[yates7592]

+1 for the YFS cables. I ordered both the headphone and speaker copper cables for the SR1a. With my Bryston amp they provide a tad more warmth and tame the highs ever so slightly. Not night and day (not burnt in yet) but already a tangible improvement in my system but YMMV.

 

[Thenewguy007]

Hi DelsFan

You make some interesting points. In respect of the AHBs in my system which are used exclusively for the SR1a

Have you tried any other headphones with the AHB2?

I owned the (single) AHB2 briefly & used the Abyss & HD800 on them. I would be curious on your take on how it sounds.

 

[Jozurr]

A pair of AHB2s just arrived.....first impressions - WOW! wonderful clean, powerful sound - and as detailed as you like !!! Bonkers !!

Would you be willing to compare the sound of 1 AHB2 vs the Pair of AHB2? Im wondering if a pair actually improves performance considering a pair worsens the dampening and a single AHB2 supposedly sounds cleaner unless you're at the point of clipping it.

 

[biscottino]

Would you be willing to compare the sound of 1 AHB2 vs the Pair of AHB2? Im wondering if a pair actually improves performance considering a pair worsens the dampening and a single AHB2 supposedly sounds cleaner unless you're at the point of clipping it.

I too would be very curious about this test, unfortunately in Europe the ahb2 are not really cheap, about 3500 € for one and 7000 € for 2, at that price you can have many alternatives, if I think then to put in even a pre quality, the figure becomes unsustainable. I have in order a mini gsx that still has a pre-release, and this could already be a good starting point to assemble a quality setup for the sr1a, surely it won't have the qualities of a Pinnacle though ...

 

[Jozurr]

I too would be very curious about this test, unfortunately in Europe the ahb2 are not really cheap, about 3500 € for one and 7000 € for 2, at that price you can have many alternatives, if I think then to put in even a pre quality, the figure becomes unsustainable. I have in order a mini gsx that still has a pre-release, and this could already be a good starting point to assemble a quality setup for the sr1a, surely it won't have the qualities of a Pinnacle though ...

What is a mini gsx? are you going to use it as a preamp? the headamp gsx mk2 is know to be a poor preamp

 

[biscottino]

What is a mini gsx? are you going to use it as a preamp? the headamp gsx mk2 is know to be a poor preamp

this one:

https://www.headamp.com/order/headamp-gs-x-mini-balanced-headphone-amplifier-pre-amp/

 

[songmic]

Question... can the Mcintosh MA252 hybrid run the S1Ra without any hiccups?

I currently own an MA252 at home and have an SR1a inbound (due to arrive in 1-2 weeks). Since the MA252 is rated at 100W it should work fine, but I'll try out the pairing myself and let you know.

 

[PeteSTRADAMUS]

I currently own an MA252 at home and have an SR1a inbound (due to arrive in 1-2 weeks). Since the MA252 is rated at 100W it should work fine, but I'll try out the pairing myself and let you know.

Perfect!

 

[BreadMaster]

Wow even Songmic bought a pair too? @PeteSTRADAMUS, don't get left out and be part of the cool kids club.

 

[sean888]

SR1a just won the Silver Award at the recent Fujiya-Avic Headphone Festival in Tokyo. What a debut! More info here: https://www.fujiya-avic.jp/blog/?p=47618&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

 

[PeteSTRADAMUS]

Wow even Songmic bought a pair! @PeteSTRADAMUS, don't get left out and be part of the cool kids club.

Buy me a pair and I'll join the "cool kids club" lol

 

[Jerseyboy]

Would you be willing to compare the sound of 1 AHB2 vs the Pair of AHB2? Im wondering if a pair actually improves performance considering a pair worsens the dampening and a single AHB2 supposedly sounds cleaner unless you're at the point of clipping it.

Although I have two AHB2s, I am currently using only one in stereo mode which I will continue to do until I am used to the sound characteristics produced. I will then change to dual mono mode to see what differences there are.

IMPORTANTLY, please note that when I first listened to the single AHB2 with the SR1a I felt the sound was a little flat and lacking in dynamics. The Users Manual states that balanced inputs should usually have the Sensitivity of the amp set at the bottom or middle (of 3) positions. I initially had the middle position set as the maximum recommended by the Manual for balanced inputs. However, please note that with the SR1a it is important IMO to set the Sensitivity of the AHB2 to the top position. When adjusted, this brings the music totally to life and improves dynamics, etc considerably. Any users of the AHB2/SR1a should take note of this before assessing the SQ of this combination.

 

[Aleksandar R.]

Although I have two AHB2s, I am currently using only one in stereo mode which I will continue to do until I am used to the sound characteristics produced. I will then change to dual mono mode to see what differences there are.

IMPORTANTLY, please note that when I first listened to the single AHB2 with the SR1a I felt the sound was a little flat and lacking in dynamics. The Users Manual states that balanced inputs should usually have the Sensitivity of the amp set at the bottom or middle (of 3) positions. I initially had the middle position set as the maximum recommended by the Manual for balanced inputs. However, please note that with the SR1a it is important IMO to set the Sensitivity of the AHB2 to the top position. When adjusted, this brings the music totally to life and improves dynamics, etc considerably. Any users of the AHB2/SR1a should take note of this before assessing the SQ of this combination.

I never noticed that, but my source is Benchmark DAC3L, which puts out almost 10V, so can easily bring the AHB2 to clipping even at the bottom position.
I'm saying that if you can't bring it to clipping with your source at the mid position, then you will certainly sense the lack of dynamics, etc.

 

[Jerseyboy]

I never noticed that, but my source is Benchmark DAC3L, which puts out almost 10V, so can easily bring the AHB2 to clipping even at the bottom position.
I'm saying that if you can't bring it to clipping with your source at the mid position, then you will certainly sense the lack of dynamics, etc.

My dCS Vivaldi DAC is set to output at 2v at the moment - it might be worth trying at the highest (6v) output position on the DAC in which case I suspect the mid position on the AHB2 may well be fine.

 

[Zhanming057]

My dCS Vivaldi DAC is set to output at 2v at the moment - it might be worth trying at the highest (6v) output position on the DAC in which case I suspect the mid position on the AHB2 may well be fine.

That's crazy - my Nagra Classic DAC has a fixed voltage of 1.4V and I cannot get the headphones to clip on a 100w @8 ohms Nagra Integrated - 6V of line out voltage is a huge amount.

Do you experience the same issue with the other AHB2? Something doesn't sound right here.