Review of Meier Audio Corda JAZZ with ƒƒ-technology upgrade

[ryder78]

Hi guys, I need some quick answers as Meier Audio are closed for a few days. 
 
I've just received a Corda Jazz (together with the Beyerdynamic T1) from Meier. What is the button at the middle next to the volume control? The small button on the left side of the volume control. This feature is not described in the manual of the Jazz.
 
Thanks.

 

[Focker]

Quote:

Hi guys, I need some quick answers as Meier Audio are closed for a few days. 
 
I've just received a Corda Jazz (together with the Beyerdynamic T1) from Meier. What is the button at the middle next to the volume control? The small button on the left side of the volume control. This feature is not described in the manual of the Jazz.
 
Thanks.

 
 
holy crap, whatever you do, do NOT PUSH THAT BUTTON!!!!!!!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
j/k   That's the gain setting. For the T1s, you want it in the high gain setting, which would be where the button is in the outermost position. For easier to drive headphones, use the low gain setting which is where the button is depressed half way.
 
So you already received the package?? Wow, that was fast! Are you in the states??

 

[ryder78]

You nearly got me there. Thanks for the prompt response. Much appreciated.
 
Yes I just received the package earlier this morning. I'm not in the States and am from Asia.
 
Since this is my first experience with headphones, I can't seem to listen for more than 5 minutes at moderate listening volumes as there is this uncomfortable feeling to my ears. The sound intensity from the headphones seems to be causing a slight discomfort to both my ears and head. It appears that I may need some time to get used to the headphone listening experience. Perhaps both headphones and headphone amp are not run-in yet. I really don't know.
 
Nevertheless, I believe the T1 will complement my main hifi system nicely and come in handy when other family members in the household require some peace and serenity

 

[Focker]

Quote:

You nearly got me there. Thanks for the prompt response. Much appreciated.
 
Yes I just received the package earlier this morning. I'm not in the States and am from Asia.
 
Since this is my first experience with headphones, I can't seem to listen for more than 5 minutes at moderate listening volumes as there is this uncomfortable feeling to my ears. The sound intensity from the headphones seems to be causing a slight discomfort to both my ears and head. It appears that I may need some time to get used to the headphone listening experience. Perhaps both headphones and headphone amp are not run-in yet. I really don't know.
 
Nevertheless, I believe the T1 will complement my main hifi system nicely and come in handy when other family members in the household require some peace and serenity

 
 
Okay, I was going to say, if you got it in four days and you were in the states, that's amazing! lol
 
Yeah, I honestly had not worn a single pair of headphones in YEARS when I bought some Sennheiser 518s last fall. At first I really didn't think I was going to care for the experience, but then I got used to it and was able to start enjoying the whole headphone experience. You are jumping right to some of the best headphones on earth and what is arguably the best amp for them at that price point (in my opinion). I would just listen at lower volumes until you adjust, and then you'll probably find the experience quite enjoyable.

 

[ryder78]

Thanks for the information. I just tried moving from the PC setup to the hifi system. With the Corda Jazz connected to the CD player(with audiophile jazz recording), the sound quality seems to show off better although bass punch is still lacking when compared to loudspeakers. The Jazz was used with an MF M1 DAC earlier and Adele on FLAC gave me a slight headache.
 
I am beginning to feel the quality of the T1s when I played them on a good source coupled with some good recording(Lee Ritenour). I think the T1s will grow on me with time to come. I've just spent about 10 minutes with the T1/Jazz and I am beginning to like what I am hearing. I believe the headphones and headamp will sound better and open up with continuous run-in. The sound is still *slightly* hard and congested at the moment.
 
Cheers.

 

[Focker]

Quote:

Thanks for the information. I just tried moving from the PC setup to the hifi system. With the Corda Jazz connected to the CD player(with audiophile jazz recording), the sound quality seems to show off better although bass punch is still lacking when compared to loudspeakers. The Jazz was used with an MF M1 DAC earlier and Adele on FLAC gave me a slight headache.
 
I am beginning to feel the quality of the T1s when I played them on a good source coupled with some good recording(Lee Ritenour). I think the T1s will grow on me with time to come. I've just spent about 10 minutes with the T1/Jazz and I am beginning to like what I am hearing. I believe the headphones and headamp will sound better and open up with continuous run-in. The sound is still *slightly* hard and congested at the moment.
 
Cheers.

