[Drewligarchy]

Hey all. Been a while since I posted here.. because for the longest time, I've always preferred listening with the Utopia and Susvara.

Yea the abyss does bass really well, but I always felt that the mids could be better and the highs were occasionally too sharp, plus vocals felt a bit empty and echoey or hollow sounding. Also, I had a major issue with imaging on the abyss; seemed like there was a tonne of information being delivered but not in a coherent way, and I could not really pinpoint where sound/elements of the music were coming from as easily as I could with the utopia/susvara.

Thankfully, that has all changed now, since adding a musical paradise mp-701 mk2 tube preamplifier to the chain. I don't know what is going on, but I am getting the best layering, imaging, depth, soundstage and even more bass than I've ever had with the Abyss. Vocals actually sound correct now (lol)..

On my lineup of headphones, it has pretty much shot the Abyss 1266 TC Phi to the top of the list. I'm a bit busy nowadays, so I will write a bit more on it when I have the time, but for now, I have to say its a game changer for me and the Abyss.

@Roasty - have you tried using the pre with multiple amps? Which amp do you prefer?

 

[normie610]

Of course it is. I just want to get a handle on the CFA3 signature in comparison to something I’m familiar with.

I think you can find his comparison with 13R in CFA3 thread.

 

[WafflesID]

holy crap. So i let the amp and headphones play overnight and all day to get a little more burn-in time, and...good lord. I can't barely believe what i'm hearing. The headphones just disappear. And there is still a lot I can do to improve my setup. DAC, cables, power.

and yet still can't hear the difference between the different Sound Color modes on my SU-9. lol. *shrug*

 

[Roasty]

Cool. I was contemplating the one for sale on USAM a bit back. What DAC chips are in yours? Nice impressions. But I wonder, how do you roll the tubes? They're pretty sunk in. Do you have to remove the cover?

Oh sorry for the confusion. Mine is the preamp, not the dac. But anyways, it is easy to change the tubes and u don't have to remove the top cover (unless you are changing to a different type of signal tube, for which the switch is not accessible unless the top cover is off).

@Roasty - have you tried using the pre with multiple amps? Which amp do you prefer?

I have only used this preamp with the Kinki M7 stereo amp. However, I have used 4 preamps with the M7 (kinki P27, denafrips athena, wa33, mp-701) and I definitely like the musical paradise pre the most.

If I had to rank from "worst" to "best", then wa33, kinki/athena, MP.

But despite the lovely sound I'm getting, there are also many cons to this preamp... I'll list them down when I have the time to type more.

 

[tholt]

Oh sorry for the confusion. Mine is the preamp, not the dac.

Duh. I breezed right over that part of your post. Looks like their DAC from your pic. Good to know about the tubes.

 

[paradoxper]

Serious question - I’m interested in how you compare the CFA3 to the Bakoon/Enleum. I know you didn’t like the Bakoon - but in what ways do you like the CFA3 better? I’m interested mainly because I’d consider commissioning a CFA3 build, but I am concerned it’s too cold. I also feel like we have very different taste as I know you don’t like the Wa33 very much either and I love it, so want to understand if it’s a signature I’d enjoy.

I respect your knowledge and experience with audio, so would love your thoughts. I also really appreciate the value and passion the DIY community and Kevin Gilmore have brought to the audio world. From a technical standpoint I know the KG designs equal or surpass many commercial designs - for a lot less cost - in most cases. The only KG amp I’ve owned is the Carbon with the 009 - and while the soundstage and dynamics were fantastic - it felt a little too dry for me - both in the analytical sense and in the sense that it wasn’t quite as “liquid” as I like. That said I enjoyed the 007 mk2 more with it - so may just be the 009 does better with tubes.

I did not like the AMP-13R much. If I wanted to soften the sound, I'll pursue a tube amp that will give greater spatial characteristics to boot.
What I appreciated about the 13R was the compact nature, the fantastic design inside and out and the overall smooth response.

