[ardbeg1975]

It's "congested" compared to using Immanis with Interface, connect to headphone out HSA-1B. Not congested in term of really collapse of soundstage.

Interesting. I, unfortunately, cannot test that permutation myself as I don’t have an interface box. I do have the interface / stand on order (however it is the 8 ohm model to use off of the speaker taps of my SET amp).

 

[normie610]

Tonight the CFA3 gets its turn to drive Immanis. After playing around with the gain level and volume control, I found the optimal settings for Immanis with CFA3 are (i) low gain & volume at 2 o'clock on CFA3, (ii) volume at slightly over 12 o'clock on my preamp, and (iii) TI-1b at 16 ohm. Volume adjustment, as usual, is done through P1's Leedh processing.

I'm getting the same emotional connection that I got from Primavera. The sub-bass and midbass are probably a tad more robust, but just by a hair. However, overall sound feels a bit more raw and less refined than Primavera. CFA3 has more grunt whereas Primavera provides more finesse. Both are outstanding though, and it will depend on my mood, whether I want to drive a Ferrari Daytona SP3 or a Rimac Nevera (not that I own both but you get the idea ).

 

[number1sixerfan]

Tonight the CFA3 gets its turn to drive Immanis. After playing around with the gain level and volume control, I found the optimal settings for Immanis with CFA3 are (i) low gain & volume at 2 o'clock on CFA3, (ii) volume at slightly over 12 o'clock on my preamp, and (iii) TI-1b at 16 ohm. Volume adjustment, as usual, is done through P1's Leedh processing.

I'm getting the same emotional connection that I got from Primavera. The sub-bass and midbass are probably a tad more robust, but just by a hair. However, overall sound feels a bit more raw and less refined than Primavera. CFA3 has more grunt whereas Primavera provides more finesse. Both are outstanding though, and it will depend on my mood, whether I want to drive a Ferrari Daytona SP3 or a Rimac Nevera (not that I own both but you get the idea ).

Very interesting, as I see similar differences between my EC Studio B/CFA3. The low end is a really great with the CFA3, but also just a bit edgy and aggressive overall without the Studio B ahead of it. What are you using as a preamp? Together it powers the Immanis really well, which was almost a bit unexpected (I expected the Immanis to be way pickier than it actually is).

The CFA3 (although imperfect) really punches well above it's price, which is always really cool to see.

 

[BTD1]

Apologies! As I am sometimes known to do, I jumped the gun on my early impressions of the Immanis. I really didn't give my ears time to adjust. I like these headphones a lot so far. In this forum, I found some great settings from another T+A HA200 owner who also has Immanis. The sound I am hearing is immense. It is spacious, detailed, and enveloping. I have mostly been listening to big orchestral works, and these headphones are well suited for large, complex orchestral music. I understand that different amps can change the sound of the Immanis, so, as someone suggested, I'll be looking at SAEQ amps as a possibility. Lastly, I find them very comfortable. Putting the cable connector forward on the cups gets the cable out of the way. I can fully recline or sit up in bed while listening to these quite comfortably. I was expecting some sort of "ribbon sound", but I just hear very true instrumental timber and fantastic instrument separation. Getting to know these headphones is going to be so much fun. It was a six-month wait, but I think it was worth it.

 

[Doug2507]

There's a lot of chat in here about which amp is "best" with Immanis. Putting any doubts about Envy to rest, listening to Pink Floyd The Wall right now with TM300 and Mullard 1593 (which I didn't actually rate / like when rolling with Storm), absolutely stunning. 11/10 all day long. Congrats @Aleksandar R., you've knocked this one out of the park.

 

[normie610]

Very interesting, as I see similar differences between my EC Studio B/CFA3. The low end is a really great with the CFA3, but also just a bit edgy and aggressive overall without the Studio B ahead of it. What are you using as a preamp? Together it powers the Immanis really well, which was almost a bit unexpected (I expected the Immanis to be way pickier than it actually is).

The CFA3 (although imperfect) really punches well above it's price, which is always really cool to see.

I’m using Manley 300B preamp. I would call the sound with CFA3 + preamp “raw” instead of as I didn’t feel it to be aggressive (maybe it’s just different words to describe the same exact experience that we have). And you’re right, Immanis is not as picky as I initially thought.

And I agree, CFA3 punches way above it’s price

 

[Aetherhole]

I’m using Manley 300B preamp. I would call the sound with CFA3 + preamp “raw” instead of as I didn’t feel it to be aggressive (maybe it’s just different words to describe the same exact experience that we have). And you’re right, Immanis is not as picky as I initially thought.

