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Mike FL - Wow, what a nice walkthrough. Great pictures too.
What are the 'high definitions'? That is great service! Two pairs of cables for the price of one.
You can't beat that.
Thanks for putting the link up.
The High Definitions are the basic interconnects that Dimarzio sells. They look exactly like the M-Path. The only difference that I can find when I look at the specs on their site is that they don't have the ultrasonic welding. I'm not sure if that makes an audible difference. I can't even try the ones they sent me. They are way too short at about 1 foot. They would make fine jumpers though. The M-Path should be arriving this week.
The High Definitions are the basic interconnects that Dimarzio sells. They look exactly like the M-Path. The only difference that I can find when I look at the specs on their site is that they don't have the ultrasonic welding. I'm not sure if that makes an audible difference. I can't even try the ones they sent me. They are way too short at about 1 foot. They would make fine jumpers though. The M-Path should be arriving this week.
Ah, I see... I had a pair of those that Headroom lent me before getting the M-Paths. I'm not sure if the ultrasonic welding is the only difference with the M-Path, but it is a definate improvement.
__________________ "For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three."
Moon Audio modded Original CD-2008MK-II / de Almeida Signature Shadow XLR / McAlister Audio Massive Attack / Headphile modded BlackGold recabled AKG K340 OR APureSound V3 recabled Grado RS-1
Can anyone comment on the performance of the balanced outs? I vaguely remember reading something here about the single-ended outs being superior to the balanced outs on this player.
Current primary home rig:Windows XP iTunes -> Headroom Total Bithead -> Grado SR-60 Current primary portable rig:Apple iPod Touch 8GB -> Shure e4c w/ Triple Flange Tips
Can anyone comment on the performance of the balanced outs? I vaguely remember reading something here about the single-ended outs being superior to the balanced outs on this player.
The balanced outputs of the Eastsound are subpar compared to the single-ended outputs. The single-ended outputs use a completely discrete class a output stage. The balanced outputs use opamps and uses phase splitting as opposed to a true +/- signal coming from the dac. These problems with the balanced outputs can be fixed with mods though.
__________________ Team AKG!
Home Rig: Monster Power HTS3500MKII => Eastsound CD-E5 => Grover UR6 Reterminated w/ Eichmann Silver Bullets => Single Power Extreme Platinum => AKG K1000s / Sennheiser HD-595s
Everyone, including myself, keeps repeating that the balanced outs are inferior to the unbalanced, but I don't think anyone has tried them. That said, from a design point of view they do seem to be that way.
I am building my balanced tube amp this friday [merry christmas to me!] and I will be testing them out. If I don't like them I may try opamp swaps, transformer output straight from the DAC or garbz unbalanced to balanced convertor.
__________________ "For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three."
Moon Audio modded Original CD-2008MK-II / de Almeida Signature Shadow XLR / McAlister Audio Massive Attack / Headphile modded BlackGold recabled AKG K340 OR APureSound V3 recabled Grado RS-1
That's true, I had forgotten about that post. I wonder if the balanced outs need burn in though. [they use different circuitry so it does actually make a little bit of sense]
__________________ "For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three."
Moon Audio modded Original CD-2008MK-II / de Almeida Signature Shadow XLR / McAlister Audio Massive Attack / Headphile modded BlackGold recabled AKG K340 OR APureSound V3 recabled Grado RS-1
That's an interesting point, but all those components are powered on with the rest of the player aren't they? Of course you might argue that complete burn-in is not accomplished with just a static current.
To be more accurate can you go six places past the decimal place for a measurement? Just to be sure.
Actually it does appear that the transformer is indeed smaller and the power board is also smaller and different colored. I am thinking that the company that just bought Eastsound, a little while ago, may be outsourcing the transformer as opposed to hand making them special. And probably sourced out some other cheaper parts as well. Bull boogers! I hate to see this happen.
I understood the latest 6th generation model of the E5 featured some parts upgrading - not downgrading.
At any rate the new models sound exactly like the old model.
__________________ Home headphone system: AMPS: Bada PH12 tube/Mosfet amp, Doge 6210 EL84 tube amp. Amp Review. Headphone: Senny HD600/Cardas, AKG K701. SOURCE: Rega Saturn CDP. IC: CT Silver Reference II, which is identical to the Acoustic zen Silver Reference II IC. POWER: Tice Micro power conditioner, Cattylink Analog Research Silver Raincoat cable and ZU Birth cable.
Past recently owned headphone amps: RSA Raptor EM II, ASL MG Head III OTL, G&W T2.6F tube/Mosfet amp, Woo Audio 2, Woo Audio 3, Xian Sheng 708B amp, Lehmann BC linear, Meixing (Ming Da) MC66AE, Headroom Cosmic, Headroom Micro Desktop, Hafler Preamp, RSA Hornet, Stax (with Stax electostatics). Past recently owned headphones: Sony SA5000, Stax (two different), Sennheiser HD650, AKG340, Grado (HP-2 and SR60), Beyerdynamic DT860, Sony (many), Koss (many).
I did try the balanced outputs. The unit does still sound very good thru the balanced outputs. However the RCA's were quieter and revealed more low level detail. To my ear it was noticable but some of it may have been do to the difference in IC's.
It is interesting though that when Eastsound came out with the matching integrated amp (looks identical to E5 and came out after the E5). They didn't bother to include balanced inputs.
BW Maxx
P.S. Going on 16 months now no problems what so ever and the remote still has the original batteries and is going strong.
Linear Mode
