Well, now.... that should be easy enough to test.
Indeed so !
Well, now.... that should be easy enough to test.
I haven't really come up with a strict pattern for my hearing, but I've had instances I've not listened to audio equipment for a long time, the audio equipment sounds more impressive and detailed. I've had those moments. I've also had a situation I listened to something, walk away, and come back and realize that the volume is much louder than I recall. I've also had times when treble seems more excessive than other times. I've had times when I notice more details and other times not. The most noticeable differences(or not) I hear is when I switch rapidly, otherwise I really cannot know with high confidence what I've heard prior was that much different. I've had moments when audio sounded worse. Given all this, I realize I'm not a machine, and there is a psychological element involved.Reasonable points regarding so called 'burn-in', be it equipment or US ... or both. I do experience some feelings of SQ degradation in my hearing if I have been away for some days (having switched everything off before I left) and it seems back to 'normal' the next day (or so). Is it me or the equipment ? Is my hearing re-adjusting after an absence of not hearing what I'm used to ?
So here's some more impressions after spending more time with Gumby:
It sounds effortless and has a pretty damn wide soundstage. I quite like it as it gives room for my music to breathe, this is it's most distinguishing feature. I can hear a little bit of more detail but not otherwise game changing (could be described as masked by the Gumby warmth which I'm quite okay with - I wasn't looking for a detail monster).
The other distinguishing factor is the Gumby just sounds transparent. I can much more clearly hear tube differences in my Valhalla 2 as the DAC doesn't add too much of it's own coloration which the Mimby did (I never realized the Mimby was too warm until I went with the Gumby). This means it's actually changing my perspective on warm tubes. I used to like warm tubes w/ warm headphones like the 650s when the DAC was something like a Chromecast audio or non-multibit variant as the brightness of the DAC + Mixed with the warmth of the tubes made for a quite nice sound. Brighter, more forward tubes with the neutrality of the DAC does lend itself to more detail but at the expense of dryness. The Gumby is going to cost me a lot of money as I try to find the best combo now lol Some Miniwatts might actually be good or a Crack w/ Speedball might be up my alley.
Maybe you should consider getting a nice neutral (solid state) amp so you can hear all the nice NON-coloration of your new DAC....
(Get off the "balancing this coloration with that coloration" treadmill and just stick with transparent.)
Jotunheim is transparent, not necessarily "bright". I owned it.
It will give you a clear picture of the DAC. Your headphones will contribute more to any perceived brightness.
For what its worth, some people rave about the Jot/Gumby combo.
I had Jot/Mimby and it was extremely good. I even preferred it to Ragnarok when I demoed it. Gumby would obviously be a large improvement.
Jot could be considered an end game amp for some people, it's exceptional and definitely under-priced (like most Schiit gear).
Ok, more than 24 hours in with the Gumby + V280 combo and I am now in audio heaven. I finally see why everyone raves about the Gumby. The music is just plain amazing! I've been listening to Disturbed - Live at the RedRocks using Tidal, so it's their Masters edition. Absolutely incredible.So here's some more impressions after spending more time with Gumby:
It sounds effortless and has a pretty damn wide soundstage. I quite like it as it gives room for my music to breathe, this is it's most distinguishing feature. I can hear a little bit of more detail but not otherwise game changing (could be described as masked by the Gumby warmth which I'm quite okay with - I wasn't looking for a detail monster).
The other distinguishing factor is the Gumby just sounds transparent. I can much more clearly hear tube differences in my Valhalla 2 as the DAC doesn't add too much of it's own coloration which the Mimby did (I never realized the Mimby was too warm until I went with the Gumby). This means it's actually changing my perspective on warm tubes. I used to like warm tubes w/ warm headphones like the 650s when the DAC was something like a Chromecast audio or non-multibit variant as the brightness of the DAC + Mixed with the warmth of the tubes made for a quite nice sound. Brighter, more forward tubes with the neutrality of the DAC does lend itself to more detail but at the expense of dryness. The Gumby is going to cost me a lot of money as I try to find the best combo now lol Some Miniwatts might actually be good or a Crack w/ Speedball might be up my alley.
Ok, more than 24 hours in with the Gumby + V280 combo and I am now in audio heaven. I finally see why everyone raves about the Gumby. The music is just plain amazing! I've been listening to Disturbed - Live at the RedRocks using Tidal, so it's their Masters edition. Absolutely incredible.
How about taking both in one ?I'm not willing to spend $2k on a tube amp and another $2k on a SS so it's kind of picking where my focus will be. SS will deliver the slam but I want to ensure the warmness and micro-detail is preserved.
How about taking both in one ?
Schiit MJ2 is your friend !