Analog+Digital+Headphones, 3 reviews in one video
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- Опубліковано 4 кві 2022
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#Schiit #Mytek #ZMF
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Thanks for the review, my Atrium are coming tomorrow and you got me even more excited for my first ZMF!
Nice to hear about this gear. Also, MAN! Those 20th-Century Classical Nonesuch records from the '70s are really something.!
This video is right on time. I was looking at the Mani 2 yesterday and almost purchased, but I am still considering a tube option. I am also a big ZMF fan and ordered the Atrium on launch day (Apr 1st). The pics of the Mani 2 wall wart are helpful as it actually shows that it is an actual transformer unlike the previous version. This should offer a significant improvement from a power perspective. I don't own anything Mytek, but good info there as well. I would love to try their products one day. Great video!
Love your show, time to check for podcast ! 👍
thanks steve! first review of the liberty ii that i've seen. i bought the liberty i based off your and darko's enthusiasm for mytek and i have been happy as a clam.
As did I, and I wrote the Darko Liberty review! Guess what the next review I'm working on is...:-)
@@philwright7772 well done! that written review was the last thing i read before pulling the trigger. i look forward to this next one.
I used the original Mani for a long time and it's great under $500. I'm now using the Hegel V10 phono preamp, which is phenominal at $1,500. I haven't seen many reviews on the Hegel V10, but it's an awesome phonostage with lots of options.
Great job Steve….from Belgium,big hi👍
Looking forward to owning the Mani 2. Vinyl is going to be a new
exploration and learning experience. Don't have a lot - just a few
(never played) Moody Blues albums that I bought in England back
in the 80s (they are in mint condition). Lots of vinyl shops here in
Vancouver so could be fun spending hours looking and learning.
Thanks Steve!!!!!!!! (turntable TBD)
Thanks for the great reviews, Steve. It sounds like the Mani 2 is a big improvement over my Mani 1 in the level of background noise/hiss.
was the Mani 1 audible?
Steve, great channel. Questions, would the mani 2 be an upgrade to the phono stage in the Outlaw Audio RR2160? Will you be reviewing the new RR2160?
just bought a mani2,one word FANTASTIC ...
thanks Steve, heard the Liberty 2 at my dealer with the LM845ia amp. what an improvement over the Liberty 1 that i passed on. it was the transparency of this DAC that really stood out.
WOW! Thru my Pontus II DAC..That Leonard Cohen Album, "Thanks for the Dance" was beautiful, vivid and haunting!!!
Every episode is special because Steve’s reviews are all special. Steve definitely knows his Schitt! He always has the best Schitt on his (almost) Daily Shows. No one knows more Schitt than Steve.
Seriously, most speakers fall short when compared to quality headphones. So headphone audio reproduction usually is superior to the loudspeaker audio reproduction experience.
Another home run !
Nice work on all three, Steve! I might have to audition the Liberty, after all, my tax return is coming!
I didn't do weeklong tests when doing this but recently bought myself a Yamaha AS 2200 and when doing comparisons the Mani 1 still kicked the butt of Yamaha's built-in phono stage 🤯🤯🤯
So I'm probably gonna grab the 2 😋
It's great that you test these components using expensive gear but I and many of your subscribers would be more interested in how they would sound with gear in a price class that most people who bought the Mani 2, would have in their systems. i.e. Speakers under $300 a pair, turntable in the $200-$300 range, Ortofon Red 2 or AT 95 cartridges. In other words, good bang for the bock gear.
I enjoy the channel and have been a reader of yours for a long time (I'm 70). Back in the early days my first piece of good gear was the PS Audio Preamplifier ][ that I bought at Absolute Audio in Santa Ana (PS Audio's first dealer) from a guy, Mike Moffat, who is with Schiit Audio.
Hi Steve I was wonder can you show us how we can build our own JBL L200 speakers, and were we can buy the parts as well as how to wire in the crossovers. I use to own those but years ago I made the mistake or trading them. What a mistake! Now they are so expensive to buy online, Maybe there is a cheaper way. I have built my own woodshop so I have the tools but not the specs. Any help in my recreating these over the top sounding speakers?
No visible volume control, so I assume it needs a pre-amp if one is using a power amp as opposed to an integrated amplifier?
The liberty dac ii section was kind short, what does Steve really thinks about this device? Sounded like with the digital preamp and headphone amp it is not a bad deal but if only as a dac?
