met = met IRL. then again, social interaction isn't going to focus solely on a common interest around audio gear anyway. it usually involves other topics of interest too (scotch?)
most of my friends aren't audiophiles, they have neither the time nor the money. i have both but i tire of the mutual admiration society's circle jerks
i've found that there is a correlation between the amount of time spent with friends and family and the amount of money spent on audio gear, specifically the amount of time people spent bragging about the amounts they've spent on audio gear
I wonder whether I should wait until he makes another demo pair (2-3 weeks) or go measure some "reference" - in this case tuned RE-ZERO and maybe Paradox - and get them
Somewhere in the photos from the HF San Diego meet last fall there is a photo of a Concero sitting next to a Bryston BHA-1. Boy, did it look silly (they sounded good together, though).
The boost in realism is great, and you get to see a lot more nuances. It'd be equivalent to a very smart hack to boosting audio resolution or something
Yeah; it's an actively developed and highly customizable interpolation solution though, and since it uses modern PC GPUs instead of poor things tacked onto TVs, the results are much more stunning and consistent
I have not heard of that, but just looked it up. So, it artificially increases the framerate of the video, much like many 120Hz television sets do? I'm usually not a fan of that...Guess I just prefer the native frame rate, but I can see why some would like the interpolation!
Gotta hand it to AMD for making rapid improvements over the years. I loved my HD7970, but my GTX680 has less problems running 2D 120Hz on my display. AMD would give random artifacts in 2D.
Nvidia also has a tendency to have less issues with frame times and latency, providing for a smoother feel in most games. That's way more important to me than slight rendering differences.
I've jumped back and forth between AMD and Nvidia for several generations now. Rendering quality is the same for me. I know with videos (not games), AMD has some options turned on by default in their drivers that affect video colors and quality.
tough to judge color fidelity from a stream. you could always adjust the tv/monitor calibration, if not the direct settings at the nvidia control panel
Regarding Nvidia and washing out colors, I thought the Xbox One was said to have AMD hardware similar or nearly identical to what's in the PS4. So...how would Nvidia have anything to do with that?
Same. I couldn't get into buying a console to play directx. At least Cell tech was unique and had a bluray player. Too bad people couldn't program for it.
Alternatively. One could just plug in the DAC /AMP they bought with the money saved by buying a PC over the Mac and enjoy an even better experience. Even better with the Ad Less Foobar for free:)
I just a/b'd jRiver between Mac and PC. The difference is staggering! The Mac is so much more musical, it just gets our the way of the music, like a wire with a gain... the PC version in comparison sounds more like a telephone connection in 1970. If you're running a PC, sell it today and get yourself a MAC, load jRiver and be transported to a while new level of audio nirvanah!
It's not really a 'stunt', just a common 'feature' set people are adding due to the rise of social networking. Us Win'doze' users aren't sleepy enough to allow such behavior if we don't want it. We are usually more in tune w/ our machines than the usual wannabe set it and forget it iOS crowd. Besides, iOS is perfect, never crashes or gets viruses, what are you worried about?
in this combo, they sound better than RE-400, more extended, however more echoey (that's the RE-ZERO trademark, I'd have to somehow crack them open and dampen; this is very hard or impossible with this shell, unlike RE400)
Hey LFF! I need to make some comments about my Paradox somewhere...I'm going to keep those as my bedside rig. Just the Paradox and my iPad or iPhone. They are the most comfortable phones that I have and warm, non-fatiguing with great bass. Perfect for hanging in bed for me and surfing or relaxing. Pads are perfect!
Does anyone have a suggestion on an economically priced USB cable with the 5V line disabled? The PWD doesn't require it so I'd like to get one to see if there's a difference. Thx.
The same is true for eBay... I used to do a quick search for auctions ending soonest on vinyl. I'd always find a few $1 bargains that no one had bid on ending in the next few minutes... Bad habit to get into, it never ends!
What's getting me is not the rare vinyl, which seems to have an exorbitant but stable value. It's the new releases, which if you don't purchase on release will double and triple in price quickly, via the fans, flippers and the stores.
Vinyl is the worst decision I've made in awhile. It's just a black hole...the greatest sounding black hole (heh) ever though. Especially for fans of modern music. New vinyl prices are ridiculous sometimes.
