I have a pair of focal shape 50s and a sub6 subwoofer

Wow what a fucking manual. Can’t wait to scale these shapes up with this RME unit. Great thing is i can use it as a dac when i’m ready to spend on a really good pre amp.

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Ok so having played with these for more than 30 hours since saturday, i can say these are really nice. Especially with the sub6 from focal they really open up. However i still can’t go over the harshness of these. THe harshness comes from music like rock where you hear cymbals like almost this sprite ness or treble glare in them. Was thinking of another choice since i’m still within my 30 day return window.

Yup, it’s definitely too hot for me to handle as well…

Did you try EQing it down? It could be a compromise you could live with for now…

Like I mentioned tho, I don’t know any other exceptional fully balanced pre-amps so can’t help you there.

Yes i tried the loudness option on the RME which helped it tone down somewhat but i can’t help but feel like it won’t change the nature of the treble overall. Maybe its the tweeter design too. The focal solo 6be have the beryllium tweeters which go all the way to 40khz without any kind of harshness. Those cost two kidneys tho. The other option is a pair of adam a7xs

Uh, I don’t think you use the loudness option for that. You usually use it if you listen at low volumes and it would then boost bass and treble to compensate…

I meant the tone controls at the back of the Shapes…you said you had it all the way up. Maybe turning it down will help…

the loudness helps give me better sense of imaging and detail than without but the harshness is still there. Yeah i have the knobs less than 0.

try the denafrips ares II in the near future. Might be the coloration you need.

Ah, I’m actually saving up for a Holo Spring 3…it should sound pretty smooth.

You buying it sometime soon? Let me know how it goes cause apparently the RME in nature is a bit harsh which is weird since it is a neutral DAC.

What was your budget?

Even if I buy it relatively soon, it’ll be about a 1-2 month wait time…

1200-1500 is what i’m comfortable with atm. If i get the denafrips i’d need a preamp.

For all-in-one?

Yeah, then the Holo should get crossed out of your list

i couldn’t find a price tag on the holo may level 3. It doesn’t have to be all in one btw. i’ll save up myself.

Might think it’s the speakers now and not the RME / DAC.
It does very little compared to actual speaker change. Now you hear the music with ice pick sharpness and harshness. Those been mentioned also many times what others have typed and experienced with some Focal monitors.

Thats what i’m thinking too and the solo 6 be are more smoother in the high end/warmer because of that tweeter beryllium. The shapes in comparison i hear are more flat. No problem just didn’t know they had some harshness to them.

Ah, ok. If that’s the case, I’d get a schiit bifrost/RME DAC and pair it with the Soloist…

how much is the holo spring 3? I remember tell you i preferred separates.

Around $3000…additional $500 for pre-amp

is the preamp like an all in one option?

It’s solely a DAC with an optional pre-amp…so no headphone amp nor speaker outs…