Two quick corrections here: (1) Goldenwave is actually a Hong Kong based company (2) at 17:14 I say the Prelude is a $4000-4500 device, but I was actually referring to the Cen.Grand Silver Fox. The Prelude is a $2500 device at the time of recording
Wow, over thirty views already - the video was posted only three minutes ago. :0 Incidentally, the HiFiMan HE400SE I bought used a few weeks ago for the equivalent of USD$75 (actually less, since it came with a mini amplifier) is just as enjoyable as my Audeze LCD-2, except for its lack of soundstage (I need a pair of headphones with the widest-possible soundstage, as I am accustomed to listening to a pair of world-class, full-range monitor speakers that were custom built for me in Sydney in 2005, based on the pair formerly used by Sony Music Mastering in that city).
I like both for different headphones and situations. The Enleum has a brightness to its top end that I don't enjoy as much with some headphones. Overall though, it is a bit more transparent than the Prelude, I think. With the Susvara, it'd be tough to choose. I expect the Enleum would get you more of the Susvara's technical performance due to the transparency of the amp. The Prelude has a richer, smoother sound though and I always wanted that with the Susvaras.
Lachlan, thank you for this review! I bought this amp at a much lower price from China. Bought it for my Susvara and it works very well for my other headphones as well. I learned from friends in Hong Kong and China that HFM did not purchase Goldenwave, it’s more of a collaboration for some products in the Goldenwave line. The original Goldenwave Prelude is an AIO with lower power output, HFM had it redesigned to this version of Prelude with higher output for Susvara. For those interested to purchase this amp, do make sure it’s this headphone amplifier and not the AIO version, which is also called Prelude. Confusing like other HFM new versions of their products. When you turn this amp on, the words Goldenwave will appear on the front screen and at the back of the amp, it mentions Goldenwave. The packaging is HFM and there’s a small decal under the amp that has “Hifiman Electronics” printed on it. You may also noticed the XLR inputs and outputs are upside down because the internal boards are mounted upside down. I just have a problem with this amp so I am arranging to send it back to the seller in China so they can send it in to be repaired or replaced. Initially, I contacted that HFM directly, was advised to try this and that but they told me to send to the seller instead.
Review for Burson Soloist Voyageur: All I can say is that this unit is the epitome of END GAME! I was immediately blown away the minute I played it for the first time. I really love how easy the interface is to use. Also, I'm so happy that the gain level options include not only high and low but also MEDIUM which is perfect for my Genelec active desk speakers. The HIGH gain is great for my Hifiman planars. I'm using the iFi iDSD NEO 2 as my DAC which pairs wonderfully with this unit. I love how the XBass plays through this Amp. The thing is also built like a freakin TANK! You always get what you pay for, ALWAYS, no exceptions. This unit is very much worth the price tag. And Bloom Audio is second to none in every way. I highly recommend this Amp and Bloom Audio!
Regarding the full aluminum case, I think it’s odd that the company claims the purpose is for reducing resonance and interference. It seems pretty obvious that it’s a big heat sink given that the amp is class A and puts out a lot of power. This is certainly not a complaint, it seems kind of brilliant actually.
I think any metal could have acted as a heat sink so the choice of aluminium and the weight of it (i.e. not thin, pressed aluminium, but machined billet) is the relevant part for vibration damping and isolation, I think. 🙂
@@PassionforSound i’ll consider that it can do both, but the sides of the case have slats just like a typical heat sink and aluminum is especially heat-conductive and is typically used to transfer heat. I own a Devialet expert Pro, which is made of a big solid hunk of aluminum which serves as a massive heat sink so the heat sink idea seems obvious to me, but maybe not. Thanks for the incredibly well crafted reviews.
The EF-400 is an awesome amp for the price, fully balanced and a really smooth R2R DAC. Hifiman's amps have historically been great to me, might have to upgrade to this....
@@BillyKueekSG ATH-R70x, K702, Ananda, HE400i, HD599, Aeon Closed X, Grado SR-80x and I occasionally borrow a pair of HD6XX. Also Campfire Audio Holocene IEMs but those run great out of an Apple dongle so I don't use them on that very much.
The EF-400 is definitely a really solid device. This one is so much more polished (as you'd expect for the price). It would make for a brilliant upgrade.
Happy new year to you and yours. Sounds like a more powerful version of my Bryston BHA-1. Very nice unit that seems to be the path of what we can expect in 24’ I love my Bryston…this one is a nice unit .
Thanks for the review, I'd love to see a comparison against the other notable HeadAmp making waves at the moment - the other Class A, fully-discrete, SS "Mjolnir" 🙂
@@PassionforSound Excellent to hear. Looking forward to it. At half the price, it would be an interesting comparison. I'm also looking forward to the release of the Valhalla 3, early(ish) this year before I make my final decision for an upgrade for my Senheisser HD800S. The Gustard H20 Pro was expected last year, but hopefully early in the new year.
