Love my BHA-1. Very transparent (Not to mention Bryston’s 20-year warranty). used sell for crazy low prices. Plays very well with other gear too
New headphone amplifier from Bryston
- Thread starter Hardertaskthinking
- Start date
Rob80b
Headphoneus Supremus
Good to see some love still around for the BHA-1 and the GS-X for that matter which has been around even longer...believe the general consensus was/is they are similar sounding SS amps.
My BHA-1 won't being going anywhere soon either and although there are a crop of very good to excellent sounding entry level amps, the SMSL HO100 for example that I just acquiredfor a second system, I'm still finding the 10 year Bryston still has more authority in the base and and harmonic richness...almost hard to describe but there's just this little bit extra regardless of the phones.
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It has been a tough (and fun) few days comparing these two DACs. Tough not because the difference is not obvious between them, but because they are equally good in a different way. On some days I had clear preference towards the Qutest and on other days I had clear preference to the Soekris 2541. In certain things the Qutest is better, in other things the Soekris is the winner.
Ultimately it will come down to system synergy, personal preference, main music genres and priorities of different qualities in sound.
I tried them on the Soloist 3XP as well, but mainly on the Bryston BHA-1. Headphones were the Meze Elite. I set the Qutest to 3V output voltage and used a pure silver RCA to the amp, and I used the balanced line out of the 2541 to bring out its best (again with silver interconnects).
I have to say, I pretty much equally like these DACs and prefer both to the RME ADI-2 which I sold a few days ago.
In my opinion system synergy is extremely important with both of these DACs. With the wrong amp, the Qutest can sound a bit harsh and bright, and the Soekris can sound too soft and loose in the bass and too rolled off up top. With the right pairing both the Qutest and the Soekris changes character and are able to bring the best out of an amp. With the BHA-1 which is a powerful, clean and impactful reference amp, the Soekris is an excellent match. It gives just an extra breath of lifelikeness to the vocals which is missing even with the Qutest, not to mention your regular delta/sigma DAC.
Paired with the Soloist 3XP the Soekris was just too soft and less refined. (The Soloist is a lot better amp in headphone power amp mode, but then you have to control the volume on the DAC, so the ADI-2 in this particular case is a better pairing with the Burson IMO.) The Bryston as an amp simply washes the floor with the Soloist when it comes to resolution, detail, clarity and impact.
The Qutest on the Bryston is extremely clean and clear. Resolution is above the Soekris, but really not by too much. As the Qutest was brand new, initially it sometimes sounded a bit harsh and bright in the treble compared to the 2541. After a few days it calmed down and got smoother, keeping that extra clarity and dynamism.
The Qutest with the BHA-1 is pretty much the maximum amount of clear dynamism and impact I can handle, and I do like these qualities as well as my Meze Elite likes them.
So the strengths of the Qutest are a higher resolving capability, more control on bass, more impact, clearer treble and overall clarity. Also, the soundstage is a little deeper on the Chord, because there is more clarity to 'see' the back of the stage. Soundstage on the Soekris is actually wider, and still has a lot better depth than the ADI-2, but not as deep as the Qutest.
The extra width of the Soekris allows you to feel the space a little bigger, with equally good instrument placement and separation just not as sharp. The Qutest's 'picture' is a little smaller but clearer and very 3D, although narrower. The picture the Soekris paints is slightly less refined but bigger and pretty much equally nice just slightly less detailed. Also, the Soekris is emotionally a little more engaging with its mids and vocals, so taking that into account we could say that the Qutest has a more accurate picture but the Soekris is not far behind and has an additional artistic factor to the sound like impressionist paintings. I do not have much experience with R2R DACs, but the Soekris is said to be a clearer sounding R2R DAC as it doesn't offer NOS mode. I can't comment on that, but it is really surprisingly close in technicalities to the Qutest. I certainly was not expecting them to be this close. The differences I describe are not huge by any means, they are a result of A/B testing them for a few days.
