Originally Posted by webbie64
It's got that underlying punch and drive, particularly in the bass, that first impressed me with the Hornet M. And the extra impressiveness of the Predator, to me at least, is in the even more transparent and tonally accurate rendition of the overall sound (deeper soundstage as well, due in part to improved micro detail over the Hornet M).
Yes, I think it's the detail and distinct separation of the instruments that is impressing me the most over the Hornet. I am not very good at describing these things in audio terms, but in my mind what I feel is that the sound went from having a rough edge at 200 hours to a very polished one at 500 hours - like I was comparing a sawed edge of a piece of lumber to the polished edge of a granite countertop. Every note is clear and precise, and the vocals are forward and clean. And the bass... oh boy!!
I am not yet seeing the soundstage as a big difference over the Hornet, although it is quite good, so maybe that is yet to come as I get closer to the 1000 hours. I may also be influenced by my choice of music recently, so I will try to find something else to examine this element more closely.
I must confess to listening a lot to NiN's Downward Spiral lately, which may not be the best choice for evaluating soundstage. But it sure is demanding when it comes to separation and clarity. A bad system can make it sound irritating with the instruments collapsing together in a heap of noise, while a good system can leave your mouth hanging open from a blast of what the uninitiated might call "distortion" but I choose to call "creative use of synthetic tone".
And the bass... oh boy!!! The snap of the bass drum pedal, the elongated bass guitar note, the rumble of a deep organ... all awesome.
The punch and drive is also important to me, so I don't think I would enjoy this amp as much if it were more detailed but more laid back (as many have described hearing from the Pico). Again, I like NiN and Rush and Black Sabbath, but no classical. I like Mahavishnu Orchestra better than Miles Davis, even though I have both. Did I mention I have no classical music at all? So take my opinion on this point with a grain of salt if your tastes are different. But not the rest of my comments, I see those being valid with any music.
This amp has excellent synergy with my iPod line out (via ALO Cryo Dock) and my two primary phones (HD600 & UM2). I find both of these phones to be a bit dark and the iPod needs some punch and bass boosting. The amp pushes through the veil of the phones and wakes up the neutrality of the iPod, while the phones pick up the accurate bass and push it to the correct balance for my taste.
This time last year, my primary portable rig was iPod 5G, Hornet, and UE sf5pros. I upgraded each piece in the past few months and I am really happy with the result. In summary...
I love my stuff!!!
I guess I'm just a happy guy today. Thank you for being here to share this joy with me.