Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by elhefe77

KOGA Aimez - Handcrafted Power Amp Review

elhefe77 — Sat, 07 Feb 2015 17:49:57 +0800

After the long agony of waiting, I was presented with the reference (prototype) unit with the serial number : 00001 by KOGA Audio. In fact, I could not wait till Friday evening, hence I went and collected the unit from the maker on Thursday evening. After putting the kids to sleep, I decided to hook up this hybrid power amp and by the time I have done that, it was already past midnight. Nevertheless, it was a worthwhile the hard work.

PRODUCT INFO/SPECS

The unit is decently sized to fit nicely into a simple small set up. Came in black ash but the maker may be able to accommodate special request of other colours.

It is a class A/B hybrid power amp, hand built by the maker. So, what is a hybrid amp? In short, it is a mixture of tube and solid state amp.

Power Output - 30W RMS/channel
THD - 0.02%
Frequency Response - 20Hz - 50kHz +0, -3 dB
Input Impedance - 55kOhms
It is a simple design with an on/off switch on the front. Red/amber when on and blue when it is off. Decent gold plated speaker terminals for use with standard banana plugs and also gold plated RCA input to connect the pre amp. There is also fail safe fuse.

THE SETUP

Musical Fidelity M1 CLiC - DAC/Streamer pre amp
Musical Fidelity M1 CDT - CD Player
SONY MDS JA20ES - MD player
Dell laptop - CAS
KOGA Aimez Hybrid Power Amp
Speaker Cable - Ixos 604
Interconnects - Cambridge Audio

FIRST IMPRESSION

I have never heard a hybrid before. Although some people say the NAD Amp I reviewed before was a hybrid as well. Nevertheless, it was quite an eye opener (or is it ear opener?) first impression for me. Huge sound stage, sound was dispersed widely and fills up my hall. A bit shy on the bass but not soft. Vocals feel alive and bold. Even with an MP3 320 kbps file streamed over wifi sounded very much lively and have some natural prowess in the delivery.

THE SETLIST

Time To Blow - Del Paxton (CD)
Metallica - Enter Sandman (Hi Res FLAC - 24/96)
Era Gia Tutto Previsto - Andrea Bocelli (MP3 256 kbps)
Mustika - M. Nasir (MP3 192 kbps)
Viopipe - Butterfingers (MP3 320 kbps)
Hotel California - Eagles (Hi Res FLAC - 24/192)
Bamboleo - Gypsy Kings (MP3 320 kbps)
KOGA Sampler - Various test music (CD)

THE SESSION

Since the unit was a reference/prototype unit, it was already fully run in. However, since I had the time, by the time I reviewed it, it has already gone through about 30 hours of listening with of 50 songs.

Del Paxton's Time To Blow was...mind-blowing. The double bass on this was a killer. The Aimez delivered such a powerful bass that was clean, defined and refined. At the same time, it fill up my hall with such enjoyment. The piano was entertaining and blended well with the blues guitar. The Aimez delivered a very clear description of what jazz is all about. Percussion was another high point where the drumming was also very hard hitting where the tom toms sounded hollow as it should be.

Enter the Enter Sandman and the bass was just extraordinary. The dispersion of the drums intro was room filling experience. I usually like my drums to sound tight and punchy, but the Aimez elevated sound just give a different sound to my ProAc D18. I ask myself, how my D18 can do this? I mean, I have tried my D18 with various Musical Fidelity amps, Magnet, NAD, Marantz etc, and although these amps have their own character, the D18 character was still there. I was struggling to find that D18 character with this Aimez. At times, it sounded like PMC which is another favorite of mine. James's vocal was not as upfront as how I used to notice with this track but was still nicely delivered. Guitar riffs was timely and the solo sharp and timely.