I could be happy with either of them, but can't justify keeping both.
The strengths of the Soekris is definitely the mids. This is where it clearly beats the Qutest. Mids have a lot more lifelike tone, vocals and acoustic instruments simply sound more like in real life, therefore they sound more beautiful and more engaging (euphonic?). If someone mainly listens to vocals or acoustic instrument driven music I would recommend the Soekris over the Qutest. This lifelike R2R tonality is truly an addictive quality. While the Qutest has more clarity in the mids too, it can't match the enjoyment level the 2541 offers with vocals.
Bass is good on both DACs, but it is a pretty clear win to the Qutest according to my preference. Even though Qutest bass is leaner; it is faster, cleaner and more impactful. The 2541 might have a bit more bass quantity, but it is not as well controlled and precise. Especially with modern music the Qutest has the clear edge on bass quality.
When it comes to treble, the Soekris is a bit rolled off, but to my ears in a pleasant way. The Qutest is again clearer here but also brighter (even with warm/roll off filter). For some the Qutest's treble can actually be too much and will prefer the Soekris's smoother presentation; while others will choose the extra clarity and punch from the little Chord.
I already touched on the weaknesses, but the Qutest can sound too harsh at times, depending on the amp and recording. The Qutest is also less forgiving to bad recordings or files, the Soekris is a lot friendlier and smoother, making bad recordings enjoyable as well. The 2541 in comparison can sound too smooth at times; macro dynamics and impact are not that great, but I wouldn't say it is particularly bad either.
In short:
Qutest: control, precision, resolution, clarity, depth.
Soekris 2541: smoothness, lifelike tone and timbre, beautiful, engaging vocals.
As I said, I could be happy with either of these DACs.
Despite my description sounds like there is a ton of difference between them, to most people this wouldn't be immediately obvious unless critically A/B testing them.
Some days I was sure I want to keep the Soekris and let the Qutest go, other days I felt the opposite way. Right now I think I will keep the Qutest, because I still listen to a lot of modern music where I just really enjoy that extra bit of bass impact, but the lifelike and sweet vocals are something I will really miss from the Soekris R2R. Even though the Qutest is a lot more lifelike than the ADI-2, still can't match an R2R in this regard.
As all analogies are imperfect, take this with a grain of salt but I thought the ADI-2 sounds a bit like listening to a studio recording, the Qutest sounds like being there with the artist in the studio and the Soekris sounds like being there with the artist in a venue. More control and more precision on the Qutest, but a very pleasant warm tonality on the Soekris. Take your pick...
vlach
1000+ Head-Fier
Outstanding review and assessment of both DACs, thank you! Regarding the Qutest, i believe it is best to run it at the 2V industry standard. At least that is the consensus with the Mojo. I wouldn't be surprised if the Qutest became slightly less edgy/bright/harsh at 2V thus elevating its performance even further.It has been a tough (and fun) few days comparing these two DACs. Tough not because the difference is not obvious between them, but because they are equally good in a different way. On some days I had clear preference towards the Qutest and on other days I had clear preference to the Soekris 2541. In certain things the Qutest is better, in other things the Soekris is the winner.
Ultimately it will come down to system synergy, personal preference, main music genres and priorities of different qualities in sound.
I tried them on the Soloist 3XP as well, but mainly on the Bryston BHA-1. Headphones were the Meze Elite. I set the Qutest to 3V output voltage and used a pure silver RCA to the amp, and I used the balanced line out of the 2541 to bring out its best (again with silver interconnects).
I have to say, I pretty much equally like these DACs and prefer both to the RME ADI-2 which I sold a few days ago.
In my opinion system synergy is extremely important with both of these DACs. With the wrong amp, the Qutest can sound a bit harsh and bright, and the Soekris can sound too soft and loose in the bass and too rolled off up top. With the right pairing both the Qutest and the Soekris changes character and are able to bring the best out of an amp. With the BHA-1 which is a powerful, clean and impactful reference amp, the Soekris is an excellent match. It gives just an extra breath of lifelikeness to the vocals which is missing even with the Qutest, not to mention your regular delta/sigma DAC.
