[svmusa]

I must be going deaf - mine run 40-50!

Thinking aloud, would the input signal level to MZ3 may be low? some provide 2 volts and other 2.5 etc.

 

[jonathan c]

I can double check with a proper A/B test, but around volume level 25-27 with 300 Ohm headphones and about volume level 35 on the Abyss 1266.

..... ?? ..... I am usually volume level 55-60 with ZMF Atrium / Atticus / Auteur / Eikon, 50-55 with Focal Clear OG, 45-50 with Grado PS2000e .....

 

[skhan007]

I must be going deaf - mine run 40-50!

The difference might also be the input level from my DAC.

 

[skhan007]

So after researching a bit and reading more on my RME ADI-2 DAC, it appears I had it set up for about 3.5v output. After going into the settings and making some I/O adjustments to have it recalibrate the single-ended outputs to about 2v, my comfortable volume with the Abyss is about 50-55 on the MZ3 dial. This is about 63 dB listening volume, according to my dB meter. Not sure how loudly you guys listen to your music, but in summary, these Abyss headphones require about 10 clicks increase on the MZ3 volume knob.

 

[jonathan c]

So after researching a bit and reading more on my RME ADI-2 DAC, it appears I had it set up for about 3.5v output. After going into the settings and making some I/O adjustments to have it recalibrate the single-ended outputs to about 2v, my comfortable volume with the Abyss is about 50-55 on the MZ3 dial. This is about 63 dB listening volume, according to my dB meter. Not sure how loudly you guys listen to your music, but in summary, these Abyss headphones require about 10 clicks increase on the MZ3 volume knob.

... at 3.5v SE output, I am surprised that MZ3 / WA22 did not experience 'overload compression' ...

 

[svmusa]

So after researching a bit and reading more on my RME ADI-2 DAC, it appears I had it set up for about 3.5v output. After going into the settings and making some I/O adjustments to have it recalibrate the single-ended outputs to about 2v, my comfortable volume with the Abyss is about 50-55 on the MZ3 dial. This is about 63 dB listening volume, according to my dB meter. Not sure how loudly you guys listen to your music, but in summary, these Abyss headphones require about 10 clicks increase on the MZ3 volume knob.

... at 3.5v SE output, I am surprised that MZ3 / WA22 did not experience 'overload compression' ...

I have the preamp version and fed Preamp signal and you would be surprised how much amount it can take before clipping, very versatile amp.

 

[cats4cans]

... at 3.5v SE output, I am surprised that MZ3 / WA22 did not experience 'overload compression' ...

I asked about the max input voltage prior to purchase of my MZ3.
“The maximum voltage is greater than 5V.”
Of course I’m not entirely sure why I asked that now, but I was able to find the email.

 

[Fried dr]

My chord qutest has output settings for 1v, 2v, 3v. Should the setting have an impact other than how high I turn up the volume on the mz3?

 

[cats4cans]

My chord qutest has output settings for 1v, 2v, 3v. Should the setting have an impact other than how high I turn up the volume on the mz3?

I certainly haven’t noticed any. Rob Watts chimed in on the Qutest thread and had some reassurance about it as well. I run 3V because theoretically it should have better S/N over the cable run, and I sometimes use my MZ3 as an integrated. Every little bit helps. Even though I know it’s perfectly okay, I still get nervous when the volume reads above 75.

 

[svmusa]

My chord qutest has output settings for 1v, 2v, 3v. Should the setting have an impact other than how high I turn up the volume on the mz3?

you can give it a try to see how it impacts the sound signature at higher input voltage

 

[skhan007]

I think the MZ3 is likely built like a tank, as I hear no change at all in tone/frequency with 2v or 3.5v. Only the volume compensation is noteworthy. I'll play it safe and keep it at 2v. I also have this same DAC using balanced outs to my Woo WA22 and according to the manual, the balanced outs are 6 dB higher (i.e. double the single-ended output), so when using that amp, I need to change/lower the DAC's I/O setting to achieve 2 v. Not a big deal at all, but something to keep in mind when I switch between these two amps.

 

[svmusa]

I think the MZ3 is likely built like a tank, as I hear no change at all in tone/frequency with 2v or 3.5v. Only the volume compensation is noteworthy. I'll play it safe and keep it at 2v. I also have this same DAC using balanced outs to my Woo WA22 and according to the manual, the balanced outs are 6 dB higher (i.e. double the single-ended output), so when using that amp, I need to change/lower the DAC's I/O setting to achieve 2 v. Not a big deal at all, but something to keep in mind when I switch between these two amps.

Same experience on my end, I have balanced inputs on mine and I do hear a bit better details and clarity that than RCA inputs. They use Lundhal transformers to convert balanced to RCA and not sure if it plays into the equation a bit, its not night and day but one can hear the difference.

 

[skhan007]

I've decided after a bit of experimentation, that my DAC signal doesn't need to be the full 2 v (or higher), as I like to use some of the EQ features. So when those are activated on my DAC, I believe there's an output boost to the MZ3. Thus, my DAC has a dBr reading of -22.0 and I crank up the MZ3 to about 70-75. This produces around ~70 dB on my headphones, which is a comfortable listening level. My previous settings I was experimenting with resulted in 2v and volume of about 40-45 on the MZ3 and at 3.5 v, a volume of about 25 on the MZ3. Using Abyss headphones, by the way. They need a tad more power.

 

[George Hincapie]

Evening Gents,

I hope you are well? Just checking in to see how your respective journeys are going?

 

[jamato8]

Evening Gents,

I hope you are well? Just checking in to see how your respective journeys are going?

Always good music!