You’d be happy to know, Michael that Dan Clark uses a lot of Chord DACs as a reference point for when he is designing the tuning of his headphones. He loves the HUGO 2. ;)
Actually, they do well on tubes. DCA features the ampsandsound Nautilus to bring the most out of them. They're darker yes, but they are resolving when driven well. Bakoon is a bit light for them.
The only thing I would point out is that the Bakoon has much more power than the Nautilus-- which is closer to my Woo WA5 in terms of power (though the Woo is a SET amp). The Bakoon 13r is pushing 25W into 8 ohms in high power mode. The Nautilus pushes 8W into 8 ohms.
Yes, I see the power ratings and I'm not as knowledgeable as you. I have tried the Sus on the Bakoon and it is a very capable little amp. A friend brought it to CanJam in his backpack a couple years back. My experience is more with the volumn knob. I don't know how it all works, but I can tell you that on the Nautilus it drives the Sus to volumn much lower on the knob than the Bakoon. In fact, at CanJam, I tried the Konus 300W speaker amp on the Tungsten and it was near max, while on the 3.8W per channel 465, it hardly broke a sweat and had headroom to spare. Also to me, there is volumn and then there is weight. Not sure how to describe it. While I can get the Sus up to volume on a number of amps, there are certain amps where it seems to come alive. Of course that is all personal preference. Bakoon to me is linear like the Oor which most people like. I like more weight which is why I like the Nautilus and if you've ever talked to Justin and you should, he's in SoCal, you'd know the published numbers and what the amp can actually drive are very different.
@@rogerhuston8287 It’s also quite possible that the Bakoon you auditioned was in low power mode. You have to push the volume knob in for 3 seconds until two lights flash on the front, then twist the knob until the top 2 lights flash and push it in again to set it. It’s ridiculously confusing and a bad design. I had to find someone who could show me how to change the power setting on the thing after I purchased it. My entire reason for buying the Bakoon was all of the threads on head-fi talking about how it was one of the amps to get for a Susvara.
Yes, it was all the rage a couple years ago. I remember, that is why my friend brought it to CanJam for all of us to try. I think people gravitated to the Oor Hypsos stack a little more as it was half the price. I heard the Sus for the first time back then, tried it on the Oor stack, Bakoon, WA33. It all sounded really good, but it was the Nautilus that blew me away, again with the weight behind it. As a reviewer I guess you need something much more neutral so you can guage what the headphone is doing and be able to report. For me, I like the Nautilus and the 465 because everything I put on it makes the headphones sound its best, at least to me. I'm after that emotional response, I want to forget the headphones are there, where others like to use them as stethascopes. Bakoon is a fine amp, plenty of power, but for me a little light on weight. I would offer you try the Expanse on tubes to see how it changes. DCA had only solid state the year they released the Stealth and few people coming out of that room said it was great. On the 465, people who didn't like the Stealth at all, loved them. In my opinion, I think the DCA stuff benefits with more colorful amps than linear so you may enjoy it more on something other than the Bakoon. Just a suggestion.
Just good old listening and making your own impressions and not a mention of frequency response graphs anywhere, you put all of the other reviewers to shame Michael, fun videos and great work, please keep them coming
I would have loved this matte black finish on the Aeon Noir. I've never been diagnosed with OCD, but that shiny finish is the absolute worse for fingerprints.
I noticed these do change a bit with burn-in. They definitely scale with amp power as well. Regarding the cable the length is actually an option you select when you buy. Must have chosen the short one.
For some reason, I thought that you already had the Aeon 2 Noire but based on your excitement of the headphone mechanism, I guess not! The Noire is really the travel warrior of the DCA line. It’s also my choice for the title of pound for pound. It’s actually a bit discerning how little difference there is between the Expanse and the Noire. The Expanse is the better headphone but not by much. The biggest difference is on clarity. Although they’ve gotten better, DCA headphones still require extensive burn-in. They need 100 to 200 hours to reach their full potential. Technicals get better, bass improves and dynamics/soundstage increase. You’ll know that they’re fully burned in when you find yourself lowering the volume a notch or two. You do know that DCA is in California don’t you? You’re probably better off developing a direct relationship with them. Nice guys!👍🏾
Hey Arthur! I’ve heard the Noire many times, but I haven’t owned a set. They’ve always impressed me, I agree. I wasn’t expecting the same mechanism on the Expanse, pleasant surprise. These have an unknown amount of hours on them, they were an open box. I’ve not heard a dramatic change in a headphone due to burn in, perhaps a bit of settling here and there, but I haven’t experienced a night and day change with burn in. Anxious to share a full review of the Expanse. I’ve only started that process. Usually takes a few weeks of listening and taking notes, comparing headphones, etc. They’ll break in on their own. Thanks for watching!
"It’s actually a bit discerning how little difference there is between the Expanse and the Noire". Do you mean it is hard to discern the difference, or rather that it is concerning?
