[iFi audio]

Any thoughts from the experts here on things I should think of or listen for that might help me in any direction?

If you already have that Enleum amp and are considering it, given what it is I'd have a think about some speakers for it if I were you. If not now, maybe in the future, but that one product is said to work wonders with speakers and cans, so using it with both changes its value a lot.

 

[orrman]

If you already have that Enleum amp and are considering it, given what it is I'd have a think about some speakers for it if I were you. If not now, maybe in the future, but that one product is said to work wonders with speakers and cans, so using it with both changes its value a lot.

Yep that's the first thing I wrote in the pros list for the Enleum.
That said, I'm not sure that I can't get a good integrated amp or pre and poweramp (the pre can also run the Oor in its bypass mode) for the $2500 delta between the two options.

 

[iFi audio]

That said, I'm not sure that I can't get a good integrated amp or pre and poweramp (the pre can also run the Oor in its bypass mode) for the $2500 delta between the two options.

I hear you, but that way you'd have extra boxes and my question to ask here would be whether it's actually possible to have a speaker amp on Enleum's level in that price. Considering what it is, that might be extremely difficult. One quite affordable product that sounds somewhat similar is Kinki Studio EX-M1 (one reviewer compared them), but it isn't as good from what I've read.

 

[orrman]

I hear you, but that way you'd have extra boxes and my question to ask here would be whether it's actually possible to have a speaker amp on Enleum's level in that price. Considering what it is, that might be extremely difficult. One quite affordable product that sounds somewhat similar is Kinki Studio EX-M1 (one reviewer compared them), but it isn't as good from what I've read.

The 25wpc can be limiting when you start looking at speakers. You're immediately in the "more sensitive" options.
But I guess that's exactly part of the dilemma. Is it worth keeping the Enleum because of what it might be or play it safe, save the money now, and see where I end up with some time in the future. There's also the option of keeping both in separate rooms lol

 

[iFi audio]

The 25wpc can be limiting when you start looking at speakers. You're immediately in the "more sensitive" options.

Well, yes and no. It all depends on speakers, how loud you listen to music and where. Tough loads at high SPL in large rooms may need more than 25 watts, but the same speakers used on a desk will use a fraction of that power. Nothing wrong with sensitive speakers either

Is it worth keeping the Enleum because of what it might be or play it safe, save the money now, and see where I end up with some time in the future.

Yes, it's a dilemma for sure, but a nice problem to have. Something tells me that no matter what you do, you'll be happy

 

[goldwerger]

I hear you, but that way you'd have extra boxes and my question to ask here would be whether it's actually possible to have a speaker amp on Enleum's level in that price. Considering what it is, that might be extremely difficult. One quite affordable product that sounds somewhat similar is Kinki Studio EX-M1 (one reviewer compared them), but it isn't as good from what I've read.

That would have been a winning form factor for me and really a life-saver as a use case, but the Enleum, while very powerful for headphones, is simply too weak for moist speakers. I have the Bowers & Wilkins 805 D3, which are really bookshelf speakers (though relatively insensitive) which require 50-120 W at 8 ohm unclipped. So large speakers wouldn't work, and small bookshelf, would be limited only to highly sensitive ones. Too bad on that one, I'd have loved to throw out one large amp box if I could..

 

[orrman]

That would have been a winning form factor for me and really a life-saver as a use case, but the Enleum, while very powerful for headphones, is simply too weak for moist speakers. I have the Bowers & Wilkins 805 D3, which are really bookshelf speakers (though relatively insensitive) which require 50-120 W at 8 ohm unclipped. So large speakers wouldn't work, and small bookshelf, would be limited only to highly sensitive ones. Too bad on that one, I'd have loved to throw out one large amp box if I could..

There are large speakers you could run with 25W but I tend to agree it's forcing you into less options and less flexibility on how you use it. I think Enleum are working on much stronger amps though so maybe one day that'll work out for you.

