[ltanasom]

Can TA-ZH1ES drive Audeze LCD2 to its full potential?

 

[Lookout57]

I don't see why not as it can drive my LCD-X.

 

[ltanasom]

I don't see why not as it can drive my LCD-X.

You drive from unbalance or balance output?
lcd2 is harder to drive than lcd-x, by the way.

 

[Lookout57]

I'm using the 4 pin balanced with a Moon Audio Black Dragon cable.

 

[Vokhos]

Hello.Can Sony TA-ZH1ES can replace Oppo Ha 1?. Or maybe i should buy Audio-GD NFB-29.38 DAC ES 9038 pro? I am looking for neutrality,transparency,musicality,big open and rich sound . I liked very much Oppo HA 1 .I did not like Chord Mojo and Qutest.Thank you.

 

[purk]

Hello.Can Sony TA-ZH1ES can replace Oppo Ha 1?. Or maybe i should buy Audio-GD NFB-29.38 DAC ES 9038 pro? I am looking for neutrality,transparency,musicality,big open and rich sound . I liked very much Oppo HA 1 .I did not like Chord Mojo and Qutest.Thank you.

It is superior to the OPPO HA-1 but the zh1es is not neutral sounding. The sound signature is lush, warm, and bassy and a little soft around edge. Still it is transparent and capable of providing very wide and deep soundstage. I still like this amp a lot. The HA-1 is more powerful than the ZH1ES.

 

[ltanasom]

SInce the TA-ZH1ES was launched in 2016, how does it compare with relatively new dac/amp in the market now?
Is it future-proof?

 

[jsturess]

Does it always up scaling PCM (DSEE HX:OFF, DSD REMASTERING:OFF and D:C: PHASE LINEARIZER:OFF)?
To see this you have to have DISPLAY:FORMAT
DSD is not up scaled.
Source is PC(JRIVER) via USB

 

[Gonzi]

Does it always up scaling PCM

Yes, always.

 

[nc8000]

SInce the TA-ZH1ES was launched in 2016, how does it compare with relatively new dac/amp in the market now?
Is it future-proof?

Nothing is future proof, there is always gonna come something better in the future, but that does not mean that the current gear suddenly becomes poorer than it was before the day the new stuff comes out.

For my use atm. I can’t see any new stuff coming out that would make me upgrade

 

[ltanasom]

Nothing is future proof, there is always gonna come something better in the future, but that does not mean that the current gear suddenly becomes poorer than it was before the day the new stuff comes out.

For my use atm. I can’t see any new stuff coming out that would make me upgrade

Thank you for your comment

 

[purk]

SInce the TA-ZH1ES was launched in 2016, how does it compare with relatively new dac/amp in the market now?
Is it future-proof?

I think the ZH1ES will continue to be a very good performer for many years to come. Newer gears aren't supposed to always be better. In fact, I take my old 2005 Gilmore Ref Balanced over my ZH1ES any day of the week. It's an amp only however.

 

[Russell]

Does it always up scaling PCM (DSEE HX:OFF, DSD REMASTERING:OFF and D:C: PHASE LINEARIZER:OFF)?
To see this you have to have DISPLAY:FORMAT
DSD is not up scaled.
Source is PC(JRIVER) via USB

Yes, always.

I just got this beautiful amp/DAC myself and noticed the same thing. Weird that there’s no mention of it in the manual and that it doesn’t switch off when you set DSEE HX to ‘off’. Oh well...it still sounds mighty fine.

 

[ltanasom]

I just got this beautiful amp/DAC myself and noticed the same thing. Weird that there’s no mention of it in the manual and that it doesn’t switch off when you set DSEE HX to ‘off’. Oh well...it still sounds mighty fine.

I see you are using Audeze LCD3. How does the TA-ZH1ES drive LCD3? Does it have enough power to drive LCD3 well?

 

[Russell]

I see you are using Audeze LCD3. How does the TA-ZH1ES drive LCD3? Does it have enough power to drive LCD3 well?

Absolutely. It really sounds gorgeous. Prior to the Sony I had used much smaller, more portable amps (Mojo, Micro iDSD, Hifi M8), all of which actually drove the LCD-3’s satisfactorily (I listen to mainly classical orchestral music), but there’s now a much greater sense of “ease”, unrestricted dynamics, and limitless headroom with the Sony.