KenW
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Posts posted by KenW
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I suspect an ES-1? Come on, if we're gonna help fund it, you at least can tell us what you're getting so we can live vicariously through you.
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The headphone out is perfect with Grados. I personally think that it is better than most dynalo implementations I have heard in this respect.Me?
I will be selling mine shortly to finance my amp. Hopefully the Zapfilter upgrade to my CD-E5 brings it up to around the same level as the DA10 in terms of its analog output stage.
Do tell! Shoot me a PM with the details on the dac, cables, etc....
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Well, I checked with hirezaudiovideo.com and they will have the "stack" in a couple of weeks so I won't need to sweat the customs end. Curious about warranty and repairs and who I'd need to return the item to? Wonder if it's hirez or it goes straight back to the manufacturer in Korea?
I've been on the fence about the MKII and Lavry plus this little stack and the BelCanto DAC3 but can't seem to make up my mind. The temptation to go balanced has been with me for some time so I'm pretty sure I'd end up taking the plunge if I spent the dough and got the MKII.
GE, be sure to post some impressions when you're ready. Very interested in hearing about this dac.
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At least from the internal pictures I've seen, it looks quite a bit like a single-ended version of the 220, as far as the output stage and chips used go. However from what I recall, it didn't have seperate transformers for analog and digital, and the transformer is of a different type than the 220's.
Knew it wouldn't be that easy. More research required I suppose! OTOH, I can't wait for GE's impressions as far as the new dac compares to the others(lavry) he's heard. Hurry it up GE!
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It looks pretty well done to me. I would be very happy if I made a product like that.
For some, I'm sure it lacks the "bling-bling" factor. Cram it full and it's gotta be great, right? Dude, when you gonna have the next incarnation of the ae-1? I need a portable amp!
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... I should have a new Stello DA100
The DA100 appears to essentially be the single-ended section of the new DA220MKII
Hmmm....another prospect! So have you been able to confirm that it is, indeed, the single-ended section of the MKII??
So, what sort of customs/duties/taxes are you looking at when that baby arrives? Another dac to choose from! At this rate, I'll never make up what little mind I have!
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I know I shouldn't covet or be envious but whew....dem some sweet cans Alex!
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Dimensions, going off memory, would be about 8" x 11" x 1.8", weight, hmmm my guess would be 5-6lb.
The headphone amp is pretty good, I'd compare it to a Gilmore Lite (w/o upgraded PSU). I'd say you'd need a tube amp (different flavor) or medium-high-end SS amp to be worth using instead.
I bought mine from Soundpure.com, and it was a very good experience. I know they are also carried at mercenary.com, from which I've bought other things in the past.
Thanks Dreamer. I've got an email in to Sound Pure and will check the Mercenary.com site. Guess I might get some cables made up and toss the Lavry or DA220 MKII in with the GCHA for an office rig. Appreciate the help. The Lavry is the right size plus it's not going to cost me like the new Stello would. Tough choice.
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First, does anyone have dimensions and a guess on weight?
Second, how's the headout on this unit? Decent or great job with Grados?
Finally, anyone know of a good online source for purchase of this DAC?
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Sounds like the 5000 might not be my cup of tea either. Is it just me or is every can this side of the Grado HP series somewhat coloured or weighted to one end or the other? Where's the balance??
For those of you with the W5000 and who've heard the 701, how would you say they compare in terms of bass(depth vs impact)? Would you say the 5000 is brighter?
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Btw, on a non-related issue, you did hear about Zidanes reason for throwing that headbutt didn't you? Seems Materazzi insulted his mom and sister thereby provoking that outburst. Of course, Materazzi denies making such statements. Not sure who to believe.......but since Materazzis mom died when he was a teen and the mere talk about mothers chokes him up, it does seem like Zidanes explanation rings hollow. Since my wife lost her mother, the topic tends to have that same effect on her. Methinks the big Z just went with what sounded good.
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so then you are a sellout giving them tons of free advertisement since they offered you a freebie IEM?
why can't I get people like you. 
Gimme a pair of those L3000's and I'll give you all the free pub you could want/use!!
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*grabs knife* I won them at the National Head-Fi meet *twist* they were sent to me straight from SHURE. *adds more salt*
Damn!! Thank you sir....may I have another!<whack!!whack!!>
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if your fingers are getting shredded, you're doing something right! just make sure not to play so much that you rip through what's growing down there that you need to keep - the developing permanent calluses. tip - start to bleed? gone too far.
