[trbl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by atx I have the same issue with UM2. There's a weird hum where one side is louder than the other.

If you experience hum, it's often caused by a ground loop. The first thing to try is to use a "cheater" plug on the Aria's power cord to lift the power cord ground wire.

With lots of things connected together, problems like this occur. That's one reason why the Stax amps ship with a 2 wire power cord, and have a ground lug on the back in case you need to tie the Stax ground to something else.

When I first connected my Aria to my universal player, I noticed a lot of hum. I wasn't surprised, just turned things off and substituted the 2 wire power cable from my Stax SRM-1 Mk2's. Problem solved: no hum, the Aria was dead quiet at all volume settings (and mine is a special high gain version too). So I gave the Stax its power cord back and dug up a cheater plug to use with the Aria (I also used a different power cord, as the one supplied with the Aria was just too fat and looked to be suitable for a kilowatt power amp). Again, problem solved.

When I tested the Aria with my Power Mac dual G5, there was no hum with the standard 3 wire power cable and connector. So it all depends. But if you experience hum when using a power cable with a 3 prong male connector, try a cheater

 

[atx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by peelax On a side note what are people's thoughts/experiences on DACs with the Aria? I got a Micro DAC to go with mine and I think it is a significant improvement.

I also have the microdac and presonus central station. This is really a dac comparison but anyway, compared to the presonus, the microdac is very forward sounding and much louder. The microdac shoves vocals in your face (like grado headphones) while the presonus backs off and lets you hear more of the space and soundstage surrounding the vocals.

I prefer the presonus just a bit better, and the multiple inputs/outputs is neat.

Quote:

If you experience hum, it's often caused by a ground loop. The first thing to try is to use a "cheater" plug on the Aria's power cord to lift the power cord ground wire.

I'll try that, but I don't think it's a good idea since the ground is there for a reason. If there's no ground, the static build up can potentially damage the circuit inside the amp.

 

[nsuttitinagul]

I tried the 3 to 2 prong "cheater" plug and it did not remove the noise. No real effect whatsoever.

Quote:

Originally Posted by atx I also have the microdac and presonus central station. This is really a dac comparison but anyway, compared to the presonus, the microdac is very forward sounding and much louder. The microdac shoves vocals in your face (like grado headphones) while the presonus backs off and lets you hear more of the space and soundstage surrounding the vocals. I prefer the presonus just a bit better, and the multiple inputs/outputs is neat. I'll try that, but I don't think it's a good idea since the ground is there for a reason. If there's no ground, the static build up can potentially damage the circuit inside the amp.

 

[atx]

Quote:

I tried the 3 to 2 prong "cheater" plug and it did not remove the noise. No real effect whatsoever.

It's definitely caused by dirty power. I bought a furman pl-plus power conditioner and the hum is now gone, though there's still a slight hiss when the music isn't playing.

 

[apostate]

Quote:

Originally Posted by atx It's definitely caused by dirty power. I bought a furman pl-plus power conditioner and the hum is now gone, though there's still a slight hiss when the music isn't playing.

Odd, I'm not using a power conditioner at all with mine and I have no hiss when the music isn't playing unless I have very low impedance IEMs and have it turned up way beyond anything you could listen to (like 2 or 3 o'clock). I'm not convinced that is the amp either since I've got some additional (non-audio) stuff plugged into the same surge protector.

Ant

 

[dsrjohn]

I need some help with trouble shooting a problem. I get no sound from the Aria when I try to play a CD on my laptop (with USB going into the Aria). I can play wav, mp3 files and hear the beeps and blips from Windows (from incoming mail, etc), however no CD sound. I am using the built in CD player software that comes with Windows and CD player itself is a built in CD/DVD player. The preferred Device is "USB Audio Device" and the speaker volume is at Max. I have tried troubleshooting and so on and it keeps saying the USB device is working fine. Please let me know what might be wrong here...

thank you

john

 

[JaZZ]

Enable «CD digital» on the Windows mixer.
.

 

[mdjenders]

Looking for some input from others with a similar setup to mine. I am running a NAD C521BEE through the Aria to my HD650s (ICs from heartland cables). The source, amp, and cans are all fairly new and have broken in about 25 hours thus far.

I bought the Aria for its supposed synergy with the 650s and expected a slightly warm/flat sound after reasonable break in time (I would consider the NAD a tad on the warm side). I have been pretty disappointed in the harsh sound coming from my setup at this point, as I can barely hear the drums and bassline and can hear some distortion in the midrange and treble (this is with pretty good recordings like Dark Side of The Moon for example). Just for the hell of it, I plugged the Senns into my ipod (unamped) and I really didnt notice much of a difference between the sound coming from the amped setup.

Is there a defective component in my setup or has anyone else experienced this? Please help

 

[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdjenders I bought the Aria for its supposed synergy with the 650s and expected a slightly warm/flat sound after reasonable break in time (I would consider the NAD a tad on the warm side).

I actually thought the Aria had better synergy with Grados than Senns (though from this thread it seems many disagree). At least that was my experience with the Scott Nixon. Grados can sometimes need a little taming and Senns excel with a warm amp. The Aria is the driest amp I've ever owned/spent significant time with (though it's my first Corda so that may be Jan's signature), and I think any expectation for even a "slightly warm" sound should probably be abandoned.

