CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS
Lobby => The Meeting Place => Topic started by: knerian on May 03, 2015, 04:07:45 AM
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It was great to finally meet so many of you guys. Thanks to Bill for organizing this, and Wikia was really a great host.
Got to spend a few minutes with the HE1K and it definitely has something, looking forward to spending more time with the beta.
And big thanks to Marv for bringing the Yggy/EC Studio, listening to my HD800 out of that with my own music sounded more realistic than anything I've heard before.
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here's a preface to my impressions:
http://i.imgur.com/utVxG1X.png
I was banned from the HF thread so I can't add more.
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Nice seeing everybody there today!
I most likely won't be able to formally post impressions on Head-Fi...
Biggest surprises were the Black Widow and Geek Out V2...
Big shoutout to Bill for organizing this, and our hosts at Wikia for letting us borrow their amazing facilities!
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ZD, is that a good guesstimate of the price of the EC Studio?
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ZD, is that a good guesstimate of the price of the EC Studio?
Totally not sure. I'm prepped to pay that much, though.
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The reason is ask is that with my Yggy on the way, I had asked Marv for his advice on a top flight amp. So do your poor cousin in the subcontinent a favor and drop your bid price, ahem, quite a bit
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Honestly, it sounds like the price is going to be relatively high and I think that $10k for that thing is honestly a reasonable price given how difficult it is to get the transformers, the cost of them, and the sound.
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Seriously, that's to be expected since the current top price is around 4,300-4,500 stock.
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Like everyone said, it was great meeting everyone and the Wikia crew were great. A members focused meet is truly the way to go.
Like Zerodeefex said:
Loved the EC Studio - once you've heard it, it changes you and everything else feels just sounds less. Very resolving and articulate.
Loved the Black Widow - what a killer deal for an impressive sounding amp.
The Geekout V2 was also just fantastic as well, I almost couldn't believe my ears that it was coming out of a $300 amp
I'm also a HE1000 convert, the sound still could use some tuning, but the driver is quite impressive.
Overall a great meet, thanks to all who came close and far.
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Marantz CD Player > Yggy > EC Studio Amp
Rig gave me the chills. I think the way I described it to Craig was "uncomfortably exciting." The pairing of the Yggdrasil with this amp was divine. I really, really can't describe how resolving it is. CEE TEE wasn't as convinced as I am, he felt an information overload. I really enjoyed it, though. I was pretty much enthralled with Natalie Merchant on this rig.
Yggy > Eddie Current Red Top
Phenomenal with orthos, but not a good pairing with the HD800 in my opinion. Super controlled but with a tube liquidity, this is my favorite solid state amp. Really good pairing with the Abyss/Code-X/Slants/Audeze cans. I would not use this as my primary amp due to loving the HD800s, but a ridiculous deal.
Liquid Crimson
My favorite Cavalli amp so far. Very, very sexy and a great sound.
Geek Out V2
Better than the base Pulse +LPS (need to compare to the top XFi unit, though) and the stock, $299 one beats out my Geek Out V1 SE. Kicks resolution up to the point where the Triad L3 Lion is holding it back (I'm going to be selling this amp). Ordering the SE model if there are any left, otherwise I'm doing my damndest to get an infinity. Caveat: I am now borrowing a unit to review but will buy some of my own as well. Replacing my V1s with these.
Ether
Super big surprise for me! Mr. Speakers' best headphone. I wish it came out before/instead of the Alpha Prime. I thought it was really pleasant out of the Yggy > Ragnarok.
Hugo TT
Having owned the QB76, the QuteHD, the Peach, the gem, the toucan and a bunch of other Chord gear I was sad that this thing was so mediocre. Seriously, super harsh, unnatural sound and not super duper resolving at all. I honestly thought the base geek out v2 > Leckerton stack was significantly better.
Zana Deux S
Like if you took the SE, increased clarity, made it a tad more neutral in tuning, and bumped resolution up. Not my cup of tea, but I think a lot of others will love this amp. CEE TEE loved it, and he has picky ears. It was hard for me not to want to go back to the EC Studio, though.
HE-560 (stock)
I liked them better this time for some reason. Still sound the same, but the tuning is starting to grow on me. I prefer the Ether, though.
My Alpha Primes
Still very disappointing. I have not heard a pair I liked. Ron thought it ruined Neil Young and I agree.
Bill's LCD-2
Getting better! The tuning keeps improving.
Wikia/Steph
Phenomenal fucking hosts. They even fed us and kept us WELL hydrated with the contents of their wonderful drink fridges. A+ for letting us invade their space and for putting up with us dill weeds. Seriously, like 40 guys in a small space that's too warm, we slightly smelled up their offices.
Steph's kid
Stinking adorable.
Adam Findley
Good taste in gear :)
I regret not listening to the liquid carbon. It's super little, though and I'm certain I'll be enjoying my preorder when it arrives.
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Marantz CD Player > Yggy > EC Studio Amp
Rig gave me the chills. I think the way I described it to Craig was "uncomfortably exciting." The pairing of the Yggdrasil with this amp was divine. I really, really can't describe how resolving it is. CEE TEE wasn't as convinced as I am, he felt an information overload. I really enjoyed it, though. I was pretty much enthralled with Natalie Merchant on this rig.
Zana Deux S
Like if you took the SE, increased clarity, made it a tad more neutral in tuning, and bumped resolution up. Not my cup of tea, but I think a lot of others will love this amp. CEE TEE loved it, and he has picky ears. It was hard for me not to want to go back to the EC Studio, though.
Agreed. The Zana Deux is a fantastic amp, but all I could think about was the lovely EC Studio. You really can't go wrong either way though.
Wikia/Steph
Phenomenal fucking hosts. They even fed us and kept us WELL hydrated with the contents of their wonderful drink fridges. A+ for letting us invade their space and for putting up with us dill weeds. Seriously, like 40 guys in a small space that's too warm, we slightly smelled up their offices.
Steph's kid
Stinking adorable.
Seriously, such great hosts. Steph and crew were wonderful.
Adam Findley
Good taste in gear :)
I dunno, it seemed like that guy was fulla Schiit.
(apologies (ish) for the painfully bad pun)
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Yggy > Eddie Current Red Top
Phenomenal with orthos, but not a good pairing with the HD800 in my opinion. Super controlled but with a tube liquidity, this is my favorite solid state amp. Really good pairing with the Abyss/Code-X/Slants/Audeze cans. I would not use this as my primary amp due to loving the HD800s, but a ridiculous deal.
Liquid Crimson
My favorite Cavalli amp so far. Very, very sexy and a great sound.
Ether
Super big surprise for me! Mr. Speakers' best headphone. I wish it came out before/instead of the Alpha Prime. I thought it was really pleasant out of the Yggy > Ragnarok.