Andrea's rendition of Era Gia Tutto Previsto was the highlight of my session. I usually only listen to this song on my audiophile quality LP as oppose to the MP3 version, but the Aimez delivered this track flawlessly to me. Layer and layer of different instrumentation can be heard without compromising the Andrea's powerful vocal. The whole track was presented in a more elevated signature as if there was a presence speakers above my D18s. His vocal was bold and and energetic but at the same time was very melodramatic.

Closer to the local scene, M. Nasir's Mustika is one of the local songs that combined traditional and modern instruments in one fusion track. The sound of gamelan, angklung etc was very evidently detail and layered across the whole track. The classical guitar solo was clean and crisp in its delivery. The vocal was also very melodious but at certain point, the high frequency was also quite prominent.

Butterfingers... Malaysian's very own grunge band from the mid 90's... has this particular track called Viopipe which has always been on my percussion tracklist but never been used in a hifi review before. But given this Aimez is Malaysian made.... and it is in its raw style... I thought it is time that Viopipe is tested. And it was good. Kalai's drumming on this track was a typical old skool grunge/school band drumming. Raw. The bass drum on this was very punchy and the snare was sharp and hard hitting and yet still you can hear the dispersion of the wire below the snare. Emmet's violin was presented in a very melodious but grungy way which hit my emotional side. Emotions that brought me back to the times where I used to be active in the underground scene... either as a drummer or a gig-going, pogo-loving nut head.

Hotel California swirling intro was very airy and the guitar works was crisp. Each upstroke of the guitar was very detail and clear. The low end frequency was also abundant but very tonally balanced. At certain part, the screeching lead guitar solo was a bit pinching but not excessive. Vocal was not really upfront but was still a good balance. But the strength was definitely how it deliver the drums on this track. Perfect. Very seldom I can hear such detail on drums where each strike on different type of cymbals was really crystal clear.

One thing I noticed about the Aimez, it can deliver layer and layer of music that is quite unique. Hence, I have to try the track Bamboleo from Gypsy Kings purely for its multiple guitar performance. And of course, the strumming and solo of the classical/acoustic guitar was so lively and clean that it reminded me of the time I was at their show in Spain. Definitely another emotional experience listening to this. And the percussion behind the guitars was also very lively and similar to the other tracks tested, the overall performance was just airy and elevated to a new height through my system.

Now, I was also provided with KOGA Sampler CD (which every buyer of KOGA products will be provided with as well). Its a mixture of various musical genre and language for that matter. Is a must have compilation. It really tested the limit of my speakers with very complex musical arrangement.

SO, WHO OR WHAT IS KOGA?

KOGA is actually will be Malaysian first built-to-your-spec hifi designer. The designer will take into account the musical genre you listen to, your speakers and your source and most importantly, your budget to suit the sound characteristics that you want. Wattage? High current? SS? tube? Hybrid? Monoblocks? You name it.... give your budget... and the designer will recommend the most suitable product for you.

Even the casing can be custom made to your desire. Colour, material, display etc can be made to suit the deco of the rest of your hifi set up.

CONCLUSION

A definitely fine product as a debut for KOGA Audio. Big sound from small wattage, with such warm but bold presentation. Enhances the low end frequency for any system and injects certain liveliness to anyone's system that needs a little bit of excitement. The high frequencies can be a little too much for some but at the same time, it can really give you that satisfying metal feeling for the metalheads.

If you are looking for a simplistic, custom made hybrid amp, I would recommend you to demo KOGA Aimez. Don't be fooled by the 30 wattage, it can definitely deliver much more than that musically.

For hifi beginners or head-fi-ers, this is the best way to get into this hobby. Just get a QED u-Play bluetooth kit or even AE, a pair of speakers...and voila... you got yourself a neat little hifi system.

UD120 USB DAC - Mini review

elhefe77 — Sat, 20 Sep 2014 17:52:33 +0800

It has been nearly 2 weeks now that I have been playing with this review unit. And boy.... how does Stoner Acoustics cramp all the juicy quality into a small device like this... is beyond me. Yes, people may think its exaggerated, but hey.... do you see many companies going for thumb drive sized USB DAC? You have Dragonfly Audioquest but I can tell you, StonerA Acoustics was already launched his first model of UD100 before Dragonfly was out.

