I got the Voyager in 2009 and then the Bitzie + Lautus cable in 2013.  I've been extremely happy with the Bitzie which has been in continuous use, night and day, ever since.

I've been a Sennheiser headphone user for many years and a few years ago got the HD700 (I know it has a mixed press) and I kept the HD650 for plugging into a Yamaha Clavinova -- it's still a great phone in my ears.

The HD700 with the Bitzie is great for most of my purposes, giving a very clear and precise sound.  But recently I've noticed that with a lot of CD recordings of string music (as in quartet) there's quite a harshness in the higher-mid to high frequencies.  This doesn't occur at all with, for instance, recorded piano music.

Some of this might be me and my age-related high-frequency loss (not severe, but I have to use hearing aids to watch television and for example at meetings if someone across the room doesn't articulate clearly enough).  

I emailed Graham, who to my delight replied with a quite long and detailed explanation, and with particular reference to my query about the Solo.

Basically I had been advised by A.N.Other (whom I'd unwisely consulted) to get a tube (valve) amp and I did quite a bit of amateur research around the web before deciding that at my stage of the game I didn't want to have to muck around replacing burnt out valves, or trying whole sets of different valves — I just want to listen to the music (mostly classical and jazz).   And in addition, I was put off by some reports of the 'hum' (noise floor) that you can get with some tube amps.  (Plus the hours you might have to spend chasing up the cause and cure.)  If I were still a young man, then maybe ...

So I came back to where I should, on past experience, have gone first — here!

If I can borrow the Solo, I'm fairly sure I'll know in half a day whether it does for me what I'm hoping it will do.   I'll try it primarily of course with the HD700, but also give it a run on the HD650 (connected to the Bitzie DAC, with Lautus cable).

And the rest of the fortnight will confirm initial impressions.

All best

Brian

Milton Keynes, UK

all best

Brian

Thanks to (Graham and) John C, I have a Solo ULDE on loan.

I wasn't sure whether to begin a new thread for my query, but seeing an appropriately-named albeit old topic is already here I hope Brian and others won't regard this a hijack!

Everything is sounding just fine, very fine in fact, but I'd like confirmation on the volume control settings.  Notes accompanying the unit explain that for low-impedance 'phones, to expect the control to be in the 5-to-1 o'clock range, depending on input level, and 11-to-5 o'clock for high-impedance 'phones.  With both my Sennheiser HD600 (300 Ohms) and Final E5000 IEMs (14 Ohms) I'm getting plenty of volume at around the 9 o'clock position.  Is this anything to be concerned about?  My source output level (from the manual) is 2.1V.

Ah! The magic of the ULDE

Your source, however, does seem a tad hot, but that's what the volume control is for. Personally, I'd want to find a way of taming the 2.1V to something more like 0.7V. Our overworked John C is good at attenuators.

I've never been sure of how to interpret these claimed output levels from line gear.  2.1V is what my Oppo's manual says.

Line input sensitivity on my integrated amp is stated as 196mV into 10KOhms, for full rated output; and the same voltage is quoted for the Record Output, which is what the Solo ULDE is plugged into.  At socially acceptable listening levels (thinking of the neighbours!) my amp's volume control is in the 10 - 12 o'clock range, depending on the recording, with me sitting about 8' from the speakers.  Similar volume settings apply when using my phono pre-amp, where its rated line output is "only" one tenth of the Oppo.

Buy your standards from Estonia they’re only £20-30. BSi are a right rip off.

Shhh!

The Oppo has a volume regulation, from 0 to 100, for the analogue outputs! I have no problems with it at 100 with the ULDE (with very low impedance headphones...), but if you find that the output is too hot you could tame it by setting it at 50 or 70...

In practice, my Oppo's stereo RCA output, even at 100% (where I normally have it, as it best matches my phono stage's volume), is not unusually hot.  My integrated amp has a good range of usable volume control and doesn't feel like its inputs are being over-driven.  Even so, running the Oppo directly into the Solo, or the Solo running from the Record output of the integrated, at 9 - 10 o'clock the volume is plenty loud enough for me, into (300 Ohms) Senn' HD600/HD800.

If I did want to reduce the Oppo's output, I'm not sure if it would be done in the digital domain - by throwing bits away(?) hence less good, or (better) with analogue circuitry.

The Sabre in the oppo works at 32 bits internally... so there is no perceptible loss.

Anyway, if you don't hear clipping/saturation, simply keep it this way: the Solo is meant to work that way with high impedance headphones which have good sensitivity too.

I think you'd prefer it.

(the Solo is just a machine)

I've now returned the loaner Solo, so my thanks to John C. for organising that.

Having pulled up a dining chair next to my setup while I've been trying the Solo, I've realised a fundamental problem when sat in my easy chair some 4 metres away: my arm isn't long enough to adjust the volume!  Not so much a problem for CD/digital sources as I can remote control my Oppo's line output.  For vinyl it would be a different matter.  How do other Solo users manage the volume with vinyl?  Do they set it at the beginning of a side and leave it, or do they normally sit close enough to reach the control?

I find that I only use a remote when playing a CD on the CD player (skipping tracks) As for volume I set that when I'm at my system. But i'm  lucky my Solo is near where I sit, but I don't often adjust the volume. I think remotes have made us laze. They are good for somethings like changing channels on TVs,  setting up a home cinema system or if you got multi room audio, and really how often are you going to alter the volume any way . If you are vinyl mad then you have to get up out of your chair to turn over the LP to play the other side so you can adjust the volume then. Ha Ha. Back to CDs do you find that when playing an album you tend to listen to the whole album when it's on vinyl  but on CDs you skip tracks I find I do 

Mick.

Currently I need to use a headphone extension cable, as I won't be dragging a heavy armchair half way across the room from my speaker listening position to be next to my gear.  (Nor do I fancy the idea of Bluetooth-ing, as even current generation Bluetooth looses fidelity.)

Mostly I listen to ripped CDs, playlists and Qobuz, with the occasional vinyl binge.  CD albums (as rips) usually get played beginning-to-end, as do LPs.  Playlists are often multi-artist/multi-album - so remote volume control is kind of a necessity with them.

It's a great shame that more headphone amps don't offer remote control for (at least) volume, and that there seems to be a general assumption in the market, that headphone listeners are within arm's reach of their amp.  My internet searches have revealed only a couple of straight amps with this "feature", and prices are steep.  I'm distinguishing these from a significant number with remote control that are built around a DAC.  What Hi-Fi magazine did a review entitled "Best headphone amplifiers 2021...", and it's telling that of the thirteen devices they reviewed, only one didn't have a built-in DAC.  And almost all were limited to digital-only inputs.

My Oppo already provides a respectable DAC, so if I did add a headphone amp/DAC I'd also want to have the option of running its DAC through my speakers (and so reduce the Oppo's up-time when not watching a DVD/Blu-ray).  The issue then for me is that the more affordable ones don't provide a Line Out.  It seems that I would need it to be a head amp/DAC/pre-amp...when all I want is a straight headphone amp with remote control.

A streamer in a wired system via ethernet with stored media to ensure audio signal fidelity.

Streamer with audio operating system and a mobile phone in your hand with a complementary control app?