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World's best headphone amp - and I'd never even heard of it ... - Page 3

post #31 of 46
3/4/13 at 6:40pm
Thread Starter 

kcee, I completely agree with your logic - the problem for many of us seems to lie in the implementation. This is a hobby that encourages constant consumption - more power to those who have the resources to feed that addiction, but it makes 'future-proofing' anything a very difficult exercise. I believe that you have a major advantage in that you haven't bought a component which is flavour-of-the-month anywhere (with the possible exception of Srajan's home..) : much easier for you to simply appreciate the sound coming out of your speakers and headphones without any 180-page threads dissecting every millimetre of the Balkoon, only to discard it with the skis and golf clubs when they new toy inevitably appears in all it's shiny glory. I wonder how many here still own and use a Benchmark DAC-1, for example ?  That was a 'must-have' when I joined HF - and reasonably expensive at the time - but there have been so many new DAC/amp combinations in the interim. Such is life.   

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post #32 of 46
3/4/13 at 7:37pm
It's a very true statement, I can sit here and say I will be content for a long time. Who really knows how I will feel at this time next year. I hope I am content with this purchase and other changes I am making !

The whole digital game is another thing completely !
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post #33 of 46
3/25/13 at 9:57pm
Thread Starter 

kcee, I assume that you have sorted out your purchase by now ?

 

Lots more forum raves about this amp now - just Google 'Bakoon AMP-11R'. The following is something of a sales pitch, but I found it an interesting read nonetheless and much easier to wade through than Srajan's thick prose. Srajan usually gets around to actually listening to a product eventually, but oy vey, those first 3 or 4 pages of a review .....   ;)

 

http://audioaddiction.net.au/bakoon-amp-11r

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post #34 of 46
3/26/13 at 12:16pm
What do you mean sorted out ? Come to a conclusion ?

I have been living with it and using it most of every day for about a month now.
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post #35 of 46
3/26/13 at 4:11pm
Thread Starter 

Then clearly it isnt going back - that's all I needed to know.  :D

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post #36 of 46
3/26/13 at 8:26pm
Haha yeah, I am very happy with the purchase. Exceeding my expectations.
I am most likely going to upgrade my harbeths in the next year, other than that I am done and very content.
The headphone amp is stunningly good too !
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post #37 of 46
3/26/13 at 9:26pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by kcee View Post

Haha yeah, I am very happy with the purchase. Exceeding my expectations.
I am most likely going to upgrade my harbeths in the next year, other than that I am done and very content.
The headphone amp is stunningly good too !

 

Excellent - thanks for that - when I started this thread there was some serious skepticism that the Bakoon could deliver on any of it's promises ..... 

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post #38 of 46
3/27/13 at 5:59am

This thread makes me even more interested in trying my Pass SIT amp with headphones.  I just have not gotten to it yet.    

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post #39 of 46
3/27/13 at 6:16am

I listened to the Bakoon (Japan) gear in Tokyo a couple of festivals ago and it was VERY good. Mind you, they did cheat slightly by stashing a hand-built ladder DAC under the table. 

 

Since they are about an hour's drive south of me, I finally got around to visiting them, or rather, Akira Nagai (as he IS Bakoon) last Thursday to listen to his new DAC and discuss audio stuff in general. Bakoon International use his technology to make the 11R and other products for the international market. I've heard his new power amps before and they are excellent. The nice thing about his SATRI system is that it is impedance matched so you can use even cheap 75 Ohm cables for the ICs between components without sound degradation. 

 

Later this year we're going to get a chance to hear the Bakoon International products locally. I'm very looking forward to that.

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post #40 of 46
3/27/13 at 10:00pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks for the feedback, Currawong. I had initially hoped to hear the Bakoon in May next year (Akihabara ?), but I may leave any flight to Japan till June - I want to be *guaranteed* t-shirt weather !  :D

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post #41 of 46
3/29/13 at 3:19am

yeah good stuffs are often not available for your current country :S

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post #42 of 46
3/29/13 at 5:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by estreeter View Post

Thanks for the feedback, Currawong. I had initially hoped to hear the Bakoon in May next year (Akihabara ?), but I may leave any flight to Japan till June - I want to be *guaranteed* t-shirt weather !  :D

 

Come at the end of October for the Fujiya Avic festival if you can. I hope to put aside an extra day this year to go with everyone around Tokyo to the various interesting stores.

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post #43 of 46
3/29/13 at 6:22am

The Japanese HDA- 5210 that someone linked to has a south korean version. It is a pure headphone amp called the HPA-21. It is cheaper ($3000) than the amp-11R ($5000) that the OP was talking about. This is a preview of this amp on 6moons: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/bakoon3/1.html The company's japan division mostly concentrates on the japanese market, while the same designs are used by the South korean division for the rest of the world. They also usually have some fancy case work for outside Japan. 

 

This is a review of the Japanese HDA-5210 on headfonia:  http://www.headfonia.com/bakoon-hda-5210mk3-amplifier/

 

If anyone is interested in purchasing in the US, you can buy the south korean versions here : http://stereodesk.com/collections/bakoon

 

I wish I could afford this....Lol

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post #44 of 46
4/2/13 at 1:30am

Hey folks - 

 

The amp listed in the review linked to below is the HDA-5210 mk3... has anyone heard the HDA-5210? There's one for sale and I am considering it - but it appears to be an older model (2005?)

 

I'll grab it if its getting the kind of feedback this company is gathering - but I can't find any reviews or thoughts on it!

 

What an enigma this company is .....

 

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by lithium1085 View Post

The Japanese HDA- 5210 that someone linked to has a south korean version. It is a pure headphone amp called the HPA-21. It is cheaper ($3000) than the amp-11R ($5000) that the OP was talking about. This is a preview of this amp on 6moons: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/bakoon3/1.html The company's japan division mostly concentrates on the japanese market, while the same designs are used by the South korean division for the rest of the world. They also usually have some fancy case work for outside Japan. 

 

This is a review of the Japanese HDA-5210 on headfonia:  http://www.headfonia.com/bakoon-hda-5210mk3-amplifier/

 

If anyone is interested in purchasing in the US, you can buy the south korean versions here : http://stereodesk.com/collections/bakoon

 

I wish I could afford this....Lol

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post #45 of 46
4/2/13 at 3:06am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Currawong View Post

 

Come at the end of October for the Fujiya Avic festival if you can. I hope to put aside an extra day this year to go with everyone around Tokyo to the various interesting stores.

 

Thanks, but I'm talking about 2014 :)

 

Given the state of the Yen right now, I'd get on a plane tonight if I could. I dont know how many cashed up Aussie audiophiles there are out there atm, but I expect that several of them have had the same thought. Might be time to put on a few extra trains from Narita.  :D

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