This is great, thank you!
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I have my Empyrean paired with a Feliks Audio Euforia, which is what I consider to be an ideal pairing. Itās a slightly brighter, highly dynamic and detailed sounding amp with a truly phenomenal soundstage a beautifully refined timbre. Iāve owned the Euforia for 2 months now, and my appreciation for how it pairs with the Empyrean has only grown since.
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Feliks audio echo or elise? Looking for more of a tube-sound with just the stock tubesā¦for now.
Thisāll be paired with an rme dac and power zmfs and focals. Would appreciate any input!
LOL, Iām going to treat this as a trick question, since you know the answer is Pendant. 
Seriously though, Iām only saying this because there is a huge amount of synergy between the Pendant and ZMF headphones, and it also works wonderfully with my Stellia. And since you just bought a VC, I bet that ZMF will give you a discount on the Pendant if you email them. I waited several weeks after I ordered my VO before I decided to also get the Pendant, and they were nice enough to retroactively give me the bundle discount.
But if you want to stick to a Feliks amp, Iām sure @MRHifiReviews and others can give you their impressions with Focal and ZMF headphones. Marcello made a really interesting video comparing the Pendant and Elise.
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Lol Ya got me!
Main reason for feliks is that I like the aesthetics more. But, the discount didnāt come to mind! Thanks for remindingā¦
Btw, still eager to hear your experience on that soloist!
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Soloist review is coming soon. I just need to type it up. But my Jot 2 arrives on Monday, so do I wait until I hear that? I have way too many amps.
Back to the Pendant, if you are considering it, just remember the price goes up significantly in January. Zach listed the improvements in the Pendant thread, and if those improvements are not worth $500 to you, then now is the time to pounce on the current version.
Having said that, using my VO, I found the Soloist (single-ended) and the Pendant to have eerily similar sound signatures, but the Pendant was slightly faster and has a slightly bigger soundstage. So if you already have a Soloist, is really worth it to get a similar amp thatās an incremental upgrade? Thatās the question Iām asking myself right now, but from the other perspective. The Soloist is fantastic, but I already have a Pendant, which I think is slightly better, so I would only keep it because I want a fantastic solid state amp.
I think next week might be my final week of the Soloist trial period, so when my Jot 2 arrives on Monday, Iām going to be busy comparing the two, to see which one I want to keep (and more than likely, Iāll keep both!).
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I was going to say you got a LOT of amps! Lol
Interesting that you found them to be similarā¦yeah it probably isnāt worth it for me then based on your impressions. Not to mention I do find the Soloist better when balanced, so that can be a factor too.
Hi guys im looking at getting a new amp right now
i want a sound that is slightly warm, full bodied rather than clear and/or detail focused, i say it like that because i feel like you almost cant have all those qualities at the same time but ive gotten the impression that the MSX mini may just do it along with some others, clarity is very important to me.
would be awesome if you guys could elaborate if you have it. what you like about it what you dislike about it
for anyone wondering im using Aeolus, Clear and Arya running through the Ares II with the THX789
i feel like the Aeolus are surprisingly good on this combo, however my daily is the Arya, i think its my new fav headphone
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Probably way below your price range (disregarding the Norway price bump) but I went for a Schiit Lyr3. Only one tube to play around with - itās a hybrid, but gives a slightly warm, full bodied sound. You donāt sacrifice detail, but it is not clinical like your THX789. Plenty of power. Single ended only, although there is always speculation about future iterations.
Please understand that Iām a tightwad, and am reluctant to buy and sell until I get what I want, and that I rarely find my ears worthy of true TOTL equipment.
In my defense, Iāve had 3 Norwegian Forest Cats.
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Just an idea for you would be one of the B stock Asgard 2 amps for sale from Schiit. They cost not much more than the tax and postage! As I understand it, they are pure class A. Compared to the 5-6 other amps I have/had, it is warm. It is like listening as if you are looking through a wide open fast antique camera lens, there is a glow to everything that softens the edges (treble) but it is strong as a donkey man, it really kicks. It just sounds analog to me. I have a soft spot for it. In fact, I am currently listening to it now with my cell phone as DAC out of the headphone jack. Incredible sound IMO for as much as a 90 minute massage or a good bottle of wine in a restaurant, not that weāve done much of either of those for 9 monthsā¦I share this suggestion based on your description.
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Knowing you, I googled them just in case that was a reference that was lost on me! They actually exist!
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hey thanks for the unput Pen!
the Norway price debacle has proven to be both good and bad for me, its weird because i put aside local warranty in favor is substantially cheaper headphones, i saved around 600usd on importing my aryas, i could be buying locally but would end up overpaying by a SUBSTANTIAL amount as you can tell. reselling can either end up being very hard or very difficult, im having a bit of trouble with my aryas though but thats another story
yep you are right, im looking at that getting something pretty substantial, 2000usd or below, questyle, violectric, headamp etc
thanks for writing!
but im looking at that getting something pretty substantial, 2000usd or below, questyle, violectric, headamp etc
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Based on what you described I think the Flux FA-10 could be a good candidate as well. Iāve been using one for a couple weeks now and I feel that āfull bodiedā is the perfect way to describe it. It delivers excellent clarity and instrument separation with a touch of warmth. Plus it has enough power handle to pretty much anything you can think of.
indeed, sorry, I did not read that far up the thread. Happy listening!
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thats really cool that you could help me out with a recommendation here! i will most definitely have a read on this. thank you Gtjwolf
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I got the flux labs fa 10. I think the fa 10 pro is better. The company doesnāt charge tax, however they only manufacture per order, they donāt have anything in stock except I believe when I purchased mine the dac amp combo, but the power isnāt the same as the FA 10. So itās 3-4 weeks wait when you order.
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I listen to music through an A&K DAP, and an IPhone. Do I need a separate DAC, or is the internal DAC of the DAP and phone going to be automatically primary, thus the separate component not even used? Would I just need an Amp?
Hi,
DAP and iPhone are two separate discourses.
The A&K has been designed and thought for music reproduction. It is supposed to have a good quality DAC inside and an amp module.
iPhone can reproduce music but it isnāt its primary function. You can connect a DAC to your iPhone through a camera kit.
Contrary to what would happen with Android your iPhone will not limit the data output to your DAC.
I hope this can help.
Enjoy
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If the A&K is connected to an external DAC/amp with an optical cable from the optical out port I think the a&kās DAC will be bypassed.
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