Recent content by SolarCetacean
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HiFiMan Shangri-La Jr (New $8000 Electrostat)
Since early February I've had the privilege of also owning the Stax SR-X9000 alongside my Shangri-La Jr. Owning it and being able to compare it side-by-side with the SGL Jr allowed me to appreciate the strengths of both headphones. And the SGL Jr carves its own niche alongside the X9000 and...- SolarCetacean
- Post #567
- Forum: High-end Audio Forum
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New from Esoteric! The N-05XD Network Audio Player
Is this in comparison to the DAVE? You didn't mention which DAC you were comparing this to but you did compare it to the DAVE at a few points.- SolarCetacean
- Post #35
- Forum: Sponsor Announcements and Deals
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HiFiMan Susvara
I think there are a few ways to think about cable rolling and those last-inch upgrades. On one hand, yeah, they're small changes overall. Like going from 99% quality to 99.9% quality. If a stock Susvara is that 99% quality level at $4500 or whatever the market price is, then is it really worth...- SolarCetacean
- Post #24,706
- Forum: High-end Audio Forum
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The Drinking Fountain - Full-Size Headphone Discussion
I've been wanting to get the Erco Gen 2 upgrade. It's actually free for me since I bought my Erco last July. I reached out to Ferrum support, who directed me to their US distributor, who responded to my initial ticket with some questions, but have been silent for a week since I responded to...- SolarCetacean
- Post #491
- Forum: Headphones (full-size)
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How is it possible to rate the "naturalness" or how correct timbre is on a headphone?!
I used to have the same hangup on the term "natural" as the OP did. I wasn't there when the recording was made, so how do I know if a headphone renders it accurately or not? But I've found a pretty handy definition of "natural". Natural means, quite simply, "sounding like what the listener...- SolarCetacean
- Post #8
- Forum: Headphones (full-size)
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Stax SR-X9000
Now that I've owned the X9000 for a month and a half, it's fun to look back on this thread and compare my current impressions with those of others over the years and my own previous impressions. And I've played around with EQ, though I'm not sure if I've found a perfect setting yet. A recurring...- SolarCetacean
- Post #2,918
- Forum: High-end Audio Forum
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dCS Bartok
I'm quite interested in comparing the Bartok Apex with the Tambaqui. I've heard the Bartok Apex and its headphone output several times at a hi-fi store that I often visit. It seems quite smooth to my ear, maybe even a little too smooth, but not lacking in absolute detail. I'm mostly curious...- SolarCetacean
- Post #2,023
- Forum: High-end Audio Forum
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HiFiMan Susvara
This is why "watts into Ohms" can be a confusing metric. Because Bonesy would be right if the amp provided the same voltage into both 16 Ohms and 60 Ohms. 10W at 16 ohms is roughly 12.65V, and supplying the same 12.65V into 60 Ohms gives you 2.66W. But, many headphone amps start running into...- SolarCetacean
- Post #24,507
- Forum: High-end Audio Forum
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Sony MDR-Z7M2 Headphone Thread
Oh, forgot to mention that the depth of the earpads at the back was measured from the driver, and the driver is angled. Measured from the inner lip of the earpad itself, the back of the earpad is roughly 2.4 cm thick.- SolarCetacean
- Post #2,435
- Forum: Headphones (full-size)
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Sony MDR-Z7M2 Headphone Thread
I measured using a tape measure, so not the most accurate, but front to back at its widest is roughly 4.4 cm and top to bottom is about 6.4 cm, depth at the front of the earpads is roughly 1.8 cm and at the back is roughly 3 cm.- SolarCetacean
- Post #2,433
- Forum: Headphones (full-size)
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SONY NW-ZX700
Perception is reality. What someone "hears" isn't just how their eardrum vibrates, but the mental processing that occurs on that input. All sorts of things can truly be heard, because hearing occurs in the brain, not the ears. Changing languages to optimize sound is too far out there for me, but...- SolarCetacean
- Post #2,602
- Forum: Portable Source Gear
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Ferrum WANDLA - Impressions Thread
Free Erco upgrade is only if you bought it after July 1st of last year. That way recent buyers don't feel regret over the timing of their purchase. It's $200 for those who bought it before that cutoff. The whole question of upgrades and software vs hardware changes is honestly getting a bit...- SolarCetacean
- Post #788
- Forum: Dedicated Source Components
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The Stax Thread III
For an electrostatic headphone, the amp needs to push current to charge/discharge the stators in order to swing voltage. I think Kevin Gilmore himself chimed in a few hundred pages ago saying that less than 1 mW of power actually goes into the headphones, but the current from the amp is used to...- SolarCetacean
- Post #25,187
- Forum: High-end Audio Forum
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Introducing the TOPPING D50 III Desktop DAC - Now Available on Apos Audio
It can still be useful if you're using a streamer with USB output.- SolarCetacean
- Post #6
- Forum: Sponsor Announcements and Deals
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Summit-Fi Random Thoughts
I usually listen to certain subgenres of EDM, mainly future bass and trance and similar subgenres. EDM is a very broad umbrella term for many different types of music. House, trap, dubstep, trance, drum'n'bass, glitch-hop, and others are pretty distinct from each other and yet all fall under the...- SolarCetacean
- Post #402
- Forum: High-end Audio Forum