BUILT

Not only it now comes with a 'tail' but the designer has also shy away from the naked and heat wrap design previously found on UD100 and UD110.

It was professionally packed similar to any other USB thumb drive and comes with a plastic protective cap. The output jack is also gold plated.

Overall, its more towards a rugged portable USB DAC.... and a true definition of portable.

SPECIFICATIONS

Mirrored from Stoner's blog, its stated as below.
-TRUE ASYNC
-USB Audio Class (UAC) 2.0
-16/24/32 Bit @ 32/44.1/48/88.2/96/176.4/192/(352.8/384 asio) kHz
-DAC PCM5102A
-ULTRA LOW NOISE TPS7A4700 LDO
-OUTPUT IMPEDANCE AT 470OHM
-ATTENUATION, -6dB/STEP
-WINDOWS (DRIVER PROVIDED) | MAC | UBUNTU

There is also warning that the unit runs hot and needs good ventilation but I did not face that experience.

Further research in the DAC chip it is actually a Texas Instrument DAC which is also used in the higher priced M2Tech HiFace DAC.

Full spec can be downloaded here

REVIEW GEAR

iMac playing ALAC, MP3, FLAC
Dell Windows 7 based laptop (for function test only)
BOSE Companion II speakers using QED interconnect
RHA MA750 earphones

REVIEW TRACKS

To make it consistent to the review of previous models, I have used the same tracks (except for Andrea) with an addition of a 384 kHz music sample I have from my review on Kingrex DAC last year.

1. La Mer – Kevin Kline (MP3 48kHz, 320 kbps)

2. La Mer - Charles Trennet (MP3 48kHz, 320 kbps)

3. Siboh Kitak Nangis – Zee Avi (MP3 48kHz, 320 kbps)

4. Enter Sandman – Metallica (FLAC 192kHz)

5. Time to Say goodbye (replaced by Amazing Grace) – Andrea Bocelli (FLAC 192 kHz)

6. Hotel California (LIVE)– The Eagles (FLAC 192 kHz)

7. 384 kHz sample.... some classical music.

THE SESSION

Kevin Kline deep voice is more apparent and toned. The sound of the hi-hat also sounds crisp and lively. Though it is a mellow song but during the music sounds very 'cheerful'. During the violin solo, it sounded layered and rising up across my work station.

On the original track of La Mer by Charles, the UD120 is unforgiving for bad recording quality. The version I have is actually was not really a remastered copy hence it sounded a bit noisy and harsh. The hissing is much more evident from the predecessor DACs.

My favourite local lass artist, Zee Avi.... again is the highlight. The UD120 further enhance the ambient from this track. The overall presentation sounded elevated and just airy that it makes you feel like it was coming from a grander speakers than just these BOSE speakers.

Enter Sandman was presented in a rather heavy and bold fashion as intended by the group themselves. It puts a more genuine originality presentation from the heavy metal quartet. The weight of this track can really make your adrenalin flowing and it was definitely the UD120 that injected that realism.

Andre Bocelli's rendition on this literally made me shed a tear. It was really soulful and the UD120 delivers that very high emotion on this track. It cooks out the simplicity of his vocals and minimal instrument as background. I may upload a sample of this track soon.

On Hotel California, there is some natural improvement from its predecessor. A more energetic experience where the performance was close to a live performance ambient. It was still not really 'there' with regards to a full fledge Eagles standard.

Now the bombshell of why someone should have this unit. Testing of a raw and native 384 kHz file. Recorded and digitized such. I dont know the track name but its some classical piece. This track just further reconfirming of Stoner's design specialty....soundstaging. Everything just sounded uplifting, airy, alive and just boosted in every way possible....and all in the right amount which provides a very tonally balanced presentation. And this is just coming through a pair of computer speakers!!!

