jasonhanjk 0 Report post Posted June 24, 2003 I am sourcing the parts now. Tomorrow will go down to SLT. The transistor actually cost 15 US cents each. I am going to make you drooool, GUY!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blues 0 Report post Posted June 24, 2003 Rameish, I think evil-zen maybe a little too modest In my opinion, they are in a different league altogether. Once I plugged in my headphone I was very excited. The gilmore is very powerful, able to drive the 880 effortlessly, fluid and with 'legato' . The ha-1 on the other hand, sounds a little disjointed, note to note. When you compare them side by side, by immedeately plugging one into another, the difference is more noticeable. However, when I just listen to the ha-1 alone to the 880, I am very happy already. It's just like comparing a mx-500 to the koss ksc-35. You can't tell for sure koss trounces the mx500 until you swap them quickly. But it becomes apparent as for my last 1 hour, I decided to do this That's not to say the ha-1 is a lousy amp, me and evil both agree that for the money, corda has better value. Somemore it has the crossfeed. I think a more fair comparison is the ha-2 and the gilmore or even the ha-1 mkii to the gilmore. If I have to include numbers, I would say gilmore is 15-20 % better than corda ha-1 . Hope this helps Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blues 0 Report post Posted June 24, 2003 jason: me? nah.. thanx me happy with my corda ha-1 so far. Crossfeed baby... *chuckles* you won't survive after a few cds but I can still go strong with my jan meier's corda crossfeed (lame joke I know ..keke) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jasonhanjk 0 Report post Posted June 24, 2003 More porn for you these dirty little thing... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
evil-zen 0 Report post Posted June 24, 2003 Unfortunately, Guyferd has more experience than me in the matter of amps. So I do not know how much to expect from different amps. What I perceive is that the performance is better but only slightly. More experienced guys may think that there are much bigger difference. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rameish 0 Report post Posted June 24, 2003 Take your point about price difference. At today's prices yes the Corda HA-1 offers exceptional value - esp so at my discounted price LOL ;-). But do remember that the Corda HA-1 original price was USD$360! While the Gilmore - either version never went above US$500. Anyway all will be revealed - I'll include the HA-1 into the picture or the round-up. So it's be Corda HA-1 (MkI) versus Gilmore V2 - winner takes on Corda HA-2. The toaster can come into play with the HA-2 as that's more in the same price league. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rameish 0 Report post Posted June 24, 2003 Guyferd experienced than you ? Anyways goes to show - different stokes for different folks - remember to bring your AKG - I kinda like that can - can? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blues 0 Report post Posted June 24, 2003 (edited) Rameish, yes I agree with you. Considering the price it used to sell last time.. that's why I decided to jump from the creek to the ha-1 Now I am even thinking of taking it a step further with KurtW's corda blue mod . Ah but that'll be in the future. I find that point of dimishing return starts from the corda ha-1 range onwards. What do you think? But if consider the price, say 360 for corda and 500 for gilmore, I think it's only fair if it gives 15 percent improvement. Afterall they are more expensive. Will be waiting for your review.. I wanna see how my corda fares against the big boys Edited June 24, 2003 by Guyferd Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
evil-zen 0 Report post Posted June 24, 2003 Rameish, the price of the Gilmore V2 has gone up to US$549 after the presale. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blues 0 Report post Posted June 24, 2003 (edited) evil, I am not that experienced lah .. lol. All I listen to is pop, ballads , trance , and some ragtime piano. Never listen to jazz.. thanks to you I can broaden my music horizon Edited June 24, 2003 by Guyferd Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
evil-zen 0 Report post Posted June 24, 2003 hehe guess we are both too modest. I'm also starting out on jazz and alternative rock/pop being my main type of music. HA1 is the 3rd amp for you right? I'm only on the first. Guess we are about the same on the matter of headphones and sources. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blues 0 Report post Posted June 24, 2003 woah! first amp and you get such a good one!!lucky sia yeah.. third amp for me. The other 2 being creek lol... used to like it for its warm nature . Suit my bangboom 770 very well Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rameish 0 Report post Posted June 24, 2003 Okay. I guess I'll just trust my own ears. Guy, diminishing returns start from the Porta Corda II LOL. But seriously, yep. The Corda HA-1 (MkI) is a fine amp as we all know for it's price. That why I'm puzzled why ti never sold as many as it should have. Anyways that's all in the soon to be past, I'll have to get on with it I guess. The stange thing about the Corda Line is that although diminishing returns do start to creep in, you do get more as you go up the ladder. The PreHead-1 for instance is a fine preamp as well as the best headphone amp in the Corda line for low impedence cans like ATs, Sonys and Grados. However, with higher impedence cans like Senn and Beyer the differences are small. Having said that the PreHead-1 comes in 2 varieties - the AD8610 which has a "more forgiving sound" according to Jan. For me it has a more lush presentation compared to the stock unit. Evil, I heard in passing from Oak at the Meer that Mackie does not use the MF CDP with his X-Cans but he has a Pioneer for that - I think I'm right on this. The Pioneer has a warmer sound. So we come to the same conclusion once again - system matching. Guy, On legato: Precisely, that's what I said about the Grado SR-125 and SR-225. But will people listen? A few do but the majority trust other peoples ears rather than their own - even when they are able to audition at their pleasure. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mackie 0 Report post Posted June 25, 2003 (edited) Evil, I heard in passing from Oak at the Meer that Mackie does not use the MF CDP with his X-Cans but he has a Pioneer for that - I think I'm right on this. The Pioneer has a warmer sound. So we come to the same conclusion once again - system matching. Rameish, Yup, U're right on the money. Check my profile and one will see the absence of MF A3CD from the list as it holds fort in my speakers rig. A decade-old Pioneer PD9700 cdp serves as transport with Monarchy and MF X-24K dac completing the source link. This combo has a smooth and warmer nature which complements the bright Philips Jan 6922 stock tubes of the X-cans. I brought along the MF A3CD to the meet just for kicks and less cumbersome than the aforementioned transport-dip-dac system. Latest new...I've gotten a Marantz CD7300 (for kicks) and a pair of Mullard CV2492 tubes for the X-cans. Hopefully, the sibilance and brightness will be reduced or negated. Edited June 25, 2003 by Mackie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
N@Z 0 Report post Posted June 25, 2003 Blimey! You never stop Mackie!!! Whatever next! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
