[Skylab]

Yes, my actual preference would be the Isabella with the head-amp option but NO DAC. But it doesn't appear he offers that.

 

[robm321]

The battery power is part of what makes the Sig great. It's about the clean power more than portability, but I guess being able to take it around is an unintentional plus. It's pretty light weight too.

Anyone compare the Aleph 3 with the Sig 30.2 yet? The F1 controls the K-1000 drivers very well, but the Sig is more musical IMO (I've only heard the 30)

 

[krmathis]

robm321. I believe you are correct.
That the battery power is part of what make the Signature 30.2 (and Signature 30) sound great. Batteries make a clean stable power supply, with a lot less components involved.

 

[krmathis]

Not much 30.2 love around here!
Well, at least you don't know what you miss out on.

 

[IceClass]

Great little review. Many thanks.
The 30.2 is one of those small form factor amps that had caught my eye but I was interested to read some first hand account of it's performance.
Thanks.

 

[Voltron]

The Sig 30.2 is a great amp and the Isabella with DAC and HP amp at CanJam were awesome together. Vinnie is really ramping up sales on these babies--just check out the 6Moons cite for news items and reviews. They love his stuff and are certainly steering people his way. Vinnie has opted away from the Omega speaker connection and now has a distributorship for an Austrian speaker company.

Anyway, the 30.2 is a huge step above the Sig 30. It really is something how much it changed. Added weight, depth, clarity, and dynamic punch all at once. The K1000 sounds sublime with it and the combination with the Isabella is a very tempting setup for all-around. It is really so compact, easy to use and great sounding that it is no wonder these are catching on.

 

[number1sixerfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by krmathis /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not much 30.2 love around here! Well, at least you don't know what you miss out on.

Hey krmathis, I always enjoy your post!

Anyways, I was wondering how much of a value you think the Signature 30.2 provides in terms of sound quality. I used to run my K1000 out of a $600 Jolida Tube Amp and they sounded great. I always wondered though, how much better they may have sounded with the sig 30.2. How does it compare to more budget power amplifiers?

 

[krmathis]

^ I think the Signature 30.2 provide sound quality valued on par with its price tag. Its a great sounding little unit, which benefit from its battery powered design. The build quality is top notch as well.

Not compared the Signature 30.2 towards other amplifiers, so really not sure how it stack up towards ex. your Jolida Tube amplifier. Sorry!

 

[nor_spoon]

Thank you for the review krmathis! Enjoyed reading about it. Looking forward to listen to it at our head-fi meet tomorrow!

 

[Audio-Omega]

Have you got any photos of your Stax powered by this amp ? I want to see how you hooked it up.

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Audio-Omega /img/forum/go_quote.gif Have you got any photos of your Stax powered by this amp ? I want to see how you hooked it up.

Here are the only Signature 30.2 & Stax picture I have taken so far.
Signature 30.2 -> SRD-7 Pro -> 4070



The SRD-7 Pro have input cables, which hook up to the speaker bindings on the Signature 30.2.
Not exactly rocket science.

 

[Audio-Omega]

Is SRD-7 Pro still available from Stax ?

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Audio-Omega /img/forum/go_quote.gif Is SRD-7 Pro still available from Stax ?

Nope. The transformers went out of production around 1990.
The SRD-7 Pro were introduced in 1982-82, and the SRD-7 MK2 were introduced in 1985.

 

[Audio-Omega]

Do you prefer the AKG or the Stax with this amp ?

 

[krmathis]

^ So far the K1000.
Since thats the main reason I bought it, and where I have put most of my listening time so far.

Of course it performs well with Stax'en as well, and the sound may improve further with higher quality transformers (DIY energizer)...