K3cT
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Posts posted by K3cT
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I feel that they are like modern interpretations of those Audio Technica woodies with their quirky sound signatures, which can be a good or bad thing depending on your taste. I would definitely try to audition them if you can because they are not for everyone.
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I am currently running them through the GS-X MK2 and the treble is straddling that fine line between hotness and resolve. I have a DIY Beta22 and it's a bit better in this regard, the treble is not as resolving but the attack/edge/bite is softened a bit. Justin told me that the GS-X Mini is supposed to sound warmer and may be a better fit with the Utopia.
There is also @dsavitsk's DSHA-3F that's supposed to be a great pairing with the Utopia but I haven't heard this personally.
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On 5/25/2021 at 1:16 PM, RudeWolf said:
I'm kinda leery of buying Focal cans because pads are either unavailable or freakishly expensive. Which I hate, because the headphones are very good.
I think Dekoni makes pads for Focal cans right? They could be a viable alternative.
The Utopia pads last quite a bit longer than the HD800's that need replacing every 2 years or so.
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I still rock a Parasound 1100HD with the now probably unobtanium Cetoole's discrete output stage as my primary DAC. Recently had a Schiit Gungnir for comparison and I thought the Parasound didn't embarrass itself. Sure, the Schiit sounds more detailed and airier but it lacks the dynamics and lusher tone that the Parasound has. The Gungnir also had an extremely hot output so it was a lot of pain to work with my sensitive speakers and headphone, even through its single ended output.
I'll probably stick with multibit for now.
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I had mine replaced earlier this year and it was a pretty straightforward process with the local dealer handling everything. The headphone had to be shipped back to France for repair so it took a couple of weeks but I didn't have to pay for anything.
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On 7/30/2020 at 10:42 PM, ilikebananafudge said:
The general consensus on this site seems to be that the Clears have better tonal balance and fewer flaws than the Utopia, but I recently got the Utopias and I definitely prefer them over the Clears. I find them to have better dynamics, clarity, and speed with a similar tonal balance (a little brighter, but still relatively warm, at least compared to my Lambda NBs). What exactly do people dislike about the Utopias in comparison to the Clears?
The Utopias are a bit like the HD800, they can sound really edgy from the wrong upstream components. They really do shine with warmer sounding amp and source.
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I think my journey went something like from various Lambdas to the HD800 to the SR-007 MK2.9 and finally to the Utopia. The Focal definitely have the least trade-offs and annoying stuff amongst the headphones that I've tried and owned.
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Speaking of old DACs, I have an opportunity to jump on a pristine Sonic Frontiers SFD-2 complete with the original packaging. Is it still worth their rather high asking price in 2020?
I still have a Parasound 1100HD that has that @cetoole discrete analog stage and it remains quite good these days.
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I suggest saving up for the LCD-4 as it's a big improvement from the LCD-3 esp. in terms of tuning (not as warm) and clarity. Also, the LCD-4 seems to have minimal random driver failure issues unlike the LCD-3.
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18 hours ago, dsavitsk said:
The T4 and the 3F do share similarities in the topology of the output stage, but the implementation is very different. The T4 is high voltage, low current with a step down transformer (and a DC blocking capacitor) while the 3F is high current, low voltage and is DC coupled. (The 3 - as opposed to the 3F - uses an output transformer, but no DC blocking cap.)
The T4 has a single ended input with a tube LTP stage for gain and splitting. The 3F has an input transformer for gain and splitting.
3F is generally the better Focal option, but it is for balanced phones only.
Thanks for taking the time to explain! Would you agree that the 3 or 3F is the more flexible amp?
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I'm a bit out of the loop with audio lately so please bear with me, is the difference between the new beezar/ecp T4 and DSHA-3 is the tube input stage? Which one is the more ideal pairing with the Utopia?
The Focal are amazing and made my previous headphone SR-007 pretty much obsolete but the amps I have at the moment, Beta 22 and Dynahi, seem to be less than an ideal match for them as they're too honest. I could definitely use a softer presentation.
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The Chinese keep getting better and better at this R2R thing... heard the Holo Spring not too long ago and it was also seriously awesome. A nice alternative if one finds the Yggdrasil too aggressive.
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I just heard the Holo Audio Spring DAC and it's definitely the real deal. I'm just not sure which version it is because the unit doesn't have the Kitsune branding and the owner said that he bought it from HK.
