Thanks to all the viewers and commenters for engaging with this video! A couple of commenters have suggested that the unit I had for review was defective. I don't think that's the case. I suspect that I have different preferences and/or listen to different aspects of sound that matter more to me. Why is this unit unlikely to be defective? It's a balanced amplifier that I used balanced basically the whole time. Balanced topologies essentially have 2 identical circuits, one for each channel. I did not detect any channel imbalances or anything like that on this unit. That's telling. For a balanced amplifier to fail or be faulty without a channel imbalance would require both circuits to fail/be faulty in exactly the same way. That is extremely unlikely. One area this amp kinda-sorta becomes NOT balanced is if the tube is engaged. A single tube is used to handle both channels. So could the tube have been bad? Possible, but also unlikely. If the tube were the reason that decays were overdamped we'd expect the problem to disappear when the tube was NOT engaged. But to my ears this amp was at its driest and most decay-squelching in its pure solid state mode (ie no tube). That leaves the only other shared circuit component to be the power supply. Here there COULD have been an issue but there were no other classic signs of power supply failure (ground loops, buzzes, excessive heat, etc.). The most likely scenario here is that the aggressive damping here is a voicing choice. This voicing choice does not sound natural to me and also sounds very unique among the hi-end headphone amps that I've heard. You are all free to like this sound and/or disagree with my take. But, when the sound of any given unit stands out amongst its competition, I feel it's my 'job' to point it out. Cheers all and enjoy the music!
I have this amp for over a year now and I don’t have any of the problems you described. I first played your video, listened while driving and was surprised to hear your description of the sound. I came home and watched your description of the sound over and over with captions on, repeated some parts of your description and took notes. As an ex Muay Thai fighter, I appreciate your metaphor of the boxer who hits and back off, hits and back off but again, I don’t have this problem with the amp. Perhaps you or the owner want to get this amp checked out? This amp is more than amp for me, it’s an enhancer to many of my headphones. Just a few examples, select Tube mode for HFM headphones, 1 to 2 clicks of XBass and a click of 3D/Holographic for HD800S.
I own this amp and Violectric V550 Pro (in comparison) but I don't notice these problems regarding attack, decay and over dump. I also have Susvara, HEKSE, Stellia (and many others) and again, I never noticed a so impressive slam in comparison with V550 Pro or a lack of decay. Maybe you've tested a defective unit?! Or my ears have a different perception of sound... However I really like how my Pro iCAN sounds! Thank you for another honest and subjective review!
You know what I’ve been thinking. A reverse 3D chest review move, when a product is altered by the competition and sent as a demo unit to be reviewed. Hope nobody reads this.
My man, the only actualy trusted reviewer of mine .. I would realy apreciate you reaching out to Shiit Audio asking them for a Mjolnir 3. It is the most interesting, actualy only interesting, non-tube amp out there for me. Sadly I live in the EU and I have no way of trying one out but would like to get one as soon as Shiit manages to get there Shiit together and make a 240V version. Big purchase so I would love to know how it stacks up the the rest of 1-2k amps out there. Is it future proof? If I were to get the Susvaras one day, would it be enoughth to make them shine?
Another great review! I have this amp & love it. I think you described it pretty well but I think this one comes down to preference. I love the slam & also pairs nicely as a preamp for my Quicksilver
While I believe this amplifier is the "Cadillac" of the countless amplifiers I tried, I admit that the first day I heard it I was disappointed and the reasons are just the ones you explained. It is more dampened than all other amplifiers I had in this category and required an ear adjustment, which for me only lasted 2 days. After that it became my favourite one with all my headphones, from HE1000 Stealth to HE6SE v2, LCD-X, Ether 2, etc. The ability to alter bass delivery and soundstage size is unique and effective. The tube modes are what they are: a hybrid tube topology will never deliver the goods as an OTL, but there is an effect that is pleasant with some headphones. I do think this amplifier is endgame grade.
Unfortunately, the problem I see with many reviews is that somehow NO ONE looks at things differently! For example, I have a Ferrum system (OOR+Hypsos+Wandla) and a Susvara next to my Hifiman HE1000Se ... If I connect the two headphones to my Ferrum system, the sound just sounds boring! I love listening to Rnb/Hip Hop and Techno ... If I connect the i Can instead of the OOR, EVERYTHING changes! The bass slams but OTHER wild and the music is really fun ! And it gets even worse when you play old mp3 s ... with the 6000€ Ferrum system MP3s sound worse than with a Nokia 6230 with the former headset But not with the i can ! I wish the reviewers would simply take such aspects into account instead of just testing classical music and live concerts!
