Thanks ayt999 for another great mini-meet. Your equipment is amazing and provides NeilPeart and I a chance to carefully compare several components that otherwise we would probably never see or hear.
Only a couple of details to add to ayt999's information: the Dynamight was connected to the DAC1 (and later directly to the DP-85) with Cardas Golden Reference XLR 0.5m interconnects. Pretty much everything was plugged in using PS Audio (or Singlepower) power cables (and, on the DAC1, the ground pin had pin disconnected). A few items (the DP-85?) were plugged into a PS Audio P300. The Dynamight was connected directly to the wall via the PS Audio Plus power cables I brought.
OK, my impressions. All of these are just my opinions! I am sure there are head-fiers that would have gotten the exact opposite impressions that I did...what I say below is based on how I feel about what I heard.
Our first major test was a comparison between the Accuphase DP-85 and the Benchmark DAC1 (both feeding the Dynamight via XLR cables, with a very nice switch on the front of the SFT Audio Dynamight being used to switch between them). We conducted a number of blind tests for all three of us. My impression was that the DAC1 was surprisingly clear and strong, whereas the DP-85 smoothed things out a bit. I think if strong, clear bass and detailed highs are important to you, you might prefer the DAC1. For a smooth, warm midrange, the DP-85 might be your preference. For me, I don't think there is a clear winner...it probably depends on the type of music I'm listening to. This was not the result I expected (I figured the DAC1 would be trounced by the DP-85), so for now I think I'll be happy with my (relative to the rest of my system) reasonably priced DAC1 as a source.
Next came some comparisons between the extremely impressive-looking Singlepower Supra SDS XLR and the wonderfully restrained yet attractive SFT Audio Dynamight. I found comparing the sound of these two amps a bit difficult, because there are so many sound-influencing settings on the Singlepower amp (a "Qualia" mode, a standard mode with a bit of bass boost, and another mode with a Solen Stage 3 bypass...by the way, I might not have these descriptions exactly right); so part of the challenge was just finding the preferred configuration (for each of us) with the Singlepower amp. I think I settled on the standard mode (which has a bit of bass boost, ayt999 says).
Anyway, back to the Dynamight/Singlepower comparison...the Dynamight has something very special that I didn't hear with any other amps: extreme power with a high degree of clarity, a punch to every note (particularly percussion). This worked wonders with just about every headphone we tried, whether balanced or unbalanced (Qualia 010 balanced, Grado PS-1 balanced, HD650 balanced, R-10 unbalanced, Grado HP2 unbalanced, Audio Technica L3000 unbalanced). On the other hand, the bass on the Singlepower (and a general smoothness, though not nearly as pronounced as I expected from an amplifier with so many tubes sticking out of it) was amazing. And here is the quandry...yes, the low bass on the Singlepower was more pronounced (louder), but was this just the bass boost I was hearing? I don't know. I wonder what the Dynamight would have sounded like if we did some digitial equalization to increase the bass a bit? Again, this is confusing, because the bass on the Dynamight is definitely extremely strong and clear (indeed, with even more punch than the Singlepower, to my ears). But it wasn't as obvious.
The bottom line is: the Singlepower amp is amazing. But the Dynamight held its own, and in some ways seemed clearer and more authoritative in the presentation of percussive instruments. The Singlepower changed the sound a bit (generally in a good way) and sounded very strong, but the Dynamight hammered out (with astonishing force) the sound in its original form in a very inspiring, appealing way.
For these two amps, it came down to headphones: on the Qualia, an amazingly detailed headphone (in both bass and highs...more on the 'phones later) the Dynamight just built on its strengths. On the Sony R-10, which is clearly lacking in bass response, the Singlepower amp allowed it to blossom down there. The HD650 sounded very good on everything, I thought (though generally outclassed by the amazing assortment of headphones we had available to us). The bass of the Grado PS1 was a bit too much with the Singlepower amp, however (but, wow, did it sound mean with the Dynamight).
We also spent some time listening to the Headroom Blockhead with stepped attenuators. To my ears, this was the most disappointing amp...the Singlepower and Dynamight were clearly better sounding on all but the HD650, where the Blockhead does a fairly good job of building on the strengths of the balanced Sennheiser. The Blockhead is surely an amazing amp, and perhaps the new version will be even better. But the Singlepower monster and the Dynamight sounded better, to my ears.
The Gilmore Reference balanced amp was very nice, but the newer Gilmore design of the Dynamight was clearly better, so we didn't spend much time listening to it.
