[Astral Abyss]

There's a couple new custom order options on the Milo page:
 
The Milo is now available with an attenuation feature of 7.5db upon request for an additional $100.00. The Milo can also be ordered with a premium Khozmo stepped attenuator for an additional $400.00.
 
The 7.5db attenuation feature might be nice.  I'd like it more if it was switchable.
 
Those Khozmo attenuators look nice.  Not sure if they look $400 nice.

 

[gr8soundz]

I'd also like to know if the attenuation is switchable?
 
Either way, don't think it should be additional cost just for the ability to use the amp with fixed sources over 2V. The amp may be too powerful for it's own good and attenuation should've been standard (or at least a no-cost evolutionary feature).
 

 

[Astral Abyss]

  I'd also like to know if the attenuation is switchable?
 
Either way, don't think it should be additional cost just for the ability to use the amp with fixed sources over 2V. The amp may be too powerful for it's own good and attenuation should've been standard (or at least a no-cost evolutionary feature).
 

 
I emailed Jeff Wells about it.  It is not switchable.  It's a permanent change to the design.  He also offers a 12db attenuation as well.
 
The Khozmo is a replacement to the Tocos attenuator that comes standard on the Milo.  This should take care of the channel imbalance at low levels and Jeff considers it an upgrade in sound and quality.
 
I'm likely going to order a Milo after the holidays with the Khozmo attenuator.  I don't think I'll go for either the 7.5 or 12db changes since I'll be using these on my HE-6, Ori, and Eikon, and not any of my higher sensitivity headphones.  I'm not opposed to using digital attenuation in JRiver to get the volume up to the 11-12 o'clock position.  Maybe some of you have some thoughts on whether I should opt for the attenuation or not and I'd love to hear them.  I'll be using the Milo with my DAC-19 for the time being, but we all know that will probably change at some point in the future.

 

[gr8soundz]

Thanks for those details.
 
Just to clarify, the stock Milo has 30dB attenuation so is the option for minus 7.5 (or 12dB; making it 22.5 or 18dB) or does the change fix the amp's output to 7.5 (or 12) vs. 30?

 

[Astral Abyss]

  Thanks for those details.
 
Just to clarify, the stock Milo has 30dB attenuation so is the option for minus 7.5 (or 12dB; making it 22.5 or 18dB) or does the change fix the amp's output to 7.5 (or 12) vs. 30?
 

 
The stock Milo has 30db gain.  The attenuation options would reduce that by either 7.5db or 12db, resulting in a gain of 22.5db or 18db, respectively.  Think of it like a high, medium, or low gain setting, with no option to change it later.  I think it really depends on the type of headphones you plan to connect to it and whether they have high sensitivity or not.

 

[Hansotek]

The stock Milo has 30db gain.  The attenuation options would reduce that by either 7.5db or 12db, resulting in a gain of 22.5db or 18db, respectively.  Think of it like a high, medium, or low gain setting, with no option to change it later.  I think it really depends on the type of headphones you plan to connect to it and whether they have high sensitivity or not.

FWIW, 18dB is still a lot of gain. I think that is the high gain setting on the Cavalli Liquid Gold.

 

[Astral Abyss]

FWIW, 18dB is still a lot of gain. I think that is the high gain setting on the Cavalli Liquid Gold.

 
If you had to do it all over again, would you go for the attenuation option?  If so, which one?  

 

[Hansotek]

If you had to do it all over again, would you go for the attenuation option?  If so, which one?  

I don't know, honestly. I would definitely ask about how much it changes the sound. My volume potentiometer is very well matched all the way down, so it's no biggie. I wouldn't even consider it if I thought it might change the sound. I'd probably look at + 22.5 and + 30 as options for the HE-6. Not sure how much those resistors affect the current availability.

 

[gr8soundz]

 
The stock Milo has 30db gain.  The attenuation options would reduce that by either 7.5db or 12db, resulting in a gain of 22.5db or 18db, respectively.  Think of it like a high, medium, or low gain setting, with no option to change it later.  I think it really depends on the type of headphones you plan to connect to it and whether they have high sensitivity or not.

 
Gain, right; don't know what I was thinking.
 
I don't own the Abyss or HE-6 and would mostly use my T1.2 with it (which are fairly easy to drive). All my other headphones are 80 ohms or less so the attenuation option could work for me as long as the sound isn't negatively affected.
 
The super low 0.1 output impedance also makes the Milo a good candidate provided there's no channel imbalance (which impressions suggest isn't a problem).
 
Too bad they can't implement a gain switch (without degrading the output). Spending almost $2K and getting stuck with only one gain setting isn't ideal. I'd plan to keep the amp for a long time and what happens if I get an Abyss or HE-6 down the road?
 
