mulveling

Well it's good but not quite the perfectly ideal job - I did overwork this winter, and there's no coworkers appropriate for learning from or bouncing non-trivial ideas off of (there was 1 at the last job). Now I have to be the responsible one, grr. Fortunately, it's at the point where I think/hope I can somewhat coast for a while

Sweet Reks! My company got me an iMac for dev work back in October, and I've been loving it ever since. I took it home with me and telecommute 90% of the time now

That's great! Wish the high end headphone legends were still in production too. There's no way I can sell this amp now fellas. It's kind of like the feeling I got before selling the HP2, except worse. I'd be kicking myself, I know it. The stuff that doesn't stand out (unlike drum thwacks, etc), that's not impressive on first listen, the "musical glue" that's vital for long term listening enjoyment - the Zana Deux excels at this. I've spent a lot of good times with this amp. We have history now

Ugh, this is too much. After a few more hours listening today, the last few on the Zana Deux, I don't think I'm going to be able to sell it. So damn musical where it counts, and I think it's a better preamp. Decisions, decisions.

catscratch, That was a very eloquent and informative perspective on the debate

It's pretty amazing (and crazy) having three amps of this caliber simultaneously. The differences are quite striking. Zana Deux Strengths: Large sound stage, impeccably neutral tone and lack of coloration. Weaknesses: Lacking punch & dynamics compared to the Singlepowers, however it's still better in this area than any other amp I've heard: Ray Samuels, Headroom, Melos, Berning, Woo, etc. Stock toaster-style SDS w/ slam adaptors: Strengths: Sound stage size, lush warm "tubey" tone, silky smoothness, musical coherence & euphony abound. Good dynamics. Weaknesses: Just a tad more "fuzzy" than the Zana Deux and Supra SE, shows a slight weakness (higher distortion) in driving low impedance cans at high volumes (HP2, R10). Supra SE (high voltage option for output tubes): Strengths: Insane dynamics & slam, incredible bass control & power. Great tone. Amazing pairing with the L3000. Tight control over true whole spectrum; very forward and detailed. Not sure if this is over-emphasized detail, but it sounds good. Beautiful glossy black chassis Weaknesses: Sometimes I like the warm fuzzy sound of the SDS Stock SDS might be a better fit for the HD650; maybe the 650 wasn't meant to be this slammin' dynamic, and is in fact better served when its warmth and sound stage are fully fleshed out by the SDS. However, I'm told that I can get that warmer sound with other tube complements. For some tube context: the Zana Deux is running a Tung-Sol round plate 6sl7, the SDS has Tung-Sol round plate 6sn7 & GE or Tung-Sol (D getter) 5687 outputs, the Supra has GE 6BL7GTA outputs and some weird Mullard European tube that Purk said was great for dynamics (away from home now so I can't check it). I don't have a large cache of tubes on hand for rolling Still have yet to try the Qualias on the Supra. I generally don't like to do gear-comparison sessions. Prefer to enjoy music with one set of gear and then collect my averaged thoughts over time.

Well, I've really made a difference in the pads. They've gone from brand new to looking & feeling "carefully" used - without damaging them. The original springiness was really excessive. Also, the annoying task of taking off & replacing the pads a few times seems to have stretched out the leather in a natural fashion. They fit like a glove now, as opposed to feeling like a product of nerf. I've also continued cooking them on the Pico. Man, they actually sound pretty damn good just on that amp+DAC! I shouldn't be commenting this early in the game, but I did another casual comparison last night (on the vinyl rig) and the sonics seemed much closer now. Yay, I actually enjoyed listening with the newer pair One complicating factor is that the output levels seem to be slightly different. My "favorite" listening level falls right on a step of the SDS attenuator with the old pair, yet seems to be between two steps for the new pair. Huh. Seems to be a much wider db variation in L3000 drivers than say with Sennheiser. Fing - yeah, Purk and I have noticed some sonic variations in well-used L3000's, but this one still has/had that typical "new L3000" sound, which is pretty poor compared to any variation of the fully developed sound. I've just never fully brought up an L3000 from new before, so I've been surprised at how much effort it takes. Hell, it could be all physical break-in of the pads and suspension.

Nice! I almost jumped on a $450 5900 from agon. I really wanted that, to compare with my 3910, but I've been trying real hard to watch the spending. The 2900/5900 series looks so much better than the crappy 3910/5910 design, IMO. The last thing I bought was $25 of gas on Sunday. It's been at least a few days prior that since I bought anything else. That's easily a post-college record for me.