No, scratch that... I just checked Gustard's website and they've released the "Gustard H26 Fully Balanced Class A Headphone Amp". A little different to the prototyped H20 Pro from last year, but exciting it's out 🙂(removal of the twin 3pin XLR for 4.4mm). An accompaniment aesthetically to the R26 DAC. Now I hope to hear some comparison reviews. This new year is very exciting!
I actually traded it for the Audeze LCD-5s so I could review those. I'm glad I got the chance to try the LCD-5s, but I miss the Susvaras given the gear I have now...
It's like that, but I didn't enjoy them enough to keep them around. Now that I have the Enleum, Silver Fox (although that's up for sale) and Prelude, I imagine I'd enjoy the Susvaras that much more.
From impressions my friend and I individually got, they are very closed and the Prelude is slightly warmer. We are arranging for a time when he’ll bring his Bliss to my place and then we’ll A/B the Bliss and Prelude. I got my Prelude direct from a China seller and it’s less than half the price of the Bliss.
@@floriangopel3909 I supposed when I’m posting a comment or a reply to comments? Not a reviewer and surly can’t describe sounds like Lachlan. Friend owns the Bliss and went to the shop with his Susvara to listen to the Prelude. I heard the Bliss on a separate occasion and bought the Prelude. Quick impressions agreed by the friend and myself, is the Prelude is the slightly warmer amp than the Bliss.
My friend has the Holo Bliss and use it almost daily with his Susie. He was the one who poisoned me to get the Susie so I was already on the lookout for a used Bliss locally (don’t want the nightmare of buying used from overseas sellers) since he knows what I like and told me I’ll like the Bliss. When a local audio store brought in a few units (selling price was S$3,899 / USD$2,900), friend brought his Susvara to test it. He got excited and quickly messaged me about it. First impression from him is the Prelude is almost like, but is just slightly below the Bliss in performance. Bliss sells at S$4,900 / USD$3,650 brand new here. Another friend in Hong Kong also uses the Prelude for his Susie and he recommended it. I told this friend I’m getting it so he went ahead to negotiate with a seller in China. I got it at a much lower price including immediate air freight and receive it in about 4-5 days. Based on the local selling prices, the Prelude is 80% of the Bliss price. I bought it at 45% of the local price of Bliss but its performance is about 80% of the Bliss so that makes its price/performance ratio exceptionally good. Lachlan’s description of the performance is spot on, I wish I have his audio vocabulary so I can only try to describe what I like about it. I especially like that its slightly warm, lush with excellent tone and timbre, very good staging and layering. I like listening to vocalists so it’s slightly forward presentation works for me. It is also very relaxing to listen to. I find myself just enjoying the music rather than being analytical. I close my eyes and feel that I am seated in the middle at the front rows, just as I prefer when I go to a concert but my preference is not to be all the way to the first few rows It sounds great with every headphone I have - 6XX, X1S, Focal Clear MG & Elegia, Atrium, Arya Stealth, HD800S, Susie… It also works very well with the different DACs I have - Burr Browns, AKMs, R2R, Chords. I no longer need this amp to drive my Susie now but I am keeping it, at least for now. I believe this amp is easy to like for most people. Most importantly for me is that it brings a sound character that I am missing and this amp gives me many possible combinations as it works with everything I have. Hope this helps. What headphones and dacs do you use?
Howdy Lachlan, Hoping you get the Mjolnir 3 (“100% Class-A, no-feedback, dual-mono, choke-input, fully-discrete, balanced-differential headphone amp and preamp”) in in time for direct comp. (?) 😝
I didn't like the Burson 3XGT. It was quite bright, harsh, and glary to me. I currently have the Little Silver Fox, Violectric V550 Pro, and Aune S17 Pro. All of which I like better. This looks like an interesting option...
I guess it depends what you connect to it, it has mainly to do with the source. But in hifi everything is very subjective. The violectrics, even de v590 with upgraded volume, too dark and slow. I was so so glad that after three weeks I could exchange that specific amp at the shop for something else back then. Like I said very subjective. But now I switched to a tt2+mscaler… now that was the upgrade of a lifetime. I would not call the 3x gt really bright or harsh?? Talking about the 2022 version? Connect it to to the tt2+mscaler combi and it sounds amazing!
Ahhh, I wasn't aware of the brand. If that's the case, I also can't really help because I don't have a linear power supply to use with the 3XP for comparison.
