The 394II shows as discontinued on the Mass-Kobo website. If Mimic is giving you a discount, I would recommend going for the 465 if you can.
MASS-Kobo Model 465 Is In The House!
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unfitstew
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Been using the Sus and Tungsten on the 465 since I got it thursday. I guess this is my "update/impressions" with those two headphones.
Susvara on it is so incredibly clean and fluid that in well recorded tracks it rarely ever sounds congested. Classical especially shines in 465 and Sus combo. It gives Sus a nice fullness in bass. It is also quite punchy on it. Vocals are sweet (midrange and vocals have always been my fav part of Sus). Basically the best I have heard the Sus so far.
Tungsten is really good on it too. Its bass is well textured, nimble and punchy. Its mids shine through especially its intimate vocals. Treble is about as good as I have heard it. Will need more time to go into more details for that tho.
465 to me sounds like a warm and slightly lush amp. Really good. Also Empy 2 was surprisingly good on it.
Susvara on it is so incredibly clean and fluid that in well recorded tracks it rarely ever sounds congested. Classical especially shines in 465 and Sus combo. It gives Sus a nice fullness in bass. It is also quite punchy on it. Vocals are sweet (midrange and vocals have always been my fav part of Sus). Basically the best I have heard the Sus so far.
Tungsten is really good on it too. Its bass is well textured, nimble and punchy. Its mids shine through especially its intimate vocals. Treble is about as good as I have heard it. Will need more time to go into more details for that tho.
465 to me sounds like a warm and slightly lush amp. Really good. Also Empy 2 was surprisingly good on it.
avin13
New Head-Fier
I noticed that you have atrium close and caldera how is the pairing with those headphone?
avin13
New Head-Fier
According to Mimic there is a singular part that is no longer being available. Masuda is working on finding a replacement so he can continue selling the 394ll. Mimic says it should be available again q4 this year.
My only real hesitation with going 465 is I’m new to the hobby. Started November last year. Did a bunch of research in summer of 2023, waited till SoCal camjam went both days, waited till zmf November. Figure this year I work in amps/dac and now I’m in a lil unique scenario.
So far I’m rocking my headphones with Questyle M15
I originally was gonna go for a holo set up but being my main listening station will be my desk. It was the size that made me deter from it. Since I originally planned on getting a tube amp as well.
so I either go all in on a 465 or go with original plan buy a aegis next month. Wait for my 394ll to come in end of year.
Looking at the pricing, if I have it right, you can get both for $7,000 or so? Going that way and checking out the Aegis makes sense. Or Aegis only and wait till you can audition anything else.
unfitstew
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Haven't used them on it yet. Will do soon when I can and get back to you.
avin13
New Head-Fier
Within that range, yes. To my understanding zmf headphones doesn’t scale the same way like the Susvara or Tungsten. I’ve been genuinely happy with the M15 for now. I’m wondering if 465 is “over kill” for my Caldera/AC.
@unfitstew whenever that chance comes up. If you could please share your thoughts on how much an improvement the 465 compared to the bliss I appreciate it. Thank you
Bought the 394ll if I ever decided to buy a Susvara/Tungsten. To my understanding Susvara pairs very well with the 394ll. Haven’t looked too deep on how it does with Tungsten.
Fox88
Head-Fier
As someone who has the 465 and the AC I wouldn't buy it just for ZMF HPs. It sounds better but not significantly. It punches harder and to my ears it has a bigger soundstage, better detail and imaging.
Now, if you have an Empyrean II, Susvara, 1266, etc. Headphones that scale then by all means.
Hope this helps
avin13
New Head-Fier
Hey Fox it does help out greatly. I really appreciate the response. Reassuring. I’ll stick with my original plan then. Thank you!
Figured I would keep you posted as I listen and compare from time to time. I might do a formal review at some point, so I do take notes. This is from April 28th.
April 28, 2024
The Mass-Kobo 465 now has now had roughly 170 hours of break-in time on it so I thought I would make a comparison with my Holo Audio Bliss. Both are being driven directly by my Holo Audio May DAC. The Bliss is connected via RCA input and Audioquest cables and the MK465 is connected by inexpensive Benchmark XLR Microphone cables. Both are volume matched as best I can by both iPhone app and by ear to make sure.
