How would this pair with the mz3? Just looking at options that aren’t too huge for desktop use.
Wavelight is a pretty solid match for sure although might be a tad more forward than I personally like, but should still be really nice, neutral fun that’s technical and engaging, somewhat forgiving actually. An aqua la voce s3 is also really a good match, pretty great organic but very capable dac, good tonal weight, lots of depth and speed. If you wanted something warmer and relaxed but not overly so, the playback designs mpd-3 (although you want to grab a nice ddc with this one, or find a merlot dac) is a pretty solid choice for it’s size, along with a t+a dac 8 dsd
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Nice. I appreciate the feedback.
The wavelight pushes $4-5k. Crazy how close its getting to tt2 prices.
The holo spring 2 looked interesting too.
I’ll check out the others you mentioned as well and do some research.
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I’d personally much rather have a wavelight than a tt2
It’s a great dac, but I wouldn’t suggest one for the mz3, it’s single ended output is poor considering it’s price imo, so you wouldn’t really be able to take advantage of what the dac could really offer (you would only be using 1/2 the dac running single ended for the way the spring is designed anyways)
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Ok that makes sense.
I changed the mz3 tubes out and it added some more weight in the bass. Maybe a little more slam. Definitely seems more dynamic and increased the stage.
I’m leaning towards the wavelight if I decide to upgrade. Just because the size is a little smaller than some others.
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Nice, what do you have in there now? I think in mine I had settled on black glass ken rad vt-231, and some mullard 12at7
Would be very nice imo, pretty substantial upgrade for sure
Pair of French Mazda military 12AT7WA. And 6SN7s RCA VT231 military grey glass.
Picked them up from audiotubes.com. Brent was really helpful.
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Another cool thing about the wavelight is the led screen. It’ll match the mz3 lol.
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That’s true, never thought of that, both are the dot matrix type
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@Mon, any advice on a high-end SS amp to compliment a BF2 > Pendant chain running a Rad-0? I’ll also likely have one of either an Empyrean or a Z1R on hand in the near future.
I’ve had my eyes on things like the BHA-1, the Questyle CMA 12 Master, the GS-X Mini and the Violectric V281, but unsure what the best avenue is here.
Hmmmmmm, what sort of signature are you looking for? I most likely wouldn’t lean for the bha-1 since it doesn’t pair all that well with the bifrost and I also think it might tilt into the too warm and rich with an emperyan or z1r. The cma 12 master is a solid amp although you would be paying for a dac that imo would be outperformed by the bifrost by getting it. The gsx mini could give you a more analytical and clean signature with great control and more forward detail, so something more different from the pendant, and it would pair well with those two headphones. I do like the v281 but I don’t think it pairs well with the bifrost.
I would also consider looking into an xi audio broadway or a pass labs hpa-1 (pass can be found used around 2k) if you can find one
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I’ll have to keep an eye out for Pass Labs HPA-1 deals and do some reading on the Broadway.
Noted on the comments on pairings. Would your answer change if I were to also look at other DACs to go with it? I like the BF2, but I’ve also been considering an upgrade or a second complimentary DAC there. I really love the BF2/Pendant combo on the Rads, but I’d be interested in something with more soundstage and good slam/bass impact. Given the Rad-0 is on the warmer side of neutral, and both the Empyrean and Z1R are said to be warm, I’d imagine I’d be looking for a more neutral sounding amp as to not skew too warm with my pairings. I have a Mjolnir 2 I plan to sell as while the slam is amazing, it does sound quite veiled compared to the Pendant to my ears.
Re: the CMA, given the lack of analogue inputs, do you think the amp/DAC combo it provides is a worthy alt to a BF2/Pendant combo? It would kind of be on it’s own rails as I can’t plug a DAC into it.
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Yes
The v281 makes a lot of sense, as does the xi broadway then imo. I think going with a 281/280 with a soekris 2541 would be a fairly neutral stack with really nice width and space, and lots of impact while being fairly technical. The 2541 has really good synergy with the vio, but I can’t speak to how it would be on a pendant since I haven’t tried that exact pairup. Trying to extrapolate my experiences of the 1541 on the pendant and also how the 2541 differs, it could be a good option although slightly lean sounding with the pendant. With the broadway, you could upgrade to the holo cyan and that’s also good for the pendant imo. Another potential option could be the bryston bda-2 (used) as that pairs well with both amps and the pendant. At least trying to keep the dac budget around 1k
I think if you went with a vio + soekris, a gsx + holo (although this combo might be slightly lacking slam in the bass but still possibly up your alley), or the broadway + bryston (or holo) then you could reasonably accomplish those goals with good synergy with your headphones (at a reasonable price)
I guess it could be, but personally I’d go with separates though and get more performance and flexibility
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@M0N Thanks for the thorough reply! I appreciate the time and it’s giving me a lot to think about here. Maybe I’m reading this wrong, but sounds like the V281/V280 or the GSX Mini are my best options here based on what I have on hand and with what and what I’m planning to get. A few last questions for you:
- What’s the main difference between the V281 and the V280? Also, how does one come by the 281 these days? I’ve seen the 280 available but not the 281.
- if I went the GSX Mini route, would the BF2 play okay with it until I upgraded my DAC? I noticed in your initial post it’s the only pairing you didn’t knock for it’s synergy, or lack thereof, with the BF2.
- Last, you mentioned the Holo Cyan. Do you think that’s a better fit than their Spring line of DACs?
Keeping an eye on this response. I’ve got a Cyan and I enjoy it, currently paired with a Liquid Platinum but eventually I’d like to move up to a solid next step beyond the LP.
As far as the Holo Cyan goes it’s a pretty resolving unit, with good detail and slam but with an overall neutrality that really really just gets out of the way. It’s not nearly as resolving as my only other high end DAC a Lampi Amber 3, but that’s not a fair comparison either.
The Cyan also makes for a very competent desktop preamp. And the infamous remote volume does work… unlike the other Holo DAC models. lol
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Link to something to power the Hifiman https://www.rolls-royce.com/products-and-services/civil-aerospace/airlines/trent-7000.aspx#/
281 is the same sig as the 280 but further beefed up, a bit higher quality power, more power, and more io
Technically both are discontinued but the 280 is still being sold due to popular demand at the moment. You would have to look used to find a 281
Yes
The bf2 calms it down a bit, and didn’t go overboard, so I don’t mind that pairing imo, but I would go higher to take advantage of the mini
I mean if you can get a spring 2 that would be sweet, I just didn’t mention it since I figured out of budget. I will say though that on the spring, the single ended outs are somewhat gimped so for example with the pendant you would be missing out on performance without an input transformer box
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Hey @M0N I’m thinking of selling my Bryston and RME ADI-2 DAC and going to something like the new Violetric V590 combo. What are your thoughts on that? Would that be a decent upgrade or not worth it? Thanks.
Depends on what you are after, the v590 is a much more neutral amp, a step forward technicality wise as well perhaps outside of timbre. Generally though the dac in the v590 is somewhat weak, I would really get a nicer more appropriate dac for it later on but for the time being the internal dac would be passable. Still the th900 iirc?
Hey, thanks for your reply. Well, I suppose I’m looking for a powerful, fairly neutral sounding amp. Nothing that changes the sound too drastically. But, I do really value powerful and controlled high-quality bass. Yes, I’m mainly using the Fostex TH-900 and TH-600. But looking to sell most of my headphones and move towards a Final D8000 and/or Abyss AB-1266 TC…