Well I think higher end definitely sounds more off. But even with stuff like HD600 whilst not particularly resolving I still find amps like the Geshelli (or even Atom/Heresy) more resolving than 789
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oh wow okay. interesting
not that I like those op amps that much haha. But if I were to pick sth that sounds like a 789 Iād go Geshelli
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so are you considering the SA? looking for an upgrade or are you rather looking for an amp with a different sound?
cleaned up a bit to get a nicer picture this time, iām ecstatic about this thing
on a different note, Dan Clark did a mistake with the Aeonās, looking at the picture i think you know what i mean. donāt gloss finish the things your custommers will always have their hands on!
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Not necessarily more like curious. Iāve tried many measurement amps (not that I care) and the only one Iām happy with is the Gustard H16. Just wonder how the SA1 sounds. But both this and H16 are already a slight downgrade from my RNHP
Am also eyeing on the Ares haha
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interesting. exactly how is the SA-1 a downgrade from the RNHP?
is the H16 a clinical sound? if so iām sure the SA-1 would be a nice complimentary unit to add a bit of warmth
yeah the ares has been pretty amazing for me, widens things a bit i feel like
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Iām only doing the guessing work here, but I did notice that the RNHP has much darker background, better separation, clarity and resolution, and much punchier and textured bass than the H16. And from what Iāve seen I think H16, SA1, A90, SH9/SP400 are sort of at the similar level, whereas stuff like RNHP, G111 and Violectric have better performance.
No it isnāt clinical at all but neutral to slightly warm which is what surprises me, and makes me disbelieve measurements and Iām guessing SA1 is also similar
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interesting, becasuse my understaning on the general concencus of the a90/SP400 is that itās basically crap, iāve heard nothing but bad things about it, sound wise that it sounds dead or sterile in particular, quite the contrary of what you will hear about the SA-1, my understanding of the general concensus being that it is warmly tilted, smooth and pleasant, which is what iām hearing out of it myself
the SA-1 has an analogue sound, a90/sp400/789 and those type of amps i have heard nothing else about aside from them being clinical, some say dead sounding, so, digital sounding, but in a bad bad
i would be really interested to know who states that the SA-1 is at the level of those amps you are mentioning here but i wonāt count on you remembering that, it would be understandable, we all read a bit here, read a bit there, my guess is that whoever is saying that is dealing with headphones that doesnt really benefit from better sources
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Oh donāt get me wrong, 789/SH9/SP200 etc sound crap to me and Iām with you on this one. A90 is not even neutral to my ears so I donāt see how itās transparent. For me, these would rate somewhere similar to Atom and Heresy. Iād put Element II and Geshelli stuff above these but below H16.
I suppose what I was saying is that H16 is a well measured yet musical amp, and thatās why Iāve been curious about the SA1 as it appears itās another amp like the H16.
Yet, Iām also guessing it wonāt perform as well as the RNHP/G111/V200 which, from what I read at least here, generally out perform the sub Ā£500 category amps.
Definitely not saying the SA1 is at the level of those amps, but that itās not at the level of RNHP/Violectric stuff
But if you look at the market, I think itās quite clear that the A90, SA1 and SP400 are direct competitors with similar pricing, and ideology i.e. measurement chasing (at least for some) but I do know the SA1 is also designed to sound good, just like the H16 which is priced a bit lower
ah yes i see
thats what i thought too before getting aquanted with my downgrade to the SA-1 from the V280, iād be curious to know what others would have to say about that because perhaps iām not hearing all the things, to me, i just expected the downgrade to be much more notable
i am not saying there are not significant differences, iām sure they can be found with a/b testing or through the use of a wider range of headphones, itās just that i myself havenāt experienced notable differences between the two, having not a/bād the things which i feel must be noted, i also only use one headphone but the Aeon Noire should be more than detailed enough to pick up on any differences i feel like
I donāt own either SA1 nor V280 so Iām only doing the guessing work here. I didnāt mention I actually prefer the tuning of H16 to RNHP, but I canāt deny the RNHP has better technicality and Iāve low key wanted sth to replace the H16 i.e. same tuning but better technicality hence Iāve been following your impressions about the SA1
id say go for it, the v280 sounds fantastic, if you canāt demo it i would highly recommend you try and find a shop with a 30 day free return and just try it out for a couple of days if only to demo it just to quench your curiousity on it, you could always save up for it if you find it to be a huge improvement for you, which it may very well be
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You mean go for the V280? Might be too big a jump, financial wise 
sth like V200 or G111 would be a bit more realistic. But Iāll definitely demo it at some point
sth? i needed some words here to post this question
I donāt own that either so canāt really do more than guessing. But I suppose there are headphones that are resolving but insensitive to the source, eg high end ZMF. Didnāt you also own the clear? Iād have thought itād be more noticeable on the clears
i did not notice a huge difference with the clears going from the v280 to the SA-1, in fact iām not quite sure iād be able talk about the differences, there were, just not in any notable way for ME, again, not having a/bād which should be noted. i focus on my experience with the music i listen to, not so much the gear, and if i did iām sure i would have more to say about all this.
i donāt listen to hear the difference, above all i listen to enjoy my music. i think people can sometimes get caught up in details. in the end of the day, the best gear is the gear you enjoy the most regardless of what anyone else thinks and says about it
but ofcourse i understand it too, people want to know 110% before they even consider going any one route with buying a certain piece of equipment, especially when they cannot demo it, im not saying donāt go looking for details because you absolutely should when itās all you have to go on!
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but ill say this.
i think that you would be much better served if you were to look at someone using a wide range of headphones with the SA-1 which im sure you are researching anyway, because thats an experience in my case i cannot talk about and itās an important impression to get to see how any given piece of gear will truly act
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