Mackie

I shall include the images of my setup later.

My cans setup My cans corner I've just switched from a Sennheiser HD600 to a BeyerDynamic DT880 and the decision was made at a spur of the moment of merely 5-10 minutes. Impulsive? Yes. Regret? No! Here are my opinions after a full run-in of the new cans (>200 hours) and careful scrutinizing in the following order. All opinions are solely mine and biased. Any comparison made was relative to the Senn HD600 cans that I used to own. Album 1: "Day Dreaming" by Keiko Lee Track 12 - "What A Wonderful World" The opening vocals struck me as very airy and full of depth while fingering on the piano keys were extremely clear. Body of Keiko's voice had a tad less body than HD600 but still rich. Hear out the guitar's entry (3.00 min) which presented a very rich ambience. This was a tad less apparent on HD600 which I suspect is due to the bloom of its upper bass/lower mid range. Track 7: "Afro Blue" First impression was the plucking of strings on the double bass that sounded less meaty than HD600 but low notes still carried better attack and snappier via the DT880. Snaring notes and key fingering on the accordion were clear and the sparring session with the double bass (2:25 min) was presented with good separation and articulation; the highs and lows well distinguished simultaneously. HD600 sounded more weighty but thicker than the DT880 which offers a better tonal balance on this track. Album 2: "Golden Pieces" by Tsai Chin Track 1: "Unforgettable" I noticed good transients on the opening piano intro but on the flip side, the minor distortion of the piano's leading edge (00:46 min) which was not easily detectable on HD600. This approves of the finer analytical capability of DT880. Throughout the piece, positions of the clarinet, double bass and piano from left to right were easily distinguished. DT880 projects a rather wide soundstage and continues to show no sign of the "headphoney" symptoms - a term I coined out to describe the narrow congestion of sound at the upper-center of the listener's head. Perhaps there's a proper term for it but I await correction for now. Once again, DT880 has shown its forte in the lower bass which is taut and detailed throughout the performance of the double bass. Track 7: "Lovers' Tears" Forget about sound analysis and try to immerse to the emotional singing. Within a rich ambience, the singer was "perceived" to be on the brink of crying as she wavered around 4:50 min mark. From there, emotions maintained fragility and these subtle details are well captured. Album 3: "Antonio Forcione - Live!" by Antonio Forcione Track 2: "Acoustic Revenge" Very analytical on the strumming/plucking of guitar strings and also the palm knocks on the body. Decay in the aftermath of each attack on the strings were apparent and helped to maintain rhythm and pace. This track is superb for "Prat" analysis and DT880 passed with flying colours. HD600 sounded a tad slower and thicker in the lower notes. All else being equal, this track got me tapping my feet before the 3:00 min mark, much faster than HD600. From there, the excruciating strumming pace (4:00 min) was presented naturally and yet maintained a high level of details without any sign of lapsing all the way to the climax (6:30 min). Album 4: "Ballads" by Karrin Allyson Track 4: "All or Nothing At All" The drum intro showed much poise and definition. Drum kicks were deep, taut and carried a lot of attack. HD600 gives a fuller lower bass but mildly slower in attack. On a greater negative note, HD600 lacks the final extension in bass. Track 5: "I Wish I Knew" Highlight is on the interlude between drums, double bass and piano from left to right (2:19 min). Double bass sounded very articulate while the movement on the piano's feet pedals was also captured at the same time. Many a time on lesser cans, the more subtle details may be overwhelmed by the double bass. Cymbals and scratching of top hats carried far and wide beyond the limit of cans and remained clear throughout the imposing double bass. Great soundstaging and imaging experienced. Album 5: "Asian Roots" by TakéDake with Neptune Track 6: "Japanese Roots" This all-bamboo ensemble track has lots of percussions and drums with a flute projected smack in the center by the DT880. Timbre was good on DT880 but HD600 had a more likeable "skin effect". The former has better dynamics and imaging though. The strong presence and air surrounding each instrument was a delight to listen through the DT880. Album 6: "The Velvet Rope" by Janet Jackson Track 4: "Got It Till It's Gone" Upper bass was fuller on HD600 which gave a more weighty sound to this genre. DT880 sounded drier and I preferred the former for its ability to impart the head-nodding impulse of the listener. The background deep sync roll was more apparent on the latter and in this respect, the DT880 has better clarity on the lower bass region. Overall, I prefer HD600 over the DT880 when hip-hop and rap music rule the house. Album 7: "XLO-Test and Burn-In CD" Track 18: "Weinberger - Polka and Fugue" on Reference Recording Very good soundstaging and depth with fine presence on each instrument group of the full orchestra. The Fugue (2:18 min) presentation of all the instruments taking their turns on center-stage was so ever articulate and well defined. Entry of the pipe organ (5:38) did not result in congestion and the deep organ roll maintained a good separation from the strings which sounded clear and above the low drones of the organ all the way to the climax (7:28). On the DT880, grit and dynamics were very well handled throughout and showed no sign of saturation or fatigue despite the explosive climax on this track. Summary Overall, the DT880 is superior in all sonic areas relative to the HD600 but not to a very large degree. The former's forte is in its speed and handling of the lower bass which is really deep for a pair of cans. I relate this depth similar to my Krell KSA-150 power amp that is well known for its bass slam. The latter's richer upper bass/lower mid range is pivotal to its favour. Those who listen to "black"music and favour rich vocals (especially male) may choose the HD600 over DT880. However, some audiophiles will consider this signature as colouration. Once again, to each its own. In my case, the improvement in almost the entire sonic range plus the perception of speed and control are more than enough to prompt me into the BeyerDynamic household. Tweaks: I taped a piece of wooden cone (Audio Industries - Adelphi) to the exterior circumaural driver of DT880 on each side for some tests and I discovered the following results. With the cones in place to dampen resonance, imaging is sharper and this comes as a surprise as the improvement wrought is very obvious. Vocals are more forward and personal while instruments sounded more detailed and rounder. However, all these came at the expense of air and soundstaging. To put an analogy to this result, I would say the tweaks place me closer to the stage with instruments and singer sounding more direct. Hence, the slight loss in width and air. Personally, I prefer these tweaks to be used when listening to vocals, jazz, pop and small scale classical works. For large scale orchestral music, off goes these tweaks. A compromise that I currently favour is to place each piece of the aforementioned cones on my MF X-PSU and MF-X-cans V1 head amp. This configuration gives a good balance of soundstaging and sharper imaging albeit to a lesser degree as the first tweak. Latest Update: I discovered the type of double side tapes used for the cones do contribute to the resultant sound. The earlier process was employed with the conventional thin double side tape which (in my personal taste) compromises a bit on the soundstaging for large scale orchestral music. I've pared this compromise by the use of the rather "spongy" 3M double side tape which lessens the interaction between the cones and cans' surface. This gives me a good balance between improved imaging and wide soundstaging. System used in review: Pioneer PD9700 cd player resting on Black Diamond Racing cones type 4; Musical Fidelity X-24K dac with Belden 1694a digital cord; Musical Fidelity X-PSU; Musical Fidelity X-Cans V1 head amp connected via Ecosse-The Composer/Kimber Kable Silver Streak; Mission Isoplat mdf board coupled with Soundcare Superspikes 2. P.S. regarding the tweaks, Northern Oak was the first person to experience it....with my cans and also his K501. ** Latest news ** The consumer versions of DT770 and DT990 are available now.

