[Flumpus]

I'm just sittin' here, listening to Pomp and Pipes!, and I'm thinkin' for the first time "This sounds amazing, I could live with this for a long time!" Of course I won't, I'll be upgrading whenever I have money, but I could live with it...

I guess what got me was this cd is recorded in the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, and I've played there, with the organ and without. And my speakers are doing a remarkable job of recreating the sound... It sounds real, musical, involving, just amazing! So what piece of equipment did it for me? Not sure... the dac added ALOT, but obviously the speakers and amp were a big step too. As far as headphones, my hd600's have been put on the back burner since I got the speakers, but I'm now looking into a nice amp for them...they deserve it

At which point they'll be sounding just as good as my speakers (maybe), and I'll be saying the same thing about them.

I'm also really pumped about getting hifi sound out of a portable system, which has always been an area where I sacrificed sound quality for portability and convenience... this time I spent the money on the best sound quality I could afford (cdp, ta, er4s), so I'm really excited

So at what point did you guys realize you were startin' to put together a pretty good system? Did it ever calm your urge to upgrade? Hehe... Of course IMO that's what being an audiophile is all about. Not always upgrading just to be upgrading, and not listening to the equipment more than the music, but listening to the music and constantly trying to improve the way it sounds and mold it to your tastes. That's why I've owned three pairs of grado's, two being top of the line (music series pro's and rs-1's), and have sold both. The hd600's just suit me better.

So anyway, I was just thinkin', listenin', stuff, and wanted to ramble on for a while about some stuff

I'm sure some of yall will post stuff about your systems that will make mine seem bad in comparison (jude), and I'll have to start upgrading again

I've had a bad day, and listening tonight has made me very happy. This is what music is all about

 

[neil]

Yup. Yesterday I was stuck in a full size Ford Econoline van listening to bad music on a shabby sound system. Got home that night, lay down in my bed with my amp and Grados -- powered up Cold Play : Parachutes and let it loop until my CDP batteries died. I often think of upgrading.. but right now, it just sounds really good.

 

[markl]

Since I got my Sony CD3000s, I have really lost almost all interest in the headphone and accessories pages, and the only thing left on my mind as far as upgrading goes is my source (which is pretty damn sweet already, but not compatible with the new audio formats).

Lately, I've been listening to music with more involvement than I've felt since being "forced" to abandon my regular rig for a quieter, more neighbor-friendly set of cans a year and a half ago. It has taken a long time and a lot of experimentation to get my headphone system up to the point where I no longer feel "cheated" for being unable to listen to my very nice full-range PSB's.

I never wanted to listen to phones, it just sort of ended up that way.

markl

 

[Neruda]

I've been listening to my 401's for a while now and am incredibly pleased. Plus, I've listened to most of the competition so I know that I don't want/need to upgrade until I have enough money to get some very expensive phones (like the CD3000's, RS-1's, or Stax Omega 2's

). This is a pretty good headphone for me. I do need an amp, but I'm working on that...

 

[joelongwood]

Well, I tend to say that a lot.........because of the choices I have at my disposal, I am able to find some combination that will elicit a "That sounds really good!" quite frequently. As I read your post Flumpus, I had just popped "James Taylor Live" into the Panasonic portable with JMT's CHA47 Penguin amp and the Grado SR-100s........this combination definitely qualifies!! His voice is so real it's scary...............everything is perfectly balanced and smooth. Would it sound "better" on some of my more expensive stuff? Maybe, but it sounds damned good right now.....I'm happy.

 

[jude]

Quote:

Originally posted by Flumpus I'm sure some of yall will post stuff about your systems that will make mine seem bad in comparison (jude), and I'll have to start upgrading again

Hey! How'd I get dragged into this?

Actually, most of my listening today was on my office system -- Denon DCM-370, Total Airhead, HD-600's, Radio Shack gold series RCA-RCA-mini interconnect (I needed the extra three feet it provides) -- and it sounded fantastic!

Listened to Princess Mononoke soundtrack and Tool's Lateralus among others. Listening to the Mononoke soundtrack again on my primary rig at home now. I think I'm going to order the Princess Mononoke Symphonic Suite. In fact, I'll post a question about this album on the Music forum right now.

 

[thomas]

must have been those RCA caps at work

 

[jude]

Quote:

Originally posted by thomas must have been those RCA caps at work

LOL! Yeah, come to think of it, my Denon DCM-370 does have an RCA cap covering that unused coax digital output jack. Thus the great sound.....so that's why it sounded so fantastic!

Not to mention the fact that all the contacts from front to back were ProGolded. Heheh.

 

[Neruda]

LOL! good one thomas!

Poor Jude's crying his eyes out right now...

 

[JMT]

Like joelongwood, I find myself saying that a lot too. But a couple of instances come to mind.

SR-225s - CHA 47 amp - Spyro Gyra "Road Scholar" Live CD
HD-600s - Creek amp - "Gladiator" Soundtrack

I do believe that the WOW factor with the Senns is a direct result of the little red velcro thingy that Jude included with the headphones. I know, they aren't RCA caps but......

 

[MacDEF]

The most amazing headphone sound I've experienced was when I listened to the Isaac Stern SACD of Vivaldi through HD600s, 333ES SACD player, and Max amp. I was floored.

 

[thomas]

hehe, jude, maybe you should look at my new profile...

i think i'm gonna get permanantly banned

back on topic, I just recieved my HD600's today (THANKS ODEEN!), and i really don't see myself doing any more upgrades. They don't have quite as much detail/wide soundstage/deep bass/upper treble as my old phones, but they are soooo much more musical and enjoyable to listen to. I just spent the whole morning and afternoon listening to all my cd's over again

 

[jude]

Quote:

Originally posted by thomas hehe, jude, maybe you should look at my new profile... i think i'm gonna get permanantly banned back on topic, I just recieved my HD600's today (THANKS ODEEN!), and i really don't see myself doing any more upgrades. They don't have quite as much detail/wide soundstage/deep bass/upper treble as my old phones, but they are soooo much more musical and enjoyable to listen to. I just spent the whole morning and afternoon listening to all my cd's over again

While I'm banning thomas (

) I thought I'd say "This sounds really good!" I'm listening to Earl Scruggs' Dueling Banjos/Live at Kansas State (yes, bluegrass) through my office rig, and I bet a banjo virtuoso would be able to tell exactly what kind of picks and strings good ol' Earl's using through this rig.

 

[mbriant]

Quote:

At what point did you say "This sounds really good!"?

When your VISA's maxed.

 

[Duncan]

I'm not sure if i'm looking at this from the wrong angle, or if i'm just content with my setup

How I (now) know when something is good is when I can listen to the music without listening to it... time just flies by effortlessly, with no ear fatigue and with a smile on my face, disregarding genre of music

I know that its a very erm touchy subject, but i do give the credit for my happiness to the mod i did on my senns, they seemed a bit cold and upgradeable before... now, i'm not so sure