As an addition, I tried the DAC with my RHA MA750 earphone that I really love. Despite everyone keep saying that these USB DACs are not capable of driving earphones or headphones, I find it that it has no issues to present a very faithful experience though earphones.

NOTE: On functionality, I also installed the driver supplied by Stoner for Windows based laptop. And I can confirm that it has no issues for Windows 7. Just a few clicks and its all installed with no hick ups.

It can also be used directly with Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (I did not test but it is stated in Stoner's blog.

FINAL VERDICT

A fiiiinnneee improvement from the siblings UD100 and UD110. Stoner has taken into account all the feedback given by his loyal supporters on physical design, updated resolution requirement and still provide a fun musical experience at a modest man pay scale.

It excels in soundstaging where the improvement can be easily experienced on modest computer system. Do note that I did not test it on my full scale hifi set up as I only see the usage of this unit for my office workstation.

I also believed this is currently the smallest 32 bit 384 kHz capable USB DAC.

RHA MA750 IEM Review

elhefe77 — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 11:08:20 +0800

When I was first contacted by RHA to review this unit about 3 weeks ago, I have to say that I have not heard of the name RHA. So, I googled it and saw a few pictures and reports of RHA participation in audio shows. And its based in Scotland. After a quick read through of the company's portfolio, I really did not know what to expect of its sound characteristics.

RHA is a specialist British headphone company which takes true-to-life audio reproduction and long lasting quality as their core values. More read up of their range, I came across their mid range MA600i model which offers 'aircraft grade aluminium'. Got me a bit excited to really sample their unit. To my surprise, RHA decided to send me their top end model MA750 instead which made me even more excited. MA750 is relatively the same as their MA750i model but without the iPhone talk-through function. This model however is a stainless steel unit as oppose to the aircraft grade aluminium.

After a few emails, the MA750 sample unit arrived at my door step within 4 days of its being dispatched from Scotland. This made me feel more confident of RHA services which also offer delivery for those that opt for online purchase.

FIRST IMPRESSION

Impressive packaging. Some marketing thoughts have been put into the packaging design which was fully secured and yet wasy enough to un-box the unit. Truth be told, Apple can learn a thing or two from RHA with regards to packaging. I truly dislike how Apple package their products.

I didnt actually bother to check the content at the beginning as I just took out the IEM unit and plug it into my iPhone 5. First track played was Iron Maiden's Can I Play With Madness... (Yes... I was in a frenzy mood and needed some adrenalin flowing).. And the MA750 really got my juice flowing...

This IEM delivered a very clean and natural sounding character. BUt at the same time, the low end frequency sounded full and bold. Mcbrain's awesome drumming was really revealing and the MA750 delivers this with high precision. Only after this track, I started to explore whats inside the packaging

WHATS INSIDE AND BUILT QUALITY?

The MA750 IEM itself
Leather pouch
Nine (9) different ear tips, locked into a neat metal plate. Comes with dual density silicone, double flange silicone and memory foam ear tips.
Manual
Cable Clip

I particularly like the material of the cable used. Its somehow manage to avoid cable entanglement even without having a clip. The cable is steel reinforced, oxy-free and comes with a gold plated connection.

The stainless steel housing gives it a sleek and luxurious look and its already pre-contoured with the cable to go around the ear.

This IEM is a noise isolating unit. Using RHA's aerophonic ™ design, it was contructed from individual machined stainless steel componets.

Top notch built quality at this price range.

THE EXTENDED LISTENING SESSION

I used this unit DAILY..... yes DAILY for a straight 3 weeks. Thats how much the first impression impact is. The listening session was done via iPhone 5 and Musical Fidelity M1 HPA headphone amp.