It easily sounds as good as the arena concert that I went to a couple of weeks ago with the added bonus that I can control the volume so it doesn't blow out my eardrums
need 5 pins minimum for stats unless you want to run single ended...are you talking about mini xlrs at the cups ala lcd2 or some 5 pin xlr i dont know about
For IEM's and portable phones in general I prefer using a 3.5->3.5 extender so that the original jack doesn't take the punishment of pocket environment.
RE400 one is too vulnerable near the jack; RE272/RE272/RE0/RE-ZERO hardened (and often broke), became microphonic; HE500/600 are stiff, microphonic and the SMC connectors are long enough to bite shoulders at times
At least jriver is up front about the mac port being a work in progress. Front page of the website says " It probably won't be dependable for daily use for the first 3 months."
Info about the recording; recorded partially binaurally with cups over the microphones (contacting resonant surface - similar in operation to a plate reverb). The recording itself lacks bass, vocals etc, but I figured I'd run the effect past people like usual.
The original Concero (I have the first one that was sold to a paying customer, FWIW) uses a Sabre 9023 which is incapable to dealing with DSD. In order to make the Concero HD DSD-capable, they had to switch to the 9016 (the same chip used in the headphone circuit of the Invicta).
i have no idea haha. mark just said there's a new software going to be relased and he mentioned there's going to be a concero HD coming out, but didn't exactly tie the two together so im not exactly sure what's what
he even offered if i wanted the software update on my unit with the DSD and DXD playback, but again, i am not sure if the concero HD is only a software update or both a software and hardware update
New signature... "My hearing improves dramatically when I start looking at FR graphs — when I look at these graphs, I can hear up to 40K (50K on a good day). When I stop looking at those graphs, I can only hear up to 10K." --> music_4321
GG: I like the flexibility of the Peak, but purrin and blessingx own or have owned the Peak and think the Arete is really good. Want to roll- Peak. No fuss- Arete!
Thanks UB The untreated recording is pretty harsh (new reed and it also clips a few times because I was trying to catch any reverb), the reverb really rounds it off. Obviously it's easier to work with a clean sound though.
From quick listening I do feel there is some binaural stuff going on there. The sax untreated has some reverb going on vs treated... but like the untreated better
And another: A saxophone recorded in proximity firstly in a treated room, followed by an untreated room. Any binaural effect noted? Any other notes (eg. if you think the reed is new, old, broken; if you feel there is clipping in either of the recordings)?
Another listening help for me and recording. [link] Can you sense any binaural effect on this (rather noisy) recording? Is it mostly prevalent with the keyboard sounds, or the background noise? Which direction does the cricket appear to be coming from?
JUst luck of the draw, started with Canon 'cuz a buddy was selling one back when it was film. Slowly kept upgrading and not wanting to throw family lenses and accessories out, just stuck with the brand. I know how the shit works, but these days I just leave it in "P", shoot raw, and adjust in Pshop. I know...I've just lost all respect. I don't give a shit. The only fanboi war I'll engage in is with motorbikes---YAMAHA RULZ, HONDA DROOLZ!
Here is how I see it...because Nikon is better, idiots with a boatload of money will buy the the best...in this case "Nikon". The poor "pros" can't afford the best so they settle with equipment that works well. Thus, a pro will take nice pics on a Canon while the rich morons will take craptastic pics on a Nikon. A good photographer will take awesome pics on a polaroid instant camera...it just takes the right hands and vision.
FYI, I use my Nokia so I have no dog in this race. The small Fujis are quite nice and have been ogling the EXRs before I decided to just stick to my phone for now.
ships.. in any case.. cehck out "The Album Leaf" on spotify or bandcamp..that DJ's page led me to the link earlier. Been enjoying The Album Leaf's work for a while now
My friend is a extremely heavy mouse user as he does a lot of web/graphics design work and he swears to using Steel Series mice. All his Razers landed up in the dumpster within months.
orly, so if i get a kettle of hot water and drop the cup in a glass for a few minutes you think it'll be fine? How long do I have to wait before using them again?
Choose the product, there are people who spend a lot more then necessary to get by. Guns, pens, knives, watches, clothes, cars, vintage orchestrions, limited edition snowglobes, beanie babies.
