After three months with the HiFiMAN Prelude I found something strange…
This is the first amp that made me forget my goal was to analyze the sound…
and just switch to enjoying the music.
This review is based on daily use that lasted close to three months.
And here I’d like to send a big thank you to Hifiman @hifimanofficial for their great support and for giving me a discount in exchange for an honest and transparent review of the unit .
Product link from the company’s official store on aliexpress
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3FL7SEh
System used :
During the testing period I used more than one DAC.
The main one was:
Gustard R26
And I also tried it with:
Denafrips Ares 15th
LAiV Harmony DAC
The pre-amp
Burson Soloist 3X Performance
The op- amp ⬇️
Volume Controller / Burson V7 VIVID DUAL Fully Discrete
Line Out / Staccato DUAL Fully Discrete
The Streamer
LUMIN U2 Mini
The headphones most of my impressions are based on:
NAN7 – the main one
HiFiMAN HE1000se
HiFiMAN Susvara
And out of these headphones, there was a huge shift in the level of the Susvara
And some secondary headphones :
The first thing that grabs your attention: the power
It’s not just a powerful amp…
it’s an amp that knows how to use its power.
The Punch here is very strong, and the hits on the drums and the Kick Drum give you a clear physical feel.
The nice thing is that this power is fully under control.
With the Susvara you could clearly feel the driver working at full capacity .
Honestly…
this is the best performance I’ve heard from the Susvara so far.
Bass
On the Prelude it’s not just clean bass.
It’s bass that’s:
deep
fast
and full
It gives the music clear weight without any exaggeration.
With the genres I mostly listen to, like:
Country
Dark Country
Rock
EDM
the sense of energy and rhythm was very clear.
Soundstage
The stage is clearly wide with exceptional depth .
Instruments spread across the scene naturally, not just left and right.
Even in busy passages the Imaging stays steady and you can follow the instruments easily.
Detail
Detail-wise, the performance is very close to an amp like the Mass Kobo.
The Mass Kobo might edge it out on resolution .
But the thing that suited me least with that unit is how forward the vocals are, especially female vocals (the opposite of my preference)
The Prelude gives you:
Stronger dynamics
more bass quantity and density , and stronger extension
more energy
and a Live feel to the music.
The midrange and treble
The midrange here is neutral with a nice density that gives instruments clear body and weight.
Vocals sit in their natural place on the stage, not forward and not pushed back.
As for the treble, it’s smooth and relaxed.
The detail is there without harshness or fatigue, and that’s something that let me listen for long hours without getting tired , and one of the things I liked most about it
Things to watch out for if you’re considering it :
I won’t deny I really like this unit, but there are some things I have to mention:
– The unit is big and heavy
– It gets hot while running / and the heat is normal for this type of amplifier, I mean Clase A
– Not suitable for use with IEMs because of the noise
– It wasn’t compatible with the hifiman edition xv in my testing : I expect because of its low impedance, 12 ohms
The Prelude shows the quality of your system very clearly, the better the source and the cables, the more clearly its abilities come through.
The bottom line
After three months of use, I say it with full confidence, the HiFiMAN Prelude is one of the best amplifiers I’ve heard. And for my current system it’s the best, no contest (so far)
The closest unit it reminds me of is the Holo Audio Bliss KTE, but my experience with the Bliss was on a much weaker system than my current one, so comparing them wouldn’t be fair .
What sets the Prelude apart for me is that it delivers:
pure enjoyment and a powerful presentation, with a liveliness that makes the music come alive.
And if you own headphones like the Susvara or HE1000se or NAN7 or any planar headphone, I see it as an option that’s very much worth buying – as long as you have strong gear
Turning points in my experience :
About a week ago I upgraded all my power cables to an excellent tier
For the unit’s power cable I chose plugs from the well-established company Viborg
VE512R rhodium plated /// VF512G gold plated
And the power strip I use :
I went with a type that has no filter at all, so it counts as (AC POWER DISTRIBUTOR)
Careful, never connect the unit to any power filter, because it directly affects the dynamics, and I’m saying this from trying two different types .
The second upgrade :
Changing the fuse, and the fuse I used is : HiFi-Tuning Supreme 3
Rating : 3.15A, same rating as the one from the factory
and I waited 48 hours until it gave me the biggest shift in performance
the stage depth and width, the holographic feel and the detail all improved
And as for the AES digital cables
and the XLR interconnects
they’re all Tone Brade
https://iem-world.com/ar/yKwGRDP
And the headphone cable :
NAiF SignaturE
https://iem-world.com/ar/oZDBraQ
And thank God, all the cables I’m using right now I made myself, and I know how well they perform
And at the end of this review , the HiFiMAN Prelude is definitely going to be my main unit, and for a long time
because I think it’s very hard to beat this performance ..
And thanks everyone for reading this review
and I hope you got the picture and found it useful
Regards
Naif
IEM World
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