Head-Fi.org › Currawong's profile

CurrawongAdministrator

Currawong's Community Profile

Location:

An Australian living in Fukuoka, Japan.

Forum Post Count:

10923

Join Date:

1/4/08

About Me:

Listening with speakers was inconvenient so I use headphones instead.

What I do for a living:

Making Head-Fi a nice place to be, IT, fixing screw-ups and terrorising Japanese kids with English.

Headphone Inventory

Main rigs:
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
MacBook Pro or Air →
1. → Audio-gd Master 7 (USB32) →
→ Audio-gd Phoenix → Headphones or Adam ARTist 3 speakers.
→ Stax SRM-T1S → Stax SR-009.
2. → Aurorasound USB Bus Power Pro → Woo Audio WA7 → Headphones.

Transportable: MacBook Air → Audioquest Dragonfly → Headphones
Transportable 2: iRiver AK100 (modded) [→ Pico Power] → Headphones

Portable: iPhone 5 or AK100 → Sony XBA-3.

Current Headphones: (• = in use)
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
• Stax SR-009
• Stax SR-007A "Omega II"
• Audeze LCD-3 (with Norse 8-wire shoelaces)
• Symphones Magnums VX (325is-based with Norse Audio Skuld)
Symphones Magnums V4 (MS2i-based upgraded from a V2 with felt damping)
VectorScan VSH5 (Audio Technica ATH-2)
• V-MODA M80
V-MODA LP2
MB Quart QP 400
MB Quart QP55X (my original "high-end" headphones)
• Sony XBA-30
• TDK HA-FXZ200
• Klipsh X10
Head-Direct RE-ZERO

Previously owned (or borrowed) headphones:
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Fit Ear TO GO! 334 (borrowed)
Audio Technica W3000ANV (Great, but didn't get head time when I have 009s)
Audio Technica AD-2000 (Very intense, but orthos and 'stats are smoother)
Thunderpants (Great value, but drew the proverbial short straw)
Audeze LCD-2 (Rev. 2)
Audeze LCD-2 (Rev. 1)
Sennheiser HD-800
Sennheiser HD-600
Stax Omega II (borrowed, so couldn't keep)
Stax SR-404LE
Stax Lambda Nova Signature (overall, the best all-around vintage Lambda I've owned)
Stax SR-5NB Gold (Amazing value Grado-like 'stats)
Ultrasone Edition 8 (Sound isn't bad, but for $1500 you have to be joking)
Ultrasone Edition 9 (Twice, including a re-cabled and damped version)
Head-Direct HE5 (the original wooden one)
Ultimate Ears Triple-fi.10
Ultimate Ears Super-fi.3 Studio
Audio Technica A1000X
Audio Technica ESW10JPN
Denon D5000 (with the pre-Lawton Audio markl mods)
AKG K701 (ALO re-cabled)

Tried: (more briefly experienced)
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Audio-Technica W1000X, A2000X, W11JPN, W10LTD, W10VGT, ESW10JPN, ES10, ESW9 and others.
Denon D2000, D7000
Stax Omega I
Shure SH-440, SH-840, SH-940
Sony MDR-Z1000
Sony Qualia 010
Many IEMs at Yodobashi and Bic Camera stores.

Headphone Amp Inventory

Current headphone amps: (• = in use)
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
• Stax T1S (with Herbies tube dampers, borrowed)
• Audio-gd Phoenix
• Woo Audio WA7
• Audio-gd NFB-10SE (In the living room with the Emotivas)
• Headamp Pico Power
Headamp Pico Slim
O2
• iRiver AK100 (modded)

DIY under construction:
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Blue Hawaii (DIY, being re-constructed)
KGSSHV (Being built)
KGSS (Being built)
Stacker II (being re-built)

Gone:
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Fostex HP-P1
Leckerton UHA-6II
Cavalli Stacker II
Triad Audio L3
Audio-gd Fun
Audio-gd NFB-11
Audio-gd Sparrow
Headroom Portable Desktop
Audiovalve RKV Mark II with Impedenzer (A heap of fun with HD-800s and speakers in nearfield)
Audio-gd C2C
Audio-gd Compass
Parasound Zamp
Luxman P-1
Luxman D-321 (long before Head-fi)