 

[goldwerger]

There are large speakers you could run with 25W but I tend to agree it's forcing you into less options and less flexibility on how you use it. I think Enleum are working on much stronger amps though so maybe one day that'll work out for you.

if they did, would be wonderful...

 

[orrman]

if they did, would be wonderful...

https://6moons.com/audioreview_articles/enleum-amp-23r/7/

scroll to the bottom:
65wpc 43R and 100wpc 53R

 

[LarsMan]

if they did, would be wonderful...

I know that there are some very large speakers that are far efficient than many bookshelf speakers, so I don't think there is a definite correlation between speaker size and speaker efficiency.

 

[goldwerger]

https://6moons.com/audioreview_articles/enleum-amp-23r/7/

scroll to the bottom:
65wpc 43R and 100wpc 53R

oooooh... now that's a great nugget of info. If those would be forthcoming, definitely I'll hold back and wait for them. I could take out a big power amp of my desk. Thanks for this very timely info!! (I wonder when they would come out... hmmmm )

 

[iFi audio]

I think Enleum are working on much stronger amps though

They are as per review at 6moons.com, but that's going to be costly and naturally bigger.

so I don't think there is a definite correlation between speaker size and speaker efficiency

There isn't and one of the biggest speakers out there are in fact 100dB+ sensitive horn monsters

(I wonder when they would come out... hmmmm )

If you're into a bigger Enleum amp, I'd ask at the source directly if I were you. The odds are that you'll know at least a rough date when that might happen.

 

[tdx]

Ok so I finally had some time to gather my thoughts about all the new gear I got so I wanted to publish an update. To keep this short I won't go over the items I covered previously, I will just give my impressions of the new stuff and talk about what I've chosen in the end.

- Lumin M1 Mini: Wanted to try this cause I heard great things about its SQ. It does sound great but honestly, in my chain, not markedly better than my trusted Ultrarendu, and, contrary to that one, it cannot handle network streaming of the higher bitrates that HQPlayer feeds it. So I felt that the Rendu, being smaller, cheaper and more capable made more sense to keep than the Lumin. But for those who are looking for a beautifully made and great sounding streamer, and have no need for high bitrates, this is definitely a good choice.

- Burson Soloist Grand Tourer: Also read good things about this amp, especially how it's a way to get really great SQ for less money than a lot of the other amps covered here. And that's definitely true; by itself, it sounds awesome, great bass, very musical, good to very good resolution, decent mids. But when compared to the other amps I've tried it still feels like a clear step down. And the fan inside the unit is not super loud but is audible, which ruins the experience for me somewhat.

- Bakoon 13R: After I sold the Enleum 23R and chose the Ferrum stack instead, I was really happy with the sound but I was missing a little bit the sweetness and soundstage that the Enleum had over the Oor. So when I came across a great deal for a Bakoon I got it. And upon second listen I have to be honest, I do prefer it to the Oor, not by much, but enough that I thought that I had found my endgame amp. Of course, as you will see below, that was not to be

- Woo WA33: Soon after I got the Woo WA33 tube amp. It's not the Elite version, but it has all upgraded tubes and the volume pot of the Elite so, semi-Elite, I guess? In any case, I think it was @paradoxper who said I needed to try tubes with my gear and boy was he right. Don't get me wrong: the Enleum/Bakoon are amazing SS amps, and if the WA33 was just a good tubey amp I would have probably stayed with them instead. But the WA33 has all the benefits of SS, plus all the things that tubes provide: a bit more warmth (but not overdone), crystal clear but never fatiguing treble, refined mids, insane bass, and even more insane soundstage and dimensionality. In a way it kind of sucks I like it as much as I do, because it is a beast of an amp, in weight, size, heat, price etc. So I would kill for a small SS amp that has the same quality in a more manageable form factor. But the WA33 sounds so brilliant with all the headphones I listed here that there is no way for me to compromise. It's that good.

