Icarium
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Posts posted by Icarium
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Having owned a rudistor amp and heard many stories... I am not particularly hopeful about the design/build quality of these things.
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Jesus Christ did they not tell you to look at, think about or most of all discuss those holes yet? They must be slipping.
You are supposed to avert your eyes from those holes until 5000 hours of burn in.
After 10,000 hrs you are allowed to look at them but not talk about them.
After 15,000 hrs you fill them with Patrick82's magic audio fluid.
After 20,000 hrs you can think 1 thought a day about them.
After 50,000 hrs they will allow you to listen to music in the 4th dimension as music was meant to be enjoyed.
You never, ever get to discuss them no matter how much burn in you roll with unless you own a dozen Alo replacement cables that have also been waxed by Patrick82's audiophile fluid (Recoated daily), which given that I am discussing them you can infer I have.
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Man 225 AD2ks wish I had picked those up.
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My only complaint with the comfort is the weight, but even so it's one of the more comfortable headphones I've worn. I mentioned the weight and they said yeah... eventually they will switch to plastic when they have a market that can bear the units they would need to sell to get molds created, but as is with wood + 18 magnets in it it just isn't possible. I mentioned that when they switched over to plastic the value of the wood units will probably skyrocket and they laughed and said they are aware of that possibility, but that isn't their intention at all. They just want to offer the lowest cost and most comfortable best sounding product they can at the quality standards that they set for themelves, which well is high ;p
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Yeah I still have yet to even have a slightest urge to try my other headphones. Every day I do listen with them (Not every day) I am impressed. Watched some TV which had very interesting soundstage with sounds placed much further away than almost any music I've ever heard yet the LCD-2s could still deliver a pinpoint accurate imaging. Pretty nutty. I would strongly question if even K1Ks or qualias could place some of those peripheral sounds further than where the LCD-2s placed them.
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Alinea would be cool to check out as well, but I should probably do the French Laundry first since it's closer.
The chef owner's story is pretty crazy to losing his sense of taste to tongue cancer and then clawing it back and coming back as strong as ever.
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and the coma-chi crush continues:
Prefer the original beat though, but youtube is lacking. -
<3 for the day: YouTube - Coma-Chi - Michibata Not even into Japanese hip hop.
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Nope, no real experience with any orthos other than the HE-5 (if it counts). But my interest just went back up.
Yeah they don't really sound like AD2ks except that they do a lot of similar things for me like the AD2ks. The soundstaging/imaging/speed but better. The soundstage is definitely wider though but still similar. The sound signature is more neutral overall and the bass vastly better in quantity/extension and just overall presence. The AD2ks crush on highs though and possibly mids but that might be just because they are mid centric so it seems lusher than it should be. The LCD-2s don't make me want the AD2k mids and are quite beautiful themselves and dare I say more accurate? Was listening to some Mark Knopfler HDCD yesterday and it was just blowing my mind. Not a one music pony headphone by any means.
I don't know if these are going to deliver the sort of highs you yearn for but maybe dbel84 can help you out with some mods there.
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Mirror - Recollection E.P.
Japanese indie rock math rocky instrumental group. If you liked Toe this is similar but less tight and a bit mellower. Kind of like special others meets Toe.
http://www.catune.com/sound/mirror_recollection/circuit_digest.mp3
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More focused and tighter feeling but that might just be the smaller soundstage. Speed tough to say possibly feels faster. Bass is much more present. Mids toss up. Highs it loses to Qualias.
Comfort toss up in two different directions (Qualias are light but dont grip well because I'm using large size and LCD-2s are pretty comfy but are heavy and grip better. Neither is perfect in the way HE-90s were for me... if you throw in fit then clearly the LCD-2s win, but if I switched to a small or medium then its more of a toss up).
In the end Qualias are more laid back and Audeze are more punchy and have better bass. Otherwise it all about evens out, but that's without doing any direct comparisons so this probably isn't useful.
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I think at the individual consumer level RIM has already blown it and it's only inertia and came firstness that is keeping it tops in market share... come a few quarters and I think that will change.
But it doesn't really matter as long as they dominate the corporate market.
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Got my pair today as well. I am very impressed. I am probably picking up a second pair.
Before
The New World
Close up.. jealous LCD-1s?