Overall performance is in the same ballpark as the Schiit Yggdrasil but is less aggressive and has a sweeter tone. The DAC seems to "enhance" human vocal and I happen to like the colouration but YMMV. The Holo is definitely nice if you have a somewhat bright system and wants to tune it down.
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It's not so clear from the pictures but I think it's possible to flash homebrew filters developed for the DIY 1021 into this unit right?
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I still use a modded Parasound 1100HD with cetoole's boards that I bought here all those years back as my main DAC. I had recapped the whole thing and put in some genuine K-grade chips as per Filburt's recommendations.
It still can stand toe-to-toe against a Gungnir Multibit which is not bad for an ancient relic.
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5 hours ago, EdipisReks1 said:
I have to say that, after listening to the "official non-official" version that I have, for over a week, it is better than the Shure Olive foamie mod. The Shure Olive comes close, especially if you already have some and don't want to spend the money, but, well, the "real" mod fixes the phones. Is this what the HD-800S sounds like? If so, it's what the HD-800 should have been from the beginning. Damn it sounds good.
The HD800S sound a tad warmer to me.
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16 hours ago, gepardcv said:
Anyone have any views on recent HD800 mods? I heard a few modded versions at a meet a couple of years ago and hated them. The mods reduced treble, yes, but they also muddied the mids and neutered the bass. Curious about the more recent iterations, especially since the 800S seems to just incorporate a mod (and throw in a balanced cable).
The original helmhotz resonator that tries to mimic the HD800S' as outlined in the Inner Fidelity article is definitely the most effective mod to kill the treble spike but without altering too much of the HD800's original sound. If I were to do it all over again I would just stick with the plain old HD800 and install this mod since to my ears they sound 97% the same as the HD800S.
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I'm curious about the Flow, I hope it fixes the bass problems that the original Ether (open) had where the bottom octave is completely missing. I also hope that the QC is more consistent as well because I'm 95% sure that the 4 or so pairs I heard sound slightly different from one to another.
That being said, the tonality of these Ether cans is amazing and to me is the perfect antidote for people who like the HD800/S voicing but find them too bright or sterile.
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Tried these in Singapore Can Jam. Still sounds bright and bass-light but much more tolerable unlike the SR-507 or SR-404LE, the LNS is still the best Lambda for sure.
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Sounds like HiFiMan is trying to emulate the electrostatic sound but the execution is not there yet. Your description really reminds me of an under-driven SR-007 MK2.
Still, at least it's not a bright, aggressive type that seems to be their house sound.
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Does the HE-1000 sound closer to an electrostatic or electrodynamic type? I think we can all agree that most if not all planar magnetic sound like the latter.
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I hope the HE-1000 is not too bright or aggressive like the HE-560 and HE-6.
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The strangest thing of course is they're selling like hot cakes. I guess adopting the Apple model of making their DAPs look slick coupled with a snappy and intuitive user interface (still the best amongst audiophile DAPs out there) work well for them.
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Yeah that's part of why I said don't bother trying to look for a Spectral, it sounds great but ti's kind of a high-maintenance affair at the end of the day.
The power brick gets uncomfortably hot, I ended up taking the PSU out of its case and laying a heatsink on top with some random interface material.
There's a fan inside the DAC that maintains uniform temperature between the digital input and the DAC + analog output, but the entire thing still gets too hot. I think they were trying to keep the entire unit hermetically sealed, to maintain control over the internal air currents. After a few weeks I noticed that the faceplate was sitting slightly crooked. At that point it was already too late and now I have 4 hardened puddles of silicone on my glass rack. Anyone know how to clean that kind of stuff? I haven't figured out a chemical solution yet and my last resort is to put the BHSE underneath and scrape off the resultant mess of goo.
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In other news, the Yggdrasil continues to be an enjoyable listen. The way it depicts the soundstage is really interesting and addictive. Because of the architectural similarity to the SDR I'm personally attributing most of its character to the filter, but who knows. Looking forward to actively comparing it to the Segue, hopefully tonight.
At the risk of sounding shilly, it's worth taking advantage of their 15 day trial once they get production under control. The effects will be noticeable even if you don't subject it to 700 years of burn-in/uptime. Supposedly they also run them for 72 hours before shipping out
Use kerosene, it's effective for cleaning plastic polymers.
goldenreference low voltage power supply
in Do It Yourself
Posted · Edited by K3cT
Thanks to the great work from @Mirko and advice from @kevin gilmore we just finished retrofitting the GS-X MK2's power supply with a custom made GRLV. I haven't had the time to really sit down and listen to it but first impressions that the amp is quite a bit smoother and more detailed now. 😃