Corda Symphony

[dreamwhisper]

What are your opinions on the Corda Symphony?

There's a thread on the other site where its been reported that coaxial input to the DAC causes the signal to drop out. This is caused by the SPDIF receiver chip resetting when new signal is present. (takes a few ms) Optical is fine tho.

And the SPDIF receiver chip was upgraded from the Opera's to alleviate the problems with the Opera's clicking noise when no signal was present.

[Fungi]

I wouldn't count on the Symphony's amp or DAC being anything spectacular based on the Opera's performance and Meier's amps' reputation.

[MASantos]

I wouldn't count on the Symphony's amp or DAC being anything spectacular based on the Opera's performance and Meier's amps' reputation.

What do you mean with Meier's amps reputation?

I had a headfive for two years and it was a solid little performer.

Certainly no ultra high end amplifier, but at a 200€ price tag was really good!

AFAIK, Meier audio has a good reputation.

[guzziguy]

To me, Meier has the reputation for making solid, but unspectacular sounding amps. I still have a Headfive that was my first headamp. I agree with you about it and it was competitive at its price. I listened to Hiroshi's (Fungi) opera and was very disappointed with it. It didn't sound as good to me as the Headfive. IMO, it was totally non-competitive at its price point. Note that I only listened to the amp side. I never heard its DAC but the Opera DAC was universally panned, making it a worse deal at its price. When I think about buying high end amps, I don't think about buying Meier.

[Fungi]

I used to have the Opera and the M^3 stomped all over it. If his former flagship exhibits that kind of mediocrity, what's to say his new one won't?

See also: http://www.head-case.org/forums/headphone-amplification/1296-corda-opera.html

[Aimless1]

Haven't heard the Symphony, but the comments about the Opera are right on the money. Well built mediocre amp with power issues. It was obvious it didn't have the balls to drive a K501 (maxed out volume on high gain gave barely enough volume to listen to). I owned it for 9 months before moving on. I now have a new appreciation for the K501s.

[Icarium]

Yup all his amps sound very similar.. thin sounding without being particularly detailed.

[geremy]

Hmm. This thread is very dissappointing. I was considering the purchase of a symphony, even knowing the limitations on the coax input. I hadn't realized that meier audio was held in such low esteem. It sure looks built nicely, both inside and out.

[boomana]

I actually rather liked the little portable he made (don't remember which) that NightWoundsTime had. Only heard one desktop model once (CanJam last year) and remember nothing about it.

[Icarium]

Meh. Repeated exactly what I said 2.5 months ago. GG.

[socrates63]

Icarium, which Meier amps have you tried? I have a Porta Corda MkII which I liked a lot with the SR60, and the Corda HA-2 Mk II SE sounds particularly good with Beyer cans. Unspectacular, perhaps, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, is it? Thin? That description never came to mind.

Granted my Meier amps are the older models before he began outsourcing the manufacturing. Are the Corda amps significantly different from the current Meier amps?

[guzziguy]

Icarium, which Meier amps have you tried? I have a Porta Corda MkII which I liked a lot with the SR60, and the Corda HA-2 Mk II SE sounds particularly good with Beyer cans. Unspectacular, perhaps, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, is it? Thin? That description never came to mind.

Granted my Meier amps are the older models before he began outsourcing the manufacturing. Are the Corda amps significantly different from the current Meier amps?

Not Icarium but I have a Headfive. It's not bad but I'd rather have a Gilmore Lite. I've heard the Opera several times and it is really thin. I really like Jan but not so much his amps.

[sting]

...its been reported that coaxial input to the DAC causes the signal to drop out. This is caused by the SPDIF receiver chip resetting when new signal is present.

Hi,

I am new to this forum. In another forum Jan Meier has explained a few weeks ago that this problem has been solved. New modified products are now named ".2".

Jan also offered users of the earlier product line, who may have this problem, to do the modification as a (free?) guarantee service.

[sting]

sorry, I just found the original link where Jan Meier explains the past problem with DAC:

Corda Symphony info and impressions - Page 27 - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

I hope this can help you in your decisions. The symphony is in any case worth to be heard. I could recently test it, and will most probably go for one in the next weeks.

For me it will be a perfect device due to the built-in DAC, which is definitely high end class. Also the head amp is fine, but maybe not in line with the general philosophy of purists and high-enders. Here I do not mean restrictions in quality or sound, but the integration of 2 or 3 features: DAC, head-amp, and crossfeed filter.

For me it is more important that there is only one device and it can be used practically. Here I mean the crossfeed filter (which works fine for me) and different digital input lines. Maybe it is the crossfeed filter in combination with a high class headamp, which showed me a new and more comfortable room sound impression, which I did not have earlier.