[Shane D]

Yup, couldn't agree more. I also bought a RebelAmp at about the same time, and honestly, for all the great things I've heard about the RebelAmp, I'm struggling a bit to recommend it when the Piety also exists for so, so much less money. The Piety was love at first listen, but the RebelAmp... it's taking me a little bit to warm up to yet. There's a hint of graininess to the highs that is just slightly off-putting for me. But maybe the graininess I'm hearing is coming from my DAC (Bifrost 2/64) and not the amp. It's so hard to say.

Either way, nothing bad to say about the Piety. Warm, musical, tube-like sound that complements everything I've ever listened to on it.

How much do you like the Piety? Is it really "tube-like"?
How would you compare it to the Singxer SDA-1?

I thought the RebelAmp was OK, but nothing special at all.

I would be feeding with OG BF2.

 

[eswng679]

How much do you like the Piety? Is it really "tube-like"?
How would you compare it to the Singxer SDA-1?

I thought the RebelAmp was OK, but nothing special at all.

I would be feeding with OG BF2.

Going to get a lot of flack for this but in my opinion, I'd save your money. I recently sold the Piety and also had a Rebel Amp in the past - both paired with an OG BF2. These amps were touted by many to have "tube like" characteristics but in the end...they are still solid state. Having tried both, I have arrived at the same conclusion as yours with the Rebel...it was good but nothing special. The Piety was the same for me. I wouldn't go out of my way to get one unless you find a good deal.

 

[Shane D]

Going to get a lot of flack for this but in my opinion, I'd save your money. I recently sold the Piety and also had a Rebel Amp in the past - both paired with an OG BF2. These amps were touted by many to have "tube like" characteristics but in the end...they are still solid state. Having tried both, I have arrived at the same conclusion as yours with the Rebel...it was good but nothing special. The Piety was the same for me. I wouldn't go out of my way to get one unless you find a good deal.

Thanks for the input! I am leery of it sounding too much like a regular Magni. At $149.00, I can't expect too much.
Just wondering if it can bring something different to the table.

 

[BS5711]

I second that.

My Piety is sitting in its box in a cupboard in favour of a Magni + which resides in the corner of my desk due to the Magni's three gain stages and a dead quiet volume pot which makes it much more pleasant for my use case.

To me the Piety sounded fine but it didn't do anything that made it worth using. I don't hear big differences in gear, perhaps more correctly I seem to become accustomed to a sound very fast so I find it hard to define what has changed if anything, but the Piety didn't do anything that stood out to me whether it was in an A/B test or a longer listening session then swapping over.

The one amplifier that seems to bring something a little different to my ear is a Astell and Kern PA10, it just adds something that I find very pleasant despite that I can't pin point what is different versus say my iFi Diablo, Gryphon or an OG Mojo. But of course it is a battery powered semi portable device so is not in the same sort of category.

 

[dstarr3]

How much do you like the Piety? Is it really "tube-like"?
How would you compare it to the Singxer SDA-1?

I thought the RebelAmp was OK, but nothing special at all.

I would be feeding with OG BF2.

I've had a hard time appreciating my SA-1 this year. There are two headphones that I found it synergized with really really well: The T50 Argon and Senn 6XX. Buuuuut I sold the Argon because the HE6se v2 does more of what I want from a planar, and ever since I built a Bottlehead Crack, I just don't connect my 6XX to anything else anymore. So it's just sort of the orphan amp in my collection and I haven't really found a headphone that it pairs well with anymore. And a big issue with it is that the single-ended output on the SA-1 is just... poor. It really only impresses from the balanced output, and that really limits what headphones I can connect to it easily. For instance, I'd love to try my Beyer 880/600 on it, but that'd require modding, and when that headphone already pairs spectacularly with my BHC, I just have no motivation to go through with the modding effort. I suppose it does synergize really well with the Meze 99, but since I also have the E-Mu Teak in my collection, and I never choose the Meze over that, and I love the Teak the most on my Liquid Platinum, so I also never listen to the SA-1 anymore.

I'm on the verge of selling mine because it's just collecting dust, but I'm considering giving it one more serious attempt at finding a killer synergy. Because I'm getting a little whisper of the feeling that if I sell it, I could end up just wanting another one some day. It's just that there's so many ways to change the characteristics of the amp. There's Hi-Z vs Low-Z, high gain vs low gain, SE in vs Balanced in, SE out vs balanced out, and then all the combinations of all these elements. There might be one magic setup that pushes one particular headphone into the stratosphere, and then another setup for another headphone, etc. I'm not sure how much effort I want to put into enjoying this amp, because like what @eswng679 was getting at earlier, the SA-1, too, is a good tube-sounding amp, but at the end of the day it's still solid-state and sounds like it more often than not. And now that I have a BHC, if I'm in the mood for some tube magic, I just listen to that rather than an imitator, no matter how competent an imitator it might be.