Paired with the Soloist 3XP the Soekris was just too soft and less refined. (The Soloist is a lot better amp in headphone power amp mode, but then you have to control the volume on the DAC, so the ADI-2 in this particular case is a better pairing with the Burson IMO.) The Bryston as an amp simply washes the floor with the Soloist when it comes to resolution, detail, clarity and impact.
The Qutest on the Bryston is extremely clean and clear. Resolution is above the Soekris, but really not by too much. As the Qutest was brand new, initially it sometimes sounded a bit harsh and bright in the treble compared to the 2541. After a few days it calmed down and got smoother, keeping that extra clarity and dynamism.
The Qutest with the BHA-1 is pretty much the maximum amount of clear dynamism and impact I can handle, and I do like these qualities as well as my Meze Elite likes them.
So the strengths of the Qutest are a higher resolving capability, more control on bass, more impact, clearer treble and overall clarity. Also, the soundstage is a little deeper on the Chord, because there is more clarity to 'see' the back of the stage. Soundstage on the Soekris is actually wider, and still has a lot better depth than the ADI-2, but not as deep as the Qutest.
The extra width of the Soekris allows you to feel the space a little bigger, with equally good instrument placement and separation just not as sharp. The Qutest's 'picture' is a little smaller but clearer and very 3D, although narrower. The picture the Soekris paints is slightly less refined but bigger and pretty much equally nice just slightly less detailed. Also, the Soekris is emotionally a little more engaging with its mids and vocals, so taking that into account we could say that the Qutest has a more accurate picture but the Soekris is not far behind and has an additional artistic factor to the sound like impressionist paintings. I do not have much experience with R2R DACs, but the Soekris is said to be a clearer sounding R2R DAC as it doesn't offer NOS mode. I can't comment on that, but it is really surprisingly close in technicalities to the Qutest. I certainly was not expecting them to be this close. The differences I describe are not huge by any means, they are a result of A/B testing them for a few days.
I could be happy with either of them, but can't justify keeping both.
The strengths of the Soekris is definitely the mids. This is where it clearly beats the Qutest. Mids have a lot more lifelike tone, vocals and acoustic instruments simply sound more like in real life, therefore they sound more beautiful and more engaging (euphonic?). If someone mainly listens to vocals or acoustic instrument driven music I would recommend the Soekris over the Qutest. This lifelike R2R tonality is truly an addictive quality. While the Qutest has more clarity in the mids too, it can't match the enjoyment level the 2541 offers with vocals.
Bass is good on both DACs, but it is a pretty clear win to the Qutest according to my preference. Even though Qutest bass is leaner; it is faster, cleaner and more impactful. The 2541 might have a bit more bass quantity, but it is not as well controlled and precise. Especially with modern music the Qutest has the clear edge on bass quality.
When it comes to treble, the Soekris is a bit rolled off, but to my ears in a pleasant way. The Qutest is again clearer here but also brighter (even with warm/roll off filter). For some the Qutest's treble can actually be too much and will prefer the Soekris's smoother presentation; while others will choose the extra clarity and punch from the little Chord.
I already touched on the weaknesses, but the Qutest can sound too harsh at times, depending on the amp and recording. The Qutest is also less forgiving to bad recordings or files, the Soekris is a lot friendlier and smoother, making bad recordings enjoyable as well. The 2541 in comparison can sound too smooth at times; macro dynamics and impact are not that great, but I wouldn't say it is particularly bad either.
In short:
Qutest: control, precision, resolution, clarity, depth.
Soekris 2541: smoothness, lifelike tone and timbre, beautiful, engaging vocals.
As I said, I could be happy with either of these DACs.
Despite my description sounds like there is a ton of difference between them, to most people this wouldn't be immediately obvious unless critically A/B testing them.
