[tubulis]

 
Hi all
 
A long time lurker has finally summoned up the courage to post. Over the last few months I've been an avid reader of the forum sucking up information and new audiophile terminology like a demented vacumn cleaner. 

 
So my virgin paragraph leads me on to my first question but first, from my reading, it appears prudent to offer some insight into my listening preferences and other pertinent matters.
 
I've an eclectic mix of musical tastes but folk, folk - rock, jazz, vocal and all things acoustic premininate. This is not to say you won't find me blasting out 'Child In Time' or 'Run to the Hills' but they are the exception, an audio pallete cleanser if you will.
 
I live in a relatively isolated part of the UK and do not have the pleasure of a Hi-Fi retailer within travelling distance, nor friends who would understand 'audiophile' as a term not associated with some social ill. So for better or worse I cannot test components in the metal so to speak and rely on the internet as my window to all things interesting
but untouchable.
 
My music is held as EAC ripped FLAC stored on a NAS and my headphones are a pair of Senneiser HD650's. An admission to make, the reason I have these is because at some time in the distant past someone unknown suggested Senneiser were a decent headphone to get and I've stuck with the brand not having the imagination to try new fruit.
 
So, that's me. Forty odd with a habit for rambling on .....and on.
 
Now in a couple of months I wish to purchase a DAC and headphone amp, SS and single ended. My budget is about £800-£1000
and I've narrowed it down to
 
1. CORDA CONCERTO + CORDA STAGEDAC 
2. BURSON AUDIO HA-160D
 
I've googled and can find no direct comparison between the two and have read many pages on the merits/or not of each.
Has anyone experience of both or perhaps if not the 160D, the 160? and perhaps expand on their views of either/both.
 
Lastly at some stage I'm also going to upgrade - read add to - my headphones but my first, next purchase will be a pair of Beyerdynamics 880's (600 ohms) as I need to start widening my experience of different makes/sound signitures before I think of more expensive wonders.
 
Thanks for your patience all for the length of the first post
 
Regards Mark

 

[akart]

I have the Concerto + StageDAC combination. I use the T1 phones. Almost all the music I listen to is instrumental/acoustic. The amp + dac combination has some very strong points:
 
1. Extremely low noise floor. This may seem insignificant (and I thought so too before buying it) - but the clarity and transparency of instrumental music and vocals is truly mind-blowing. I attribute to the 0 noise floor - even at full volume.
 
2. Having heard both with crossfeed on and off, I cannot live without crossfeed right now. The crossfeed makes the sound more airy, more three-dimensional and it moves the sound to the front. The crossfeed shows up much more in instrumental/classical/orchestra performances.
 
I usually leave the crossfeed switched on, on both the amp and the dac, and I use the maximum intensity and delay settings on the dac for the crossfeed. I can see how disconnected the sound is (extreme channel separation) if the crossfeed is turned off.
 
Since owning this combination, my posting activity here has moved to the music forum (I've stopped looking for equipment), and I squeeze in about 45 mins. of very enjoyable music listening every day.
 
Most of the tracks I listen to are from hdtracks.com.
 
HTH,
akart.

 

[tubulis]

Quote:

I have the Concerto + StageDAC combination. I use the T1 phones. Almost all the music I listen to is instrumental/acoustic. The amp + dac combination has some very strong points:
 
1. Extremely low noise floor. This may seem insignificant (and I thought so too before buying it) - but the clarity and transparency of instrumental music and vocals is truly mind-blowing. I attribute to the 0 noise floor - even at full volume.
 
2. Having heard both with crossfeed on and off, I cannot live without crossfeed right now. The crossfeed makes the sound more airy, more three-dimensional and it moves the sound to the front. The crossfeed shows up much more in instrumental/classical/orchestra performances.
 
I usually leave the crossfeed switched on, on both the amp and the dac, and I use the maximum intensity and delay settings on the dac for the crossfeed. I can see how disconnected the sound is (extreme channel separation) if the crossfeed is turned off.
 
Since owning this combination, my posting activity here has moved to the music forum (I've stopped looking for equipment), and I squeeze in about 45 mins. of very enjoyable music listening every day.
 
Most of the tracks I listen to are from hdtracks.com.
 
HTH,
akart.

