[precsmo]

  Dear headfriends,
 
> that sounds even more promising to me.
 
Yep, it does sound good!  
 
> Also could you comment on some people saying that opamps are inferior to conventional discrete amp designs.
 
In the early days of opamps these were made to provide a cheap and easy solution for relatively "crude" applications. At those times discrete designs may well have had their advantages.
 
Since then, opamps have developed into very precise "instruments" and have a very high performance level. I've never made a personal comparison between discrete designs and opamps designs but I've found opamps to perform quite well. And the big advantage is, that sound signature can be optimized to personal taste by exchange of the opamp.
 
Did you know that the opamps in the CLASSIC and in the DACCORD are socketed?!!
 
> For me as the end customer it is always hard to discriminate between right and wrong regarding such fundamental technologies.
 
It's not about right or wrong. It's about personal taste.
 
> An assault on IMD sounds very exciting. It is too often forgotten (or harder to measure, perhaps?).
 
IMD by nature is way more obtrusive than harmonic distortion because the frequencies involved are non-harmonic to the musical contents. And normally the total amount of IMD is larger than harmonic distortion too!!
 
There are some "simple" measurements of IMD but they do require high-precision measurement equipment. That currently is my problem. The IMD of my measurement equipment is higher than that of my amp/DAC after modification.!
 
> But why would the HD 800 get more expensive inside the EU, when it is made in Wedemark, Gemany.
 
Raw materials may be produced outside Europe.
 
> I owned Quickstep, very nice amp IMO, but the battery usage is high for a portable system, playing time is too low. Have you a plan for that problem.
 
The high supply voltages of the QUICKSTEP (+/- 9V) do provide high driving capacities and help to improve sound quality. However, they also increase powerconsumption. It's the price that is to be paid.
 
However, inside the amp there is a shunt that can be repositioned. The supply voltages inside then are reduced to +/- 4.5V and battery life time is nearly doubled. It is described in the user-manual.
 
Cheers
 
Jan

hi Jan, I'm mainly using my quickstep for my CIEM, which is only 18ohm. If I set the voltage inside to the lower one, will it compromise on sound quality. I doubt so for such sensitive IEM right?

 

[Jan Meier]

Dear Precsmo,
 
any reduction of the supply voltage will effect performance. However, with high-sensitive headphones the compromises will be much smaller than with difficult to drive headphones. Simply try both settings and let your ears tell you the truth. If sonic differences are small then the increased battery life time will be nice to have.
 
Cheers
 
Jan

 

[precsmo]

  Dear Precsmo,
 
any reduction of the supply voltage will effect performance. However, with high-sensitive headphones the compromises will be much smaller than with difficult to drive headphones. Simply try both settings and let your ears tell you the truth. If sonic differences are small then the increased battery life time will be nice to have.
 
Cheers
 
Jan

TQ Jan!

 

[EH-Yeon]

Will there be a new replacement or upgrade for portable Meier amp anytime soon? Love the stepdance.

 

[zilch0md]

The Energizer XP8000AB LiPo Battery is on sale for only $79 at Amazon:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/692119/the-deals-discussion-thread-read-the-first-post/15405#post_11705021

 

[simonm]

Excited to hear a new high end portable in the works.  Can't wait to hear more!

 

[JamesBr]

Glad to see some new stuff, I have been wating for a while now hehe

 

[Mmet]

The bass in terms of quantity is better in quick step or RSA amps ?

 

[ambchang]

The bass in terms of quantity is better in quick step or RSA amps ?

RSA in general has a more pronounced bass (I had the Sr.-71a and the tomahawk) but I felt the signature was overly warm and smooth. I can see people loving that sound signature.

The quickstep is much more balanced and definitely not lacking in bass. The bass is not over powering but it's most definitely present. That's why I kept the quickstep and sold the SR-71a

 

[zilch0md]

RSA in general has a more pronounced bass (I had the Sr.-71a and the tomahawk) but I felt the signature was overly warm and smooth. I can see people loving that sound signature.

The quickstep is much more balanced and definitely not lacking in bass. The bass is not over powering but it's most definitely present. That's why I kept the quickstep and sold the SR-71a

 
I agree. If you're looking for a truly neutral amp, stick with anything made by Meier Audio.  
 
The RSA house sound is known for having a warm coloration - which is fine if you can find a headphone that needs precisely that EQ effect.
 
Then again, tastes come into play.  Personally, I've "grown" to prefer a completely neutral sound, from source to transducer, but when I want a lot of bass, my LCD-2 sounds great with the the Stepdance, where it sounds overdone with an RSA SR-71B I tried at a meet.  
 
My HD800, on the other hand, might appreciate the SR-71B, if I were seeking an unnaturally energetic bass. As a rule, though, I'm happiest with the HD800 on a neutral DAC and amp - the lack of coloration just sounds more natural and authentic with good recordings.
 
Mike

 

[Mmet]

Thanks a lot ,guys

 

[h1f1add1cted]

Since a while I'm a owner of the Quickstep, which it's big step forward compared the the DX50 amp section. Really nice combo right now:
 

 

[rasmushorn]

That looks like a nice set of gear. The Quikcstep is a good portable amplifier for sure. I used to have a lot of different portable amplifiers. The Quickstep was the only one I kept. Since my Meier Corda Classic+Daccord is back at the wizards lair to be upgraded to the ff-versions I had to use the Quickstep to drive my T5p last night to get through Beethovens 9th. It was a great experience all the way and I almost didn't miss my desktop amplifier. Almost...

 

[pietcux]

I got me a used Sennheiser HD 800 two weeks ago. And guess what, they sound best to me straight out of my Stepdance @ 15 volt from the XP8000\Willy cable combo. Source is my Sony NW ZX1 lod. This is compared to a Schiit Bifrost Uber/Lyr 2 stack, a Xonar STX/Meier Jazz FF bombo and a Fiio E12a.

 

[zilch0md]

Oh yes, the 15V Stepdance is worthy of the HD800 - it's so transparent and neutral - but the DAC becomes critically important. With my various portable, ESS9xxx-based DACs, I find the OP1611-equipped Stepdance to be just a little too "crystalline" and "crisp" for my tastes, but it's amazingly good, just the same.