@@killeraudio000 My time spent with the Expanse was at CanJam NYC 2023. DCA had their own room off to the side of the main floor so listening conditions were a bit better. I only spent about 10+ minutes doing the comparison so keep that in mind. What I meant by “discerning” is that there is a 4.5X price difference between the Noire and the Expanse. What I was able to detect immediately with the Expanse was a greater sense of clarity and depth. Other than that, timbre and overall presentation were pretty much the same. Yes, the Expanse was the better headphone but the price difference wasn’t representative of the performance difference IMHO. I actually had a conversation with a well known reviewer at CanJam and he actually shared my opinion (not that it means anything).
@@DirectorsGarage Thanks for the response, Michael! I forgot to mention that it sounds like your cable is the 1.1 m that they offer for portable use. You normally have the option to select either 1.1m or 2m with the termination of your choice. Not sure why anyone would get the 1.1m for use with an open back but….. Anyway, DCA is in San Diego. I don’t know if that’s close to you or not. My dealings with them have always been pleasant. They may swap them he cable out for you.
Great review as always director look forward to every episode. I'm not a fan of the Dan Clark flagships; I just don't think they can hang with the big boys. The Aeon Noir and other entry level products are 🔥 ...
They require a high end Amp to get the most out of it. There is a reason DCA features them on the ampsandsound Nautilus. Tubes really help. For SS the Bliss is really good and the 465 is fantastic.
I picked up a Norne cable, the issue with DCA is their connectors are proprietary to DCA only. Whereas I have a ton of cable options for Audeze, ZMF, and Meze because they all share the same connector. I can't own everything! (Though I'd love to! LOL) Thanks for watching!
I'd suggest until one hears the headphone, passing judgement isn't fair. If I'd listened to the masses, I'd have never discovered the HD-820 is a terrific headphone, one of my favorite closed backs-- that was universally panned when it launched. It's ranked at the bottom of Crin's headphone rankings, I simply disagree with his opinion, and that's the fun of this hobby. As for the Eclipse? I didn't pay full price, so it's not a fair criticism to say I overpaid. Thanks for watching! I'm definitely an acquired taste! LOL.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
You’d be happy to know, Michael that Dan Clark uses a lot of Chord DACs as a reference point for when he is designing the tuning of his headphones. He loves the HUGO 2. ;)
3 thumbs up as always you NAIL this Michael - thank you! try the JM Audio XTC soon?
Michael is relentless. He’s exploring the gauntlet of incredible equipment so well. ❤
DCA... amazing ergonomics but what gets me about most of their cans is the lack of macrodynamic contrast.
After getting my zmf caldera , everything feels redundant, even sold my Susvara
For gaming purposes: Which would be better to pinpoint and separate specific sounds like footsteps, the Stealth or the Expanse?
Expanse plus the wider soundstage of an open back is better for gaming
Expanse Vs Caldera Vs Susvara. Video!!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Actually, they do well on tubes. DCA features the ampsandsound Nautilus to bring the most out of them. They're darker yes, but they are resolving when driven well. Bakoon is a bit light for them.
The only thing I would point out is that the Bakoon has much more power than the Nautilus-- which is closer to my Woo WA5 in terms of power (though the Woo is a SET amp). The Bakoon 13r is pushing 25W into 8 ohms in high power mode. The Nautilus pushes 8W into 8 ohms.
Yes, I see the power ratings and I'm not as knowledgeable as you. I have tried the Sus on the Bakoon and it is a very capable little amp. A friend brought it to CanJam in his backpack a couple years back. My experience is more with the volumn knob. I don't know how it all works, but I can tell you that on the Nautilus it drives the Sus to volumn much lower on the knob than the Bakoon. In fact, at CanJam, I tried the Konus 300W speaker amp on the Tungsten and it was near max, while on the 3.8W per channel 465, it hardly broke a sweat and had headroom to spare. Also to me, there is volumn and then there is weight. Not sure how to describe it. While I can get the Sus up to volume on a number of amps, there are certain amps where it seems to come alive. Of course that is all personal preference. Bakoon to me is linear like the Oor which most people like. I like more weight which is why I like the Nautilus and if you've ever talked to Justin and you should, he's in SoCal, you'd know the published numbers and what the amp can actually drive are very different.
@@rogerhuston8287 It’s also quite possible that the Bakoon you auditioned was in low power mode. You have to push the volume knob in for 3 seconds until two lights flash on the front, then twist the knob until the top 2 lights flash and push it in again to set it. It’s ridiculously confusing and a bad design. I had to find someone who could show me how to change the power setting on the thing after I purchased it. My entire reason for buying the Bakoon was all of the threads on head-fi talking about how it was one of the amps to get for a Susvara.
Yes, it was all the rage a couple years ago. I remember, that is why my friend brought it to CanJam for all of us to try. I think people gravitated to the Oor Hypsos stack a little more as it was half the price. I heard the Sus for the first time back then, tried it on the Oor stack, Bakoon, WA33. It all sounded really good, but it was the Nautilus that blew me away, again with the weight behind it.
