Dangerous Music Convert-2 DAC Review - Stream of Consciousness

When i used to own MJ2 i found it to be annoyingly forward at mid high - high frequencies
no matter the tubes used.
Some kind of ringing at the upper registers.

 

I was eager to hear how the Convert-2 sounded with the Sennheisers but I was lucky enough to buy an MJ2 used for the price of one of those Isomax transformers. There's a Jotunheim but I like tubes with HD650. Cheapest balanced headamp I could find.

But yeah when I got a taste of the HD6X0 with the Convert-2 as a DAC, I knew my HE-6 was going to collect dust.

Valhalla 2 is the better amp for the 650s but it only has single ended connections.

 

I also used to own Valhalla 2!
The upper registers are dry and shouty with all the tubes tried.
Sorry.
The Lyr 3 is the best amp to try but unfortunately single ended.

 

I hear the dryness on the Valhalla 2. More shouty from the Mjolnir 2. IME.

So Lyr 3 is your recommendation for the HD650?

I don't want to chase after amps as these are just headphones. Ragnarok 2 seems interesting but too much $$$ for a headphone amp. Maybe I can get a Bottlehead Crack from someone.

My 2 channel system is pretty much done. Monitors last thing I want.

 

Lyr 3 has a smooth presentation and a non fatiguing sound if thats what you are after. Out of all Schiit amp I liked it the most with my 600, didn't try it with 650

 

If you want a great tube amp for the HD650 just get a BH Crack.

 

Yes. Bass boost is welcome for the HD650 in my book.

 

Thanks guys. Sorry for the derail. I'll just stick with the Valhalla 2 and use the SE from the Gungnir. The HD650 (and HD600) are the only headphones I need/want.

 

Anyone selling a Convert-2 on here? I am really interested in picking up a unit.

 

This was such an amazing and educational read. I just got a CV2 but don't use it in the way most do here. This group is on an entirely another level of music. I thought I was doing something when i was going to use it with my old JBL 4328p. I own a source.

?: If i put the CV2 to master clock and go thru the source. Will i lose any quality . Or i should just run the speakers thru the CV2. I wanted to use the source as a headphone option.

 

@Cpluse2, based on your above post, I connected the Convert-2 to the Source and playing through the latter's HP out. My immediate reaction is that there is no perceptible loss in SQ between this set up and my usual chain of Convert-2 to my tube amps (mostly the Mogwai SE). One major difference is that I can now eliminate the Jensen PI-2XR trafo needed to go from the balanced outs of the D/A to the SE outs of the amp (basically no worries about the hot outputs). I do need to crank the volume pot of the Source though to achieve loudness levels that I get through my tube amps. In addition, the high impedance Senns need more cranking of the volume pot compared to my Focal HPs.

I don't know if this answers your question though since I don't use speakers.

 

Hello Koth,

This is what confirmation i was looking for. I just wanted to make sure it was possible. Did you need to change anything on the source. I know there a jumper inside , but didnt really use for anything on my setup before. And your setup you have the CV2 on Master clock. Do you have a pic of the setup what it looks like in the back.


Thank you again,

 

But wait!?
Isn't the Source everything one could ever need? How dare you plug in a better DAC into it!

 

Ok smart ass.. Lmao now i really feel like I'm apart of this convo.. Lol joking after reading the back and forth from the 18 pages. It funny this group still has the fire to keep it alive. But ya i need a headphone connection and i like the source feature just need the CV2 dac. But to be honest its been good to me for 7 years. But I will have fun AB with and with out. I just needed help becauae I'm a rookie and so I won't blow up my cv2. It was not cheap. Good times...

 

How do you like the Lavry vs the Dangerous converters?

 

That's my weekend thing to do. Planning to do the comparison between the two with the Phonitor 2 as the amp. I want to avoid the Jensen if I can. I do know that the headamp out on the Lavry is better than that of the Source. In addition, Lavry is wide open but softer than the Convert (very broad strokes here).

 

My source is a Pi2AES. That plugs into the AES in of the Convert. I took the AES analog outs of the Convert into the AN1 inputs of the Source. I had no clue about the jumper but would not know how to do it anyway. See attached picture.

 

Psalm, I went back and forth between the two DACs and the Phonitor the last two days. To me the Convert-2 wins. First, for the genre of music I prefer, hard rock, it really is a no-brainer to me. Slam, detail yet remarkably uncolored. It's got a heft that the Lavry lacks. The Dangerous can be fatiguing relative to the Lavry but when you're listening to Deep Purple/Sabbath etc. shame on you to complain of fatigue in the first place! with the Lavry, I can actually sit back and lose myself in the music so I kind of reserve it for groups/artists like Cream, Steve Miller Band, Mark Knopfler, McCartney etc. The treble roll-off is a bit noticeable with the Lavry although the Convert-2 could do with bit more air up top.