Blues 0 Report post Posted August 11, 2003 lalalalla.. increase post count hooray cayin and A3 is quite a good combo with cd3k Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blues 0 Report post Posted August 11, 2003 Ooppss whose babe is getting stripped Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blues 0 Report post Posted August 11, 2003 Naim headline nude!!! bwahah!! argh I am getting crazy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blues 0 Report post Posted August 11, 2003 lalalla last pic Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matbon0013 0 Report post Posted August 11, 2003 My initial impression of the Naim Headline is similar to voxel's (then again I'm very familiar to the Naim sound). But as Barradio said it might futher improve with a Naim HiCap (P/S), only if only I can borrow it for auditioning at home. Barradio, do you think the Headline can be powered simultaneously with a HiCap that is also powering the PreAmp? Thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rameish 0 Report post Posted August 11, 2003 The Meet was a great success, and I happy with my combo - Rotel RCD-971 Kimber KS-1030 Corda HA-2 and Beyer DT-931. BTW the Naf Naf amp is a Grado Clone of sorts. It's not an exact clone as the original S$3 volume pot was traded for a S$25 Alps blue and the generic RCA was traded for a CMC pair. Oh the generic headphone jack was traded for a Neutrik locking one. So in a way it's not a clone :-) It's not the PPL's PPA. I have always said the Grado RA-1 sounds good - ite the choice of op-amp and caps (the french made Solen). See u guys in Jan. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blues 0 Report post Posted August 11, 2003 january? -> another meet? interesting!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tee 0 Report post Posted August 11, 2003 Am still looking / waiting for the picture on Sugden Headmaster. It is one of most transparent and yet liquid sounding amps (with MF A3 CDP) i've heard with HD600 or 200. Impressive for a solid-state gear. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
headphonecrazy 0 Report post Posted August 12, 2003 BTW, (thanks to headphonecrazy) I've found a cure to the microphonics by adding 2 rings of rubber as tube dampener on the EL84 and it worked wonders. Not only does it prevents the microphonics, it also results in a tighter, deeper bass and surprisingly reduce the slight bump on the upper frequencies. I guess the glass tube resonanting at higher frequency may have caused the slight bump. Glad to hear that rubber ring tweak worked for the Cayin. BTW how many rings did you put for each tube IMHo you should experiment different nos. of rings on each tube for different results. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Northern Oak 0 Report post Posted August 12, 2003 Sorry about another OT: I've used only 2 rings for each of the EL84, top and bottom. One ring at the bottom didn't have too much of an impact. One ring on the the top didn't give enough focus but 2's just nice with the right focus and clarity and soundstage. However, with even one ring on both the input and driver tubes, the HF extensions are gone and it sounded dead. Moreover, the soundstage's height decreases as well, with the bottom of the soundstage moving to the mid-level. Mod: You may wish to move both of my discussion posts here to another thread, perhaps the Cayin's thread! Thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Naimed 0 Report post Posted August 12, 2003 My initial impression of the Naim Headline is similar to voxel's (then again I'm very familiar to the Naim sound). But as Barradio said it might futher improve with a Naim HiCap (P/S), only if only I can borrow it for auditioning at home. Barradio, do you think the Headline can be powered simultaneously with a HiCap that is also powering the PreAmp? Thanks! Interesting stuff here. I guess you guys had fun while I was baking in the sun and feeding the sandflies on a beach in Sibu... About the headline - what source? Sony? I believe the potential of the headline is limited by the PSU(napsc) and phones more than the source at this point. I've swopped sources on it and didnt find the difference staggering ($350 pioneer dvdp and the cdx2)... The hicap is a dual rail 24v psu and is meant to power a single component(only the FC2 is capable of powering 2 components without grounding issue). Older preamps like 32/42 are single rail and the 32.5/42.5 can accept dual rail power. I think you should be able to tap a single rail out of the hicap to power the pre if its of the older generation and the remaining rail for the headline (ala Napsc), but I think it will look messy!! The issue now is with grounding - as all grounding are done at the PSU in the chain. I've had the opportunity to try the hicap and supercap on my sistem(not on the headline) and yes, you need nothing less than a SC! The SC supplies both 24V and 18V so you can use a SNAIC from the 24V to the pre and SLIC from the 18V to the headline. The bottom line is, $6k for a PSU is not sane and you still get a performance hit hooking up 2 components to the SC. Maybe 2 HCs is a better choice but the SC is really something special. BIGOT...Before I Go OT Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mackie 0 Report post Posted August 12, 2003 (edited) Somehow, I've never gotten down to listening to every setup on the past 2 meets. Gotta be focused on the next one. Voxel's amp caught my attention for its cool acrylic enclosure. Tried out his combo comprising of Marantz CD6000OSE LE with adhoc's Beyer DT880+Canare cable. Bass punch is good and what's most noticeable is its open sound. A surprise considering it's a DIY project but I may be lacking experience in this category of head amps. Headphonecrazy's RKV is delicious both sonically and aesthetically. Enticement is great and easy choice of commitment if I were to strilke 4D and has no wish to allocate any budget to my home theater or speaker setups. lengcm's Sugden Headmaster is a crouching tiger/hidden dragon and they need to be unearthed from the depth of obscurity. MF A3CD+Headmaster+Tara Labs Ref Gen 2 will give a good indication how lethal it can sound, regardless of having HD600 or DT880 thrown at it. This amp needs ancillaries that have full and voluptuous sonical bodies to sound at its best. Rameish's Rotel 971+Corda+Beyer DT931 is a well balanced setup albeit the cans may be bright (signature exacerbated by its all-new condition) but utterly natural across the band. Lower the volume a tad and brightness shall be pared but details are still easily discernible. Another example of the benefits when a system has synergy and good tonality matching. Tee's G&W+Rotel 965BX+MF X-24K dac is the most laidback setup amongst the aforementioned rigs when hearing it out of a pair of stock Beyer DT880. Due to the very brief time with the setup, I've not spent enough time for the sound to grow on me and this is essential as laidback character needs time to envelop and caress the ears and then brains of a listener. Final note, accurate tonal presentation of pianos is no easy feat for speakers and more so for cans. The Grado RS-1 is able to perform well in this area and well deserved of an accolade. However, different camps may react differently to the Grado's sometimes searing treble and forward sound with some music. Edited August 12, 2003 by Mackie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rameish 0 Report post Posted August 12, 2003 The main thing that was made very clear at this meet for me was complete confirmation about system synery. That's will be my new mantra. LOL. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WatCult 0 Report post Posted August 12, 2003 What do you mean by system synery? I thought that was always your mantra Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