I should have realized the thread would come to this

Lol An interesting idea, but since I've stopped drinking for a while, my chances of sending them out in an inebriated fit of trusting, generosity and goodwill towards man/woman are greatly lessened Still, the random musings in a log might be worth it, if it's on pretty paper!

What are your L3000 burn-in experiences? I have a pair that's being extremely stubborn, though truthfully part of it is my laziness. It's my second pair; bought it a while ago (3 years?). It's been mostly in storage, but I figure it must have at least 250 hours from my previous half-hearted burn-in attempts. It STILL has that new-L3000 sound (mostly). I know that sound because it's exactly what Purk's pair sounded like when new. It's got the L3000 signature for sure, but the effortlessness and holographic imaging aren't there yet, like on my older pair (bought used from Japan) and Purk's pair. Sounds a bit too "rigid" like the full musical flow isn't quite there yet. It's a very subtle difference, but at this level subtle is huge. Now my theory is that it may not just be lack of play time. Physical pad break-in may be a major factor as well. New L3000 pads are very airy, springy, and puffy. The leather is very smooth, black, soft, and clean. On the used pads it's clearly lost a lot of the springiness and the pads are a duller color. Probably got a lot more skin oil worked into them too, which might affect the acoustics quite a bit. This week I'm going to be working these bastards via purk's Pico, and working the pads in various ways (placing under books, massage, etc). See where this goes and if I can finally turn the leaf on the sound. Even my old pair sounds better now than I remember when getting it, though my gear is much better too so that may be it. Anyone else had a stubborn L3000? What's the general consensus on what it takes for a new L3000 to go from new to glorious?

Steve & Tom, Great to see you guys hanging out here now! With all the people on board here, there's really no reason to even bother with head-fi anymore Tom - yep, I'm gonna nab that high voltage Supra from purk. "It's just for a few days man - then I'll bring it right back". Yeah, that's the ticket. Damn, he does have my Qualias for collateral though Steve, hope you get a vinyl rig running soon. It's worth it just to be able to grab a stack of excellent music on the cheap, then it's really worth it when you clean 'em up and realize how glorious they sound (except for the occasional dud). Ryan & Mike, Great to see you guys still here! Ryan, congrats on the Zana Deux! It's a fantastic piece of art & engineering. I really do feel it hits perfect neutrality better than anything else I've ever heard. I was in love with it too, but in the end I can't get away from my craving for that lush, punchy Singlepower house sound (with the appropriate tube complement). Kind of like my intense craving for alcohol, which I am attempting to put a stop to \ I do think the Zana is a better preamp than my SDS, and I'll probably regret letting go of it for that very reason.

Hmm. Fatten her up to Cardas Golden Cuboid proportions and transitions should improve.

Awesome. How does it sound?

I may get to hear something similar soon, if the local hifi shop gets in the 15" Glenair Prestige as planned. Same driver size as the Westminster, but smaller cabinet (still pretty damn big). I've heard the 10" dc in two forms, the Glenair 10 and my Dimension TD10; both excellent. Damn, the Glenair 10's looked so elegant. Wish I made more money

I've been becoming more and more of a Tannoy fanboy. Haven't heard a Dual-Concentric model I didn't like. There's something innately musical and coherent about the DC designs, IMO. Tannoy doesn't spend much effort marketing or distributing in the US (probably with good reason; the hifi market is insane), so they're highly underrated here. For $2K budget I'd jump on these: http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1207012471 Eyris DC3 for $1500, but they've been on the 'gon for quite a while now (since Tannoy is largely ignored here) so you could probably bargain down some more. If not, they're still well worth the $1500. They're an easy load, and in my experience with the Dimension TD10, the Tannoys love vintage amps. $500-$700 is actually a pretty decent budget for a good vintage amp if you're patient. I've had great success with a pair of Heathkit W4A (quintessential tube midrange) monos and the McIntosh MC2100 (killer bass). In fact I'm currently trying to sell my expensive VAC amps; expensive amps not needed on a Tannnoy.