Tracks chosen are as below. All of which are 48kHz 320 kbps MP3 files:

Can I Play With Madness - Iron Maiden
The Pink Panther Theme - Henry Mancini
Perfidia - Andrea Bocelli
Siboh Kitak Nangis - Zee Avi
My Hero - Foo Fighters

Isolation Quality: I find the double flange tip provides me the most comfortable experience with the best isolation level.

As mentioned earlier, Can I Play With Madness.... was indeed madness . Bruce's vocals was full of energy and although the drums was really evident, it did no overshadow the heavy guitar solos and riffs. The MA750 presented the song with such high level of detail but still clean and balanced. No issues of bloated bass or high pitch treble.

Now, very recently, I got more serious in listening to Mancini's work. So The Pink Panther theme is a perfect track to test this IEM. And yes, it got me more excited with the legend's musical arrangement. All the wind instrument on this track was presented in a very bold but relaxing tone. The percussion also was very bold but was never exhausting even with the high pitch ride cymbal playing. Using the wrong IEM for this track can make this track sound loud and tiring to the ears due to the way the percussion and trumpet were recorded.

Perfidia... although its about one partner deceiving another, it is still such a beautiful tune. The classical guitar solo on this track sounded very lively with the right amount warmth injected from the MA750. And Andrea's vocal was presented in his most melodious tone but still as uplifting as his other tracks.

Through this IEM, Siboh Kitak Nangis gave me the emotion of how beautiful my nation's music and lyrics can be. The soundstaging on this track was well presented by the MA750. Zee Avi's vocal was very crisp and emotional with the beautiful sound of ukulele and double bass overhanging behind her, as if I was listening to her live performance.

When it comes to heavy and complicated music, I always listen to My Hero. And yet again, the MA750 had no issues to deliver such a high level quality music reproduction. The drums on this track was presented with such detail and definition. The heavy bass drum gave me the urge to start banging along on my Yamaha DTXplorer drum set. And that what I did. Grohl's high strung vocal was also the highlight of this IEM. No fatigueness experienced even with such a high screeching vocals. All well balanced.

CONCLUSION

As the title suggest, this is my 2013 choice of IEM. Yes, its November... but I doubt I would get to listen to another pair in this next month that can compete with the MA750. I have actually listened to a few this year in the likes of Shure, Senns, MF although may not be reflected in my blog.

If you need clean, natural, balanced sound with good noise isolation, please audition this IEM. It is not for those who are looking for heavy bass boom. Not a Beats definitely but it does give enough to make you want to shake your head in excitement. And at this price range, its definitely can be a good Christmas present..... Go on then.... put a smile on the face of your loved ones....

Do visit www.rha-audio.com for their full model range. I was also informed that there are a few other products in their plan, to supplement their existing high quality product.

A BIG THANK YOU to Isabel from RHA for the review sample.
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Sweet Luscious Audez'e LCD2: Personal Review

elhefe77 — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 06:07:42 +0800

A simple review of this wonderful unit:

El Hefe's Audez'e LCD2 Review

If you have RM1000, what headphone?

elhefe77 — Thu, 01 Aug 2013 10:51:02 +0800

Having itchy hands today....

What headphone to buy to use with iPhone and iPad?

Must not leak sound as using it in office...

must be light....

Dont need to be leather...kinda of sick having to replace leather earpads after a year or so....

Over the ear....dont like on the ear...

No earphones.....

Listen to rock, jazz, vocals, metal and ballad....

What I have in my mind now is Sony MDR 1R..... for RM 999.

Thanks...

Amari RW-200 RCM - A Simple Review

elhefe77 — Sun, 14 Jul 2013 06:32:40 +0800

Just realised the importance of cleaning LPs...

El Hefe's HiFi Review - Amari RW-200

Musical Fidelity First IEM: EB50

elhefe77 — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 15:07:04 +0800

Got mine a few days back.....and it is indeed a fine piece of IEM...good job from MF for their first IEM product...cant wait for the headphones to come out...Didnt know it came with a mic for iPhone compatability.