 

[Shane D]

I've had a hard time appreciating my SA-1 this year. There are two headphones that I found it synergized with really really well: The T50 Argon and Senn 6XX. Buuuuut I sold the Argon because the HE6se v2 does more of what I want from a planar, and ever since I built a Bottlehead Crack, I just don't connect my 6XX to anything else anymore. So it's just sort of the orphan amp in my collection and I haven't really found a headphone that it pairs well with anymore. And a big issue with it is that the single-ended output on the SA-1 is just... poor. It really only impresses from the balanced output, and that really limits what headphones I can connect to it easily. For instance, I'd love to try my Beyer 880/600 on it, but that'd require modding, and when that headphone already pairs spectacularly with my BHC, I just have no motivation to go through with the modding effort. I suppose it does synergize really well with the Meze 99, but since I also have the E-Mu Teak in my collection, and I never choose the Meze over that, and I love the Teak the most on my Liquid Platinum, so I also never listen to the SA-1 anymore.

I'm on the verge of selling mine because it's just collecting dust, but I'm considering giving it one more serious attempt at finding a killer synergy. Because I'm getting a little whisper of the feeling that if I sell it, I could end up just wanting another one some day. It's just that there's so many ways to change the characteristics of the amp. There's Hi-Z vs Low-Z, high gain vs low gain, SE in vs Balanced in, SE out vs balanced out, and then all the combinations of all these elements. There might be one magic setup that pushes one particular headphone into the stratosphere, and then another setup for another headphone, etc. I'm not sure how much effort I want to put into enjoying this amp, because like what @eswng679 was getting at earlier, the SA-1, too, is a good tube-sounding amp, but at the end of the day it's still solid-state and sounds like it more often than not. And now that I have a BHC, if I'm in the mood for some tube magic, I just listen to that rather than an imitator, no matter how competent an imitator it might be.

Thanks for the feedback. The balanced thing is not a problem for me. I use Hart Audio modular cables, so Every headphone can be run balanced very easily, with the exception of hardwired Grado's. I am a quiet listener with efficient headphones so most of my listening tends to be at 9:00 or below on most amps. Even on my Vio with -12 pre-gain setting, I am lucky to get to 10:00. And that is only with older music.

I don't think the Piety is going to be for me. At least the Singxer has a skill that would be useful to me and maybe the sound would be interesting.

 

[dstarr3]

Thanks for the feedback. The balanced thing is not a problem for me. I use Hart Audio modular cables, so Every headphone can be run balanced very easily, with the exception of hardwired Grado's. I am a quiet listener with efficient headphones so most of my listening tends to be at 9:00 or below on most amps. Even on my Vio with -12 pre-gain setting, I am lucky to get to 10:00. And that is only with older music.

I don't think the Piety is going to be for me. At least the Singxer has a skill that would be useful to me and maybe the sound would be interesting.

Yeah, for sure, the Piety isn't a giant-killer or anything. It's just... if you're the anti-THX type and you're on a budget, this thing is absolutely aces. You've already got a Violectric amp in your collection, so you're already equipped with an amp that does much the same stuff, but better. But of course a Violectric would be better, they're nearly 10x the price, lol.

 

[dstarr3]

Thanks for the feedback. The balanced thing is not a problem for me. I use Hart Audio modular cables, so Every headphone can be run balanced very easily, with the exception of hardwired Grado's. I am a quiet listener with efficient headphones so most of my listening tends to be at 9:00 or below on most amps. Even on my Vio with -12 pre-gain setting, I am lucky to get to 10:00. And that is only with older music.

I don't think the Piety is going to be for me. At least the Singxer has a skill that would be useful to me and maybe the sound would be interesting.

Hardly the thread for it, but this is where we talked about it. I've been actually having some good times again with my SA-1 lately. I think a major contributor to this is that these are the first real listening sessions I've had with it after upgrading from the Schiit Modius DAC to the Bifrost 2/64. One of my big problems with the SA-1 before was that it sounded really veiled up top, but between the DAC upgrade and bouncing between low- and high-Z modes more liberally, I feel like that veil has really lifted for me. So I'm going to do some more experimenting and seeing if any new dynamite synergies in my collection have emerged.

Has to be said, when I seriously got into this hobby, I didn't expect that DACs were that critical to the sound, but hoo boy it's an exciting and wonderful world once you break out of the AKM/ESS doldrums.

 

[Shane D]

Hardly the thread for it, but this is where we talked about it. I've been actually having some good times again with my SA-1 lately. I think a major contributor to this is that these are the first real listening sessions I've had with it after upgrading from the Schiit Modius DAC to the Bifrost 2/64. One of my big problems with the SA-1 before was that it sounded really veiled up top, but between the DAC upgrade and bouncing between low- and high-Z modes more liberally, I feel like that veil has really lifted for me. So I'm going to do some more experimenting and seeing if any new dynamite synergies in my collection have emerged.

Has to be said, when I seriously got into this hobby, I didn't expect that DACs were that critical to the sound, but hoo boy it's an exciting and wonderful world once you break out of the AKM/ESS doldrums.

