Waiting to read your feedback.
I'm have an Utopia and i'm looking for an upgrade...the SMSL combo is on my list !
First listening impressions
Source: Roon and / or Logitechmediaserver + Squeezelite
Signal Path (for both Roon and LMS): Source files in 24 / 88.2 or 96kHz (mostly) -> 64 / 88.2 (96) -> pre-gain -2dB -> 64 / 176.4 (192) -> Profile EQ for each headphones used -> 32 / 176.4 (192)
Headphones used: Focal Utopia, Audeze Sine, RHA CL2 Planar.
All tests were done with unbalanced cable amd in low-gain. I loaned the 4pin XLR adapter -> 4.4mm and my Hifiman HE560 to a friend of mine, when they come back I will update the impressions using all the headphones in balanced and I'll add the test with the HE560s, certainly the toughest to manage.
Tracks listened to (Artist - Album - Track), mostly contemporary Jazz:
• Danny Keane - Roamin '- Twenty Tonnes of Tension
• Isfar Sarabski - Planet - Planet
• Jaga Jazzist - Pyramid - Spiral Era
• Bill Laurance - Aftersun - A Blaze
• Ibrahim Maalouf - Red & Black Light - Free Spirit
• GoGo Penguin - Live From Studio 2 - Petit_A
• Avishai Cohen - Arvoles - New York 90's
• Daft Punk - Random Access Memories - Motherboard
• Tigran Hamasyan - The Call Within - Vortex
• The Pineapple Thief - Your Wilderness - In Exile
• Mammal Hands - Captured Spirits - Riddle
• Omer Klein - Sleepwalkers - Sleepwalkers
• Snarky Puppy - Immigrance - Chonks
Focal Utopia:
As for the driving power there is obviously no problem at all, Utopias are really easy to drive, but they are extremely demanding regarding the quality of the DAC and amplification.
The low frequencies have a fast and impactful attack without being "boomy", denoting excellent driver control. Even with “long” basses as with a double bass this never covers the other frequencies and the whole texture of the instrument emerges.
The mid frequencies are extremely detailed without ever being dry.
The highs are never harsh but they aren't rolled off, and, like the mids, extremely detailed.
I am having a hard time finding the correct words to describe the tonality of this stack as it is truly neutral, it is not bright, it is not dry, it is not warm, it is not boring nor produces a colorful sound ... It Bring out what is there in the registration without getting in the way of giving its opinion about it. (also because it would be an unsolicited opinion
)
Audeze Sine:
The Sine are pretty hard to drive given their low impedance (17ohm) and not excellent sensitivity. The SMSL combo manages to drive them with absolute authority by keeping the drivers on a leash; even going, for a few seconds, to live concert sound pressures. I did not expect otherwise given the enormous power capable of delivering at low impedances.
Rha CL2:
These magnetoplanar IEMs with not very clean sources buzz which is a pleasure, highlighting the background noise present in the electronics that drive them. I tried to put both the DAC and the AMP at 100% and there was absolute silence.
Since they are not quite easy to drive (15ohm / 89dB), they represent a thought battle for many DAPs resulting dry and without dynamics. As I expected this did not happen, the SMSL stack made the CL2 sing properly. The result is a very dynamic sound, and with the micro and macro dynamics typical of a competently driven planar driver.
As much as the driving ability and the achromatic and hi-fi tonality pleasantly surprised me, the factor that really kept me glued to the headphones for hours and hours was the precision with which the stereo image is drawn, the VERY vast soundstage with a perfect positioning of the instruments and a micro and macro detail taken to the extreme.
Out of pure curiosity I also tried to connect the phone via Bluetooth using the LDAC codec set at the highest quality: 24/96 (990kbps). I have noted with satisfaction that important advances have been made in BT codecs. If, comparing it with the reproduction of a hi-res file from USB, you can notice a certain narrowing of the scene and a minor instrumental separation, with a normal 16/44 I don't feel like putting my hand on fire in saying that there are differences. particularly audible ... I would probably have a hard time distinguishing them.
I'll recap the pros and cons I've noticed so far
PRO:
• R2R volume
• Remote control that works with both DAC and AMP
• Important driving ability, especially at low and medium impedances. A paradise for planars.
• Audio quality in general.
• Great competence in extracting every detail from excellent recordings without ever going to modify them by imposing their own sound signature. BUT [...]
CONS:
• […] Equally great expertise in pulling out the flaws with mediocre recordings. (is it really a cons?)
• No batteries for the remote ... really?
• Slow increase and decrease in volume compared to a normal potentiometer.
• The AMP prefers an input greater than 4V to give its maximum performance
• The not particularly high gain may not be enough for headphones with extreme impedances (600ohm and above)
I will update my listening impressions with the Hifiman and using all in balanced mode soon ...
[UPDATE]
HE560:
I'll be brief, the amp's characteristics are fully reviewed in previous posts. The HE560s are pretty hard to move with only 90dB / mW of sensitivity and a 50 Ohm impedance. Although Roon for upsampling and DSP lowers the level of the song by 5dB in the case of the Hifiman (which is a lot) the amp does not give up and drives the headphones with authority even at important volumes. it's possible that it can also cope with the HE6 but I should find a pair of them to try to be sure.
The difference between balanced and unbalanced in terms of sound quality is zero, the performances are so high already in unbalanced that it would be hard to pretend to hear any difference in balanced. Obviously you have a doubling of the power using the 4 pin XLR connector.
![]eep](https://cdn.head-fi.org/avatars/m/139/139747.jpg?1273084439){kind=avatar}