As far as who is still sane: I think Westone's pretty sane, but that is totally not the fanboy in me talking. No Sir, I'm as unbiased and impartial as the finest in orange-furred news broadcasting services. Also, Etymotic have stuck to their guns, for better or worse.
Ugh, I think it's getting harder to deny that the headphone market is getting more like the speaker market every day. $1400 for a universal IEM? The sad thing is, I think they'll probably sell plenty of those, because there are people that want what they think is a top-flight IEM without the bother of going to an audiologist, which probably creeps a lot of people out - and takes effort too.
They've got them already available... a few companies I work with have them installed with interlocks on company vehicles. You need to blow sober or it locks out the ignition. No where near as good looking as the doll in the article.
I have a custom bank set pretty much like KROCK and occasionally I like the look, but not as a standard. I think it really helped during the D80-ish era... but the new stuff isn't as flat as those Nikons were.
It's always funny, he's got great knowledge, and hidden in the everything he writes is valuable information... but he wading throught he rest of the BS is always a chore.
but to be downright honest, i actually liked the midrange of the SE535. if they MANAGED to fix the shitty bass and treble with the SE535, MAYBE it will be respected more, but i doubt the performance can justify the pricetag...
i'll reserve my criticism first until I hear it. Waiting for others not named xxx for reviews. I guess after the fiasco by AKG, Senn n the rest (esp AKG), it seems like it's already a norm to sell something at $1k and feel good about it.
"The research that was put in this new flagship earphones and the development that was done assures that Shure's competition will not be able to catchup with new, revolutionary technology for at least a couple of years."
I'm not sure if Razor Dog is still doing the $100 off HD600/650. It's on an exclusion list along with some other Senns. I bought them 6 months ago and he said he gave me the discount by mistake and he would no longer do it. I think you can always put it in your cart and see what happens.
Each war brings about an evolutionary change in society, for better or worse, that exhibits the fact that we are just an enlightened form of the animal kingdom, ultimately. But that doesn't mean we should just nurture the bestial tendencies in us. Pessimistic idealism is why I ultimately lose out to the cannibals of the world.
What is 'it'? Social contract/relations or beating each other to death? Or both. Or does the Hobbesian state of nature give rise to mutual advantage so long as it in thier interests? Does the rise of civil order mutually exclude chaos and violence in such a state of nature? How far does sociology extend, if at all, past primal biological drives? Even then, the majority of mass genocide in human history has been the result of semi-logical arguments used for persuasion within civil ordered societies. Evolved society has given rise to more death and destruction than any combined period prior to it.
anax: there's some evidence of it being inherent in the human brain. monkey sees monkey, recognizes monkey, shares extra banana. monkey steals banana, other monkeys beat him to death
How many ways are there to prepare a banana? It is all a matter of perspective and the more I think about it the more I realize how much I actually don't know.
Hobbesian world: "The State of Nature Is a State of War". Is this how you view life on a daily basis Anax? Just curious on your philosophical thinking here.
What can I say? I'm a relativist. We've also evolved into morality. While you may still be eaten by a neighbor, there are neighbors out there who would rather starve to death.
You're more likely to be eaten by your cat than by another human being. Luckily we've evolved to the point of regarding murder as a sport rather than a tactic for survival.
I don't care what kind of rose colored glass ideology or pretentious Victorian tea parties people like to partake in, anyone could get bashed in the head by a rock tomorrow and have their bones eaten by their neighbor. The world is Hobbesian. The sooner people realize it, the sooner things can be made better rather than pretending to live in a fantastical sit-com made for TV.
We eat ribs with this dude! I knew something was wrong when a little pretty girl ran into a black mans arms. She's homeless, or she's got problems." This is exactly how one of my neighbors talks and while it perpetuates some negative stereotypes, the way he says it is also hilarious.
now really need to make up for the difference in the source am using.. just the magni ..cables are 600$ pair jena fugues to the LF lol..surprisingly the Magni is not half bad. ESpecially for listening to Spotify
There were a few users who bought it for $1600 when it first came out before PJ and Beach Camera deals were popularized though, so not everyone selling at that price is flipping
Seriously. w3000anv's were being sold around $900-$1k new IIRC from beach camera. Now you can get them used on the forum for $14-1600? It's been what a few months since they "sold out"?
by tweaking i mean things like stretching/reshaping the spring steel in headband, buying some headband cushions, and choosing the appropriate thickness earpads
I've developed a pretty big tolerance for comfort levels since just about everything "audiophile" was designed for people who aren't me. The only headphone that solicits a holy shit from me is the Muramasa. Holy shit.
