Thank you! Is there any other amps that you have heard that you can compare it with?
Had a 789 before it so not a good comparison.
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Oh, thatās what I have. Can you tell me how much of an upgrade it was?
I think itās a good upgrade. Got the Class A flavor vs the 789 linear sound. I didnāt A/B between them and I upgraded my DAC from the Enog to the Bifrost 2 at the same time as getting the FA-12. It should be a little warmer than the 789. The first thing I noticed was great instrumental separation, but not sure if thatās more FA-12 or BF2.
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These amps have been on my radar for a little while now. They seem like a really value.
My Flux Fa-12 just arrived. First impressions, itās soo big. (Insert joke here). I donāt want to comment too much without break in and proper listening time, but its put a smile on my face so far.
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Having spent more time with the Flux Fa-12 I feel like I can give out some decent feedback.
Pi2aes with moode resampling to 176khz->Coax->Denafrips Ares 2 in NOS->Flux Fa-12 High Gain->LCD2C
Is a great pairing. Very smooth mid centered and detailed sound. Bass is still present, well extended and detailed. Itās a more textured and nuanced sound than a dynamic slam. The same set up with a thx 789 can come off as harsh in the treble. The FA-12 has detailed treble, but the mids seem to be the star of the show. The treble is more laid back for fatigue free listening, but with the FA-12 you donāt miss the treble at all. With the THX 789 and modi 3 I always missed the treble with these headphones and sometimes the treble came off as fatiguing even though it wasnāt that present. This is the best Iāve ever heard the LCD2C by a good margin.
Pi2aes->Coax->Denafrips Ares 2 in OS mode->Flux Fa-12->Anandas
Detailed, and airy with a little less bass slam than I was expecting. Mids are a little on the distant side. I was never able to hear height in the stage with the THX 789, but with the FA-12 the sound can sometimes be heard as coming from above your head. the stage is more filled out from center to left and right as well, but depth still alludes me somewhat. I might need to add a PEQ to increase the bass slam for the Anandaās while the THX 789/Modi 3 did not need it. Bass is still well extended and textured, but just not as present as on the Schiit dac. Now I want to hear a bifrost 2 to compare, but aesthetically the Denafrips Ares 2 and Flux FA-12 are a great match. Ironically, the easy going treble of FA-12 seems to take away from the Anandaās treble sparkle. The same can be said for my balanced modded KSC75. Iāll give this a bit more time for brain burn in. I might be too used to the THX 789 at this point.
The Flux Fa-12 is a superior amp to the THX 789 in most ways sonically. Itās less fatiguing, more detailed and has better channel balance. My 789 had a little channel imbalance at low volumes. Except, the fa-12 does seem to deliver noticeably less power. I listen to both of my not very power hungry planars on high gain at around 11:00-12:00. If youāre looking for a really aggressive and in your face kind of sound I guess you could prefer the THX 789.
The biggest upgrade with the FA-12 was the elimination of my ground loop problem with the THX 789 paired with the Denafrips Ares 2 over balanced.
On a side note, I think the Denafrips Ares 2 is best used on speakers. The reverb it can provide seems a little wasted on headphones. Something to consider when itās time to upgrade my stereo.
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better channel balance than your 789? doesnt that just mean your 789 is faulty?
It seems to be a more common issue with some amps more than others. This is a known issue with the 789.
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Enjoyed your write up. Similar results to what I hear. I run the Bifrost 2 with mine. Would be a great addition for headphones if you didnāt want to go full on upgrade.
An update on my FA-12 experience. I ran the FA-12 for a 24+ hour burn in when I first got it. Somewhere around hour 30 the left channel went out. After turning it off for a few seconds and then back on it ran fine so I didnāt think much of it.
However, my volume wheel is now acting up. It starts clicking in the middle of playing music after I havenāt touched the volume wheel for a few minutes. Worst yet, it occasionally jumps up in dB to much, much louder than my current listening volume for about a second and then back down. I contacted support, so I guess weāll see what happens.
Wow, I got this reply with in 40 minutes of my email!
Hello Rene
Donāt panic please, the potentiometer needs a little mechanical running-in, just plug off the headphones and turn off the unit. You need to make short fitness program with volume knob, from the extreme left position, make 15-20 vigorous rotations of the volume control, clockwise and counterclockwise. Next, move the volume control to its original position (at minimum volume), plug in the headphones, and then turn on the device. Enjoy your use
Best regards, Vitaliy
Crazy fast support! Iāll report back if this fixed this issue or not in a day or two.
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Sadly this hasnāt resolved the problem. I still get clicking randomly while listening to music and worse yet, I still get loud bangs, where the volume jumps up many dB for a second. Not sure I can use this amp to protect my hearing and my headphones.
The volume relay does get āstuckā between 2 settings easily. When that happens it will click back and forth between the steps until you move it a bit. I have not had the other issue happen to me.
Good news is support has been really responsive even on Easter weekend. Theyāre sending me a replacement part. Iām super happy with their customer service.
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Has this ever been directly compared to the Rebel? Seems like a good analog but havenāt found a straight forward comparison online comparing the twoās differences (clearly value & features are identical)