Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions
Showing 1 of 102 reviews about:
miled
103
Aug 1, 2018
checkVerified Buyer
When I first received the unit, it had the common issue with the scratchy volume knob. Whenever I turned the knob it produced a horrible scratching sound in the left channel of my headphones. I decided to live with it, since it was only happening while the knob was being turned, and shipping the unit back to the US and waiting for a replacement would be very inconvenient for me.
After a couple weeks, I had a thought that maybe the contacts of the potentiometer just got a little dust on them when the unit was being assembled. I unplugged my headphones and quickly turned the volume knob "lock to lock" several times. This completely and immediately fixed the issue! Would recommend this as a first measure before you send your unit back for replacement if you have a scratchy volume knob.
Aside from this, the sound does pan toward the left channel as the volume decreases into the very low range. I am using this to drive a fairly sensitive pair of headphones (Oppo PM-2) and the volume at which the panning begins is ever so slightly above the minimum volume I might hypothetically want to listen at (although it should be noted that I have never, in practice, wanted to listen at that volume, even though I generally like to listen at quiet levels). For this reason I wouldn't recommend this amp for use with super sensitive equipment like IEMs. Anyone using high impedance headphones likely won't notice this panning at all.
The sound, though, is just lovely. I have been listening to my PM-2s with a Fiio E07K for about a year now, and this is a significant upgrade. I always thought the Fiio sounded a bit fuzzy, not quite up to the level of when I demoed the PM-2s on a Chord Mojo before I purchased them. This bridges the gap; cymbal crashes has noticeably more definition and texture, and kick drums hit with more distinctive thwack than boom. Imaging characteristics seem to also be improved. I might say that I detect the slightest touch of tube "warmth" and "prescence", but these are fluff terms and I must admit that I have no real frame of reference for "tube sound".
Overall I'm very satisfied. The balance quirk above does not bother me at all in usual listening, but would be a nusciance for someone intending to use this amp with IEMs. I am also lucky enough to have found an easy fix for my scratchy volume knob, although for others ymmv.
See More Reviews
Related Products