Out of curiosity, are you using your source as the preamp or do you have a dedicated preamp (if so, which one)?
I am also noticing an improvement with the soloist in Poweramp mode, but I am wondering if I should get a better preamp or not.
The soloist I’m using an ifi micro iDSD signature. It’s not a perfect solution but it’s pretty darn good sounding to my ears.
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Just saw this Schiit Audio: Audio Products Designed and Built in Texas and California
It would be interesting to hear how Starry night would sound hooked up to that amp. Lol
Nice! I’m gonna have to keep this in mind when I get home to mine. Out of curiosity, how thick is the batting that you used?
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Unfortunately it doesn’t say on the bag but it’s pretty thin. I did a double layer of this stuff. Rough cut it in a square and folded the corners in where I needed to.
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If I didn’t have some other plans I’d definitely give it a shot but I’ll let someone else jump on it. Looks like a decent amp though.
Cool! Thanks for the pics. Looks like it should be pretty easy to pick up something similar at the local craft store. What music are you finding yourself gravitating towards with the SNs?
No problem! fiber fill should work as well but I wanted to try something a little more dense for S&Gs. They are in my living room right now just due to where my A100 is positioned and really just doing content consumption with them. I am actually enjoying them on anime right now and Japanese music. Actually way more than before since the sibilance has calmed down a bit.
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I tried powering them directly from the Topping L70 and it is able to power them fairly well all be it set to high gain and -30 to -20 dB. AMHD>WiiM Mini>Bifrost 2/64>L70
It actually sounds pretty good with that chain since the background is near dead silent compared to the Soloist. This is making me consider moving my speaker setup to my desk so I can keep the L70 in the chain.
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Not sure if this was updated on the SJY site recently or not, but it now says 87dB sensitivity.
I had not seen that before, but that sensitivity rating makes some of the statements regarding power requirements make more sense. Thanks for the heads up bro!
Edit: Let me just add that, assuming this new number is accurate, I still wouldn’t expect this to require some of the heroic levels of amplification some have claimed (not here, but head-fi).
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True, the L70 was able to drive them just fine all be it with less headroom than some other amps. I think it could be the various combinations of gear. Some DACs also output voltage is below spec in some cases which would lower the maximum potential of the Amp. Cables can have some effect on the end result as well, but I don’t think it would be make or break. You can’t account for every possible combination of gear, so results will always vary.
Edit: Yeah, I see what you mean. One of the guys over on head-fi is claiming he is using the Audio-GD Master 19 on High gain at 48% volume and it is “Only starting to show it’s muscle”. From what I can find regarding that amp’s power output it is more than twice as powerful as the Soloist 3XP. I don’t know how it behaves below it’s rated spec, but that seems to be pretty loud if it behaves like the Soloist. Granted he said that the DAC was set to -12 dB.
that’s like when Zeos says he has to put IEM’s on high gain on his WA-11 but doesn’t mention what he has the rest of the chain at, when I try them on mine I usually can’t get past the channel imbalance unless I lower the volume somewhere else lol
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We shall see what people claim about the new revision once it gets out into the wild. lol
So tried the SN on my TA30, it’s a very interesting pair that smoothed the top end out. It plays nicely but if you listen loud there just won’t be enough volume before distortion.
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Interesting, I would have thought it wouldn’t have been a good pairing due to it being a 10 ohm load. Have you tried using R2R DACs with it, or just delta sigma DACs? I am planning on hooking my SMSL SU-9 back up to A/B with the Bifrost 2/64.
My Asgard 3 is back from the dead (decided to start working again, lol). Trying SN on it right now. Pretty much what I expected thus far decreased soundstage (more in your head). The Asgard 3 is able to drive it just fine, and the detail is okay (all be it a little smoothed out). Not the best pairing, but it is not terrible and it may just be too much of the Schiit house sound being fed to the SN, lol. Guitar still sounds good, and vocals are on point, but you can definitely tell that you are giving up something coming from a better amp. I will still be trying out my SMSL SU-9 with all 3 of my amps to see if it pairs better with the SN.
AMHD>Wiim Mini>Bifrost 2/64>Asgard 3
Edit: My favorite pairing is still the Bifrost 2/64 + Soloist 3XP combo thus far.
Revisions are coming out weekly (I no longer announce it) its constant small changes I noticed every time headphone is build. I think the V2 driver is at its limit of improvements. The V3 driver will have a completely different stator design, though I have no idea how many more revisions I will make (since it is 3D printed). Maybe in a few more versions, I can finally slow down the revisions.
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I was actually referring to the V3 in that comment, sorry I should have stated it clearly. It was more of a dig at those who over exaggerated regarding the power requirements of Starry Night.
The V3 will be bit easier to drive, it will still eat power though. I’m mainly focusing on the sound improvements for the V3 while testing on the driver opening build with a different acoustic guide( more rounded/ chamfer), I will announce something online about the driver when it is mostly completed.
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