There is also the ecological impact to consider, since class A amps draw a lot more power than non-class A when not in use.
I sent a similar question to Burson about keeping my amp on permanently, and they also recommended turning it off, but only because of the impact to the planet from using power for no reason at all.
He probably also doesnāt believe in break-in.
But as you said i think thats the companyās āsafeā response.
I understand where you are coming from, but I think itās our hearing that needs to warm up to the amp. The RebelAmp sounded intense for the first 30-60 minutes. I took it as delivering what my headphones (Focal Clear) needed to reach their maximum potential. Other amps often donāt get there, and as you say the THX sounds small after using the RebelAmp.
Since getting mine months ago Iāve turned it off only to swap the power cable and interconnects. It runs only slightly warm. This amp is designed for quality not maximum output specs. It doesnāt seem to push its components hard.
Yep. I minimize power cycles with everything electric. Tubes obviously call for usage patterns that maximize tube life.
I donāt believe in break-in for solid state electronics myself, but I do believe that electric parts sometimes suffer from early deaths. So, I run most new devices for 48 hours without turning them off.
[I fully believe in break-in for devices with moving parts. Forget audio, consider new car tires, new shocks, or new brakes. New engines often run tight and require a good amount of driving for maximum fuel economy. Part movement patterns must stabilize, wear patterns must set in, etc.]
I ended up picking up this amp and received it a few days ago and experienced the complete opposite of you which is just funny how subjective what we hear can be. I felt it sounded kinda dull or muffled for the first 20 minutes of turning it on but it really started to become more dynamic and came into its own after that(whether thatās the amp or my hearing changing who knows). Iām definitely happy with the quality of the rebel amp.
I also bought a soloist 3x, Iām relatively new to both this hobby and the community but if people would like to hear my thoughts comparing the two I could do that at some point.
Iām always interested in reading peopleās comparisons; please do tell!
Definitely, always interesting to hear others thoughts and opinions
It doesnāt necessarily have to be your amp. It could be your dac.
Yes, I hear substantial differences between DACs with the RebelAmp. My initial testing was with an AKM 4490 DAC and the Focal Clear ā both lean toward bright and this is not an ideal setup. The Clear sounded more forward than on some other amps, but thatās its inherent character and expected.
@Pepneck, what DAC and headphones did you initially use with the RebelAmp?
I was under the impression that akm dacs are generally smoother than other dacs. Focal uses them because i believe it tames the high end. Mine is an ess sabre 9038. I believe sabre dacs are a bit brighter.
Btwā¦
the akm factory burned down and that is causing a shortage of those dacs. Geshelli now using ess in their latest dac update.
Believe it or not i only use my note 8 phone using a dragonfly cobalt line level into my amp. Great sound and highly regarded dac even for a dongle. Im using it via qobuz and then going through the app USB Audio Player Pro. Best 8 bucks ( single payment)i ever spent to use this app. Huge difference in clarity and your phone is sonically out of the picture.
My phone that is being used is the elex. Sounds good on 6xx but a bit bass heavy and not as clear as the focals.
Canāt listen to the 789 anymore. Dull. Also the difference in power is amazing as the 1 watt rebel leaves 789 in the dust.
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AKM is smooth, yes, but on the brighter side versus my Burr Brown and Bifrost 2 (Multibit). Across several amps I hear treble artifacts with AKM that disappear on the other two. Per my experience ESS is brighter than AKM and has more treble issues, and they are bright by reputation.
Yep. Thereās a major industry scramble to adjust. Geshelli, Schiit, JDS, RME, etc. previously relied on AKM.
I have only tried the bifrost 2 so far with the rebel amp. I used a few headphones but most of my initial listening was on the 660s which I believe are on the darker side to begin with so that probably plays a large part on differences we hear.
Ya the power this amp has in my opinion is a lot more than I expected. It definitely drives my heddphones without any problems.
I havenāt had a lot of time to do any analytical listening yet so this is a rough opinion right now, but Iāve listened quite a bit this week while working and I think they make a good combo. They seem to work together to give a good sense of space, and I think keep a good amount of detail but honestly I havenāt paid enough attention to this aspect! For some people one negative I think Iāve noticed is the slam or impact of the bass isnāt as good as some amps Iāve tried. The main thing Iāve noticed however, and really enjoyed is that it seems laid back maybe slightly warm in its presentation of music. This has been great for long listening sessions as I havenāt felt fatigued at all with this combo. Again this is just a rough opinion and I plan to write up a longer review comparing this amp to the Soloist 3x when I have a bit more time, but thats what Iāve initially noticed.
@JeffYerkey I see you just got yourself a rebel amp as well, what dac are you planning to pair yours with? Iād love to hear your initially impressions of the amp too!
All I have right now is the Topping D90, which I will use to start. But I am looking at R2R DACs like the Schiit Bifrost 2 or the Denefrips Ares II. Will keep this thread posted. Best of luck!
The choice of DAC requires consideration of your headphones too. Iām using the full-bodied (or warmish) Bifrost 2 with the neutral-to-bright Clear, and I donāt expect to change any time soon. Iām guessing the D90 may be too bright for the Clear, but could be great for warmer headphones.
Fortunately or unfortunately, I am using the Clears, the HF Arya (my fave) and the Senn 6XX