Hugo TT
Having owned the QB76, the QuteHD, the Peach, the gem, the toucan and a bunch of other Chord gear I was sad that this thing was so mediocre. Seriously, super harsh, unnatural sound and not super duper resolving at all. I honestly thought the base geek out v2 > Leckerton stack was significantly better.
Bill's LCD-2
Getting better! The tuning keeps improving.
I regret not listening to the liquid carbon. It's super little, though and I'm certain I'll be enjoying my preorder when it arrives.
what did you think wasn't right about the hd800 + black widow combo?
Crimson vs Glass?
really I think the ether has no depth but that was with the pulse xfi so maybe I need to give it another shot.
ohhh so chord did use to make good products stop trusting any site that ever gave a chord product a good review (there was a lot).
keep it up bill
carbon was good at Canjam should have tried it jude aside.
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did anyone compare carbon to black widow?
I'm glad the geek out v2 sounds so good.. better than geek out SE makes me want it.. I'm glad I reserved one in case my vi dac ship date gets pushed back
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Big shout out to Bill for putting this great event together :money: Great to meet all of you and hear some very wonderful phones!
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I didn't listen to much, but here it goes, one at a time:
Hugo TT
The Hugo TT was hooked up to a Liquid Gold. I know how the Liquid Gold sounds like so the Hugo TT has no excuses this time unlike when at CanJam when I only got to hear it as a DAC/amp combination. I really wanted to like the Hugo TT this time around, but I just couldn't. The Hugo TT just isn't my cup of tea. The sound was flat, much like the smaller Hugo. The "Mercer factor" was quite low. The TT wasn't grabbing my attention. Microdynamics, PRAT, etc. were missing.
The TT is warmer than the Hugo, but it seems like all Chord did was wrap the Hugo up with additional bass and warmth to balance its coarse and digital sounding top end and flat microdynamics. Actually the macrodynamics of the TT are probably weak too because I know the Liquid Gold can slam and great impact. The TT's bass quality wasn't very good. The bass texture was smoothed over, but not as syrupy as from the head outs. The juxtaposition of the digital coarse and grainy top end and warm smoother over bass didn't work. Resolution has mediocre, but it's possible I've been ruined in this sense by my last two DACs (PWD2 and AGD M7 with OR5) and now the Yggy (via CD transport).
The Hugo did a disservice to the Cavalli Liquid Gold's capabilities. To be fair, the TT is supposed to be a portable unit, so we should probably give it a break. Unfortunately the, LH Geek V2 left the TT in the dust. Let's not even get into the UK's Hi-Fi industrial complex's attempt to obi-wan us into thinking the Hugo or the Hugo TT can actually compete against desktop DACs.
Bottom line is that I found the TT not emotionally engaging. I have no idea how much the TT costs and I really don't want to know because I might get very angry like Bruce Banner.
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I did not test the TT with the amp. I used the HP out with my HD800 since I wanted to compare it as a portable unit against the v2 and Leckerton. I wondered if it was tidal? I tried the same tracks at home with tidal and the GO V2 stack, some vampire weekend, some Glenn Gould, familiar recordings, and I am holding fast to the conclusion.
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EDIT: Sorry i was drunk :money:
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HE-1000
This is the one everyone is talking about. In a nutshell, I found the HE-1000 to be fantastic. Just fantastic.
This unit sounded tighter and more controlled than the ones at CanJam. The HE-1000s at CanJam sounded as if they were still a work in progress. Something that had potential. I know they sounded pretty "loose" at CanJam unless they were plugged in to high power solid-state amps; but this time around, I was able to plug in the HE-1000s in the EC Studio Amp and obtain great results.
I heard HE-1000 from both Yggy/Rag and Yggy/EC Studio combinations. I'll get to the point and do the bullet point thing:
- Good overall tonal balance. Treble is slightly splashy. Hard to describe. I'm betting not much aberration on an actual measured FR up top; but yes, the treble was slightly splashy. Not tizzy, not strident, not hard or glaring, not etched; but splashy. From the EC Studio, the tubes helped mitigate the splashy treble somewhat. No headphone is perfect, and the HE-1000 is no exception. But what I do is nitpick. I know most people will have not have an issue with the HE-1000's tonal response. But I did want to warn treble sensitive folks here like Hans that this could be a potential issue. In the end, I personally wouldn't be too concerned. If one was so inclined, they could fix it. I know folks like Hans, Bill-p, and Jerg here could fix it. The comforting thing is that there were no issues with all crucial midrange and upper midrange. To put things in context, the HE-1000 is already ahead of the of the HD800, HE-560, etc. in terms of tonal balance and frequency response. Also, if you like laid-back / rolled-off Audeze sound, keep away from HE-1000. HE-1000 is tuned to be neutralish. Even if the production unit sounds the same way, I am confident that I can fix it and make it sound like my modded Jades, of which I loved the FR.
- The bass is a touch less hefty, but also a bit faster than the Abyss. Like the Abyss, bass seems emphasized from a subjective point of view, but I'm betting it's one of those things where if you put the HE-1000 on the measurement rig, it's going to look flat. The bass emphasis is a bit higher in frequency compared than the Abyss, creeping up into the lower mid-bass area. This is not a bad thing.
- I prefer the FR (slight tilt downward) of the modded Abyss more. But this is probably not fair because I am comparing HE-1000 to a headphone that I tweaked for my preferences.
- Speed is better than Abyss across the board. Might be the best overall transient response among all orthos that I have heard to date. HE-6 might be able to match the speed only in the treble, and even then at the cost of the HE-6's treble etch which I find distracting. STAX fans need not worry. It's no SR-009, but I feel the HE-1000 brings so much more to the table than the SR-009. I'm actually glad that it doesn't sound like the 009. The 009's transient response sounds artificial and fake to me.
- Soundstage seemed deeper this time around compared to CanJam where is sounded overly wide. I don't know if this is a function of amps, DACs, and recordings used. The Yggy/Theta DACs and EC amps are known for great soundstage depth.
- Super comfortable. Pads felt luxurious. I think quite an attractive product.
I think I'm really going to like this. Reminds me of my modded Jades, but way more bass slam, almost just as fast, deeper stage, and compatible with an almost infinite variety of normal amps.
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LOL, I love that you're starting to use me as the example for treble sensitive types. But also do appreciate the honest heads up. ;) It does sound like a headphone I'd really like to try, but given what you said and some of my past experiences with HFM, not worth me risking the high cost.
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LOL, I love that you're starting to use me as the example for treble sensitive types. But also do appreciate the honest heads up. ;) It does sound like a headphone I'd really like to try, but given what you said and some of my past experiences with HFM, not worth me risking the high cost.
Given that we've passed the same headphones and DACs around, I'm getting a good sense of where you are coming from.
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Marv, got confirmation from Fang that Jude's version is basically 99% final tuning. That last 1% should just be tightening up manufacturing tolerances on the build quality side.