The CFA3 is simply the best headamp I've heard, from resolution to bass control -- it represents the best I've heard solid state not of yesteryear but of the future.
It's highly detailed and dynamic and never cold or distant. It fits my listening preference perfectly.

 

[ken6217]

I did not like the AMP-13R much. If I wanted to soften the sound, I'll pursue a tube amp that will give greater spatial characteristics to boot.
What I appreciated about the 13R was the compact nature, the fantastic design inside and out and the overall smooth response.

The CFA3 is simply the best headamp I've heard, from resolution to bass control -- it represents the best I've heard solid state not of yesteryear but of the future.
It's highly detailed and dynamic and never cold or distant. It fits my listening preference perfectly.

I sold my Simaudio 600i V2 speaker amp after hearing the CFA3.

 

[Roasty]

I wrote down some stuff on the musical paradise pre amp, but after some consideration, I am deciding not to post it here.

Don't want to derail the abyss thread further. And I just cannot recommend this MP preamp for headphones use, unless you're willing to add on an attenuation box and spend time searching for quiet signal tubes and better recs. The gain of the unit is just too high.

Those interested to know more, just pm me if u want the list of pros and cons of the unit itself and the usage of it.

 

[WafflesID]

I did not like the AMP-13R much. If I wanted to soften the sound, I'll pursue a tube amp that will give greater spatial characteristics to boot.
What I appreciated about the 13R was the compact nature, the fantastic design inside and out and the overall smooth response.

The CFA3 is simply the best headamp I've heard, from resolution to bass control -- it represents the best I've heard solid state not of yesteryear but of the future.
It's highly detailed and dynamic and never cold or distant. It fits my listening preference perfectly.

Where can you get a CFA3 if you don't have the tools/time for DIY?

 

[vonBaron]

I did not like the AMP-13R much. If I wanted to soften the sound, I'll pursue a tube amp that will give greater spatial characteristics to boot.
What I appreciated about the 13R was the compact nature, the fantastic design inside and out and the overall smooth response.

The CFA3 is simply the best headamp I've heard, from resolution to bass control -- it represents the best I've heard solid state not of yesteryear but of the future.
It's highly detailed and dynamic and never cold or distant. It fits my listening preference perfectly.

Did you listen Niimbus?

 

[DJJEZ]

I did not like the AMP-13R much. If I wanted to soften the sound, I'll pursue a tube amp that will give greater spatial characteristics to boot.
What I appreciated about the 13R was the compact nature, the fantastic design inside and out and the overall smooth response.

The CFA3 is simply the best headamp I've heard, from resolution to bass control -- it represents the best I've heard solid state not of yesteryear but of the future.
It's highly detailed and dynamic and never cold or distant. It fits my listening preference perfectly.

Do you have a list of what gear you've owned before the CFA3? Just interested to see what you've tried.

 

[genefruit]

Where can you get a CFA3 if you don't have the tools/time for DIY?

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/kg-cfa3-headphone-amp.938064/

 

[paradoxper]

Did you listen Niimbus?

Yes.

Do you have a list of what gear you've owned before the CFA3? Just interested to see what you've tried.

Bartok, HSA-1b, AIC-10, INT-150, Formula S, DSHA3F, DSHA-1, T4, Dynahi and before this DIY T2 to Carbon and KGSSHV. I've heard most commercial amplifiers as well from EC, DNA, A/S, ECP which are better fits for dynamics.

 

[QuantumKat]

Anyone know if a Matrix Element X is powerful enough to drive the 1266 as a solid state HP amp?

My plan is to use the element X as my DAC and run it into a WA33 JPS. Eventually. Until then, it'd be good to know if this DAC/Amp will suffice.

Hard for me to parse the watts@ohms stuff as a n00b.

Thanks!

Output Impedance: <1.5Ω
Output Power: 1700mw@33Ω, 1180mw@300Ω, 650mw@600Ω, 1%THD
Gain: +18dB@Low Gain, +28dB@High Gain

 

[WafflesID]

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/kg-cfa3-headphone-amp.938064/

Am I missing something? I don't see anything about where to either have one built or purchase pre-built.