The Monkey

I keep forgetting, did you have a north star at some point?

Tough call. Right now, I'd say the north star is more dynamic, the ECD-1 smoother. Natural is anybody's guess.

Exactly, I have no time for logic and/or practicality.

I don't love the new pads. I feel like the foam is unevenly distributed and it's not as "fluffy" as the old pads. Anyone else have this experience?

Well that doesn't exactly inspire confidence. What about "the amp will arrive on [insert date here]."?

Looks pretty good, fair price. The disintegration of the foam is normal and will not make a difference in terms of sound. You should definitely ask to see confirmatory pics, but you can also always replace earpads relatively cheaply if you need to.

Sometimes impressions are all we have to go on. That's one of the reasons we post them and seek them in the first place. After a while, you learn that some people share relatively closely your own preferences and serve as a pretty accurate proxy for your own experience.

Here's the APC H15 I got recently: I wanted black, but I got the silver for $200 less. Is there an easy way to paint it black? The face plate is some sort of metal. Any ideas about how to make it, well, less silvery?

shirts.

Listening with the Signatures tonight. The theme song from Kids in the Hall has been surprisingly useful for comparison. The north star is a more forward DAC with a bit larger soundstage. But on this track, while the ECD-1 didn't do as nice a job with the guitars, it did a better job with the multiple symbal crashes. I guess I'd characterize the ECD-1 as more romantic/dramatic and the north star as more impactful/exciting. This comparison is going to be a mess.

I also like how he always says, "and you will like it." What else is he going to say? "No worries. It will be there, and man is it going to suck"?

I can understand it sounding good with those cans. Will try the Signatures this weekend.

How about someone doing a D&B search (I don't have access to D&?

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Wow, that's a nice setup. I don't have those amps to throw into the mix, but I'll do what I can.

Nate, I think system synergy will play a big role here. Do you recall what the rest of the rig included when listening to the ECD-1? I'll try some dynamics this weekend (if I can find where I tossed my 650s;)).

Good job, Dan. Not a fan of 'stats myself, but enjoy.

I now kind of want to buy a beresford DAC and film myself smashing it to tiny bits, then post it saying that THIS is how I like to listen to it.

So far I prefer the north star with the O2 and the 007tii. Bigger sounstage, more impact, but still musical. Slightly splashy up top compared to the ECD-1, but it rocks harder. The ECD-1 is lovely, but polite. Lush, smooth, and refined. Also musical. I think the Stax amp is killing the ECD-1 here. I had planned to decide between the DACs pretty quickly. I think I'll need to upgrade the amp first. Both I expected the ECD-1 to best the north star. Not so far. But both are very satisfying DACs.

Those of you with amps at SP also may wish to keep an eye on bankruptcy filings in CO.

The owners can try to do whatever they want. My point is why would I agree to any of that if I'm SP? If the company is in as dire straits as it seems, I just say, "ok, sue me."

I would never agree to this if I were SP (or advising SP).

Some avenues I would consider pursuing (several already mentioned): 1) contact Colorado AG's Office or whichever agency is tasked with consumer protection. 2) contact your own state's office of consumer protection. 3) speak to FedEx's fraud department--they probably would not be happy to learn how their system is being abused. 4) how did you pay (sorry if I missed this)? Perhaps your payment option has a dispute process. 5) contact the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection and file a complaint. 6) contact the local and national better business bureau Before resorting to any of these methods, you might just drop a subtle hint that you will file some sort of complaint to give SP one more chance. Also, if you're asked for any more money, consider escrow.

Further to the above, I am still seriously considering a Woo GES. One concern I have is that I think the GES needs just a bit more oomph with the mk1. I had that pot turned up pretty far to the right at the NYC meet. Of course, that was under meet conditions, but I'm pretty sure the phones would benefit from a GES with more slam. I guess my question is whether this is achievable?

Spritzer, have you had a chance to listen to the 007tA? If so, did you hear any major differences?