cmk

curious, anybody here tried Denon's DCD-710 before? any comments?

 

Dunno about that specific Denon DCD, but I'm using their DVD2930 (universal player - SACD, DVDA, etc) and can highly recommend it.

Right now, my favourite combo is: DVD2930 > AudioMagic Sorcerer IC > Consonance Cyber30 > Denon D7k

Your best bet is probably ebay or amazon.

Got the problem fixed while I was in SG last week. TS Lim just tapped the right setting (6v) for the tubes and its now silent.

Got back to Shanghai and plugged in the AT W100 and enjoying the music.

The Denon D7k has been a revelation in their detail retrieval, and very beautiful sounding through the Cyber 30. Gonna try swapping around to see how it sounds through the Diva.

didn't know they have headphone amp. Their CDP is nice imo.

I wasn't the first to get this amp; headphonecrazy got it first, after that Blues bought it.

I love the sound of the 2A3 tube, pure single ended triode music, especially good with classical music.

Mine came with the latest 2A3C tube, which headfi reports is the better tube. Now experimenting with the 12AX7 driver tube.

Consonance has 2 headphone amps: Cyber 30 and the Cyber 20 based on the EL84 tube. I prefer the sound of triodes. The Cyber 30 has been discountinued, so I was lucky to find this.

Who sells the Zana Deux? and what's the price range?

I just got a new amp and its sounds fabulous:

Does anyone know if voltage swings will cause tube equipment to hum?

I've been told that the voltage at night goes up quite a bit. Would solid state equipment be less susceptible to hum in these situations?

Charismatic and CMK...where have you all gone to?still own the diva amp?

I currently listen to music mostly through my main rig:

Esoteric P/D5>Modwright SWLP9.0SE pre>Sanders ESL power>Cabasse Baltic/Thor

After relocating, I've yet to setup the headphone rig:

Benchmark DAC1>Diva Headphone amp (NOS tubes)>AT W100/Beyer DT990II

You have to get NOS tubes to get the best out of the Diva, it makes a huge difference.

Awesome...

Brahms: Violin Concerto and Double Concerto [sA-CD - CD compatible] [HYBRID SACD]

Julia Fischer (Artist), Daniel Müller-Schott (Artist), Johannes Brahms (Composer), Yakov Kreizberg (Conductor), Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra)

Complete Beethoven Edition, Vol. 7: Violin Sonatas

Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Bruno Canino (Performer), Martha Argerich (Performer), Wilhelm Kempff (Performer), David Garrett (Performer), Gidon Kremer (Performer), Yehudi Menuhin (Performer)

All I can say is: WOW!

 

do share more on how amazing it is !!

This is SOTA for CD/SACD playback: the Esoteric P-05/D-05.

The P05 employs their proprietory VRDS-NEO clamping system with their linear tracking laser. As you can see from the pic, there's a window for you to see the clamp. Outputs are via iLink (Firewire IEEE1394 standard) or Dual XLR (one for each channel), both capable of transmitting digital signal for CD and SACD. Construction is dual mono and quality is first rate.

The D05 uses the latest 32bit upsampling chipset from AKM Semicon (AKM4397), one per channel in a mono construction, ie left and right channels are separated. Not only are the DACs 32bit, so are the filters and the delta sigma modulator. It also features a word clock input/output, which I have connected to the P05 via the BNC connectors. This means that both units share the same clock and lowers jitter to 3ppm, locked at Esoteric's 100khz universal clock signal.

Sound is simply sublime. The soundstage extends well beyond the speakers and room, with precise yet unforced detail. Little things you never heard before on familar discs all come through clearly. Some might ask if this detail then induces fatigue, but this is never the case and the sound is liquid and natural. The air and separation between instruments is first rate. If you want the best/latest technology, this is it.

List is $21000 -10% discount.

New source:

I think I went a bit overboard with this, but the music is amazing.

Guys, thanks for the kind thoughts!

and Happy New Year to all at SGHeadphones!

Err...who's Denon 5000 was this?

Did anybody get a good listen? How does it sound?

Not sure if its the same version, I believe Lim has updated the Diva since then.

I noticed there were a number of Chinese bros this time round, including Yotiao, all had very impressive equipment. Its good to see more new comers. One commented to me that Yotiao only started in this hobby only 2 years ago. Talk about fast learners!

sadly... not one amp there could drive the K1000's properly... but just wearing those always makes me smile

The Diva headamp should be able to drive the K1000, but no one tried it.

Hi all

Thanks to the organisers for a good meetup!

I didn't get to go around to all the setups, had to be picky, this CDP impressed :

The UE9s were pretty good too, slightly tilted to the mids/highs, very detailed, good paired with a tube headamp :

A slight correct to the description, this is not the Mini Reference, but the Stealth XXX :

The XXX is the bigger brother of the Mini Reference, and it costs double. Please contact me if you are interested in a demo at 90910700.

This little bugger sounded much bigger than its size :

This amp was very good, detailed and neutral, smooth sounding :

Yotiao, thanks for the kind comments. From the previous meet, I found that it is better to bring your best gear to let others appreciate it. For headphone based systems where everything is clearly audible, it is best to get the noise floor down so that the music can come through. Even with very simple equipment, very high fidelity is possible. I hope you guys enjoyed.

Personally I never liked the Senn 600/650 balance, felt the bass too warm, lacking in detail. Nice pleasant cans, but not my cup of tea. Well, I've always held the view that cans, like speakers, are very personal, get whatever works for you and enjoy the music.

Sounds like a contact problem.

Nice warm cans, look for low impedence model (<100ohms).

Red

You need to audition the DT990 as well. That will be closer to the HD600/650.

The DT880 has a midrange bias which is nice on some music, not on others. DT990 is more balanced.

Stand by:

These wooden stands came sanded down but unvanished, as what you see in the pictures. I sanded them further, especially the inside of the stand, to make it smoother. They are quite handsome and functional.

Don't ask me how much they cost, please check with Jaben.

Better?

Hello my friend

Looks like you have the best of both worlds.

I am getting a new toy which I think may interest you - let you know when it arrives.

The ES7 is good, I'm still quite happy with them and I came from the PX200 for portable use.

Yotiao

I thought you had a Lavry?

Nice comprehensive review...I see your can collection has increased too.

The important part, and perhaps most difficult to do, with any review, is to state what you dislike about the product. Unless of course, you don't find anything to dislike.