I think all the beta units have finished being produced, so chances that any sonic changes will be made are really quite small.
Now let's just keep our fingers crossed for no unit variation. :)p1 :)p1
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Geek Out V2
I really liked this DAC. Never though I would like a Sabre DAC so much. Dammit, Casey recorded me listening to it while me asked me questions. Mercer factor is high with this one. PRAT, emotional involvement, good fill-in the middle range of the microdynamics which the prior Geek Out lacked.
You could say I'm biased since LH is helping out with CHANGFest! But I'd like to think that I'm not afraid of approaching vendors for help with meets if I like their stuff. Anyways, there were quite a few other people with good ears at the meet that you can corroborate impressions from.
I'm sure Casey will put the video up somewhere sooner or later.
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HE-1000s, out of curiosity: Is the splashy treble similar with how ungrilled/unfoamed HE-6s and LCD-3Fs are compared to stock?
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Different. I'm thinking original Magni amp treble coloration. Spashy, spitty. Whereas LCD3F/HE6 treble coloration comes off more as strident/sibilant and etched respectively.
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If what you are saying is "it's milder" there is probably nothing to worry about for most normal people with just normal average treble sensitivity.
Will find that out soon enough, once they start shifting out these units.
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I would say it was definitely "there", but it didn't bother me, and it was essentially a non-issue from the EC Studio and probably any other transformer coupled tube amp. (I don't think OTLs will drive them well.) And I'm pretty sensitive to treble anyhow.
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Q:
Did you by any chance get to hear the Mr. Speakers Ether?
If so, how did it compare to the HE-1000?
I have been hearing a lot of good things about the Ether, and it is half the price of the HE-1000.
A:
Not the same league. The Ether competes with the HE-560. The comparison between Ether and HE-560 is beyond the scope of this thread.
Ether is a touch bright in the treble, similar in some respects to HE-1000. Where HE-1000 takes off is the bass performance, overall transient speed, and blackness. Ether is kind of wimpy and non-articulate in the bass and a little bit grey. The Ether is $1500 less, so the comparison of Ether to HE-1000 is unfair.
Q:
From memory, how do they compare to the HD 800?
A:
I prefer HE-1000 frequency response. HD800 has never been a particularly super fast headphone, but HD800 is still resolution king. Folks who hold resolution in highest regard using Yggdrasil and SET amps with special transformers will still need the HD800 to maintain their resolution fix. In such a case, the HE-1000 should be considered as a alternative headphone to the HD800. Most people will not care or even hear a difference, or may prefer the HE-1000 because it has better frequency response and faster transient response. I don't like the HD800, but I respect the people who do.
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Marv, do you want to organize a podcast Q&A about your meet impressions? I noticed a lot is changing about the hobby and the dialogue around it.
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Q:
Did you by any chance get to hear the Mr. Speakers Ether?
If so, how did it compare to the HE-1000?
I have been hearing a lot of good things about the Ether, and it is half the price of the HE-1000.
A:
Not the same league. The Ether competes with the HE-560. The comparison between Ether and HE-560 is beyond the scope of this thread.
Ether is a touch bright in the treble, similar in some respects to HE-1000. Where HE-1000 takes off is the bass performance, overall transient speed, and blackness. Ether is kind of wimpy and non-articulate in the bass and a little bit grey. The Ether is $1500 less, so the comparison of Ether to HE-1000 is unfair.
Q:
From memory, how do they compare to the HD 800?
A:
I prefer HE-1000 frequency response. HD800 has never been a particularly super fast headphone, but HD800 is still resolution king. Folks who hold resolution in highest regard using Yggdrasil and SET amps with special transformers will still need the HD800 to maintain their resolution fix. In such a case, the HE-1000 should be considered as a alternative headphone to the HD800. Most people will not care or even hear a difference, or may prefer the HE-1000 because it has better frequency response and faster transient response. I don't like the HD800, but I respect the people who do.
I am in fact looking for an alternative to the HD800, and am more than happy to free up some cash selling the SR009. From what I read the HE1000 is a manned up version of the SR009. I guess you can't have ethereal and fast sounding decay together with hard-hitting impact.
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Marv, do you want to organize a podcast Q&A about your meet impressions? I noticed a lot is changing about the hobby and the dialogue around it.
That would be good. I am too dumb to set up things like that.
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I am in fact looking for an alternative to the HD800, and am more than happy to free up some cash selling the SR009. From what I read the HE1000 is a manned up version of the SR009. I guess you can't have ethereal and fast sounding decay together with hard-hitting impact.
Exactly. HE-1000 has testicles. Those expecting 009 transient response will not get it, but HE-1000 comes closer than anything else before it. Only my uber cherry picked Audeze LCD-3 that lasted less than 24 hours before breaking equaled the HE-1000's speed.
It's just like speaker drivers. Speaker drivers have a window of optimum usability. Some can do treble well, very smoothly, but strain in the mids and explode if asked to do bass. Others do good in bass and mids, but break up into harsh sound in the treble. Others concentrate on a wide range in the mids but suck at lows and highs, etc.
There's no free lunch. However, the HE-1000 is unique in being able to get such good extent of results with diametrically opposed sonic traits: lot of bass heft with very good transient response. It ain't no STAX, it doesn't have to be, and not everyone likes the STAX sound.
Most 009 guys I know, and there are several here, are pretty diehard and don't listen to much else on a regular basis. The HE-1000 won't satisfy them if they want that super delineation and transient response fix with the high hat on that Metallica recording. To me, this a good thing, because personally I don't want a 009. The 009 sounds too politely colored and artificial to me. Even the speed of 009 I find unnatural and unsettling. Don't get me wrong, the 009 does certain things extremely well - so well that nothing else matches these certain things. I've considered repurchasing the 009 as second setup several times; but every time I hear one, I always think "I guess I'm not missing much - just not worth the hassle."
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recarcar
what did you think wasn't right about the hd800 + black widow combo?
Crimson vs Glass?
really I think the ether has no depth but that was with the pulse xfi so maybe I need to give it another shot.
ohhh so chord did use to make good products stop trusting any site that ever gave a chord product a good review (there was a lot).
keep it up bill
carbon was good at Canjam should have tried it jude aside.
The black widow + HD800 was good, I was just spoiled by the EC Studio. With my orthos, the delta was (surprisingly) MUCH smaller. Honestly, if I had just the Abyss/Slants/Code-X or if I still had my LCD-3, the Yggy > Black Widow + PS is an endgame rig. It's nuts.
I'll listen to Yggy > Black Widow > HD800 extensively when I get back from vacation.
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Sounds like an awesome meet. Could you guys e;a borate some more on the GOV2 vs. other desktop DACS? I managed to bag myself an SE version and might look into replacing my Modi2Uber.
