Iron_Dreamer

Well Dave, I guess I'm still a kid, because diet soda tastes like cleaning fluid to me! Last thing I bought...does shipping something FedEx to a fellow Head-Caser count?

Just out of curiosity, what soundcard did you use for the input of that RMAA test?

Well Grado has no trouble making overpriced headphones. To me the RS1 is worth about $400, the PS1 not much more than that, likewise for the GS1000. Oddly enough the only Grado I feel merits a high cost, the HP1000, only cost $400 or so when it was new. Go figure.

So which transistors do you like for the CKKIII, X? I've been thinking of putting one together just for shits and giggles, as it looks like a really good amp for the cost, and not terribly stressful to construct.

Just keep an eye out for the right deal, or anyone hinting at selling one. I certainly wouldn't have sprung for them at the $2500 they seem to command sometimes nowadays, and only did so because I found a reasonable deal. I didn't get the box, but I also didn't have to pay near that much.

Somehow, I don't recall this...go figure!

LOL, well whatever works for you, I guess I didn't hear that DAC doing any much better than the DA10 I had to compare it with at the time. We were using a DV50 as the transport.

I listened to the GS1000 at the last meet for a little while, it sounded nice enough, without as much of the typical John Grado sound colorations, but there definitely wasn't the sense of holyshitbass I've had with the Ed9 or L3K at first listen. That would be a fun comparison though. Some would say the PS1 would be more appropriate than the GS1K, but I've never been too taken with it. Hopefully I can get my hands on an Ed9 one way or another...

Thrashed might be a better word for it. I was not too impressed by that piece the one time I heard one, certainly not for the cost.

Hmm, that's odd, I rarely have problems with it in foobar. What plugin version are you using? I could send you the one that works for me.

I think your wallet needed to catch its' breath

So just how many of the L3000 run are in the hands of Head-Casers? I'm aware of those owned by myself, jpak, dusty, hirsch (>1 ?), ayt999 (>2 ?), tkam, 909, hungrych...any others? That's about 2% of all the L3000's right here.

Damn straight, yo! Though it was preceded by a selling spree

Damn edit window, that second latter should read former (as if you couldn't figure that out anyway). Anyway, yeah, they're pretty kickass. I was initially more reserved, but their kickassedness is continuing to come on strong.

There is little doubt in my mind now that the L3000 is a better headphone than the W5000 (even balanced). Even though the soundstage is smaller, instruments are definitely more distinct from the L3000. This really surprises me. I also get a stronger sense of contrast between good and not so good recordings. The latter leave me wondering if these headphones are worth their value, while the former show me why they are.

Yeah, the L3000 has no problem with the generally fast music I like. I'm not having any problems with sounds blurring together. There is a reigon of treble that sticks out a bit more than I recall being the case with the W5000. But it definitely had a hotter upper midrange (which many people mistake for treble), which could be the source of the "more detailed" claims. I'd say the Apogee's headphone amp sounds better, the only real problem I could detect with it was the lack of soundstage depth. Whereas the DA10's could sound a bit dead or dull, depending on the headphones used. Not that either is a world-beater, and I've not compared them directly.

Thanks guys, I'm definitely having fun with them right now. Having only heard them at meets before, I am finding a few surprises. The bass isn't quite as overwhelming as I recall at meets (perhaps due to lower SPL's at home?) and the midrange detail is really surprising me. On a few of my reference tracks I've noticed both substantive music details as well as background noises that I'd never heard any of the past headphones I've owned (SA/W-5000 included). Granted I haven't heard the L3000 at length in perhaps 18months, so it's hard for me to comment about how they sound in other systems. But there's nothing about how they sound with the Apogee to suggest it's a sub-optimal match. The bass and midrange are glorious, and the treble does its' job. Of course the soundstage isn't remarkable, but that's not what I have an L3000 for. Being that I know you already have and like the Apogee, I don't see much reason to go off it. The question is more one of will the L3000 fit what you're looking for in a headphone.

I don't if it's THAT great an opportunity. I could have sworn I saw one on the 'gon a few weeks ago for $1k, and it sold nearly instantaneously.

Your L3K's in yet, jpak? I just picked up a set yesterday in a trade for my W5000:

It's hard not to get one when you're leaving Costco...

Omega II + KGSS does it the best for me. The R10 is also very nice. I'd mention the K1000, but I'd just as soon use real speakers

I think we could annihilate him rather quickly, no?

Dear god!

Of the USB DAC's I've tried at length, none showed significant sonic differences between their USB and SPDIF inputs. On those which have had AES/EBU input, I've noticed it to have a small yet positive effect on flow and PRaT. Is it worth using an expensive interface just to get AES/EBU? Probably not. If one is just playing back music, I don't see much need to use a sophisticated pro-audio soundcard if your DAC has USB. If you actually need features like word clock, AES/EBU, low-latency, multi-channel mixing, etc, perhaps such a soundcard would be a worthwhile addition.

I've settled on the Apogee Mini-DAC. Until I can afford a $10k+, I think it does the job admirably. Its' DAC section is up to the class, the headphone output is quite worthwhile (better than the Lavry and Benchmark's), and the sound signature is to my liking (not so much the case with the Aqvox, it's a bit too laid-back). BTW it's the MkII Aqvox that has the good headphone amp (albeit a bit voltage-limited, in terms of maximum loudness). The Apogee and Lavry are quite similar partswise and soundwise, but the Apogee is a lot more versatile, and I found the clicky volume know of the Lavry a bit irritating (esp. compared to the Apogee's smooth pot). I've used the M902 a lot in the past, and it's got a very nice headphone amp, but the DAC section is very unimpressive (I actually prefer the output of my RME card). It does have great ergonomics, features, usability and build quality though. But you do pay dearly for it compared to the others. I found the Opera very satisfying soundwise, but the features just weren't there. The lack of digital inputs (optical and AES, my two most commonly used), as well as the awkward switch, and annoying clicking relay were issues that put me off of it. I've never much liked the current headroom amps, they've always sounded somewhat dark and Sennheiser-esque (or was that just the Wadia player they're always hooked up to). But being that I've only listened at meets here and there, it's hardly a definitive opinion. I do think the ergonomics are a bit lackluster compared to some of the others here (though better than the Opera).