Pads
Nice and improved detachable cable? check!
Nice frequency response graph for my pair of headphones? Check!
Care/Warranty/Manual printed on extremely nice paper and well put together? Check!
Wth? Some wood care polish stuff and a cloth to apply it? Check as well!
And a case that the HE-90 would kill to live in? Check check.
Sucks to be you HE-90 living in a sham of a case with its hard carton cut out under a deceptive blue velvet layer
Clearly Audeze has come a long, long way from the LCD-1s and they've brought their A game. For a 2-3 man operation they did not fail to deliver on a professionally manufactured and packaged product. No off the shelf chassis the sequel. No sir.
But the real question is of course how they sound!
Well the answer to that is they sound good. Listen to them from my AD1 Balancing Act sourced by my modded Assemblage DAC3 they sound damned good. I have not shot them out against my Qualias/K1K/AD2k yet, but these certainly sound competitive even factoring in a hit after new toy syndrome fades.
My complaints with the LCD-1 were as follows:
1. Highs.. I couldn't hear above 16khz where with some phones I'm able to hit 17/18khz which is sad because just a couple of years before I could hit 20khz
2. Fell apart a bit with distortion heavy, fast, complex raw music with a lot going on.
3. The cable was a bit unwieldy (My bad since I made the recommendation ;p Whoops).
With the LCD-2
1. Highs I can maybe hear 17khz though that might be wishful thinking... also I've been to a few live shows since I've last tested my hearing so that may be user disability. I think they do better though.
2. Listening to some distortion heavy, fast, complex raw music and it's manhandling it with 0 issue.
3. The cable is not only vastly improved in build quality and while it's still thick, it isn't nearly as bad and is real durable feeling. Also <3 detachable. <3 it to hell. Every headphone should have detachable cablesif I had my way. Mmm qualias having detachable cables.
What it has improved on:
1. Bass. God finally I have a headphone that has top tier bass I feel. The only thing that maybe edges it out is a properly amped O2. Maybe not even then. Would have to shoot it out to really say since it's been awhile since I've heard the O2/BHSE combo or O2/WES or mmm O2/T2 which I have yet to hear! The extension. The tightness. The speed. The impact. So perfect. Maybe a bit more tone and resonance, but I feel like those are tradeoffs against speed and so no thanks.
2. It's simply a more complete and refined and balanced sound. The LCD-1 had its sound signature which had its quirks. I sadly could not say that it was a better headphone even for the money when compared to the AD2k for me :/ These though... well any urge I had to buy T1s is now gone except for the fact that it's closed.
3. Comfort. Wow these are comfortable. Almost HE90 comfortable which is the most comfortable headphone I've worn. You have to remind them that they are on your head and when you do you just bask in their comfort for a moment. Then with their ungrip you worry if a 8-10k headphone is going to slide off your head. I didn't like that much which is why I sold them. LCD-2s, better than broken in hd650s since they grip more even when broke in. On par with comfy beyerdynamics. Comfortable, durable headphones, but not really my sound.
4. Construction/Look/Quality... off the charts here. Really. Almost as glamorous as the nicest AT woodies, but with nicer cable/boxes imo and overall I think a little bit more consistency. There were always little bits of each AT woody I've owned where I'd be like man rest is so nice, but they kinda skimped in this ridiculous nit picky small area. I can't think of any specific examples right now, but I don't get that with these.
5. Imaging/soundstage. The soundstage doesn't sound immediately all that wide, but when you get far away sounds in a song you are like whoa okay I guess they can go that far. And then you note that sound versus a more mid-centric sound and all the distances in between and how they are laid about for your musical palate to enjoy and then you realize that these headphones can image with the best ;p
6. Speed/Effortlessness... up another notch. The power too. The power that some headphones flaunt with their boomy one note bass and their sluggish heavyhandedness... yeah none of that with these headphones. By the time you realize the power and depth that these things can deliver in the note... right when you brace yourself for the impact the thing is already dancing away and moving onto the next note. So effortless. Like when Jet Li punches at a dude's face but then stops right before impact and the force of the punch blows the guy's hair back... yeah it's like that.
