REVIEW: Meier Audio Concerto headphone amp
Dec 11, 2010 at 11:06 AM Post #691 of 835
Looking forward to your impressions, akart! ... I suspected as much. The natural crossfeed component of the StageDAC is certainly more elaborate than the Concerto's and will likely be the one that I control this unique option with. Personally, I prefer the crossfeed to be 'on' all of the time. It provides fuller-body and a little bit better image placement, I think. This is also great for early jazz stereo recordings (i.e. all great jazz from the 60's). Highly recommended!
 
Dec 20, 2010 at 2:24 AM Post #693 of 835


Quote:
I went to the Meier website but couldn't find any place to order. Is the website the place to order online???



You have to email Jan to order... Don't worry... he doesn't bite and is an absolute pleasure to talk to.
 
He puts your name on the reserve list, and usually gets your order out the day of if everything is in stock (which it usually is).
 
He accepts payments via paypal and bank transfer, but you have to email him here meier-audio@t-online.de.
 
 
Dec 20, 2010 at 7:11 AM Post #695 of 835
Email is the way to go. Jan is a perfect gentleman, and rather excellent to get informed and order from.  The Corda Concerto is a small wonder and highly recommended. I love my Concerto and HE-5LE pairing. Next up: StageDAC!
 
Dec 20, 2010 at 7:54 AM Post #696 of 835
Received my meier audio combo..
the stagedac and the concerto :D
 
And wow, is the size great !
Didn't it was so small until I saw it in person.
 
Still trying to figure out who those switches on the stagedac does.
 
but yeah, the concerto is great, with the jh16 twagged, the difference was surely audible even for my ears..
 
a complain is that whenever I plug in my jh16, there will be this static sound, and now and then, there will be a buzz sound, i was so scare that it is frying up my jh16..
any idea ?
 
now to wait for my lcd 2 to arrive..
 
Dec 20, 2010 at 8:50 AM Post #697 of 835
I haven't heard any buzz sound with my JH13 but I do hear some static noise when I adjust the volume. Here's what Jan told me
 
Quote:
Yes, this is normal behaviour. The volume is changed by switching electromechanical relais. During the switching within a few milliseconds the gain is first lowered and then set to the new gain again. This results is small "bleeps".

Enjoy!

 
 
Congrats on the Meier Combo..I'm loving them with my JH13's and HD800's
happy_face1.gif

 
Dec 20, 2010 at 1:17 PM Post #698 of 835
That is what Jan told me as well. Perfectly normal, and especially apparent when on of the central LED's (showing volume) goes on or off. Basically, the volume cuts out for a millisecond, resulting in the clicking/popping noise, varying in intensity/presence depending on what the current output signal is.
 
Now, another issue with hopefully an easy, dependable fix: My Concerto has started to hum noticeably from the chassis on the upper right side when the power is on. I recall reading about ways to dampen the vibrations (causing the hum) using blue tak. Is this really the best option? I would hate for it to fall off the underside and cause problems with the board/caps/resistors below. Any ideas, especially from those that have experienced and remedied this?
 
 
Dec 20, 2010 at 3:45 PM Post #699 of 835


Quote:
Quote:
I went to the Meier website but couldn't find any place to order. Is the website the place to order online???



You have to email Jan to order... Don't worry... he doesn't bite and is an absolute pleasure to talk to.
 
He puts your name on the reserve list, and usually gets your order out the day of if everything is in stock (which it usually is).
 
He accepts payments via paypal and bank transfer, but you have to email him here meier-audio@t-online.de.
 



Thanks for the email address. Currently I'm running my rig through USB from my comp, I don't think the Concerto with the DAC combo has a USB input correct? So I'm probably gonna have to buy a separate DAC if I want to listen from my computer right?
 
Dec 20, 2010 at 3:53 PM Post #700 of 835


Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
I went to the Meier website but couldn't find any place to order. Is the website the place to order online???



You have to email Jan to order... Don't worry... he doesn't bite and is an absolute pleasure to talk to.
 
He puts your name on the reserve list, and usually gets your order out the day of if everything is in stock (which it usually is).
 
He accepts payments via paypal and bank transfer, but you have to email him here meier-audio@t-online.de.
 



