Rebel Audio Rebel Amp Review | The $500 Benchmark

[@785randall]

I've been waiting for someone to do this comparison! Liked and subbed.

[@adkad7168]

Just beware one false claim : Ukraine is NOT Europe. In fact, it is outside the union borders and there is not even a free travel by Ukrainians to the EU - they must be issued entry visa to be eligible to enter... MADE IN EUROPE sign is highly misleading (wishful thinking category) :) :) amp serms to be good though, albeit I would definitely not pay 5l for it, its obviously overhyped - just as the reviewer says, you can get a much bigger bang for your 5l buck than this Ukrainian amp. That said, I applaud the marketing aggressivity of the one-man venture...

[@MititeluRadu]

I love the russian green. Hope will come back in stock soon

[@jonw7757]

I see Topping/Schitt fanboys leaving salty comments when Max is just giving his honest opinion. Love your channel, don't ever change, we need more reviewers like you.

[@ruusta8042]

Don't know if it's fanboys. I've noticed that Max has some dedicated trolls for some reason.

[@nap8187]

@@ruusta8042 aurastys is why. Some racist stax shill.

[@bigjt37]

Really cool you rec'd this, I may have to grab one for another flavor, perse. Good review.

[@Haasaaroni]

Max, thanks so much for this comparison! I am an owner of the Gilmore Lite mk2 (and new power supply), and just received the RebelAmp an hour ago or so. I can immediately notice a much larger soundstage, more organic, natural sound, no harshness, and DYNAMICS! I feel like I didn't know what that word meant until I got the RebelAmp. Music sounds much more realistic with a natural warmth, while still having great detail. The only thing the Gilmore Lite mk2 seems to do better is the "physicality" of the sound. Sounds carry more weight and are almost physically felt, though sometimes a bit "harsh" sounding. Still, it's easy trade-off for the naturalness and sense of wide open dynamic range. Glad I listened to you and went for it, as I didn't like the Asgard 3 much at all (found it too rolled off on top and unnaturally warm in the bass). Thanks so much!

[@TheCangle]

I have a rebel amp and I'm very happy with it. I bought it as a replacement for the 789 which I wasn't happy with because the buttons didn't feel so good to use and I was under the impression that moving to something that isn't thx based would provide a warmer / smoother sound. That impression turned out to be true and I really like the knob and buttons on the amp and the sound is a bit warmer, smoother treble, and bigger bass. Despite enjoying this amp I am now looking for a nicer balanced amp like the gsx mini but the rebelamp will remain my go to amp for single ended listening.

[@hes182]

Can you review Flux Labs FA-12S ?? Please 🥺🥺

[@P1_M1ND]

Go Rebelamp. It’s a gem 💎 100%

[@Blizniak666]

Flux amps when?

[@darthdurkelthewise320]

The Asgard 3 at $200 and in black is hands down the best value/performance winner IMO. If you’re looking for a really nice $500 side step to any THX amp then the Rebel Amp would be it. These are mostly for 2 different listeners. Nice review though 👍🏻

[@mariodrv]

I have recently heard it with Bifrost 2, my Verite sounded great with that combo.

[@mtnmankeith9069]

What percentage better is the rebel amp then the Asgard 3. Thanks for the review.

[@cussyrichards6121]

Are the macrodynamics of the Rebel more impactful than those of the Asgard 3? Particularly in bass slam?

[@maxsettings7884]

Yes but I could see people thinking different due to the added warmth that the Asgard has.

[@ResilientME]

Asgard 3 isn't about macro/slam to my ears (The Heresy & my OTL amp slam a lot more.) I think the Asgard is more the warm, smooth, refined choice. I've never heard a Rebel.

[@cussyrichards6121]

@@maxsettings7884 great thanks. And have you heard JDS Element 2 to compare against it?

[@Hyoske]

Hi! How is this amp compared to the Singxer sa-1?

[@traindeluxe3789]

Which tracks do you use to test detail on an amp?

[@lolerinu]

how is this with sensitive iems?

[@deepskypics]

I find the Asgard 3 to be a bit bland sounding on high gain - like the mid bass and mid treble impact is being softened slightly to favor finesse. The result is that it sounds slightly warm and very detailed, but a bit bland. Does the rebel sound more impactul and engaging?