I suspect there might be something off about Tyll's AS-2. His impressions really differ from a lot of what I've heard, especially regarding the treble.
some time after a nuclear apocalypse archeologists will breach the iem makers' vaults and discover tyll's molds in everyone of them. his ears will become the reference for all of humanity in reconstructions across all sorts of cockroach-run museums
lol so he's either trolling now or he genuinely believes Tyll has devil's horns and is trying to make money from everything. Either way this guy is nuts
There was an article in WIRED about how the guy brought in to "fix" BB was instituting various changes... one of his points of emphasis was price matching. Maybe they have a program that combs Amazon prices and keeps in line with them.
One thing I've noticed BB doing is it seems they keep their prices as close to amazon as possible, or maybe it's the other way around. Better than it used to be at least
on the upside, they do seem to target diffuse field with their higher end, except there are too many resonances due to resonances, specifically added to reach that target. Mostly 3.5k shout.
Its all part of the conspiracy. Who do you think measured the Zinos for headroom? Tyll. Who posted the ED10 video? Tyll. Who posted the Changstar article on 9/11? Tyll. Its all a conspiracy.
It may be in part due to the fact that they can't actually be worn. Have no idea if they fit on the ears of the head properly. I think Ultrasone may be the worst manufacturer out there; worse than Beats, if you ask me. But maybe I'm being too hard on them....nah.
Shit! I just checked the Zino characterization charts at HeadRoom. That crap *screams* high mids and low highs. Distortion is absolutely horrible. What a POS!
the most fun thing about the mod is that it fixed some of the channel imbalance. I bet that was due to chinese cable mounting practices with gluing cable to the shell with silicone - uneven amounts of it
The next step in modding is adding a very nice supertweeter and replacing the shell, since it's irrelevant, as the driver is nearly linear in free field (or very highly dampened) conditions.
If possible. I don't know Asians as well as I do but I assume its not as prevalent across all Asians as much as certain ones. Maybe that's naive on my part though.
This is probably why Tyll did his AMA on reddit and not /g/, where (i'm guessing) the intelligence is a little higher than constantly reading "install gentoo"
Part of it is cultural, your average bazaar over there is all about haggling. Another element is a lot of 1st generation immigrants get ripped off a few times by Americans when they first get over and then have the suspicion that everyone is trying to rip them off, so they'll never accept an initial price given them.
mmmh, newly tuned RE-400 are indeed flat. As in non-DF super dampened, more than Paradox actually, with better bass, but slightly lacking highest end extension. Superb harmonic performance remains. Use with Comply T400 small and deep insertion. FR here: [link] . Should I describe the mod in the thread?
Asians seems like a pretty large swath of the world. I bet it could be localized more than that. In my own experience, people from the middle east are the worst. If I know I'm dealing with such a person I'll quote them double what I normally would because they NEED to feel that they "won" haggling me down to a price I "didnt' want to sell at" even though its the same as I would initially quote anyone else.
Okay. He actually mentions in one of his posts doing reviews for an external site and reviewing a gift. So I guess he is a "reviewer", though the only thing that is prominent is his ignorance.
Wait, that guy is a reviewer? The guy who insinuates other reviewers' conspiratorial financial interests and sponsorship for favorable reviews? What a clown.
Well thought out and articulate response. I am sick of hearing people cry foul when they see a positive review. "Oh they must get backhanded deals from the manufacturer". Its all such bullshit. Something has to get a positive review doesnt it?
I think it's great that Tyll and IF allow feedback on the site. There are plenty of blogs out there that you can go to and read that don't offer that type of open communication. The only downside is the occasional jack-hole.
Fuck. Somethings I can't just let slide, it's simply too personally important. I usually have a pretty thick skin, but lies and slander need be addressed at time if only to let the truth be known out ther. My response [link]
People have a disconnect when they don't realize they're dealing with a cottage industry that doesn't have much in the way of margins or much pull with suppliers.