Okay that's enough for now. Time to enjoy. May or may not post impressions against other headphones and other amps. I can't wait til my Dynafet is complete.. I guess my Balanced Gilmore Reference and Dynahi will have to do for now.
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It's not that surprising to me. The game will be changed both when the latest Iphone comes out and yet again when AT&T loses exclusivity.
People are probably merely holding out for the next.
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Was told that I'm official customer #1 and that mine ship today. Woot et all. Double up or not at the 600 dollar price for both hrmmm? Good question. Will post impressions!
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I plan on having parts for 2 ! ;p I bow to you on the single chassis element though
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My pop crush of the day. Spangle call lilli line's Eye.
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I'm up for the finishing that you choose to go with.
I'm in the same boat depending on cost and what lower cost finishings are like.
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Aha so you were the one. I'm glad you finally got it.
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I like listening to something with all my preconceptions thrown out and asking myself if I like it or not for a baseline. And yeah then checking in on that after breaks. Take mood and time/place out of the equation.
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Good luck naamanf! I hope for your safe return.
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Hrm interesting. My thought process is more people are into entitlement and youthful beauty above all other forms of beauty because society has told them they want those things. Have movies and tv shows and all sorts of media in other forms of medium that show people wanting young hot chick and valuing young hot chicks highly. Generally movies will have the female lead/love interest be a young hot chick (There are exceptions, but those are much in the minority. If you want talk about how quality/impact then it becomes slightly more even, but even then ;p A lot of people watch shitty movies and enjoy them) and movies often symbolize on some level the ideal. So you see the main character that you may identify with and then you see his love interest who is into him and she is young hot awesome and interesting.
Well looks is something that you notice and recognize first with regards to attraction. Appreciation for talent/smarts/drive/passion/everything else comes later (In most cases). And first impressions and first impact is generally huge on people. It becomes that which lets you remember that person. Maybe you meet a hot chick named Jane. In your mind it's probably something like Jane - Hot Chick. Eventually it might turn into Jane - Cool Hot Chick, but I think on some level hot chick is always gonna be in there and it was there first so it's almost slightly more core to you when you think of her. Time may change this of course so that it's all about how cool she is rather than how hot. But in a movie where you get only a reader's digest of events no matter how cool the main character is you may never get past the Main Character - Hot Chick stage and your brain may not seize so hard on the other desirable characteristics at least not if you aren't actively trying.
For me I screen out hotness. (Much like in audio I screen out the parts where sound is similar in two dacs). I know it's a movie I know that the chicks esp the main chicks probably are going to be hot and that really doesn't affect my life much (Am I going to meet one and have a shot at one? Probably not) so I look for other characteristics that define and intrigue me about the character. Maybe she's really nice and understanding. Maybe she is straight forward in a way that I like. Maybe she's brilliant. And it's from this that I figure out what my ideal chick is. Qualities that she possesses besides hotness. And I don't think I'm necessarily special because I do this. I think anyone that is a good enough human to move past the "Har har I want to get with a harem of hot jailbait and that's all I want in women" state does this to some degree if at an unconscious level or at a conscious level.
I am a big fan of doing it at the conscious level though because I find that I'm able to do it more effectively and it will get me faster to what I want to figure out. I.e. what my ideal woman should be like. Also you have to figure out what's impossible what's possible and what qualities are mutually exclusive and how rare a quality is as well. These are things you have to do while you are putting together that package of qualities because you have to tier it somewhat. Qualities A/B/C are pretty great and definitely good enough for me to want and women with these qualities are largely available. But Qualities A/B/C/D would be even better. D is pretty goddamn rare and it's very likely I might not find it even if I look my hardest... but is it something I really want? Or is A/B/C + not being lonely and having companionship and sex worth sacrificing D?
Anyway tangent aside ;p Entitlement. Well people are told things like all people are equal.. all people have basic rights... all people deserve this or that. Is it that surprising that people have that sense of entitlement? It doesn't surprise me. It's part of the American Dream. All people do have some basic human rights imo, but do people who feel strongly about it even always know what those rights are? Or did they fudge together a list in their head based on what they think should be basic rights and then go from there being entitled bastards? I think many have done this. It's the sense I get out of any overly entitled person I've ever met or encountered. All people deserve the right to dream and want cool shit, but they might have forgotten the other half of the American Dream and what it means to be American i.e. gots to work hard if you want it. That part isn't emphasized enough. Yes everyone has the right to pursue happiness. Pursue! Not just sit there and whine about and expect someone or something to hand it to and then be real sandy when it doesn't happen. That's not American or really even being a good human imo.
