will listen to it more extensively and with different gears and come back with some impressions, so far it seems so though, like if music is "more at you" in general.
New Oriolus Stack - BD20 DAC, BA20 AMP, SE02 EQ, 1795 BT Receiver and more...
- Thread starter seamon
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will listen to it more extensively and with different gears and come back with some impressions, so far it seems so though, like if music is "more at you" in general.
I have the mark 1 and that is my impression when paired with the WM1A and the BD20 AND BA20.
audionewbi
Headphoneus Supremus
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That Blur earbud sure looks nice.
Finally got my BA300s... I'd say my experiment with the R2R2000 is so far intriguing...
I am kind of a fanatic of Mr Wong earbuds
These are the most "weird" I own, being built upon coaxial cables.. they normally sound detailed but a tad flat... In this setup they achieve a level of bass I never heard coming out of then before.
Has anyone tried pairing something like the iFi Diablo with the BA300S? I'm wondering if the 4.4mm balanced out to the BA300S would bring a noticeable difference / upgrade to my EX1000 and HE4XX.
audionewbi
Headphoneus Supremus
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iFi is famous for bringing out the warmth of BB DAC, I don't think you need a tube for that.
ATOZ
New Head-Fier
Hi everyone,
This is my first post on head-fi, though I am a long-time passive reader of the forum.
A couple of weeks ago, I was looking for a new transportable dac/amp solution. My choice fell on the iFi Signature as it seemed to be the most "do-it-all" keeping lot's of options open for the future. I wanted to combine it with the Xduoo 05BL Pro BT Receiver and the Oriolus SE02 Equalizer, but then I stumbled upon the rest of the Oriolus line and just had to go that way!
Why did I decide to go full Oriolus instead of the Signature:
I was looking for a few things mainly.
1) The highest audio possible audio quality
2) future proof
3) and transportability.
I don't need something for quick errands (that's what I have my TWS earbuds, BT Beyers or the BTR5 for) but rather a small high-end solution for when I work at the client and sit for 9h straight in front a PC. Eventually I can also use it for a couple of hours in the train or plane. I also wanted something with USB C and 4.4 Balanced, as this makes it future-proof from a connector type point of view. Also 4.4 pentacon gives you all option going balanced or downgrading to 3.5 SE without any issues.
What pushed me to the Oriolus stack, was the fact that these are individual components; meaning I can upgrade them individually or connect the DAC to a bigger Amp at home or use them in any combination depending on the situation! From a minimal DAC + Amp to a full fledged BT Receiver + DAC + Tube PreAmp + EQ + PowerAmp. Or anything in between.
Let's see what combo I will be rocking the most...
Only downside at the moment:
1) My MBP does not recognize the DAC when connected via a normal USB C or TB3 cable. At the moment I only have the extra-short USB C OTG that was provided with the DAC. I am still searching for a longer solution; if anyone know about a good OTG around 1m / 4 foot I would be really glad for any tip.
2) The components are lighter then I anticipated. Which makes it great for lugging around, but on the other hand, the rigidity of the 4.4 intercon cables is enough to slide the components out of place when stacked on each other.
3) The color and the material of the cases is not identical for the all the components. DAC, Amp and BT Receiver have a lighter and coarser surface. The Tube Amp and the Equalizer have a deeper black and their surface is more polished. All of them collect fingerprints, or rather skin oils, pretty easily. I will probably plaster them with some cool music related stickers I have laying around.
In the pictures you can see:
- 1795 BT Receiver (LDAC; can also be used as a "Galvanic Isolator" using the Optical Output)
- BD20 DAC
- BA300S Tube Amp (I use it as a Pre-Amp/Tube buffer)
- SE 02 Analog Equalizer
- BA20 Solid State Amp
This is also the order in which I would use them when I go "all-in".
BTW. I really like that the seem to have changed the blue LED inside the BA300S to a red one! I was already thinking of how to paint the blue one to shine red...
