Dan Clark Audio’s are really starting to come to life.
My Denon is getting even more addicting
and the Beierdynamic’s lose their horror in the upper frequency regions!
Interestingly, I’m not so happy with the combination of the green and my Sennheiser brigade, with the exception of the HD560S, the rest of them lose a little “energy”.
I also have better drive alternatives for my GRADO fleet,
this is also the case with the iBasso SR2.
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Synergy between the hi-fi elements is a factor that should not be underestimated, especially when it comes to the intense sound from headphones.
In today’s edition the Green Lantern Amplifier of Power goes head-to-head against the Measurement Master THX 789. Four headphones tell a story on the impact of Class A power versus a technical design with optimized measurements.
I’ve previously evaluated the Focal Clear with the 789 and I hate it, hate it, hate it. I’m not going to test it again. While I have a balanced cable for my AEON Flow Closed, it had no impact in prior testing. These two sat on the sidelines today.
I also own balanced cables that fit my HD-600, Moondrop Kanas Pro, AudioQuest NightHawk Carbon, and perhaps the world’s ugliest headphones – BiGR Boston Red Sox edition. I intended to cut up and destroy the extremely cheap used BiGRs with experimentation, but they turned out to be superior to my now-sold Grado SR80e. So, they stuck around.
Sennheiser HD-600: For a long time I’ve heard stark differences between the HD-600 on balanced versus single-ended amps. The Green Lantern was no different. It delivers maximum everything and reaches their technical potential, but doesn’t control treble noise like a balanced amp can. As expected, I heard excess sibilance, sparkle, and air. Once in a while this became piercing, but it wasn’t bad relative to other single-ended amps.
Moondrop Kanas Pro IEMs: These are my best IEMs, as I don’t use them except when necessary. The Kanas Pro behaves differently with balanced versus singled-ended amps. Its mid range tends to be blurry and thick on single-ended, and the Green Lantern was no different. However, it brought out the bass bigtime. As with the HD-600, the 789 kept mid range resonances and high range sibilance under control.
Both of the above sound “fine” on either amp, but for everyday use I may tilt toward the 789 because of less sibilance. The Green Lantern had enough treble stabs that I’m not fully comfortable with this setup [subject to further testing with other DACs]. To be determined.
Pick your priorities: Get “more everything” with the Green Lantern or more treble control with the 789. As always, an EQ can help with sub $500 transducers. The Green Lantern did not score a knock-out, so the 789 will stay with me and live to fight another day.
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Bonkers bonus comparisons (adding little value for most people, honestly):
AudioQuest NightHawk Carbon: These were notorious for massive, excessive bass and weak treble upon their release. The instructions called for something like 200 hours of burn-in time, and mine improved over that period. They went from having nothing but bass and inaudible treble to having too much bass and shaky, weak treble. My wife adopted them as her favored electric piano headphones, so I didn’t use them for the last couple years. In testing today, the transducers have transformed. They still have limited dynamic resolution (no nuance), and limited high-range potential. What’s changed is that they’ve become mid-focused or neutral with modest bass. The vocal range now dominates, and is quite resonant or blurry. I take this as the slow curing of the biocellulose drivers – starting out like flabby soft rubber when purchased and now seemingly much stiffer. For today’s comparison: not much difference on either amp. They have limited potential and are equally “okay” either way. They remain my most physically comfortable headphones by a wide margin.
The World’s Ugliest Headphones: These made today’s comparison only because they have detachable cables, and because I have a balanced cable that fits them (2.5mm connectors). On the Green Lantern or 789 they are stunningly good for the ~$20 I paid. These sound like a cousin to the HD-600 or (from memory) a less bright, mid focused Grado. They are straight-up solid headphones, with reasonable bass and a nice delivery. As mid-focused, they never had sibilance issues and perform about the same on both amps.
Once green is in your soil, it’s almost impossible to get it out.
The RebelAmp is really, really good. I have no regrets about buying, and give it my highest recommendation. I learned of this product from our fearless leader @taronlissimore some months ago:
Yes. Seriously good. Yes.