(Have this awesome plan to use its balanced out put to to my LCD-3's or using a miniXLR->OG XLR adaptors turn my headphone cable into an interconnect to the mjolnir. So if anyone got to hear this combo, I'd love to have their impressions.)
Thanks
C
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Do you need someone to babysit the rig while your gone? Since your a friend I wouldn't charge.
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Marv, do you want to organize a podcast Q&A about your meet impressions? I noticed a lot is changing about the hobby and the dialogue around it.
Should have told me! I would have brought my binaural head again.
We can plan for a podcast come the June meet. I can bring my recording gear.
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Just wanted to post my quick impressions:
Best of show: HE-1000 and Eddie Current The Studio. :-00 Awesome sound. :)p1
Worst of show. Hugo tt. Sucks monkey balls. About as good as playing telephone with string and two tin cans. Figures some tin eared folks love anything with HUGO on it. Geek Out trounces anything Hugo. :vomit:
Missed out: Didn't get to hear the Geek Out V2 and Black Widow. :'(
Personal highlight as always...hanging out and chatting with you bastards. :)p2
A special thanks to Bill-P and Steph for hosting us. Amazing hospitality from everyone this weekend.
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LFF Your have a binaural head? How did that not come up? :) Hey really great time yesterday. Very special. Thanks for hanging out, and sharing. Great discussions and gear.
As always best of show hanging out with you scofflaws and scalawags. You know you are much brighter than you come across online.
Best discussion: multidimensional sting theory.
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Almost forgot, true biggest disappointment of the meet: no one bought my Alpha Primes. Come on.
And my Alpha Primes sound like they could be decent in the $300-500 closed space.
Hilariously enough, Craig wouldn't comment about them. Then he put on the Paradox Slants and a big ol smile lit up his face.
And my real highlight of the meet was making Craig laugh until he turned red by suggesting a fellow pirate sell a family member to buy an amp.
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HE1k sounds promising then.
JEFF!!!
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Might be too much bass for you. We are talking near Abyss level of heft.
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I will say it, I think I like the ether better than the he-560. They trade blows but I enjoyed it on the Yggy/rag stack Adam brought.
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Almost forgot, true biggest disappointment of the meet: no one bought my Alpha Primes. Come on.
And my Alpha Primes sound like they could be decent in the $300-500 closed space.
Hilariously enough, Craig wouldn't comment about them. Then he put on the Paradox Slants and a big ol smile lit up his face.
And my real highlight of the meet was making Craig laugh until he turned red by suggesting a fellow pirate sell a family member to buy an amp.
Almost forgot, true biggest disappointment of the meet: no one bought my Alpha Primes. Come on.
And my Alpha Primes sound like they could be decent in the $300-500 closed space.
Hilariously enough, Craig wouldn't comment about them. Then he put on the Paradox Slants and a big ol smile lit up his face.
And my real highlight of the meet was making Craig laugh until he turned red by suggesting a fellow pirate sell a family member to buy an amp.
Dude I really was giving my best sales pitch. Did the 7XX get a new home?
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Best discussion: multidimensional sting theory.
Is that where the bees are disappearing to?
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Hilariously enough, Craig wouldn't comment about them.
Not to your face he didn't. :D
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I didn't think the Alpha Primes were all that bad when I was listening to them from the Yggy/ECZDs. As I've said before, maybe a bit overpriced and on a similar level but different sounding than Alpha Dogs. But you guys totally shit all over them when I asked you to try them. Man, you guys are tough.
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Once I sell my pair, i'll say exactly what I did at the meet. Oh hell, they sound like shit. Not going to waste my time.
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And my real highlight of the meet was making Craig laugh until he turned red by suggesting a fellow pirate sell a family member to buy an amp.
This was my favorite moment of the meet too! Fortunately, the EC amps are so good that you immediately start thinking about how to procure them. Unfortunately, I like all of my family members right now. ;)
I do have the Yggy and Black Widow on loan while ZD is busy for the next couple of weeks. THANK YOU, ZD & Marv.
And: thank you BILL-P for throwing this not-so-mini-meet!!!
Quick notes:
- EC Studio + Yggy was mind-warping. Still trying to wrap my head around it. Have the Yggy at home so I can try vs. PWD and start to understand what was the Yggy and what was the EC Studio amp. This was beyond any EC amp that I have heard. Thought it was a bit much at first, so fast and resolving from top to bottom. Controlled, like the best of solid state...but tube in liquidity and feel.
- New version of Zana Deux: "Super". This was different from the original Zana Deux OTL that I just sold to a very good friend. The new one certainly feels more accurate and in a newer vein of really well-controlled (from top to bottom), accurate EC amps that sill have a touch of "wet" (feels elegant and grain-free in dynamics and decay). Not sure what was the Yggy and what was the revised Zana Deux, but I was more comfortable with the Zana Deux at first compared to the Studio. Then I went back and forth a few more times over the 3-4 hours I was at the meet and I could tell that more was coming through the Studio amp. But both are phenomenal and I was surprised at how good the revised Zana Deux is. I may end up getting one.
- HE1000: I think some people have been "cautiously optimistic" about this new headphone, wanting to be sure that they are hearing the production version before saying lots about it. But now, cat is out of the bag...I thought that tonally it might be just a touch bright/forward but have lots of hope for it. Someone is gonna mod that headphone and it seems like it will hit this great balance point of resolution/speed/impact/dynamism that combines the best elements of the different headphone technologies (dynamic/planar/stat). I was getting used to the Yggy/EC Studio/HE1000 all at the same time, but this was the first headphone that made me think it could take over against my HD800. I'll be keeping my eye/ear on it.
- Geek Out v2: Not a small bump up. This has more air and resolution than v1. Compared them side by side on my MacBook Air with battery power supply (Apricorn cable). Where the Geek Out v1s are pleasant and tame a lot of the Sabre-glare and digititus (especially with newer firmware), the v2 adds more information and more space. Hearing the prototype version, I think this one reminds me of the Yggy in that getting used to it would make it hard to go back to v1 once you know what is missing. Though I still enjoy my HD600 while I have HD800...we'll see if I sell two or three of my Geek Outs (450, 720, 1000), but I definitely have to pick up a v2. The regular v2 has gain of 100/1000 and the v2 Infinity Edition will have 100/450/1000. I would like one of those!
- JHAudio Laylas: Thanks to Jude for bringing these, the Laylas were just BIG and unwieldy for my ears but the tonality was nicely in-line with my UERM. Seems like the Laylas were a bit more extended in both directions with a slightly more "full" sound but not as separated in the imaging department. If I didn't have UERM, wanted a more neutral but pleasing IEM, didn't think about the size or the price...I could consider these as I would like to hear more IEMs tuned this way and am surprised that there aren't. This is the sound that I thought the Roxannes might be. And I prefer these to the Roxannes and the JH13FP by far. I chose to listen to these because everyone said they were more neutral than the Angies and the fellow UERM wearers liked the Laylas better than the Angies. I only had so much time to try and hear a few key things, even though I would have loved to hear lots more just for fun/curiosity.
