Review of Meier Audio Corda JAZZ with ƒƒ-technology upgrade

[Focker]

Quote:

 
Good point.
 
Although for some reason I am under the impression that the vast majority of Meier users are real "music lovers", rather than audiophiles. Not saying that you can't be both, but there's certainly a difference there if you know what I mean. Like, myself for example, I don't feel the need to compare my Meier stuff to anything because they sound so damn good and I am enjoying my music more than ever.
 
I am clearly less active on Head-fi ever since I got my last package from Dr. Meier in December 2011 

 
But it's always interesting to read comparisons.

 
 
Two years from now I'll be saying the exact same thing that you said re: being less active since you are still enjoying your purchase. And I think you might be right about the audiophile vs music lover thing. I've spent years figuring out the sound signature that appeals most to me, and I feel I hit the jackpot when I chose the Jazz over a year ago. Now that I pulled the trigger on the stack, I have found exactly the gear that fits best for me, and I am 100% certain that five years from now I'll be using and enjoying the same exact Meier gear that I just purchased. Just like I've had my Butler hybrid tube amp since 2005, my McCormack MAP preamp since 2008, and my Magnepan speakers since 2009. Once I find what I'm looking for, I keep it around a long, long time. I'm glad the audiophiles are out there, cause I always love hearing about what others are doing with their rigs, but the never ending search for every ounce of fidelity just isn't for me. I'm more the "relationship type" lol

 

[Focker]

Quote:

That would be great Focker. And I think a comparative review would be highly appreciated amongst the Meier users like us. Everytime I look at an amp on ebay like the Graham Slee I wonder how that would stack up against the Jazz. Some of these amps easily sell for upwards of $800-900 but I know the Meier does a lot of things to bring the cost down on his amp. Just looking at some inside pictures of the Jazz tells you this thing is jam packed with quality stuff.

 
Heck yeah, the build quality on his gear is excellent. Certainly no piece of gear will satisfy everyone, but it's pretty clear that for those who like the Meier sound, the products come with exceptional value. The Classic won't win any beauty contests against something like those Burson amps, or even something like the Woo line, which I've always thought were beautiful, but for those of us just looking for an exceptional product that offers tremendous value, Jan delivers big time. 

 

[zigy626]

Ok guys I just bought a Lehmann Black Cube Linear and it will be here on Tuesday. Jazz is still on my table and I shall compare the two with my HD 800's and report back. Sadly in order to buy the Cube I have had to put my Jazz on Ebay. But maybe after the comparison I might change my mind. 

 

[Focker]

Quote:

Ok guys I just bought a Lehmann Black Cube Linear and it will be here on Tuesday. Jazz is still on my table and I shall compare the two with my HD 800's and report back. Sadly in order to buy the Cube I have had to put my Jazz on Ebay. But maybe after the comparison I might change my mind. 

 
That sounds like a pretty tough match-up for the Jazz! I've actually heard that the Lehmann has a very distinct synergy with the HD800s, and those that take to it really love the combo. That sounds like it will be a nice upgrade.
 
Sounds like a win-win...you get to take your HD800s to a higher level, and someone out there in audio land will get to discover one of the best budget solid state amps on the planet  

 

[zigy626]

Ok have had the Lehmann BCL for the past two day and frankly guy's I cant see much of a difference between the BCL and the Meier Jazz. Maybe you need Golden ears to hear one, sadly I don't have a pair of those. Seriously after reading  the following  review and listening to the BCL i was like What (the Jazz sounded the same) 

.
 
http://www.headfonia.com/lehmann-black-cube-linear/
 
I excepted a huge difference but find myself really perplexed as even if there would be one I cant hear it. Then I read the following thread on AVS forum which tries to explain what might be going on 
 
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1114207/official-all-amps-sound-the-same-thread
 
I expected a wider soundstage and more refined instrument separation blah blah blah the usual head-fi talk.At this point I feel cheated out of my money and questioning this whole talk about how different Amplifiers make a huge difference. If the SS amplifier is linear and has low distortion then guess what its going to sound the same compared to the one that cost 2x.
 
You want a different sound get a different pair of headphones. 
 
With Lehmann my expectations were:
 
--Wider soundstage.
--More defined bass.
--Tamed higher frequency response. 
--Better Instrument separation
 
But guess what its sounds the same as the Jazz which in turn sounds the same as my M-DAC headphone out. With headphones it just does not matter is my conclusion. Stop wasting money on this BS 

 snake oil. I bet the O2 headphone amplifier would sound the same as all these.