Solid state amps have a reputation for following technical rules closely and literally. They don’t exaggerate, they don’t distort, they don’t cover up, and they don’t deceive. This is akin to a computer spreadsheet or desktop environment – have a place for everything, and put everything in its place:
However, music is analog and all about nuance, gray areas, and the changing flow from note to note. In measuring well, some analytical amps come across as a series of snapshots without any concern for flow. The RebelAmp nails flow, and does so in a way reminiscent of tube smoothness (but still clearly within the neutral solid state framework).
Sometimes a job calls for complete coverage, but the coverage can’t happen all at once.
My final back-to-back comparison was with the Koss Porta Pro on the THX 789 versus RebelAmp. To my ears the Porta Pro often whines and pierces with either deep bass that it can’t handle or with high frequencies. The 789 confirmed this – with the wrong content it sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard. The RebelAmp eliminated 95% of the whines, instead thickening the already thick middle and adding perceived energy or punch. The RebelAmp fails in the direction of pleasure, while the 789 fails in the direction of pain.
With my testing above I preferred the RebelAmp 90% to 95% of the time. With further adjustments and a DAC swap I may prefer it 100% of the time.
Well first of all nothing ugly about anything branded BoSox (well at least in this dyed in the wool New Englander’s opinion) Also of course Red Sox cans perform at an MVP level in front of the Green Monster!
Ok I own A90/D90, SU-9/SH-9, CAYIN IHA-6 and waiting on a mogwai se.
I have A/B tested all of these amps with my current headphones and I could not get any clear differences in the way they all sound. I know if I maybe had a very hard to drive planar(like a susvara) the iha-6 would be better but I cant confirm that as the hardest headphone I got to drive are aryas, hd 600.
I received my rebelamp a week a go and I can confidently say it is the first amp I have owned that has more dynamics more slam better details that all the amps I have tried so far.
Really really happy with my purchase. Most likely going to sell my A90 at some point.
My aryas, Radiance sound amazing on the rebelamp more punch/slam and that one quality I enjoy the most. Aryas defo needed this.
Anyway this was my short experience I wanted to share.
Max Settings on YouTube compared the two in his Rebel Amp review. The Asgard3 is great for its price but I have no doubts the rebel is better in most regards.
I plan to compare the RebelAmp to the Lyr 3 with the factory Tung Sol tube after some other stuff arrives. I’ll revisit the THX 789 in greater depth too, but it fits a different niche.
My Lyr 3 is now fighting for its life. I’m choosing the RebelAmp all the time and not bothering to warm up the tube. I think a $2K tube amp would outperform it, but maybe not the Lyr 3.
@bpcarb Note that Zeos just published a video comparing the Jot, Asgard, and Magnius, and he mentions that he likes the Rebel better than them in the review, but that it’s more expensive and only single-ended.
Also note that Zeos’s credibility as a reviewer is questionable at best. Entertaining? You bet! Consistent? Thoughtful? Insightful? You can make up your own mind…
The Rebel is seriously good. I’m strongly leaning toward getting rid of my older amps (789 & Lyr 3), and think I’d have to move to a $2K tube amp for potentially more satisfaction. But yes, @mfadio is right.
With its potential residual value, the price difference for the RebelAmp isn’t meaningful. It costs $550 shipped to the USA, plus you must bring your own power cable. A $20 cable is better than what Schiit ships.
I care about balanced on cheaper headphones up to the Sennheiser HD-600. It does matter a lot on gear with inherent flaws or noise vulnerabilities. With better transducers and amps, balanced is often an unneeded cost and clutter.
Eh. I believe him when he gives his subjective responses to things–that this is how he’s really responding to them. I’m not sure how that maps to “credibility” in something like audio, but if your taste aligns with his then his reviews can be useful.
Granted I have heard that he’s flat wrong about technical things some times, like there was some thing where he said the driver on one headphone was the same as on another headphone that was more expensive and it wasn’t the same driver, so people bought the headphone under a mistaken impression or something like that. So it’s true I wouldn’t rely on him for anything too technical or “behind the scenes”.
of this amplifier.
