[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blueice also want to know, how does it sound with iem. Is there background noise to be heard?

No. No noise, no hum. Zero.
.

 

[diablo9]

another proud Aria owner here!!!!

received the package 1 min ago, sent Jan the confirmation he asked earlier, opened the package right away, it's WOW!

so beautiful! I have to test it tonight. no pics, sorry guys, previous post already showed too many pics.

one thing I noticed but doesn't bother me, on the back there is a little switch "240V/120V". I am sure I have to switch to 120V, but it was on 240V when arrived. Europe users have to be careful.

 

[trbl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by diablo9 one thing I noticed but doesn't bother me, on the back there is a little switch "240V/120V". I am sure I have to switch to 120V, but it was on 240V when arrived. Europe users have to be careful.

I'm pretty sure the User Manual says the unit is set by default to 230 V and that you have to change it yourself as needed. Though since I think Jan supplies the appropriate power cord to people in various locales he could also set the voltage switch to match.

If the switch is going to be set wrong, better that it's set to the high voltage setting. Then folks with 115 V just get poor sound. If it was set to a lower voltage than the correct value, you'd probably end up with a bad smell and a dead unit when it was turned on.

Still no email from Jan that my Aria shipped. So I guess it won't go out until next week some time, at least 10 days later than I was first told.

That's better than getting a unit that's DOA. But I've been waiting for an amp for my K701's since late November, when the Lehmann I bought arrived dead in one channel. I'm sure the wait will be worth it. I just wish I knew when I'd get the Aria and not have the ship date pushed back again.

 

[daninthemix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by redrich2000 anyone got any thoughts on Aria synergy with DT-880s yet? Even people that know the DT-880 sound but haven't heard them with the Aria?

I have this combo, and the sound is very sweet indeed. My only concern is the volume - I've emailed Jan about this and he's a bit puzzled. Basically I run the 880s with the Aria at around 3 o clock on a lot of material. On some material I have the Aria at max volume and still wish I had more. I don't know whether this is a USB issue or not.

Sound quality wise - excellent. Volume wise - wish there was more headroom. (and yes - I have the volume turned up to max in windows and in the source app).

 

[MasterLoki]

thank god my aria was set to 240 Volt


the first thing i did was plug it in and listen music, the second thing was read the User Manual -.-

 

[trbl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by daninthemix I have this combo, and the sound is very sweet indeed. My only concern is the volume - I've emailed Jan about this and he's a bit puzzled. Basically I run the 880s with the Aria at around 3 o clock on a lot of material. On some material I have the Aria at max volume and still wish I had more. I don't know whether this is a USB issue or not.

It's a bit odd that the K701, which is about 3 dB more sensitive in dB/V (which is the relevent sensitivity rating), should require a higher volume control setting. The difference in impedances should not have an effect, since the Aria output impedance is next to nothing, and the buffers can provide enough current. Are you just listening at a higher sound level? Some people have said that they find the need to turn up the volume with K701's to get a more impactful sound. But of course, this being Head-Fi, others report enjoying the music at lower levels with the K701's.

Anyway, Jan told me that yes, the effective input volume from the USB port is lower, so this should be less of a problem using the analog RCA inputs.

Quote:

Sound quality wise - excellent. Volume wise - wish there was more headroom. (and yes - I have the volume turned up to max in windows and in the source app).

Back on November 1 I emailed Jan because the description of the Aria on his website didn't include the gain. He emailed me back saying it was 3x (8 dB), and the technical description on the website was later updated.

I was concerned about this low gain. I was sure I'd need a bit more, as I have some favorite classical music that is recorded at a very low level. After several back and forth emails with Jan he indicated he could thought he could modify a unit to provide 17 dB gain without compromising sound quality. I was able to determine that this would be enough for me to use with the K701's or even less sensitive headphones like DT-880's or HD-650's and still leave some margin for even lower level recordings.

So my Aria is supposed to be set for a gain of 17 dB. But I have yet to be notified that it has shipped, so I doubt I'll see it for quite some time. Still, I appreciate the care that Jan is giving in checking out the Arias before they ship. I think he's used to building and shipping a few units at a time, not having 500 amps built in China appear on his doorstep with a couple months of backorders waiting to be filled. And I'm extra grateful that I was able to arrange for a higher gain version. I'm just trying to be as patient as Jan is thorough.