People are used to dealing with Amazon these days. If a product is late shipping or something is up with an amazon order, you routinely give the customer discounts for the delay. That turns potential negative feedback into positive.
Tyll, Ultrazino was a super Ultrasone fanboy back in the day. Your take on some of their products causes these guys to carry a grudge and start all sorts of conspiracy theories as to who you're in bed with.
Well, there will always be shit talkers. I'm against getting mods involved. Asshole or not, that guy is entitled to his opinion. Deleting his posts will just create backlash. people will ask why are negative opinions of IF being deleted/censored?
and tyll, you shouldn't be giving that sorta talk any importance. pointing it out only highlights a not so ideal post regarding your enterprise. so why do it. If he keeps up on it by posting in a derogatory and negative vein, then have the mods take action for malicious behavior. Else fuck it.
I've never wanted anything that bad that I felt the need to haggle. I'm always afraid to sound like a cheapskate, haha! Tho all of my gear is bought second hand or diy-ed.
its not an asian thing although asians do indulge in ahigher degree..boils down to feeling good psychologically about getting a price break however small it may be to the buyer.
in a business that's a luxury, its a buyer's market..deal with the bullshit or get left behind. ANd i know the pains having built some stuff on way low end scale.
Last time, my mom, my sister, and I went to a small custom violin shop that makes its own violins/bows to buy a new bow for my sister after someone stepped on her previous bow. After my sister picked out her bow, the first thing my mom asks is "Do you give discounts?" and the saleslady gave out an awkward "uh, no I'm sorry...". I think the saleslady was stumped when my mom asked that. It was our first time at the shop and we've never dealt with them before.
It's in our blood. We know everyone wants a good price, but in the face of many sellers we can just take our business elsewhere if we don't like the price.
Haggling is just a way of life for Asians. Expectations of blame on manufacturer/vendor because of production delays seems to be just a sense of fuckin' entitlement, that happens to egotistical people who think they deserve to be handed blessings from God. Or whatever it is that floats their boat.
I think the tradition comes from the east. In any case I wouldn't buy anything from someone who tries to profit on my lack of knowledge about how much something costs.
And that's why we've probably had more "Penalization for production misfortune" than anyone else. Newsflash: we use an assembly house for the PCB work, two local metal vendors, and a transformer manufacturer in California. If they say they're delivering May 1, and it ends up delivering May 14, well, hey, we're boned. Nothing we can do about it. Worse, if they deliver perfect prototypes and crap production runs, well, then you're looking at 1-2 months of bonage. No way around it. No magic wands. No nanoassemblers. Just a fact of life. Do we feel bad when we pass along a production date that slips because a vendor slipped or shipped crap? Sure. Can we do anything about it? Sure. But it doesn't happen overnight. Sorry, just venting on the life of a small manufacturer. I'm sure Justin knows how it goes.
"The customer cannot be penalized by production misfortune." LOLOLOLOL. We feel your pain. "Sure, we'll just fire up the nanoassemblers and magic perfect parts out of the aether." Uh-huh.
i explained that the BHSE had been set back a bit because i didnt like the aluminum used for the panels. at the same time, he says he no longer trusts HeadAmp. strange
He makes so many false assumptions it's unbelievable. But I don't want to waste my breath dealing with it. None the less, it fucking sticks in my craw 'cuz I work so hard to be as truthful as I can. He says I only review new stuff, but it's actually very rare that I do. I fucking reviewed HD600/650, and DT880, and...well fuck. Just really painful to hear that bullshit.
And as I said- the bufferless sound was cleaner but only when I swapped out the old buffer with the new composite- only then I attained what I would call a clear advantage. You need to be sure that the IV stage all by itself can handle the load you are about present to it. I don't think that the 1600 IV stage liked the 2k impedance. Hence the improvement when adding the new buffer.
@Sachu - the difference was what I would call major- clearly evident no matter the downstream gear or the state of mind when listening. Tho when I looked at the Assemblage gut shot I didn't see a discrete buffer, are you sure about bypassing it?
Also wonder what jitter is like on the cdac+/any 4160 isolated dac vs the original since the chip adds 3ns(iirc) into the signal. But it seems like a trivial matter compared to the benefits though. Jitter is overrated.
Anyways recently investigated into the cost of building something like an OR and I'm really impressed with what Empirical did with it, since optocouplers add 100ps of jitter already.