If I can sell my tube amp, I will be going for the SA-1.

 

[jonathan c]

Hardly the thread for it, but this is where we talked about it. I've been actually having some good times again with my SA-1 lately. I think a major contributor to this is that these are the first real listening sessions I've had with it after upgrading from the Schiit Modius DAC to the Bifrost 2/64. One of my big problems with the SA-1 before was that it sounded really veiled up top, but between the DAC upgrade and bouncing between low- and high-Z modes more liberally, I feel like that veil has really lifted for me. So I'm going to do some more experimenting and seeing if any new dynamite synergies in my collection have emerged.

Has to be said, when I seriously got into this hobby, **I didn't expect that DACs were that critical to the sound** but hoo boy it's an exciting and wonderful world once you break out of the AKM/ESS doldrums.

** for digital audio, I found that source & DAC are the primary determinants of sound quality. So I went full-tilt. [Audiolab CDT-6000 with Mojo Audio EVO Mystique (R2R, non-oversampling) DAC]

 

[dstarr3]

** for digital audio, I found that source & DAC are the primary determinants of sound quality. So I went full-tilt. [Audiolab CDT-6000 with Mojo Audio EVO Mystique (R2R, non-oversampling) DAC]

Yeah. The first bits of DAC advice I built my initial setup around were from ASR. Live and learn.

At least the Modius wasn't a huge investment. Plus, it still is very good for what it is. I think it was the least expensive way to get a 4V balanced signal out of an AKM chip at the time I bought it. I think SMSL has a balanced AKM DAC now for a little less than what I paid for my Modius back in the day, but that only recently released. Plus, I think the AKM versions of the Modius are a bit of a collector's item now since the AKM fire ended the run prematurely and the replacement ESS versions weren't as well-regarded. So I'll keep an eye on resale values.

Loving my Bifrost and MM2 DACs for sure, night and day over the typical AKM/ESS stuff, but I am eager to hear R2R tech someday. I just don't know if I can reasonably expect to ever afford a good R2R DAC. The Denafrips Ares is achievable for me someday, but that's kind of it as far as I know, and I've heard mixed things about it.

 

[theveterans]

Loving my Bifrost and MM2 DACs for sure, night and day over the typical AKM/ESS stuff, but I am eager to hear R2R tech someday.

Bifrost and MM2 are R2R just inside a chip

 

[jonathan c]

Yeah. The first bits of DAC advice I built my initial setup around were from ASR. Live and learn.

At least the Modius wasn't a huge investment. Plus, it still is very good for what it is. I think it was the least expensive way to get a 4V balanced signal out of an AKM chip at the time I bought it. I think SMSL has a balanced AKM DAC now for a little less than what I paid for my Modius back in the day, but that only recently released. Plus, I think the AKM versions of the Modius are a bit of a collector's item now since the AKM fire ended the run prematurely and the replacement ESS versions weren't as well-regarded. So I'll keep an eye on resale values.

Loving my Bifrost and MM2 DACs for sure, night and day over the typical AKM/ESS stuff, but I am eager to hear R2R tech someday. I just don't know if I can reasonably expect to ever afford a good R2R DAC. The Denafrips Ares is achievable for me someday, but that's kind of it as far as I know, and I've heard mixed things about it.

R2R itself does not guarantee a great DAC. The robustness of the power supply and of the post-conversion output stage is a critical element, too.

 

[artur9]

R2R itself does not guarantee a great DAC. The robustness of the power supply and of the post-conversion output stage is a critical element, too.

Yes. And the R2R characteristics take some getting used to as 105% of the DACs in the world are delta-sigma 20cent jobbers.

 

[sennfan83261]

Thanks for the feedback. The balanced thing is not a problem for me. I use Hart Audio modular cables, so Every headphone can be run balanced very easily, with the exception of hardwired Grado's. I am a quiet listener with efficient headphones so most of my listening tends to be at 9:00 or below on most amps. Even on my Vio with -12 pre-gain setting, I am lucky to get to 10:00. And that is only with older music.

I don't think the Piety is going to be for me. At least the Singxer has a skill that would be useful to me and maybe the sound would be interesting.

The Piety and Magni 3 are my solid state amps at my office desk. Other amps there include the CTH and SW51+, tube hybrid and OTC respectively. I revisted the Piety last week after it has been sitting on my desk for the past several months collecting dust (I typically used the tube options). I find the Piety to be "tubey" in a way that it stages a little further out on my HD6XX and Grado Hemps than the Magni 3 and something like the 789 (from memory). Low gain is a bit too polite on the HD6XX for my taste, which was rectified with a switch to the high gain setting (a little more body provided to the sound). Then again, I found low gain to be a better match for the Hemp. I haven't really tried out my planar (HEX v2) with it because I always leave my XLR to SE adapter at home.

Currently, these amps are fed by the Modi 3. I have a Modi Multibit v2 and Eitr sitting unused at home that I've been thinking to bring to the office.