 

[daninthemix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by trbl It's a bit odd that the K701, which is about 3 dB more sensitive in dB/V (which is the relevent sensitivity rating), should require a higher volume control setting. The difference in impedances should not have an effect, since the Aria output impedance is next to nothing, and the buffers can provide enough current. Are you just listening at a higher sound level? Some people have said that they find the need to turn up the volume with K701's to get a more impactful sound. But of course, this being Head-Fi, others report enjoying the music at lower levels with the K701's. Anyway, Jan told me that yes, the effective input volume from the USB port is lower, so this should be less of a problem using the analog RCA inputs. Back on November 1 I emailed Jan because the description of the Aria on his website didn't include the gain. He emailed me back saying it was 3x (8 dB), and the technical description on the website was later updated. I was concerned about this low gain. I was sure I'd need a bit more, as I have some favorite classical music that is recorded at a very low level. After several back and forth emails with Jan he indicated he could thought he could modify a unit to provide 17 dB gain without compromising sound quality. I was able to determine that this would be enough for me to use with the K701's or even less sensitive headphones like DT-880's or HD-650's and still leave some margin for even lower level recordings. So my Aria is supposed to be set for a gain of 17 dB. But I have yet to be notified that it has shipped, so I doubt I'll see it for quite some time. Still, I appreciate the care that Jan is giving in checking out the Arias before they ship. I think he's used to building and shipping a few units at a time, not having 500 amps built in China appear on his doorstep with a couple months of backorders waiting to be filled. And I'm extra grateful that I was able to arrange for a higher gain version. I'm just trying to be as patient as Jan is thorough.

Well done for doing your homework beforehand! I should've done as well, and ordered a +17dB one as well. Like you, some of my stuff is recorded very low, and at max volume it just isn't enough.

 

[trbl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by daninthemix Well done for doing your homework beforehand!

Well, almost.

I actually screwed up when trying a demo M3, and didn't notice the specified maximum output voltage was just a bit low. But I did try hard to look at the likely amp candidates, and determine their vital characteristics: gain, maximum output voltage and current, output impedance, etc. That's actually hard as most manufacturers are not as thorough as is Jan. I ended up emailing various manufacturers to try to get the needed information. And sometime the information is just plain wrong.

Quote:

I should've done as well, and ordered a +17dB one as well. Like you, some of my stuff is recorded very low, and at max volume it just isn't enough.

Ask Jan about sending your unit back to be modded. I'd suggest waiting until the initial rush of getting out orders is over. It'll let you get used to the sound of the unit, do any needed burn-in, and make sure it's a keeper. Then let Jan mod it (it's just a matter of replacing two gain-setting resistors). The output offset voltage will likely rise as a result of the change, but it should still be low enough. This is something else you might want to discuss with Jan when you talk about getting the gain change.

 

[arielext]

Quote:

Originally Posted by daninthemix I have this combo, and the sound is very sweet indeed. My only concern is the volume - I've emailed Jan about this and he's a bit puzzled. Basically I run the 880s with the Aria at around 3 o clock on a lot of material. On some material I have the Aria at max volume and still wish I had more. I don't know whether this is a USB issue or not. Sound quality wise - excellent. Volume wise - wish there was more headroom. (and yes - I have the volume turned up to max in windows and in the source app).

wow! I'm running a sennheiser HD600 with this amp at "9 o'clock"! anything more would blow my brains out. The resistance of a DT880 is 250 ohms I thought?

oh yeah, this is with foobar2000 playing the files with (album)replaygain and a 6db boost.

 

[greenhorn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by daninthemix ...ordered a +17dB one as well. Like you, some of my stuff is recorded very low, and at max volume it just isn't enough.

What volume are you folks usually listen your stuff at??? I use my Aria at 9-11 o'clock. I mean, 11 o'clock for really low recored CDs, with the Sennheiser HD600.

 

[smuh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by daninthemix I have this combo, and the sound is very sweet indeed. My only concern is the volume - I've emailed Jan about this and he's a bit puzzled. Basically I run the 880s with the Aria at around 3 o clock on a lot of material. On some material I have the Aria at max volume and still wish I had more. I don't know whether this is a USB issue or not. Sound quality wise - excellent. Volume wise - wish there was more headroom. (and yes - I have the volume turned up to max in windows and in the source app).

I never ever had to turn the volume above 40-50% with the DT880. I would be deaf listening to volumes around 3 o clock

 

[Daneel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by smuh I never ever had to turn the volume above 40-50% with the DT880. I would be deaf listening to volumes around 3 o clock

Is that with USB input? The max output volume is much lower with USB than analogue.

 

[MasterLoki]

i use USB Output

Headphones: Grado Sr 325i

i listen mostly at 11 o clock, if i want it really loud then 11,5-12 o clock

 

[shuurajou]

For relatively loud'ish music, I listen at around 10 o'clock on Grado HF-1's.

 

[blueice]

Seems like alot of people got their amp by now. From what I read, the amp seems superb by its own. But there is not enough impression on how would the DAC compare with other sound cards or DACs. More comparisons is appreciated in particular with Emu, X-Fi, Revo, Headroom, etc.