- FitEar FitEar: Thanks to Jude for bringing these as well! I am a fan of the TG!334 for a universal IEM that fits me very well, sounds clear in the upper mids but a bit euphonic and warm in the bass to low mids- it is nice complement to the UERM and not for reference but for fun. Unfortunately, the FitEar FitEar sounded a bit disjointed to me. The bass had a quality that seemed a bit different to mid-mids on up. Quick listen but not the same qualities that the TG!334 have. I do think I will keep my eye out for the TG!334. Please let me know if you see one up for grabs.
- Riva: Yep- this thing is a really nice size for the BIG sound that it produces. I will eventually get one of these too. The Peachtree Deepblue 2 was just too big-looking for me to consider it for my purposes and space but the Riva would be truly portable and versatile. I was nicely surprised by it.
- Fostex TH900: I wanted to hear this again as I thought the phone might solve a problem that requires me to use closed phones and could have paired well with an amp I thought was bass-light but I heard that TH-900 does still leak some sound and it just didn't have the sound I was looking for. Appreciate that someone brought it as it was one of the things I wanted to try again.
Just not enough time to listen to everything...wanted to hear the Ether and should have listened to the Enigma again since I crossed TH900 off the list. Liquid Crimson was there and I always seem to miss hearing Cavalli amps for some reason, this I did want to try. Thanks, Warren, for bringing the Cavalli little portable amp- but I want to wait until it is in production and using battery before trying.
Over the next couple of weeks, I will be sneaking in time with Yggy/PWD/TransDAC and Black Widow. I'll post notes in the appropriate threads and plan my next moves...
Was WONDERFUL to see so many of you in one place and to try the newest, most exciting gear. I'll try to attend some more this year if I can!
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LFF Your have a binaural head? How did that not come up? :) Hey really great time yesterday. Very special. Thanks for hanging out, and sharing. Great discussions and gear.
As always best of show hanging out with you scofflaws and scalawags. You know you are much brighter than you come across online.
Best discussion: multidimensional sting theory.
Yeah...I actually designed and built two heads (with the help of a fellow pirate dbel - who helped with the microphone design) and I designed a custom algorithm for the processing. One is a full head and upper torso. The other is just a head. Changstar podcast no.1 was recorded using the head only version. It didn't come up probably because we were talking about The Beatles and recording in general.
I'm glad you enjoyed what little I brought.
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should have listened to the Enigma again since I crossed TH900 off the list.
For what it's worth, I quite enjoyed the Enigma out of the Yggy > Black Widow.
When LFF sends me mine, I'll let you know so you can have a listen. :)
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Hah, it's funny, CEE TEE and I agree on a lot of things but he's an Enigma guy and I'm a Paradox Slant guy.
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I had a BLAST meeting many of you for the first time as well as catching up with those of you that I've had the pleasure of meeting previously. Overall, the meet was fantastic. A huge shoutout to Bill & Steph for making this happen. You two are simply amazing!
Mas props to Ravi for the sa-weeeet t-shirts as well. I owe you an Aperklypse Now shirt next time I see you, I haven't forgotten :)p1
The feedback so far on the Geek Out V2 has been incredible! I reiterated to Larry & Gavin how well it was received by all who demoed it and they were over the moon with excitement. A special thanks to those of you that let me record your impressions.
We're looking forward to finalizing everything and getting this bad boy out the door into your hot little hands starting July 1. There's still a few pre-sale V2's left so get em while you can folks!
If you liked the Geek Out V2, there's something new that we're going to be releasing this Wednesday so be sure to check out the www.lhlabs.com/415 page at Noon PST.
Once again, thanks to everybody for coming and for making it an incredible event. You guys rock!!
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Should've been a nice meet!
But ey, there's something wrong in this pic!
Maybe the dude don't have an arm, but...nope, something is soooo wrong, what was is his back? :-Z ::)
ttp://cdn.head-fi.org/1/13/1344a4bf_IMG_0089.jpeg
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Should've been a nice meet!
But ey, there's something wrong in this pic!
Maybe the dude don't have an arm, but...nope, something is soooo wrong, what was is his back? :-Z ::)
ttp://cdn.head-fi.org/1/13/1344a4bf_IMG_0089.jpeg
No joke, that is some beautiful photo editing there.
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I will say it, I think I like the ether better than the he-560. They trade blows but I enjoyed it on the Yggy/rag stack Adam brought.
I've told people this as well. However, it is still unit dependent and that comment only applies to those units that do actually sound better than the 560, not the tunits that sound worse or equal to the 560. ::)
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At CJ, Dan did explain to me that those initial units there had some diaphragm tensioning inconsistencies. I know at CJ he took one out of circulation that sounded not too good. Perhaps Dan has finally ironed down the production / QA processes?
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Alright, and now I'm going to write negative stuffs here. Short version: nothing is amazball except for my own gears.
My own LCD-2: tonal balance is slightly bright in the upper midrange/lower treble for me. Most other folks except for the discerning ears (Ravi, Luis, Mike) thought it was awesome. To me, it sounded slow as hell. Bass was muddy, blurry, and kinda boomy, though impact was good. Luis and Marv suggested re-tensioning diaphragm. I will be trying that.
Wait... why am I giving impressions of my own gears? :)p8
Craig Uthus's LCD-2: simply... godly. Bass and low frequency tight as heck. In fact, it was disproportionate because the top end is a bit too rolled, while the bottom end is clear as a bell. Whatever "clear as a bell" means for bass. If you'd believe me, this LCD-2 makes bass sound "sharp". As crazy as it is. I actually prefer this pair to mine... by a huge margin. Marv was right, this one is grade A. It sounds very unlike any LCD-2 I have heard. In fact, I think it's better than some LCD-3s I have heard as well. Now if only we could have this for every LCD-2.
Audeze LCD-X: hmm... honestly, I think the tonal balance is about the same as my modded pair (still a tad too much upper midrange/lower treble for me). Bass is slightly tighter, but has no balls. The balance is a bit off, and sounds weird to me. Granted, it's not inoffensive, so I guess that's a plus. It still carries a bit of the Audeze house sound... smooth, relaxed, boomy, warm, etc... too, so it's hard to call this one "neutral" or "accurate". I have read comments about how it's such a good studio monitor, and all... and I guess that is true to some capacity. They do sound fairly even. More so than the HD800 and other such headphones IMO. But now I think they'll face stiff competition from the Ether.