Hey guys, I'm back in action, I think In my online absence, I've gone back and forth on the SDS vs Zana Deux thing. One the one hand, the Zana Deux sounds more neutral and tonally accurate, over the SDS. I really respect that, and for a while that really did it for me. On the other hand, the SDS is a more dynamic sound at the expense of a bit of coloration - BUT a very euphonic (warm, wet, lush, liquid) coloration at that, one which I don't want to get away from, in the long run. You know, I think I'm coming to a similar conclusion in power amps - going for a slightly "dirty" euphonic sound on my Tannoys with vintage amps (Heathkit W4A, McIntosh MC2100) over the state-of-the-art neutral sound (Parasound JC1, VAC Auricle Monoblocks). I do feel the Zana Deux is more powerful in that it can go LOUDER on the hard-to-drive cans before noticeable distortion sets in. Though I don't have the HP2 or R10 anymore, those were what I'd consider the hardest to drive high-end headphones, and my un-upgraded SDS ran out of gas at loud (but well before ear-splitting) volumes. Heavy bass passages, especially orchestral, would distort noticeably. On the other hand, the distortion was very pleasing and not at all objectionable until extreme breakup. The 5687 output tubes in the SDS largely mitigates this issue vs the crappy 6sn7's, but it's not completely gone. The higher voltage option (which mine doesn't have) cures its completely, without losing the euphonic "magic" so to speak. So, I've just recently been thinking of selling the Zana Deux to pick up a voltage-upgraded Supra I'll miss the preamp functionality of the Zana, for which it's probably better suited than the SDS/Supra, being tonally neutral and all. Still thinking about keeping it...but about 80% decided at this point. I've been splitting listening time between the L3000 and HD650 - the 650 just comes into a league of its own, for certain records, on my vinyl rig (which I'm proud to say has remained unchanged since I got it in May). So, how've you all been?

Well, here's the last thing I got that I didn't buy: new iMac 24" screen 2.8 GHz 2 GB RAM sooo pretty...

As you know I'm a big fan of the L3000's peculiar signature; I'm also a fan of pairing it up with an amp of similar sonic inclinations - that is warm, tubey, tons of bass impact. Call me crazy, but I've been preferring the HD650 & Qualia with the Zana, and the L3000 with the prototype SDS. The HD650 and Qualia can take on a whole new, gorgeously neutral character with the Zana, but the L3000 seems a little like its fighting its natural tendencies there. That's not to say it sounds mediocre on the Zana - in fact it sounds very, very good. It's just that when I'm slapping on the heavy metal or hard rock records, which typically means L3000, the music just flows a bit more naturally out of the SDS. Other music genres typically invoke HD650 or Qualia usage, so I'm not so familiar with how the L3000 pairing would go there. The SDS probably has an output impedance around 32 ohms and the Zana is around 16, so I personally wouldn't put a lot of emphasis on getting an amp with super low output impedance and the best technical specs. Of course your tastes may well be different from mine - but for me, L3000 with a top-notch tubey sounding amp is bliss. I think purk agrees with me there - we had our first mini-meet when I had the L3000 and he had the only SDS; when we put 'em together we instantly knew that was a killer combo and it's stood the test of time over 2 years later (to be fair the Slam adaptors were a pretty necessary upgrade).

Well it's certainly headed in that direction IMO, which is one of the main reasons I'm high-tailing outta there. Got my resignation letter all prepped and ready to kick ass - while not ruling out the possibility of consulting for them on a (very) limited basis. No more 8/hr days on that product; I can't wait

Thanks guys. Yeah, I'll handle this is a calm and professional manner. No matter how much I'd like to voice my unfiltered opinions, it wouldn't do a damn bit of good anyways Geez - if I had a boss that maintained a timesheet on me, I'd have been fired long ago

I have what I believe to be a better opportunity and a better match for me, yes A bit of a risk compared to the sure-thing corporate soul-sucking job, but dammit I like my soul, at least what's left of it. Geesh...I have no idea whether to email or print out my resignation, or how to word it. I've never resigned before - this was my first gig after college. I was thinking I would dig up one of those form emails they send out to the office when they fire someone "Effective today Mr. Holmes will be exploring opportunities outside Aon blah blah", copy-n-paste'd with my name subbed in, but perhaps that's too vindictive.

You can't fire me - I quit! Oh wait...do I get severance if you fire me? No seriously, I'm quitting my software dev job of the last 6 years, tomorrow. Should be fun

Decided to stay at home again today. "The Man" doesn't control me!

Awesome! Just mail that severance check to my home address.