Upstateguy
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Posts posted by Upstateguy
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HiFace needs a support of some kind to relieve stress on the USB port
Blue Circle Thingee
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It's all kinda "average"-sounding - there's nothing particularly great about it. It sounds like it should be in the $300-$500 range of headphones along with the K701, HD600/HD650, etc. If it was in that price range, I'd call it a pretty good headphone. But at $1.3K it deserves a facepalm and shovel.
I have several hours of burn-in on it so far and my opinion still hasn't changed, but we'll see what develops, if anything.
I'm usually not one to bash others' opinions but I seriously have to call into question the raving at HF over this headphone by people such as Skylab, Macedonianhero, et al. Their standards have to be really low or they haven't heard many headphones if they think the T1 is as good as they claim.
I've been listening to the T-1s for a few days and I'm in agreement with Asr.
IMHO, the T-1s are nothing more than upgraded 880s and share the same sound signature. They have less bass, but more soundstage, transparency, and detail. If you like 880s you will probably recognize the T-1s as an upgrade and like them too.
Unfortunately, they are not the order of magnitude better that their price implies. I think they are over hyped and over priced at $1300. If 880s can be had for $249 on ebay, these should go for around $500.
One thing I didn't care for with the T-1s was that they were not very good for the low level listening I usually do. When I turned down the volume, the mids faded out, disproportionately to the top and the already sparse bottom diminished even further, throwing off the tonal balance. Another thing I didn't care for (with low level listening) was a seemingly exaggerated sense of dynamic range. What I mean is that the quieter sounds became difficult to hear and the louder sounds seemed too pronounced. Again, the balance was restored as I increased the volume but I never noticed this problem with 650s or 880s.
Are they worth keeping? Sure, if you don't mind spending the money.
Btw, very nice review Ari.
[stuff used: Laptop > Hiface/Thingee > North Star MKII > 2 box M^3/GS-1]
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Canon G7
Looking across Central Park toward the George Washington Bridge
Piermont NY
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Change?
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What appears to be a RJ45 on North star MKII
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Can you expand on that a little for those of us less well informed?
Hey Morph, how are you? Haven
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Hmm, here is a cheaper contender featuring I2S output even (never seen that before, and I don't have anything that takes that anyway, but cool I guess):
http://www.aprilmusic.com/main/sub02_03_02.html
Choices choices...
I hope it's much better than the converter they put in the Stello DA100...
USG
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A day late and a dollar short.....
Grid lock from the UN meeting on Thurs. Nothing was moving, except the cruise boat.
About 30 of NYs finest were protecting the corner of 3rd Ave and 34th St during the UN meeting.
Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few,
They must have done a good job because the corner was still there when I went home later that evening.
USG
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So you're actively seeking etch and grain?
If that's the case I'm not sure I can help. The most strident amp I can recall is a PPA V2 with AD8610 opamps, you might look for one of those. It's an often over-looked amp in my opinion and every bit as good as the M
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Dusty C-
Some clarification.
I am actually interested in a high quality amp that leans toward the "dark side" of analytical.
USG
I'm still not being clear. By the "dark side" I mean leaning toward what many of you consider to be the negative aspects of analytical. A little etched, enhanced micro details and air etc.
USG
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Well, audiophiles argue about that word anyway, even when both parties are English-speaking (as their primary language). So the clarification was warranted.
Dusty C-
Some clarification.
I am actually interested in a high quality amp that leans toward the "dark side" of analytical.
USG
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Wait, I'm confused, you're asking for suggestions but don't want to consider alternatives that you haven't already heard? I guess my confusion is that if you've already heard something why would you care if I recommended it?
If you're concerned about the P-1 I'd point you to some rather established member's opinions about it (Voltron, tyrion, agile_one, etc) who've all owned it along with other not sucky gear. I haven't heard it for more than a few minutes so I can't offer anything other than the fact that my brief impression did not make me doubt what others had to say about it.
Apparently I was not clear. Appologies.
USG
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My advice would be GS-1 and done.
Other options -- M3, B22, SPL Auditor or Phonitor, Headroom Ultra. With $2K to spend in this niche, the world's pretty much your oyster.
Hiya Stretch
I have a GS-1 and 2 penguin M^3s, but I think you're right, another GS-1 is probably going to be the way to go. I tried rolling 8610s, 8065s, 637/627s and 843s into the penguin/sigma but the GS-1 is more of what I'm looking for.
Dynahi or B22 would be your best options.TK-
I wish I knew someone who could build a B22 as fast as Justin can get me another GS-1, but I think Stretch is right about getting another GS-1 and done.
You could almost get stevio's P-1. What's another $100?FS: Luxman P-1 - Final Price - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio
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I never heard a P-1 so I'm reluctant.........
If the GS-1 sounds anything like the Gilmore Reference I wouldn't say it's "analytical". Just rather "neutral". Probably the B22 is more in the analytical side of things, though not harsh.T-
Never heard the GR so I can't comment, but maybe the North Star isn't analytical enough?
USG
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Grace Design m902?
