[Hifi59]

Sonically, I don't think you'd notice any difference. The Khozmo definitely has more physical heft and turn resistance. Felt beefy. The Goldpoint in comparison is very light to the touch, sounds equally good, and finally rid me of the pops that had me nervous to change the volume at times. I wouldn't have switched if I wasn't getting pops. I also upgraded to the outboard power supply since I'm using it with the low impedance LCD-5 and want the noise floor as low as possible. It's dead silent...

No pops but static between volume settings. But all my headphone are not very efficient, like HE-6 and LCD-4. I wonder if I’d hear loud popping should I ever get higher efficiency headphones.

 

[Roasty]

With the khozmo, right after turning on the Milo Ref, I get a pop when turning from 0 volume if music is playing. If music is paused, I don't get a pop. So I just remind myself not to have music playing when turning on the unit and rotating the knob. Otherwise, the rest of the time I don't have any issues with the khozmo.

 

[johnzz4]

No pops but static between volume settings. But all my headphone are not very efficient, like HE-6 and LCD-4. I wonder if I’d hear loud popping should I ever get higher efficiency headphones.

The pops that would startle me were on the LCD4. Can’t miss it when it happens.

 

[Capunk]

Just a mini impression about Milo from 3 days of use,
I bought this amp to drive Diana V2 primarily and HD800 as secondary, with Ares II.
After a considerable time, A-B tested both cans, somewhat HD800 feel much more alive compared to V2 with the combo?
Milo significantly boosts the much-needed bass for HD800, and the detailed nature of HD800 somewhat helps the soft upper section come from R2R?
In contrast to the V2, the bass is just a note improvement over my other amp, Soloist 3XP - and just a slight improvement over here and there.
It's a night & day difference when this is paired with HD800.

 

[dermott]

In contrast to the V2, the bass is just a note improvement over my other amp, Soloist 3XP - and just a slight improvement over here and there.
It's a night & day difference when this is paired with HD800.

I have newly acquired Ayra V2s and am now looking to an amp upgrade. Milo has caught my attention given the sound signature and power it offers. The Burson Soloist 3XP is also a contender especially given the prices now. Sounds like the differences between the Milo and the Burson are highly dependent on the cans (?). Can you speak to any areas where the Milo is clearly superior to the Soloist other than the aforementioned bass? Anyone have any thoughts on the Milo/Arya V2 combination?

 

[geoffalter11]

I have newly acquired Ayra V2s and am now looking to an amp upgrade. Milo has caught my attention given the sound signature and power it offers. The Burson Soloist 3XP is also a contender especially given the prices now. Sounds like the differences between the Milo and the Burson are highly dependent on the cans (?). Can you speak to any areas where the Milo is clearly superior to the Soloist other than the aforementioned bass? Anyone have any thoughts on the Milo/Arya V2 combination?

They are not even close in sound signature. The Burson is much closer to a clean, neutral amp to my ears. The Milo has a tubey sound that is quite fetching.

 

[geoffalter11]

I am certainly no engineer, but I don’t believe the Milo is an Op Amp driven design, whereas the Burson is.

The Milo is the better amp in my opinion. I didn’t like the Soloist or the Conductor 3XP. I found them both to be overly done in the upper midrange and treble, which gave it a tonality I wasn’t fond of. Especially with headphones on the brighter side. The Burson/Clear combo gave me a headache.

The Milo is one smooth customer, with a warmth and tube sound that is hard to find in its price range. There is a mid bass bloom to the Milo which isn’t for everyone, but the Milo is an incredibly musical amp with wonderful tonality.

The Arya tends to be a bit bright, so I would recommend the Milo.

 

[dermott]

I am certainly no engineer, but I don’t believe the Milo is an Op Amp driven design, whereas the Burson is.

The Milo is the better amp in my opinion. I didn’t like the Soloist or the Conductor 3XP. I found them both to be overly done in the upper midrange and treble, which gave it a tonality I wasn’t fond of. Especially with headphones on the brighter side. The Burson/Clear combo gave me a headache.

The Milo is one smooth customer, with a warmth and tube sound that is hard to find in its price range. There is a mid bass bloom to the Milo which isn’t for everyone, but the Milo is an incredibly musical amp with wonderful tonality.

The Arya tends to be a bit bright, so I would recommend the Milo.

Dammit - you are making Milo sound perfect for me! I also see you have a Pontus II. I assume you are a fan of that as well. I am thinking that Pontus II > Milo > Arya V2 could be it for me for a very long time. Is the upgraded Khozmo stepped attenuator a no brainer/must? Vishay resistors? I would want to get the XLR inputs as I am already running a balanced DAC, so all in that puts it around $2500. Anyone know how this stacks up against stock?

 

[The Piper]

Dammit - you are making Milo sound perfect for me! I also see you have a Pontus II. I assume you are a fan of that as well. I am thinking that Pontus II > Milo > Arya V2 could be it for me for a very long time. Is the upgraded Khozmo stepped attenuator a no brainer/must? Vishay resistors? I would want to get the XLR inputs as I am already running a balanced DAC, so all in that puts it around $2500. Anyone know how this stacks up against stock?