 

[Andrea]

blessingx,


so do you think that the SR71 performs better than the Aria with your 650's ?

 

[Skylab]

I really like my Aria, but it's certainly more neutral than warm. It's a good match with my Grado HF-1's and my Beyer DT770's, not as good a match with my HD650's. But the HD650's still sound good on it, and there is ZERO distortion.

 

[blessingx]

EDIT: Oops, as I took my time to respond (on vacation), Andrea's question has been edited. Anyway, this was my initial response...

Yes, it's been sold. I bought hoping for a DAC/amp combo, not really as advertised (to be fair to Miere and any prototype review) an amp with a DAC (think "iPod with video", rather than "video iPod"). I wouldn't have bought for an amp alone. This was for an expected laptop purchase and I wanted to simplify my setup. Unfortunately, I'm spoiled by the Scott Nixon TubeDAC+ (to be fair it's unrealistic to expect comparable overall quality out of an add-on DAC for such a price). So feeling this really is an amp with a DAC added on, rather than a true equal weighted combo, the Aria moved to amp only duty. Trouble is once the convenience of a combo is out, and evaluating as an amp only, I personally prefer a warmer signature. In this sense (and probably even overall), I prefer the old SR71 (which as I've said repeatedly approaches the HR2 except in soundstage and AC). Coupled with receiving a review unit from RudiStor, which I've so far been extremely pleased with, the Aria just didn't get much play as an amp. Finally, I'd have probably held on to the Aria for secondary setup, except I'm expecting to do an upgrade and I needed the cash for it.

To be fair, I do think the Aria still has a place for those looking for a good step-up over onboard sound or prefer a dry amp. I just don't fit in either of those groups.

As for the synergy with the Senns, if you feel the HD650 is overly warm (buttery?) with several sources/amps, the Aria (or possibly other Corda amps, again I have no experience) is probably worth trying. Although I'd probably in that case recommend moving to the K701 (which I likely nearly as much as the HD650/Zu, except I missed that Senn bottom end) or maybe DT880 (never heard). I had no problem driving the Senns with the Aria (the spectrum was represented, &c.), but like every level jump with the Senns, the previous level makes them seem a bit lifeless, and likewise the Arias dryness lowered the dynamic energy I personally associate with the Senns (and often repeated around here - though in reverse) as if it's underpowered... even if it wasn't. For better or worse the Aria is very "dry" (I keep using that term instead of the somewhat related "neutral") and there are possibly better phones to combo with the Aria if you're looking for that signature. That said, as is obvious around here, espeically with the Senns (as oppose to say Grados), people hear and aim for different sounds (thus the different aftermarket cables and the Senns flexible EQ) and the Aria may be exactly the nudge to the Senns native output that you're looking for. I try to "fix" a bit the Grados output, you may with the Senns.

If you're looking to make the HD650 more dynamic though I can't recommend the Aria. If you're trying to repeal a bit of that blanket Senn warmth, it may be just the ticket.

 

[Toddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdjenders The source, amp, and cans are all fairly new and have broken in about 25 hours thus far.

Time might bring the solution. My Senn 650 needed >200hrs to show its potential and the Aria took its time as well (at least 100 hrs).

Toddy

 

[BradH]

I've read a few posts now about the Aria having a very neutral/dry sound. I must be a fan of dry sound then.

 

[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BradH I've read a few posts now about the Aria having a very neutral/dry sound. I must be a fan of dry sound then.

Count me in! I like it with both the HD 650 and the K 701. More so than with Grados BTW, and not just because I'm not a fan of the Grado signature.


Quote:

Originally Posted by blessingx ...I prefer the old SR71 (which as I've said repeatedly approaches the HR2 except in soundstage and AC). Coupled with receiving a review unit from RudiStor, which I've so far been extremely pleased with, the Aria just didn't get much play as an amp.

I can understand and accept your preference. As I've heard both the SR-71 and an RP5cav with the HD 650 and tested it against the direct connection to the DAC, I can say that the Aria wins hands down in the accuracy and neutrality sector. Especially the RudiStor is a very euphonic amp. Not sure if the same could be said of your unit, though.


Quote:

To be fair, I do think the Aria still has a place for those looking for a good step-up over onboard sound or prefer a dry amp.

That's a quite crushing statement for an amp which I consider one of the most accurate amps around -- highest fidelity in the original sense.


Quote:

...but like every level jump with the Senns, the previous level makes them seem a bit lifeless, and likewise the Arias dryness lowered the dynamic energy I personally associate with the Senns (and often repeated around here - though in reverse) as if it's underpowered... even if it wasn't. For better or worse the Aria is very "dry"...

The Aria has indeed a rather dry characteristic. The attribute stands for high signal accuracy without added euphony in the form of artificial liquidity -- which will always sound artificial with critical instruments, especially from solid-state electronics. That's something I hated on the RP5cav, BTW. It sounded mighty and impressive and colorful, but like coated with a glaze of sugar. And slow with rock. And as «dry» as the Aria may be, it never sounds harsh or grainy, but still remarkably smooth and transparent.


Quote:

...If you're looking to make the HD650 more dynamic though I can't recommend the Aria.

I recommend exactly the opposite: If you're looking for lifelike, unsmoothed dynamics without added colors, the Aria is the amp for you. -- Obviously we have different ears.
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