Thanks for the email address. Currently I'm running my rig through USB from my comp, I don't think the Concerto with the DAC combo has a USB input correct? So I'm probably gonna have to buy a separate DAC if I want to listen from my computer right?



NOPE stagedac does USB but only up to 16/44.1 IIRC
 
However you are much better off buying a proper soundcard than these overpriced USB things.. SPDIF to the stagedac and concerto with a decent soundcard would be an excellent combo.
 
USB is just for people who do not know how to use computers well enough to install a soundcard...
 
The Asus Xonar line is a great one... bit perfect... take power from the PSU and not the mobo...excellent quality even on their own as a DAC...
 
USB is for suckers :p
 
Do SPDIF and get up to 24/192
 
Dec 20, 2010 at 4:09 PM Post #701 of 835
 Waiting sucks. Waiting for the Concerto/StageDAC combo and the LCD-2. I hope I get the amp and dac before Christmas at least.
 
Dec 20, 2010 at 5:15 PM Post #703 of 835


Quote:
 Waiting sucks. Waiting for the Concerto/StageDAC combo and the LCD-2. I hope I get the amp and dac before Christmas at least.



Received my package from Dr. Meier only 4 days after first contacting him! But I'm from The Netherlands and he let me transfer the payment to his Dutch bank account, which is basically instant, and shipping from Germany only took 2 days! :) But you're right, waiting for a Concerto sucks, those were four long days...! 


 
Quote:
Awesome to hear, RazorJack! I am glad that you are digging the DT990 600/Concerto pairing as well. My, this amp is indeed blacker in background than anything else that I have ever heard. An amazing value for a top-performer, certainly.



I'm curious, do you use the Concerto's high gain setting for your DT990/600 ? I find that a bit too loud. After the third or fourth step it's way too loud on most recordings, and in the steps inbetween the volume steps increase is too much to be able to set a comfortable level. So I'm using the low gain and usually the volume is right for me near the 10th step.
The Hotaudio DAC-WOW is known to have an extremely loud line-out signal, and when I use the Shanling PCD300A cd player as source I set its volume to max as.
I do like to listen at not-too-loud sound levels at fear for damaging my hearing (I'm the kind of guy who uses earplugs at concerts too...), and sometimes I listen several hours non-stop.
 
Dec 20, 2010 at 8:32 PM Post #704 of 835


Quote:
I haven't heard any buzz sound with my JH13 but I do hear some static noise when I adjust the volume. Here's what Jan told me
 
Quote:
Yes, this is normal behaviour. The volume is changed by switching electromechanical relais. During the switching within a few milliseconds the gain is first lowered and then set to the new gain again. This results is small "bleeps".

Enjoy!

 
 
Congrats on the Meier Combo..I'm loving them with my JH13's and HD800's
happy_face1.gif



And that is one of the truly amazing things about the Concerto...powerful enough to drive my HD800s, T1s, and LCD-2s, but sensitive enough with ZERO noise floor to power my SE535s to incredible heights! One very versatile amp that sounds amazing with many headphones (maybe not the greatest with Grado's, but everything else I've thrown at it).
 
Dec 20, 2010 at 10:59 PM Post #705 of 835


Quote:
Quote:
I haven't heard any buzz sound with my JH13 but I do hear some static noise when I adjust the volume. Here's what Jan told me
 
Quote:
Yes, this is normal behaviour. The volume is changed by switching electromechanical relais. During the switching within a few milliseconds the gain is first lowered and then set to the new gain again. This results is small "bleeps".

Enjoy!

 
 
Congrats on the Meier Combo..I'm loving them with my JH13's and HD800's
happy_face1.gif



And that is one of the truly amazing things about the Concerto...powerful enough to drive my HD800s, T1s, and LCD-2s, but sensitive enough with ZERO noise floor to power my SE535s to incredible heights! One very versatile amp that sounds amazing with many headphones (maybe not the greatest with Grado's, but everything else I've thrown at it).


My experiences mirror this... truly is amazing how you can plug in just about ANYTHING and have them sound amazing, if not at their best.
 
DX 700, W1000X, LCD-2, HD 600, TF 10, SA5K, D7000.... all quite different sounding and with varying technical needs... all sounded superb via the concerto.
 

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