 

[Focker]

Zigy: That's been an ongoing debate for years, and it's a big reason why I dont' spend a lot of money on amplification. I'm not all the way to the "all amps sound the same" side, but I do believe that as long as the amp is a proper match for a particular headphone/speaker, other amps that are equally as much of a proper match won't sound dramatically different. When I bought my Corda Classic/Daccord combo recently, one of the first things I posted was that I couldn't tell a significant difference when I switched the Daccord between the Classic and the Jazz. There was SOME difference that i noticed when I listened critically, but not anywhere near what others would have you believe. I do feel the Classic is the better amp,but it's the Daccord that seemed to make the biggest difference. Of course, you'll see threads that say all DACs sound the same, too, and until recently I was sort of in that camp, as well. But the Daccord is clearly an improvement over my budget Audioengine D1. But yeah, upgrading headphones makes more of a difference than anything else. 
 
But this is exactly why I say this combo is my end game. I don't believe in spending big money on amps, and I feel like I'm maxing out my value at this price point with the Meier gear. That little Jazz you have is a great amp for not much money at all. 

 

[zigy626]

Tomorrow I get the Chord Cobra Plus RCA cables. Will let you know if that made any difference. Currently I am using the Atlas Element 75ohm RCA ended cable. 

 

[zigy626]

Quote:

Zigy: That's been an ongoing debate for years, and it's a big reason why I dont' spend a lot of money on amplification. I'm not all the way to the "all amps sound the same" side, but I do believe that as long as the amp is a proper match for a particular headphone/speaker, other amps that are equally as much of a proper match won't sound dramatically different. When I bought my Corda Classic/Daccord combo recently, one of the first things I posted was that I couldn't tell a significant difference when I switched the Daccord between the Classic and the Jazz. There was SOME difference that i noticed when I listened critically, but not anywhere near what others would have you believe. I do feel the Classic is the better amp,but it's the Daccord that seemed to make the biggest difference. Of course, you'll see threads that say all DACs sound the same, too, and until recently I was sort of in that camp, as well. But the Daccord is clearly an improvement over my budget Audioengine D1. But yeah, upgrading headphones makes more of a difference than anything else. 
 
But this is exactly why I say this combo is my end game. I don't believe in spending big money on amps, and I feel like I'm maxing out my value at this price point with the Meier gear. That little Jazz you have is a great amp for not much money at all. 

I agree with you 100% that its the DAC that makes the difference. 

 

[zigy626]

So after getting the Chord Corba Plus RCA wires I have to say that yes there is a difference between the Lehmann BCL and Meier Jazz but it falls in the realms of serious audio geeks with golden ears 

. But if you are a casual listener you would be hard pressed to find much of a difference. Both the amps are great at what they do, amplify the signal they receive from the DAC. Both are linear and add no coloration to the music, both have low distortion and can easily drive the HD800. 
 
I must have gone back and forth between these two amp's atleast 50 times and I am hard pressed to pin point any difference. I have listened to Flac Rock, 24/96 Jazz, a Flac Classical. Yo-Yo Mo's cello sounds the same on both with the same presence and soundstage. Lehmann does not to tame the high frequency on HD800 and neither does Jazz. They are not made to mess around with the sound signature from the DAC. Maybe a tube amp would be better in that sense.
 
Save your money guy's and stop reading all the poo printed on these Hi-Fi mags about headphone amps. Its interesting how they come up with the verbology to describe 20 different amps sitting on their desk that sound the same. Oh this one is fast, oh this one tames the sibilance, oh this one has a wider soundstage, oh and this one has more depth to the soundstage, oh and this lovely piece of little poo adds texture and layering to the bass. 

  This one sounds so fluid, lush and romantic What is this an amp or some lady singing in your ear? 

 
Frankly if I would have invested so much money on a Floor standing speakers, amps, and Dac's atleast I could blast them and annoy my neighbours. Or maybe show them how sophisticated my taste in music is. Well atleast this stuff is portable so when I move I can fit it in a bag (as I try to comfort myself for wasting £2600 on a headphone setup). 

 

[Theogenes]

Yeah, the biggest differences by far are the actual transducers you use (headphones, speakers, etc) rather than the gear that powers them. There are some difference between amps (my Lyr with upgraded tubes sounds noticeably different from the M^3, and I don't think it's a strain-to-hear type of distinction, for example), but once you reach a baseline level of ability (like the O2 or Magni), the diminishing returns for amps kicks in pretty quickly. 
 
I don't have that much experience with desktop DACs, but in my adventures with portable DAC/amp combos, I found some pretty definite (if not overwhelming) differences. Ultimately, though, if you have a reasonably good DAC and amp, your biggest audio gains and/or changes will come from different headphones it seems. 
 