Mr. Speakers' Ether: north of neutral in the treble for me. A bit too bright. More bearable out of my setup than some others, since my amp is a bit rolled, and bass is a bit boosted. But still kinda whimpy/tappy. Overall sound signature is more balanced than I am letting on. I think the brightness is partially due to weaksauce bass. But other than that, I think these are nice. Pricing aside, they make good competition for the HE-560 and LCD-2F. Certainly Dan's best headphone. Again, sound sig is not to my liking, so they are not amazball for me, but I can say with certainty that they are Dan's best headphone yet. For those who are wondering, don't bother comparing this one to the HE-1000. HE-1000 is another league above. An argument can be made regarding these and the LCD-X, depending on the target audience.
HiFiMAN HE-1000: so... it's no secret I didn't like this one at CanJam. I thought it sucked. And especially for the money, that was a bit too much. This time, though, I thought it sounded amazing. Granted... not Stax-like. Even my SR-002 beats it easily at speed, but the tonal balance of the HE-1000 is nicer. It's linear, then slightly relaxed in the upper mids before swinging back up again ever so slightly. So upper treble is a bit peaky, but nothing offending, and the speed of the headphone allows for that area to be non-fatiguing. Down low, it has that ortho bass control and authority, but with extra speed. Abyss sounded slow compared to HE-1000, although I've been told Abyss' diaphragm also loosens itself over time, so that may have been the reason why. The HE-1000 actually sounds just about right for me. If the top end was tamed a bit, it would be perfect. I think I'll just throw it on a smoothly rolled off tube amp and call it a day. This one is very well-tuned. Good job, HFM! There isn't a lot of higher-end headphones I would be able to take in stock form. This one... I can most definitely live with its stock form. Styling is still a bit too flamboyant to me, though. If only they had gone for a more... traditional design, a la HE-6... Ah well. Will be waiting for the HE-6 successor then. HE-7?
Eddie Current Studio: true to the name: a studio-level amplifier. Accuracy, resolution, textures, this one has got it all. It sounded like the purest amplifier I have ever heard. And by that, I mean like this:
(http://s4.postimg.org/8twpv2vo9/2czvpc2.jpg) (http://s4.postimg.org/9jfi7fw7x/2czvpc2.jpg)
Left is original source and how an "accurate" solid-state amp would present it.
Middle is how a tube amp would present it.
Right is how I hear the Studio present it.
It's absolutely superb. I don't think amping can get any nicer than that.
Eddie Current Zana Deux S: euphony at its best. Cleaner and clearer than I can remember from the last iteration, but still with that same liquidity. I personally prefer this one to the Studio, due to my taste in sound and music. But that's just me. I feel like the Studio will be the superior amp overall. Personally, I just love to kick back, relax, sip a cold one, and enjoy my music rather than picking it apart. This amp is just perfect for that. I didn't try it, but I'd think HE-1000 + Zana Deux S combo would have me saving up for one in the near future.
Eddie Current Black Widow: whoa, space, and smoothness! This amp is unexpectedly good! Zerodeefex was right. This little thing punches way above its pay grade. Craig just did a hat-trick. Too bad I didn't have time to compare the Black Widow against Liquid Carbon, but I wouldn't be surprised if Black Widow is on par with or better than Liquid Carbon.
LHLabs Geek Out V2: it kicks arse. Seriously! Rarely has there been a single gadget that all pyrates with differing tastes (me, zerodeefex, Anax, Marv, etc...) can agree to, so... here we go. The DAC that can probably satisfy everyone. Anyone who knows me would know I'm purely a tone and balance guy rather than a resolution guy, but I think I can turn into a plankton whore with the GOV2. It's a massive upgrade over the last GO. My GO450 sounds bland, flat, one-note, and low-res/radio after listening to the GOV2. It's that good. And you won't know me for sensationalizing any piece of gear I have yet to own or purchase, so... there it is. This is the real deal, guys! Planktons jumped out and swarmed me as soon as I plug anything into this DAC. In fact, even the built-in amp is nice enough! That's crazy! :-DD
I have moar notes, but these are all of the highlights for me.
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My LCD-X had no upper midrange at all and more bass than my LCD3.. shoutout to Audeze quality control.
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My LCD-X had no upper midrange at all and more bass than my LCD3.. shoutout to Audeze quality control.
LOL
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Bill,
If it will make you feel better I'll agree with Marv, Ravi, Mike and Luis. :& Actually, I think you have it about where my RMA ones sound, before RMA. But keep going. Pretty sure the diaphragm tension on mine went slack over several months of use. New they sounded much much better. But not as good as Craig's. Some one put magic dust on those headphones.
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dearest pyrates,
Keep the impressions coming here if at all possible.
the small dick mods at head-fi have locked me out of the SF Meet Impressions thread for a (deleted) posted stating:
"(more pictures) I want to see what people were wearing. headphones I mean."
*:p poo
(can we start a head-fi censorship thread on chang so rants have a place to breathe then die?)
walk the plank2
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- Here's the HF censorship rant thread: http://www.changstar.com/index.php/topic,1550.msg65428/topicseen.html#new (http://www.changstar.com/index.php/topic,1550.msg65428/topicseen.html#new)
- Also attached a pic of the meet. I didn't feel comfortable posting it because EC hasn't paid Jude in while. Didn't want to get a PM that I was promoting without paying like Luis used to get.
- Can some of you guys post the pirate shirt?
- Things are really sensitive right now. Supposedly Jude demanded to the "folks in charge", organizers, or whoever that their be no pyrate shirts. Obviously, we don't give a fuck what Jude demands. (No, really, is Jude supposed to be our King?) None of us had shirts on at the beginning of the meet, but at noon time, each one of us, one by one, changed into the pyrate shirts. When this happened, Jude looked like he was about to cry. BTW, the shirts did not have Changstar anywhere on them. Just a digital pirate skull and "Give me freedom or give me the rope"
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by the gods I love it here,
give the rope to the false king of head-fi.
can't wait to wear a vendor badge at RMAF along with my Pyrate shirt.
headbang
appreciate the vine here, back to real SF findings.... like more GeekOut V2 thievery stories by ZD!
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Well, those are just not going to work, they are totally screwing up CEE TEE's hair!
(http://www.changstar.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=2362.0;attach=9423;image)
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CEE TEE is Asian?! I always assumed he was white.
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Marv:
Is there any way we can get those t-shirts over to the subcontinent/Orient?
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You mean my hair is screwing up those great headphones! Hahaha. you are both right. I'm 1/2 and 1/2.
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Cee Tee =
(http://bakingbites.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/halfandhalf.jpg)
I'll have some impressions up later.
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You mean my hair is screwing up those great headphones! Hahaha. you are both right. I'm 1/2 and 1/2.
Ohana would say hapa! :)
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CEE TEE is Asian?! I always assumed he was white.
Is there one WASP american here ?
Just kidding Guys :)p13
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Is there one WASP american here ?
:)p4 :)p8
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Shipsupt is pretty WASPy. Tari and anetode are white, but not WASPy. OJneg is about as white as a camel's ass. Not sure about mav and solder. Ringingears and burnspbesq are also...
