There & Back Again: A Hobbi...Headphone Lover's Tale

[Fretless]

Wow! That is a serious piece of kit, GH. In a price class that puts it into the esoteric stratosphere.

Very curious to hear what you make of it.

[George Hincapie]

Well, that was a disappointment. The Weiss 501 Mk II has been returned; what follows is an honest, if slightly savage, appraisal.

I've read the claim that the implementation of the DAC is more important than the brand and model a lot recently. I'm not quite sure what that is based upon, and obviously can't speak to the subjective experiences of others, but my experience with the Weiss 501 Mk II has shown that to be utter nonsense.

Historically, I haven't had great experiences with ESS based DACs. I find them bright and headache inducing. The AudioLab MDAC I owned when I first developed an interest in this hobby is one of the worst examples of this; awful. It should be nuked from orbit. But time waits for no man, and ESS have developed their converters extensively since then. So it was with the notion that 'implementation matters more' that I took the Weiss for a whirl.

You can read about the specs and features online if you are really interested, but some standouts for me are:

1. The built in streaming functionality removes the need for a separate streamer and LPSU. Only copper rather than fibre, but still welcome. The 501 Mk II is a fully functioning Roon end point, and Roon found it instantly. The streaming section was good.

2. The built in headphone amplifier is decent. Nothing more. It would do until a separate HPA could be added to the chain, but it's a nice feature for someone who only listens to headphones periodically.

3. Headphone EQ. It only contains profiles for Audeze cans, so if you have LCD-X for example, then set the profile and off you go. Configured to Harman. If you have other cans then you can create your own, with 5 configurable shelves.

4. Web interface. Use Fing, find the IP, browse that IP in a browser and off you go. 5+ pages full of configurable options. Actually impressive.

What I didn't like:

1. The build quality is disgusting. Cheap pressed steel. Uninspiring design. The Denafrips Ares II is massively better built at less than a tenth of the cost.

2. There is something weird going on with the sound staging. The instruments are well positioned left and right, but the vocals are pushed right back in the centre. Veiled. Muted.

3. It's a detail beast; resolution in spades. But just like every other ESS experience I have ever had, the 'Wow!' factor quickly wears off to leave a flat, dull soundstage. No musicality. That ESS 'etch' that sets my teeth on edge is still there, albeit under far greater control than any other ESS implementation I've listened to.

In summary, it wasn't a net positive experience. The build quality and performance do not support the price. I suspect that the ESS based Sabaj A20D would offer a similar level of performance at a more realistic price point. And that's the catch. You can't charge £10K for a DAC that doesn't look like, or sound like a £10K DAC. Taking everything into account, I feel the correct price point for this product would be between £1000 - £2000.

I'll consider this an itch scratched!

Thanks for reading.

[George Hincapie]

A direct and clear appraisal GH. Clearly a product that plays the 'expensive-so-it-must-be-good' card.

Why don't you try the Sabaj for a laugh? 30 day return on Amazon.

[George Hincapie]

A direct and clear appraisal GH. Clearly a product that plays the 'expensive-so-it-must-be-good' card.

Why don't you try the Sabaj for a laugh? 30 day return on Amazon.

I promised you I would. Actually a very useful exercise while the Weiss impressions are fresh in my memory. I am going to try the RME ADI-2 FS also. A lot of people seem super happy with that DAC.

That'll be 3 Sabre based DACs in a row; if I am still unconvinced after that I might just call it a day on that front for now.

With respect to the more TOTL options, please bear with me. I am not certain which order to tackle the remaining contenders in.

[George Hincapie]

Another addition to my headphone collection has arrived; again from ZMF in the US. This time the Atrium Open Ltd in Hawaiian Koa. Just stunning. Atrium Open is a dynamic open backed headphone, early listening suggests a planar like presentation with a laid back nature. You can read more about the design philosophy for Atrium Open here.

I'm hoping to add some really nice resin stabilised Vérité Open and Auteur Classic to the collection in the November sales event - let's see what Zach makes available!

In other news, I am discussing the creation of a unique, TOTL solid state headphone amplifier with a boutique UK manufacturer. This will complement my beautiful LTA MZ3, and will be used solely to drive some incredibly demanding TOTL planars that I have my eye on. Update to follow.

Thanks for reading.

[George Hincapie]

[George Hincapie]

Another week, another pair of ZMF headphones join the stable. I've managed to secure a stunning new pair of ZMF Aeolus Ltd in Mexican Bocote. Just beautiful. I sourced these from the UK distributor, Acorn Audio.

You can read about the design philosophy of the open backed, dynamic driven Aeolus here.

In other news, I've been enjoying my Linear Tube Audio MZ3 so much that I have decided to refresh my main speaker system, switching the source focus from digital to vinyl. That process will likely be covered in a separate thread. I shall be listing some components for sale soon.

Thanks for reading.

[George Hincapie]

Yet another DAC has been ordered. I really hope this one will get me off the merry-go-round; the fatigue is real. I have mulled this purchase over for years; not the most expensive DAC I've bought recently, and not the latest technology either. In fact, it could aptly be described as old school

There's a 30 day lead time because of the non-standard finish. It's a beast though, and should be worth the wait. Update to follow.

In other news, I enjoyed a lovely solid state HPA over the weekend. More power and grip than you could shake a stick at, but ultimately not for me. The search there continues.

Thanks for reading.

[NSNO2021]

Wowsers you really do have a very serious headphone addiction and thank you for the honesty of your Swiss DAC review, I think I will eventually trade my Pontus 2 in but I need to complete the recently released upgrade and get used to that before I starting wondering what to replace it with.

[George Hincapie]

Wowsers you really do have a very serious headphone addiction and thank you for the honesty of your Swiss DAC review, I think I will eventually trade my Pontus 2 in but I need to complete the recently released upgrade and get used to that before I starting wondering what to replace it with.

If the difference that the firmware upgrade made to my Ares is anything to go by then let the Pontus settle in for a while before passing judgement.