Borrowed, tried or was in for review:
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies
ALO Audio PanAm (full kit + extra tubes)
Luxman P-1
Luxman P-1u
Luxman SQ-N100
Yamamoto HA-02

Source Inventory

DACs:
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
• Audio-gd Master 7 (with USB32)
• Metric Halo ULN-2
• Audioquest Dragonfly
• iRiver AK100 (modded)
Luxman LXU-OT2

Fostex HP-P1

Transports:
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
• Audiophilleo 1 with Pure Power upgrade
• Audio-gd Digital Interface V3
Onkyo DV-SP502 SACD player
iPad 2
• iPhone 5
• iPod Classic 160GB
• MacBook Pro 2011
• MacBook Air
• iRiver AK100 (using the optical output)

DACs and transports gone:
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
iBasso DX100
Calyx DAC 24/192
Parasound DAC 1600 HD (Excellent if you only spin CDs)
Audio-gd Reference 7.1
Audio-gd Reference 3
Apogee Duet 2 USB
Metrum Octave (One of the best DAC bargains available if you like a natural sound)
Audio-gd Reference 1 (v5 DSP)
Cambridge Audio Azur 840c
Northstar M192 MKI
Lavry DA10
Zero DAC/amp (modified)
Luxman D-121 CDP (Long before Head-Fi)

DACs and sources tried (at various places):
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
ODAC
Marantz Project D-1
Assemblage DAC 3.0
Nakamichi Dragon DAC
Benchmark DAC 1 (original, pre-USB version)
Yamaha S1000 SACD Player
Esoteric D05 DAC
Esoteric K-01 SACD player

Cable Inventory

Headphone cables:
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Various

Interconnects: (NB: I bought most s/h way below retail)
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Van Den Hul The Mountain 3T
Van Den Hul The Orchid XLR and RCA.
Van Den Hul The Thunderline XLR.
Van Den Hul The First Ultimate Metal Screen RCA.
Norse Audio RCA and XLR.
Bellatone Reference RCA and XLR.
Various DIY cables.

Digital cables:
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Harmonic Technology Magic Digital Two
Van Den Hul The Professional Digital with Oyaide BNC plugs
Van Den Hul The Optocoupler (mini to Toslink)
Van Den Hul The Thunderline (AES/EBU)
Synergistic Research optical cable
Sony optical cable
Canare RCA and BNC cables.
DIY Moon Audio 75 Ohm BNC cables.
Oyaide d+ Neo USB

Power cables:
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Audio-gd power cables re-terminated with AET plugs.
DIY Oyaide + CryoMax III power cables.
DIY Oyaide + Van Den Hul Mainstream power cables.
Oyaide PA-23
Bellatone Reference.

Power-Related Components

Power filters:
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
PS Audio Power Plant Premier
Audio-gd Power Filter
Silver Circle Audio Juice Box Jr

Vaunix USB hub
Aurorasound USB power supply

Other Audio Equipment

Speaker equipment:
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
• Adam ARTist 3 active monitors
• Emotiva Airmotiv 4 active monitors
Paradigm Titans

Audio-Related Tweaks

Tweaks:
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Vaunix USB lab-grade hub (for better power to USB devices)
Aurorasound USB BusPower-Pro
Herbies Tube Dampers
Herbies cable dampers (use them to isolate tube amps as much as possible)
Herbies Tenderfeet and speaker dots

Music Preferences

Music:
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Jazz mostly at the moment, but just about everything except crappy pop, non-mainstream metal, country, western.

Interests (non-headphone)

Other interests:
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Gnosticism and practical, no BS spirituality (don't get me started).
Encouraging the use of science to increase one's understanding of one's self, the world and universe instead of as a means to railroad beliefs and put down others.