As a reviewer I guess you need something much more neutral so you can guage what the headphone is doing and be able to report. For me, I like the Nautilus and the 465 because everything I put on it makes the headphones sound its best, at least to me. I'm after that emotional response, I want to forget the headphones are there, where others like to use them as stethascopes. Bakoon is a fine amp, plenty of power, but for me a little light on weight. I would offer you try the Expanse on tubes to see how it changes. DCA had only solid state the year they released the Stealth and few people coming out of that room said it was great. On the 465, people who didn't like the Stealth at all, loved them. In my opinion, I think the DCA stuff benefits with more colorful amps than linear so you may enjoy it more on something other than the Bakoon. Just a suggestion.
Sounds like Caldera impressed you a heck of a lot more though
Just good old listening and making your own impressions and not a mention of frequency response graphs anywhere, you put all of the other reviewers to shame Michael, fun videos and
great work, please keep them coming
I would have loved this matte black finish on the Aeon Noir. I've never been diagnosed with OCD, but that shiny finish is the absolute worse for fingerprints.
Hmm lacks on high..tq bro..hm seem like good on tubes..peace!
These seem like they'd be good if you're super treble sensitive or is listening to a lot of bright recordings
used to like DCA stuffs but lately not so much....
I noticed these do change a bit with burn-in. They definitely scale with amp power as well.
Regarding the cable the length is actually an option you select when you buy. Must have chosen the short one.
Hey Rick, These were an open box discount. I get what they send. Silly short for a headphone that requires serious power. Thanks for watching!
For some reason, I thought that you already had the Aeon 2 Noire but based on your excitement of the headphone mechanism, I guess not!
The Noire is really the travel warrior of the DCA line. It’s also my choice for the title of pound for pound. It’s actually a bit discerning how little difference there is between the Expanse and the Noire. The Expanse is the better headphone but not by much. The biggest difference is on clarity.
Although they’ve gotten better, DCA headphones still require extensive burn-in. They need 100 to 200 hours to reach their full potential. Technicals get better, bass improves and dynamics/soundstage increase. You’ll know that they’re fully burned in when you find yourself lowering the volume a notch or two.
You do know that DCA is in California don’t you? You’re probably better off developing a direct relationship with them. Nice guys!👍🏾
Hey Arthur! I’ve heard the Noire many times, but I haven’t owned a set. They’ve always impressed me, I agree. I wasn’t expecting the same mechanism on the Expanse, pleasant surprise. These have an unknown amount of hours on them, they were an open box. I’ve not heard a dramatic change in a headphone due to burn in, perhaps a bit of settling here and there, but I haven’t experienced a night and day change with burn in. Anxious to share a full review of the Expanse. I’ve only started that process. Usually takes a few weeks of listening and taking notes, comparing headphones, etc. They’ll break in on their own. Thanks for watching!
"It’s actually a bit discerning how little difference there is between the Expanse and the Noire". Do you mean it is hard to discern the difference, or rather that it is concerning?
@@killeraudio000 My time spent with the Expanse was at CanJam NYC 2023. DCA had their own room off to the side of the main floor so listening conditions were a bit better. I only spent about 10+ minutes doing the comparison so keep that in mind.
What I meant by “discerning” is that there is a 4.5X price difference between the Noire and the Expanse. What I was able to detect immediately with the Expanse was a greater sense of clarity and depth. Other than that, timbre and overall presentation were pretty much the same. Yes, the Expanse was the better headphone but the price difference wasn’t representative of the performance difference IMHO.
I actually had a conversation with a well known reviewer at CanJam and he actually shared my opinion (not that it means anything).
@@DirectorsGarage Thanks for the response, Michael! I forgot to mention that it sounds like your cable is the 1.1 m that they offer for portable use. You normally have the option to select either 1.1m or 2m with the termination of your choice. Not sure why anyone would get the 1.1m for use with an open back but…..
Anyway, DCA is in San Diego. I don’t know if that’s close to you or not. My dealings with them have always been pleasant. They may swap them he cable out for you.
Great review as always director look forward to every episode. I'm not a fan of the Dan Clark flagships; I just don't think they can hang with the big boys. The Aeon Noir and other entry level products are 🔥 ...
They require a high end Amp to get the most out of it. There is a reason DCA features them on the ampsandsound Nautilus. Tubes really help. For SS the Bliss is really good and the 465 is fantastic.
Most reviewers have extra extension cable and adapters and stuff.
I picked up a Norne cable, the issue with DCA is their connectors are proprietary to DCA only. Whereas I have a ton of cable options for Audeze, ZMF, and Meze because they all share the same connector. I can't own everything! (Though I'd love to! LOL) Thanks for watching!
another $4000??? my man
It's one expensive garage
No break-in first?
Open box so already broken in
I question somones judgement for overpaying for such a controversial headphone. One of the worst flagships out there.
I'd suggest until one hears the headphone, passing judgement isn't fair. If I'd listened to the masses, I'd have never discovered the HD-820 is a terrific headphone, one of my favorite closed backs-- that was universally panned when it launched. It's ranked at the bottom of Crin's headphone rankings, I simply disagree with his opinion, and that's the fun of this hobby. As for the Eclipse? I didn't pay full price, so it's not a fair criticism to say I overpaid. Thanks for watching! I'm definitely an acquired taste! LOL.
and open ypur wallet