bhjazz

It was weird to slide the balance control and expect the sound to go the same way. Confusing. And I wasn't even drinking. much. There was an odd glop of glue holding the driver in. I didn't want to cut it off for fear or ripping a new one in the driver itself. Still, it felt a bit funny on my earlobe. But I suppose someone will say, "that's normal". Oh well. Another pair on the way. And if this pair is wrong, backwards, wonky or weird, at least I'll know what to do: post here first!

oops. Damn. Hell yeah it would have been easier. I stared at them for a while before making the drive back, wondering if there could have been a way. Next time for sure!

btw, I totally don't get "yeah dude, like totally it was real!" doesn't make the "burn-in" so, so..ehm...totally...

Well, we'll have to get smeggy to wear a hat...so the good doc can focus on the problem at hand...

Really? wtf

Yup. Right outtta the box. WTF? I was prepared to jump into a pair of SR-325i's, but after listening to them compared to the RS-2, I opted to upgrade. The RS-2 just sounded smoother and much more musical and relaxed. The demo pair was nice with not alot of hours, so I knew the sound would only get better. I paid my bill and brought home a sealed box. Hoo-yeah! After an hour, I heard the first stage of break in pass by...waitaminute....really? Yes, the sound had a very obvious change and I had to review the last few tunes to really believe it. Cool. Then I started listening more critically. It was then that I started fiddling with the balance. I slid the balance control to the right and...the sound went left. Huh? I tried in the opposite direction and found the same..opposite..ah hell, you know what I mean. I ended up bringing a different head amp downstairs to the big rig and connecting directly to my cd player. (No, neither of me headamps are incorrect, nor are my HD600s.) Yup. Left=right and right=left. I'm sure this has happened before, but I just didn't like it. The dealer I bought them from is 25 miles away (one way) so two trips in one weekend was pretty costly, not to mention the irritation of passing Safeco Field during a Mariners game (twice), and Seattle Center during "The Bite of Seattle" (twice). Ouch. I'm honestly not sure what I'll do when the dealer gets a few new pairs in. While I really liked the sound, what a hassle for new gear. Nothing more here than an odd complaint. Jump in, spam me, whatever.

So I'm only about two weeks late, but add IC + 1 set. Blame Trevor for my inability to keep up.

That's what I meant and you know it!

"Greatly improved transient power response, bass impact, and definition." I had a similar one of these in a car audio install years ago (with no digital readout). The idea is this: your car battery is in the front of the car, and your three amps are in the back. When you system is turned up, it can suck power more quickly than the battery can charge up the line. With a large capacitor working as a small fast-acting battery near the amps, you get power more quickly. Did I notice a difference? Actually, I did. Although I couldn't describe it now...

OMG. The 681. A close friend that my mother worked with was a very important person in my musical growth. He's the one who would send home lists of albums that I just had to buy. I was 15. Aja. Larry Carlton. Pat Metheney. Then, because he had purchased some new gear, he gave me his 681. I dropped it onto my Garrard TT and was blown away. Compared to what I had, it was miraculous. Yes, the seeds of audiophilia had been scattered in my brain. Thanks, Doug, wherever you are! Upstateguy: there are still ots of places that sell replacement tips if you need them. I think NeedleDoctor has 'em. Enjoy!

This rocks. Great work. I was a little surprised when my userid wasn't working, but I fingered it out. By the way, the forum is pretty goddamned fast now. What a welcome advantage. Thanks for making it work so well.

Found a few articles out on enjoythemusic. Might be worth mining at that site........ http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/archives/sound_practices/

I was thinking that same thing. I think it would really make a difference with this unit.

I just took a look at the ram upgrades for that unit. That's a serious amount of work for the money! They must work faster than me. The mods definitely seem to attempt to get the unit closer to "neutral" than anything else. But keep in mind that one man's neutral might be totally different on a different system. I think a majority of the mods could be left in place, and working with output caps might be able to tame some of what you are hearing (in spite of what they say are "the best" caps). Dunno. Might be worthy to bring a portion of this discussion into another area of the forum to pick some brains. Okay, back to work for me!

I'm not sure what your timetable would be for this, but I might be able to get it in line. I've currently got two repair projects right now and two builds, but let's chat. Could you describe what the RAM mods were to the unit? What did it sound like before the mods? Between the two, we might be able to come up with a fix. Difficult to say at this point... Also, have you talked to RAM about your lack of satisfaction? Brian

Rik at EVS (twekaudio.com) has recently changed his options for the Oppo in a major way. I am concerned because all the original options for these units look like they are no longer available. (I check the internet wayback machine to find the older versions) So whether these new mods with the 32 bit AKM 4397 DAC are truly a big step up, or whether Rik is just enjoying his job remains to be heard. I was considering the exact same thing you are doing: a second machine that plays everytghing that my big rig downstairs does. Then I considered doing the upgrade work myself, but found that much of what these guys do is undocumented, so that would mean I would get maybe 50 or 75% of the upgrade benefits. Hm. Anyway, ramblings aside (aside my morning coffee) I'm sure the Oppo has gained it's status for a good reason. But Denon has been making players for years, really, so I would add that in as a serious contender. Plus there are some tweak shops that upgrade the Denon. Between the two costs (player + mods), that would get your costs up to $1K pretty easily. Also, I had not considered mods before I heard a Modwright unit. It changed my mind. Wow.