Rameish: KEC sells it for $1099 and all the signatures U'd mentioned are still apparent on the CD17 Mk III. Construction is impeccable and rather heavy too, check it out! I also recommended N. Oak this cdp for the ultimate upgrade from his discman. It will stand the test of time.

ablaze: Yup, still on the X-cans V1/X-psu and a recent addition, X-24k dac. I will give a full breakdown in the upcoming review. evil-zen: If the DT880 has those qualities U'd mentioned, I wouldn't leave my HD600. Those are the areas which the former excels and more. Will come to that later and I've experimented with some tweaks that enhanced the sound of my setup. These may also benefit yours and all as proven in the presence of Northern Oak. He was at my place with his K501 this morning. I shall reveal more, please give me some time with my forthcoming post. Cheers.

Rameish: Enjoy, little bee! I'm sure U were not aware of these gem recordings on a test disc er? For jazz, try the Eileen Farrell track too. U'll love it.

The latest spin off from the CD17 series is Mark III. The earlier versions can only be found in the used market and even then, they don't come by often.

Rameish: I don't think there's a need to review all the Grado cans that come within your grasp but if the sound of a certain product is compelling enough for U to write one, it will be an interesting read. U don't have to produce a "pro" review as required by blackadder, just your opinions will do. In any case, it remains dubious if hifi mag reviewers are completely impartial. After all, a business is a business.

N Oak: My pleasure. I hope I have not turned your ears into fussy little buggers!

I meant to be a bit "tongue in cheek" when I said infamous..... So dynamic are RR recordings that they can put lesser systems to realize of their quick saturation upon climax. Hence infamous - famous in a wicked and notorious way....Rameish is spot on! Play the last track on the XLO disc and U will know what I mean. The organ roll (measured by a friend who's a sound engineer) goes down to 10Hz (he gauged it with his SVS subwoofer - a mean bugger). My speakers can only handle freqs down to 35Hz. The uncle is Ernest. Besides selling cds, he also make JPS power cords of a different gauge from the off-the-shelf JPS at a lower price. He allows home trials but only if full payment is made as deposit.