In any case I wouldn't pay more than 500$ for these DACs. I'm looking to put together cDAC+ with a Sjorstrom Super regulator and god forbid if it sounds better...
If only I knew how to get rid of the daughter board to run my 1600 in SE only... I could use the spare two PCM63K to whip up a nice modern DAC with fancy digital end and SMD parts all round!
The 1500 has a different output buffer. Haven't seen the schematics but the gut-shots make it obvious. As you know 1100 and 1600 are pretty much identical.
To be honest these old Parasound DACs are pretty simple in design- IV stages right off the chip datasheet and a meaty PSU to power it all. Sure, it works- but It's no even near what can be achieved with said DAC chips.
Regarding the 2000- it's obvious that they finally decided to throw the MOSFET space heater out of the window so the DAC doesn't shoot itself in the leg.
Everything got better. I retained the clean sound and resolution that I got when running straight from the opamps but now with more authority in lows and better highs.
I don't think you have a need for them but I have that audionote parasound upgrade kit. I don't think it's meant to work as well on the 1600 or 1100 though I am not sure
When I just received my Para 1600 it had nasty DC offset of 5V in one channel due to something. However I'd rather blame a misbiased buffer. I did run pretty hot tho.
Does the Hilo run hot? I mean I have hard time figuring out how would anything drift over time but some 'lyte caps. And even then they wouldn't/shouldn't drift outside the specified range.
Actually, I have to say the Hilo has changed the least compared to most of the gear I'm used to sampling. It's quite stable relatively speaking. The BHA-1 being the worst I've experienced so far.
this is why I don't get all manufacturers running in their amps for at least 100 hours and resetting biases etc when the amp is cooking - things change as they settle
How interesting, according to Lynx, "over time, due to changes in temperature, it may become necessary to adjust the trim pots." Manufacturer admission of burn-in/warm-up affects? Ooooo.....
Yeah, amps tend to take a while to reach their optimal sound in my experience, both tube and solid state. I think I've actually encountered a few amps that did sound worse over time. Like, they got kind of fuzzy sounding. Kind of surprised me.
Kind of depends on the tube amp in question and what's in it. After an hour, you should feel pretty secure about what you are hearing. Some are much quicker.
@twizzler, the painted Paradox LFF sent me looked pretty damn flawless. He's a bit of perfectionist, so I'm sure he'd do a fantastic job with your request
Has anyone had their headphones custom painted by LFF? Just curious the level of quality and durability of the paint. If automotive paint is used, would be awesome.
Finally, still don't know why Ultrasone I should keep!! I am LOVING both the Signature Pros and Signature DJs! Pros are a bit more laidback so I'll probably sell those. ($$$ will go to the Paradox! )
So... hopefully LFF doesn't make as many updates as the Mad Dogs to his Paradox mods... LOL. Yesterday I received a newsletter from Dan detailing the Mod Versions... I'm still two "updates" behind it seems, and it's going to stay that way for a bit! Luis!! I still want the pictures for the other colors available!!! (at least they are not on your website yet...)
I think that is still pretty sad that he's dead. Unless he was both jerk and bad doc. Still feels kinda sad though. Anyway guys please check my post here for some IEMs recommendations, would really appreciate some input: [link]
@philip Naw, he didn't listen to the patient I referred him. He was a knowitall asshole who stopped listening to patients once he made up his mind. A very smart guy, but a terrible doctor. I spoke in private about him with a doctor who told me that he'd never refer a patient to the guy.
Awesome shipsupt! Meets here are a lot smaller since the ones who want one have no resources and those who do are either too cheapskate or cba to organise one.
Huh, a guy a know passed away unexpectedly last night. He was a very successful doctor who was also a pretty serious jerk. I'm sorry he died. He had a sudden reaction to something he ate and the adrenaline shot he received had no effect for some reason. The moral of the story: You could die at any moment, so don't be a jerk or I will post about you in the shoutbox of an audio website.
Sorry Tyll! I'd like to hear more about the unevenness you're hearing. Bass, mids and treble seem to come together pretty well--did you have the adjustable bass vent turned way up? Even Dale Lott only has his at 1/4 or less.
ok, peaks in the highest end went sharper and deeper, but a bit of highest end extension improved: [link] - in fact, less resonant I think and a tiny bit faster too
Nope, if I remembered the name I would be able to google it myself. All the googling has led to naught. Product line had one dac called DAC or something.
