selbi said:

   
Both facts weren't clear to me. It certainly plays as a one-song album, that's for sure. Again though, no idea why you'd split it in half then. Easier to digest I guess? As for the release date, blame Bandcamp for saying it was a 2006 release. I should check my claims before hitting the submit button.. Though it's sad to see that for ten years they've been practically silent in terms of releases.

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They broke up, recently reunited and did a few shows, playing the whole album. Came to tdot as well, pity I couldn't make it.

redcarmoose said:

Ahem ........

Well you have to buy some audio equipment? Yes? What will you get?

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I really want to keep that to a minimum for now since I'd rather reinvest it first and never have to worry about money again.
 
...But I'll probably cave in and at least get a Mojo and NightHawk in the near future so I can hang with the cool kids.
Edit: Bought 'em both!
 
I had already bought a Sony MDR-SA3000 with a gift card, but it's been like ten days and the seller still hasn't updated the online status to shipped. That headphone is listed for $1,000 on Amazon and eBay now since it was discontinued. It's similar to the legendary Sony Qualia 010, if you're familiar with that one. (It typically sells for $5,000 and up on the used market.) In David Mahler's Battle Of The Flagships thread, he mentioned that he thinks the SA5000 is at the same level of sound quality as the Qualia. And the SA3000 is the same headphone as the SA5000 except for different pads, cable, and enclosure, so I'm even more excited to hear how it sounds. (Though some think all three of those are at very different levels of SQ.)
 
The Sennheiser PX 100-II I won in a giveaway doesn't sound nearly as good as my Koss KTXPRO1 even though it's five times the price. haha
 
Oh, and I got a FiiO E11 Kilimanjaro (not to be confused with the A3 aka E11 Kilimanjaro 2 aka E11K) amp last weekend as well. I didn't realize how much the Creative Sound Blaster E1 was messing with the sound. (Whether used as a DAC/amp or only an amp.) I just assumed it was neutral and that my headphones were brighter than they actually were. The FiiO seems to have the same tonal balance as the headphone outputs of my laptop, which is significant because they in turn have the same tonal balance as the Schiit Magni 2 Uber amp and Modi 2 DAC, which have a perfectly neutral (with deviations of 0.1 decibels, which should never be audible) measured frequency response. It's crazy how much musical information is covered up with nonlinear gear. Everything sounds so much more natural with the FiiO. (Though I'm still a little wary of it, whereas I trust Schiit.) Many songs that were irritatingly bright are acceptable now.
 
(So a great tip is to be sure you're using neutral electronics before evaluating the sound signature of headphones.)
 
Annnd if you're really curious about other gear, you can read my profile.
 

selbi said:

Also, wow, you were in an orchestra?

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From my profile: I have been in orchestras, wind ensembles, marching bands, a jazz band, metal band, etc., and have done vocals practically my entire life, piano since ~1993, and trombone and guitar since ~1996.
 

selbi said:

  Both facts weren't clear to me. It certainly plays as a one-song album, that's for sure. Again though, no idea why you'd split it in half then. Easier to digest I guess? As for the release date, blame Bandcamp for saying it was a 2006 release. I should check my claims before hitting the submit button.. Though it's sad to see that for ten years they've been practically silent in terms of releases.

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Their other albums come off more as prog rock than prog metal, but still quite good.
 
And the aforementioned acoustic album has some...emotional moments.
 
If I recall correctly, The Acoustic Verses actually came out in 2005 even though the release date is listed as 2006. I can't remember when I got my copy, but I'm pretty sure it was in late 2005 via mail-order.
 
And yeah, I've been suffering that entire decade, wishing in vain that they'd come out with another masterpiece.
 
They do have a new album coming out called The Rise And Fall Of Mankind, but no telling when.

NVM posted by someone else already

Surprised by the love Ulcerate's latest is getting at the end of the year.
 
I could only make it two songs in before switching to something else, guitar tone sucks and the production is ass too. Very surprised they released it in that form. It's just a travesty when such talented musicians and writers have such poor regard for dynamics and think the Line6 Pod was the best amp ever made. Hell, I think Mayhem's Deathcrush has better production and tone than Shrines does.
 

music alchemist said:

I really want to keep that to a minimum for now since I'd rather reinvest it first and never have to worry about money again.

...But I'll probably cave in and at least get a Mojo and NightHawk in the near future so I can hang with the cool kids.

