Little ol' me put up a new impressions thread at Head-Fi. The subject is ALO's Studio Six home headphone amplifier. It is priced at 4.900$ USD, making it one of the most expensive headphone amps out there.
For the uninitiated, Head-Fi is an English-language resource for headphone fans from around the globe. It is also the largest of any such endeavours in any language. Its creator, Jude Mansilla, is clever and level-headed- the ultimate sort of geek. He also has impeccable taste in portable studio lighting. It is a dream come true to be featured again on Head-Fi's home page. (If you're keen, the other featured article was Ω's FitEar Factory Tour.)
Thank you.
Anyway, back to the Studio Six. Several days after posting my impressions, Headfi decided to feature the thread on its homepage. The new feature system is clever: it focuses the entire HF population on articles the admins feel are important. When I go to HF, I tend to hit up two places: my messages, and the features section.
Why?
Because when the "what's better" headphone war ends, that's where the party will be. And I'll be thumping along with the rest of them.
As for the Studio Six, it will warm up Ω's office for a good month or two. (I sort of wish it had been released in the Fall when temperatures begin to drop. July hot plus valve hot do not say summer fun as well as an endless supply of Corona and chicken wings.)
Let's get back to the Six.
Unique to it are four headphone outs, run in parallel. Each one runs a lot of power. Power alone is naff. Sensitive headphones run well because the volume pot is almost perfect. Left/right tracking are spot on even at low volumes. Six runs nill-level signal noise, though valve hum does get into sensitive earphones.
For its intended use, however, WOW. Three letters. Horrible grammar. But 'nuff said.
I've not finished reviewing this amplifier. I take care in supplying ohmage to gear I feel is worthwhile. If something is crap, I'll not even write porridge to it. Fully accurate? No. I'm nearly as human as the next geek- nearly. (My penchant for liquorice and Sambuca lowers my status as an organism- at least according to my dear, beloved wife.)
Next week, expect a full review from this mostly-human. It will hit these shelves sometime next week. It will basically say that I'm impressed. Not only is Studio Six beautiful to look at, it is nearly as perfectly designed as a large headphone amp can be.
And, it's made its way to Head-Fi's featured page - a home befitting such leviathan an opus.