(http://www.adamsfleacontrol.com/~/media/Images/articles/article_wasps_large.ashx?h=418&w=671)
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By "race" I'm half white Mexican and half brown Mexican. But I look Persian or Iranian (whichever you prefer) if I don't talk. So PseudoW-NotA-NotS-CC and add some chilli + corn tortillas to that. Obviously a pure thoroughbred as can be found in the street.
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By "race" I'm half white Mexican and half brown Mexican. But I look Persian (when I don't speak). So PseudoW-NotA-NotS-CC and add some chilli + corn tortillas to that.
Mestizo
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A unique thoroughbred street mestizo... basically a Mexican Ewok.
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I'm half Indian and half Filipino but my blonde haired blue eyed wife says I'm pretty much the whitest dude she knows.
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I make white rice look brown,
75% British + 25% Irish.
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I'm half Indian and half Filipino but my blonde haired blue eyed wife says I'm pretty much the whitest dude she knows.
I second that, you truly are THE whitest dude I know.
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AFAIK, my family lineage is almost entirely German. Grew up in a small Midwest town comprised of almost entirely white, conservative, Christian people. So I'm about as white as it gets in that regard. And the tall, skiny, awkward kind at that.
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I second that, you truly are THE whitest dude I know.
Totes.
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I'm half Indian and half Filipino but my blonde haired blue eyed wife says I'm pretty much the whitest dude she knows.
I second that, you truly are THE whitest dude I know.
Skimming through this thread and for a second I thought Casey was Zero's wife... :-00
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I gotz me a hot asian wife to make up for my white-bread-ness! :)
Shipsupt is pretty WASPy. Tari and anetode are white, but not WASPy. OJneg is about as white as a camel's ass. Not sure about mav and solder. Ringingears and burnspbesq are also...
(http://www.adamsfleacontrol.com/~/media/Images/articles/article_wasps_large.ashx?h=418&w=671)
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Skimming through this thread and for a second I thought Casey was Zero's wife... :-00
No, that's Cee Tee.
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No, that's Cee Tee.
BWAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA
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Ah ah ah ah ah ah This place is marvelous ! :money:
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Mestizo
That's our word you can't use it!!
AFAIK, my family lineage is almost entirely German. Grew up in a small Midwest town comprised of almost entirely white, conservative, Christian people. So I'm about as white as it gets in that regard. And the tall, skiny, awkward kind at that.
White conservative Christia?.... let's you and me never talk about anything but gear
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Shipsupt is pretty WASPy. Tari and anetode are white, but not WASPy. OJneg is about as white as a camel's ass. Not sure about mav and solder. Ringingears and burnspbesq are also...
(http://www.adamsfleacontrol.com/~/media/Images/articles/article_wasps_large.ashx?h=418&w=671)
Solder is Dutch. So I know he is human. :)
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White conservative Christia?.... let's you and me never talk about anything but gear
Haha, was just saying that's the sort of Midwest town I grew up in...no commentary on that or myself otherwise, one way or another. Not sure where you're coming from exactly with your comment, but I too prefer to keep discussions here gear related or just plain silly. :)
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Haha, was just saying that's the sort of Midwest town I grew up in...no commentary on that or myself otherwise, one way or another. Not sure where you're coming from exactly with your comment, but I too prefer to keep discussions here gear related or just plain silly. :)
My comment was of the silly variaty. Doging people of a different back ground leads to fear, fear leads to anger, anger leads to suffering
(http://www.cinemarconi.it/files/news/Star-Wars-1.jpg)
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True, but I think Yoda's most meaningful quote is, "When 900 years you reach, look as good, you will not. Hm?"
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True, but I think Yoda's most meaningful quote is, "When 900 years you reach, look as good, you will not. Hm?"
bullshit I am 932 years old
(http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110503143833/villains/images/f/fa/Crypt-keeper.jpg)
tell me I don't look like a sexy beast
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Should be good to go with a bit of lube.
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Should be good to go with a bit of lube.
who? Casey?! no doubt about that.
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JHA Angie and Layla impressions here:
http://www.changstar.com/index.php/topic,2286.msg65780.html#msg65780 (http://www.changstar.com/index.php/topic,2286.msg65780.html#msg65780)
HE1000 - Much more linear tuning on this unit. However, not as resolving as the last unit at Canjam and not as mind blowing bass response as the CES unit. The driver potential is still obviously there, but I am a bit worried now having heard three distinct tunings of the HE1000 and not sure whether this is intentional of the prototypes or a by-product. The production units will reveal all. I still found this pair (Jude's) to be a bit too bright on the treble shelf. Not peaky or spiked, just enhanced. Bass was harder hitting and more impactful than the Canjam unit but still notably behind the CES unit. Still a little soft and not as fast as I'd like. I should be able to pick out tons of bass plankton when that drop hits on Hotel California (Hell Freezes Over)
-On that note-You vendors using Hotel California from the studio master instead of the live recording are using the wrong audiophile track. Just an fyi. The regular album version is no good to us for AB purposes.
Chord TT - Heard it as an all-in-one at Canjam and was surprised by the intense warmth and lack of clarity from Chord on this. Npot at all what I had come to expect after trying the Hugo soooo maaany times. I was convinced to give it another go as a DAC which was feeding the Liquid Gold and DNA Stratus simultaneously. This time the warmth was largeyl gone and it had that more characteristic Hugo sound which is more on the smoother analytical side. First thing on the Cavalli, I noticed a fatiguing peak or shrillness somewhere in the treble and something of a flubby resonant midbass. I wondered if it was something in the amp. So I changed over to the Stratus which I know well and these issues were also present. Honestly, there was no resolution, imaging or SS presented to pique my interest. In a way, the TT sounded to me like an improved ODAC with a better PS.
People that say the would prefer the GO 450 over the TT are not joking. I can understand the sentiment. For the money, it really needs to best a $200 mini-DAC before it can hope to go toe-to-toe with something like the Yggdrassil. Long way to go....
Project Ember and Polaris - I used an SACD of Elton John I knew from Ron's Cambridge CDT (a device I also know pretty well). I liked the apparent relative clarity and basic resolution for the price point these are at. However, I found both a tad unrefined presenting what was to me a rather rough solid-state sound. Something akin to a constant hash and sparkle that wouldn't go away. For the money, I don't think one can complain too much. I've agreed to work with Ron in future to do more testing at future meets and with the loaner units. I wonder if there might be treble oscillations happening with my louder than usual listening levels.
Black Widow+PS - The most resolving and tube like solid state amp I've yet to hear. Plankton and layers of soundstage galore. The only minor quibbles for me would be a desire for a bit more tube clarity and bit more low bass punch and impact. When I mentioned this, I was told, "One, there are no tubes in this so stfu; Two, the production PS will be even better and should improve the bass further." Fair enough! Great sound at a great price. This is the SS amp for those who love well executed tube sound.
