lengcm

Collect my friend's GS1000 from Music by Design yesterday. Burning it in now as we speak. Sound really promising without burn in.

Wow such a long reply... took me a few days o read it

Anyway I have done any room treatment yet so far, just need a little more furniture in my room. So far my speakers still sound pretty alright I guess. Could hear the height, depth and width. Nice focused mids, could hear the singer standing in front of me, depending on recording. Last but not least, the speakers "disappear" as well when music is played through it.

On top of space, room treatment is another big headache as well!

 

While at it pulling my speakers from the wall/into the room, I had a chat with the guru, TS Lim. He advocates less "treatment", instead, just fill your room with ordinary stuff, bookshelves, CDs, LPs, desk, chair, etc...

 

The reasoning behind this is what some call "room re-enforcement" effect, ie the room reflects certain frequencies more, such that you get the 3D effect, the sense of performers in the room. When sound bounces off the walls, this gives out an echo/a secondary reflection, which the brain as being in space. If you take the extreme case, when you listen to a performance in an old church, the high ceiling and big space gives you a sense of the hall.

 

Coming back to our room, with the speakers away from the walls, sound is allowed to bounce off them and thus create a better sense of space. Lim describes the front plane of the speakers as a mirror - the further you bring the speakers away from the back wall, the deeper your soundstage. Of course each room differs and some treatment is usually necessary in corners, but his point makes perfect sense and flies in the face of commonly held notions of room treatment. I did not believe it at first and thus avoided doing it for years, but now after trying it and hearing the effect, I wouldn't go back.

 

In practice, with the room reflection - you do not need to turn up the volume as much to get the same relative loudness. Also each room will reflect certain frequencies more than others, so some experimentation is required to fine tune and get the right balance. I found that a slight toe-in from direct forward was necessary to get more treble energy to the listening position. Too much toe-in and the soundstage collapses and becomes 2D. With my room, I got more detail in the mids and the bass was re-enforced despite being further away from the wall. The instrumental separation was also much enhanced with voices being clearly distinguished where they appeared as a bunch before.

 

I would conclude by saying that together with (a) clean power supply and ( equipment isolation on footers, © speaker positioning away from walls - rank as the most important tweaks to maximise audio reproduction.

On top of space, room treatment is another big headache as well!

Don't think you can get it locally. Need to order from Stefan Audio Art. It takes pretty long since James has a huge back log

Happy Birthday Jeff

HI,

 

Current using Senn HD565 Ovation.

The headband has disintegrated over the years and it cannot be replaced.

Its an OK can .. especially I got them cheap many years back.

Very warm and dark SENN sound ...

 

Can anyone point me in the right direction ...

which can has the most out-of-the-head kind of sound?

and I am not talking about the AKG K1000 please ... $$ not enough.

want to try something different.

 

Currently, looking at AT ATH- W1000, good value here .. never heard it though.

 

Can must be available locally and must have replaceable paddings.

 

Thanks.

You can consider the HD600, however you need to budget in for a after market cable. I would recommend the Equinox since it gives more air as compared with the Zu Mobius. However you need to take into consideration the upstream equipment as well especaially your CDP and interconnects.

Hi lengcm, i heard HD650 with equinox, despite brief encounter with K701 at aa, i feel both models are opposite in character.personally i don't feel for AKG,since k240s and k501, i feel its presentation weak in most aspects.Yes i admit i ain't fans of classical, which AKG is fond of. Perhaps you and razer (i know as the sole owner of k701 in sgforum) could enlighten me, then i can look-out for the benefits when I make a listen of k701 one more time.tks

HD600, not HD650.

Was at stereo last saturday. The K701 seems like a promising can to replace my HD600 with Equinox. Will need to give it a proper audition again.

I've never heard the Marantz PM17. It all depends on the integrated amp. Some integrated amps have really good headphone out as compared to others.

S$400K!!!

 

Was at Music By Design at Adelphi today and saw some genesis speakers and amplifiers. I must say that MBD has some serious kit that can be had at below 400K. The new Vienna Acoustics range is quite good at more mundane prices starting from around S$1.7 k upwards (dont quote me on the price it's from my memory bank which was never very good to begin with). I fine the Vienna Acoustics Mozart to be an excellent speaker as well that does not fuss about what amplifiers I even tried i with the Rotel RB-1050 power amp and it sound very good. They (MBD) also have some nice CEC amplifiers (just launched a new range with improvements made). Also listened to Cary Audio's solid state offering and it had good synery with the Vienna Acoustics Mahler.