Thanks for the time and valuable information, regards

 

[amcananey]

Tubilis,
 
I haven't heard either, personally. I was facing the same decision and wound up picking the Burson largely off the strength of this review. I also e-mailed the author of that review to ask what he thought of the Burson in comparison to the Meier combo. He immediately responded that he preferred the Burson over the Meier combo, but I tend to doubt that he was doing A/B comparisons just for me and if he had done them otherwise, he would have mentioned it in his review, so I assume he was going off memory, which is always somewhat less reliable.
 
As for the crossfeed feature, some love it, some hate it. I had a Meier Corda Move amp with the crossfeed filter, but to be honest, I didn't notice much of a difference. I think that, as akart indicated, it will partly depend on what music you commonly listen to. I also find it telling that akart has settled on the maximum crossfeed settings, as I'm not convinced that you would consistently notice any difference otherwise. I should also point out that crossfeed filters degrade detail/resolution to some degree. Crossfeed effects can also be applied through software (if listening via USB) or by means of a standalone filter that is very easy to solder yourself for very little money. I don't know how either of these compare to the crossfeed in the StageDAC/Concerto, which is probably superior.
 
But to get back to my original point: I doubt you will go wrong with either. Meier is a great guy to feal with.
 
BTW, if you decide to get the Burson, you should check out Angelsound Audio, as they seem to have it slightly cheaper than I have seen elsewhere.
 
Best regards,
Adam

 

[zenpunk]

You should  bring your Burson to the UK  meet and we could compare it  to my Meier stack head to head....

£795 for the the Burson sounds like a good deal.

 

[amcananey]

Zenpunk,
 
I probably won't be able to attend the UK meetup, but I've sent you a PM about getting together for a private gear comparison. I would love to have a chance to hear the Meier stack in person.
 
Best,
Adam

 

[tubulis]

Quote:

Tubilis,
 
I haven't heard either, personally. I was facing the same decision and wound up picking the Burson largely off the strength of this review. I also e-mailed the author of that review to ask what he thought of the Burson in comparison to the Meier combo. He immediately responded that he preferred the Burson over the Meier combo, but I tend to doubt that he was doing A/B comparisons just for me and if he had done them otherwise, he would have mentioned it in his review, so I assume he was going off memory, which is always somewhat less reliable.
 
As for the crossfeed feature, some love it, some hate it. I had a Meier Corda Move amp with the crossfeed filter, but to be honest, I didn't notice much of a difference. I think that, as akart indicated, it will partly depend on what music you commonly listen to. I also find it telling that akart has settled on the maximum crossfeed settings, as I'm not convinced that you would consistently notice any difference otherwise. I should also point out that crossfeed filters degrade detail/resolution to some degree. Crossfeed effects can also be applied through software (if listening via USB) or by means of a standalone filter that is very easy to solder yourself for very little money. I don't know how either of these compare to the crossfeed in the StageDAC/Concerto, which is probably superior.
 
But to get back to my original point: I doubt you will go wrong with either. Meier is a great guy to feal with.
 
BTW, if you decide to get the Burson, you should check out Angelsound Audio, as they seem to have it slightly cheaper than I have seen elsewhere.
 
Best regards,
Adam

Thanks Adam, as you say, both have good reviews so I don't think I'll go wrong with either. What Headphones do you use with the Burson and what music types do you find it best suits?

 

[amcananey]

Unfortunately, I can't answer that question, since I haven't actually received my Burson yet. I should have it within the next week though (knock on wood).

 

[reiserFS]

I just got my Concerto + StageDAC yesterday and have been listening to it with my 6 year old Phillips cans since I'm still waiting for my LCD-2. Even with these old cans, the combination is just magically. I don't want to miss the crossfeed feature anymore. I'm getting a HD580 today and will mod them with the ApureSound mod. Can't wait how they'll sound.
 
Oh, the balanced ground is also fantastic as I'm not missing anything from my balanced rig.

 
Quote:

I have the Concerto + StageDAC combination. I use the T1 phones. Almost all the music I listen to is instrumental/acoustic. The amp + dac combination has some very strong points:
 
1. Extremely low noise floor. This may seem insignificant (and I thought so too before buying it) - but the clarity and transparency of instrumental music and vocals is truly mind-blowing. I attribute to the 0 noise floor - even at full volume.
 