Can the loading adjustments increase volume level like the gain does? I bought it because i had to really crank up the volume with the stage in my TT. I Increased the gain from the stock 42 up to 48 and that did the trick, but perhaps at a small change in SQ. Would changing the loading be a better way to do this?
Nice system, Kevin! And Wire's "Pink Flag" is so great - one of my all-time favorite bands!
Agree on Pink Flag being a fantastic album (and one of the best things to come out of the original UK punk scene), but Chairs Missing, the second, is as good or even better.
Ralph: Thank you sir!
Wire… totally agree. phenomenal album and brilliant band!
Mark: I bounce around with their records. I enjoy them all.
@@markmaloof2984 Agreed! Chairs Missing is 11/10, too. Amazing band to this day!
@@_fakeklg I do as well! I've seen the reformed Wire numerous times over the years. One time around 2000 my wife and I were visiting a friend in Tokyo, and we went to see Wire (with the great band Melt Banana opening. Also Kraftwerk, but that was another night). We rode up in an elevator with a group of younger Japanese music fans who were staring at me and talking amongst themselves. My friend Tom and his girlfriend/now wife laughed because they could understand what they were saying. The music fans had mistaken me for a member of Wire, and were quietly excited to be riding in the elevator with me, ha ha! (also a friend of mine played in the Wire cover band Ex-Lion Tamers as Colin Newman. Wire hired them in 1987 to tour the USA as their opener, doing the entire Pink Flag album! Wire liked this as it meant they did not have to do any of their early songs (they sounded very different in 1987), and also it showed they had a wicked sense of humor.
@@markmaloof2984 that’s is a fantastic story! Thanks for sharing that. Could you even imagine having a cover band opening for the genuine article? They must have been a spot-on cover band.
An Audiophiliac dance video would make my day.
Schiit Mani 2 vs ifi Zen Phono is where I'm at this moment doing research what to buy in this price range for MM cartridge (Ortofon 2M Blue(150-300 pF), Ortofon Super OM 40 (200-500 pF)). For MM cartridge ifi Zen Phono has 110 pF and Schiit Mani 2 goes up to 200 pF covering most of the MM cartridges. The advantage of the ifi Zen Phono is balanced output if you have it. Other than that I think it is more focused on MC cartridges and really shines there. But MM cartridges the load capacitance (pF) doesn't reach to the recommended levels. Even here we are only guessing if the Mani 2 was setup properly for each cartridge to give a review. Was it done with shop values or were the toggle switches adjusted and optimized for each cartridge. Could it have been better? When there is an adjustments there is a need to point out what was used so that the review has meaning. If not it is just a sales talk.
Good review on Mani, ok on ZMF Atrium, thanks Steve! But I think you short changed the Mytek DAC. Did you only use it as a headphone amp or did you run it direct into an amp and drive speakers? How good is the pre-amp in the Mytek? Did you compare it to any other pre-amps? Forgive me, but this is a new product a lot of folks have been eagerly awaiting for over a year and yours was the first "review", which left me with all these questions.
Sorry to hear you are disappointed. But I did say that I used the liberty as a preamp and listened with speakers, ELAC Uni Fi References. In the intro I said these were capsule Reviews. I did not have enough to say about any of them individually to warrant a full review.
@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac so none of them are good enough for a full review.😉
Oops, you did. Thanks for taking the time to reply Steve!
Had the original Mani and got the Mani 2 the sound does have way more power and feels alive. No regrets.
Good to know! I Have the mani 1 as well and just ordered the 2!
Not sure if the mani 2 is worth it over mani 1 or if I should just look at ~$500 phonos
Hi Steve don’t mean to bomb this video but on the topic of headphones there is a new tube amp for the Raal sr-1a it’s the VM-1a. Might be interesting for a review, oh and there are also convolution filters from accurate sound also very interesting. In short it is freaking amazing.
I wonder if the ZMF Atrium is competitive with the Verite closed? Most ZMF fans say the best hps from them were the VC just not sure if the atrium is now their “best”.
Great reviews, you have me thinking about Leonard Cohen again.
Question, does the volume control work on the output and the head phone output?
The Mytek web site does not say and it also shows a remote?
Oops, just noticed how the volume works on a relisten.
2:58 Not really, it's a larger transformer only... rest of the linear supply (+/- 17 volt rails, 5v rail) internal to the Mani2 --> Usually wall warts are complete cheap switching DC power supplies, not here.
Side question. What headshell were you using with the Zu Denon 103?