Some days I was sure I want to keep the Soekris and let the Qutest go, other days I felt the opposite way. Right now I think I will keep the Qutest, because I still listen to a lot of modern music where I just really enjoy that extra bit of bass impact, but the lifelike and sweet vocals are something I will really miss from the Soekris R2R. Even though the Qutest is a lot more lifelike than the ADI-2, still can't match an R2R in this regard.
As all analogies are imperfect, take this with a grain of salt but I thought the ADI-2 sounds a bit like listening to a studio recording, the Qutest sounds like being there with the artist in the studio and the Soekris sounds like being there with the artist in a venue. More control and more precision on the Qutest, but a very pleasant warm tonality on the Soekris. Take your pick...
All in all, the results of your evaluation are inline with my experience; i find R2R DACs tend to have better tone, more density and body to instruments at the expense of slightly less precision, clarity and speed - less fatiguing? I'm also not surprised that you like the Soekris a lot with the BHA-1 since this amp is somewhat lean in nature - at least that's my opinion after countless amp comparisons.
Again, a BIG thank you for a very comprehensive and detailed review, well done!
Thanks for the kind words.
I did try all voltage outputs on the Qutest, I just wanted to bring it closer to the 4 volts (XLR) of the Soekris.
Anyway, with the standard 2 volts the Qutest indeed sounds less edgy.
Edit: with 2V output the Qutest's technical advantage is actually less obvious and definitely sounds smoother.
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Infoseeker
Headphoneus Supremus
It has been a tough (and fun) few days comparing these two DACs. Tough not because the difference is not obvious between them, but because they are equally good in a different way. On some days I had clear preference towards the Qutest and on other days I had clear preference to the Soekris 2541. In certain things the Qutest is better, in other things the Soekris is the winner.
Ultimately it will come down to system synergy, personal preference, main music genres and priorities of different qualities in sound.
I tried them on the Soloist 3XP as well, but mainly on the Bryston BHA-1. Headphones were the Meze Elite. I set the Qutest to 3V output voltage and used a pure silver RCA to the amp, and I used the balanced line out of the 2541 to bring out its best (again with silver interconnects).
I have to say, I pretty much equally like these DACs and prefer both to the RME ADI-2 which I sold a few days ago.
In my opinion system synergy is extremely important with both of these DACs. With the wrong amp, the Qutest can sound a bit harsh and bright, and the Soekris can sound too soft and loose in the bass and too rolled off up top. With the right pairing both the Qutest and the Soekris changes character and are able to bring the best out of an amp. With the BHA-1 which is a powerful, clean and impactful reference amp, the Soekris is an excellent match. It gives just an extra breath of lifelikeness to the vocals which is missing even with the Qutest, not to mention your regular delta/sigma DAC.
Paired with the Soloist 3XP the Soekris was just too soft and less refined. (The Soloist is a lot better amp in headphone power amp mode, but then you have to control the volume on the DAC, so the ADI-2 in this particular case is a better pairing with the Burson IMO.) The Bryston as an amp simply washes the floor with the Soloist when it comes to resolution, detail, clarity and impact.
The Qutest on the Bryston is extremely clean and clear. Resolution is above the Soekris, but really not by too much. As the Qutest was brand new, initially it sometimes sounded a bit harsh and bright in the treble compared to the 2541. After a few days it calmed down and got smoother, keeping that extra clarity and dynamism.
The Qutest with the BHA-1 is pretty much the maximum amount of clear dynamism and impact I can handle, and I do like these qualities as well as my Meze Elite likes them.
So the strengths of the Qutest are a higher resolving capability, more control on bass, more impact, clearer treble and overall clarity. Also, the soundstage is a little deeper on the Chord, because there is more clarity to 'see' the back of the stage. Soundstage on the Soekris is actually wider, and still has a lot better depth than the ADI-2, but not as deep as the Qutest.