Kingrex UD384/U Power USB DAC/SPDIF Converter

elhefe77 — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 12:35:53 +0800

Hi all,

I was recently contacted by Kingrex (www.kingrex.net) from Taiwan to have a go with their newest product; a 2 in 1 32 bit/ 384 kHz USB DAC and a SPDIF converter for you to hook up to external DAC.

Received the items last night and it also came with a mathcing U Power which is their battery based power supply unit. The DAC also came with its own PSU but this power is for a more stable power supply. Watch this space for a review.

Bryston BHA-1 Balanced Headphone Amplifier Review

elhefe77 — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 14:32:13 +0800

Hi all,

I finally received and hooked up this wonderful piece of kit 2 days ago and this is my first 24 hours review.

First of all, why the change from Musical Fidelity M1 HPA headphone amp? http://www.hifi4sale.net/t21731-confined-s...fidelity-m1-hpa

I blame it on the Kuala Lumpur International AV show held in July this year. For this year event, I didnt have anything in mind to purchase. Just attended the show to look around and support a few fellow hifi friends who was show casing their set up. However, it was written in the star that I was to catch a glimpse of this unit on demo from the local supplier. I have several times listened to Bryston set up several times and it has its own merit. But when I saw this headphone amp, I said to myself, I have to try it, especially that it was paired with Grado PS1000

My my my....it was a jaw dropping experience. As soon as I put on the cans, I was instantly disconnected from the busy surrounding and my mind just focussed on how this unit can deliver such a lively, detailed and natural sound. Such beautiful presentation. But, is it the amp or PS1000 giving me this experience. So, I told myself, I have to try it with my Alessandro Grado MS Pro. Unfortunately, I can only attend 1 day of this 3 days event. So, I guess I have to pay the dealer a visit after the show. And only this week in Oct I have the time to do it

I went to the dealer's shop (AV Designs) with a good hifi buddy of mine from Indonesia. The shop is actually in the same office building as mine and requested a demo on this unit again.

Both James and Low were there and they were very accommodating despite I didnt arrange for an appointment first. I was there for 2 reasons actually. One is to demo this amp again. And the other is to check out their sale on various items. I can see at one corner number of boxes of AV amps, BD players and speakers ready to find a new home at a much discounted price. And I have to admit that I did not leave this shop just with this Bryston amp. The sale on the items was just too good to be passed.

James and Low initially explained a bit on the unit as I had questions on those multiple headphone outputs. Frankly speaking, I never knew there were balanced headphones.

However, just to reconfirm the experience I had in the show, I tested it with the PS1000 cans first. Sure enough, I was not dreaming during the AV show. In fact, it sounded even more natural this time. After discussing with them on some technical queries and commercial of course ...I told them that I would need to test the amp with my cans. They fully agree and did not hesitate to invite us to their shop the next day. So, I popped in again the next day with my Alessandro Grado. Part of me hoping that it will not sound as good with my cans to avoid me parting with about RM X380 and ditch my MF M1 HPA. And.... I lost the battle and succumbed to luscious Bryston . It still delivered such a lively and non-exhaustive listening session. And now the unit is hooked up to my system.

Built
This unit is built like a tank, a typical Bryston feature. I opted for the all black unit to match the rest of my black MF set up. The dimension L x W x H is 17 x 11 x 2.425 and weighs 5.3 kg. The volume and balance knobs are sturdily fitted and has the right amount of friction to gradually increase the volume in a smaller scale. Thw power, input and gain switch however are of an old school electrical switch which I dont particularly fond of but the MF M1 HPA uses the same switch too. On the rear, the RCA connection is of gold plated. The power supply connection is IEC and comes with a basic power cord with a UK 3 pin plug. The front fascia is a mix of modern and vintage look and for some might even say it looks a bit industrial. The blue LED power indicator is also soft to the eyes.

