Hi all,
This is my first impression in this forum after being a silent reader for sometime.
Being a newbie in this world of headphone, I was a bit surprised when Rudi invited me to a mini meet of the local headphone enthusiasts last Saturday.
It was a great pleasure to meet the seniors and also to be given a chance to audition some great set-up.
Such an awesome experience.
Please bear with me for the following as I tried to share my impression on few set up combination that we built.
And please be easy on me.
The gathering itself might considered as a casual listening session rather than a serious one.
Details of each equipment brought to the venue has been listed by Rudi in previous page.
As a daily user of what I called a semi-portable setup (LCD2 Rev.3 + iPhone+CLAS+Continental V2) I put my interest for the desktop setup for my future upgrade.
And when the chance to audition the Eximus and Vaughan came, obviously I wouldn't miss that moment. Lucky me.
First we tried the Eximus DP-1 for its DAC+AMP capability with the following set up:
- CD player : Marantz CD-6004
- DAC+Amp : April Music Eximus DP-1
- Headphone : LCD 2 Rev.3
And I was blown away.....!
I did expect for a better sound quality, but what this set up delivered was beyond that.
It was not a marginal upgrade.
It improved the sound quality in every good aspect.
And it made my LCD 2 sings beautifully, as they created a good synergy.
The Eximus delivers a clean and detailed sound from top to bottom in a very enjoyable way.
The bass was deep, tight and punchy, hence it's far far away from boomy. Fast paced music was nicely controlled and delivered.
Vocal was so sweet and lush, though some people may find it a little dry.
High was crisp, details and delicate. Some recordings that prone to sibbilance was handled in a "proper manner". The sibbilance was still there but it became more enjoyable.
And all the above combination was presented in a spacious sound stage in front of us with focus, direct and dynamic staging.
I could really enjoy the musical presentation as if it delivered directly to me. Amazing!
Eximus DP-1 is a good choice for a DAC+AMP option.
And paired with LCD 2, it made the cans sing beautifully.
Now we move to the second set-up to test the Vaughan DAC+AMP:
- CD player : Marantz CD-6004
- DAC+Amp : M2Tech - Vaughan
- Headphone : LCD 2 Rev.3
For this set up, we just changed the DAC+Amp from Eximus to Vaughan.
With the overwhelming impression I got from the Eximus, I hardly believe the Vaughan could do much better.
And soon as the music start I found myself in full embarrassment.
I was totally wrong, again!
Oh boy. I was blown away... far far away this time.
The Vaughan has all the goods in Eximus and make it even better on its own way.
What I meant by "better" here is not only "better" but it improves the sound quality significantly.
The low, mid and high were all delivered magnificently.
The sound stage were presented grandly spacious and yet still focused.
Beyond all of that, what makes the Vaughan being superior to me are its clarity, separation and depth.
And the Vaughan delivers them in a very amazing way.
If I have to choose one thing for its very special strength, then it is the "depth".
I hardly believe that any system can deliver such depth before I heard the Vaughan.
It incredibly rendered the stage layer by layer, front to rear with clarity. Fantastic!
To me the Vaughan is a special piece of work, a Masterpiece.
Okay... All the bells and whistles have been shouted out loud and now what?
What one could expect for a better sound?
So, it was the time to pair the Vaughan with Stax SR-009, thus the third set up was:
- CD player : Marantz CD-6004
- DAC+PreAmp : M2Tech - Vaughan
- PowerAmp : STAX SRM-727 Mk-II
- Headphone : STAX SR-009
The moment of truth came once the music started.
Was I blown away again?
Nope!
I was.......... speechless...!!!
It such a perfect combination! Great synergy delivers perfection!
Listening to this set up was audio nirvana to me.
It was never about the sounds or any technicalities behind it.
To me it was all about the feeling!
It was a moment where I could only care about one thing and one thing only. Enjoy the music!!!
It was a musical symphony that delivered directly to your heart through your ears.
Amazingly fantastic!
The impressions of these two seniors might give a hint of what they felt.
If one may think that this is an overwhelming impression on Vaughan, I encourage you to listen to the unit first.
I believe there are much better set up in this world that can delivers better sound.
But to me personally, it was the best set up that I have ever heard until this moment.
End notes:
- I am not a reviewer nor an audiophile. The above are just my personal impression.
- As it was a casual listening session, the set up were not perfectly arranged for serious reviewing session.
- To me, both Eximus and Vaughan deliver the best sound on their respective way.
Special thanks to Rudi for the invitation and to Pita as a good host.
I'm looking forward for the next gathering.
Thanks to you all who has patiently reading this writing.
Cheers.