If I may chime in I am no longer using the Khozmo shunt style stepped attenuator. We have learned that occasionally there is a problem with ticking or popping between the steps due to an inherent impedance problem with shunt style stepped attenuators. For a long time we felt that it must be dirty, tarnished or misaligned contacts but have found out that sometimes conditions can arise that create an impedance imbalance and very slight DC charges that manifest as pops or clicks. Since we have discovered the problem we have switched to perhaps the best stepped attenuator on the market in the Goldpoint series style stepped attenuator. We have had no more reports of clicking or popping since making the substitution. The Goldpoint is substantially more costly but I have decided to eat the extra cost to produce a better product. The Goldpoint does not need the Vishays because it is a series style and not a shunt style attenuator so you are saving there. . I would save the cost on the XLRs Dermott as the Milo is an unbalanced design and there is no sonic value to using them with the Milo. If you want them because you currently have balanced cables then I understand but there is no advantage if you are looking for better performance. Between the Vishays and the XLRs you would be saving about $250.00. The Milo with Goldpoint would be $2250.00 plus shipping. BTW, the Milo is a hand built in the US with all discreet parts and no surface mount tech or op amps.

 

[geoffalter11]

Dammit - you are making Milo sound perfect for me! I also see you have a Pontus II. I assume you are a fan of that as well. I am thinking that Pontus II > Milo > Arya V2 could be it for me for a very long time. Is the upgraded Khozmo stepped attenuator a no brainer/must? Vishay resistors? I would want to get the XLR inputs as I am already running a balanced DAC, so all in that puts it around $2500. Anyone know how this stacks up against stock?

Yes, the Pontus II is the real deal. I love it! Best DAC I’ve owned and worth twice its price in SQ. For me, I love the R2R style DAC and find it is extremely musical with great instrument separation. When I owned a Milo I used a Metrum Musette which was a R2R style NOS DAC and paired beautifully with the Milo.

As Jeff stated below, the Milo is a Single Ended amp and doesn’t benefit from XLRs. However the Pontus does. I have run the Pontus both SE and with XLR and while the RCAs are great, the DAC is inherently balanced and the dynamics are a bit better with 4 VRMs XLR versus 2 VRMs thru the RCAs. My current amp is single ended as well. I use Blue Dragon XLR to RCA interconnects so I can take advantage of the Pontus and Cembalos design ethos. I would recommend going that route and saving the money on the XLR inputs on the Milo. Moon Audio can build you interconnects that are XLR to RCA. PM me and I will send you the exact specs of what I bought for my set up.

Yes, the better volume attenuator will improve the sound significantly and give you more volume play as the Milo is quite powerful.

You are in your way to one seriously amazing front end chain.

 

[geoffalter11]

If I may chime in I am no longer using the Khozmo shunt style stepped attenuator. We have learned that occasionally there is a problem with ticking or popping between the steps due to an inherent impedance problem with shunt style stepped attenuators. For a long time we felt that it must be dirty, tarnished or misaligned contacts but have found out that sometimes conditions can arise that create an impedance imbalance and very slight DC charges that manifest as pops or clicks. Since we have discovered the problem we have switched to perhaps the best stepped attenuator on the market in the Goldpoint series style stepped attenuator. We have had no more reports of clicking or popping since making the substitution. The Goldpoint is substantially more costly but I have decided to eat the extra cost to produce a better product. The Goldpoint does not need the Vishays because it is a series style and not a shunt style attenuator so you are saving there. . I would save the cost on the XLRs Dermott as the Milo is an unbalanced design and there is no sonic value to using them with the Milo. If you want them because you currently have balanced cables then I understand but there is no advantage if you are looking for better performance. Between the Vishays and the XLRs you would be saving about $250.00. The Milo with Goldpoint would be $2250.00 plus shipping. BTW, the Milo is a hand built in the US with all discreet parts and no surface mount tech or op amps.

Jeff that is very nice of you to not pass on the difference in cost of the attenuator and pretty cool that the new Goldpoint mitigates the need for the Vishay's. I might have you build me a Milo that is in between the Upgraded and Reference when I am ready middle of next year. I do miss owning a Wells Audio component. I will call you soon to discuss what I am doing with my system in 2022 and work with you to get the right piece for my needs.

 

[The Piper]

Jeff that is very nice of you to not pass on the difference in cost of the attenuator and pretty cool that the new Goldpoint mitigates the need for the Vishay's. I might have you build me a Milo that is in between the Upgraded and Reference when I am ready middle of next year. I do miss owning a Wells Audio component. I will call you soon to discuss what I am doing with my system in 2022 and work with you to get the right piece for my needs.

Call me. I have some other great ideas for a Milo+.

 

[geoffalter11]

Dammit - you are making Milo sound perfect for me! I also see you have a Pontus II. I assume you are a fan of that as well. I am thinking that Pontus II > Milo > Arya V2 could be it for me for a very long time. Is the upgraded Khozmo stepped attenuator a no brainer/must? Vishay resistors? I would want to get the XLR inputs as I am already running a balanced DAC, so all in that puts it around $2500. Anyone know how this stacks up against stock?

I decided to check the difference between my RCA interconnects and XLR to RCA interconnects on the Pontus II to give you an exact comparison. Both are Moon Audio Blue Dragon Interconnects, so there should be no sonic differences between them. My amp is single ended so it actually benefits from using the RCAs. There is no discernible difference, but the Pontus II is a different story. Running the Pontus balanced with my XLR to RCAs yields better bass definition and improved dynamics. The sound is a bit snappier and the timing is improved. Cymbals and High Hats have more articulation and instrument separation is a smidge better. It could be placebo as I am no engineer, but I hear a difference with how the Pontus sounds. My amp is not the Milo, but is an amazing amp with incredible speed, clarity and definition. I highly recommend the Pontus II.

 

[geoffalter11]

Call me. I have some other great ideas for a Milo+.

I am also seriously considering the Level 2 Dragon. My buddy Matt has one and says it is the best headphone amp he has ever owned.

 

[Hifi59]

Has anyone compared the Dragon 3 to the Headtrip 2 or Headtrip 2, level2?