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cmk

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Posts posted by cmk

  3. Posted · Report reply

    My personal recommendation would be the Neotech OCC hook-up cables. These cables are made by using the continuous-casting method as developed by Professor Ohno of the Chiba Institute in Japan. They should sound better than your average OFC cables.

     

    Their interconnects using this OCC was well reviewed by Hifi News and Records:

     

    http://www.1st-4-audio.com/control/news/an...r.asp?a=72&z=12

     

    They are selling for $2.20 per metre.

    Who brings in the Neotech?

  5. Posted · Report reply

    Why not both? Neutrality/transparency + warmth/musical reproduction?

     

    Actually I think the AT cans are more transparent than Sennheisers. Also I think your generalisation stems from the fact that AT cans are more readily available in the East, while Senns are more present in the West - also something to do with Stereophile's recommendation I think.

  15. Posted · Report reply

    Oh BTW output impedence and headphone impedence do not need be the same. For example the Senn HD-600 is a 300ohm hp but the lower the output impedence of any given amp the better control the amp has over the transducers. The Beyer DT-931 is a 250 ohm hp but requires a higher output impedence from an amp not to sound bright. Likewise for Grado headphones which are 32 ohms. Somehow I think you do know all this and your wicked sense of humour posted to rub people the wrong way ;-).

    You sort of confirmed my suspicion that hp impedence is not so critical an issue, as compared to spk impedences for hifi.

  17. Posted · Report reply

    I'm curious, guys. innocent.gif You tend to fall into the same well albeit a smaller one, that pigeonholes a pair of headphones sonic quality. Did any of you try out ALL the headphones in the SAME equipment throughout the day? Was there any hp amp that allows for exact impedance matching? Were all the cabling the same? Was the source equipment good enough to deliver the goods? Whats your reference point/s? Dedicated "high end" hp amps? Anyone used them?

     

    Forgive me for being such a wet blanket (and giving grounds for flaming biggrin.gif ) but this seem to sound like the same arguments used by those who listen to "normal" loudspeakers.

    DIYer, most of the switching around was done with the cans, ie we rotated cans but the source and amp remained through the day. Comparisons were done by the amps ability to drive various cans and their respective tonal qualities. There wasn't a proper comparison of amps, cos' nobody switched the amps around - they were tied to their sources. It would be an interesting exercise to try this out during the next meet. happy.gif

     

    There are amps which allow for different impedence matching, but most don't. Corda is an example. There are also impedence plugs, which allow one to add loading to the cans, thereby allowing for better impedence matching.

     

    Cabling was a mixed bunch, as were source equipment. There were portable sources and hifi sources. IMO the hifi sources were capable of delivering the goods. I think the dedicated hiend headamps that I listened to were the Consonance, Firefox BB, Sudgen Headmaster, and the Melos. There were others around which I didn't listen to, Emmerline, Corda, Grado, etc... sorry if I missed any, still not familar with all the gear.

     

    So to answer your question, the opinions expressed were in the context of the source>amp combination driving different cans. It was more a question of amp>can combination sounded good.

  19. Posted · Edited by cmk · Report reply

    Rameish, no worries, I understand. We all look for that mystical beast that can transport us to audio nirvana. biggrin.gif Don't get me wrong, I do accept that the L3000 is special. I think HPC should look to AT for their own dedicated headamp to drive it. Dunno the model, but I know it exist.

     

    BTW, it was great meeting you guys for the first time. grouphug.gif

  20. Posted · Report reply

    Some pics of my setup...

    user posted image

     

    Serious Listening (music cum study 15'x12'x9' pentagon shape)

    Digital

    CEC TL2 + Meridien DAC566 20bit dual differential

    Pure digital DRX-701ES + Magnum Dynalab ST-2 antenna

     

    Analogue

    Kuzma Stabi TT + Schroeder Model 2 (Cardas wires) + Dynavector Te Kaitora mc 0.25mv

    Herron Audio VTPH-1MC phono stage (Tesla ECC803 gold pin & RCA 12AT7)

    user posted image

    Amplification

    http://www.divaaudio.com/

    Diva Classic One (Sylvannia 6SN7GT, NOS 5Z4GY CV1863)

    Melos SHA-1 (EH ECC88) [x2]) driving

    Audio Technica ATH-W100 headphones

    Beyerdynamics DT990 headphones

    user posted image

    Diva Blue Sky Signature(Sylvania 6SL7GT VT229, GE 6SN7[x2], Svetlana EL34[x4])

    user posted image

    Speakers

    Vandersteen 2CE Signatures on dedicated stands

     

    Cables & tweaks

    JPS Digital AC powercord

    Mystic Mat on the Kuzma platter

    Apogee XLR Digital (transport to DAC)

    JPS Superconductor FX (source to pre)

    Acoustic Zen Matrix Reference (pre to power)

    Belden M8179 8' pair (power to spks in biwire configuration)

    PS Audio Powerplant300 (to source components)

    Cardas Golden Powercords (Diva pre, Herron)

    Unicones (CEC & Diva pre)

    DH Super Cones/Squares (Meridien/CEC & Kuzma)

    Audio Selection Cones (Herron)

    Feet of Silence (Diva Blue Sky)

