[Satcher]

On low gain? Not hearing hiss with my UE18+ but UE aren't especially sensitive ciems.

I do have the 400i set to low gain. Double checked to be sure by flipping it over Makes me wish I spent the $50 on the rubber stand.

I do wanna emphasize that it isn't a really bad hiss but it is there if you search for it.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

So. I have a massive complaint with the CMA400i. Specifically in terms of its pairing with the LCD-3.

Ya see, it sounds so goddamn good I keep turning it up and my ears are ringing when I stop listening.

Questyle, you should be ashamed of yourselves. It should sound worse, that way I have to keep the volume moderated. This "everything sounds incredible" crap is gonna be the death of me.

 

[spookanide]

Questyle, you should be ashamed of yourselves. It should sound worse, that way I have to keep the volume moderated. This "everything sounds incredible" crap is gonna be the death of me.

I should really get my hands on a pair of LCD3 to try out sometime, but I already blew my annual budget on this amp + young (mid 2016) 2nd hand LCD2s.

 

[KinoS]

I'm considering the CMA400i to replace my Magni/Modi 2 Uber stack. I have Sennheiser HD-650, HifiMan HE-400i, and Grado SR-60 headphones; currently the HD-650s are what I'm listening to 90% of the time. Can anyone comment on the pairing with the HD-650? I see the Questyle paired a lot with planars, and while I would like to try an LCD-3 or AFO in the future, it probably won't be for a while. I realise I will need to get a balanced cable.

 

[Satcher]

I'm considering the CMA400i to replace my Magni/Modi 2 Uber stack. I have Sennheiser HD-650, HifiMan HE-400i, and Grado SR-60 headphones; currently the HD-650s are what I'm listening to 90% of the time. Can anyone comment on the pairing with the HD-650? I see the Questyle paired a lot with planars, and while I would like to try an LCD-3 or AFO in the future, it probably won't be for a while. I realise I will need to get a balanced cable.

I had the HD800 when I got the 400i and using the balanced output, it took me 3 quarters (3 o'clock position) on the volume dial to get it to my preferred loudness at 300 ohms. Then again, I am the type who likes to listen to their music loud.

Hopefully that'll give you an idea.

 

[KinoS]

I had the HD800 when I got the 400i and using the balanced output, it took me 3 quarters (3 o'clock position) on the volume dial to get it to my preferred loudness at 300 ohms. Then again, I am the type who likes to listen to their music loud.

Hopefully that'll give you an idea.

Thanks Satcher, was that with the low gain or standard gain? With the Magni 2U I rarely make it above 10 o'clock on the dial (and I've just checked and it's set to low gain). Supposedly the M2U outputs 320mW @ 300 ohm, versus the CMA400i's 418mW @ 300 ohm from the balanced output, so I was thinking they would be comparable.

 

[Satcher]

Thanks Satcher, was that with the low gain or standard gain? With the Magni 2U I rarely make it above 10 o'clock on the dial (and I've just checked and it's set to low gain). Supposedly the M2U outputs 320mW @ 300 ohm, versus the CMA400i's 418mW @ 300 ohm from the balanced output, so I was thinking they would be comparable.

This was on the standard gain; I think you'll be happy with the 400i going by the position you were happy with on the Magni. The quality of the unit really shines as did the 600i and they are both pitch black in background noise with the hd800. I did have a 650 for a brief period when I had the 600i and was a little shocked at how similar it sounded to my hd800 barring the soundstage and the extension of the highs; the 400i is extremely similar to the 600i in terms of how they both sound.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

I cannot imagine anyone being unhappy with the 400i unless they're attempting to use it as a toothbrush.

 

[givemetacos]

Has anyone had a chance to compare the CMA400i against RME ADI-2 DAC? Both are using the AK4490 so I'm guessing they would sound similar as just a DAC, but I'm curious as to how they might compare using built-in headamp?

 

[KinoS]

Well, I placed my order. Should get it Tuesday!

 

[el tri head]

So. I have a massive complaint with the CMA400i. Specifically in terms of its pairing with the LCD-3.

Ya see, it sounds so goddamn good I keep turning it up and my ears are ringing when I stop listening.

Questyle, you should be ashamed of yourselves. It should sound worse, that way I have to keep the volume moderated. This "everything sounds incredible" crap is gonna be the death of me.

I'm with you...on my Mr Speakers Ether C Flows, I keep cranking it up because it all sounds so good and three dimensional. I find it sounds pretty good at lower volume too. I bought the rubber stand and am glad of that.
Best amp I've had. I guess I can sell my Chord Mojo, which I loved, but I really prefer the balanced out.

 

[H-Money]

Mine is arriving wednesday.

Very excited. My Elears have been waiting for this.

 

[KinoS]

Well the Questyle arrived yesterday. I want to say first off the build quality seems really high, frankly it made my Magni/Modi look like they'd been assembled in a shed in comparison. The amp stayed surprisingly cool, and the volume knob was beautifully smooth. I detected no noise or hiss, nor noticeable imbalance at low volumes (my Magni is worse for this, for sure). Then again it's significantly more expensive, so it would be reasonable to expect that. It's great to look at too. Sound-wise, it seemed to perform very well, but having compared it extensively to my current stack over two evenings (in the best approximation of A/B testing I could manage), I had to reluctantly conclude that I couldn't detect a significant difference, or rather, not one substantial enough to be worth £800 to me. Maybe it's just my ears, the Magni was my first headphone amp so I don't have huge breadth of experience in gear. On the other hand I suppose I can return it and be better off by £800, and that buys a lot of music, so there's that. The plan had been to upgrade my home system and take the Schiit stack to work. I'll probably go about that a different way now.

 

[davehutch]

Well the Questyle arrived yesterday. I want to say first off the build quality seems really high, frankly it made my Magni/Modi look like they'd been assembled in a shed in comparison. The amp stayed surprisingly cool, and the volume knob was beautifully smooth. I detected no noise or hiss, nor noticeable imbalance at low volumes (my Magni is worse for this, for sure). Then again it's significantly more expensive, so it would be reasonable to expect that. It's great to look at too. Sound-wise, it seemed to perform very well, but having compared it extensively to my current stack over two evenings (in the best approximation of A/B testing I could manage), I had to reluctantly conclude that I couldn't detect a significant difference, or rather, not one substantial enough to be worth £800 to me. Maybe it's just my ears, the Magni was my first headphone amp so I don't have huge breadth of experience in gear. On the other hand I suppose I can return it and be better off by £800, and that buys a lot of music, so there's that. The plan had been to upgrade my home system and take the Schiit stack to work. I'll probably go about that a different way now.

Good to know. I'm comparing my Grace Designs/Massdrop m9xx with the 400i tomorrow.
Out of interest did you use balanced on the 400 or stick with single ended? I'm curious to see if the extra power using the balanced output is what really makes the improvement...if any.
If it's the balanced output with the associated extra mW that does the trick, I might try the Jotenhiem for £300 less than the 400i

 

[KinoS]

I had a both single ended and balanced cables. Obviously the Magni is only single ended, but I tried to compare single-ended to single-ended, and single-ended to balanced. The balanced output on the CMA400i was louder as it has more power. If pushed I might say I thought that instruments sounded slightly more separated from the balanced, but it was marginal and possibly not a real difference. I wasn't necessarily expecting a big difference from balanced, from what I read you generally use a balanced option if available since that's probably the best powered output on the amp, not because intrinsically balanced is so superior. But it's the only balanced amp I've tried, so ymmv.