The extra width of the Soekris allows you to feel the space a little bigger, with equally good instrument placement and separation just not as sharp. The Qutest's 'picture' is a little smaller but clearer and very 3D, although narrower. The picture the Soekris paints is slightly less refined but bigger and pretty much equally nice just slightly less detailed. Also, the Soekris is emotionally a little more engaging with its mids and vocals, so taking that into account we could say that the Qutest has a more accurate picture but the Soekris is not far behind and has an additional artistic factor to the sound like impressionist paintings. I do not have much experience with R2R DACs, but the Soekris is said to be a clearer sounding R2R DAC as it doesn't offer NOS mode. I can't comment on that, but it is really surprisingly close in technicalities to the Qutest. I certainly was not expecting them to be this close. The differences I describe are not huge by any means, they are a result of A/B testing them for a few days.
I could be happy with either of them, but can't justify keeping both.
The strengths of the Soekris is definitely the mids. This is where it clearly beats the Qutest. Mids have a lot more lifelike tone, vocals and acoustic instruments simply sound more like in real life, therefore they sound more beautiful and more engaging (euphonic?). If someone mainly listens to vocals or acoustic instrument driven music I would recommend the Soekris over the Qutest. This lifelike R2R tonality is truly an addictive quality. While the Qutest has more clarity in the mids too, it can't match the enjoyment level the 2541 offers with vocals.
Bass is good on both DACs, but it is a pretty clear win to the Qutest according to my preference. Even though Qutest bass is leaner; it is faster, cleaner and more impactful. The 2541 might have a bit more bass quantity, but it is not as well controlled and precise. Especially with modern music the Qutest has the clear edge on bass quality.
When it comes to treble, the Soekris is a bit rolled off, but to my ears in a pleasant way. The Qutest is again clearer here but also brighter (even with warm/roll off filter). For some the Qutest's treble can actually be too much and will prefer the Soekris's smoother presentation; while others will choose the extra clarity and punch from the little Chord.
I already touched on the weaknesses, but the Qutest can sound too harsh at times, depending on the amp and recording. The Qutest is also less forgiving to bad recordings or files, the Soekris is a lot friendlier and smoother, making bad recordings enjoyable as well. The 2541 in comparison can sound too smooth at times; macro dynamics and impact are not that great, but I wouldn't say it is particularly bad either.
In short:
Qutest: control, precision, resolution, clarity, depth.
Soekris 2541: smoothness, lifelike tone and timbre, beautiful, engaging vocals.
As I said, I could be happy with either of these DACs.
Despite my description sounds like there is a ton of difference between them, to most people this wouldn't be immediately obvious unless critically A/B testing them.
Some days I was sure I want to keep the Soekris and let the Qutest go, other days I felt the opposite way. Right now I think I will keep the Qutest, because I still listen to a lot of modern music where I just really enjoy that extra bit of bass impact, but the lifelike and sweet vocals are something I will really miss from the Soekris R2R. Even though the Qutest is a lot more lifelike than the ADI-2, still can't match an R2R in this regard.
As all analogies are imperfect, take this with a grain of salt but I thought the ADI-2 sounds a bit like listening to a studio recording, the Qutest sounds like being there with the artist in the studio and the Soekris sounds like being there with the artist in a venue. More control and more precision on the Qutest, but a very pleasant warm tonality on the Soekris. Take your pick...
My favorite pairing with the BHA-1 has been my Chord Hugo 2/2Go (transportable).
Such a goldilocks zone for treble sharpness & last octave air shimmer.
While my Dangerous Convert 2, Gustard A22, my iFi Gryphon, my iFi Micro Signature are quite extra sharp in the treble. (though the BHA-1 does compensate for that).
Out of my stuff, ended up the Chord Hugo 2 smoothest. Interesting how the Qutest turned out. Although, I never would have thought of my Hugo2 treble as being perfect if I didn't happen to hear my other stuff after haha.
