Headphone Evaluation

Eric, congrats on the Wadax Ref Dac and Server! excited for you.

i know exactly how much of a step up the Wadax combo was over my much loved MSB Select II. now, 9 months later, the specialness of the Wadax has only grown. lots of 'pinch myself' listening. it never gets old nor do i take it for granted.

i will be watching for your feedback details as you spend more time. a question; is that bottom shelf under the Wadax Server reserved for the STX headphone amp or the new Wadax server power supply? you don't have to answer.;)

enjoy!
 
Ritmo;353313 Do you miss having speakers?[/QUOTE said:
Both paradigms are immensely satisfying with good equipment. But they are indeed different. I don't feel the need to go back. The future for headphones and amplifiers looks very bright.

Eric
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The last piece of the puzzle is in place. HiFiMan EF1000 hybrid (tube first stage/solid state Class A output) amp arrived and is warming up. I am anxious to hear what it can do. The Wadax units and CH Precision L10 have 100 hours of burn in on them as do the cables. Now for the fun.

Eric
 

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Great news Eric! Hope you are happy with the results as it is an outstanding system.
 
Eric, a question;

has the performance impact of the additions of the Wadax Ref dac/server and CH Precision L10 had any effect on your headphone hierarchy?

brought more separation of headphone/headphone amp attributes? or is it too early to go there? thanks.
 
Too early to call Mike. I'm working on comparing the new Focal Utopia to the DCA Expanse. Will go back through the others after. So far, Focal is a clear winner.

Eric
 
Cincy2 said:
Too early to call Mike. I'm working on comparing the new Focal Utopia to the DCA Expanse. Will go back through the others after. So far, Focal is a clear winner.

Eric
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thanks....makes sense. i will be paying attention to your feedback. you have to be covering new ground for any dedicated headphone set-up......anywhere. fun stuff.

enjoy the process.
 
Anshul,

I just received the Viva Egoista STX amplifier on Monday and am in the review process. I will post an update within the next week.

Eric
 
This is my last update to this thread. Given all the permutations and combinations of headphone amps and headphones I have tried, I am ready to choose my optimum configuration. The relatively new dCS Lina headphone amp (standalone with my front end) and the Abyss 1266 TC headphones gave me the best combination of frequency response, soundstage, bass and overall 'presence". The STX Egoista with CRBN phones were a very close second. The Egoista is enchanting and made like a tank. However, the Lina got the nod because of my long standing bias for solid state amplification's detail and accuracy.

I started this experiment to see if headphones with a state of the art front end could offer the same listening satisfaction as pure two channel audio with speakers. It did...for a while. I find myself missing the scale of a two channel system. I will keep my preferred headphone set up but have placed the additional components required for two channel audio on order. I picked B&W 802D4 speakers and Vicoustic Room treatments from Mike at Suncoast and a CH Precision M10 to complement my L10 preamp from Ron Buffington at Liquid HiFi. I didn't need to pick between headphones and speakers. They can both happily co-exist.

Eric
 
Eric - Great news to see you embrace again 2 channel audio in addition to headphones. The new B&W D4 series are really special and a “bargain”. And, the CH Precision 10 series are fantastic. Congrats and happy liestening!
 
Cincy2 said:
This is my last update to this thread. Given all the permutations and combinations of headphone amps and headphones I have tried, I am ready to choose my optimum configuration. The relatively new dCS Lina headphone amp (standalone with my front end) and the Abyss 1266 TC headphones gave me the best combination of frequency response, soundstage, bass and overall 'presence". The STX Egoista with CRBN phones were a very close second. The Egoista is enchanting and made like a tank. However, the Lina got the nod because of my long standing bias for solid state amplification's detail and accuracy.

I started this experiment to see if headphones with a state of the art front end could offer the same listening satisfaction as pure two channel audio with speakers. It did...for a while. I find myself missing the scale of a two channel system. I will keep my preferred headphone set up but have placed the additional components required for two channel audio on order. I picked B&W 802D4 speakers and Vicoustic Room treatments from Mike at Suncoast and a CH Precision M10 to complement my L10 preamp from Ron Buffington at Liquid HiFi. I didn't need to pick between headphones and speakers. They can both happily co-exist.

Eric
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Interesting changes! What is your opinion of the CH gear from your other, former electronics?
 
KeithR said:
Interesting changes! What is your opinion of the CH gear from your other, former electronics?
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Th build quality and human interface are off the charts impressive. I can't compare the sound directly as my entire front end (server and DAC) have also changed.

Eric
 
Just read through this entire thread. I can guess how much fun this ride was/is. I'm thinking my Senn 800s don't cut it anymore. I will look forward to watching this thread.
Thank you for all your efforts.
Barry
Cheavers release the hounds I'm on the hunt.
 
Leatherneck said:
Like you, I am retired. I've spent the last few years spending (and wasting) money looking for my end game audio system.
I have one bit of advice. Don't let sound quality influence you over things like ease of use, convenience, etc. I find myself listening to my Naim Mu-So more than my 500 level Naim system. I replaced a Violectric V281 headphone amp with an entry level Naim Uniti Atom HE because the HE is an absolute joy to use and I can listen to it for hours without ever skipping tracks.
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I too have a Naim Uniti Atom HE. VERY highly recommended. I'm running it with Focal Stellias. Very tasty.
 
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