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Finished up a Soekris dam1021 build. This is the new rev7 board with a lot of improvements trickling down from the flagship dac2541. HiFi2000 case, FPE panels, JLSounds I2SoverUSB v.III input, LT3045-based power supplies, direct R-2R output intended for my headphone amp, and buffered output for my powered desk speakers. My aesthetic stylings and DIY skills haven't advanced even the tiniest bit since 2010, but I like the brutal elegance and minimalist functionality. Most importantly, it sounds really nice.

It was a great day. Winds for the second half of the ride were a bit painful but we all made it and thanks largely to you guys, fundraising was another huge success.

They are not as focused as the 007's so the sound stage is more diffused, the bass isn't as impressive and not quite as much detail either. More than anything, this is just a different approach and won't supersede the 007's for me. It's nice though to have something different at times and it's not annoying after a while (like the 009's for instance) or just crap like the Voce.

Gig Salads (Chinese Chicken / Rice)

Thanks for joining Head-Case. I'm glad you're here. That said, you should be aware that this isn't your typical internet forum. We're not here so that you'll have another place to sell your stuff. We're not looking for people trying to pad their post counts, or demonstrate their ability to find witty things on the internet. If you've come here looking for advice on which headphones to buy, perhaps you should check out http://www.innerfidelity.com. Tyll Hertsens, founder of Head-Room and long time community giant is the proprietor there, and does everything he can to ensure that accurate information is disseminated about headphones at every level. This is predominantly a place for friends to discuss music, audio gear, and whatever else tickles our fancy. We are sometimes quite rude, often irreverant, and regularly abusive. Think of it like the corner bar where everyone knows each other. Don't mistake our familiarity with each other as familiarity with you, even if you've seen our names in other locations before. Spend some time reading before you start to post. Get familiar with what is going on, and who the various people are. Don't just jump right into the fray. This is your only warning, but I hope you can participate. There's a lot of good information, and more importantly, good people here.

The two outside pins are an Enable pin and a Sense pin. Ignore and use the center 3. This epay listing has 5 pins and discusses these. Amb's don't use them. https://www.ebay.com/itm/253306361665?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=253306361665&targetid=1263104806246&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9021654&poi=&campaignid=10459841961&mkgroupid=123050526620&rlsatarget=pla-1263104806246&abcId=2146002&merchantid=6296724&gclid=CjwKCAjwp_GJBhBmEiwALWBQk5ELjVxC7yJqYc4yYFUNldtxaPJKo5meQI6te--2Bv8zild8S4IahBoCzIYQAvD_BwE

While we're on the subject of chocolate, that is a native word in the Mexican Indian native language of Nahuatl. As is avocado and tomato. 🍅

It's been a month but the CRBN is finally here, well this is actually the second set I've received. First set was one of two units to have an assembly issue which Audeze have now identified and fixed. I sent that one back and they sent a new one out. Now these are loaner sets but if I want to keep it, I will buy it. Just wanted to make that clear as I always own everything I tear down. The first set was setup to make it easier for me to take a peek inside so the pics I'll post later, will be of that unit. They are identical though and to say the CRBN looks gorgeous... well that would be an understatement. First thing that came to my mind when lifting out of the sturdy aluminum flight case, was a comparison to the Hifiman Shangri-la jr. Similar price range (I paid 4000$ for my set back in the day) and by comparison the Shangri-la looks like a 200$ Aliexpress special. The carbon fiber headband, the forged carbon earcups and nice thick leather earpads. Yeah, this is for sure no Hifiman product and it really puts Stax to shame with their shitty SR-009 headband design. Not that I was expecting anything less from Audeze but the attention to detail is nothing short of exemplary. Nice long strain relief on the cables as they enter the cups, the quality of the Stax plug, the sheer comfort of having these on the head (even with my melon of cranium) and the list goes on. The only issue I could find with them (and it was true of both sets) is a rather strong chemical smell as they are fresh out of the box. It doesn't bother me at all but it might bother some so best mention it. In terms of amp requirements, they are rather power hungry. It was a clear design choice to make them a bit less sensitive so the amps need to be pushed further in terms of volume level but it's nothing extreme. I had a KGSSHV in my system when the first unit arrived so I kept that to compare against the new one. It drives them just fine but the Carbon is a better choice with roughly 4 times the power. I would place the KGSSHV/KGST as the baseline for them to get excellent performance and it only gets better from there. Now it's been only been an hour or so with this second set (a few days with the first one) so it's early but first impressions are great. To keep it short, it's what the Sennheiser HE90 could have been but never managed to do. The CRBN has that same ethereal, diffused quality but with far more midbass and bass presence. They are not the bass monsters which the 007's can be but there is enough there and they are not bright or forward sounding at all. I'll post some more impressions later and the teardown pics as well.

Great to hear, I was semi-tempted because I like fixing broken things, but I don't really use estats these days so I'd have trouble reliably testing.

I’ve received several helpful replies You are very welcome to have a look without cost or obligation, and bin it, if that’s all it’s really good for. I don’t have high hopes for it, and George’s T2 is already near completion. It would be good to shed light on what this builder is actually doing. I get 80% off on UPS domestically, and it should be at your door next-day, within province. UPDATE: A very reputable member, local to me, has kindly agreed to take a look, and shed some light on this build... Thank you, all!

I agree, a complete rebuild is in order. Nothing really aside from input wiring, attenuator etc. could be reused. I would ditch that stupid tube PSU and just fit a new PSU board there. We could whip up something nice and simple but yeah, part shortages now are a total nightmare. Want a 10M90S... that will be 50weeks...

working on this megatron disaster from the pictures. Awaiting delivery of the item to confirm i have not made any mistakes in diagnosing the mikhail class fuckups. 1) The filament windings for the output tubes are all tied together. The 4 current sources are limited to +/-100v before the tubes arc. The gain output tubes are all referenced to ground and that violates the maximum cathode to filament voltage by 300v. This is the same as the singlepower esx disaster and every one of those also blew up. The filament transformer MUST be replaced and all the tubes rewired. which requires removal of the amp board. You need 6 filament windings for the output tubes plus a winding for the input tubes plus a winding for the -15v. left transformer left filament winding (blue wires) (notice tied to ground) for the current stage tubes and right filament winding also tied to ground for gain stage tubes. Since the amp board is missing the first stage current source which was replaced by a resistor to -45v and the second stage current source is missing, its easier to do a new board. 2) The high voltage transformer is also fucked. each 400v power supply is running on half wave rectification which results in amperes of ripple current at 30hz. 2 center tapped windings at 630v required plus pair of filament windings necessary to convert the tube rectifiers to dual full wave rectification. Guess what, new transformer required. even with a solid state rectifier a new transformer is required as the high voltage winding has no center tap. major stupid here. pretty sure i have identified a source for replacement transformers, just need to know the hole sizing and spacing. 3) have not even figured out the +300v supply yet, so many fuckups. So pretty much this is a complete and total rebuild. With the covid economy, could be months to get the repair parts.