With regard to value and Class A topology and sonics, the Flux Mentor comes to mind…extraordinary reviews so far on it and it would seem to me a fitting and relevant review for you to do Lachlan. Have you looked into it and its “story”, being produced in Ukraine in spite of the conflict?
@@PassionforSound Hi Lachlan again…it seems to me the one to get if you can is the new Mentor. It sounds to me from Soundnews (Sandu) that the price to performance is off the charts…Class A dual mono and the rest. Thank you Lachlan.
Helllo, Would like to know if this amp pairs well with the Modhouse Tungsten SS or DS? I'm debating on whether to get this or the revision Violectric V281 for Tungsten and then eventually the HFM Susvara. My TOTL headphone right now is the HE1000SE.
I'm sorry to learn that you're hearing it that way. I've found it to be excellent and many other commenters too. I wonder if it's happening to hit a frequency where there's already a bit of a peak from your headphones/speakers?
Great review, as always. I'm wondering if this amp would be an overall upgrade in quality from my Burson Soloist 3X (with Supercharger). Given your comparison with the Soloist's bigger brother, perhaps I could ask it this way - would upgrading the Soloist's V6 op-amps to the new V7 ones bring it close(r) to the GT model in terms of pure audio quality? Then I would know if the Prelude would likely be a sidegrade (different tonality) as opposed to an upgrade as such. Many thanks
That's a tough one. I think the Prelude will remain a step above the Soloist 3XP even with the V7 op-amps so I'd probably go up to that rather than buying the V7s if that's an option. If you don't want to spend the extra, the Soloist with V7 op-amps will still be an outstanding amp and a significant upgrade from the V6 version IMO.
@@PassionforSound Thank you very much for your honest opinion. I should have perhaps mentioned that this would be for the pairing with the Susvara; however, I am aware that you longer have that headphone. I am currently using my Burson and a tube amp (Cayin HA-6A with upgraded valves) to drive the Sus; I am looking for something that would combine the clarity, transparency and speed of the Burson with the holography and "organic" presentation of the tubes (without getting too tubey, the Cayin works great with the Utopia but I am finding that it's slowing my Sus down a bit and it's a bit too soft). Of course, I am trying to avoid spending too much on an amp if possible, so was wondering if e.g. the combination of V7 Vivids and Classics would get me closer to my goal. The price difference to get to the Prelude is quite substantial so have been wondering if it's mainly the tonality (which could perhaps be addresses with the op-amps) or if the amp is a clear step-up in the overall experience.
@@PassionforSound Further to the above - I think that my main worry with the Prelude would be if the treble/air is rolled off in any way, this being the cost of the slightly "warmer" tuning. The Susvara already has a very well-controlled treble (unlike the HEKse, for example) and I wouldn't want to lose any clarity up there.
I curious how this compares to the Cayin iHA-6. I just ordered one since my Jotunheim 2 is pretty well maxed out by my HE6se v2. If this is even better, it might be a good upgrade path in the future but it is still a big jump in price.
I owned the iHA-6 for a brief time and it's a solid amp, but the Prelude is a significant step up again IMO. Sorry that I can't provide more detail than that - it's been ages since I owned the Cayin, but I remember it being around the same overall level as the Burson Soloist 3XP while the Prelude is right up there with the Burson Soloist GT and maybe even the Voyager.
The only drawback to the Serenade is its frequency response of 20 Hz to 20 KHz which doesn't match up to the frequency response for most of its industry-leading gear.
That's just what they've chosen to publish because we can only hear 20-20,000Hz. It's quite possible that it performs beyond that range and there's not really a standard that I'm aware of for reporting frequency response.
@@PassionforSound Hey Lachlan I'm a huge fan of the channel, thanks for the reply! Keep in mind most reputable manufacturers are reticent to publish performance measurements that can't be substantiated legally.
Absolutely. I don't debate that at all. My point was more that some brands will measure and quote beyond 20-20,000Hz while some stick to 20-20 because it's a recognisable frame of reference for many people. In other words, the Serenade might perform really well beyond those numbers, but HiFiMan might have either not measured outside that range of not quoted outside that range. Of course, it's also possible that it does start to roll off beyond 20Hz and 20kHz. My point is more that we don't know and that I wouldn't recommend basing your decisions on that specification. It's also worth considering the recordings are generally produced strictly within those limits anyway to prevent ultrasonic content that can play havoc with some devices and is meant to be filtered out by the DAC anyway.
Hello and happy new year. I have a question: what amplifier do you recommend for bayerdynamic DT990pro 250ohm headphones? I have an Eversolo Z8 and I want to connect via XLR. Thank you for your help.
If you can get the Geshelli Labs A3 Pro, that's the one to get IMO. If not, the Singxer SA-1 is excellent and the Aune S17 Pro is meant to be great too.