Steve do you know what the noise floor is of the schiit Mani 2
Where's Andrew Jones?! I think his last speaker at Elac is the BS41-BK. Adante a masterpiece after a few problems ironed out, market not ready for it haha.
So I guess the Liberty is your new reference around that price point.
At 1st I thought you were referring to the classic Totem Mani 2 loudspeaker
Leonard cohen got a mention! He smiles from under the hat from above
I love the way you go about reviewing the gear you have in, it means money hardly ever stays in the piggy bank. This channel just make me happy.
I love this Audiophiliac variety show, three audio components in one show. While you are at it, why not feature audio accessories like headphone “tree”, audio rack, phone cartridges, etc?
Every video is special which makes every video not special. I still enjoy your channel. lol
Hi Steve! Yet another very informative video. Thanks a lot!… I had a schiit mani 2 sent to me in the UK a few days ago. It’s the first pre amp I’ve owned so was interested to see what difference it would make to the sound of my system. I’m running an old rega planar 3 with the rb300 tone. A linn k18 cartridge. Using an audiolab 6000a as an integrated amp and a pair of the new (ish) wharfedale Iintons… having tested the sound back and forth with various styles of music I’ve not been overly impressed by the schiit mani 2’s performance. I’ve had to increase the gain underneath which in turn has increased any surface noise on the vinyl I’m playing etc and given the lack of any real improvement in other areas of the sound I’ve since left it unplugged and am not using it. Any advice on where I could be going wrong? Thanks!
I have a very similar system to yours. Those Lintons could do with a bit more power (I've got 90W and they sound perfect) but I also think your cart might be due for an update, perhaps an Ortophon blue or bronze.
Hi Brian. Thanks for the advice. I’ve had the linn cart for a while and will upgrade it soon. I might look at using the audiolab 6000a in it’s pre power mode and buy an additional power amp to give me that extra power you suggested.
No warranty info ??
Hey Steve I missed the news of the sale of Sound United to a medical products company. So that's Denon, Marantz, B&W, Classé et al. Do you have any thoughts?
The medical products company doesn't care about audio at all. They only want to use the sales channels these brands have in stores like Best Buy to push their bio-instrumented "health" devices. They sued Apple and won. All this doesn't bode well for the brands under the Sound United umbrella. Hopefully they'll be left alone for a few years so we can hope anything currently in production will stay "as is", but since they are using the profits from these brands to finance their purchase, it looks bad for any new money invested in R&D. Pretty damned sad. If I want the Polk R700 I guess I should jump on them soon whenever (if ever) they go on special again for $849 each.
@@rosswarren436 Sigh. So decent audio will go megabucks and the rest of us will be expected to be happy with our Amazon Echo Dots or something equally dire by Anker.
Sound United was no picnic. None of these companies compare with their past glories
@@RasheedKhan-he6xx I hope not, maybe not completely. There are a few other brands out there that might fill the gap between Echo Dots and low end soundbars and the crazy expensive brands chasing that last 3% of quality. I sure hope so.
Or who knows, maybe this medical device manufacturer will get bored and sell them off to other investors once they have broke even and pushed their wares into Best Buy.
Like Steve said though, very few of these companies compare with their glory days.
Seems a few of them recently had some life such as Polk with their R700 and Marantz with their latest integrated receiver.
I'm happy I have my vintage gear, but think smaller brands like Outlaw Audio might be the way of the near future. And speaker brands like Tannoy or Fyne Audio.
Hang in there. That's all we can do.
I am telling this to all the audio guys out there. Please, PLEASE normalize the sound on your videos so all your videos have the same sound level like the others, JINGLES included! Think about it, thank you and waiting more videos as always.
Damn steve now you have me thinking i need the schiit Mani 2 🤔😖 🙉
So pictures, description and a brief story???
great video Steve, I have to get off my ass and send pics, have a great day my friend
An action packed video from Steve. I'm looking forward to seeing more reviews of the ZMF Atrium.
For lovers of detail retrieval and micro resolution....... the Atrium , according to Steve's review, is not your headphone.
From the Atrium review I get the impression at half the price LCD X is better sounding headphone.
Different definitely
💯
What did you run the Atrium out of?
Mytek Liberty
@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac
I doubt that it can do the Atrium justice, it is much harder to drive at 300 Ohm and 96db. ZMF's love tube amps and the LCD-X can be driven out of a cellphone.
I sent my pictures and descriptions in separate emails. Clearly my fault since I’ve never sent system pictures before.