purk
-
Posts
2,158 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
2
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Posts posted by purk
-
-
best i've heard so far (dynamic) is the tube rectified SDS-XLR. Then the ZD, HD2. I'm not much of a fan of the Maestro/B52/rudi/or WA5, but that's just my opinion. in theory, i'd pick a custom amp like the noise duality or Xana.
that being said, K1000 amps are a totally different ball game
The best I've heard so far is the SDS-XLR (w/ 6BL7gta output tubes), stock SDS-XLR, SDS (w/ high voltage), Supra (w/ high voltage), stock SDS, Zana Deux, stock Supra, and Woo Audio 5. IMO, the Zana Deux and stock Supra is pretty much equal....both are a good bit better than the Woo Audio 5.
-
Back on topic -- are the markl -modded D5000's going to be at CanJam? Will everyone attending please give them a listen and report back? Honestly?
Insert QuoteI put in a request to hear post a few days ago. So far, no responses. I don't know if anyone is bringing them. Is nikongod coming or not? I don't remember. Didn't he do the mod or version of it?
I have Nikongod's Denon with me. I plan to give you an impression later on this week. I will turn it over to Mulveling within a few. So you should have impression from both me, mike, and probably even Tom Hankins.
-
Great work Alex!!!
-
$3.5 to $3.6/gal for regular over here. My god.....we will crack $4/gal here soon.
-
Wanna sell your DAS-R1?
-
Birgir,
How does the DAS-R1 measures up to the APL 3910 32 bit?
Purk
-
Is this one I modified personally, or someone else's attempt? Either way, knowing your biases toward the R10 (that I once shared), I look forward to your thoughts, purk.
The modded D5000 belongs to Nikongod and according to him he did most of your modifications short of the followings:
"FWIW, i have done SOME of the markl mods. i reallly dont want to dynomat the wood (he covers up the ripples i mention in the R10 thread), but i am all for stuffing the cups and other mild damping methods.
cheers
ari
nikongod
"
I will probably listen to it a few more days and turn the Denon over to Mulveling and Tom Hankins before write up an impression.
-
When I have more time, I will let you guys know my opinion of MarkL D5000. Thanks to Nikongod, I have been listening to them for the last two days.
Purk
-
Would amps like Audio Techica DHA 3000 (its price was more than $3000 AFAIK!) or Gilmore Reference qualify for this poll or aren't tey up to par with what is already listed?
Yes, the DHA3000 is a stellar amp for the L3000 and other lower impedance phones, but it is only very good for higher impedance headphones like the HD-650.
-
I voted SS-1. Dan Chow (Icarium) probaby have heard some of the best SS amps more than anyone. Maybe he can shed us some light. I believe Single Power also have the following solidstate amps:
SP Square Wave Single End & Balanced
SP Harmony
SP Transparency
SP SS-1
Tom Hankins has the SP Transparency and he is using it as a pre-amp and according to him, its the best pre-amp he have heard. I listened to the SP transparency on his speaker system and it is indeed very very impressive.
Also, I've listened to botht the balaneced SQ. Wave v.s. the Dynamight and Balanced Beta22 and the Beta22 was definitely a better amp. For under 2.5k solidstate amp, the Beta22 and Dynamight are pretty tough to beat.
-
"The mulveling" has spoken.
-
My experience has been the complete opposite of 5687's, I've yet to hear an OTL sound as good as even my lowly DIY tube amp, which uses $20 toroidal power transformers as the output transformers. I've heard more Chinese tube amps than I care to count, I've heard the Singlepower PPX3 Slam, MPX3 6BL7, and SDS-XLR. The last can beat my amp in resolution, but gets thumped in snap & dynamics, while all the others are soundly beaten in all respects. And that's before I slapped amorphous core Lundahls on the outputs of my amp. And there are still 3 fundamental design improvements I can make to my amp, all of which can signficantly improve the sound, but I'm just too damn lazy to do them.
We probably have to agree to disagree. From my expenrience with my SDS 6BL7GT, its far more dynamics than any amp I've tried short of the SDS-XLR. The snap & dynamics on my SDS-SE is pretty much equaled to the Dynamight/Beta22 with better tone and more pleasing presentation.
-
thanks for the the good news Al!
-
That's cause the SDS-XLR is a Senn amp and not the best match with Grados, not by a longshot. Hook the Grados up to something like this and they'll clobber the Senns. Outside of custom DIY jobs, no one really builds a high-end Grado amp, while high-end Senn amps are a dime a dozen. Which to me is criminal since the RS-1 has far more performance potential than any current production Senn. But that's fine for me since it leads to a market of cheaper RS-1's since people dump them without realizing how good they are.
If the SDS-XLR can drive the R10 to match or exceed the performance of HE90+HEV90 combo, I can't see why it will have any problem driving any grado. Trust me, the R10 is much more difficult drive than any dynamics out there, even more than the K1000. All you have to do is roll the input and output tubes on the SDS-XLR, and you will have one amp for all headphones. Ask Voltron why he likes his SDS-XLR so much.