 
 
One of the things about really quality headphones is that they are often less forgiving of poor quality recordings. The fact that you say your Jazz recordings sound better is indicative of this, and you may find that a lot of pop and more mainstream music sounds less than stellar depending on the recording. But yeah, if you're brand new to headphones then it'll take a while to adjust, I'm sure...one thing you may also want to consider down the road is a tube buffer. It's a way to add in a little tube warmth to the signal path. I have the Grant Fidelity 283mkII which is a very reasonably priced piece. It's a re-badged Yaqin buffer and has an excellent reputation. I have mine in between the DAC and the Jazz and it sounds great. But in the meantime just adjust at your own pace...
 
What kind of speakers do you have again?

 

[ryder78]

Thanks for the tube buffer recommendation. Will look into it if I really want to add some tube warmth to the sound later on. As the way it is, the T1/Jazz sound pretty amazing on their own.
 
I have some Harbeth SHL5 driven by Naim amps in the main hifi system. Wonderful warm and organic sound. I can listen to these speakers for 8 hours straight on certain weekends as they are smooth sounding speakers with low levels of listening fatigue. 

 

[Focker]

Quote:

Thanks for the tube buffer recommendation. Will look into it if I really want to add some tube warmth to the sound later on. As the way it is, the T1/Jazz sound pretty amazing on their own.
 
I have some Harbeth SHL5 driven by Naim amps in the main hifi system. Wonderful warm and organic sound. I can listen to these speakers for 8 hours straight on certain weekends as they are smooth sounding speakers with low levels of listening fatigue. 

 
Wow, very nice...I've never had the pleasure to hear some Harbeths, but I have come across all the excellent praise many times through my speaker research.
 
And yeah, the T1s with the Jazz is a fantastic experience....I truly feel that once you adjust to the headphone thing in general you'll be very happy. I put them on most nights when I go to sleep and just get lost in the music. I put my iTunes on "shuffle" and just enjoy the concert.
 
Enjoy, and congrats again on an excellent choice in gear

 

[ryder78]

Thanks Focker. I'll be putting more hours on the T1 now. Great sounding headphones which provide a good alternative to the loudspeaker-based system. Higher levels of accuracy, detail and intimacy with the T1s, more natural and big sound presentation with the Harbeths. Now I have the best of both worlds.

 

[Avi]

For the record, Shoggy, a fantastic review.
 

 

[kasimoa]

When I turn the volume to maximum without any music playing I can hear some humming coming from the Corda Jazz. Also when I turn it on the LED comes on bright then for a very short time goes dim then comes bright again back. Just started happening and noticed it yesterday. Anyone else can confirm if this is normal?  Thanks

 

[RazorJack]

I can confirm the hum from the headphone output at extremely high volume levels.
 
The led on mine turns on bright and stays that way.

 

[Shoggy]

Maybe I found the reason why there is a hardly audible hum at very loud volume settings: have you tried it with the headphone connected to an audio source or without?
 
If I disconnect the amp from my soundcard it is dead silent even at maximum volume but if I test it plugged into the soundcard, then I can also hear a very silent hum at maximum volume. But hey, at this volume setting my head would explode if I turn on the music.
 
I can not confirm the thing with the LED. It has a constant brightness when I turn on the amp - no matter which volume is set.

 

[Avi]

Quote:

Maybe I found the reason why there is a hardly audible hum at very loud volume settings: have you tried it with the headphone connected to an audio source or without?
 
If I disconnect the amp from my soundcard it is dead silent even at maximum volume but if I test it plugged into the soundcard, then I can also hear a very silent hum at maximum volume. But hey, at this volume setting my head would explode if I turn on the music.

 
When I have the Jazz unplugged from the soundcard, the gain set to +16db, and the volume cranked all the way up, I can barely hear a slight hiss through the AHD7000s. Two of the "digital" clicks down, even with the gain boost, it's dead silent. Plugging in cables attached to my DAC does create a louder hiss on the +16, even "lower down". However, these are Denon AHD7000s, which are too loud on no gain and 10:00 and at 25 Ohms, any signal cruises down the can. Not like a DT990 (even 250 Ohm)

 

[zigy626]

How would this Amp go with the Sennheiser HD 800. Currently I am running my HD 800 out of the Audiolab M-DAC and thinking or buying a dedicated headphone amp for them. I have heard that the HD 800's are very picky about the DAC/AMP combo and a wrong one can make them sound harsh, clinical and artificial sounding. Has anyone tried the Jazz with the HD 800's and was it a good combination as compared to what? Thanks