- Solitaire P: Been wanting to try this forever, as I've read so many good things about it. It's definitely one of the nicest built HPs I've tried, and while somewhat heavy it's not uncomfortable. As for sound, I would say that if I hadn't tried other TOTL HPs I would be more than satisfied; treble sounds great, mids have a lot of body, bass is stronger than the Susvara and the soundstage is at least as wide. In the end though, I felt that all frequencies, while great on their own, didn't sound as well balanced as they do on the Susvara, especially in the lower registers which I felt were somewhat too separated from the rest of the mix. But that could also be because my brain is used to the specific Hifiman sound signature and couldn't make the jump to these. But overall, I felt they didn't offer anything over the Susvaras except maybe bass, so I didn't keep them. If they were cheaper I would say they're a great buy. At their current price, I prefer other choices.

- Abyss 1266 TC: These, like the Solitaire Ps, were a pair of HPs I felt I had to try in order to say I've tried all the best. And they certainly didn't disappoint. As I said the Solitaires had nothing that made me prefer them to the Susvara, but in the case of the TC the choice was much, much harder. As everyone knows, the bass on these is simply the best there is at this price point, and unlike the Solitaires it is perfectly integrated in the mix and never overpowers it. Soundstage and layering was a tad better than the Susvara, the sheer impact and musicality were something else too. I honestly feel it takes everything about the Hifimans and turns it up a notch (or two), it's that good. Alas, there were two reasons I decided to part with it: first, while everything sounded so good and visceral, it made for a more fatiguing listening experience. I think I could have gotten used to it in time, but the second issue was comfort, and that's something that, no matter how much I tried, I couldn't get used to. I followed all the tips about how to wear them, adjust them etc but I could never really relax with them like I could with the Susvara and to a smaller extent the Solitaire. Maybe it's just my head size or shape, but in any case that was the dealbreaker for me. If you don't have that issue, and are ok with their price, I would not be able to choose between the Susvara and these, they are for me (and for many others I'm sure) the two best HPs out there.

- Last gear standing: Ok so after all is said and done, what did I end up with? Well I'm keeping my upstream gear (NUC 11/Roon/HQPlayer/Ultrarendu) as is. I'm also keeping the Holo Spring 3 as I feel it's the best DAC for the money, period, and haven't heard enough differences in SQ from more high end DACs to justify an upgrade. I'm definitely keeping the WA33 amp for all the reasons I discussed. And finally, I'll be staying with my trusty Susvara. After having tried pretty much all other high end HPs (with the exception of electrostatics and crazy expensive boutique stuff), I can honestly say that, for my taste, I can find no other HP that does everything the Susvara does. Some others have certain things that they do better, but none of them do everything well like the Susvara.

So, this will be my chain for a while. I hope this year-long journey can give some of you some valuable info, and of course as always, don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions or need more info about any of this. I have certainly learned so much about all this and made many new friends along the way, so it was definitely worth it. I probably won't be getting any more stuff for a while, as I'm as satisfied as can be right now and don't want to keep upgrading for the sake of it. But then again, that's what I said last time and here we are so, you never know

 

[orrman]

- Bakoon 13R: After I sold the Enleum 23R and chose the Ferrum stack instead, I was really happy with the sound but I was missing a little bit the sweetness and soundstage that the Enleum had over the Oor. So when I came across a great deal for a Bakoon I got it. And upon second listen I have to be honest, I do prefer it to the Oor, not by much, but enough that I thought that I had found my endgame amp. Of course, as you will see below, that was not to be

What you're describing here fits well with why I think even though the Oor is amazing it does miss a little bit compared to the Enleum. Haven't decided yet if it's worth the extra $$ but that difference is there. Oor doesn't feel complete as the Enleum does. I do have the WA33 on my wishlist but at the moment I don't feel like I'm willing to spend that on an amp.
I also own the Spring 3 now and feeling more and more like my setup would be the Spring and Enleum for the time being and selling everything else.
Your writeups help me a lot to structure my thoughts about this so thanks!

 

[tdx]

Glad this helps! And something I always forget to mention is that at the level of gear we're discussing the differences are small enough that there is no right or wrong, but rather what your taste or budgets dictates. So your choice is very sound indeed (pun intended