Gear-Fi (Favorite Non-Audio Gear & Gadgets)

Other gear:
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Nikon D7000 & SB700
XBox 360 Halo Edition
iPhone 5 and 4S
iPad 2

Currawong's Recent Activity

settings
(Uncheck the summary view to see ALL the gory details!) (Check the summary view to simplify the activity feed.)
Tralucent Audio 1Plus2 IEM Appreciation/Impressions Thread
Currawong posted in this thread in Portable Headphones, Earphones and In-Ear... Yesterday at 4:17 pm | 2437 replies | 81784 views
The best speakers/amp combo for $15k you've heard
Currawong posted in this thread in High-end Audio Forum Yesterday at 6:17 am | 29 replies | 2873 views
The New iRiver AK100: A High-End DAP
Currawong posted in this thread in Portable Source Gear Yesterday at 6:00 am | 5021 replies | 325030 views
2013 Spring Fujiya Avic Headphone Festival report
Currawong posted in this thread in Head-Fi Meet Impressions, Trade Show... Yesterday at 4:28 am | 7 replies | 1313 views
Is burn in real or placebo?
Currawong posted in this thread in Sound Science Yesterday at 12:24 am | 132 replies | 2241 views
Why would anyone want just one headphone?
Currawong posted in this thread in Headphones (full-size) 5/21/13 at 10:08pm | 23 replies | 433 views
The Stax thread (New)
Currawong posted in this thread in High-end Audio Forum 5/21/13 at 10:03pm | 22423 replies | 1498333 views
"You have sent your daily allotment of 2 messages"
Currawong posted in this thread in Feedback & Bug Reports 5/21/13 at 7:39pm | 98 replies | 5096 views
The Centrance HiFi M8 thread
Currawong posted in this thread in Portable Source Gear 5/21/13 at 4:13pm | 2085 replies | 107374 views

 

Currawong’s Photos

2013 Spring Fujiya Avic Headphone Festival
37 photos
216 views
Latest upload: 4 days ago
Sony XBA-30
11 photos
288 views
Latest upload: Apr 24, 2013
Furutech ADL Esprit
3 photos
157 views
Latest upload: Apr 1, 2013
Woo Audio WA7 and ALO Audio PanAm
5 photos
878 views
Latest upload: Feb 16, 2013
Stax Interview and Tour
7 photos
760 views
Latest upload: Feb 5, 2013

Currawong’s Embedded Photos

Currawong's photos in Tokyo Fujiya Avic Spring (May) 2013 Impressions
1 photo
4 views
Latest upload: May 11, 2013
Currawong's photos in iMac onboard DAC vs. external?
2 photos
22 views
Latest upload: Apr 26, 2013
Currawong's photos in Tokyo Fujiya Avic Spring (May) 2013
1 photo
14 views
Latest upload: Apr 15, 2013
Currawong's photos in Stax 009 in Japan?
1 photo
12 views
Latest upload: Apr 15, 2013
Currawong's photos in Too much competition! What headphones should I get for $100-180?
1 photo
13 views
Latest upload: Apr 1, 2013

Currawong's Forum Signature

Funny comments from the forums ✦ Tokyo Festival impressions (coming shortly) 

☞ Science, Myth or Magic?  Learn what science is really about. ☜

Currawong's Lists

9 Lists
Amps I've previously owned (or borrowed) 10 Headphone Amps
Last Updated 4/2/13
Headphones I want 1 Headphones
Last Updated 12/7/11
Headphones I've owned or borrowed 13 Headphones
Last Updated 7/6/11
DACs and sources I own. 8 Source Components
Last Updated 6/13/11
Headphones 5 Headphones
Last Updated 6/5/11
Cables and Accessories I own 6 Cables and Accessories
Last Updated 3/5/11
Amps I own. 6 Headphone Amps
Last Updated 2/27/11
DACs I've owned. 7 Source Components
Last Updated 11/25/10
Amps I want. 2 Headphone Amps
Last Updated 8/10/10

Head-Fi.org › Currawong's profile