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RSA **Predator** A review in stages ** With some "NEW" images on 1st and page 64 . . . - Page 2

post #16 of 684
12/19/07 at 6:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kamal007 View Post
x2
pics are posted all over the place in Ray's starting thread at the top of the forum's opening page.
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post #17 of 684
12/19/07 at 6:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kamal007 View Post
x2
X3
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post #18 of 684
12/19/07 at 8:04pm
Thread Starter 
You guys and your picture lust. Who has a camera?

I found out the Predator has a 15,000uf cap so I can see where a long burn-in is needed. I would speculate, due to the small current flow and large cap that a burn-in of 500 hours or more is needed to realize the full potential of this amp/dac. I know that in the 2 days I have had it on, there have been changes, which is one reason it isn't really fair at this time to compare it to other burnt in amps but I do enjoy hearing the changes and reporting what I hear.

Anyone who buys one of these has to bear in mind that you will not hear what it is capable of for a few hundred hours. As dielectric changes due to the charge going through the wire, resistors change, and of course caps form due to the chemical and metallic properties they possess. There are white papers written on all these properties but I don't feel like citing them right now.
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post #19 of 684
12/19/07 at 8:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tnmike1 View Post
pics are posted all over the place in Ray's starting thread at the top of the forum's opening page.
yeah but we want to see them from different angle, different camera etc =)
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post #20 of 684
12/19/07 at 8:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamato8 View Post
You guys and your picture lust. Who has a camera?

I found out the Predator has a 15,000uf cap so I can see where a long burn-in is needed. I would speculate, due to the small current flow and large cap that a burn-in of 500 hours or more is needed to realize the full potential of this amp/dac. I know that in the 2 days I have had it on, there have been changes, which is one reason it isn't really fair at this time to compare it to other burnt in amps but I do enjoy hearing the changes and reporting what I hear.

Anyone who buys one of these has to bear in mind that you will not hear what it is capable of for a few hundred hours. As dielectric changes due to the charge going through the wire, resistors change, and of course caps form due to the chemical and metallic properties they possess. There are white papers written on all these properties but I don't feel like citing them right now.

Thanks for the clarification re: where it is in relation to its burn in.

I look forward to revisiting your impressions when you can report on its true potential.
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post #21 of 684
12/19/07 at 9:03pm
Did you get the Predator with a chassis or get it naked?
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post #22 of 684
12/19/07 at 9:19pm
Thread Starter 
This has a chassis. Ray mentioned to me that the one in Florida was a new board with no real hours on it. He would have to clarify further. All that I know is that the one I have had 300 hours on it when I received it and that it has continued to change in sound character. I have read that the Predator heard at the meet lacked some detail. To be honest I wouldn't want much more, if any more, detail than what I am getting as it would start to get in the way of the music as being unnatural. With what we all listen to on headphones, in real life, I have never heard except on a rare occasion in regards to detail. I think that the whole experience be it speakers or headphones is hyper compared to real life in order to make up for the fact that it isn't live and isn't the actual event therefore we want more in order to overcome this. I have sat 10 feet from live orchestra performances and listened to solos from singers to violins and have never heard the rosin on the bow, or the sucking in of air that I have heard on recordings.
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post #23 of 684
12/19/07 at 10:23pm
he always tweaks every amp before it makes it out to the first customer. the day i picked up the Raptor he was still tweaking. he probably listens to people opinions at the meets and goes from there...my guess.
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post #24 of 684
12/19/07 at 11:26pm
My mistake. The one in Florida had very little hours and the one in NY had multi-hundred hours. They were 2 different units. Sorry for being a butt-insky.
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post #25 of 684
12/20/07 at 1:06am
Stop teasing us how does it sound!
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post #26 of 684
12/20/07 at 1:22am
Thread Starter 
Well I have been describing that to a point. Right now it is a little bright (350 hours) but the bass impact is excellent, male and female voices (K.D. Lang, Shadow Land) are very good and do not get lost in the mix. This little thing throws a wide and fairly deep sound stage but again, it needs time to fully form/settle/break-in. What still amazes me is how far portable amps and now usb/dac/amps have come in just a couple of short years.
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post #27 of 684
12/20/07 at 1:35am
Very cool, thank you!

Lots of really nice pics at your pbase link too btw! Keep shooting!
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post #28 of 684
12/20/07 at 1:55am
I'm very excited. I can't wait to pick mine up!
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post #29 of 684
12/20/07 at 5:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamato8 View Post
Well I have been describing that to a point. Right now it is a little bright (350 hours) but the bass impact is excellent, male and female voices (K.D. Lang, Shadow Land) are very good and do not get lost in the mix. This little thing throws a wide and fairly deep sound stage but again, it needs time to fully form/settle/break-in. What still amazes me is how far portable amps and now usb/dac/amps have come in just a couple of short years.
I've still got the now well-used naked Predator prototype that I posted about in my blog some time ago, and a black-on-black production Predator on order. After all this time with the naked prototype, it's safe to say my sonic impressions are very similar to yours, John.

I can't wait for my production Predator to arrive, so that I can stop worrying about setting this naked prototype on anything conductive.


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post #30 of 684
12/20/07 at 10:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamato8 View Post
There are white papers written on all these properties but I don't feel like citing them right now.
Hi Jamato,

Can you PM to me the link of white papers regarding burning in period, coz somebody from the other forum is looking for this fact sheet. and I'm interested too.

Thanks a lot.
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Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Portable Headphone Amps › RSA **Predator** A review in stages ** With some "NEW" images on 1st and page 64 . . .