For the record it could suck, I'm not assuming anything. I just mentioned it to someone today as a cool concept in the looks department and was looking around for it. Instead of help I get this garbage. If I want unfounded drivel there are other sites I can go to.
So based on your "often" = "sounds like its not going to be any good." - thanks for jumping in there. I couldn't have made any such assumption on my own. I would have assumed it was amazing based on the looks, when all along I should have assumed it was horrible based on the looks.
Right, but you are saying money went not into design or components but fancy exterior - either you know about the DAC or you assume that spending money on casework and spending money on components are somehow mutually exclusive?
Driving myself crazy trying to find something - its a DAC, made by a french company, sort of in the visual style of the analog DAC where it almost looks like a shelf to support components, but it has either marble or granite on top. Ring a bell with anyone?
that's why damping the shit out of them made them "flat" sounding (non-DF) - of course the resonant cavity introduces very complex resonant modes, unlike the equalizer - and also why they now use a metal shell - nicer sounding resonances
I think I know how dr Fang tunes the IEMs: they make the flattest driver possible in free field, then add a correct resonant cavity to equalize, coupled with a filter foam
the main win is complete lack of long highs decay and no shoutiness at all; slightly faster bass to boot. Obviously, damping is much preferable to no damping.
HE-500 sound like someone is "exploding" sound onto you, with infinite power, but nowhere near as sprightly as paradox superb control in the highs (once equalized of course)
I think Schiit nailed it with their finish. It looks nice, it's reasonably durable, and it must be inexpensive considering what they charge for their stuff.
I was thinking the same thing about insulation but wasn't sure if there were any powdercoats based on ceramics (Cerakote) at which point the opposite would be true. The irony is, an amp like the S7 is quite efficient for Class A putting out minimal heat apart from the tubes.
Yup. Maybe people are just used to orange peel textures like their cars. I like powder coat if I can Justin to do the wet sand my amps in his sleep. Normal powder coat on a color like black makes an amp look like cottage cheese thighs w/o wet sanding. No thanks.
Oh, I'd avoid talking to Craig for a couople weeks, it's not a good time unless you have a product issue. We've been telling each other to fuck off all day.
Cheap and uniform which powdercoating is not unless you pay for it. Cheap powder coating is atrocious and if you look at the price bracket of the Super7 and ZD along w/ his design motif, it should all make some sense. Besides, proper anodizing is quite resilient if done right as mine and other's are. Bad batches happen no matter what the technique, it's about craftsmanship.
They must be getting cheap over there, I handle my side panels all the time going inside the Super 7 and it's pitch black still. I'd say if you have the textured finish and polished top you're in good shape.
Well, Craig needs to tell his guy that does the anodizing to step it up. Most EC amps aren't designed for aesthetics in the first place, but having a number of your amps turning weird colors isn't exactly good for your sales.
heat has nothing to do with the discoloration. Otherwise the diy-T2 would be turning colors, and they are not. I paid extra for the hard clear coat finish
Yeah... Craig was really curt with me when I asked if he had any demos of any of his products lying around that I could borrow for Seattle and Vancouver meets...
rather the power supply not the amp itself... I get the impression basically he doesn't like me so to speak but I've been nothing but super nice and not overbearing. I do love all of his amps I've heard though
FYI - the Balancing act I got I sent to craig to check out because I felt the transformers were abnormally loud. There was also some scratches that seemed out of the ordinary on the finish that was not from handling. It took a lot of coaxing for him to "accept" it
"This DAC/Analog upgrade card improves the sonic and measured performance of Bifrost, using a discrete, direct-coupled gain stage from Gungnir." I wonder if that means: Gungnir on the cheap?
Well, Just sent my S7 to Craig for repairs. I still couldn't figure out where the clicking came from while corresponding with Craig via email. I really hope it was actually the tubes and I was just an idiot and couldn't figure out which since I was planning on getting new tube soon anyway.
And my comment was not meant in any way to minimize the amount of effort that Craig and other small companies go through to build each amp custom. I'd still be buying primarily for performance but the aesthetics do factor into the decision making as well.