2. Having heard both with crossfeed on and off, I cannot live without crossfeed right now. The crossfeed makes the sound more airy, more three-dimensional and it moves the sound to the front. The crossfeed shows up much more in instrumental/classical/orchestra performances.
 
I usually leave the crossfeed switched on, on both the amp and the dac, and I use the maximum intensity and delay settings on the dac for the crossfeed. I can see how disconnected the sound is (extreme channel separation) if the crossfeed is turned off.
 
Since owning this combination, my posting activity here has moved to the music forum (I've stopped looking for equipment), and I squeeze in about 45 mins. of very enjoyable music listening every day.
 
Most of the tracks I listen to are from hdtracks.com.
 
HTH,
akart.

 

[amcananey]

Reiser,
 
Just so I understand correctly, are you saying (A) that you also have (or had) a "truly" balanced rig, and that you don't miss the supposed benefits of a truly grounded system when using the StageDAC and Concerto due to Meier's balanced ground technology, or (B) that the StageDAC and Concerto sound great thanks to Meier's balanced ground technology and you don't think you're missing anything by not having a "truly" balanced system?
 
The difference between (A) and (B) would be a question of whether you actually have prior experience with a balanced rig. From the statement below, it sounds like you are saying (A), but I just wanted to be sure, since this is a question I am quite interested in.
 
Thanks,
Adam
Quote:

 
Oh, the balanced ground is also fantastic as I'm not missing anything from my balanced rig.
 

 

[amcananey]

Also, one more thing: I have seen the APureSound mod, but they provide zero in terms of explanation of what they are doing or why they are doing it. Do you know what the supposed benefits are? Do you know anyone who has attempted this mod? Has anyone reported on the results?
 
Best,
Adam

 

[reiserFS]

(A): I heard / had a truly balanced rig, but needed to cut down on my hobby due to financial issues. I had a slight chance to hear my mate's HE-5 from the Concerto and the speed is just the same as it was on my balanced rig, which is the main benefit of going balanced.
 
Quote:

Reiser,
 
Just so I understand correctly, are you saying (A) that you also have (or had) a "truly" balanced rig, and that you don't miss the supposed benefits of a truly grounded system when using the StageDAC and Concerto due to Meier's balanced ground technology, or (B) that the StageDAC and Concerto sound great thanks to Meier's balanced ground technology and you don't think you're missing anything by not having a "truly" balanced system?
 
The difference between (A) and (B) would be a question of whether you actually have prior experience with a balanced rig. From the statement below, it sounds like you are saying (A), but I just wanted to be sure, since this is a question I am quite interested in.
 
Thanks,
Adam

Quote:

Also, one more thing: I have seen the APureSound mod, but they provide zero in terms of explanation of what they are doing or why they are doing it. Do you know what the supposed benefits are? Do you know anyone who has attempted this mod? Has anyone reported on the results?
 
Best,
Adam

People say different things about the mod and it isn't really said much about it on Head-Fi, some  say that it's just visual appearance besides the cable mod. I'll be comparing the stock HD580 and modded HD580 for sure. Keeping you posted.

 

[amcananey]

Vielen Dank! Darf ich fragen, welcher Verstärker Sie früher hatten?
 
MfG
Adam

 

[reiserFS]

Wäre der Little Dot MK VI.
 
Quote:

Vielen Dank! Darf ich fragen, welcher Verstärker Sie früher hatten?
 
MfG
Adam

 

[Red Jacket Mike]

I'd have to agree with the poster above who mentioned the Concerto's low noise floor.  I ordered the Concerto/Stage DAC combination 3 weeks ago, and they arrived today.  I haven't had much chance to listen yet, but I have noitced how extremely quiet the amp is.  I also have a tube amp (Woo WA6SE) which sounds amazing, but it is not totally silent.  The Concerto is.
 
I purchased the Stage DAC because of the crossfeed features; I haven't yet had a chance to experiment with them though.  So far, I love the sound, and the build quality (fit and finish) are excellent as well.  
 
Because I am in the USA, and these came from Germany, I also paid attention to the packaging, and what was included with the 2 units.  They were double boxed, well padded, and included were 2 heavy duty AC cords, a USB A/B cable and a very nice quality optical cable.  Very detailed instruction manuals for both were included as well.  
 
So far, I'm quite pleased with my purchase, and anxious to explore all of the options the Stage DAC offers.