Questions regarding Caiman SEG and Capella

[TheNewOrder]

Hello everyone,

I am new to the forum and also kinda new to hifi in general. I am currently looking for an affordable DAC / AMP combo to drive the DT1990s, which I recently acquired. The Caiman SEG and Capella have caught my interest due to their attractive looks, versatility, fair pricing and positive user feedback. But before I jump the gun I have some questions which I would like to have an answer to. So here goes:

1. I believe there is a 30-day trial period during which the products can be send back if unsatisfied. Does that still apply?
2. I live in germany. Does anyone know if I'll have to pay taxes when importing?
3. The Caiman SEG seems to be less sensitive to noise from the power adapter compared to the MK2. Is the simple power adapter that can be bought with these units good enough then, or should I really look for a better psu (not a big fan of batteries)?
4. How does the Capella differ from the Caiman SEGs headphone output? I would like to hear some user experiences on the usefulness of the extra functions and the tonality differences. I do not listen very loudly, so pure volume alone is not needed. Maybe the Caiman is already enough for me. In that case, could I buy both and send just one back (assuming a 30-day trial period)?
5. I believe the units will always come with their latest firmwares / upgrades already installed. Is that correct?

Maybe I'll have some more questions later, but that's it for now :)

[InThe Sticks]

Not sure this is much help Thomas, but i use an upgraded Bushmaster II with the Capella, and have to say it’s a fantastic combo.
Previous to that i just used the Bushmaster for headphone duties, but after adding the Capella it stepped the game up a great deal.
The extra functions on the Capella made all the difference for me and brought out the best in my Audioquest Nightowl phones.
I can’t really explain the difference without sounding like a tit, but for me it worked well.
I also use a small aux car battery to power my set up and to me it’s way better than the supplied wall warts.
Might be worth sending Stan a PM on here if you need to know something, he’s a proper good guy and couldn’t be more helpful.

[TheNewOrder]

Hey Jon, thanks for the input! I have seen that Stan is answering to threads regularly, so hopefully he'll chime in too. Since I am not in a hurry I can wait a bit, otherwise I'll contact him directly ;)

[Dickymint]

I to have a Caiman SEG and a Capella, I had the Capella first and I really like it. Then a Caiman came along at the right price so I got that but the headphone output from the Caiman is just not in the same league as the Capella, the Capella really sings, clear detail, instruments are more realistic. I didn't really expect much of a difference but there really is quite a difference between the two. Then I added in a Dorado, I got it specifically for the Capella from Stan, with the green LED, and it made an small improvement to my ears but it seemed to make a bigger improvement to the Caiman. If you are going to listen with headphones, the Capella is definitely superior and worth the money! Adding to that, the amount of adjustments for gain ETC, make it pretty versatile and as for the power supply, the one that comes with it is good, I would try it first, then maybe at a later date add the Dorado, then you can appreciate the differences.

[Tmltech]

Hi just saw your post although I have just literally sent Stana PM can you power both with one Dorado? Also how do I connect Capella to Dorado and then connect to amplifier? Thanks Andy

[Pepperamip]

Hi just saw your post although I have just literally sent Stana PM can you power both with one Dorado? Also how do I connect Capella to Dorado and then connect to amplifier? Thanks AndyAndy you can only power one device with the dorado.

The flow is actually Dorado to Capella then onto amp. Output from Capella is your standard rca (Phono) left and right.

Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk

[TheNewOrder]

Ok, so far it looks like I should really give both units a try if possible. And also I guess I'll prefer the standard power adapter for the time being. It seems decent, and if the Caiman SEG is really not that sensitive to it, then it should work out fine.

[Tmltech]

Hi All many thanks for the response, just so I'm clear in my head one Dorado will power both the Capella and Caimen SEG and I don't need to buy a secondary Dorado? Looking at specs of the Capella it has DC in and out and I found a film on YouTube which showed a power cable that went from Capella to Caimen SEG. Obviously I'm trying to avoid the cost of a second Dorado which would take price of the Capella above a competitors product that I am also looking at hence the questions. Thanks for info on connecting the RCA connection, however Stan also sells a rca switch box that I'm interested in. I am somewhat new to headphone listening in general so apologies if I'm asking stupid questions.