And all 4.4 interconnect cables have wooden grips
I still need to do some listening, but in a first short session I was really pleased with the BD20 + BA20. A really clear and pleasant sound. I will first get to know the sound presentation before starting to roll the OPAs. Nice addition that they included a box full with the BA20.
After the first time I turned them on, I could hear a small humm that changed when I touched the amp and completely disappeared when I touched the Mac and the amp with both hand. None of them was connected to a power source. Seems to be an grounding problem. But I already have my eyes on the iFi iGalvanic 3 ;D
Now I just "need" some new IEMs to go along; Voyager 14 or better Kinera Baldr maybe, but same as Oriolus Stack, there are nearly no reviews out there...
I am also very much tempted by the DCA Aeon 2 C Noire; I really dig the folding ability; would make travelling much easier. Reviews of the Aeon 2C go both ways, so not 100% convinced yet. But as far as I know, these are the only high-end over ears that are foldable and lightweight. I have some old Aeon 1 open that I traded for an AK120 ii and they are super comfy I must say.
Cheers & Best Greetz from Switzerland
Here are the pics (first post, so not yet allowed to put pics directly in the post):
Oriolus BA20 BD20 1795D BA300S SE02
Full Oriolus LineUp
SE02 in packaging
BA20 and Op Amps
Nice Oriolus Stack
Mac + BD20 + BA20
Oriolus BA300S Tube Glow
Oriolus Stack on Desk - Size Comparison
This is my first post on head-fi, though I am a long-time passive reader of the forum.
A couple of weeks ago, I was looking for a new transportable dac/amp solution. My choice fell on the iFi Signature as it seemed to be the most "do-it-all" keeping lot's of options open for the future. I wanted to combine it with the Xduoo 05BL Pro BT Receiver and the Oriolus SE02 Equalizer, but then I stumbled upon the rest of the Oriolus line and just had to go that way!
Why did I decide to go full Oriolus instead of the Signature:
I was looking for a few things mainly.
1) The highest audio possible audio quality
2) future proof
3) and transportability.
I don't need something for quick errands (that's what I have my TWS earbuds, BT Beyers or the BTR5 for) but rather a small high-end solution for when I work at the client and sit for 9h straight in front a PC. Eventually I can also use it for a couple of hours in the train or plane. I also wanted something with USB C and 4.4 Balanced, as this makes it future-proof from a connector type point of view. Also 4.4 pentacon gives you all option going balanced or downgrading to 3.5 SE without any issues.
What pushed me to the Oriolus stack, was the fact that these are individual components; meaning I can upgrade them individually or connect the DAC to a bigger Amp at home or use them in any combination depending on the situation! From a minimal DAC + Amp to a full fledged BT Receiver + DAC + Tube PreAmp + EQ + PowerAmp. Or anything in between.
Let's see what combo I will be rocking the most...
Only downside at the moment:
1) My MBP does not recognize the DAC when connected via a normal USB C or TB3 cable. At the moment I only have the extra-short USB C OTG that was provided with the DAC. I am still searching for a longer solution; if anyone know about a good OTG around 1m / 4 foot I would be really glad for any tip.
2) The components are lighter then I anticipated. Which makes it great for lugging around, but on the other hand, the rigidity of the 4.4 intercon cables is enough to slide the components out of place when stacked on each other.
3) The color and the material of the cases is not identical for the all the components. DAC, Amp and BT Receiver have a lighter and coarser surface. The Tube Amp and the Equalizer have a deeper black and their surface is more polished. All of them collect fingerprints, or rather skin oils, pretty easily. I will probably plaster them with some cool music related stickers I have laying around.
In the pictures you can see:
- 1795 BT Receiver (LDAC; can also be used as a "Galvanic Isolator" using the Optical Output)
- BD20 DAC
- BA300S Tube Amp (I use it as a Pre-Amp/Tube buffer)
- SE 02 Analog Equalizer
- BA20 Solid State Amp
This is also the order in which I would use them when I go "all-in".
BTW. I really like that the seem to have changed the blue LED inside the BA300S to a red one! I was already thinking of how to paint the blue one to shine red...