[@shawnpwatsons1]

I like the smoothness.

[@digitalnation2876]

vs L30 / a50s ?

[@Brandon-qs3jq]

@Max Settings. What’s a good DAC to pair with the RebelAmp?

[@konna200]

I contacted the Rebel Audio and they say : Aune X8 Magic Dac, Schiit Multibit Dac and soekris r2r dac or similar... I just pull the trigger for the Aune and Sparkos SS3602 op amp.

[@konna200]

Hey Max Settings! Can you please tell me what dac was used in this review? Pleeeease :D

[@robertdepesci3418]

what dac did you use?

[@rosszhuravskiy7189]

I have perfect ukrainian combo: Rebel + Verum

[@traindeluxe3789]

or... Rebel and Meze Empyrean

[@rosszhuravskiy7189]

@@traindeluxe3789 True! Empyreans are out of budget ;)

[@traindeluxe3789]

@@rosszhuravskiy7189 Empyreans are too expensive for thier sound anyway. They are a 3k fit, but 2k sound.

[@rosszhuravskiy7189]

@@traindeluxe3789 Imho you're even generous to Empy's ;)

[@archer1x257]

@@rosszhuravskiy7189 I throw the Arya into this round. More value for its price. ;)

[@pietossing]

THX One is now $150 on sale while the Asgard 3 has moved to $250. Rebel moved up to $660. Winner price/performance = THX One

[@thebadburrito1394]

Not really. The THX One is detailed but it is incredibly flat in dynamics and soundstage. Thr Asgard is way better sounding for $100 more.

[@Borednlonely]

WBA (white bird amplification) master comparison please

[@FreeD00M]

linear?

[@chefsteve8381]

why are you surprised that the rebel amp had a low noise floor? It is a $500 amp it should many $150 amps do ie topping L30 you really didn't tell me that much other than its low powered compared to other amps and has a wide sound stage. what did you test it with??? what headphones and dacs did you par it with so much lack of information. Zeos dropped this amp like a hot scone when the A90 came out.

[@KytexEdits]

Agreed I have an SA-1 and am interested in this amp but there's no new information it feels like. I love Soundnews for this reason, he's thorough as hell. Max is great too but he needs to go into more detail and give examples in songs where the device shines.

[@Soundoverload]

why cant this guy make his reviews just like he wants to? Does every review has to be made the same way? I think he does a great job providing valuable information in a relatively short amount a time. I dont wanna see a 40 min review everytime a new product hits the market.

[@chefsteve8381]

@@Soundoverload Ha, if I'm going to spend $500 i want the most detailed review possible even if it went for 3 hours....go watch a real review of this amp from No theme reviews...

[@lextr3110]

what beats it? audio-gd?

[@maxsettings7884]

No

[@lextr3110]

its because I bought a topping a50S but i wonder if I should return it for this.. looking for top.. maybe violectric then..??

[@Tacet137]

@@lextr3110 why would you change A50S for this

[@kristoffer8740]

Flux Labs FA-12S

[@kontrebassman]

@@lextr3110 dude, the a50s is literally State of the Art. www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/topping-a50s-headphone-amplifier-review.16290/ Don't do it, you will introduce more potential distortion by switching to the rebel. If you want a different sound, look at different headphones or look at eq'ing or both.

[@ruusta8042]

Misspoke @4:55.

[@fclp67]

My question is why would you buy this over the Asgard when the Asgard is 3 times as powerful

[@zinion70]

"Made in Europe". Ha ha.

[@adkad7168]

Was about yo say the same thing. Ukraine is NOT Europe. In fact, it is outside the union borders and there is not even a free travel by Ukrainians to the EU - they must be issued entry visa to be eligible to enter... MADE IN EUROPE sign is highly misleading (wishful thinking category) :) :) amp serms to be good though, albeit I would definitely not pay 5l for it, its obviously overhyped - just as the reviewer says, you can get a much bigger bang for your 5l buck than this Ukrainian amp. That said, I applaud the marketing aggressivity of the one-man venture...

[@chuckyfox9284]

@@adkad7168 EU and Europe aren’t the same thing tho

[@jbecks35]

Hyped by Pinky (zeos) and certified by the Brain (max). I'm hopeful my wife will understand this time. Rip 5 hundo.