Nope. No bleeding. Just tiny roundish, callous like pads on the tips of my first three fingers. None on the pinky so far.
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WTH!?!!?!! How did you get those so fast? I thought the new release date was Aug 1?? Can this day get any freaking worse?! Damn, my laptop battery is dying!
Hey, thanks for the pics. Can a have a bit more salt for the knife before you twist it again?
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Yep, I figured an amp would come somewhere down the line. Still miles to go though. Fingertips look like they've got a bad case of crotch rot at the moment. Heck, I can't even feel the keyboard to type well! Time and patience.....time and patience.
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nnnnnnnniiiiiiiicccccceeeeeee......
Thanks. Now if I could just figure out what those 6 little wires are for!
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Since I had the camera out, I thought I'd take a few pics of the new guitar. Did I do good??
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They replaced it with UPC-200 (& UPC-200HB).
Thanks. Didn't know that was a "replacement" but simply another option. Guess they do tend to fill the same nitch although at a bit of a different price level. Don't really need/want anything with that big of a footprint though. If the photos are representative, it appears the 200 is a good bit larger than the UO. Looks like I'll need to get back to researching or stick with my Tripplite Isobar.
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I was informed that they were stopping production. Anyone know what's going to replace it if anything?
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Well, I enjoyed the etys tremendously....when traveling. Nice isolation which was what I really needed as I tend to fly a good bit. Even the lack of bass didn't bother me as I could eq them with the Karma and get a respectable, if not natural, result. My relationship with the ety soured when cracks of the tubes came. I'd babied those things like they were nitroglycerine coated and they still cracked. Had ety repair them and sold them. When I lose faith in a piece of gear, it's over....for good. Then I moved on to the E5c. As was mentioned earlier, they are a bit rolled off on the top end but from a comfort standpoint, these were sweet. Bass was deep and plentiful as well. Isolation wasn't as good as the ety but still quite acceptable as crying children and loudmouths on the flights were still tolerable.
I'm IEM-less right now as I await the arrival of the E500. I still have a need for isolation and portability so I doubt an IEM will ever be totally out of my setup but I tend to think a closed can might be best for home use. Actually, I've got the itch to give the L3000 a whirl. Problem is that no one seem to want to sell at the moment. Alex has 3...THREE of those and that's after he sold some off!! Yikes!! And KenW just want ONE pair. Where's the justice!?!
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Nope....no Senns anymore. After spending a good amount of time with the 701, the 650 and then the GS-1000, I decided that the GS1K fit me best. I found myself listening to those cans almost exclusively. Much better/clearer top end with the Grados than the Senns plus the bass was pretty darned nice as well. Not the impact the Senns had but close. Mids were fine and these were so doggone comfortable that the Senns just couldn't hang. While the GS1K might not be the ultimate headphone....well they aren't...and they might have some issues/flaws....well the bass could be tighter and more controlled....they certainly give me the best all round performance to date. I'm just "satisfied" with these. As i said...they suit me fine. Hence, the 701 and 650 have departed and I miss them not!
As for the SP, Mikhail could surely work the pre-amp function for you. He did a loop out for me. At the time, it just suited my needs to do the loop out. The ES1 would probably be at the top of my list if I were going that route. Actually, I'm very tempted to do so. OTOH, a balance source is also something I think I want to try/explore. Question is do I go with a stand alone CD player or do the transport/dac? Frankly, I think I'm going the latter as it offers me more flexibility as I also want to toy with a computer based setup. My type are that way you know!
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There seems to a lack of amp which can do headphones and speakers all in solution one with equal aplomb. I have owned one or two of them and I find they may excel in one area but end be deficient in the other.
THe problem probably lies in the fact that even though they both produce music it's in the way it is produced with is different which in end giving amp manufacturers a hard time producing a amp which excels in both areas.
I myself like you have decided to go the one amp route. I have chosen the melos for this purpose. It will have to drive my headphones and drive speakers as well.
It may not be the final word for this purpose but I quite like the headphone section and it preamp abilities is not to shabby either. The cary does intrigue me but I think it might not be a good choice to partner it to one of my fave headphones.
The moth is an interesting prospect like the cary. Would you care to go into more detail why it did not work out for you? I am open to both the pluses and negatives of the amp. If you rather do this via PM you know where I am.
Good luck in your search Ken.