I had already bought a Sony MDR-SA3000 with a gift card, but it's been like ten days and the seller still hasn't updated the online status to shipped. That headphone is listed for $1,000 on Amazon and eBay now since it was discontinued. It's similar to the legendary Sony Qualia 010, if you're familiar with that one. (It typically sells for $5,000 and up on the used market.) In David Mahler's Battle Of The Flagships thread, he mentioned that he thinks the SA5000 is at the same level of sound quality as the Qualia. And the SA3000 is the same headphone as the SA5000 except for different pads, cable, and enclosure, so I'm even more excited to hear how it sounds. (Though some think all three of those are at very different levels of SQ.)

The Sennheiser PX 100-II I won in a giveaway doesn't sound nearly as good as my Koss KTXPRO1 even though it's five times the price. haha

Oh, and I got a FiiO E11 Kilimanjaro (not to be confused with the A3 aka E11 Kilimanjaro 2 aka E11K) amp last weekend as well. I didn't realize how much the Creative Sound Blaster E1 was messing with the sound. (Whether used as a DAC/amp or only an amp.) I just assumed it was neutral and that my headphones were brighter than they actually were. The FiiO seems to have the same tonal balance as the headphone outputs of my laptop, which is significant because they in turn have the same tonal balance as the Schiit Magni 2 Uber amp and Modi 2 DAC, which have a perfectly neutral (with deviations of 0.1 decibels, which should never be audible) measured frequency response. It's crazy how much musical information is covered up with nonlinear gear. Everything sounds so much more natural with the FiiO. (Though I'm still a little wary of it, whereas I trust Schiit.) Many songs that were irritatingly bright are acceptable now.

(So a great tip is to be sure you're using neutral electronics before evaluating the sound signature of headphones.)

Annnd if you're really curious about other gear, you can read my profile.


From my profile: I have been in orchestras, wind ensembles, marching bands, a jazz band, metal band, etc., and have done vocals practically my entire life, piano since ~1993, and trombone and guitar since ~1996.


Their other albums come off more as prog rock than prog metal, but still quite good.

And the aforementioned acoustic album has some...emotional moments. :evil:

If I recall correctly, The Acoustic Verses actually came out in 2005 even though the release date is listed as 2006. I can't remember when I got my copy, but I'm pretty sure it was in late 2005 via mail-order.

And yeah, I've been suffering that entire decade, wishing in vain that they'd come out with another masterpiece.

They do have a new album coming out called The Rise And Fall Of Mankind, but no telling when.

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Spent time listening to the legendary Sony Qualia Q10, but was also hearing the HD800 for the first time that day. I was looking for more warmth so I maybe didn't hear it like I should. Also heard the AKG K1000s that day out of a big tube amp.

Funny I actually posted in this very thread the 3000s were going to be my next purchase but I never got em. I remember the 5000s being on sale on Amazon for $399 back in 2009.

I believe equipment has a dramatic effect on detail and color.

The problem is that no system is 100% perfect and the way the mind works, we focus on what is wrong. It's like looking a a huge valley in an overlook hillside and starting to focus on one small building with our eyes. The more you look at the building, the bigger it becomes, though miles away. I still hear slight distortion in places and the rig I use now always shows the recording faults, but I just try and concentrate on the music. That's what is great about my portable rig, it does not have the resolution to show me recording or mastering faults so I just listen to the music.

If I wanted to listen to CDs, most of the time I would use an old DVD player which I hooked up to my DAC with a digital RCA. The DVD player stopped working so I was forced to start using my 20 year old Rega Planet as a CD transport. Maybe it's placebo but I seem to hear the stability of the transport.

My coldest and most detailed listen is now going Rega Planet transport -RCA digital to DACMagic Plus. Then RCA analogue to the Schiit Asgard One to the AKG k701s.

I'm going to be doing a pretty big multiple headphone purchases too this week. Just found a new mail order method for about 15 different rare obscure Chinese IEMs. I'm also looking at a FiiO portable DAC amp. It's the Q1 from 2015, at only about $100! It's gets good reviews so maybe it will be my first FiiO product. Cheers!
http://www.head-fi.org/products/fiio-q1-portable-headphone-amp-dac/reviews/14011

SelbiMusic Alchemist

The Burden is Mine.....Alone is my personal favorite by GC. The Acoustic Verses would be a close second though. New music from them would be outstanding. I wonder if the new In the Woods album inspired/provoked/made possible the potential of a new GC album.

navybsn said:

@Selbi@Music Alchemist

The Burden is Mine.....Alone is my personal favorite by GC. The Acoustic Verses would be a close second though. New music from them would be outstanding. I wonder if the new In the Woods album inspired/provoked/made possible the potential of a new GC album.