One of the big suprises of the meet (on which everyone agreed, I believe) was the Moon Audio balanced Black Dragon cable, which improved the Qualia headphones (both of them...yes, we tried it on both Qualias in attendance to make sure it was the cable) in a very noticeable ways: much fuller, more pleasant sound, and perhaps a very, very slight attenuation of the extreme highs. We compared the Black Dragon to a couple of ayt999's homemade balanced Qualia cables (all very nicely made, with excellent Neutrik connectors, carefully selected wire, and built with a time-consuming braiding technique); against the silver/copper cable the Black Dragon was instantly recognizable as sounding much nicer, against the silver I felt it was better, though the highs in the silver seemed quite detailed. I think ayt999 is going to be purchasing a Black Dragon cable now that he has heard it.
OK, on to the headphones. I've already heard most of these at various other meets at ayt999 and NeilPeart's places and left my impressions here at head-fi, but here we go again (with some new insights from the two new amazing amps):
Sony Qualia 010 (balanced) - the best bass in any headphone, hands down (not in terms of overpowering bass, but rather in the amazing presentation of perfectly clear bass at what seems to be appropriate levels; certain songs just make it obvious that the Qualia is unmatched in the bass department, which continues to amaze NeilPeart when I point it out, who is highly enamored of the R-10 and HE90 'phones). Absolute crystal clarity in the highs (yes, even more so than the HE90). These two are so strong that it is not surprising to me at all that some people prefer other headphones, where the more familiar mids make them feel like they are in territory they have grown accustomed to over a long period of time. I like the Qualia, which is perfectly matched to SFT Audio's Dynamight. Again, I bring forth my analogy: listening to the Qualia after a years of HD650-like sound is going to make people feel very uncomfortable, much like people in a dark room when they come out into the sunlight. But, if you can spend the time (I suggest 1-2 weeks) to become accustomed to the amazingly brilliant and detailed Qualia sound (in both bass and highs), I think you will find that you can never go back to something as subdued and restrained as an HD650.
Sennheiser HE90 - what an amazing, sweet headphone. This is definitely the kind of headphone I could listen to for very, very long stretches of blissful musical enjoyment. But...it is not perfect. The bass is lacking. And the highs do not have quite the clarity and punch of the Qualia. Would I trade my the sound of a Qualia/Dynamight combo for the HE90/BlueHawaii? I don't know. They are different. Both are wonderful. Both have strengths (and weaknesses) that the other does not.
Sony R-10 - an amazing headphone that gives the HE90 a real run for its money...as long as you don't care about low bass, which is murky on this phone, and generally lacking. There is no question here for me on this...you hear it instantly, and you end up missing sound information on certain songs (with a strong low bass). For some types of music, however, this may be the ultimate headphone. After 10 minutes of glowing talk about the R-10 I pointed this out to NeilPeart with an example...and he was simply shocked. Yes, the bass is lacking...but the rest is so wonderful I think you tend not to notice it.
Grado PS1 (balanced) - astonishing bass. If you are a basshead, you must audition this headphone. On certain types of music, it may be unparalleled in this department. But, the mids are a bit metallic, and the highs lack punch (which reinforces the overwhelming bass). I don't think I could listen to it for extended periods...it just is not the headphone for me.
Grado HP2 - less bass than the PS1, so overall I think I enjoyed it more. But, again, there is a metallic, kind of dull sound to it. Not the headphone for me.
Sennheiser HD650 (balanced) - sweet mids. If you really like vocals, you may be satisfied with this headphone. But, compared to the other (ridiculously expensive) headphones I heard on this evening, I just can't enjoy it, because of the murky bass and veiled nature of the high frequencies.
Audio Technica L3000 - I didn't really like the sound of this headphone much, until I heard it powered by the matching Audio Technica amplifier/DAC. With the AT amp/DAC, suddently this headphone sounded quite good. I don't know the exact technical details, but having played around with digital equalization in Foobar2000, I was pretty sure that there was some sort of digital manipulation going on to make up for the weaknesses (or subdue the strengths) of the L3000. The bottom line is, it sounds very nice with the matching amp/DAC. But how would a Qualia or R-10 sound with an amp/DAC that had been carefully matched to them (with a potentially complex equalization algorithm being applied while the sound is still in digital form)? By the way, we listened to an R-10 connected to the AT amp/DAC and it still sounded better than the L3000 there, in my opinion (though not as good as it sounded when connected to the Singlepower amp).
That's it for now. I am sure the impressions left by ayt999 and NeilPeart will jar some memories, so there will probably be some follow-up posts with more feedback from me. Thanks ayt999 for supplying all the amazing equipment and our meeting place (and for dinner!). And thanks NeilPeart for your fine navigation skills that helped us get there (not!).
