Quote:
Originally Posted by Hatmann /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Skylab,
How would the Caliente compare to the current generation of Headroom amps? Not stupid expensive stuff, like the balanced amps, but something decent, with the Max module? Not feature for feature, but how would the Caliente compare in sound quality?
Thanks,
-- Hatmann
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What I can add to this comparison question does not exactly answer the question as the OP asked it, but it is related, so I'll add it.
At the same time as I was auditioning the Caliente, I was also auditioning a Headroom 2007 MicroAmp (NOT a desktop with Max Module, NOR a 2007 Ultra Micro Amp - v. equivalent to a Desktop w/ Max Module). I wanted the MicroAmp to sound its best, so I did power it with the Desktop Power Supply($400) which I had already purchased for my 2007 Ultra Micro DAC($700) - which I Love, Love, Love, BTW. I used the Caliente with the PSU that comes with it($???). To me, as a purchaser of a headphone amp, the comparison was between units that cost about the same amount of money and was within my budget (which was originally set to about $200 - $300, but you all know how that goes by now - I congratulate myself on the restraint to NOT include the 2007 Ultra Micro Amp).
I did a lot of careful A/B listening between the MicroAmp and the Caliente using tracks covering a variety of genres and recording/production quality, and using three sets of headphones for each track (HD650 w/ Equinox Senn cable, ALO Modded SR225 w/ JenaLabs 18AWG cable, stock SE530).
I'm not in a state of life right now where I can write this all up as a comparative review, so I'll give my conclusion:
The Micro Amp went back for a refund, and the Caliente has a happy, stable home with me. What drew me to the Caliente was the combination of:
1) The size, unity and stable definition of the soundstage it presents and the clear definition of the placement of every musical voice within it.
2) The enviable dynamic range, in which even the faintest musical event is fully formed (spatially and timbrally), and the strongest musical events are presented in their fullness without stepping on other concurrent events or taking on any limitations or (even timbral) distortion (other than that imposed by the recording or production).
3) The lifelikeness of all musical voices - human, instrumental or otherwise. It can be downright spooky how present people and instruments can sound using this amp in my "Bedside Rig" - in my sig.
4) This amp produces THE BEST presentation of a variety of styles of Rock and Pop (through HD650's) than any amp I have ever or currently own - From the expansive psychedelic sound of The Verve (A Storm In Heaven), through the Club Sound of Suede (Suede) and on to the much more intimate sound of all of David Bowie's variety of Pop stylings (post-Ziggy Stardust) through his career. The Caliente bests my "main rig" Mapletree for what accounts for a substantial subset of my music collection.
5) The depth, transparency, well-formedness and amount of bass that is provided by the Caliente is just a sonic delight to my ears. Because of how transparent and well-formed the bass is, it's not too much, even with the "dark" or "prominent bass" of the HD650. With bands like Collide, Within Temptation, Massive Attack, Propellerheads, Bowery Electric or productions from William Orbit, the abundance of gorgeous bass is an aural thrill that I have experienced with no other amp I own or have owned. Given the depth of the bass, I feel it down to the bottoms of my feet. In addition to gorgeous highs and lush, rich lifelike mids that other amps envy, the Caliente provides truly visceral bass - yep, actually felt throughout the viscera. (I edited this is in after I posted - D'OH! - how could I have missed this the first time???)
