Quick first impressions.
Amp: Pure II+.
DAC: Chord Mojo
phones: JH Audio Layla.
1) Medium gain is the way to go with the 12-driver impedance-nightmare that is the Siren Series Laylas. Low gain makes the Laylas sound dark and the soundstage round and congested. The gain settings on the Pure II+ are very, very well implemented for the medium to handle the fluxuating load of the Laylas with such dramatic difference. I'm guessing the Pure II's is somewhat more specialized than the regular gain implementation, which is just a volume switch.
(I don't pretend to be an impedance specialist, I just trust my ears. The low gain was a huge disappointment, my old Cayin c5 outperformed the Pure II easily. The medium is night and day.
WCDchee
thank you for the tip!)
2) Tonality. There are literally no tonality troubles. I can't find one thing wrong with bass, treble or mids. This is a good sign since over time, nagging frequency characteristics become aggrevated. Tonality is end game on these. The treble especially stands out, as I've never heard flawless treble before.
3) Soundstage - the only shortfall thus far. It's not small, it's about 90% or 85% as large as the Cayin c5 (which is pretty huge), but it's not an end game soundstage. Separation and layering are awesome, but I could do with more width and depth. Could be more panoramic. Positive thing is, the soundstage is very natural, superbly integrated, and there are no artificially off-center sounds in it. (As was the case with Cayin c5.) It draws less attention to itself, but is not as 3D. It'll be interesting to see what I think of it in a month, how the image settles in my bran.
4) Detail-wise, this is my first absolute top of the line amp and I can definitely feel the upgrade in both the amount of details and the texture of sounds. Leaves the Fiio e12A, the Cayin c5, the old Fiio x3, the AK100ii and the AK 100 in the dust. I feel there is absolutely nothing bottlenecking the Mojos details. (Which are insane!)
5) Dynamics. The Laylas are the most dynamic, lively sounding balanced armature IEMs I've heard, but they still have that "museum of sounds hanging in the air" quality BAs have. They're not as fast or impactful than the Sennheiser IE 800s. I'd say they are half-way between dynamics and BA-s in this category. The Pure 2 takes the Laylas about three fourths of the way. Hugely dynamic. Very "musical" if you pardon me saying so. Rocks the **** out.
5) For me the defining quality of the Pure II+'s sound can be summarized in the word
bite. Instruments have tremendous impact across the spectrum, the bass slams and the cymbals cut, but nothing ever gets harsh. I think this is why the amp is so highly regarded by the community. You can turn the volume way up without fatigue. The Pure II is not laid back
at all but the perfect tonality makes the way it's engaging sound smooth and pleasurable. I find every beloved audio product has one magical quality no one else has. The Cayin c5 has it's 3D effect, the mojo has it's details, even the Fiio e12a amp has it's tubey sound at a low cost. The Pure 2 has i'ts pure, smooth bite.