I really loved it with lcd5, maybe it's synergies. I really liked this amp. Another thing, saga is not the best peace to test, you would need something like Freya plus. Cheers
Hi WaveTheory, can you please review the Violectric V550 and compare it against V281? I really want to get V281 as an upgrade, unfortunately, it is a discontinued model and the V550 is its successor. I would like to know your thoughts about it(with Susvara or HEKSE plugged in as these are my target HP upgrades), I heard that it is not that good of a paring with Susvara, compared to V222. Thank you for the review btw. Another great and honest review as always! 🙂🍻
very hard to believe this review considering I had the original Ican and this is supposed to be an upgrade. It didn’t sound anything like you mentioned save the frequency response. Maybe the new one is different.
Well I got one on order... Hopefully since I got the HE1000 V2 Stealth's with it my brain can do the full adjustments over the next week. Haven't heard as much gear as you so my ears won't be as sensitive.
The tube sound is something I'm interested in. I wonder if this amp is the right choice as a hybrid or perhaps it would be better to go for a pure tube amp.
Being an enthusiast rather than an audiophile, my ears are likely not as well trained as yours so please feel free to criticize at will. Tusk by Fleetwood Mac is my song of choice for comparison. The source is iPad Pro via AirPlay. The DACs are iFi iDSD Signature and Naim Utiliti Atom. The amps are Ferum Oor with Hypsos and of course, the iFi iCAN Pro Signature. The headphones are Susvara. After some casual comparative listening, particularly between the two amps, I would agree the Ferum amp handles note decay better than the iFi amp. However, I do not hear the iFi’s deficiency to the extent that you do. The thing I dislike most about the iFi amp are the gaping holes on both sides of the XLR output on the front. Fortunately these can be plugged with adaptors for 3.5 mm listening.
Thanks for your thoughts. I think you're probably hearing the same thing I heard but it either isn't as pronounced on your setup or it just doesn't bother you as much as it does me. If it's a tolerance thing, well that just is what it is. If it's a setup thing I'd attribute it to AirPlay. I have not used AirPlay much as I have tended to avoid the Apple ecosystem. However, I will likely pickup an iPad soon so I can become a(n even) more thorough reviewer as many commenters and patrons seem to use AirPlay. However, my suspicion is that Apple went more for convenience over absolute quality in their AirPlay platform. My hypothesis is that translates to a higher noise floor than you can obtain from other streaming protocols like DLNA or Roon, which might mask or reduce some of the effects I was hearing. Again, I plan to investigate this in the not-distant future. Thanks again!
@@wavetheorysound Thanks! I could have used USB into the Uniti Atom and the iDSD Pro DACs instead but Airplay does not contribute to noise floor in my experience. I could also have sourced it from an Android device but convenience will have its say. Good luck with your testing.
While I disagree with this review, there is no way he compares to Sharur. Wavetheory is just a guy, he’ll hear things differently than I do and will have different opinions and that’s fine. Sharur is just a useless voice screaming into the void for attention.
Thanks to all the viewers and commenters for engaging with this video!
A couple of commenters have suggested that the unit I had for review was defective. I don't think that's the case. I suspect that I have different preferences and/or listen to different aspects of sound that matter more to me.
Why is this unit unlikely to be defective? It's a balanced amplifier that I used balanced basically the whole time. Balanced topologies essentially have 2 identical circuits, one for each channel. I did not detect any channel imbalances or anything like that on this unit. That's telling. For a balanced amplifier to fail or be faulty without a channel imbalance would require both circuits to fail/be faulty in exactly the same way. That is extremely unlikely. One area this amp kinda-sorta becomes NOT balanced is if the tube is engaged. A single tube is used to handle both channels. So could the tube have been bad? Possible, but also unlikely. If the tube were the reason that decays were overdamped we'd expect the problem to disappear when the tube was NOT engaged. But to my ears this amp was at its driest and most decay-squelching in its pure solid state mode (ie no tube).