Unfortunately, this rules doesn't apply to a lot of other industries. Take my POS BMW after after 3-4 yrs where the interior is starting to fall apart vs. the Honda after 10 yrs still holding up swimmingly! :p
I would think at those prices you pay for gear, you would spend the extra attention to detail to ensure top notch craftsmanship and avoid discoloring due to heat, etc. Customers should expect no less when pay for gear in the thousands of dollars range, IMO.
I've only seen one S7 that was sent back to him and as far as I know that was the only model that had a batch issue. You're telling me you've seen a bronze ZD or BA?
I have seen this discoloring on a few of the EC amps now. Seems like whoever he uses/used sucks. I love Craigs amps a lot but there are certain other things about them that are really not passable imo. He's no Justin that's for sure!
I just bought one that was discolored from Craig because he offered me a discount on it. I figured I would just use the money I saved to buy tubes. SQ>looks
meant to say without but yeh, besides repeating all the promotional material of the essence one, they expected the audience to evaluate their dacs on HD700s and karaoke speakers.
Ooohh.. that sucks... In our local sennheiser event they demoed the IE800, Momentums and Amperiors. I think there were one or two HD800s and a lone HD700.
Headed to a sennheiser and asus event , utterly regretted coming with the hd800s in toll or at all. All the Essence one kits are demoed with the HD700s
i damn miss the sound of DDM. It was special when i last listened to everything through it. Unfortunately, RMA issues bugging the reseller over here not to carry them.
Yeah Anal, hit all points there took them right out of my mouth. It's too bad that one is weirdly bronze, otherwise I would've had it sitting next to me in an instant.
They were decent, better than the first. I think if they could have been had for the original price around $150 they would have been great (assuming they fit your ears). But the price was another 100 over for $250 so that was a deal breaker IMO.
Oh it's the one that turned bronze, figures. Btw, his is the only one I know of that turned bronze so not sure what he means other owners. Month and a half. I think some LFs have been up quite a bit longer for near twice the dough and 30% off the original cost.
Anyway, I told Craig if he had just put the Super7 in the original ZD chassis, it would have sold like hotcakes. Where is this Super7 for sale btw? If I use head-fi search my PC might melt
Yeah but people will drop 4K on a liquidfire that is mediocre by comparison or some shit Leben. One thing I've learned w/ all this audiophile stuff is that most of them don't actually care about quality sound or fidelity. People want cool looks, to be part of a special owners club or to cover up their crappy recordings so they can zone out. That's the majority of audiofools I come across. I don't even include the objective Nazis that probably don't even listen to music or know what an actual instrument sounds like.
I have the Freq-Phase JH16Pro w/ the JH-3A amp. The JH16Pro earphones sound good but have terrible build quality. The JH-3A amp is a massive failure: noisy as hell, lacks a remotely black background, too much gain, etc.
Wow, that's really disappointing regarding the AS-2. That was one of the CIEMs I was most interested in. I've been reading some positive things, but my experience w/ the old ASGs was pretty bad.
I've got the Aurisonics AS2 in right now and it sucks ass compared to the other CIEMs I'm reviewing. JH13FP, UM Miracle, and Westone ES5 seem to be winners.
Can someone tell me anything about Aurisonics? Are their products worth looking at? Apparently there's some interest on HF, but not digging reading 200+ pages hype threads.
Mmmm... Slow cooked beef stew (10 hours?) and a nice Washington state cabernet sauvignon. That's a proper dinner after what has been a spectacularly shitty day.
I can't wait until RE-600 show up - if they correct that downwards tilt and dampen them a bit more (RE-400 have some slight extra metallic reverb which Comply seems to cut)... we could have a winner.
Comparing an S4 to a B&W P3, for example, the S4 wipes the floor with the P3s in terms of value, especially for general on-the-go use. They work fine, for example, in the subway, the bus and walking in high traffic city areas with a lots of noise around. I'm sure there are others in the same price range which will be better but choose based on your application.
I always find the HD250 to be sort of an oddball- many people ask me for a nice closed phone, but I can't recommend the Linears as they need good amplification.
Last time I saw the 300 number come up the same thing played out and the consensus at the end was more were made when including Meiers last batch. I don't remember who said what though.
will probably be the 6th pair through my hands
