HeadphoneAddict Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 I think it's safe to say I'm just not as discerning as some other people. Our disagreements about the amount of difference between the O2Mk1 and O2Mk2 showed this. I tend to like anything I'm listening to at the time. It could even be a dynamic, such as a Grado RS-1 or AT W5000. I would be interested in seeing Spritzer's horrified expression while he's listening to either of those headphones. I'm still a relative newbie! I've heard a lot of headphones but not that many amps. I've only attended one meet, a long time ago, and haven't pitted my gear head-to-head against others at a meet. I consider doing so to be a good reality check against self-delusion or self-stupidity. That's okay, I actually tend to enjoy most of what I hear as well, and although I can hear the differences between stuff it's not always a "make it or break it" difference. That's why it's so hard for me to sell off stuff that I like but don't listen to - I don't know when I'll be in the mood to listen again sometime. There is also a lot of brain adjustment that needs to happen to make certain cans sound good, and they may not actually be all that good. I can put on my Edition 9 as the first phone of the day and love them. But if I first listen for a while to my O2 or ESP950 or Jade, and then when I switch to the Edition 9 then the Ed 9 sound closed and bloated and forward and dull. I can then switch to the modded D2000 and vs the Edition 9 the D2000 are open and airy and spacious, till I grab my balanced HD600 or stats and then it's like wow, those D2000 are closed with recessed mids and shiney treble. The RS-1 and K1000 or ESW10 don't have that kind of dramatic effect after listening to stats, which makes me finally realize the edition 9 that I have loved for 15 months really aren't as good as I thought. So, it's definitely weird sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elephas Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 When I'm enjoying the music immensely, I tend to think that system is "flawless." Too busy enjoying, and no time to think about any flaws. Of course, the system is not flawless, it's just close to it at the time for me. I'm a comparative type and I mostly evaluate a headphone's or a component's sound by comparing it to another component. I don't have an "ideal perfect sound" in memory or a standard "that's how it sounded live" as a reference. I like to use a variety of headphones because they can make the same songs sound "fresh and new." Kind of like seeing your girlfriend with a different hairstyle, or wearing sexy lingerie for the first time. However, I've been on a long stretch lately with the O2Mk1, about 5 days exclusively. I've been experimenting with the ES-1's tube adapters and a variety of tubes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elephas Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 Obviously I have too much time on my hands today. I thought of some analogies between headphones and lingerie, to prove that I have some imagination. Hopefully someone won't be searching for the terms below and end up here. HD650: plaid miniskirt outfit, conservative white panties K701: white nurse's costume minidress, plus thigh-high boot W5000: short shorts, no top O2Mk2: black skintight lycra catsuit HE60: metal chains wrapped strategically, plus a ball gag and blindfold HE90: matching lace bra and g-string set -- What I meant about comparative descriptions of headphones or components is that I need the comparison to have a reference point. I don't understand many of the reviews of audio gear on 6moons or Stereophile, where they talk about the component without comparing it. For example, I can talk about the HD650 + Zana Deux on its own, and say how it is smooth-sounding, a bit dark and laid-back, some emphasis on upper-bass. I can try to describe its positive qualities, use some songs as examples, examine bass response, treble, etc. But without comparing to the O2Mk1 + ES-1, how am I to know how good it sounds overall? Listening to the HD650 + ZD alone will give me a positive impression, and I'll probably describe it as a good-sounding system. But without a direct comparison, what does the HD650's review's "smooth and refined sound" mean? Just how smooth or refined? Very, somewhat, or not much? To the reviewer, very, but what about to the O2 standard? To me, not as smooth or refined as the O2Mk1 + ES-1, but I'll never know that without direct comparisons. So what use is the standalone review of a component? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepak Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 ... Regarding the professional review front- maybe the reason many reviewers don't compare what they're reviewing to other products is they might actually have to say something *gasp* negative about the product being reviewed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elephas Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 Yes, I agree. All the pro reviews are positive, and the reasoning given is that if the product isn't superlative they wouldn't review it in the first place. I don't find this explanation fully convincing. Without getting into the business of pro reviews, I just meant that they are basically useless to me because they can talk about a component's "great X" or "superb Y" but without a direct comparison to another component that I'm familiar with, I don't really know what they are talking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peanutbutterjam Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 HD650: plaid miniskirt outfit, conservative white panties K701: white nurse's costume minidress, plus thigh-high boot W5000: short shorts, no top O2Mk2: black skintight lycra catsuit HE60: metal chains wrapped strategically, plus a ball gag and blindfold HE90: matching lace bra and g-string set It was quite decent sounding at first, until the mention of "conservative white panties" (Ironically nothing conservative at all about the discussion of conservative underwear ) I guess this also illustrates another very good point, one man's meat is another's poison. Regarding the professional review front- maybe the reason many reviewers don't compare what they're reviewing to other products is they might actually have to say something *gasp* negative about the product being reviewed Its worse than reading testimonials some times. You'd have to shift the positivity scale of the language drastically. Yes, I agree. All the pro reviews are positive, and the reasoning given is that if the product isn't superlative they wouldn't review it in the first place. I don't find this explanation fully convincing. Without getting into the business of pro reviews, I just meant that they are basically useless to me because they can talk about a component's "great X" or "superb Y" but without a direct comparison to another component that I'm familiar with, I don't really know what they are talking about. Totally agree. Which is why I generally don't even bother reading through such reviews in a detailed fashion. I would certainly still read them, but its more for the discussion in matching or the rare comparisons, and I would breeze through all the nice descriptions about how his ears were tamed. Generally not too fruitful. Forums definitely give a better picture, if one screens properly through the fan clubs, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mypasswordis Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 HD650: plaid miniskirt outfit, conservative white panties K701: white nurse's costume minidress, plus thigh-high boot W5000: short shorts, no top O2Mk2: black skintight lycra catsuit HE60: metal chains wrapped strategically, plus a ball gag and blindfold HE90: matching lace bra and g-string set I think your impressions are completely out of whack. You've completely put me off from wanting an O2Mk2, gross. And the HE60 sounds kinda kinky, I'm not sure if I'm into that. The K701 sounds pretty good from your description but is kind of just blah when I listen to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penger Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 The K701 sounds pretty good from your description but is kind of just blah when I listen to it. You must not be pushing the right buttons... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grawk Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 I thought the 701s were technically good, but uninvolving. It doesn't do anything partciularly wrong (except bass response), but it just doesn't do anything particularly well, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penger Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 Yeah. x2 on the uninvolving. It was just kinda there... making it kind of boring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duggeh Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 Is it Melinda Messenger that's wearing these outfits, or Tyll? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fungi Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 I thought the 701s were technically good, but uninvolving. It doesn't do anything partciularly wrong (except bass response), but it just doesn't do anything particularly well, either. The spatial reproduction? I slapped on Baroque Duet with strings, vocals, and trumpet (Wynton Marsalis!), and the space was most realistic on the K701. YMMV and all that good stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grawk Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 given that space is the last thing I look for in headphones, it's not surprising that I didn't find that out about the 701s...when I want space, I tend to listen to speakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeadphoneAddict Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 Sorry Elephas but the HE60 is a Victorias Secret model coming down the runway in a silver string bikini and angel's wings coming off the back... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Chalk Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 I think of her more as the girl next door with plain jane face who, when you finally get her home, has a smoking hot body and is a wildcat in bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mypasswordis Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 Plain Jane face is a bit of a killer for me in real life, but good when dealing with headphones. Also, I laugh every time I see supermodels wearing those ridiculous wings, and if they can't pull off looking hot in them, no one can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peanutbutterjam Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 Sorry Elephas but the HE60 is a Victorias Secret model coming down the runway in a silver string bikini and angel's wings coming off the back... Its just hilarious. I find myself looking at the model the way someone would study a butterfly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elephas Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 You've completely put me off from wanting an O2Mk2, gross. And the HE60 sounds kinda kinky, I'm not sure if I'm into that. Dude, you're complaining?! About a girl wearing those outfits?! Sorry Elephas but the HE60 is a Victorias Secret model coming down the runway in a silver string bikini and angel's wings coming off the back... Ah, this reminds me, I need to download the latest Victoria's Secret fashion show in HD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elephas Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 Er, I better post something Stax-related before a new member jumps in and accuses Head-Casers of being off-topic. I've been listening exclusively to the O2Mk1 for the past week. I put in TF ECC83 smooth plates, Sylvania VT-231 and a quad of RFT dimple top EL34 in the ES-1 yesterday. Sound is good, but not quite at the level of some of my favorite tubes, which are often some of the rarer and more expensive types. So I'm very happy and excited when a relatively inexpensive tube performs well. The TF ECC83 and Sylvania VT-231 are not exactly inexpensive, though. I think the 2C51 types are a better deal. I especially like the Tung-Sol 2C51, which seems to give the O2Mk1 a bit extra clarity and air, similar to the difference between some 5751 and 12AX7. The tubes that I liked less made the O2Mk1 more muddy, stuffy and congested. If I do end up with a BHSE, I'm hopeful of finding that it reduces the O2Mk1 and O2Mk2's darkness and maybe add some air. I have most old stock EL34 types ready, except for TF metal base and the old KT77 types. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Chalk Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 What do you mean, if? Are you still on the fence? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elephas Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 Sorry, I meant that I've been thinking about but haven't canceled my BHSE order yet. My ES-1 was formerly Icarium's and I had it sent in to SP for upgrades. I waited about a year and suffered through Mikhail's BS delays before receiving it in early Oct. 2008. I think by now everyone knows about the problems dealing with Single Power, the delays, outright deception and lies, BS, and also questionable design and build quality. I don't know what to think about Icarium's SS1 power supply. I half expect my ES-1 to break down every time I turn it on. But I've been very pleased with its sound. My reference for comparison is an Aristaeus. I also have an SRM-T1W and used to own a KGSS, which I sold after getting the Aristaeus. I think the ES-1 sounds better than those other amps, and also better than my Zana Deux and dynamic headphones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guzziguy Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 If you can afford it, I suggest you keep your place with Justin and get the BHSE. Then, if after listening to it you decide you don't want to keep it, you'll probably have no problem selling it for no loss. Seems like a win-win scenario to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elephas Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 That makes sense. It's just that with the recent economic problems, psychologically it seems that canceling would be a good decision. I already have the ES-1 and Aristaeus after all. I could sell the Aristaeus instead, but I can't bear to think about doing it. The ES-1, like most other SP amps, is not going to sell easily and would need to be very heavily discounted. I would probably rather keep it. It's easier to "sell" the BHSE, since I haven't heard it yet, and if I cancel my order, probably never will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guzziguy Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 Then it sounds like your decision is easy, just cancel the order. Of course, then be sure to ignore all threads about the BHSE, especially after they are delivered. I wonder if there is a way to ignore threads based on topic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manaox2 Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 How hard are KGSS parts to come by today? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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