Its a Class A amp but does not run really hot. In fact, my Class A/B M6i runs hotter.

Inputs and Outputs
There are 3 inputs available:

1. Single ended RCA

2. 3.5 mm stereo jack

3. XLR Balanced

The unit can drive 3 headphones at one time but with different output connection:

1. 1/4 stereo jack

2. Stereo Balanced output (4 pin XLR)

3. 3 pin Balanced Output

NOTE: there is also high and low gain switch to match your headphones.

I am limited to use the RCA input and 1/4 stereo output.

The Set Up
I hooked up the unit via the tape loop on my MF M6i integrated amp using QED RCA Signature series IC and QED Qonduit power cable.

Sources are:

1. MF CDT via M1 DAC with Siltech XLR cabling throughout

2. MF M1 CLiC with Siltech IC

3. Clearaudio Concept TT via MF M1 ViNL

Gain was set to low.

Headphones are:

1. Alessandro Grado MS Pro

2. B&O P5 (courtesy of my Indonesian buddy)

The Tracks
1. Girl from Ipanema (Stan Getz/Gilberto) - FLAC

2. My Hero (Foo Fighters) - MP3 48kHz 320 kbps

3. Time to Say Goodbye (Andrea Bocelli) - CD

4. Hotel California (The Eagles) - FLAC

Out of the Box Performance
I was so excited with the purchase that I put aside the ‘run in’ principle. Hooked it up and immediately put on the cans and fired up Foo Fighters. Even out of the box, this amp delivered a very powerful yet subtle bass from the drummings on this track. Very detailed presentation in which the 'overlapping' drum beats can be heard on each note. After listening to this track, I went out for dinner and let it run in for 3 hours. In fact, the dealer did mention to me I can actually enjoy the high SQ even fresh out of the box.

The Listening Session
After 4 hours of running in, I started to run my playlist above. First up was Girl from Ipanema. The vocals on this track was somehow elevated and created a personal space to me. ONce the music came, it gave me a different experience compared to playing Foo Fighters. A very relaxing sensation kicked in due to ambience delivered by this unit. However, maybe because its FLAC file, the volume seems a bit lower compared to playing Foo Fighters. I tried switching the gain to high. It did increase the volume level up a notch but I loose the subtlety that I was enjoying. So I wswitched back to low and increase the volume to about 10 o' clock. Previously it was at 9 o' clock. With power output rated at 1 W into 32 ohm, it can easily drive my cans.

Next up was Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman. This track has always been one of my favourite track for reviewing as I measure the performace of the unit tested against Andrea's and Sarah's vocals. Both of their vocals compliment each other to have a balanced tone (high and low pitch). And sure enough the Bryston delivered this flawlessly. This was one part of where the MF M1 HPA having difficulty to deliver the balance for this track.

I then went back to a FLAC file Hotel California. Listening to slow rock and in this live performance by the Eagles is even much more soothing. The live ambience was delivered by the Bryston through my cans that made me feel that I was at the concert and audience are supplied with a personalised headphones. The drums and guitars on this track was so refine and detailed out that you can here every single strumming and plucking the Eagles. This was one track that I repeated thrice just because it sounded too good to be true that I had to confirm and reconfirm the statement I made above. And each time, the Bryston just keep presenting a lively experience.

I went through all the tracks again using the P5 headphones. Unfortunately, the pair didnt give me the same satisfaction. This made me further believe that just like speakers needs to match the amp, headphones are the same. I am not saying the P5 are not good headphones but it just didnt rhyme nicely with the Bryston. A bit on the harsh side.

So there you go. A solid performer this amp is.

Is it worth the price? I strongly believe so.

Will I let go of my MF M1 HPA? Not so soon. It will do some office duties first.

Will I recommend this amp for head-fi-ers? Definitely with a word of caution. Demo it before purchase with your own cans.

But now I am curious how would a balanced headphone sounds like????? Will there be another quest for a new pair of cans after the Alessandro?