O2 vs TOTL - Page 9

Argh! 

In my opinion, the O2 sounds great, and is a damn good value for its price.  Just don't expect me to cancel my BHSE order anytime soon, though.

Come on people I didn't want to be ellitist. In electronic design and headphone I am a profane like you.

BUT hear my experience in loudspeaker world, I had 15 years ago a bi-amplified old Meridian M2 pair of speakers and grew up with it. Enjoying it so much and become acustomed to its qualities and sound signature. One day I screw up by connecting it to my Stick Chapman with a preamp. I blew up one channel tweeter. Being an old and rare dead tweeter, I changed it for the modern counterpart (not spending more than 150€ for a pair of tweets). But then the sound was no more pleasant no matter the level matching fiddling.I was sad my beloved speakers were no more...

So I thought like all of you, well high end is for stupid rich smart ass. I know better! So I went down the road of passive speaker driven by power amps. Didn't care for the sound I was getting, and I tried all the hype and DIY stuff of the days, and listen to music less and less. I should note that I LOVE music so much I graduated from master degree in Musicology. I sold it all..

Then I thought maybe a pair of studio monitors will do it! I bought a very nice pair of bi amped Yamaha, and an Adam subwoofer! The sound was big detailed, flat, precise, dynamic you name it! Still the sound was harsh and I didn't enjoy listenning to music anymore. It was all analytical and fatiguing... I said WTF I spend over a grand on speakers and it's not enough!!?

I sold it all and lay down the bux for a modern Meridian system as it is what I loved in the first place.. Guess what? I was in heaven again!

Just to say electronic manufacturers, at least the honest ones like Meridian know better! They too disreguard the ********ers and those who tag high prices to fish the poor profanes..

Just find a honest maker and listen to the end users, they like me have some experience..

Saying high end is for dumbass is insulting at least and blindly following a trend.

If you like your 100$ bux amp, be it. I enjoy my Meridians and it's most likely you will never listen to such a system so why bother! Be OK with what you got but if you don't search for better that's it boys!

Quote:

Originally Posted by sridhar3 

 

In my opinion, the O2 sounds great, and is a damn good value for its price.  Just don't expect me to cancel my BHSE order anytime soon, though.

Some of us are pestering Voldermort to make a 'stat amp after he's done with his current projects...

O2HV?  O2ES?

Let's dream!   

Judging from the guy's tone, he would probably bash the whole electrostatic technology as a thing of the past most probably. 

Judging from the guy's tone, he would probably bash the whole electrostatic technology as a thing of the past most probably. 

Come on people I didn't want to be ellitist. In electronic design and headphone I am a profane like you.

BUT hear my experience in loudspeaker world, I had 15 years ago a bi-amplified old Meridian M2 pair of speakers and grew up with it. Enjoying it so much and become acustomed to its qualities and sound signature. One day I screw up by connecting it to my Stick Chapman with a preamp. I blew up one channel tweeter. Being an old and rare dead tweeter, I changed it for the modern counterpart (not spending more than 150€ for a pair of tweets). But then the sound was no more pleasant no matter the level matching fiddling.I was sad my beloved speakers were no more...

So I thought like all of you, well high end is for stupid rich smart ass. I know better! So I went down the road of passive speaker driven by power amps. Didn't care for the sound I was getting, and I tried all the hype and DIY stuff of the days, and listen to music less and less. I should note that I LOVE music so much I graduated from master degree in Musicology. I sold it all..

Then I thought maybe a pair of studio monitors will do it! I bought a very nice pair of bi amped Yamaha, and an Adam subwoofer! The sound was big detailed, flat, precise, dynamic you name it! Still the sound was harsh and I didn't enjoy listenning to music anymore. It was all analytical and fatiguing... I said WTF I spend over a grand on speakers and it's not enough!!?

I sold it all and lay down the bux for a modern Meridian system as it is what I loved in the first place.. Guess what? I was in heaven again!

Just to say electronic manufacturers, at least the honest ones like Meridian know better! They too disreguard the ********ers and those who tag high prices to fish the poor profanes..

Just find a honest maker and listen to the end users, they like me have some experience..

Saying high end is for dumbass is insulting at least and blindly following a trend.

If you like your 100$ bux amp, be it. I enjoy my Meridians and it's most likely you will never listen to such a system so why bother! Be OK with what you got but if you don't search for better that's it boys!

I suspect that some of us don't know a troll when we see one, but he just might be serious. Osama was. 

In any case, I will say this - my EHP-O2 evokes zero pride of ownership - not because of its sonics, but simply because of the design and  the casework. Even my Fiio E9, a black box if ever there was one, seems to sit better in an A/V rack than the EHP-O2 - its not a reflection on Oliver, as the vast majority of DiYers used the same case, but Mr Slim's version is considerably more aesthetically pleasing. Neither would flip the buttons of those who pay over a thousand dollars for a headphone amp, and I doubt that ODA will be any different in that respect. Sure, DiY isnt about 'audio jewelry', but I still think its a point worth making - the O2 is the lovable mongrel at a pedigree dog show. 

Hmmm, I m not sure if we are on the same page or maybe it is I who is on a different page from every one else.  I don't think the argument is if High end audio is dumb or even if it sounds fantastic or not, but rather can a cheap amp equal the sound of the big boys.  Any one who has heard the big boys knows with out question it sounds good.   

I think what people really want to know is, has Lord voldemort made an amp that has world class sound without world class price?

My personal journey started when I walked into a HI-FI shop and heard a pair of Magnepans hocked up to more gear then it took to make Frankenstein.  I would of payed what ever he asked for the speakers and the gear.  But he asked a price that was just 100% impossible for me to pay, an arm and a leg and another leg, my soul and my pet cat.  I asked the man if there was any way he could make that sound fit into my budget and he said that would be impossible.

http://www.magnepan.com/model_MG_207

From that point I have been trying to get to that sound and now that I have a pair of HE-500s I  feel like I did it. I heard the HE-500s on show room gear and it not only matched but in my opinion exceeded my memory of the sound of the magnepans and they only cost me $640 to my front door from moon audio.  So now all I need is the perfect DAC/AMP to go along with them and I m done.  If I can do that for $150 + x for the DAC and be done, then that's fantastic.  

I m not an elitist but I do have experience I have heard a lot of gear from the top to the bottom of the chain and I have to say I am impressed with the 02 not just vs other cheap gear but vs all gear period that I have heard.  But I know there is lots of gear that I have not heard so I am willing to believe that there might be better sound in the world. 

But to say basically your only happy with the 02 because you have not quested for better sound is a huge mistake.  

Basically my point is, the question being asked here is not is the high end is dumb but rather is the 02 high end?

As far as looks are concerned, the O2 is only as good looking as the case you decide to put it in, nothing more nothing less. There's nothing stopping you from buying, or building, a beautiful case for it.