I used Rhapsody In Blue for this brief comparison from the album:
Gershwin by Grofe: Original Orchestrations and Arrangements
On the first 50 seconds or so of the intro the MK465 placed a bit more emphasis on the clarinet. It also has a bit more body. Both excellent though.
The bass on the Bliss sounded more powerful yet I was preferring the bass on the 465, why? Listening again I realized there was more to the bass of the 465. It sounded a bit deeper.
At around 1:00 when the piano and orchestra join in, they are clearer and richer in tone.
At 1:20 or so when the piano comes in as the main instrument, it sounds “grander” for lack of a better adjective. It sounds simultaneously clearer and yet with a beautiful texture to the notes.
Jumping ahead to about 4:00 in and beyond there seems to be a touch more detail presented by the 465. Not more, just more noticeable? It is like this section has a sheen on it, but not colored. Just prettier. By the way I love the Bliss as well. I keep getting caught listening to it and going way past what I wanted to compare. Yet, the bass drive is stronger on the 465 which is a continued theme of its presentation.
At 7:40 both do a great job with the orchestra and piano playing at the same time and then transitioning to solo piano.
At 9:37 the piano begins to transition to the main theme with its piano runs. The treble here seems higher on the MK465 than the Bliss. Both are excellent. Take your pick as to what you prefer.
As the main theme takes over and there is the interplay with the orchestra and piano and at 11:00 the violins which have a nicer sheen on the 465. This was so slight that I could only tell on direct comparison.
The build and then crescendo at 14:07 is a touch crisper on the 465.
The final crescendos and ending are fabulous on both. Maybe a bit more detail on the 465.
Excellent presentations by both. Not the slam dunk I expected, but there are aspects to the 465 that do show up as superior. That said, these are hair differences to my ears with the Bliss proving it is a TOTL amp in its own right. We will see how things change as it gets more hours.
April 28, 2024
The Mass-Kobo 465 now has now had roughly 170 hours of break-in time on it so I thought I would make a comparison with my Holo Audio Bliss. Both are being driven directly by my Holo Audio May DAC. The Bliss is connected via RCA input and Audioquest cables and the MK465 is connected by inexpensive Benchmark XLR Microphone cables. Both are volume matched as best I can by both iPhone app and by ear to make sure.
I used Rhapsody In Blue for this brief comparison from the album:
Gershwin by Grofe: Original Orchestrations and Arrangements
On the first 50 seconds or so of the intro the MK465 placed a bit more emphasis on the clarinet. It also has a bit more body. Both excellent though.
The bass on the Bliss sounded more powerful yet I was preferring the bass on the 465, why? Listening again I realized there was more to the bass of the 465. It sounded a bit deeper.
At around 1:00 when the piano and orchestra join in, they are clearer and richer in tone.
At 1:20 or so when the piano comes in as the main instrument, it sounds “grander” for lack of a better adjective. It sounds simultaneously clearer and yet with a beautiful texture to the notes.
Jumping ahead to about 4:00 in and beyond there seems to be a touch more detail presented by the 465. Not more, just more noticeable? It is like this section has a sheen on it, but not colored. Just prettier. By the way I love the Bliss as well. I keep getting caught listening to it and going way past what I wanted to compare. Yet, the bass drive is stronger on the 465 which is a continued theme of its presentation.
At 7:40 both do a great job with the orchestra and piano playing at the same time and then transitioning to solo piano.
At 9:37 the piano begins to transition to the main theme with its piano runs. The treble here seems higher on the MK465 than the Bliss. Both are excellent. Take your pick as to what you prefer.
As the main theme takes over and there is the interplay with the orchestra and piano and at 11:00 the violins which have a nicer sheen on the 465. This was so slight that I could only tell on direct comparison.
The build and then crescendo at 14:07 is a touch crisper on the 465.
The final crescendos and ending are fabulous on both. Maybe a bit more detail on the 465.
Excellent presentations by both. Not the slam dunk I expected, but there are aspects to the 465 that do show up as superior. That said, these are hair differences to my ears with the Bliss proving it is a TOTL amp in its own right. We will see how things change as it gets more hours.
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