[kelly]

A fellow Head-Fi'er mentioned to me in email that he found the META42 bright and tinny. This is not how I found it, as is obvious from my review in the review's section if anyone cares to read the details.

Do any of the rest of you find this description accurate?

 

[Andrew Pielet]

That is what my CHA-47 sounds like COMPARED to my Meta.
(AD823, Alps Pot)

 

[williamgoody]

I could make the case for my Meta to sound a little bright, depending on source/music/headphones.

Kelly, can you elaborate of any of these factors concerning your friend?

 

[kelly]

I'm not sure if he wants his opinion known on the matter yet. If he does, maybe he'll reply to the thread.

A part of me wonders if some people hold back negative feelings towards things when we know people personally involved with designing, manufacturing or selling them -- ie, HeadRoom, Meier, the META42, etc. While I think highly of the META on a cost/performance thing, I'd have normally expected to see some people posting who don't care for it with their reasons.

 

[dgs]

If anything, I second Andrew's statement that by comparison, the CHA47 is bright. I have actually found my meta 42 to have a little more roll of at the high end than I care for, although price/performance, it's excellent. My Maxed Out Meta does not have this problem of roll of, but I would not call either of them "tinny."

I will say that this impression is very headphone dependent. I can make them sound "tinnier" by using headphones that tend to accentuate the treble more (AKG501, for example), but still, I don't find the meta tinny.

 

[JMS]

Bright and tinny is exactly how I would describe the CMoy amp I built (tried AD843, OPA2134). The META42 (AD8620), though, sounds great. I would say it has an extended frequency response. Not harsh, not tinny, and not bright. It just sounds "neutral".

 

[slindeman]

For my amps here is how I'd rate them from less tinny to more:

META42 w/ AD823 opamp
Corda
47
cmoy + buf634

I find the META42 sounds more full/bassy than the other amps. Not bright or tinny at all. The Corda has the best midrange, details, clarity, but is a little bright. The other two are decent but both use the OPA2132 which I think is the main problem. They are more harsh and fatiguing, more tinny.

Kelly,

What did he find it bright and tinny in comparison to? Compared to something like the MG Head all of the above would be slightly tinny. Or compared to headphone jacks on some receivers (like my Marantz 2238).

 

[andrzejpw]

Hmm, this is a tough one to answer. What is he comparing the amp to? Personally, I can see where the meta may be considered a BIT bright. It really brings out the detail in the high end. I'm not sure if this is brightness, or detail. This could be because of
my clou blues, which brought out even MORE detail in the highs. But honestly, have him listen to grados.

THAT's bright.

 

[N@Z]

Personally, I don't find the META tinny at all, bare in mind mine is only a few days old is is not fully burned in yet. Maybe the CHA47 is but only marginally to me.

I tried it on both the RS-1 & HD600 + clou red & found the bass too overpowering so back it went on the MG Head. With the RS-1 the bass sounded better. I still have to try it with the ER-4S.

 

[edwinaviles]

At the recent Boston Head-fi meet, I got to listen to a Maxed-out Meta. I was surprised at how neutral it sounded. It reminded me of my MAX in neutrality. The source was different than mine at home, but the ICs I used to test the Meta were the ones connected to my MAX and the same headphones as well, for whatever this information is worth to you.
Not bright and tinny in the least...

Edwin