My main gripe with the singxer is how lower level information is smoothed over leading to a slight lack of microdynamics and lower level detail, causing it to feel slightly dull (when you compare it to something like the Neve for example), I wonder if thatās what you are also hearing
I mean if your goal is clears, I donāt know if the burson is exactly what comes to mind, but itās a solid amp and would be an upgrade over the singxer. Iād say it is a good all rounder yes
what would you go with over the Soloist x3 for a soloist like sound? my understanding is that it is more neutral and analatycal sounding correct?
EDIT. like below 2k and for a unit below or around 1k
In comparison to the singxer I guess so, but on its own to me itās more neutral with a bit of warmth and fun. Wide stage with still good depth, lots of impact and slam, nice control and grip, a bit sweetened midrange overall, focus on macrodynamics over micro, good timbre and tonality. A pretty solid all rounder that works with most headphones, but also doesnāt exactly stand out. I do think you can get other amps in the price range that would out preform it with specific pairings, but they wouldnāt be as good of an all rounder for multiple headphones as the burson
I felt that on certain tracks the softer sound at Hi-Z was was sometimes preferable. It was wasnāt really dependent on which headphone
no i was talking about gain, high and low gain settings, the gain switches, there are 4 of those switches and you need to turn all of them. you can find the gain switches at the bottom of the unit. hope that helps and i hoped you would try and see if changing the gain would help out
gain and z is not the same thing sir
Whoops. I read your question wrong. Iāve been using the amp on high gain this whole time
so what amp is on your mind now? when you were considering the singxer what else were you also considering?
Iām trying the soloist because I donāt feel like waiting for a used amp to become available. M0N also reccomeded the V280 and Taurus MK II. Itās a shame since I recently missed a chance at the Taurus for $800. If only @BoomShroom had posted it our thread lol
Edit.
I just placed an order and itās costing 1200 shipped. Maybe I should have tried something else 
Ugh, this is kind of disappointing to hear. I had the SA-1 on my short list for my next ampā¦
Iām in a small minority who didnāt like it. So you shouldnāt take it off based on just my experience
I probably wonāt take it off the board, but I may go for my first tube amp instead. Thinking about the Feliks Audio Echo Mk IIā¦
in my opinion the sa-1 is way too similar to the v280 to warrant the "upgradeāā so i donāt know whats going on there because itās a lot more money, could be that mon found headphones that are just simply driven better with the v280 because he is much more enthusiastic about the v280 than the sa-1 and i can only speak for the experience ive had with the headphones ive ran through it.
however coming from the v280 to the sa-1 myself i donāt see much point in going for a v280, it is way too similar to the sa-1, at least when coming out of the ares 2, could the ares2 potentially have a psynergy limitation with these amps? no idea, because that is above my gear experience
i dont see the ares2 being a psynergy limitation but i may very well be wrong, i just havenāt ran the v280 and sa-1 on anything else so i can only speak for that, there is like basically no difference, tonally they are basically the same, i would go as far as to say there is nothing the v280 does that the sa-1 canāt compete with also, if you have the money itās a nobrainer, if you have financial reservations it really doesnt make any sense what so ever to go for the v280 imo
i think the discussion could get a lot more interesting if we got someone who has had both the sa-1 and the v280 and the ares2 but driven through something else than an ares2 to answer the psynergy question
good luck! i hope it turns out to serve you well! is that more analytical and neutral?
No the order was for a new soloist lol. Sorry for being so unclear
I really donāt think thatās what I necessarily need for my tastes. With the 6XX on the SA-1, it actually started to sound v-shaped. So I couldnāt get the midrange presence I wanted without the treble becoming painful. Maybe thereās something funny going on with my unit? Or maybe I am just crazy. If I end up not liking the Soloist at all, then Iām giving up lol.
ok thats awesome because ive been thinking about getting a soloist for my ares2 as well, definitely want to hear more about that! when should it arrive? im excited now
i only have the 58x but to me it sounds funny when you say that the 6xx hurts in the treble on this setup, wouldnt the 6xx be reccessed if anything? do you listen loud? i dont listen particularly loud. im confused, maybe my perception is wrong idk
With the 6XX in particular, I do listen loud. The the treble on the 6XX is relaxed (definitely not V-shaped normally) which is why I can normally listen at high volume without issue.
ah okay okay, i see
Word. I will still keep it on my list too, but feedback is always valuable, even if it is negative. Sorry it didnāt make the cut for You. Itās always a little bit of a drag when expectations arenāt met.
if youāre USA you may wanna check out the SA-1 at Drop
you may want to wait until marcii gets his soloist if that is on your amp list as well, as he will be getting one soon and iām sure he will have something to say about it
Even better is to leverage Apos Audio with the price on Drop and get their 2 year warranty as wellā¦