The journey is the prize. End game is a myth. It's a cute sentiment, though. As long as we continue to evolve, so will our tastes. Hearing is just like the palate. The more I taste, the more refined my palate becomes. The more I listen, the more refined my hearing becomes.
Good combo imo. Worth trying to find the 430 on the used market, as some of the prices are pretty attractive these days. If you buy the HAD, the DAC isn't great, but the amp with a good external DAC is a good idea I think.
I’m loving my TC’s with my Niimbus amp and PS Audio Directstream dac. I had a Moon 430 HA for a year and enjoyed it but I moved on to the Niimbus. I had an Auralic Taurus Mk2 amp which was surprisingly good. The Moon would match well with the TC’s.
I actually wanted to sell my Moon Neo 430 and replace it with the Formula S. But the prices traded with the Neo 430 were clearly not enough for me. Above all, mine does not have 1000 operating hours after three years. I love the remote control and the exact setting of the volume is what I love about the Moon in addition to the optics and high-quality workmanship.
I don't suppose anyone is looking to unload their XI Audio Formula S + Powerman combo?
I'm concerned that my amp (v281) and/or dac (Chord 2Qute) is causing bass distortion at medium volume levels so I'm looking at options to replace them. A bit discouraging as I was under the impression that the v281 was a solid (though maybe not great) pairing for the TC, but the bass distortion I'm hearing at medium volume levels (10:30 on the pot, or about 40% of the dial, even with a completely seal) is completely unacceptable. Assuming the headphones aren't the problem, the only thing left to do is look at the amp and dac. I assume a DAC probably isn't going to cause bass distortion, so I'm looking at the amp setup first.
If anyone has insights into potential causes of bass distortion that would allow me to avoid wholesale replacement of what has otherwise been good equipment, I'd appreciate the thoughts.
I don't suppose anyone is looking to unload their XI Audio Formula S + Powerman combo?
I'm concerned that my amp (v281) and/or dac (Chord 2Qute) is causing bass distortion at medium volume levels so I'm looking at options to replace them. A bit discouraging as I was under the impression that the v281 was a solid (though maybe not great) pairing for the TC, but the bass distortion I'm hearing at medium volume levels (10:30 on the pot, or about 40% of the dial, even with a completely seal) is completely unacceptable. Assuming the headphones aren't the problem, the only thing left to do is look at the amp and dac. I assume a DAC probably isn't going to cause bass distortion, so I'm looking at the amp setup first.
If anyone has insights into potential causes of bass distortion that would allow me to avoid wholesale replacement of what has otherwise been good equipment, I'd appreciate the thoughts.
The V281 should have enough power to not be running out of it, causing the bass distortion. I think it is more powerful than the Formula S also.
Do you have all the settings right in terms of gain? Try maxing all the gain options out.
Check you don't have any EQ or anything running. Could be the Qutest overloading the input of the amp but I doubt that. Do check though, and go lower input volume, higher output volume on the amp. See if that helps.
If you still have distortion, it may be the headphones, but try checking the gain options first, and also making sure no settings are wrong in terms of EQ or something.
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