zilk 0 Report post Posted July 6, 2006 try out the MS2s at Jaben too... =p Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Song of Songs 0 Report post Posted July 6, 2006 I'm back guys, many things to settle. Yes home use. Direct from my CDP. No HP Amp yet. Are those models mentioned like MS-1(looks great), HD485 be driven without amp? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mackie 0 Report post Posted July 7, 2006 (edited) I like to nip things at the bud, thus, I wanna know what CDP U are using and what sorta sound you prefer. If you are sensitive to brightness at any degree, the Grado will not be as suitable as a Senn/Beyer/AT. One man's meat is another man's poison. It's more strategic to weed out the no-nos from your want-wants. Edited July 7, 2006 by Mackie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Song of Songs 0 Report post Posted July 7, 2006 (edited) The CDP I have with the phone socket is the Otari CDR-18 Professional. A Pioneer based player with stableplater mechanism. It also has volume knob for the phone. I agreed with most of the guys here, listening is the ultimate way to determine. I think after reading all the feedbacks, I can surmise that the MS-1 is ahead of the rest in the Grado family in terms of performance and affordability whereas Senn is tilting towards the easier listening sound. Not too much heard about Beyer thus far and I'm surely love to hear more. As for the Goldring that Joiful suggested I think it does warrants some serious consideration too. At the end of the day it boils down to which one suits the application most. Like if you're using a single ended tube amp, speakers with 82db may not be a clever choice no matter how good they are. Edited July 7, 2006 by Song of Songs Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mackie 0 Report post Posted July 7, 2006 (edited) I can already foresee how your itinery is gonna be like.....first stop at Jarben for the Beyers and MS, next to MBD for Grado; think and decide which can fancies you and then head north to Woodlands for AT, Senn and Grado revisited. The Otari CDR-18 is the pro equivalent of a Pioneer PDR-05 CD recorder. I believe this and like the other Pioneer cdps, has a Bit-Stream (1 Bit) DAC, which tends to sound smooth at the top and wide in soundstaging but a tad milder in tempo, attack and dynamics, relative to conventional 16-bit DAC machines. As such, I reckon the Grado/MS are worth considering. In fact, these makes should compliment the aforementioned weakness I perceived. However, Senn and AT could improve the bass slam of your Otari. For the price/value, my pick is Beyer DT440 (open design) which costs around S$250. Problem is availability. However, Jarben or Peak Fusion (distributor) may have a pair of DT660 (closed design) last seen in the now defunct Anything Audio, for audition. However, if it costs over $300, this could open up lots of other options. In a nutshell, be prepared to spend time listening and shopping. Edited July 7, 2006 by Mackie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Song of Songs 0 Report post Posted July 7, 2006 Thanks Mackie for drafting out the one day tour. Make it a 2 days one night to play safe. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mackie 0 Report post Posted July 7, 2006 I just edited my earlier post with a rough perception of how your cdp would respond to different makes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aaron-xp 0 Report post Posted July 7, 2006 (edited) Opps, I know I am off topic, but what is MBD? Mod answers: Music By Design Edited July 7, 2006 by Mackie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Song of Songs 0 Report post Posted July 7, 2006 You're right Mack in both the sound of Otari and the theory of compliment, we're heading to the right direction now. Next I think should be the listening part. Beyer seems a tad over the rim for me but I should be quite delighted to have MS-1 to start with. That also subject to how luring the more expensive options are. Thanks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