Out of the other stuff the iFi Gryphon is a guilty pleasure for a change of pace, especially for my Focal Utopia and engaging the xBass (but the treble is more sharp). I would put the Gryphon staging somewhere derivative to your description of the soekris.
Chord Hugo2/2Go ->Bryston BHA-1 -> Utopia is my meta stack I am using now.
Hugo 2 has a innate textured subbass tonality boosted presentation that is just the perfect synnergy for the dryer punchy bass of the BHA-1. It's such a nice combo.
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For the sake of fairness I have to slightly revise or rather complete my findings regarding the Qutest versus Soekris 2541, as I was switching between the Qutest's output voltage a few times.
What I wrote above is still true, when the Qutest's output voltage is set to 3V. At the same time, as @vlach said the Qutest becomes a bit edgy in this setting, at least with the Bryston. Yes, there is an improved sense of clarity, tightness and impact, but the upper mids/treble becomes a little bit hard.
When I switch the Qutest back to the standard 2V output, it definitely sounds a lot smoother and softer. So much more, that it actually loses the little advantage over the Soekris when it comes to control, details and tightness/impact. They are a lot more similar in this setting, both sound pretty beautiful. Maybe the Qutest is a bit softer and slightly more refined/rounded at 2V, but the 2541 has the edge on spaciousness, tonal richness and energy.
On RCA out, I still prefer the Qutest, but when I use the 4V balanced out on the Soekris, I actually find it slightly better both technically and tonally. We probably can't ignore the fact that a stronger balanced signal is going into a fully separated, dual mono balanced amp.
Edit: it is such a difficult decision. I might just toss a coin in the end.
What I wrote above is still true, when the Qutest's output voltage is set to 3V. At the same time, as @vlach said the Qutest becomes a bit edgy in this setting, at least with the Bryston. Yes, there is an improved sense of clarity, tightness and impact, but the upper mids/treble becomes a little bit hard.
When I switch the Qutest back to the standard 2V output, it definitely sounds a lot smoother and softer. So much more, that it actually loses the little advantage over the Soekris when it comes to control, details and tightness/impact. They are a lot more similar in this setting, both sound pretty beautiful. Maybe the Qutest is a bit softer and slightly more refined/rounded at 2V, but the 2541 has the edge on spaciousness, tonal richness and energy.
On RCA out, I still prefer the Qutest, but when I use the 4V balanced out on the Soekris, I actually find it slightly better both technically and tonally. We probably can't ignore the fact that a stronger balanced signal is going into a fully separated, dual mono balanced amp.
Edit: it is such a difficult decision. I might just toss a coin in the end.
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Infoseeker
Headphoneus Supremus
Oh I forgot to mention I have a newer 2021-built BHA-1 model. With the lower gain, so I have no need for a pre-amp.
Though the Hugo 2 does function at a pre-amp. But I just keep it at its 3V line-level/line-out mode with my version of the BHA-1. No volume control problems.
EDIT:
Oh I forgot the Hugo2 transportable has a very textured subbass boost in its presentation. This is quite the compensation for the BHA-1 amp's bass.
Though the Hugo 2 does function at a pre-amp. But I just keep it at its 3V line-level/line-out mode with my version of the BHA-1. No volume control problems.
EDIT:
Oh I forgot the Hugo2 transportable has a very textured subbass boost in its presentation. This is quite the compensation for the BHA-1 amp's bass.
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For the sake of fairness I have to say that after a few intense weeks with the BHA-1 I realised this great SS amp is not really for me. I still admire its technical abilities, but I need a slightly 'friendlier' sound.
The BHA-1 indeed, even in 2022 is one of the best reference, neutral, fully balanced class-A solid state amplifiers. Its clarity, resolution and detail retrieval is outstanding, easily beats something like the Burson Soloist 3XP or even iFi Pro iCan in this regard.
Spaciousness and instrument placement are also stellar.
As listening time goes on, after hours and hours, days and days this energetic and clean SS sound can become too much for my (treble sensitive) ears though. Yes, the amp despite its great energy is a bit lean, although this can be compensated with a warmer (R2R) DAC quite well.
