[pupu]

Hello everyone.

I just wanted to tell you how disappointed I am after hearing the musical fidelity x-can v3.

Went to a local hifi shop and they had it ready with some expensive accuphase cd-player. So I plugged in my Sennheiser HD595 and started listening. Well to be honest, it just didn't sound any better than my cambridge audio integrated stereo amplifier. I kept listening over an hour trying to find a reason to spend almost 400 euros for the amp.

So maybe I just can't hear the difference or my headphones suck or...? I really was expecting so much more

 

[sidewinder]

My Marantz amp also sounds beautiful (gets better through speakers though), but it's aging and the parts grow older as well. It's quit understandable the Cambridge amp sounds the same in terms of pure SQ compared to the x-can V3, as the costs are nearly the same.

I'd bet you'd need to pay 3 times as much as the Cambridge to get better SQ. Cambridge is already well known for it's HQ amps, and you definately get what you pay for. I seriously doubt a dedicated headphone amp at that price (exept for DIY) is going to sound better.

 

[Luco]

The X-Can V3, just like a lot of other amps, needs to be well burnt in. Even when it is burnt in though, it does not necessarily sound good enough for the money for everyone's tastes. I thought it was OK at best.

 

[DennyL]

I'm in the UK and took my AKG K501's to a local hi-fi shop that had an XCan v3 connected to a Cyrus system, and I thought it sounded terrible, not much better than the integrated amplifier that I was then usiong with my 501's. I now have a DarkVoice amp and it sounds wonderful. I don't really know why the XCan in that shop connected to a Cyris system sounded os bad

 

[mrarroyo]

My X-Can V3 was modded by PinkFloyd and then I added a pair of matched russian 6H23-EB tubes. It is a fantastic unit, the more I listen to it the more I like it. It makes my Senn HD600 (also modded: de-foamed and with a Headphile Senn V2 BlackSilver cable) and my AKG K701 sound fantastic.

I could not be happier, it sounds better than some $700 amps. Even un-moded it sounded very good. Do not understand why you all had a bad experience.

 

[Gradofan2]

Just goes to show you that you must have the right combination of source, amp, tubes, headphones and cables to achieve the sound I've got with mine.

I can assure you that with the proper set up and headphones you will find none better for less than $1,000 with the Senn HD650's - but, you have to have the right set up.

GF2

 

[BennyBoy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DennyL I'm in the UK and took my AKG K501's to a local hi-fi shop that had an XCan v3 connected to a Cyrus system, and I thought it sounded terrible, not much better than the integrated amplifier that I was then usiong with my 501's. I now have a DarkVoice amp and it sounds wonderful. I don't really know why the XCan in that shop connected to a Cyris system sounded os bad

Over the last couple of months I've tried 11 headphone amps and they all sounded ok, but nothing jumped out at me until I got the X-CanV3! After a few days with the xCanV3, I found the sound to be many times better than anything else I'd heard.

Maybe you all should walk down to the store and buy some earwax remover

And my X-canV3 is stock.

 

[Andrea]

No surprise here. Integrated amps can sound great with headphones & I remember reading right here of someone having preferred some Pioneer integrated just to the X-Can V3 (and it wasn't me

)

 

[mysticaldodo]

From memory, I too felt the changes to the HD 595 when plugged into the stock Xcan V3 were too subtle. Plug in the HD 650, now we're talking

I generally don't think the HD 595 improves much with amplification. I've tried a few other amps like the MG OTL 32, Cary 300 and Creek OBH 21 and it was subtle to me. Saying that I was not impressed with the Xcan /HD 595 combination too but bought anyway to accomodate future headphone upgrades

 

[Andrea]

May be, but keep in mind that also integrated amps enable the performance to improve by far with the HD650 as opposed to the HD595

That definitely was the case for my little Pioneer A-209R. Out of it there's just no comparison, the HD650 goes incredibly better.

The high impedance of the headphone (as compared to the 50 ohms of the HD595) is a factor in this finding - while this is indifferent with 0-ohm-output-impedance headphone amps like the X-Can V3.

What I'm trying to say is that all low impedance headphones are penalized, to variable degrees, when powered by the headphone out of integrated amps.

 

[jumping jupiters]

i lived with the x-can v3 for over year...at the end i greatly prefered the singlepower amp for a little more, but the mf still sounded really delightful for the money. i think its only weakness lies in the bass region...too bass heavy from my experience.

 

[robm321]

I guess I have different ears. I love the X-can v.3. I think it is one of the better values as far as amps are concerned. But I like a little tube sound (not overly tubey) along with the precision of solid state, and the X-cans deliver.

synergizes incredibly with the Senn 600

 

[Solitary1]

Received my Headfive a week ago Monday. I've been giving it significant burn-in, and enjoying it immensely. But, I gotta go back to my X-Can v3 every night for at least an hour....

 

[kramer5150]

That amp is rumored to be very dry / neutral / uncolored... for a tube amp. So, spectrally (frequency response-wise) its not going to alter or add anything or take anything away. So then the main difference is transient response... How quickly the amplification circuit responds to signal input & attenuation. If those are 50 ohm cans the difference my be very minimal. Add to that the fact that most $300 tube amps are generally not known to be "quick / snappy" sounding circuits.

System synnergy = black magic

 

[regal]

Has anyone compared an xCan to a Millett Hybrid? Both being hybrid amps it should be a good comparison especially if the Millett had the Diamound Buffer