[@whero2770]

what makes it worth 300$ more than a 200$ amp?

[@maxsettings7884]

It sounds better

[@Tacet137]

Probably nothing, just way costier to produce

[@whero2770]

@@maxsettings7884 ok but describe how and in which way it sounds better

[@maxsettings7884]

@@whero2770 I did in the review?

[@SoundWaveTrax]

@@maxsettings7884 To you though.

[@adkad7168]

Ukraine is NOT Europe. In fact, it is outside the union borders and there is not even a free travel by Ukrainians to the EU - they must be issued entry visa to be eligible to enter... MADE IN EUROPE sign is highly misleading (wishful thinking category) :) :) amp serms to be good though, albeit I would definitely not pay 5l for it, its obviously overhyped - just as the reviewer says, you can get a much bigger bang for your 5l buck than this Ukrainian amp. That said, I applaud the marketing aggressivity of the one-man venture...

[@dedal1978]

He does not claim made in EU. Ukraine is in Europe, as big part of Russia is too, as s is Belarus etc.

[@Maico77]

If u don t buy a gear for the color...u re not a musician.. u can try different path.. like stylist

[@soisaid9004]

why is your microphone in your mouth....I had to stop watching 3minuts in. Sorry not dislikeing or liking. Yuck!

[@Tacet137]

So to sum it up, no CE certification, no RoHS certification (so idk how it can even be legally sold in EU), no balanced inputs, no balanced outputs, lackluster power by todays standard while at the same time big power consumption for a headphone amp... and all of that for just 500$!

[@maxsettings7884]

Balanced is pointless for headphones. You will never be doing a cable run with headphones where the EMI rejection of balanced would make a difference. Also people grossly overestimate how much power they are using. 99.9% of people will never use more than 100mW with headphones.

[@SoundWaveTrax]

@@maxsettings7884 You were the one talking about certain headphones requiring a ton of power and potentially benefiting from a speaker amp. Is that nonsense now or was it nonsense all along?

[@maxsettings7884]

@@SoundWaveTrax Those are very very rare fringe cases. The one time I said that was the HE-6 which is known to benefit from the large voltage swings than can be had from a speaker amp. Power is not an important factor in 99.99% of cases.

[@jeffreymakuch2493]

@@maxsettings7884 Balanced input can solve ground loops. Potentially very important when using a headphone amp as a preamp as well. "Balanced" headphone output is a misnomer anyway, there is no such thing as a 'balanced' headphone...at best the amps with separate positive and return lines for each channel are 'dual mono'. Having said that, there are numerous subjective reviewers who claim that 'you need a lot of power' for many headphones. They also claim to listen at sane levels, so I can only figure they are doing weird things in preamp/input level (which they never mention, because subjective) that throws them off. One legitimate use of preamp reduction of the input though is for equalization.

[@AlvinHan1987]

Good point mate. No CE is an issue. And this ‘made in Europe’ thing sounds a bit silly.

[@jeffreymakuch2493]

Hmm, sorry but no, the Topping A90 is the $500 'benchmark'.

[@maxsettings7884]

Would not agree with that. The A90 sounds very thin and dead compared to this and much brighter. I actually bought one hoping it could be my personal amp, but after using it for a bit I really disliked it and sold it.

[@archer1x257]

Totally agree with you. Paired with my HiFiMan Arya it is a gorgeous combination.

[@xstx8859]

@@maxsettings7884 Please do an official review on d90/a90 if possible. Also, if would be great to hear your thoughts and opinions about the atom/magni heresy since they are the standard budget amps.

[@Peter-tc3ep]

I personally dislike the a90 also, but I’m not a fan of class D thx power, it’s very clean but not natural or dynamic sounding to many. But many people love clinical sound and others like a more dynamic sound. Class A power typically gives sound a little warmth and more refined edges almost analog natural over clinical. For me it’s a step between tubes and clinical sound which is my general happy place. Would love to know if the Rebel can power 300 ohm headphones like ZMF’s(99db/mW)? Sound signature might be a good match if it has enough power.

[@SharkWithADrill]

@@Peter-tc3ep its electrons lmfao there is no such thing as "warm amps"