Even with the Qutest or the Soekris R2R DAC however I felt this ear exhaustion after some time. The sound is nice, incredibly clear and very impactful, but a bit lean and a bit bright or even dry. For some reason listening fatigue kicks in a lot sooner for me with the BHA-1. Maybe not even treble brightness what I find fatiguing after a while, just this treble energy.
For this reason I have to say goodbye to the BHA-1 which I still think is a solid engineering marvel. I respect this amp and I am happy I was able to spend some time with it but my ears want something smoother and perhaps a little warmer.
The BHA-1 indeed, even in 2022 is one of the best reference, neutral, fully balanced class-A solid state amplifiers. Its clarity, resolution and detail retrieval is outstanding, easily beats something like the Burson Soloist 3XP or even iFi Pro iCan in this regard.
Spaciousness and instrument placement are also stellar.
As listening time goes on, after hours and hours, days and days this energetic and clean SS sound can become too much for my (treble sensitive) ears though. Yes, the amp despite its great energy is a bit lean, although this can be compensated with a warmer (R2R) DAC quite well.
Even with the Qutest or the Soekris R2R DAC however I felt this ear exhaustion after some time. The sound is nice, incredibly clear and very impactful, but a bit lean and a bit bright or even dry. For some reason listening fatigue kicks in a lot sooner for me with the BHA-1. Maybe not even treble brightness what I find fatiguing after a while, just this treble energy.
For this reason I have to say goodbye to the BHA-1 which I still think is a solid engineering marvel. I respect this amp and I am happy I was able to spend some time with it but my ears want something smoother and perhaps a little warmer.
What are you looking to try next? I have the Burson Soloist 3X GT and I find it has that natural class A warm, it’s extremely detailed, spacious and the clarity is top notch. It even has legitimate bass. I thought the Soloist 3XP was bass light and to airy sounding. The 3X GT is not that, it’s balanced and musical.
You are not the first person saying that the new GT has more bass and is more balanced. I would love to try that one day as I really like the 'analogue' quality of the Burson SS amps.
I went for a second-hand Hugo TT2. I used to own a TT2 years ago but had to downgrade for different reasons. I received an excellent second-hand offer so I purchased the TT2 again. To my ears and taste no DAC/amp combos under £3000 can provide the same level of smooth clarity/resolution for headphone listening.
Yes, I remember that. you sold your TT2 and I was just getting mine. It’s a great DAC/Amp combo. I now have the DAVE but the TT2 is awesome in its own regard. I owned it for two years before getting my DAVE. Honestly, the TT2 is all you really need for headphone listening.
I agree. TT2 and Meze Elite is pretty much my endgame for headphone listening. (Not like my wallet would allow more...)
If I had another 4 grand I would probably go for the Dave or MScaler but no need really. Diminishing returns hit really hard at this level.
I think my headphone listening is maxed out.
I tried the Elite on the Dave and it was really fantastic, but definitely not twice as good as it is from the TT2.
I would agree. Knowing what I know now I would have stuck with my TT2/HMS/Luxman P-750. When I got the Dave, it made me change my whole system and how I was listening. The Luxman wasn't transparent enough so I moved on to the GS-X MK2 and never looked back. ThGS-X MK2 or GS-X Mini are another set of amps you should consider.I agree. TT2 and Meze Elite is pretty much my endgame for headphone listening. (Not like my wallet would allow more...)
If I had another 4 grand I would probably go for the Dave or MScaler but no need really. Diminishing returns hit really hard at this level.
I think my headphone listening is maxed out.
I tried the Elite on the Dave and it was really fantastic, but definitely not twice as good as it is from the TT2.
Infoseeker
Headphoneus Supremus
Not just the TT2. But the combo of the BHA-1 & Hugo 2 portable has been amazing for me.
Such a slammy stack chain.
Such a slammy stack chain.
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