That leaves the only other shared circuit component to be the power supply. Here there COULD have been an issue but there were no other classic signs of power supply failure (ground loops, buzzes, excessive heat, etc.).
The most likely scenario here is that the aggressive damping here is a voicing choice. This voicing choice does not sound natural to me and also sounds very unique among the hi-end headphone amps that I've heard. You are all free to like this sound and/or disagree with my take. But, when the sound of any given unit stands out amongst its competition, I feel it's my 'job' to point it out.
Cheers all and enjoy the music!
fyi there are two tubes inside it, you can see in photos of internal structure, you can also look through the grooves of amp and see both tubes
I have this amp for over a year now and I don’t have any of the problems you described. I first played your video, listened while driving and was surprised to hear your description of the sound. I came home and watched your description of the sound over and over with captions on, repeated some parts of your description and took notes. As an ex Muay Thai fighter, I appreciate your metaphor of the boxer who hits and back off, hits and back off but again, I don’t have this problem with the amp. Perhaps you or the owner want to get this amp checked out? This amp is more than amp for me, it’s an enhancer to many of my headphones. Just a few examples, select Tube mode for HFM headphones, 1 to 2 clicks of XBass and a click of 3D/Holographic for HD800S.
I own this amp and Violectric V550 Pro (in comparison) but I don't notice these problems regarding attack, decay and over dump. I also have Susvara, HEKSE, Stellia (and many others) and again, I never noticed a so impressive slam in comparison with V550 Pro or a lack of decay. Maybe you've tested a defective unit?! Or my ears have a different perception of sound... However I really like how my Pro iCAN sounds! Thank you for another honest and subjective review!
Was definitely not my thing, but I'm glad you enjoy it!
@@wavetheorysound same thing here, not experiencing the same issue you have
I don’t have any of the problems you described about the sound of this amp. Strange???!!!
You know what I’ve been thinking. A reverse 3D chest review move, when a product is altered by the competition and sent as a demo unit to be reviewed. Hope nobody reads this.
Hi . How do you like them for HEKSE compared with your V550?
Wonderful review! I really enjoyed it and to be honest I wasn't expecting it to sound like this
I spy ... Arya Organics. Hope your upcoming review will compare to the Arya Stealth and HEk v2 stealth.
My man, the only actualy trusted reviewer of mine .. I would realy apreciate you reaching out to Shiit Audio asking them for a Mjolnir 3. It is the most interesting, actualy only interesting, non-tube amp out there for me. Sadly I live in the EU and I have no way of trying one out but would like to get one as soon as Shiit manages to get there Shiit together and make a 240V version.
Big purchase so I would love to know how it stacks up the the rest of 1-2k amps out there. Is it future proof? If I were to get the Susvaras one day, would it be enoughth to make them shine?
Another great review! I have this amp & love it. I think you described it pretty well but I think this one comes down to preference. I love the slam & also pairs nicely as a preamp for my Quicksilver
While I believe this amplifier is the "Cadillac" of the countless amplifiers I tried, I admit that the first day I heard it I was disappointed and the reasons are just the ones you explained. It is more dampened than all other amplifiers I had in this category and required an ear adjustment, which for me only lasted 2 days. After that it became my favourite one with all my headphones, from HE1000 Stealth to HE6SE v2, LCD-X, Ether 2, etc.
The ability to alter bass delivery and soundstage size is unique and effective. The tube modes are what they are: a hybrid tube topology will never deliver the goods as an OTL, but there is an effect that is pleasant with some headphones. I do think this amplifier is endgame grade.
Thanks for the honest review. Any recommendations on a good alternative amp to pair with the Utopia's, in roughly the same price range?
Unfortunately, the problem I see with many reviews is that somehow NO ONE looks at things differently!
For example, I have a Ferrum system (OOR+Hypsos+Wandla) and a Susvara next to my Hifiman HE1000Se ...
If I connect the two headphones to my Ferrum system, the sound just sounds boring! I love listening to Rnb/Hip Hop and Techno ...
If I connect the i Can instead of the OOR, EVERYTHING changes! The bass slams but OTHER wild and the music is really fun !
And it gets even worse when you play old mp3 s ... with the 6000€ Ferrum system MP3s sound worse than with a Nokia 6230 with the former headset
But not with the i can ! I wish the reviewers would simply take such aspects into account instead of just testing classical music and live concerts!