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Groovy. Here's another track I like by them.
 
The Quiet Offspring by Green Carnation 

A question from an ignorant person who enjoys metal from somewhat afar. What band is generally considered to have been the most influential in the history of the genre? I would say Metallica but I'm an idiot. Thanks for any feedback! I am trying to learn.

serman005 said:

  A question from an ignorant person who enjoys metal from somewhat afar. What band is generally considered to have been the most influential in the history of the genre? I would say Metallica but I'm an idiot. Thanks for any feedback! I am trying to learn.

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Black Sabbath.

Metallica is probably responsible for Thrash Metal enjoying the popularity it has these days, but not metal itself.

Personally, I wonder how influental The Beatles' "Helter Skelter" is to metal. My dad is convinced, dead sure even, that it's "the first ever metal song".

music alchemist said:

  Oh, and I got a FiiO E11 Kilimanjaro (not to be confused with the A3 aka E11 Kilimanjaro 2 aka E11K) amp last weekend as well. I didn't realize how much the Creative Sound Blaster E1 was messing with the sound. (Whether used as a DAC/amp or only an amp.) I just assumed it was neutral and that my headphones were brighter than they actually were. The FiiO seems to have the same tonal balance as the headphone outputs of my laptop, which is significant because they in turn have the same tonal balance as the Schiit Magni 2 Uber amp and Modi 2 DAC, which have a perfectly neutral (with deviations of 0.1 decibels, which should never be audible) measured frequency response. It's crazy how much musical information is covered up with nonlinear gear. Everything sounds so much more natural with the FiiO. (Though I'm still a little wary of it, whereas I trust Schiit.) Many songs that were irritatingly bright are acceptable now.

Click to expand...

 
I had (and lost on a plane) a FiiO E18 that I was a big fan of for quite a while. I felt like it was just as capable as my Schiit Modi/Magni stack (the original models). I think that is still true, but the new Multibit and 2 series ones are likely much better. The FiiO house sound is very relaxed while still being sufficiently detailed. The X1 doesn't pull this off very well, but the E18 really did. The bass boost on it was also really nice for extra loud planes/buses while traveling with crappy headphones that don't isolate well.
 
It's nice to have companies like Schiit and FiiO around that make great products at reasonable prices without turning them into audio jewelry over time. They just keep packing more value into different packages. Both of them love to kill their beloved products and improve them, which I really enjoy.Too many companies in audio tend to keep releasing products until one hits and then they just try to sell that product forever.

Music Alchemist indeed that is a killer track. Thanks for bringing them up. I haven't listened to them in years.
 

sludgeogre said:

   
I had (and lost on a plane) a FiiO E18 that I was a big fan of for quite a while. I felt like it was just as capable as my Schiit Modi/Magni stack (the original models). I think that is still true, but the new Multibit and 2 series ones are likely much better. The FiiO house sound is very relaxed while still being sufficiently detailed. The X1 doesn't pull this off very well, but the E18 really did. The bass boost on it was also really nice for extra loud planes/buses while traveling with crappy headphones that don't isolate well.
 
It's nice to have companies like Schiit and FiiO around that make great products at reasonable prices without turning them into audio jewelry over time. They just keep packing more value into different packages. Both of them love to kill their beloved products and improve them, which I really enjoy.Too many companies in audio tend to keep releasing products until one hits and then they just try to sell that product forever.

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Sludge, do you have a sense of how the Fulla 2 performs for an entry level system?  I only ask as I sometimes have people ask me what a good cheap entry into HP set-ups are and I think you're pretty tapped into what's there. For H.S/ college kids, etc. who only have a few hundred to spend? I originally got a Grado 225 and an Asgard2 and just ran it out of a CD player. But that was way back when the Asgard2 came out-around 2012. In today's market I'd have picked up a DAC. At the time I looked at the Bifrost, but I was still trying to keep the expenses low. Then, after that I went for a more complete system-with speaker and HPs and Sonos and never was in the computer audio market as so many people are. 
 