Perhaps I'll just get a stock Milo, save the $100, and find other ways to use more sensitive headphones. I could probably use my iFi iEMatch to attenuate the output.
 

 

[Hansotek]

Gain, right; don't know what I was thinking.

I don't own the Abyss or HE-6 and would mostly use my T1.2 with it (which are fairly easy to drive). All my other headphones are 80 ohms or less so the attenuation option could work for me as long as the sound isn't negatively affected.

The super low 0.1 output impedance also makes the Milo a good candidate provided there's no channel imbalance (which impressions suggest isn't a problem).

Too bad they can't implement a gain switch (without degrading the output). Spending almost $2K and getting stuck with only one gain setting isn't ideal. I'd plan to keep the amp for a long time and what happens if I get an Abyss or HE-6 down the road?

 
Perhaps I'll just get a stock Milo, save the $100, and find other ways to use more sensitive headphones. I could probably use my iFi iEMatch to attenuate the output.

 

+18 is still a lot of gain. I'm sure you could always send it back to Jeff, if you wanted it changed. Just email him and ask.

 

[DaemonSire]

   
Gain, right; don't know what I was thinking.
 
I don't own the Abyss or HE-6 and would mostly use my T1.2 with it (which are fairly easy to drive). All my other headphones are 80 ohms or less so the attenuation option could work for me as long as the sound isn't negatively affected.
 
The super low 0.1 output impedance also makes the Milo a good candidate provided there's no channel imbalance (which impressions suggest isn't a problem).
 
Too bad they can't implement a gain switch (without degrading the output). Spending almost $2K and getting stuck with only one gain setting isn't ideal. I'd plan to keep the amp for a long time and what happens if I get an Abyss or HE-6 down the road?
 
Perhaps I'll just get a stock Milo, save the $100, and find other ways to use more sensitive headphones. I could probably use my iFi iEMatch to attenuate the output.
 

Another "possible" option is to pick up a set of attenuators like these:
 
http://www.parts-express.com/harrison-labs-12-db-rca-line-level-audio-attenuator-pair--266-244

 

[Hifi59]

I emailed Jeff Wells about it.  It is not switchable.  It's a permanent change to the design.  He also offers a 12db attenuation as well.

The Khozmo is a replacement to the Tocos attenuator that comes standard on the Milo.  This should take care of the channel imbalance at low levels and Jeff considers it an upgrade in sound and quality.

I'm likely going to order a Milo after the holidays with the Khozmo attenuator.  I don't think I'll go for either the 7.5 or 12db changes since I'll be using these on my HE-6, Ori, and Eikon, and not any of my higher sensitivity headphones.  I'm not opposed to using digital attenuation in JRiver to get the volume up to the 11-12 o'clock position.  Maybe some of you have some thoughts on whether I should opt for the attenuation or not and I'd love to hear them.  I'll be using the Milo with my DAC-19 for the time being, but we all know that will probably change at some point in the future.

I just received my Milo with the 7.5 db attenuator. I too have the He-6(along with the LCD-3&4,he-1k). I would recommend the attenuator. I can't go past the 1oclock position unless I want to pop my ear drums.

 

[Hifi59]

I just received my Milo to replace my Burson CV2 (which I love). My immediate impression upon first listen using my Hifiman HE-1k was "My God, this thing is powerful, transparent and smooooth!" Anything this light has no right to be this powerful! My Burson weighs more than twice the Milo and has half the power(all class A) so how can this be?
When all is said and done, I guess it doesn't matter because the Milo is the best sounding headphone amp that I have heard to date. It's superiority shows itself well with my Hifiman headphones more than the Audezes but everything is improved over my Burson. The Burson is in no way embarrassed by the Milo, it just doesn't deliver that last bit of transparency and heft to music that the Milo does. Tonally, they are quite similar though. One of the Bursons virtues to me is its attack and decay. Even with the Milos smooth character, it still manages to have fantastic attack and decay making anything I'm listening to exciting and engaging. I would also add that the Burson has a much more refined feel and presence than the Milo but ultimately it's about the sound and the Milo delivers like no other amp to date! Well done Jeff.

 

[Astral Abyss]

I just received my Milo with the 7.5 db attenuator. I too have the He-6(along with the LCD-3&4,he-1k). I would recommend the attenuator. I can't go past the 1oclock position unless I want to pop my ear drums.

 
I'm glad to hear that.  I just ordered my Milo today with the 7.5db attenuation as well.  Sounds like that was a good choice, from what you and @Hansotek are saying.  Jeff told me they spent a lot of time testing and making sure the attenuation circuit didn't affect the sound quality.  I also opted for the Khozmo stepped attenuator with Vishay "naked" Z-Foil resistor for the shunt.  The Vishay is something he said I should try if I wanted the very best sound.  Now I'll have an amp worthy of powering the HE-6, along with my ZMF Ori, and the upcoming Eikon.  
 
