[ianmedium]

I am just using high gain for everything, I bet your problem googlie is using medium gain. One thing I have noticed with this amp is that low level detail resolution is superb so I am listening at far lower levels than with my old amp but getting similar if not better detail, texture and feeling.

As I write I am listening single ended through my ER4S's to Claptons unplugged album, the volume is at around 9.30 and I am getting all the emotion and feeling but with no sibilance or grain, in fact, oodles of bass and warmth combined with detail and that is with the ETY's!!

Why not just set the amp to high gain? I don't know how it all works but I would have thought setting the gain to the highest setting would give more headroom and effortless delivery.

Heck, I even dug out the triple.fi's and they sounded better on high gain I thought!

 

[danpong]

Interesting to know since I'm really consider buying this amp.  As far as I read about gain, higher gain mean more power but less control step on the volume knob.  ianmedium, do you notice any jump of the volume when you adjust the volume at all?  I assume you use ER4S with the stock cable which is 100ohm so you might not feel the jump that much comparing to other low impedance phone out there.  Can you let us know what your find out?

 
Quote:

I am just using high gain for everything, I bet your problem googlie is using medium gain. One thing I have noticed with this amp is that low level detail resolution is superb so I am listening at far lower levels than with my old amp but getting similar if not better detail, texture and feeling.
As I write I am listening single ended through my ER4S's to Claptons unplugged album, the volume is at around 9.30 and I am getting all the emotion and feeling but with no sibilance or grain, in fact, oodles of bass and warmth combined with detail and that is with the ETY's!!
Why not just set the amp to high gain? I don't know how it all works but I would have thought setting the gain to the highest setting would give more headroom and effortless delivery.
Heck, I even dug out the triple.fi's and they sounded better on high gain I thought!

 

 

[ianmedium]

Interesting to know since I'm really consider buying this amp.  As far as I read about gain, higher gain mean more power but less control step on the volume knob.  ianmedium, do you notice any jump of the volume when you adjust the volume at all?  I assume you use ER4S with the stock cable which is 100ohm so you might not feel the jump that much comparing to other low impedance phone out there.  Can you let us know what your find out?

 


 

It's interesting, one of the things I have noticed about the volume control is that it is very subtle. The increase is gradual, not large steps at all. It reminds me of the volume control on really expensive home amps like Krell, subtle increase in volume, smooth and controlled, it really feels like your in control of the volume and not the other way round!

I use the Etymotics with the stock cable but even with my other headphones including the LCD's the volume control still feels the same, gradual, controlled without huge leaps, it really tunes well to the desired volume.

If it were a car it would be one with a CVT gearbox rather than a traditional automatic. With a CVT there is a continuous, stepless increase in speed as opposed to the jerky sequential increases with an automatic.

The volume control as well is stiffer I find but buttery smooth. I prefer it this way myself.

 

[danpong]

Can you test it with very cheap low impedance earbud? Just want to know how it will affect with this high gain setting.

 

[ianmedium]

The triple.fi's are I believe 32ohm so are easy to drive. I still prefer to listen on high gain, there is no channel imbalance at low volume from what I can hear.
I used to have my Stepdance set at high gain regardless of phone I was using.

With the triple.fi's for me the best listening position is around 8.30
Ety's I made a typo (iPad typing is a joy!) in my previous post are best at around 11.30
and my Rev1 LCD2"s are perfect around 10.30-11.00

Bare in mind my volume knob starts at 7.00

Those settings are for the majority of my recordings however some albums are recorded a bit quieter so add another notch for those. Been listening to Clapton all day, the unplugged album. Earlier the ETY's were at 11.30 in noisy environments like coffee shops but back at home that comes back to 11.00

Now listening on my LCD's and the setting is perfect at 10.30

All this on high gain and the LCD's are being used with a balanced toxic cables silver poison cable 4 feet in length. The other two are standard copper single ended cable.

My amp has over eighty hours on it now.

BTW. Ray was spot on. everything jelled for me around the 60-70 hour mark.

 

[danpong]

thank you very much for your input.  Now I'm out to shop for this SR-71B

 

[ianmedium]

thank you very much for your input.  Now I'm out to shop for this SR-71B

I love it! I have been very fortunate on my amp quest so far, each one has been great, this one though for me, well let's just say it's the last portable amp I will buy!

 

[Blurpapa]

Quote:

Brightness at peaks mostly, some sibilance too. I haven't tried the 71B's SE out though. The  SR71A does not have any brightness and I love it for my LCD2, more so than the Stepdance.

 
Did some tests over the last few days and came to a conclusion to explain for the brightness (to my ears). Swapped around and listened extensively to the following permutations of my small collection of gear:
 
iPod se> SR71B balcd> LCD2r2 n se> IE8 iPod se> CLAS se> SR71B balcd> LCD2r2 n se> IE8
iPod se> CLAS se> LCD2r2 n se> IE8 (very loud) iPod se> CLAS coax> Audiolab MDAC balcd> SR71B balcd> LCD2r2 n se> IE8 PC Foobar usb> Audiolab MDAC balcd> SR71B balcd> LCD2r2 n se> IE8
 
*SR71B was on high gain all the way. 
 
Conclusion: 
The SR71B is a good amp but are NOT friends with neither of my DACs, particularly the CLAS. I suspect it's the capable voltage swing which amplifies both the good and bad it is fed with. With the CLAS in the mix, treble clarity relays into harshness during peaks, against a low floor noise, especially at higher volumes. The MDAC presents a smoother and more rounded treble.
 
Between the CLAS and the SR71B, I'd definitely rather swap out the CLAS than to look for better portable amplification. Or, I could just learn to listen to my music at lower volumes. Or I could get a pair of Denon D7000s to satisfy my need for a meatier low end at lower volumes…etc etc 

 
Ray: if you are reading this. May I know the source and HP which you primarily used when tuning the sound of the SR71B please?
 
 


 

 

[ianmedium]

With the HP cable I am using (99% silver 1%gold) CLAS/Blackbird synergy as I find it is pretty much perfect and I experience none of the brightness that your hearing at that is with Silver interconnects between the CLAS?Classic and CLAS/ Amp.

Are you listening with silver only HP cables? I do notice edginess and brightness when using a TWag V2 though, none with the stock cable.

I am wondering if it is the HP cable your using as you and I have been pretty much on par with each other with our thoughts on sound.

 

[googleli]

Nice find, Blurpapa. Let me remove the CLAS from the combo and see whether the brightness goes away.

 

[wolfen68]

Blurpapa/googleli
 
On the theory of different DAC's "synergyzing" with the SR71B or not....I use the iBasso Boomslang (and occasionally the 2006 MicroDAC) with the SR71B and neither of them share any brightness or sibilance.  If you have access to something like that, try one of those and see if the brightness goes away.  

 

[googleli]

I actually have the iBasso DB2 for a fully balanced setup for the SR71B but the brightness is still there.

 

[ianmedium]

once again, hellooo, is anyone reading my posts!! What HP cables are you listening through. I found brightness with the TWag but with standard copper and my silver poisons no brightness exists!

 

[googleli]

I use the ALO22AWG cable and the Norse Litz cable (both balance terminated) but the brightness is there nonetheless.
 
Quote:

once again, hellooo, is anyone reading my posts!! What HP cables are you listening through. I found brightness with the TWag but with standard copper and my silver poisons no brightness exists!

 

 

[ianmedium]

have you tried the stock cable? it's curious as I tried some albums that I know are recorded brightly and I am just not getting brightness, I suppose it must be down to differences in hearing I guess.