Working in a H.S., I think sometimes we forget what it's like to be 16 or 17 and have maybe $200-500 saved up from parents or an after school job and want to have a good way to listen to music. They're not going to have CDs, probably just stream and use a computer or their cell. Sometimes I'll talk to H.S. students about audio and I should have a better idea how good you get things to sound for under $500.....

 

markm1 said:

  Sludge, do you have a sense of how the Fulla 2 performs for an entry level system?  I only ask as I sometimes have people ask me what a good cheap entry into HP set-ups are and I think you're pretty tapped into what's there. For H.S/ college kids, etc. who only have a few hundred to spend? I originally got a Grado 225 and an Asgard2 and just ran it out of a CD player. But that was way back when the Asgard2 came out-around 2012. In today's market I'd have picked up a DAC. At the time I looked at the Bifrost, but I was still trying to keep the expenses low. Then, after that I went for a more complete system-with speaker and HPs and Sonos and never was in the computer audio market as so many people are. 
 
Working in a H.S., I think sometimes we forget what it's like to be 16 or 17 and have maybe $200-500 saved up from parents or an after school job and want to have a good way to listen to music. They're not going to have CDs, probably just stream and use a computer or their cell. Sometimes I'll talk to H.S. students about audio and I should have a better idea how good you get things to sound for under $500.....

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I used some fairly hard to drive headphones (even a 600 ohm one) with the original Fulla just fine, so yeah, it performs well with nearly anything. I'm sure you know the Fulla 2 has even more power. (Except at higher impedance.)
 
If we're talking about a total budget of $500, you can get excellent used STAX systems for less than that. Obviously they're not portable, but they sound the best to my ears, if that's what your question was about. The price of more popular dynamic and planar magnetic headphones such as the HD 650 and HE400i has dropped from around $500 to $300 and even $250 now. Most closed-back headphones can't compete with the better open ones in terms of sound quality. The best closed headphone I've heard so far is the Yamaha HPH-MT220. I actually prefer it overall over those two open headphones I mentioned. However, it has a nondetachable coiled cable (unlike its successor, the HPH-MT8) and is quite large. (I don't use in-ear headphones, so I can't give any advice in that area.) Koss make excellent ultra-budget headphones that outperform many three-figure ones, and they're small thus more portable, but they tend to be semi-open, so they leak sound, making them not so portable.
 
Anyway, $500 is certainly not an entry-level price range for those who aren't dedicated audiophiles, ie most teenagers.
 
Speaking of saving up in high school...I saved up $10K when I was that age, but my own mother stole $8K of it! Lesson learned: never get a bank account with anyone else.
 
And there are plenty of high school students who still buy CDs.

music alchemist said:

   
 
 
I used some fairly hard to drive headphones (even a 600 ohm one) with the original Fulla just fine, so yeah, it performs well with nearly anything. I'm sure you know the Fulla 2 has even more power. (Except at higher impedance.)
 
If we're talking about a total budget of $500, you can get excellent used STAX systems for less than that. Obviously they're not portable, but they sound the best to my ears, if that's what your question was about. The price of more popular dynamic and planar magnetic headphones such as the HD 650 and HE400i has dropped from around $500 to $300 and even $250 now. Most closed-back headphones can't compete with the better open ones in terms of sound quality. The best closed headphone I've heard so far is the Yamaha HPH-MT220. I actually prefer it overall over those two open headphones I mentioned. However, it has a nondetachable coiled cable (unlike its successor, the HPH-MT8) and is quite large. (I don't use in-ear headphones, so I can't give any advice in that area.) Koss make excellent ultra-budget headphones that outperform many three-figure ones, and they're small thus more portable, but they tend to be semi-open, so they leak sound, making them not so portable.
 
Anyway, $500 is certainly not an entry-level price range for those who aren't dedicated audiophiles, ie most teenagers.
 
Speaking of saving up in high school...I saved up $10K when I was that age, but my own mother stole $8K of it! Lesson learned: never get a bank account with anyone else.

 
And there are plenty of high school students who still buy CDs.

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Thanks Alchemist-great thoughts as usual. I was thinking the HD600/650 and HE400i would be obvious choices. And, good point, for a lot of kids that would be high end. But maybe the Fulla2 and something in the $100-150 range. And, then so many kids just want to listen to IEMs on the go.My daughter likes her new wireless Beats. I lost that battle-haha!