Hi Dusty C
Having not heard the 902, I'm a little leery about an amp that has a built in DAC and vice versa. The 902 retails for around $1600, so is it actually an $800 amp with an $800 DAC in tow? Or is it a $1200 amp with a $400 DAC. Or is it like the Benchmark, which also has a built in amp?
USG
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Budget?
Hi Jin
Maybe up to 2K.
USG
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I'm looking for a single ended analytical sounding amp to go with a North Star 192 MKII.
Any suggestions besides a GS-1?
Thanks
USG
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Congratulations!
I listened to it at the last NY meet and it was fantastic.
USG
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....What do you like about the transformer version versus the traditional?....
I hate answering all this off topic, because this thread is about DNA amps
Understood, but I would like to know what you like about transformer versions also.
Thanks
USG
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In the end, I sold the North Star. It was quieter with a balcker background, but it was a bit recessed in the mids. Conversely, the bass and mids of the ECD-1 were fuller and more satisfying--in some cases by a lot. The North Star had a better sound stage, but the ECD-1 was more musical and euphonic, especially with guitars and female vocals. The ECD-1 is a bit more congested than the North Star, which I attribute to longer decay and a higher noise floor with the ECD-1. In a way, I think the ECD-1 has more "flaws," such as some glare in the mids and the aforementioned congestion, but I found it to be the more musically satisfying DAC. However, I also could easily live with the North Star if I had to. I think it's a fine DAC.
Now in-house are the ECD-1, the HR UDAC, and the Dodson DA 217 mkII. I'll start a different thread.
I am now on to the
Hi Dinny
I started with a Constantine, then bought a Stello. I auditioned the Neko and have moved on to a brand spanking new North Star, (which I will probably be selling in the near future as I move on to something else.)
Btw, are you going to the NJ meet on the 25th? If you are, I would be interested in comparing DACs. I have a pretty good system for doing it with my dual output Thingee and dual input GS-1. Could probably use your CO2 also.
After comparing the Benchmark to the Stello at the last meet, (with SiBurning) and finding no noticeable difference between the two, I would like to compare your EDC to the Stello and to my new North Star, to see if your initial impressions remain.
Regards
USG
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I spent about 6 hours today listening to only about 5 units. I got a lot out of this meet!
What were your impressions?
USG
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By the way, while I will say that I disagree with just about every assertion that Donald makes in his post above (regarding bias; caps; OPT specs, manufacturers, and core material; damping; whether OPT design is a black art; optimal tube load; etc.), my interest is not in derailing Donald's sales. As noted, I do things very differently. However, this doesn't mean I think what he does is wrong, and we still probably agree more than we disagree. I like transformer coupled amps, and I am glad to see that they are becoming available. Even with my complaints, it is still topologically a step up from the SP and RSA amps of the world (and it's easy enough to mod
). So, I said my peace, and I will keep further discussions of this issue offline.That's too bad. I'm sorry you feel that way.
Maybe you'll change your mind?
USG
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With my Amplitrex, for the 6H30 I measure a plate impedance around 1300 ohm at my operating point.
For the IEC output, you are forgetting that I add a series resistor on the output to bring the output impedance up to 120 ohm. And yes, my minimum 3x plate impedance claim is based around 32 ohm Grados. However I suspect most people with Grados will probably use the Low setting with 28 ohm output impedance. In this situation, the plate load impedance is around 4.5x.
On the IEC setting with 600 ohm headphones I do measure gain about 6dB. With low impedance headphones, the gain of course will be much less.
Just wondering?
Is oatmeal769 a friend of yours like mike1127 is?
USG
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Such as?
Would these be marked sonic improvements, or just more complexity to the circuit?What would you do? How would it be better?
Anyone else besides me wonder who oatmeal769 is?
USG
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Like Tachikoma said, your honesty is refreshing.
Man, I hate crow..... I mean I really hate crow !!!
New arrival from Perotta:
I'm going to listen to it with the same laptop, Thingee, M^3 set up, (I used with the Neko), for 2 weeks, before testing it with the two computers and the GS-1. I want to get a feel for how it sounds by itself.....
Much to my surprise, my initial impression is that I might like the Neko better, despite "my big volume balancing revelation".
It's curious that my initial impression of the North Star is that by itself, it doesn't seem to sound like the Neko or the Stello, even though I found out they sound the same.
I don't know what's up with the psycho-acoustic aspect of this hobby, it's baffling...
Who knows, by the time this is over maybe I'll learn to like crow.
USG
Beyer T1
in Headphones
Posted
They're just a really good pair of 880s... (that are a little too heavy and clamp a little to hard)
And I don't know why I didn't think of this before, but I tried them with the Woo3 I originally bought for my 880s and found the Woo had the same synergy with the T-1s. Now the T-1s sound like a nice pair of headphones. Still "unimpressive", but much nicer with the Woo than either of my SSs. So now what? A better Woo?
One more gripe and I'm done... There's a spot on top of my head that is starting to feel like I've been wearing the 701s again..... I don't know what Beyer was thinking with these headphones?
USG