Tokyo 2014 Autumn Fujiya Avic Headphone Festival Report

[audionewbi]

Please keep the community informed if time permits.

 

[cooperpwc]

Please keep the community informed if time permits.

 
 I certainly will. Just back from Hong Kong and I need a lot more listening time.
 
(Impressions of the balanced capabilities of this unit will have to come from Currawong at this stage. I am just using it single ended.)

 

[audionewbi]

Nice so it will work single ended.

 

[cooperpwc]

Nice so it will work single ended.

 
Yes, it does:
SE > SE
Balanced > Balanced
SE > Balanced

 

[Currawong]

  ^ @Currawong, my timing to visit HK was perfect as this had just arrived at Jaben two days earlier. Is the model you are reviewing also the NXT-2AK?

 
Yes. It works just as well SE or balanced from what I can discern. It seems to make the sound smoother and more precise image-wise, though sometimes I felt was reducing the soundstage. Whatever is going on, I like it more with some devices than others. 

 

[cooperpwc]

   
Yes. It works just as well SE or balanced from what I can discern. It seems to make the sound smoother and more precise image-wise, though sometimes I felt was reducing the soundstage. Whatever is going on, I like it more with some devices than others. 

 
I would like you to try converting SE to balanced please, i.e. connect it with standard mini to mini plug then balanced out to some of your balanced IEMs. Does it do a good job of the balanced conversion compared with true balanced to balanced? Inquiring minds want to know! 
 
I have only used this with the M so far. (X5 is next.) It definitely affects different IEMs differently. I am delighted at how the M now drives all of my dynamic IEMs cleanly with no distortion. Listening to Dave Brubeck now with the M > Aclear Porta > PF IX. Very nice. 1601SC, Flat-4 KAEDE also get a distortion-free bill of health.

 

[Currawong]

 

   
Yes. It works just as well SE or balanced from what I can discern. It seems to make the sound smoother and more precise image-wise, though sometimes I felt was reducing the soundstage. Whatever is going on, I like it more with some devices than others. 

 
I would like you to try converting SE to balanced please, i.e. connect it with standard mini to mini plug then balanced out to some of your balanced IEMs. Does it do a good job of the balanced conversion compared with true balanced to balanced? Inquiring minds want to know! 
 
I have only used this with the M so far. (X5 is next.) It definitely affects different IEMs differently. I am delighted at how the M now drives all of my dynamic IEMs cleanly with no distortion. Listening to Dave Brubeck now with the M > Aclear Porta > PF IX. Very nice. 1601SC, Flat-4 KAEDE also get a distortion-free bill of health.

 
I tried it with the LCD-Xs from the Hugo and there was no difference SE or balanced that I could discern and nor would I expect it to, as it is only a transformer.

 

[cooperpwc]

   
I tried it with the LCD-Xs from the Hugo and there was no difference SE or balanced that I could discern and nor would I expect it to, as it is only a transformer.

 
Thanks. I agree that it is little surprise that an improvement is not discernable. On one hand, a transformer is the ideal way to create a balanced signal. This "Jensen Transformers PI-2RX ISO-MAX Stereo XLR Balanced Audio Ground Isolator" is an example of an analogous product to the Aclear Porta but on a large scale. It eliminates ground loops but also can convert SE to balanced.

However this is going to be effective when creating a balanced signal to feed a balanced amplifier section. Using a transformer to create a balanced signal after the amplifier (i.e. without any further balanced amplification) seems to be at best a power trade-off. 

 

[Currawong]

Given that the rest of their products aren't balanced, I don't think their idea has anything to with balanced output for any reason other than convenience for people who own AK240s and the like. The idea is to isolate the headphones from noise in the electronics if I'm not mistaken. I'm not sure if it is a similar concept, but Synergistic Research has a Headphone Optimised Transducer as well.
 
Balanced headphone drive is not some magical thing that makes everything better, it is a circuit design choice among many available to engineers. It just happens to attract a lot of attention because it requires (at least for now) special cabling.

 

[cooperpwc]

  Given that the rest of their products aren't balanced, I don't think their idea has anything to with balanced output for any reason other than convenience for people who own AK240s and the like. The idea is to isolate the headphones from noise in the electronics if I'm not mistaken. I'm not sure if it is a similar concept, but Synergistic Research has a Headphone Optimised Transducer as well.
 
Balanced headphone drive is not some magical thing that makes everything better, it is a circuit design choice among many available to engineers. It just happens to attract a lot of attention because it requires (at least for now) special cabling.

 
   I share your cynicism, especially in relation to balanced BA IEMs where the alleged benefits continue to be a source of controversy.
 
(OTOH I do want a DAC that will send a balanced signal to my GS-X mk2 because it was designed for it and power increases to four times SE output.)

 

[Ali-Pacha]

Speaking of future Stax amp's...last time arnaud met them, they said development was frozen, something about too expensive vs. SQ improvement. Did they change their minds ?

Ali

 

[nick n]

 I'm a month late on this reply I just noticed...oh well.
Thanks for the initial post and subsequent Aclear Porta posts.
Have one incoming from Japan.
 
Previously I was toying with cables with the inline box and transformers in that ( noise filter/ground loop eliminator cable ), but found the sweet spot range to both feed it on lower power input until it kicked in, and the top end too-much-power-clipping was irritating. The effect however, even in such a small unit and usable range was very memorable, the NIP-05TH should address this in a proper way now.
 I saw they were hand-wound also.
 
Thing I recall the most was the extreme black background, and the drivers in general seemed to play better within their designed range I guess you could say ( less slop/ dc offset throwing them around together with a super clean signal?)
 
Any further impressions on the AClears as time goes on anyone?