Noticed there wasn’t a thread for this so I thought I would make one.
I am especially curious if anyone has tried the m1 + Bravura.
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Used to own one, I liked it, not sure if it’s really worth it or not tbh, I def enjoyed having it, but you could likely do better for the money, the smaller ones are much better value
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Just kind of an assumption, but Im assuming the internal dac isnt worth using?
So the problem is that the entire system is dsp based, so everything goes through the internal digital processing basically lol, so it really limits how far they can scale
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Ah, got it. I didnt realize that part tbh. Like i genuinely think highly clever dsp is the way of the future but its annoying when it forces system use
he likes this over a Sus/1266 and still has a higher priced sibling to still review.
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I haven’t watched the video, but I could totally see that being the case for some, especially if they don’t have the source requirements for the aforementioned as well, because as an all in one package I’d definitely agree it’s one of the best. Although I still wish it could scale higher which it doesn’t, so it’s a great option as long as you don’t plan to take any steps higher in the future
I still don’t know if I found owning the higher end one really worth it in the end, can never make up my mind on that one lol
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I was gunna ask about the aperio again actualy. Talking to a bunch of friends that her aperio and bhse → shang sr at canjam london (after hours while it was quiet) they all seem to agree that aperio is just a higher general tier than shang in that it adds more nautralness/organicness to the shang detail (they all complained about timbre on the shang with it being too dry). You havent talked about either a ton but i get the feeling you feel the oposite. Right?
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So I’d actually agree with that, I’d say it’s somewhat similar level of detail but more organically presented, more coherent, and sounds more complete, although more dynamically and dimensionally/spatially flat than the shang imo. I also think that the Warwick doesn’t have a sense of directness that the shang does which is something I personally enjoy on the shang. But that’s a very basic comparison, I could get more in depth if needed
I would put them on equal level, I think the bhse would limit the shang enough (also depending on dac) to where the aperio would be higher tier, but with a 3es elite or high tier t2 build I think they are on fairly equal footing. But there’s a big catch, the aperio couldn’t take advantage of my higher end dacs as well as the 3es could and I think that’s an inherent design limitation and made me feel the shang was higher performing if I boosted the dac enough. So it’s really a question of scaling, but I’d put them on roughly similar tier with different focuses assuming you don’t skimp on source for the shang.
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Very interesting on the dac notes. I have been under the impression for a while now that the analogue inputs of aperio go through an adc so they can have dsp applied but the creator recently said this is nto true (this happens on tbe lower tier ones though). I wonder if maybe this is stoll happenong.
Ultimately, i think your conlusiom is about what i expected. For the <20k an aperio probabaly is from a dealer it going to be tough to beat as a system but if you throw cash at it shang scaled higher (and aperio probabaly would too if it wasnt ecosystem locked)
Also, have you heard the bravura? Iirc you got rid of your eco system before it came out and im currious for impressions
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Interesting, I guess I did just apply that thought to the higher end one without checking, didn’t know that. Although now looking at it, analog signals are still actually processed with analog circuitry so it’s still doing signal processing but in the analog domain, so you are still going through a processing circuit (if that matters)
Yeah would agree. The aperio is an absolutely amazing reference system, hard to beat as an all in one, and regardless of what you plug into it a top tier system in competition with the Sr and he90 (outclassing the he1). I just think with the ladder 2 you have more flexibility in how much further you can take them (although not much farther as you would think tbh). The aperio was my absolute reference for both studio and normal listening since it was the most well rounded headphone setup I had, but it wasn’t the most realistic or enjoyable out of what I had either for my personal tastes and use case, so I didn’t use it as much as I should have lol
Nope, only the aperio and Sonoma m1, I’d like to hear it though
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Well the big boys are out of my price league… but this one is in my range… I’ve always wanted to try estat just didn’t want the hassle of buying a total new chain. perhaps this is a way to dip my toes.
@M0N were you impressed with the Sonoma or was it the higher end products that were only standouts?
Yeah I was impressed with it for the money as an all in one. Worth trying if you want a very refined and polished estat but without some of that estat “flare”
sorry don’t mean to be dense… by flare do you mean the timbre that many estat owners talk about almost a shimmering effect on the highs? or something else…
I think it’s a combination of things, yes it has better timbre than most of the stax lambda, it’s less direct and smoother than some of the stats in the range, less exciting, more well rounded but master of none, it’s a great headphone imo it’s just a bit boring to me, but that’s just me
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I heard it there in a noisy environment but I honestly thought it sounded like ass (which I don’t mean it’s not technically capable compared to most of the headphones but the synergy sounded off to me) with a ifi pro idsd as a DAC on the BHSE (which, whilst I have no concrete knowledge for but I imagine the Headamp signature is gonna make the shangrila sound thinner dryer and less organic). The Shang sounded a lot better on a different chain (Lampi Horizon + Shang amp) although I have a feeling the amp is still limiting its potential
Ok yeah that first chain is ass, wow why couldn’t they get something better to demo with, that 2nd chain is much more appropriate lol
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Honestly I was so confused and disappointed as well. Not sure if all trade shows are like that but I feel for this canjam exhibitors only have access to gear from other exhibitors, so for example you have the RAAL fed by an RME, the iFi with BHSE (also for CRBN and X9000), and lots of Dave with no head amp for things like Empy Elite, or a Nagra with no head amp or Burson Funk for LCD 5. Yeah there’s also Hifiman EF400 for HEKSE or Sus lmao. The only appropriate chain from manufacturers is the dcs Lina, and maybe Qutest + Anni for lower end stuff. The only exhibitor that has proper chain is a dealer not a manufacturer, that’s where I heard the horizon, mola mola + riviera, Dave + Cayin HA300b (I think or maybe the lower tier one) for stuff like D8k, sus, utopia, 1266 etc and they are only one that use nice cables (they use all Kimber axios) whereas the rest is just stock cable (Audeze has a May but with a Conductor 3XR not even the GT like why?).
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It’s sometimes like that, the utopia was ruined for me consistently every time I heard it at shows because of that lol, the only wakeup call was having one booth have an egoista + some dac that really blew me away with it. Same goes for susvara, and mysphere lol
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That’s probably a good matchup admittedly
I never really gave the headphone amp on my nagra time lol
no
bruh
aka the ones that make the full chain themselves lol
Yep the dealer ones know what’s up and can actually put together proper chains
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