2 IMPORTANT CORRECTIONS!! Around 5:12 I talk about how the headphone output is like an OTL. It's not quite. Also around 50:53 I say that you can mix-and-match tubes. That is also not accurate. Black Ice Audio made these corrections: 1) The headphone output is a hybrid design. It uses a op-amp and tubes as the preamplifier. 2) The tubes are not in series. One tube is for the left channel and one for the right channel. You need to match them when tube rolling. Jaime DeMarco and I realized that we had been talking about 2 different models when we spoke on the phone so our wires got crossed on those facts before I filmed the video. Apologies for the confusion. This comment will be pinned so it gets seen.
This is... The best looking piece of desktop audio gear ever. Absolutely gorgeous. The glass top, the front window, the logo, the font, the finishing... Wow. And I'm normally a wood & big tubes guy (no homo)
Why would you apologize about the length of the video? Next you'll be apologizing for not being another Topping shill. 🤣 Glad you have gotten your foot in the door with Black Ice. More reviews of their products primarily from a headphone use-case is sorely needed.
I already use a tubed preamp. Do you think it would be too much of a tubed thing to use this or would the bifrost be a better choice? Thanks for another excellent review.
I have a Lyr+ that I love and I'm wondering if this would pair well with it. Currently using a Qutest and a Merason Frerot and I enjoy both but I keep wondering if combining the Lyr and the Black Ice would enhance the analog qualities of the Lyr without going too far. Is there too much of a good thing?
A couple of questions - what is the DAC in this unit? I may have missed it, if you mentioned this. Secondly, what is the internal power supply? I kind of think it is a linear design, because of the tubes? My current reference is the Geshelli J2S AKM 4499EX with a Sparkos SS2590 dual mono unit on the RCA output, and a Pine Tree Audio custom LPS (12V 5A). I also own a Bifrost 2 that I upgraded to the 2/64, and an Ares II that I have upgrade to the first 12th Anniversary firmware - and neither of those come close to the J2S AK4499EX, in my system to my ears.
@adsph got the chip for me. The power supply, I *think* is a transformer-based design. Their webpage talks about an R-Core transformer. Since the line out doesn't have an output transformer and head out uses op-amps, my best guess is that that language refers to the power supply.
Im using the aune s17 with the FX Dac. S17 is a great amp, but best if used with balanced out and in low gain. high gain pushes the midrange more forward and you lose some soundstage. @@beeftatare the only question is the 1,250Ohms output of the FX and the 10Kohms of the amp! i'm wondering if it will get even better with so sort of impedance buffer? maybe @wavetheorysound can help us with that.
Thanks for the review. I'm considering getting a Woo Audio WA6-SE shortly ($1,500 USD) to use with my Sennheiser HD800S. I have and will be using my Chord Mojo 1 as the DAC for the time being, but am on the lookout for a great SE DAC to eventually upgrade to. Will keep my eye on your review for SE DAC recommendations in the future - Great work.
I have a Mojo 2 in for review right now. But, my guess is you'll want to scope out the used market for a Hugo 2. I keep one around for hi end single ended use as well.
@@wavetheorysound Good dedicated SE DACs that I'm aware of are: - Black Ice Audio Glass FX - Soekris dac1421 - Chord (all models) - MHDT Labs (all models) (but all current models don't account for higher than 16bit - No Hi-Res) - Musical Paradise MP-DX (costomisable design) - Musical Fidelity M3X (also balanced, but apparently has indipendant buffers, so dedicated in a sense). Anything else that you're aware of that you could recommend for my setup, please let me know.
What price ceiling are we setting here? The list will be quite long if you get above $2-3k. But under $2k it's considerably shorter. Under $1k even moreso. I don't think the Orchid is under $1k and the Musical ___ brands look like you have balanced/se options but also have a lot of upgrades that could go well over $1k.
@@brendanliddell240 roger that. I'm most comfortable rec'ing Chord Hugo 2 or Qutest here because I've heard them and know they pair well with most tube amps. The Glass FX in this review is VERY good but it's not gonna outperform the Hugo 2 or Qutest which are 2x+ the cost.
Hi Wave, I need a suggestion. I've tried a lot of headphones and at the end of the day the cheap HD560S EQed to match the HD600 is my favourite, there's no headphone I like more. Do you think it would be time to buy an hi end dac/amp to give them the best signal possible? Can they scale or it's a waste of money?
@@wavetheorysoundthanks. Saw your video about the Cayin HA-1A MK2, is it still competitive or there are better options for the price? I would mainly drive 560s and DT880 600 ohm
The Black Ice sounds great until I realize it’s a tube DAC, which means I can’t just leave it on. After all the connectivity issues I’ve experienced with Macs and DACs, I have absolutely zero faith this will connect reliably every time I flip on the power. This is a completely avoidable headache.