Thanks GRW. I think you might be right in that expecting one amp to do it all to the level of expectation/hope is asking too much. Granted, it's all from reading opinions of others but that seems to be the consensus. I had hoped the Cary might be the answer but far too many comments about the headphone performance. For now, that would be of primary importance as the wife is still giving me problems about adding speakers to the entertainment room. Guess I could put my foot down but that won't make for a harmonious coexistance. Hmmm....speakers or the wife.....guess giving in on the speakers is the cheaper alternative, no?
As to the 2A3, I found it did the HD650 extremely well but the Grados did not fare well at all. I got some feedback/hum with all my Grados. The solution was far too expensive and only added to the growing cost of this amp. I had a few functional issues which necessitated a return to Craig for repairs. At 75lbs, it's certainly not inexpensive to ship it across the country! I guess I got frustrated with the piece and really lost my shirt by selling it. In hindsight, I probably made a mistake in moving that one. After all, Craig had virtually rebuilt the thing so it likely will give the new owner nothing but consistent, beautiful performance. Simply put, I'd just had enough and was ready to move on to something else.
So the Melos works for you? Can you tell me more about it? I'm assuming you're referring to the sha-1? i'd briefly considered that one but came across some reports of reliability and got scared off by those comments. Maybe I need to reconsider?
OTOH, I'm pretty well satisfied with the MPX3 slam. It's performing quite well with my Sony and GS-1000's so I'm content.....for the time being. Of course, my "type" is never truly satisfied. Just love the smell of new gear I suppose. So give me the skinny on the Melos. Email or PM is fine. Heck, lay it on me here. I don't mind.
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Didn't you have the Moth Si2A3? I believe that was an integrated stereo amp in addition to having a headphone out. That seems to be a pretty good all-inclusive option for the few users out there. I may end up having Craig build me one so I can use that as the center of my rig, to drive my headphones and a set of cicadas I plan on getting.
Other than that, the Cary is probably your best bet.
Yes, I owned that amp but "issues" led to her departure.
your looking for us to enable your indecisiveness? If your desire is a fresh new gear smell more so then having a good amp, go ahead... if you enjoy your sound, keep what you got. I never got your type that has to have something new in rotation all the time. Stop looking at what other people have and just enjoy what you got man. (I.E don't rely on head-fi for your purchasing neeeds, just forget that new things come out and enjoy your stuff)
Uh...since when is seeking feedback from more experience members who've had the opportunity to sample far more gear than I have "indecisive"??? Seems I'm simply seeking some advice/guidance. I do like trying new things but of late it seems like I'm spread thin. Just too much unused gear which I have been selling off of late i.e....streamlining/downsizing. Just figured I could take it one step further and perhaps not have a separate amp for headphones and speakers. If I could find one that would to both justice, it seemed a logical move on my part. I haven't had speakers since getting married so I haven't been keeping up with them and the associated hardware. Figured there would be other headphone fans who've been down a similar road who might have valuable information so I asked. Don't see the problem with asking for some help/advice. FWIW, I do enjoy what I have but at one point in time, I had speakers and while headphones are nice, they aren't at that level...for me anyway. Hey, thanks for you contribution....such as it is.
i forgot to ask, why do you need an amp that does both?
Like I said, I enjoy headphones but miss speakers but don't really want to invest in two separate rigs if I can get one that does both reasonably well. Clear?
KenW, there is a Cary selling for $1900...
Actually, there are a few Cary's and I had a long talk with Kevin at Upscale but upon further review, I decided that it wasn't for me in spite of his generous pricing.
Can you ask Mikhail to turn it into a pre-amp? So that way it could be part of a 2 channel front end if you like the sound it gives you? I am sure something could be discussed between you.
It would be good to hear how you got on with the L3k's and K1k's. I have never heard a set of K1k's.
Yep, he could and likely would do that for me. That was an option we discussed early on but I enjoyed the loop out on the GS-1 I had in for a brief time so much that I chose that route instead. As for the L3000's and K1000's, I've not been able to snag either for a listen yet. Have doubts that I'd be totally taken with the K1000 presentation. As you know, I'm a bit of a basshead so these likely wouldn't last long with me but I'd sure like to give them a listen with the right amp. The L3000 is pretty much the same deal. Just can't lay my hands on a pair. They sound like a fantastic headphone and someday I'll get some quality time with them.
why can't I get people like you. 
Couple of questions on the Lavry DA10....
in Home Source Components
Posted
I thought he had the HE90 from that last batch? Hmm......now I'm really curious.