And all 4.4 interconnect cables have wooden grips
I still need to do some listening, but in a first short session I was really pleased with the BD20 + BA20. A really clear and pleasant sound. I will first get to know the sound presentation before starting to roll the OPAs. Nice addition that they included a box full with the BA20.
After the first time I turned them on, I could hear a small humm that changed when I touched the amp and completely disappeared when I touched the Mac and the amp with both hand. None of them was connected to a power source. Seems to be an grounding problem. But I already have my eyes on the iFi iGalvanic 3 ;D
Now I just "need" some new IEMs to go along; Voyager 14 or better Kinera Baldr maybe, but same as Oriolus Stack, there are nearly no reviews out there...
I am also very much tempted by the DCA Aeon 2 C Noire; I really dig the folding ability; would make travelling much easier. Reviews of the Aeon 2C go both ways, so not 100% convinced yet. But as far as I know, these are the only high-end over ears that are foldable and lightweight. I have some old Aeon 1 open that I traded for an AK120 ii and they are super comfy I must say.
Cheers & Best Greetz from Switzerland
Here are the pics (first post, so not yet allowed to put pics directly in the post):
Oriolus BA20 BD20 1795D BA300S SE02
Full Oriolus LineUp
SE02 in packaging
BA20 and Op Amps
Nice Oriolus Stack
Mac + BD20 + BA20
Oriolus BA300S Tube Glow
Oriolus Stack on Desk - Size Comparison
ATOZ
New Head-Fier
I only tried the BA300S briefly this evening (might need a few hours to develop its full potential) but from what I heard it is a very clean sounding tube amp. It definitely does something to the sound compared to the BA20, but it is nowhere as gritty or "tuby" as the SMSL SP100 I have. I believe the BA300S was made for some high-end ultra-clear DAPs (Sony) and that is where it brings a minimal coloration to the sound. So if you are after a tube amp that will give you that distorted, gritty and wide tube sound, you should probably look somewhere else. I find the SP100 more pleasing, as it give me a proper and warm sound alteration, sounding like some old radio.
BTW. The humm with the BD20/BA20 disappeared after a few minutes. Not sure why, but it was not detectable anymore. Btw. seems like MacBooks don't have a ground, so they are not earthed and that can give some noise out of the USB C.
The hum disappears if you don't touch the amp. If you physically touch the amp you act as ground. The stack must not be connected to ground, one of the weird things about the stack. This is only a concern when the BA300s is connected. If you remove the BA300s then this is not a concern. Also the stock 4.4mm cables have a ground wire(5th wire of Pentaconn), I noticed that the sound is more transparent if I use wires that lack the 5th ground wire for the 4.4mm cables connecting the modules.
Edit: Also we can't see you pics. Please use www.imgur.com
ATOZ
New Head-Fier
I noticed the humm using BD20 and BA20 only. They were connected with the provided USB C to C and pentacon. The humm was there only in the first minutes of ever turning them on. I will check again. Maybe also caused by the MBP and its full metal casing; hard to avoid touching that! Thanks for the hint on the cable, I will be hunting for some.
I also thought about sticking some flat balance weights (as used to balance car rims) to the bottom of the components to make the stack physically heavier and thus avoiding the components to shift around due to the stiffness of the short cables. Not sure if that would have some sonic consequences...
Great! Thanks for the info. I am on it.
ATOZ
New Head-Fier
Trying this again. Pictures from the Oriolus Stack:
@ATOZ I use sticky pads by Oriolus. You can get some from Jaben if you contact them through Facebook.
Might because of the ground wire in the Pentaconn. Try to get a 4.4mm cable without the 5th wire connected. Or get a cheap 4.4mm to 4.4mm cable off Amazon and snip off the 5th cable to test this.
ATOZ
New Head-Fier
Good point; there were sticky pads included with each of the components. Will maybe use them. Depending on the transport case I will ultimately buy, I want to keep the components separated. Those sticky pads can be pretty pesky and make it difficult to quickly separate the stack. Also I stuck some black, flat, rubber feed under them as the provided ones are half round and transparent. Maybe some good old rubber bands ;D
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