[Hinomotocho]

Sorry, just saw this. Yeh, I ended up going with this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014A676BK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
And this
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z13H4TP/ref=emc_b_5_t
They’re a little finicky to set up, but once paired, they work fine. I leave both plugged in all the time so I don’t have to re-pair each time.

Thank you, the Auris is on my list.
I've only recently bought the TA-ZH1ES and I'm really impressed with the soundstage for music so I'm keen to hear a movie soundtrack.

 

[VladYR]

Thank you, the Auris is on my list.
I've only recently bought the TA-ZH1ES and I'm really impressed with the soundstage for music so I'm keen to hear a movie soundtrack.

Movies sound great with it. I binged most of Vikings and Game of Thrones with it and the Z1R. Very satisfying.

 

[Hinomotocho]

Movies sound great with it. I binged most of Vikings and Game of Thrones with it and the Z1R. Very satisfying.

I quickly tried my BTR5 (LDAC) using an el cheapo 3.5mm to RCA cable with some discoloured connectors and it still sounded pretty good so a decent bluetooth receiver with optical out should be impressive.

 

[SubL0ck]

Want to thank all of you guys for advice. The device sounds incredible. Unfortunately, there is no way to defeat the lag, so it's unusable for any sort of competetive gaming, but music... Man! Sounds awesome.
One question tho. I'ts my first ever Hi-Fi (Or Hi-End?) device and i'm not that familiar with how the other hardware sounds, so it's hard for me to compare. But is it normal that the soundstage is so HUGE? I mean, i have 660S and these aren't known for impressive staging, but with the TA the sound is SO 3D. I'm coming for a soundcard (EVGA NU Audio with MUSES02 OP Amps) and it sounds like chinese toy in comparison. So is it ok or the sound is artificially widened? Thank you.

 

[bvhme]

Want to thank all of you guys for advice. The device sounds incredible. Unfortunately, there is no way to defeat the lag, so it's unusable for any sort of competetive gaming, but music... Man! Sounds awesome.
One question tho. I'ts my first ever Hi-Fi (Or Hi-End?) device and i'm not that familiar with how the other hardware sounds, so it's hard for me to compare. But is it normal that the soundstage is so HUGE? I mean, i have 660S and these aren't known for impressive staging, but with the TA the sound is SO 3D. I'm coming for a soundcard (EVGA NU Audio with MUSES02 OP Amps) and it sounds like chinese toy in comparison. So is it ok or the sound is artificially widened? Thank you.

Those are some beautiful photos.

I think the wide soundstage is due to the DAC being very able and the DSEE and DSD RE also seem to help. But yes, it is incredible. I do however have an DAC/Amp that actually does widen the soundstage (the Phonitor X Matrix) and that is waaaaaay bigger, so that is possible. I think the Taz is just very very capable!

 

[SubL0ck]

Those are some beautiful photos.

I think the wide soundstage is due to the DAC being very able and the DSEE and DSD RE also seem to help. But yes, it is incredible. I do however have an DAC/Amp that actually does widen the soundstage (the Phonitor X Matrix) and that is waaaaaay bigger, so that is possible. I think the Taz is just very very capable!

So it's normal, right? I mean, i would like my music to be delieved in a way that it's been recorded and any sort of enhancing isn't particularry what i'm looking for. But yeah, it's hard for me to judge, i'm not used to this class hardware

 

[bvhme]

So it's normal, right? I mean, i would like my music to be delieved in a way that it's been recorded and any sort of enhancing isn't particularry what i'm looking for. But yeah, it's hard for me to judge, i'm not used to this class hardware

I think that for it's class the TA-ZH1ES has exceptional sound stage, but it's not uncommon for higher end DAC/Amps to have this kind of sound staging I think (my Phonitor X 768xs has a similar soundstage without enhancement). My theory right now is that sound staging is a byproduct of an aspect of resolution, something the Taz excels at.

 

[Hinomotocho]

So it's normal, right? I mean, i would like my music to be delieved in a way that it's been recorded and any sort of enhancing isn't particularry what i'm looking for. But yeah, it's hard for me to judge, i'm not used to this class hardware

I recently got mine and I am really impressed with the soundstage.
Even if your HD660S aren't known to be the best for soundstage they are an open design so when paired with a good amp it has opened up their potential.
I tried a handful of different amps and the TA-ZH1ES is the one that stands out as having the most impressive soundstage. Every amp has different specs and tunings that will impact the sound and enhance different aspects of the sound and depending on synergy either work well with your headphones or not. I don't think the sound has been drastically manipulated to give the soundstage it is just minor enhancements here and there that give it that effect and I actually prefer that - like a photo that has been slightly enhanced by boosting the colours. You may find an amp with the most pure sound to be quite flat and unexciting.

 

[Wikinaut]

I always thought the soundstage was related to two factors: how open the headphones are and how easily the DAC/amp can move the speakers. The more effortless the motion of the headphone speakers, the more airy it will sound. Closed headphone seem to have an upper limit on how wide they can sound, but your partner or colleague will appreciate that you keep your music to yourself!

 

[VladYR]

I’d say your experience is quite normal, especially considering that you are making a comparatively huge leap from a sound card to a more or less high end dac/amp. The soundstage will appear quite large, particularly with open back Sennheiser headphones. I tried the HD800S couple of summers ago with this amp and they sounded like a lot of fun. As far as upscaling is concerned, you can’t really turn it off completely, unless you are playing DSD files. The amount of upscaling isn’t a lot, comparatively speaking. It’s not like connecting a Hugo M Scaler to a Chord Dave. That pairing sounds unmistakably different. Even if you activate the dsd remastering it’s still largely the same recording. How much difference there is between the naturally upscaled version and dsd remastered is hard to tell. I only listened to the latter. Still, you’re definitely going to thoroughly enjoy this. You might want to try getting an Audioquest Jitterbug FMJ. I got one a few days ago and I like the changes that it brings to the sound. Not huge but pleasantly noticeable.

 

[bvhme]

Unfortunately, there is no way to defeat the lag, so it's unusable for any sort of competetive gaming

I've tried adding multiple DACs to my new amp and making a group in Roon and I had to add a sync of -150ms to the Taz in order for it to be timed the same, so I guess that's about what your delay is. Too bad!

 

[Roland P]

Does the type of connection (coax/toslink vs usb) affect the delay?

 

[Hinomotocho]

Originally my quest for the TA-ZH1ES was as a step up from my WM1A for my MDR-Z1R but I have found that my ideal pairing is with the IER-Z1R.
I don't like keeping gear if it is not being used but as my tastes and perceptions may change I don't want to let the MDR go.
I just bought a bluetooth receiver for my TA-ZH1ES and can get LDAC from my Nvidia Shield for movies etc and have found that I can take advantage of the 2m Sony Kimber to enjoy watching movies and can put my MDR-Z1R to good use. It may be the large drive overhead design makes them good for movies?

 

[askeladden]

Why does it lag in gaming? Could it be related to upscaling features being enabled?

*edit* a search through the thread gave differing opinions, but it seems strange that it should lag.

 

[VladYR]

Why does it lag in gaming? Could it be related to upscaling features being enabled?

*edit* a search through the thread gave differing opinions, but it seems strange that it should lag.

It didn’t lag in any game that I played while I owned this amp. However, it might lag for some, as was mentioned above. If it is caused by upscaling, then there is really nothing to be done as one cannot fully disable it.