    JPS Inwall powercord (to Powerplant & Diva Blue Sky)

    VPI 16.5 record cleaning machine

     

    Audio Visual (living room)

    user posted image

    Epson TW100 WXGA with Faroudja chipset

    Stewartfilmscreen Studiotek 130 90" diagonal 4:3 ratio

    Crystal Technology VPS-1 digital comb filter

     

    Sources

    Denon DVD-A11 Universal Disc Player

    Toshiba SD5300 DVP progressive scan HDCD chip

    Pioneer CLD D790 LDP

    Rotel RT-990BX tuner

    Starhub cable TV

    Samsung DVD HDD Recorder H40S

     

    Processor/Amplification

    Yamaha RX-V1400

    Adcom GFA 5500 (front main)

    Adcom GFA 5503 (centre & rear)

     

    Speakers

    Cabasse Farella 400 (front main)

    Cabasse Fastnet (centre)

    Cabasse Fregate (rear)

    Monitor Audio Radius (front presence/rear back surround)

    REL Stadium II

     

    AV Accessories

    PS Audio Ultimate Outlet

    Cardas Golden powercord (x2 for power amps)

    Belden M8461 (spk cables)

    Klotz GY107 (DVD to AVR 5.1 connection)

    Synergy 1000 (DVD to AVR stereo connection)

    IXOS 104 (AVR to power amps)

    Canare V5 3C component video cables

    Cardas Lightning Digital 2m (for cable TV)

    Unicord (for sub)

     

    On the GO

    iRiver SlimX IMP400 PCDP

    Sennheiser PX200 headphones

    user posted image

     

    Total cost - don't ask.

  23. Posted · Report reply

    yea i was pretty disappointed that the HD650 wasn't there.

    one of the few headphones i want to try were the shure e3c, AT L3000, beyer dt150.

     

    both evo and i agreed that the shure e3c, compared to etys 4 series, were muffled sounding. the bass seems loose and there is something weird with the midrange too. wasn't too impressed so i didn't compare again.

     

    as for the beyer dt150 on rotel 971->grado IC-> gilmore V2, i found that the bass seems to be slightly overwhelming and sounds closed in. rameish said it might be due to both the rotel and the IC which were heavier at the bottom. need to try the DT150 again on some other setup.

     

    the most impressive setup i heard was cmk's Toshiba SD-5300 + Melos SHA-1 + AT L3000 playing Diana Krall DVD- Audio. honestly it was one of the best audio i heard but most of it might be due to the well recorded album. vocals were simply heavenly and diana krall seems to be singing to you. me, blues and kenshinz were pretty amazed by this setup too. however rock doesn't sound as good as though. cmk seems to like the W100 more but the AT house sound is apparent.

     

    when i tried the L3000 on the A3->tara labs ??-> gilmore v2, the magic was lost. might be due to the synergy with melos and source?

     

    tried the beyer 860 for a while. the drums on it sounds like taps and not like proper drums though. slightly too bright too but the beyer 860 isn't burned in properly yet so......

    Hi

    nice report, honest opinions. Thanks for the nice comments.

     

    I'd like to add a couple of comments about the gear I brought. I actually took the Toshiba just to show what a good DVDP can do if properly setup. Not every DVDP will sound good, there are some bad ones too, but I won't mention brands.

     

    The Toshiba=Melos combo is fairly reveiling but still could be improved upon. Perhaps with the next meet, I'll bring down my other source and interconnects, but that would be a major exercise. wink.gifwacko.gif The thing to pay attention to is the power supply. I don't know how many of you saw the little white box on the table - the PS Audio Ultimate Outlet. I needed it to connect the US plug equipment I had, also to lower the noise floor and let the equipment operate with a lowered noise floor.

     

    The reason why I didn't quite like the L3000 but prefered the W100 was because the L3000's sound was centered on the mids. Don't know if it was run in yet. huh.gif The W100 was more balanced, highs, mids and bass, but more importantly, the emotion in the music was communicated. thumbup1.gif Quite a rare thing.

     

    IMO the Consonance CDP and amp are a pair made for each other. Fast detailed CDP paired with a warm tubey transparent amp = kissing.gif I don't know why no one mentioned this, but its really worth looking at. Also Firefox's One-of-a-kind headamp is something you guys should consider getting him to build.

     

    One last comment, I notice some of you use CDRs. If you use such high resolution gear and use a copy, I think you're not getting the best sound out of your gear.

  24. Posted · Report reply

    Consonance amp, ah...one special Mullard input tube, driving 2 x 2A3s. Build and finish are exemplary. There's a very nice wood piece on top, with the Cosonance brand carved out, yummy.

    Heard it driven by the CDP transport>Muse 2 DAC>Air2>Consonance>DT990. If you are familar with single ended tube sound, this is it. Very smooth, detailed, and yet with a fast tight bass line. The mids were especially fleshed out. The one area which it didn't have was probably rock n roll bass. If you're no basshead, enjoy classical music and female vocals, this could be your ticket to audio nirvana.

     

    BTW, headphonecraz, looks like some of your craziness rubbed off on me, I was soooo smitten by the AT W100 sound that I just went out and bought it. All I can say now is its TRANSPARENT. sony.gif [ed: need to color it brown).

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