Zigy, your experience can be rephrased into a positive one-- you have now utterly slain the nagging voice of "what ifs". Should you stick with the Jazz, or get an O2 or something, you won't constantly question whether a $5k uberamp would get you that extra little bit of whatever that you lust for. And now you can spend the (rather substantial) money you've saved there from investing either in more music (yay!) or somewhere else in your stack that might pay more dividends (like headphones themselves-- the Stax are calling to you 

). 
 
Anyway, hope this allows you to allocate more of your budget towards something that really blows you away, man! Keep us posted

 

[zigy626]

Quote:

Yeah, the biggest differences by far are the actual transducers you use (headphones, speakers, etc) rather than the gear that powers them. There are some difference between amps (my Lyr with upgraded tubes sounds noticeably different from the M^3, and I don't think it's a strain-to-hear type of distinction, for example), but once you reach a baseline level of ability (like the O2 or Magni), the diminishing returns for amps kicks in pretty quickly. 
 
I don't have that much experience with desktop DACs, but in my adventures with portable DAC/amp combos, I found some pretty definite (if not overwhelming) differences. Ultimately, though, if you have a reasonably good DAC and amp, your biggest audio gains and/or changes will come from different headphones it seems. 
 
Zigy, your experience can be rephrased into a positive one-- you have now utterly slain the nagging voice of "what ifs". Should you stick with the Jazz, or get an O2 or something, you won't constantly question whether a $5k uberamp would get you that extra little bit of whatever that you lust for. And now you can spend the (rather substantial) money you've saved there from investing either in more music (yay!) or somewhere else in your stack that might pay more dividends (like headphones themselves-- the Stax are calling to you 

). 
 
Anyway, hope this allows you to allocate more of your budget towards something that really blows you away, man! Keep us posted

 Theogenes you make some really good points. And I like your financial advice 

. Yes as far as I am concerned this is the end game for me now. I think I have my audio setup covered for a couple of years now. But I think many people who are new to this hobby start at the wrong end of the tunnel. Putting more emphasis on DAC's and Amp's when actually the most important piece of gear is the Headphones itself. And the Hi-Fi magazines dont really help. So my final point being is that Corda Jazz should really be your end game even if you are driving HD800's with those. 
 
http://www.aloaudio.com/amplifiers/studio-six
 
Above is an example of excess. $5000 for a headphone amplifier?????? And the guy has the cheek to ask $200 extra if you want the better teflon-foil capacitors. I mean come on? Lets wait and see for the hyperbolic reviews about this amplifier in the Hi-Fi magazines. "Oh its magical it put you right in the middle of a vast concert hall, where beautiful ladies are serving you tea and crumpets".

 

[Theogenes]

I can't say that I don't lust after some of the high-end stuff that people have around here (I mean, some of that stuff is gorgeous), but I agree-- I'd rather spend $5k elsewhere personally (like towards a pair of ATC SCM50 actives... *drool*). Thank god for Jan Meier, lol!
 
And as for tea and crumpets... they'd have to be mighty tasty, wouldn't they? 

 

[zigy626]

Quote:

I can't say that I don't lust after some of the high-end stuff that people have around here (I mean, some of that stuff is gorgeous), but I agree-- I'd rather spend $5k elsewhere personally (like towards a pair of ATC SCM50 actives... *drool*). Thank god for Jan Meier, lol!
 
And as for tea and crumpets... they'd have to be mighty tasty, wouldn't they? 

Scroll down for the review...it does not help with the lust part though. 
 
http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2013/06/t-h-e-show-newport-beach-2013-best-show/
 
Those speakers look the business. 

 

[Theogenes]

As great as I'm sure the ALO amp is, I really was more interested on those new MMG panels... If I was a rich man (or, alternately, if I didn't have two mortgages, a rent and a pesky need to eat food every @#$% day), I'd love to try out a set of Mini Maggies for my desktop setup. Those things look awesome. 

 

[Focker]

Quote:

As great as I'm sure the ALO amp is, I really was more interested on those new MMG panels... If I was a rich man (or, alternately, if I didn't have two mortgages, a rent and a pesky need to eat food every @#$% day), I'd love to try out a set of Mini Maggies for my desktop setup. Those things look awesome. 

 
Maggies changed my life...honestly lol. The beautiful thing about Magnepan is that if someone doesn't have the green to pick up one of their big mama panels, they have the MMGs direct from the company for six bills. That's how I started and I loved those little speakers. Give them ample current, some space away from the wall, and you're basking in higher end sound for cheap. 
 
I agree about the mini-Maggies...I'd love to hear those little guys!