So the shaman story is definitely interesting though I'm not really getting what you are trying to tell me ;p Maybe think about it a bit and try again
I am interested in hearing what you want to tell me First thoughts to that segment: All societies control with fear. It's almost the definition of a society. You deincentivize behaviors/desires and things that you (A society) don't want by making people afraid to want it and afraid to admit they want it for fear of being a weirdo or a freak or unnormal or a bad person. You shouldn't be selfish because that's bad. Guys shouldn't wear dresses because it would be weird (Well what if they want to wear a dress and aren't gay? Why not fucking let them and why make it so hard and make them feel bad while they do it?). This how societies deincentivize you from doing what it doesn't want you to do it. It incentivizes you to do certain things by hooking you up with women, money, a good job or other things when you do what it wants to do.This isn't a bad thing really because society is necessary and a reality, but I think we should be ever examining and always improving on society by taking an honest look at what it does incentivize and deincentivize since I think there are things that are outdated and wrong and all societies can improve and progress and learn from each other. We just have to try and if we don't well I don't see how we will improve as a species. And we do try.. in our own fumbling politically correct way. Progress is made, but I think it can be better and faster
Yeah crazy shit can happen on psychotropic drugs.
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Yeah I dunno why people think that. I'm pretty rational and I value rational behavior but I'm not even going to pretend that my conscious mind is in control even like 1 percent of the time. When you walk are your legs consciously being told what to do? When you pass people by in the halls and you look away or you recognize someone and say hi were those all completely conscious decisions?
I doubt I make any fully conscious decisions. Why did I chose to grab what I grabbed at lunch? My mind can sometimes play catch up after the fact, but if I brought conscious decision making into play then people behind me in lines would be pretty annoyed for good reason.
So I don't know why people think that.
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I mean there were a ton of sources there that I'm not that familiar with. Other then the Parasound which I had just gotten I doubt I'd spent more then like 10 minutes collectively with the 2-3 sources that I have had some experience with and then there were 3-4 that I had not heard of ever at all.
So I guess this is how I go about it. If I listen to 10 sources and they all sound the same I try and figure out what elements sound the same and then stop listening for those areas of sound and then focus more on the stuff that is different. This sounds hard, but I don't do it consciously but instead use intuition. I especially am very sensitive to inconsistency (Whether that is trained or innate I have no idea) so it is not hard for me and frankly I don't think it hard for most people. Most people can intuit what is out of place very, very fast.
The critical next step is reflecting on what your intuition is telling you and consciously figuring out the differences. So you can sense that something is different. Think hard.. how are they different? Again use your intuition, follow it and reflect consciously afterwards.
Maybe you try to do this already and it hasn't worked out. What helped for me was screening out my feelings of awe and this sounds good. Everything does sound pretty good to me. It really does. So I take a few seconds initially to note that and then I shut it out of my mind. Almost shut down my conscious mind and just intuit difference and then go into conscious mind overdrive and repeat.
I may be just faking it and fooling myself though.
Oh yeah and another thing is sometimes you gotta do it several times. Do this process and then throw away everything including what you've just figured out and then try and do it again without bias from the previous attempt. Cut yourself 0 slack in trying to cut out bias and constantly doubt that you did cut it out and generally you actually end up pretty close to being unbiased. And then you see if your previous attempt matches with your next attempt. Again this sounds hard, but with practice it's definitely possible. Just ignore all the bias voices that are telling you to think one way or another. And then after trying that a bit maybe throw everything out and then listen to what your intuition tells you. Is this awesome? Is this the best? Do you even like it? Do you think its worth the money? And if the answer to all those is yes.
Think about what you like about it. What areas does it seem to do well in blah blah.
Usually then I write a review in my head so formalize what I like about it and think about how to express stuff to other people. This really seals the deal for me.
The ultimate DIY? A Stax SRM-T2!
in Do It Yourself
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Awesome looking Kevin ;p Really glad I reentered this ;p Surely won't be too stupid to not get in on cases.