[Fegefeuer]

Which DAC did you use for your evaluation?

 

[newToAudio100]

Which DAC did you use for your evaluation?

T+A dac 200 for most of it. I also used a yggdrasil og a2.

 

[Tubewin]

I would describe the Niimbus as being extremely clear and neutral with slight air to the treble. Niimbus is the most clear amp I've ever heard. Compared to something like the Bliss the Niimbus is far more neutral, wide stage and airy. I can hear sounds wrap around my head with the Niimbus. As far as dynamics I feel like the bliss kte had slightly more bass than the niimbus, but also slightly rolled off treble. This could be perceived as the bliss having more dynamics so it might suite you better.

After owning the bliss for a couple months I sold it on Audiogon. My reasoning was the treble felt slightly rolled off and I was getting better treble out of lower cost amps. However the bliss is still an amazing amp and I just needed the money to test other gear at the time. The bliss has longer decay compared to the amps I've tried. The niimbus feels faster and there is more separation between notes, not just on a timescale but also in depth. Even though the bliss measures extremely well and is dead silent the longer decay can be perceived as noise in busy tracks especially in the treble. I noticed this affect right away with the bliss.

Even compared to the hdva600 which is a cheap amp (relatively speaking) I noticed the hdva600 had more separation between notes and slightly more treble (~1%) than the bliss. The bliss was smoother and lacked some of the raw texture as a result but if you really listen with focus all the detail is still there with the bliss. The longer decay on the bliss can make bass notes feel more full.

The Niimbus sounds fast, clear, detailed, neutral, extremely wide sound stage, and slightly airy treble. Compared to the Niimbus the hdva600 feels dull. This surprised me because before the Niimbus I never thought of the hdva600 as being dull. The Niimbus exposes even more details than the hdva600 and the bliss. I have heard small and quiet background details I never noticed before when using other amps. Only complaint about the Niimbus is the noise the volume knob makes with the 256 step relay but it is a trade off for better audio quality when you find your listening level and leave it. Niimbus also has a left and right channel balancer but I only experimented with it because the Niimbus is perfectly balanced and I have great hearing in both ears. I could see the use case for the channel balancer with certain tracks. It also can shift perception of soundstage so it was interesting to mess with but I leave it perfectly balanced.

This might not be a popular oppinion but I actually prefer the sound of the mjolnir3 more than the bliss in a lot of cases. The mjolnir3 sounds like it has more texture and not as smoothed over as the Bliss. Bass is punchy and powerful with mjolnir3. The Niimbus is far more clear sounding than mjolnir3. The Niimbus refines all the little details compared to the mjolnir3 without losing any information, it isn't bright and it isn't rolling treble off. Mjolnir3 is more muscular compared to the Niimbus, while the Niimbus is higher resolution, more clear and exposes every detail you didn't know you were missing.

Soundstage with Niimbus is extremely wide and pairs well with the Abyss AB 1266 phi tc. People say the hd800s has a wide soundstage but the niimbus+abyss sounds monstrous and makes the hd800s soundstage seem artificial vs real life.

Thunderstorms, being in the middle of a war gaming, and movies sound absolutely real and scary with the niimbus+abyss. It feels like I am transported there. I have even been tricked several times in a row thinking cop cars were outside my house within the span of 2 minutes because it was so convincingly real. These two tracks are experimental and ambient but wow it really felt like I was on the broadway bridge. You will take headphones off with goosebumps from the Niimbus + Abyss and absorb what you just heard or laugh at how real it sounds.

Stopping on the Broadway Bridge
https://open.qobuz.com/track/58583776

Amazónia, Pt. 2
https://open.qobuz.com/track/117358897

Even playing cheap games like the backrooms on steam the niimbus and abyss turn a low quality game into a full expedience of incredible audio. 10/10 amazing experience to game with this combo. I highly recommend any AB 1266 phi tc or Niimbus owners to try playing games with them. If you have both even better.

As for what amp I'm looking for next I'm looking at the headamp cfa3. I preordered it before I knew the price and thought it was going to be close to 3k but after hearing 4-5k it seemed high. I was a bit unsure about the price of the Headamp CFA3. I've spent a lot on gear this year. I already bought and sold the bliss kte. I liked the bliss and it seems most people will never get rid of it as with the Niimbus.

Things come and go I am trying not to be too attached to the gear and be more open to trying different gear. Niimbus is a great amp to give a try. Hard to imagine not being able to game with the Niimbus and Abyss or listen to some metal or edm but it's about the experience for me not necessarily the collection. I also want to keep the abyss but I find myself reaching for the susvara more often when listening to music. I am also busy and can't game much or listen to music as much as I could earlier this year.

To conclude there's a lot of options out there and I'd rank the Niimbus up there amoung the best amps. It has conveyed some of the most convincingly real experiences from ambient tracks especially with the abyss. It has the best clarity in music I've ever heard. I use Niimbus+abyss for a lot of metal and edm. The amp is also great with classical. It is the most clear and neutral amp I've ever heard far and away no question. Notes are perceived three dimensionally with a bit of air in the top end but no siblance or lack of substance. Soundstage is wide and wraps around my head, objects sound placed from 2 feet away to hundreds of feet away or even miles away with absolute realism. I mainly paired it with abyss ab 1266 phi tc.

What dac were you using to compare the nimbus, bliss kte, and mjolnir3? Nvm i see you posted the answer in another response.

 

[Tekunda]

T+A dac 200 for most of it. I also used a yggdrasil og a2.