I could take in some of that. Likely lots of abandoned units out there somewhere...

/drools Somebody asked for pictures?

First off, what do you like? How about colors? Do you like wood, metal? How about styling? Retro? Cool? Spacey? Get an idea in your head of what your likes and dislikes are first. Browse through as many photos as you can stomach of DIY heapdhone gear. Some are amazing, some are not. Find some similar ideas then go to work changing it the way you would rather have it look. Once you have roughted out the idea, and you can draw it too, if that helps, get back to the photos you've seen and find out what case was used and where it might be available. Lots of people ask about cases so be sure to read through the thread linearly. You are likely to find the answer. If you can't find the answer, ask around or ask the builder. Shop online. Lots of crazy cool ideas out there, some not even sold in electronics stores. Shop locally. As you begin to rough it out, begin matching what knobs and jacks might look good. There are hundreds of posts about knobs on these forums, so just search and search for them. They are there. Once you have parts, decide how they could be mounted. In a straight line? Around a curve? Design it on paper before drilling. Tools: Pencil, paper. Drill. Eyeballs (for viewing and searching). You can drill plastic as well as metal, but the drill speed needs to be slower with plastic ) or it will melt while you work. Read, read, read through the DIY forums. There is honestly so much already here. I'll try to keep feeding ideas.

Consider the CK2III. Far more musical than I had expected, mildly challenging build and good cavalli design. Parts are fairly easy to source, and I understand that swapping parts doesn't make a huge difference so you can stick with the standard bom. What's not to like about that!

Chekhonte, sorry to disappoint. We've tried to negotiate some day other than Saturday, but it doesn't work as well. But hey - this is in the future. Could you ask for the day off this far in advance? maybe....

Xcelite 170M nippers. Sharp as hell, nice clean cuts. Tweezers: two sizes, could use more. One holds items vertically, one holds them horiz. In combination they are...well, they're still tweezers. But since they stay closed instead of opened, they can hold stuff while I wait for the iron to get hot, or while I get another glass of Merlot. I don't know about my favorite wire stripper. I acquired one of these recently. Not a bad tool. However, but the gripper portion can sometimes leave tooth marks on the wire casing and I think that looks tacky. I should get a different one.

Had a girlfriend like that once.

Hey Nenso, you're certainly welcome to come on down. the list I posted on the Fi includes a few Vancouverites (roastpuff being one). If you have a userid over there you might pm them and hitch a ride down. As for the rain, well, yeah. But that just means you get to spend more time inside with your headphone rig!

Seattle Spring meet: 3.22.08!!! I like the numerology of it (3*2) +2=8. The next two meets should be doozies. Spring will begin our push to get more vendor participation, and at least one summer meet will be hosted by Gil who is donating his garage space and two-barrel barbecue. So March...June...September...December...and maybe more. Last weekend's mini meet was a lot of fun, but I hope in the future we can have mini meets as well as "last minute" meets so that everyone can participate. I also want to give some thought (with all of you, as well) to building up some themed meets. Yeah, that's right. No challenge in just bringing all of your gear. How about a Desert Island gear meet? A "cheap and dirty" meet with voting? Maybe an analog-only challenge... Lots and lots of ideas to consider. Date 3.22.2008 Location: Broadview Library Seattle 12755 Greenwood Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98133 12755 Greenwood Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98133 - Google Maps Time 11:00 am to 5:45 pm. More time than ever! (we can move to LWTC in Kirkland if the group grows) 1.9.2008 At our previous meet in November, we had five new members show up. If you're reading this now, c'mon down! If you wish to attend, but do not want to join here just to post, send email to seattle.headfi at gmail.com which was created for this purpose. If our group grows into the low 20s, we'll move to LWTC in Kirkland. It should be fairly affordable, and the rooms look nice. Who Will Be There? 1. bhjazz 2. socrates63 3. Big Poppa 4. Joshatdot 5. WittyzTH 6. xtreme4099 7. Mr. Tadashi 8. iamoneagain 9. Thesrot 10. smeggy 11. mthsuperior (hopefully! Vancouver Island) 12. roastpuff (Vancouver BC) 13. AudioCats 14. crewchief 15. bigsojoe 16. mochimon 17. dgbiker 18. Optional 19. Steniacho 20. FooTemps Yes, this thread also appears on the much slower other site, but just wanted to get the word out over here.