-
I disagree. Good amps for grados are a far rarer breed then good amps for hd-650's.
Biggie.
Probably. But from my experience, the HD-650 balanced out of SDS-XLR was head and shoulder above balanced PS-1, and RS-1 out of the same amp. The best I've heard the HP-2 was out of the Melos Sha Gold Ref and SP SDS, still I prefer the HD-650 over the HP2.
-
I'd say the HP-2 is definitely above the K701/HD650 level, it's somewhere around the RS-1. In some areas the HP is better, in others the RS edges ahead, and in most areas they're both well ahead of the K701/650.
Yes, but not when you pair up the HD-650 with great amp. The HP-2 is pretty sweet sounding but when you give enough power behind the HD-650, they are pretty tough to beat at any price.
-
'The Mulveling'?
My mistake.
-
Will Craig ever release the balanced ZD? If so, how much? I'm quite impress with the sound and the versatility of the Mulveling's ZD.
-
Oh don't worry the door isn't shut completely - local headfier, offering me again a very reasonable and sane deal or at least noticeably lower than what the past l3000's have been going for, at bare minimum I could check them out and unload them and pass the savings to the community. The idea of a high quality bad ass looking insanely built closed headphone is very appealing. The hp1000 is built very well imo just in a very simplistic manner. The l3000 appears to offer a more luxurious experience in that regard especially with the comfort, but comfort is simply not an issue with my and grados.
Well....nice to know that you have the option. I can't think of any headphone beside the R10 that is built better than the L3000. The L3000 is very well built. It is also luxurious but the magnesium frame is pretty tough to beat. You are pretty lucky about the confort on those HP1000s. I cound't wear them for more than 20 mins. I love the HP1000 too.
-
recstar24 ,
Dude you are missing out on the L3000 goodness. I still use mine everyday and won't sell it. The L3000 also sound excellent out of Zana Deux man and it is very difficult to find a better closed headphone. Buy one now before it went over 3k. Did I mention that the L3000 is much better built and much more comfortable than the HP1000? Of course, I love the HP2 too but the L3000 just sound better to my ears.
-
Purk, here is AT Japan email: [email protected], if you want to inquire.
FYI, initially they stated that policy is only to service in Japan as this is a Japan-only product. However, they seem to take great pride in their product, and without much prodding, offered to service the DHA3000. Be patient with the communication as english is obviously not their first language. I eventually got a call from a Japanese woman out of the blue who apologized for the delay in repair/shipping (didn't get her name but that's digressing too far!). Again, it's refreshing to see this type of quality service/support. To OP, apologies as this has strayed from your question. But there is an important implication here - if my L3000 ever require service, I'm fairly confident AT would step up. If HP1000 needs future service, I'm not certain current Grado would step up (I stand corrected if that's not the case).
Thanks. I'm going to check with Matt Anker of SACDmods first for the repair. If he can't get my DHA3000 repair, I will proceed with AT Japan. Thanks again for info.
-
Wonder if they will repair mine DHA3000. I had mikhail upgraded the amp with blackgates... It sounds better than stock but not sure if they will still repair it. BTW, the coaxial was broken b/f the upgrade.
-
I sold my L3000 because I thought the K1000 was my 'IT' phones. Long story short, tried selling my DHA3000 dac/amp, which was damaged in shipping, but was able to have it inspected and fixed by AT Japan (great service, btw). With the DHA3000 back in my hands, then I ended buying another L3000 (??!!) - it's the opposite of K1000, but opposite is good sometimes. I've not had the HP1000, but I've owned PS-1 before. From sonic memory (which is not always reliable), I think PS-1 betters L3000, but for me I had serious comfort issues with PS-1 (and probably why I'm wary of HP1000, ie fit issues again). I have an RS-1 which I run out of my LisaIIIXP with bass boost, which fools me into thinking it's quasi-PS-1. I disagree with earlier post that L3000 is more amp compliant, I find it quite finicky. Not that I have a wide range of amps, but it's the DHA3000 so far that elevates it to 'world class'. Like OP, I have RS-1 and HD650, and if I were to compliment that between L3000 and HP1000, I would choose...uh...K1000.
JimP,
I'm having the exact same issue with my DHA3000, but only on the coaxial input. Care to share on what went wrong? Also as great as the L3000 sounds with the DHA3000, my SDS-SE really elevate the sound of my L3000 to an amazing level.
Purk
-
No. Have you never heard it? Try to find a way at least to hear it first. It's good, and depending on your priorities, perhaps better, but also perhaps not. I know I, for one, prefer the PS-1. I never "got" the Qualia.
Not surprising really b/c the L3000 and PS-1 are very alike. The Qualia is for those who prefer pinpoint imaging and details. I found them to be slightly too cold in tonality and a bit lacking in midrange. If you do have the right fit, the Qualia is pretty tough to beat as I found them to sound much better with a good fit. When I had Mike Qualia for 2 weeks, the Qualia was almost there with my R10s playing SACDs (hint...wamer tone).
Sony MDR-R10 Repair - Back From The Dead
in Headphones
Posted
Wonder when the real JL going to respond!