Interesting take and different to others I’ve seen. Good stuff
I really loved it with lcd5, maybe it's synergies. I really liked this amp.
Another thing, saga is not the best peace to test, you would need something like Freya plus. Cheers
Would you recommend iFi Pro iCAN Signature paired with RME ADI 2 DAC FS ? DCA E3 headphones.
Thank you
Hi WaveTheory, can you please review the Violectric V550 and compare it against V281? I really want to get V281 as an upgrade, unfortunately, it is a discontinued model and the V550 is its successor. I would like to know your thoughts about it(with Susvara or HEKSE plugged in as these are my target HP upgrades), I heard that it is not that good of a paring with Susvara, compared to V222.
Thank you for the review btw.
Another great and honest review as always! 🙂🍻
very hard to believe this review considering I had the original Ican and this is supposed to be an upgrade. It didn’t sound anything like you mentioned save the frequency response. Maybe the new one is different.
I need to know your take in Burson conductor 3XR and the GT 🕵🏻♀️
I would like to hear some Burson gear as well. For whatever reason an opportunity has not come along yet.
Well I got one on order... Hopefully since I got the HE1000 V2 Stealth's with it my brain can do the full adjustments over the next week. Haven't heard as much gear as you so my ears won't be as sensitive.
The tube sound is something I'm interested in. I wonder if this amp is the right choice as a hybrid or perhaps it would be better to go for a pure tube amp.
Being an enthusiast rather than an audiophile, my ears are likely not as well trained as yours so please feel free to criticize at will. Tusk by Fleetwood Mac is my song of choice for comparison. The source is iPad Pro via AirPlay. The DACs are iFi iDSD Signature and Naim Utiliti Atom. The amps are Ferum Oor with Hypsos and of course, the iFi iCAN Pro Signature. The headphones are Susvara. After some casual comparative listening, particularly between the two amps, I would agree the Ferum amp handles note decay better than the iFi amp. However, I do not hear the iFi’s deficiency to the extent that you do. The thing I dislike most about the iFi amp are the gaping holes on both sides of the XLR output on the front. Fortunately these can be plugged with adaptors for 3.5 mm listening.
Thanks for your thoughts. I think you're probably hearing the same thing I heard but it either isn't as pronounced on your setup or it just doesn't bother you as much as it does me. If it's a tolerance thing, well that just is what it is. If it's a setup thing I'd attribute it to AirPlay. I have not used AirPlay much as I have tended to avoid the Apple ecosystem. However, I will likely pickup an iPad soon so I can become a(n even) more thorough reviewer as many commenters and patrons seem to use AirPlay. However, my suspicion is that Apple went more for convenience over absolute quality in their AirPlay platform. My hypothesis is that translates to a higher noise floor than you can obtain from other streaming protocols like DLNA or Roon, which might mask or reduce some of the effects I was hearing. Again, I plan to investigate this in the not-distant future. Thanks again!
@@wavetheorysound Thanks! I could have used USB into the Uniti Atom and the iDSD Pro DACs instead but Airplay does not contribute to noise floor in my experience. I could also have sourced it from an Android device but convenience will have its say. Good luck with your testing.
would be fun to see ifi ican phantom review
Get a good linar power supply. It does a fairly obvious difference.
It's been 84 years...🤣
you had a defective unit mate. I have not experienced anything you've said..
I have own this and listened to it for an hour and boxed it up for resale. I have found that it is powerful but sterile and uninteresting.
Definitely ain’t my thing either..
This sounds like a miss from iFi
This is not what i heard from this unit. I think the problem here is the headphone you used.
Starting to sound like Sharur?
How does he sound like Sharur? Sharur is just an angry dude that can't afford anything in the hobby. Sharur is what we would call a psychic vampire.
That guy is a troll. No way in any universe should he even be put in the same category as reviews by wavetheory . Really hope you are just kidding.
Sharur “reviews” graphs of gear he’s never heard. I don’t see how it’s comparable.
While I disagree with this review, there is no way he compares to Sharur.
Wavetheory is just a guy, he’ll hear things differently than I do and will have different opinions and that’s fine. Sharur is just a useless voice screaming into the void for attention.
@@oldaudionerd Seems he's living rent-free in some people's heads though...