Any idea how much MusicLink is asking for the Heart 6000? N@Z: Musiclink sells the Heart CD6000 for about S$1800. Overpriced relative to HK's pricing of about S$1200. The latter may be lower now due to a bad economy and the cdp is no longer considered a new player with the influx and popularity of some other cdps such as Consonance Opera 2.2 (24/192 upsampling). Guyferd: Audio Analogue Paganini is a very refined and also laid back cdp. Those who are into classical and vocals will love its sonic signature. If U're into pop, jazz or large and complex works, this cdp might not be your best choice, IMO.

I will carry out my critical listening during the weekends.

Northern oak: Have U grabbed the KI after having given a lead to U? I think it sounds better than the RCD-02 and priced lower than the piece ablaze has just highlighted. U guys are really interesting to follow, Oak and Guyferd...... Patience and care are virtues in this hobby, IMO. Btw Guyferd, if Oak has purchased his cdp and U're still looking for a 6000ose, I might offer mine to U. Otherwise, I'm still a happy person with it residing in the hall.

Interesting....... Has anyone posted a personal review of Beyer DT880 here cos I'm planning to write one (er...just my opinion and not pro review) with a few tweaks that I've tried on my cans setup to sweeten the read.

hahahaha.........U can put it this way too. On a serious note, it's their sonically pleasing HDCD mastering that got the label famous. Not may shops in S'pore carries them.

Just logged in 5 mins ago and surprised to see it works! kekeke

Reference Recordings are famous for their HDCD productions and well sought after by audiophiles. Apparently, they are successful in avoiding the pitfalls of HDCD which can sound rather "wooly" and "spacey" if not mastered well. Performers/performance on this label are highly respected too. For instance, the last track on the XLO disc " Polka and Fugue - Dallas Wind Symphony" can cause a lot of problems to some speakers setup as the climax when deep organ roll and outburst of full orchestra meet is simply astounding and really dynamic. Systems with less power can reach saturation and distorts really quick there.

The XLO disc has lots of good stuff in it....applicable to all audio gears, be it home theatre (surround capable), speakers or cans setup. There's even a track for aiding speakers placement and another track for final check of imaging. The HDCD recordings are taken from the infamous Reference Recordings label and serve the purpose of final analysis. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...product-details Another cd which I use for more critical maintenance is the Sheffield Labs Demagnetizing disc. Be wary of this one as high volumes can kill speakers but the various tracks are capable of removing any residual EMF in the entire hifi chain. I wouldn't recommend this disc for running-in of cans as these tracks have to be played above normal listening level to be effective.

In addition to Rameish's recommendations, I propose using the Burn-in track of XLO burn-in/demagnetising/test disc for running in. Besides the benefits of offering a full burn-in at human's aural range, the track also helps to avoid overload as the "noisy" sound level will discourage one to up the volume.

blackadder: Excuse me for budging in but after reading the posts of Ramiesh and Ablaze, no cynical remarks were meant and so U don't have to be defensive. Of course, your fears and concerns are valid as I was also bitten by snakes that lurked in singnet classified. However, my dealings with members in Xtremeplace, Echoloft and here have been very nice and also made some pals along the way. Ablaze is not high profile in this forum......he owns it!!! Correct me if I'm wrong. Whether one is a newbie or oldie, it's always nice to be friendly but self protective at the same time as this will benefit U and all eventually. What goes around, comes around. I've sold some wonderfully cared-for items to fellow members at very low prices and one day, I hope the same courtesy can be extended to me when I seek theirs....got the hint guys?

I have been offering excellently maintained used items since my entry to this forum ie HD600 and X-PSU. The new owners can testify to that. It may be to your benefit that I have an extra CD6000ose and if the offer is right, I may let it go. As it is, Northern Oak has shown some interest.

Just chipping in guys. If U chappies have narrowed down to buying an NAD or Marantz, I would recommend the latter. Reliability of NAD's transports are rather suspicious. If U are into modding the 6000 series, lots of materials are available on the internet to guide U through to make them feasible in achieving sonic improvement.

Yo fishball! Finally, U've made your landing on this "planet"? kekeke... Welcome!

shucks.....should have caught it just now. ** banging knuckles **

If U experience a real difference in track length similar to playing a certain LP on different turntables, N@Z is right on the money. However, do note that tempo may also be affected by a late recovery of lower mids too. The longer the time taken for it to decay, parts of the mids-highs that followed suit will be masked, thus, resulting in a perception of slow transitional change.

NZ: is it better than Mr. Bean : The Movie?