And I agree, CFA3 punches way above it’s price

I have mixed feelings, it’s not picky, per se, but I do think that Immanis is very revealing of source chain differences.

 

[normie610]

I was expecting some sort of "ribbon sound", but I just hear very true instrumental timber and fantastic instrument separation.

You just described the ribbon sound enjoy!!

 

[normie610]

I have mixed feelings, it’s not picky, per se, but I do think that Immanis is very revealing of source chain differences.

Perhaps it’s true. In my case I only have one chain and the only difference is the amp, so maybe that’s why I feel it’s not too dissimilar.

 

[number1sixerfan]

I’m using Manley 300B preamp. I would call the sound with CFA3 + preamp “raw” instead of as I didn’t feel it to be aggressive (maybe it’s just different words to describe the same exact experience that we have). And you’re right, Immanis is not as picky as I initially thought.

And I agree, CFA3 punches way above it’s price

That's right, I almost forgot that you had it! I would really like to own the Manley preamp at some point, but I'm waiting for a more robust speaker system to do so. Jealous! Good to hear it plays well in your headphone system and with the Immanis.

 

[Aetherhole]

Perhaps it’s true. In my case I only have one chain and the only difference is the amp, so maybe that’s why I feel it’s not too dissimilar.

I mean, I haven’t done extensive listening on many systems, but I’ve heard it on a number of different systems now, so I guess a bit more elaboration is helpful on my part!

If one finds the sonic signature of the Immanis to their liking, there is only one instance where I’ve heard it sound “bad.” That’s a relative “bad” even, as it just sounded relatively flatter and less dynamic (for my listening level) and that was straight out of a Chord Dave’s HP output.

It sounds great on many, though. It’s different flavors and caters more to different preferences.

Just to name a lot of the amps I’ve heard it on (Some not more than just briefly):
WA23 Luna, WA24, ZMF Aegis, Felix Envy, SAEQ Armageddon, Egoista 2A3, RSA B-21 Raider, Cayin Soul 170HA, Feliks Envy 25th Anniversary Edition, VM-1A, Luxman P-750 mk2, Zahl HM-1, Holo Bliss, Cavalli Liquid Glass, DNA Stellaris.

Even tried on a “portable” solutions! Enleum HPA-23RMH portable amplifier and even straight out of a iBasso DX320Max Ti and both actually sounded decent.

 

[betula]

My 2C for what it is worth: the Immanis sounded revolutionary and out of this world impressive on the 100K+ Viva system.
On the Envy they also sounded very, very nice but nowhere near as impressive.
I would be extremely curious to try them on different setups, including my (in this thread) very humble Cyan2/Aegis combo.

 

[Doug2507]

Timbre is superb. Presents it better than Storm (IMO). Without having any real instruments playing beside me, for me, this is the most textured transducer I've heard. I was away to say timberally accurate but what we think an instrument sounds like and what it does are usually two different things. However, being a bass player, listening to RHCP, bass notes sound very accurate to what I know them to sound like in RL.

I've got APX SE arriving tomorrow as well so audio overload this weekend. Not that I'll be comparing HP with IEM as there's no real relevance apart from tone IMO.

One thing I need to get used to from Storm though is the lack of physical impact down low. My brain tells me the gravitas of bass impact (and mids tbh for rock) is there but the feeling is different, slight loss of dimensionality.

Ok, so first impressions don't last long. Plenty of bass tactility, my ears definitely feel the bass now (24hrs+ break in). Totally get what Aleks said ages ago regarding akin to 12"+ woofers (15" maybe (?), sounds more like a 15 than a 12 tbh), 100% there. Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique...it's a legit treat...

 

[normie610]

That's right, I almost forgot that you had it! I would really like to own the Manley preamp at some point, but I'm waiting for a more robust speaker system to do so. Jealous! Good to hear it plays well in your headphone system and with the Immanis.

Yes it does sound amazing, if you can find a used one perhaps you can give it a go.

 

[theveterans]

My 2C for what it is worth: the Immanis sounded revolutionary and out of this world impressive on the 100K+ Viva system.
On the Envy they also sounded very, very nice but nowhere near as impressive.
I would be extremely curious to try them on different setups, including my (in this thread) very humble Cyan2/Aegis combo.

It needs to have a less laid-back sounding amp and has more immediacy to be synergistic. A modest Enleum 23R IMHO would make Immanis slap .

If a potential SoCal meetup happens, I'll let you know my impressions with the Aegis (will test at 5 ohm and 17 ohm impedance settings) and how it compares to Cayin Soul 170HA from that meetup. BTW, it's still my lottery dream headphone due to the genre's that I listen to a lot