Have you ever been able to compare the T&A HA 200 against the Niimbus?

 

[newToAudio100]

Have you ever been able to compare the T&A HA 200 against the Niimbus?

I haven't been able to try the ha200. I know at least one person on here has the dac200 and ha200.

 

[alekc]

I haven't been able to try the ha200. I know at least one person on here has the dac200 and ha200.

@newToAudio100 I do not want to derail this topic from Niimbus but as a side note: I really don't get T+A strategy with DAC 200 and HA 200. HA 200 has builtin dac but basically no outputs other than headphone ones. If there would be HA 200 version without dac with lower price I would probably go ahead and buy it. I don't need another dac - ok, who am I kidding - right? you always need another dac, amp and set of cans... - and having both dac and headamp with builtin dac is quite strange.

 

[newToAudio100]

@newToAudio100 I do not want to derail this topic from Niimbus but as a side note: I really don't get T+A strategy with DAC 200 and HA 200. HA 200 has builtin dac but basically no outputs other than headphone ones. If there would be HA 200 version without dac with lower price I would probably go ahead and buy it. I don't need another dac - ok, who am I kidding - right? you always need another dac, amp and set of cans... - and having both dac and headamp with builtin dac is quite strange.

I see what you're saying. I think the HA 200 is the best all in one on the market consideringhow good the dac 200 is. However the DAC 200 is more versatile than the HA200. DAC 200 has a volume knob/pre amp capability built in or line out. I went with DAC 200 for the purpose of being able to use it in a 2ch speaker system more easily and use it with estat amps.

 

[newToAudio100]

I almost went with HA 200 and just been done with tweaking the gear but I ultimately decided to try more amps and have better access to 2ch speakers.

 

[Melting735]

Do volume knobs on newer units still give noise? I had an early batch unit, and its volume knob bother me a bit when changing volume.

 

[AnyDave]

Do volume knobs on newer units still give noise? I had an early batch unit, and its volume knob bother me a bit when changing volume.

Is it a scratching sound?

I saw a unit like this (it was a 590) and it was just a case of the knob being mounted slightly too close to the case. An allen wrench and 15 seconds and it was solved.

 

[Melting735]

Is it a scratching sound?

I saw a unit like this (it was a 590) and it was just a case of the knob being mounted slightly too close to the case. An allen wrench and 15 seconds and it was solved.

Ya, it was a scratchy and fuzzy noise when turning the knob, but I already sold my unit. I didn't know it could work like this.

This was the best HPA that I have ever heard so far. I always think about buying another one.

 

[AnyDave]

Ya, it was a scratchy and fuzzy noise when turning the knob, but I already sold my unit. I didn't know it could work like this.

This was the best HPA that I have ever heard so far. I always think about buying another one.

Yeah, it was just a mechanical issue. It's a relatively minor oversight on an otherwise wonderful design. At least it's easy to adjust. It's just a set screw on the side of the knob.

 

[newToAudio100]

I'm comparing the Niimbus and Mjilnor 3 by A/B testing them with two songs.

The chain is a pc with rtx4090 -> T+A dac 200 -> Mjolnir 3/Niimbus -> Susvara. I don't believe cables have a profound impact but a very slight impact depending on the impedance of the gear at different frequencies, length and guage of cable. In most cases the difference would be negligible and below human hearing. Regardless I am using a standard usb, silver dragon xlr interconnects 1.5' by moon audio, and a 10' norne vygarde xlr cable for the Susvara 3.5mm version.

Röyksopp Forever:
https://tidal.com/browse/track/2409103

ONE MORE TIME:
https://tidal.com/browse/track/316983442

Starting with "Röyksopp Forever" the Mjolnir 3 came off as having a warm sound compared to the Niimbus, the bass on the mjolnir 3 has more dynamic range. The edges of notes get slightly messy on the Mjolnir 3 during the most complex parts of the song compared to the Niimbus. The mjolnir 3 is still more defined and less smoothed over/warm than the bliss in my oppinion. Mjolnir 3 is still highly musical and detailed. The Niimbus has a lot more definition and texture during complex parts of the track. The end and beginning of notes is more clearly defined with precision than the Mjolnir 3. The middle of notes has more texture and the notes feel more contained and not breaking their boundary like with the mjolnir 3 during complex parts of the song.

With "One more time" it is immediately clear the Niimbus has more precision and texture to the pluck of the guitar. The sound has far more definition and neutrality than the mjolnir 3. The mjolnir 3 actually sounds warm here compared to the Niimbus and with a lot of bloom outside the edges of the notes. The Niimbus is precise, fast, clear, and extremely realistic. Mjolnir 3 is still realistic and resolving but not as much as the Niimbus. The difference is actually very big and obvious even in the first five seconds. The sound is more expansive and open than the mjolnir 3. It sounds like a slightly bigger room.

By no means is the mjolnir 3 a bad amp or an extremely warm amp. It is an excellent amp and it is more neutral than the bliss and has slightly more dynamics in bass than Niimbus. Niimbus on the other hand really opens things up without extra warmth. The detail off the Niimbus is on another level and it is very obvious. Niimbus still has dynamic range and punch but not as much as bliss or mjolnor 3. Niimbus pulls ahead as the king of clarity, resolution, detail, and open soundstage.

 

[vonBaron]

The conclusion is if you want something significant better you must spend 2x on something like WA33/23 or Zahl.

 

[Fegefeuer]

Or go custom/DIY.