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  1. npdang

    Luxman P700u Headphone Amplifier Thread

    Also check out https://www.tortech.com.au/ Their step-down transformer can also be ordered as isolating which I thought did impact the sound.
  2. npdang

    Luxman P700u Headphone Amplifier Thread

    I have an SPL Phonitor 2, P750u, Ican Pro. I use a Qutest and Focal Clear OG. I think the Luxman definitely tilts to the warmer side, but is tastefully done and not obviously colored. Bass extension and soundstage size is definitely the first thing you notice with the Luxman in comparison to...
  3. npdang

    Allnic HPA-3000

    Hey sounds like you've got it all covered! I honestly did not hear any differences over a period of weeks, particularly not a lack of focus or drive. It does get a bit more resolving with a little warmup. I think also at this level of performance, the differences might not be as dramatic as...
  4. npdang

    Allnic HPA-3000

    I really, really liked the 3000GT. Enough that it made me purchase the 5000 without a demo. In my experience, I found no significant differences with burn-in. If you are not hearing differences between your old amp, based on my own experience I think it's likely that: (1) your previous amps...
  5. npdang

    ifI iCan Pro - Impressions & Discussion

    I think the iCan Pro is a great, fun amp but falls just a hair shy of being TOTL. While I much prefer it to the leaner, more "matter of fact" sounding solid state amps like Jotunheim or GS-X, the Pro is too obviously colored (mid-centric) to be considered a reference product. In comparison to...
  6. npdang

    ifI iCan Pro - Impressions & Discussion

    Adorama has the hek v2 + ican pro for $2,999 + free ship. You guys can do the math on that one :0 https://www.adorama.com/hmhe1000v2a.html?sdtid=10614812&emailprice=t&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_source=rflaid62905
  7. npdang

    Focal Utopia vs. HIFIMAN HE1000

    Completely agree. The Utopias are quite clearly more dynamic, faster, and "alive." The HEK to my ears, have far greater tonal density, richness, and front row presence.
  8. npdang

    Focal Utopia vs. HIFIMAN HE1000

    Have not heard the V2's. No mods to my HE-1000. DAC is straight from my computer's ESI Juli@. The Juli@ is an amazing source for the money... obviously doesn't better the Lampi or PS Audio DAC's I've run in my loudspeaker setup, but dollar for dollar it is more than good enough for an already...
  9. npdang

    Focal Utopia vs. HIFIMAN HE1000

    I think one point which bears mentioning is that if you are a big fan of OTL or SE tube amps, the HE-1000 with its purely resistive load is a clear winner IMO. Mated to the Allnic HPA-5000XL, this is easily my favorite combination in over 15 years of buying and selling. This setup has a...
  10. npdang

    Breaking News: HE1000 V2

      It's not atypical for companies to try to recoup their R&D costs with an initial product offering, and the HE-1000 v1 could very well be an example of that.  I am surprised however at the relatively poor QC and build quality given the price.
  11. npdang

    Breaking News: HE1000 V2

    4 areas I find HEK to far surpass any dynamic driver:   1. lack of driver coloration - soft diaphragms like HD800 tend to sound less vivid and tonally washed out, while stiff diaphragms like Focal tend to have a cool presentation; HEK does not impart noticeable coloration to my ears in that...
  12. npdang

    Official HIFIMAN HE1000 Impressions Thread

    Thanks guys, I really appreciate it.  I like the HE-1000 sound quite a bit, as it reminds me very much of the Magnepan 3.6R with much better bass extension.  Just curious what else is out there before making the leap.
  13. npdang

    Official HIFIMAN HE1000 Impressions Thread

    Curious if anyone's had a chance to compare them to the new Focal Elears or Ether flows yet?
  14. npdang

    Focal Elear and Utopia Review / Preview With Measurements - Head-Fi TV

      The headphone presents a reactive, not resistive load to the amplifier... looking at the phase angles will tell you that the load at resonance is mostly inductive (if it wasn't you could imagine how terrible it would sound with the driver being completely undamped at resonance).  Most solid...
  15. npdang

    Pioneer's First Hi-End Headphones: SE-Master 1

      There's a very simple answer.  The distortion is exceptionally low where it makes the biggest difference (upper midrange/lower treble where the ear is most sensitive), and I guess "relatively" high with respect to other headphones where it doesn't matter nearly as much (bass/lower midrange)...
  16. npdang

    Pioneer's First Hi-End Headphones: SE-Master 1

      I only hear it with certain recordings, and to be fair, if I hear it on the SEM-1's I also hear it on the HD800S and HD650 I have here.  If you ever have a chance, I would HIGHLY recommend trying these on an Allnic HPA-5000 or perhaps an EAR HP4.  For my listening tastes (and I prefer a huge...
  17. npdang

    Focal Elear and Utopia Review / Preview With Measurements - Head-Fi TV

    Depends on how you're looking at it... I paid over $8k for a second-hand pair of Focal Diablos... if I can get 70-80% of the performance or enjoyment for less than half the price, it's a fair deal to me.  Also, it's been my experience that high end cans also tend to scale significantly better...
  18. npdang

    Pioneer's First Hi-End Headphones: SE-Master 1

      After 4 to 5 months of ownership, I feel the same.  This is really the only headphone that has brought me to that "singer/band in the room" feel.  My only minor complaint being an obvious lack of top end extension and a slight hardness to the treble.  HD800S?  I have a pair right here, and...
  19. npdang

    Focal Elear and Utopia Review / Preview With Measurements - Head-Fi TV

      Thanks for sharing, that is a very impressively flat impedance plot and a dream for any OTL amp users.  It also seems that there might be a small notch/ripple at ~4khz for both cans... I'm wondering if that's some type of surround edge resonance or reflection?  I see it on almost every...
  20. npdang

    Focal Elear and Utopia Review / Preview With Measurements - Head-Fi TV

      I own the Pioneers and I'm not too far from The Source AV, so hopefully I can provide some feedback.  I disliked many of the earlier Focal loudspeakers as they always sounded obviously colored and had a very strange sounding midrange.  However, I liked the Diablo enough to purchase a pair...
  21. npdang

    Focal Elear and Utopia Review / Preview With Measurements - Head-Fi TV

      Totally agree.  Just speaking from a sound quality perspective however.  I think some people are perhaps a little too eager to say you can get the same level of performance in a relatively modest headphone setup as expensive speakers etc. and I just don't share that opinion at all.
  22. npdang

    Focal Elear and Utopia Review / Preview With Measurements - Head-Fi TV

      I agree wholeheartedly... I've had a number of relatively modest speaker setups (Focal Diablo, Martin Duke, Dynaudio C1, etc.) and even staging and dynamic considerations aside, the resolution, tonal balance, etc. is noticeably better than any TOTL can that I've heard.  I think the biggest...
  23. npdang

    Pioneer's First Hi-End Headphones: SE-Master 1

    Pioneer has never been a popular name among audiophiles...they had this same problem with their S*-EX line of speakers, which were essentially mini-versions of the TAD speakers that sold for a fraction of the cost and were amazing values.  Now, if they stepped this up to a beryllium diaphragm...
  24. npdang

    Allnic HPA-3000

    Sorry, just realized you said Bryston head amp :P  I've never heard any of their headphone products, but have owned the 4B and 7B long ago.  Great products.  If my praise for the HPA-5000XL is a bit restrained, it's due mostly to the price in comparison to the HPA-3000.
  25. npdang

    Allnic HPA-3000

    Interesting... I would not describe the sound of the hpa-3000 as Bryston at all... more like Audio Research to my ears.
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