Geek Out v.2 - Solid improvement over an equivalent v.1 in every way. I do think that the gain stages hold to certain characteristics that were present in the v.1 series. That said, relatively speaking it's an improvement in tone, timbre, resolution, clarity and blackness all around.
Fit Ear/Fit Ear - I liked the more linear and neutral response versus the 334. Hard to compare other factors versus the 334 without it present since i never owned it. Ultimately my UERM outclassed it in all areas that matter to me. No idea what they sell for, but if it's reasonable then they could be a reasonable purchase.
Modded Stax 002 - Honestly these seemed brighter than I remember them. They were too bright for me. Possibly a fit issue here as they were extremely ethereal sounding with very very diffuse imaging. Perhaps the progression of my reference portable rig over the years did these no favors revisiting them again.
Zana Deux Super - It's no secret to anyone I hated the original ZDSE. Too warm, too congested, too constipated (Marv's own words). Purr1n went to work on this thing to make sure I could never bitch about how bad it sounded again. Mission accomplished. Resolving, layered, clear, separated with good sense of air yet still retains a forgiving euphonic warmth in just the right measure to not smear or muck things up. Well done. I could easily live with this amp easily and people think I'm on the analytical side of tube amps. This is the default euphonic tube amp I will recommend from now on.
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Black Widow+PS - The most resolving and tube like solid state amp I've yet to hear. Plankton and layers of soundstage galore. The only minor quibbles for me would be a desire for a bit more tube clarity and bit more low bass punch and impact. When I mentioned this, I was told, "One, there are no tubes in this so stfu; Two, the production PS will be even better and should improve the bass further." Fair enough! Great sound at a great price. This is the SS amp for those who love well executed tube sound.
Not that everyone else's impressions don't count, but reading you say all that about the black widow has me even more pumped anax.
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Great impressions, Anax.. given what you said about the BW, I'm wondering why zdfx felt the BW wasn't a great match for the HD800 (better for orthos) .. but I certainly could have read into his thoughts too much/incorrectly.
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Because zdfx is getting an EC Studio for his HD800s.
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Modded Stax 002 - Honestly these seemed brighter than I remember them. They were too bright for me. Possibly a fit issue here as they were extremely ethereal sounding with very very diffuse imaging. Perhaps the progression of my reference portable rig over the years did these no favors revisiting them again.
Fit issue for sure. If these things don't fit without fussing about they are useless.
What headphones were people using with the ZDS? I had a hard time selling my ZD, but did so because I couldn't quite live with it's minor flaws in the long term... and now that's fixed? Uh oh.
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What headphones were people using with the ZDS? I had a hard time selling my ZD, but did so because I couldn't quite live with it's minor flaws in the long term... and now that's fixed? Uh oh.
Yeah, I normally use my tips with the 002 but I didn't hear enough change in character to spend 10 minutes fitting them like I did with my old unit.
I used my modded HD800s with the ZDS.
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Because zdfx is getting an EC Studio for his HD800s.
This. I didn't try that HD800s during my 2 day demo at work. I tried them with the Yggy > EC studio, then went to the BW + PS and it was clear I needed the Studio.
The black widow + ps is the best SS amp out there for the hd800.
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Project Ember and Polaris - I used an SACD of Elton John I knew from Ron's Cambridge CDT (a device I also know pretty well). I liked the apparent relative clarity and basic resolution for the price point these are at. However, I found both a tad unrefined presenting what was to me a rather rough solid-state sound. Something akin to a constant hash and sparkle that wouldn't go away. For the money, I don't think one can complain too much. I've agreed to work with Ron in future to do more testing at future meets and with the loaner units. I wonder if there might be treble oscillations happening with my louder than usual listening levels.
Don't know for the Polaris but those impressions match mine when I tried the Ember last year. Good, fast , clear but a bit rough/unrefined. Ember and the Meier Corda Jazz was in the Tellementnomade.org Buying Guide for Xmas 2013. Great VFM for both amps and highly recommended for people who look for versatile entry level amps. The ember accepts a huge bunch of tubes . the One I tried had a Tunsgram E80CC. Very good pairing for a HE500 imo
The (big) shortcomings is that Ember is too much affected by EMI. it can be a real nitghmare. I'd personaly pick or advice a Meier Corda Jazz over the ember except for the most power hungry orthos.
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The (big) shortcomings is that Ember is too much affected by EMI. it can be a real nitghmare.
I sure can't disagree with that. Mine should be back from Jeremy next week and I'll be interested in seeing what the modifications he's doing to my unit do to help overall. I know that, regardless of what he changes, that problem is here to stay.
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I'm lucky. Don't have issues with RFI/EMI where I live. AV-I'd like to hear how the mods Jeremy has made worked out with the Ember as I consider it to be an excellent amp and a great value as well. Assuming he is grounding the metal chassis?
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I'm lucky. Don't have issues with RFI/EMI where I live. AV-I'd like to hear how the mods Jeremy has made worked out with the Ember as I consider it to be an excellent amp and a great value as well. Assuming he is grounding the metal chassis?
Yep. He's also installing a supercharger, lowering the gain, doing a line out disconnect (to cut it when headphones are plugged in), and generally shifting everything to the V.2 specs. I'm also picking up one of the 6SN7 adapters and having him install a spiffy volume knob.
I'm going to try to track down a decent budget 6SN7 tube to try it out.
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I think they could use a Sylvania Chromedome with green letters. A real Chromedome. Having chrome on top doesn't make it a Chromedome. They tend to have sweeter, more coherent and fluid signature. I think that would be beneficial based on what I heard last.
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Wish you had said something. I had a Sylvania green with me. Never time to experiment at meets. I also think there might of been a lot of RFI in the building. Might be what you were hearing? Next experiment in Monrovia. I'll bring all my 6SN7's. Anax- if you have a Chormedome you like please bring it. Want to explore this further.
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I think they could use a Sylvania Chromedome with green letters. A real Chromedome. Having chrome on top doesn't make it a Chromedome. They tend to have sweeter, more coherent and fluid signature. I think that would be beneficial based on what I heard last.
Going to try that out! Thanks!
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I think they could use a Sylvania Chromedome with green letters. A real Chromedome. Having chrome on top doesn't make it a Chromedome. They tend to have sweeter, more coherent and fluid signature. I think that would be beneficial based on what I heard last.
Update: this was a fantastic recommendation. I received my updated Ember from Jeremy yesterday and tried it out with the Admiral Black Glass 6SN7GT that he provided with the 6SN7 adapter. That tube performed worse than the other Amperex and Telefunken tubes I was already using. The Sylvania 6SN7GTB '53 Chrometop that I picked up is much better all around - really great tube.
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Pix!
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Behold, my shitty smartphone pictures!