Audiophilepure

https://www.hifinews.com/content/earmen-staccatotraduttoch-amp-and-psu-3-streamerheadphone-amp

While its Staccato’s streaming experience could use more polish, this EarMen stack should still appeal to headphone buffs looking for an all-in-one system offering the advantages of separate components. The adroit CH-Amp can handle most cans, and the Tradutto digital hub is no slouch either. It really is a miniature powerhouse, bringing a very big performance to very limited deskspaces.

My past experience with amplifiers using NFCA technology has been very positive. Amplifiers have come a long way from a year ago and I’m very happy with the technological leap forward led by companies like Topping. The L30 II sounds very neutral to my ears and does exactly what it’s supposed to do. It amplifies the sound signature of your source, IEMs or HPs without saturating, distorting, or altering it. It does a very good job of conveying the signature of your equipment to you. It has plenty of power to feed every headphone in my inventory.

When I hooked up the Fiio K9 Pro to the L30 II using the pure DAC mode, I got almost the same performance as the impressive integrated amplifier used by the K9. Honestly, there is nothing much to say. It also performs very well with monitors using multi-BA configurations with low impedance values. With the 8-ohm Yanyin Canon, the channel balance at the low gain setting is quite satisfactory. Overall, this is an excellent amplifier that does exactly what an high fidelity focused amplifier is supposed to do.

For first-time buyers, if you match it up with the Schiit Audio Modi DAC and say the HIFIMAN DEVA Pro Headphones you would have an audiophile quality system for less than $500. And for die-hard solid-state buffs, you can see what all the fuss is about and experience a whole new world of musicality for the cost of one less Starbucks a day for two weeks. If you like to tinker, and many of us started in this hobby for that very reason, the VALI 2++ is a great way to explore the world of tube rolling, something I really looked forward to, but as it turned out, none of my 50-year-old tubes fit the pinout of the 6N3P but as you can see by the list above, there are plenty that do (many for as low as $19).

The HIFIMAN EF400 is a DAC/headphone amplifier that provides great sound quality and will power a wide variety of headphones. Its $599USD selling price delivers quite a bit of versatility and it should be easy to implement within any computer or portable device with USB output. Without fail, it impressed me with every set of headphones I powered with it. It’s the kind of headphone amplifier and DAC that will reward you when it’s paired with high-quality headphones.

As for the question of whether R2R DACs are more musical but less detailed than Sigma-Delta DACs, I was not able to reach a conclusive verdict because, during my audition, the EF400 delivered both micro details and a sense of musicality in the same way as I have heard from amplifier DACs that sported more than twice the price of the EF400.

I have heard amplifier DACs that sound better than the EF400, but then they not only cost twice as much as the EF400 but some of them do not even offer the same bullet proof build quality as the EF400. What that means is the if you are in the market for an amplifier DAC in the sub $1000 range, you would be hard pressed to do better than the EF400.