a slight roll-off in subbass and treble extension - which doesn't actually hurt the LCD2s as it has so much bass extension and treble extension to spare.

Rolled-off bass and treble is often a sign of the amp under-driving the headphones.

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

That sounds strange to me, with the xcan output of 1W, and that x-psu to supply current for it. Can it still be under driven despite that?
 
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Rolled-off bass and treble is often a sign of the amp under-driving the headphones.

 

[Currawong]

The Sparrow I plugged mine into outputs about that and I get the same result with the LCD-2s. I think the treble was OK though, but deep bass was indeed rolled off somewhat.  I'm not sure if it's directed related to the output power as much as the design though, so I could be perpetuating nonsense here.  The best test would be listening to complex music, as if things start to get muddied and the headstage constricts, then you know the amp is running out of power.  Might be the way the amp is biased too -- it could tuned more towards high-impedence phones.

 

[SP Wild]

Quote:

The Sparrow I plugged mine into outputs about that and I get the same result with the LCD-2s. I think the treble was OK though, but deep bass was indeed rolled off somewhat.  I'm not sure if it's directed related to the output power as much as the design though, so I could be perpetuating nonsense here.  The best test would be listening to complex music, as if things start to get muddied and the headstage constricts, then you know the amp is running out of power.  Might be the way the amp is biased too -- it could tuned more towards high-impedence phones.

Definately a sonic signature of the XcanV3 as it always does this with every can - funnily enough, there are "mods" to replace the power filtering capacitors to release more current so the bass can extend downwards without the roll-off.  So in a way they are "constricted" internally in the power caps that causes this.  Same as the dacmagic - giving it the XPSU to supply it power and the bass fills in.
 
In terms of driving the cans - the Xcans have at least the same amount of power as the BCL - I suspect more (using the XPSU).  The true way for me to tell if the amp has not enough power is the compression of dynamics and the resultant hardness to the sound.  That is not the case with the Xcans and LCD2 - not until very high volume levels - the ones that damage hearing with extended listening.
 
Both my tube amps do not compress for as loud as I dare.  Whereas with both the Xcans and BCL - at a very high level - compression and hardness kicks in.

 

[SP Wild]

An interesting finding.  If I only had an Ipod LOD as source - I would definately connect it to either of my full-tube amps.  Doing this, the sound is far more acceptable than plugging the Ipod LOD to the Xcan or BCL - I cannot handle the awfulness of this combo.
 
I really like the MingDa honey drip - there isn't much difference between an Ipod LOD and the Bryston dac - using the LCD2s - both sound just as nice.  It seems that if you haven't the budget for a top notch source, mid-level full tube designs are excellent.
 
As for the Gennari, Vincent re-badge - I wouldn't particularly cared if it was run over by a truck, at this stage.