I’m glad I didn’t pull the trigger on the amps being discussed earlier as my circumstances have changed slightly. I now am fortunate to be a new owner of a Abyss 1266 phi tc (end of week) which changes the entire equation.
Researching this headphone has been a problem as nobody can give quite clear guidance on exactly what they need. From what I can gather they like 4-5+watts @ 50 ohms. Going on headfi thread and down the rabbit hole the posters are flexing their e-peens with $10k+ Amps/DACs but I see very little discussion on the affordable end.
With that said I now need to get a new DAC+AMP either separates or an AIO combo and need to stay ~ $2k all in.
DACS I’ll probably look at the BF2, ares ii, or maybe even to look higher.
I’m split if I should try to keep in basic and just get a BF2 -> LP or A90 for a minimal initial investment and save for an end game piece to properly match. Or go mid level and get the Conductor or Violectric options.
If you end up getting the FA-10 I’ll be curious what you think.
I had the Burson Conductor 3XR. It had a lot of connectivity options, I thought I wanted an all-in-one, but I felt the DAC portion was a little lacking and it was a tad noisy. Although I consider the HPA V281 as side grade to the BC3XR, I prefer the V281 as does something extra to the bass and sound stage/imaging in my opinion.
What I miss with the Burson is the digital volume display, its fun signature with the Vivid op-amps, but it had a few things that I didn’t like either.
I’ll just say the V281 handles the Diana V2 just fine. I know the impedance and sensitivity is not the same as the 1266 compared to the V2, but I have the lowest output setting set on the V281, and still has plenty of power. I don’t have the BC3XR anymore, but I know that beast could handle the them.
The GS-X Mini can drive the 1266 in high gain with ease. I’m not having any difficulty with my Diana Phi on low gain (balanced).
As far as DACs with those headphones… you’re going to start collecting a few. The Bifrost 2 is accurate enough to bring out the details you’re hunting for but warm enough poorly recorded tracks won’t make the experience miserable.
I find that Diana Phi to be (which is pretty much a 1266) to more pleasant overall than my LCD X with good recordings while resolving better with the Bifrost 2. I’m literally confused how that’s the case, but I have to share that data point regardless of how crazy that sounds. I recommending getting a balanced cable since most amps that offer both single ended and balanced won’t be able to drive those headphones single ended comfortably.
Abyss shipped the 1266 phi tc and will be here Friday
SPL Phonitor E has been purchased and will be shipped Friday
50/50 on buying the Flux Acoustic Labs FA10 amp to try it out… That 16 watts class A is calling my name.
Now on to buying a new DAC. I’m split on a Bifrost 2 / Rme adi-2 dac / Ares II. Thoughts on these? Also is there another DAC at a slightly higher price than either that is leaps & bounds “better”? My preference is toward a warmer sound than being bright or sibilant.
As someone who’s never listened to anything better than a Magni 2 and SMSL AD-18, I’m far from convinced that I’d notice the difference between, say, a $100, $200, and $1000 amp. The case for just getting a Magni 3 heresy seems really strong.
I’d very much love to be able to go to a store and just calmly try out stuff. That I guess might make a believe of me.
Important to note is that the volume potentiometer in the SMSL SP200 is terrible. Both in terms of function and feel. Easliy the shittiest potentiometer I have come across in any headphone amp.
While dacs are harder to convince people of regarding their sound quality to price, I honestly believe the higher quality the amp, the better the sound, and its easier to tell the difference when you get above a certain price
There are obviously budget exceptions. See Geshelli labs
Warmer? Bifrost 2 hands down out of those options. With those headphones, the RME might be a bit too smooth. Other DAC that I really want that you might be interested in is the Holo Dac Spring 3 Kitsune. Spring 2 is good enough.
If you want the warm DAC the Bifrost 2 will treat you best. As M0N put it, the between the Bifrost 2, Ares II, and Soekris. The Bifrost 2 is the warmest with the Soekris being the most analytical. Ares II is between the two for analytical/warmth. Bottom line, you can’t go wrong with either.
As for the Holo Dac, Spring 2 Level 2 or Level 3. Level 1 has some issues with USB that might be an issue. You’re getting essentially 2 dacs in 1 with those DACs between the over sampling and non-oversampling modes.
Thx… I think the Bifrost 2 would likely suit my listening preferences of the lower tier then.
I’ll have to go blow through the 145 page Holo Spring Dac thread of headfi… It’s unclear to me their product lineup in terms of costs + features. It appears there is a Spring 1 and a Spring 2 DAC each that can be purchased with Level 1, 2, & 3.
The only used option available for sale is a Spring 1 Level 3 ($1850) or you buy direct and get the Spring 2 whatever levels. The Spring 2 Level 2 is $2k and the Level 3 is $2.7k with the L3 description as:
KTE Spring Version 2 – This is the model also known as Level 3. (photos show KTE model(silver Otype transformer, Mundorf caps, hand picked dac modules, 4N silver wiring, SHD ultimate beeswax fuse, cnc remote control, pure copper KTE “fox” logo emblem)
Starting to get above my price range but something to research and continue watching for used options.
You really would notice a difference between a $100.00 amp and a $600.00 amp. I know I went with $199.00, $299.00 and $399.00 amps. The differences were subtle. Then I jumped on a $599.00 amp and it was Damn!
I know it’s hard right now, but if you could take your favourite HP’s to a shop and hang out for a couple of hours with a variety of amps, I think you would be pleasantly surprised.
Hi
Yes I know what you mean.
I got the Singxer SDA 2 and these are worlds compared to what I heard before.
Although it wasn’t bad, in the end I gained a lot more in all areas and it knocked me out.
What the part cleans up.
Worth every penny, what I regret is that I haven’t bought it before.
Have fun with your collection.