This is looking like it's going to be a good New Year!

 

[Astral Abyss]

I received my Milo.  I got everything setup Sunday night after being out of town all weekend, and now that it's Wednesday, I've had a few days to spend listening to it.  I probably have about 10-12 hours with it so far.
 
Before I dive into my thoughts and observations, let me give a basic rundown of my audio chain.  It starts with a Windows 10 PC running JRiver 22 and outputting via USB straight into an Audio-gd DAC-19 (10th Anniversary).  The DAC-19 outputs via RCA into the Milo.  I had initially intended to cycle through my headphones one by one in order to see what type of difference I could/would hear with each, starting with the HE-6.  Well, what I've heard has been so far beyond what I was expecting that I'm still on the HE-6, trying to mentally process the sound improvement and being consistently awed with each listening session.  When Jeff Wells told me I haven't heard the HE-6 until I've heard it on the Milo, he was not kidding.  
 
I just cannot get over the sheer power the bass hits with on the Milo.  From the snap of the snare drum to the crack of the hammer hitting the bass drum, it's all there in perfect detail.  The sound stage is wonderful, and as @Hansotek put it in his review, the attack and decay is very incisive.  With the Milo, I can listen just a bit louder than I'm used to because of the lack of distortion and sibilance.  Cymbal crashes and electric guitar in my metal music collection never sounded better.  Clean and crisp without being harsh.  It almost feels like the Milo rolls off the treble... just slightly... to get rid of the sharp, razorblade highs that usually stings my ears at loud listening levels and ends up forcing me to slowly turn down the volume as fatigue sets in.  I don't know if it's by design or just a byproduct of how clean it sounds.  I've found myself catching phrases and lyrics that I never could quite make out before in music I've heard dozens of times.  Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, not exactly the easiest person to understand, has spoken to me in a language that more closely resembles English than I've ever heard from him before.  And this might just be my imagination, but I swear I hear some very, very subtle tube-like distortion on some tracks.  Could it be part of the secret-sauce that makes this amp sound so inviting or just my stomach gurgling from the Mexican food I had for lunch?  Don't know.
 
I'm extremely happy with the upgrades I opted for on the Milo as well.  The 7.5db attenuation was a perfect choice.  It lets me keep my volume at the 11 to 1 o'clock position with the HE-6, depending on the recording.  I have to agree with @Hifi59, that anything past 1 o'clock is likely to pop my eardrums.  The Khozmo attenuator is wonderful to use.  While its 48 volume steps isn't the biggest of the lot out there (my Ragnarok has 64), each step has a slight notch as it engages so I can easily count how far up or down I want to go, and the knob nestles easily in each notch, but skips over them nicely for larger volume changes.  Perfect channel balance down to 0.  Now I can't speak to how the Vishay z-foil shunt resistors on the Khozmo that I opted for are affecting the sound, since I haven't heard the Milo without them, but Jeff Wells said that they add that little extra something, and since he was dead accurate about every other aspect of this amp, I have no reason to doubt him.  Is the Khozmo ($400) and Vishay ($150), a $550 addition to a $1700 amp, necessary?  Not really, but I was shooting for my endgame amp, so I wanted to splurge on the best.  We're still talking about half the price of the next closest headamp in the Wells Audio lineup.  I have no regrets.
 
I should mention that the Milo never gets especially hot.  The top of the amp and both the heatsinks on the sides do get quite warm, but never what I would consider hot.  Compared to my Ragnarok, that will burn my hand after being on for an hour or so, it felt downright cool.  I feel it's important to state that letting the Milo warm up does definitely improve its sound signature.  It'll sound a bit constrained, with smaller depth, impact, and soundstage if you just turn it on and go.  Give it a good 15-30 minutes to let it warm up and then the magic starts.  You can literally hear the sound open up, almost like a tube that's warmed up to operating temp.  Also, Jeff let me know he burned my Milo in around 40 hours before shipping it, but recommended around 200 hours (if I remember correctly) for it to sound its best.  This is a journey I'm going to enjoy.
 
In the end though, it's all about the sound, and this amp delivers.  Sorry Ragnarok, you are now my 2nd favorite amp.  The Milo is everything I was hoping it would be, from the unique styling and form factor, to the wonderfully clear, powerful and engaging sound, back to the quality of the attenuator and connections.  Not to mention it came very well packaged in a thick box with molded foam, marked as fragile with red tape on the side that should be kept up, and ready to survive being dropped or kicked on its trip to my doorstep by whatever disinterested or angry delivery person it encountered.  
 
More to come as I move on to my other headphones and swap out the DAC-19 for the Singularity 19 when it arrives.