 

Tomorrow I'm gonna listen to the Stirling Audio LS3/5A with Cary SLI-80 signature and the Veinna Acoustics Mozart with the new CEC amplifiers (if time permits).

Guess the VA speakers are quite an easy match with SS amplification?

I went over to my friend's place to listen to his speakers for an extended period of time, and am now totally disgusted with my own headphone setup.

 

http://www.genesisloudspeakers.com/prd_1p1.html

 

this were the speakers that did the job, paired with a dac 1, a mark levinson player and tons of other alien looking gadgets in a sound proof room. the speakers are giantic, standing at around, or over 2m tall.

 

this setup kills anything i have ever heard anywhere, be it hifi show rooms or friends setups. Gigantic bass, crystal clear vocals, super huge soundstage, unbelievable highs, it was as though the musicians were playing right infront of me. total cost of his setup as quoted from him is 400k.

 

i am seriously considering letting go of my entire setup as its extremely disheartening to listen to anything right now. 

 

anyone of u guys experienced something similar?

Yes I do. Very similiar experience. Hence I have more or less retired from head-fi.

Hi. I have a pair of van den hul MK III special i/c which I like to change the existing RCA jacks. I intend to go to LHS, so guys which RCA to buy? Pls indicate price per pair. I hope not to spend over $20/pair. Thanks!

If you are not limited to LHS, you may want to try WBTs. You can get them from Atlas Hifi. Not too sure about the price, but they are nice RCA jacks both in built and sonics.

I think cars and bikes would be a good illustration of hi-fi and head-fi.

 

Both have advantages over another and both can co-exist together.

That maybe true. That's maybe why I still can't part with my HD600.

i have 2 cable of tyhem and they work very quite good...

Do you use the select series of speaker cables?

If you like to try some high end cables give Kimber Select range a listen. I have both the KS-1030 and and KS-1020 very nice. You could try the all copper verion the KS-1011.

Do try the Kimber Select Series. Especially the KS1030 or the KS1130 (balanced). Price is pretty steep though. The KS1030 was about $1300. However the price has increased further. Give Atlas Hifi a call.

So anyone else whom have retired from Head-fi besides, av98m, rameish and myself?

Happy birthday my friend!

Thanks for all the reccomendations.

 

Knowing Iconic, he'd prefer a warmer, more ballsy sound, want good bass dynamics. Generally a rock person. Which of these tubes provide that kind of sound?

That's very challenging since, I have not heard his setup. But I guess you can start off with the Sovtek and if he has surplus cash, can always try the Siemens CCA.

Yes, they are on stock tubes at the moment. There's another 2 pairs probably given to iconic by his relative, haven't tried those. I intend to have a mini shootout with yotiao this x'mas... not sure if i have time to tube roll and burn in the amp before we meet up...

 

Where can I get the Siemens E88CC in Singapore? I believe they aren't cheap, ~$100 a pair?

Chris, the Siemens CCA 6922 can be purchased from Music by Design, they have a pair or 2 left. Very nice sounding and balanced tube. Used them in my previous amp the Cary SLI80. The cheaper alternative is the Sovtek 6922, decent sounding as well comes as stock tubes with the SLI80.

I'm not surprised at all. I started off with head-fi but ended up with hifi. A good speaker setup has definately much to offer than a headphone setup but much more expensive.

Great review. Wish I could write like you. But even more envious you can find the time to audition them. 

thanks.. the more i listen the more i feel like drifting from headfi

Not surprised at all. There are somethings headphones cannot offer.

I meant bright as in "bright", in other words, a comparatively increment in the treble.

 

I wonder if MBD/Coherence Audio allows trial of the cable, even if it's just right on the spot? I would at least have a clearer idea.

Well for MbD, you can always give them a call at 63343981 and see if they allow a trial of the Zu cable. Too bad, I have sold both my HD650 and the Zu cable else you can pop over for a quick listen.

I have not tried the HD650 with the Cardas. HD650 with the Zu was not bright at all in my current and previous setups.

Just my 2 cents worth....

The HD650 does goes well with the Zu cable. The Zu sorts of corrects the fault of the HD650 which is the recessed top end. It definately does not goes well with the oehlbach cable of Jan Meier, since it adds too much weight to the sonic signature. However, the oehlbach does goes pretty well with the HD600.

As for the HD600, the most suitable cable which I have heard so far is the Equinox, followed by the oehlbach.