I very much LIKED the Micro Amp. There were genre/headphone combos for which the Micro Amp came pretty close to the Caliente (although it never came up to the size or unity/coherence of its soundstage or the sheer width of its dynamic range). Also, where the Caliente is "spookily lifelike", the MicroAmp tends toward the "better-than-life euphonic". Neither is neccessarily better, in my opinion, it is simply the tendency of the presentations of both amps - to my ear/brain. There were also those genres/headphone combos for which the Micro Amp's presentation just "fell apart" - where the Caliente's presentation was at its usual high performance. These all involved the HD650 and SE530 phones - with these same tracks, the HD600 (Cardas Senn Cable) all sounded better, but still a "B" to the Caliente's "A" performance. The tracks were Kathleen Edwards' "Away" from her album "Back To Me", Liz Phair's "Girls Room" from her album WhiteChocolateSpaceEgg (this one was fine on the SE530), The Verve's "Star Sail" from their album "A Storm in Heaven", and an orchestral track "Gigue" from Debussy's "Images Pour Orchestre" played by the NY Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein (an excellent quality orchestral recording). On the Kathleen Edwards track, her voice and her pluck of the guitar strings have a "twang" to them which seem to throw the amp's presentation of spatial and timbral properties. Her voice took on an annoying, cloying sound and the spatial cues were obscured. Liz Phair's Girls Room sounds as if it were performed in an echoey stall in the girls room of a public school. This resulted in an overly dark, murky and spatially ill-defined presentation of the song by the Micro Amp that I found unpleasant to listen to. In "Star Sail" by The Verve, the expansive sound was presented as cramped and a bit congested with the "Big Bass" and spatial cues getting obscured or lost, and vocals sounding hollow and tunneled rather than celestial. In the Debussy orchestral piece, the amp, with the HD650 and SE530 had difficulties portraying the mixed and contrasting timbres of the instruments, and so timbres at the low and high ends of the dynamic range got lost or distorted to where I found this track frustrating to listen to. Spatial cues within the music were portrayed pretty well, however, for this track. With the same tracks and phones, the Caliente gave the music with all of its complexities an entirely enjoyable and lifelike presentation. A surprising example (to me) of where the Micro Amp worked very well with the HD650 and SE530 was "Jillian" from Within Temptation's album "The Silent Force". A few examples where the portrayal of the music by the Micro Amp with HD650 and SE530 had no issues, and was nicely enjoyable were: "Take Me Home" from Holly Cole's album "Temptation", "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" from Kylie Minogue's album "Fever" and "Heart of the Sunrise" from the Yes album "Fragile".
I like Headroom as a company VERY MUCH, and I admire Tyll as someone who has contributed to the well-being and growth of our Headphone community while building his own business and company - a real win-win situation. I LOVE, Love, Love my Ultra Micro DAC. I don't know what the outcome would have been if I'd compared to a 2007 Ultra Micro Amp ($700).
But, back to the apples-to-apples comparison of the Caliente to the 2007 Micro Amp (with the additional support of being powered by the DPS) - the all Class A performance of the Caliente put it well ahead of the "excellent Class A/B" Amp stage and Class A Output Stage performance of the 2007 Micro Amp.
As everyone on Head-Fi knows, the support from HeadRoom is an enviable legacy for any business to live up to. That refund for the returned MicroAmp? It came quickly and painlessly. HeadRoom is a great company to deal with. Did I mention how much I LOVE my 2007 Ultra Micro DAC and Desktop Power Supply within the last 15 seconds?
The support, advice and communication that I've received from Oriel at Purity Audio has been first rate - Oriel is "quick on the draw" when it comes to responding to emails, and as informative as it takes to adequately answer the question asked. There have been no issues to resolve with the Caliente (which, to me, is the best kind of issue resolution). I specifically asked Oriel about support for KICAS amps purchased (regular and Caliente versions), regardless of the financial outcome of the Purity Audio venture. I'm paraphrasing his response, but it was very much like -
Paraphrase "quote":
Peter and I have been community members on Head-Fi for awhile now, we are now, and intend to be for some time. We enjoy the pursuit of headphone audio, and being a supportive part of a vital headphone community for free, just for the enjoyment of it. We'll surely do it for the folks who put their trust in us by purchasing a product we offer.
Back to myself and my take on Purity Audio:
I know what I've personally done to support other Head-Fi members. The time I've taken to answer PM's, post things to public forums, lend or give equipment to other members and shipping at my own expense, yada, yada, yada. And I gladly do it just as part of the enjoyment of a hobby, and to help other folks to enjoy it as well. So, I find it credible what Oriel wrote to me about Peter and he supporting products sold. It's very believable to me because it's what I would do.
Conclusion: The Caliente represents great value, a BIG bargain compared to the list of stationary amps I own or have owned, is very versatile across genres and phones with different voltage/current demands, and offers THE BEST presentation of a variety of styles of Rock and Pop of any amp that I own or have owned. - Besides the Mapletree in my sig, I HAVE OWNED (and sold off) a PPA w/ Larocco Discrete Buffer and a Rockhopper M^3 with Blackgate power caps and high-bias for max current - both powered by a 24V STEPS PSU. If only the Caliente had been available back in late 2003 when I was buying my first amp (the PPA but without the discrete buffer and powered by a 24V Elpac).
Well, I get to enjoy a Caliente now.
...And they all lived happily ever after.
