[drgajet]

whoa

I bought the Panamax 4300 for one of my rigs for under $200 on Amazon. To get voltage regulation you have to get the 5400 and the cost goes up to around $450. I'm glad to see them in the video, I think they offer a lot of features for a more reasonable price.

Jim

 

[warrenpchi]

  This thread has gotten somewhat weird for me.

 
Lol, we've got a few months of waiting ahead, and we're bored.  

 

  I just want to chime in an say the Carbon with Mr. Speakers Ether was simply sublime and the star of the show for me and many at the Nashville meet. I've found my end game with these two pieces and a good dac. Call me done. 

 
 

 
Wow... them's some strong words there.  

  

 
Also, someone finally started an impressions thread for Nashville:  http://www.head-fi.org/t/763461/music-city-meet-spring-2015-pics-impressions-thread

 

[Emerpus]

   
The Primes were plugged in the Carbon on several occasion but I can't remember who was listening. Maybe they will chime in though.

 
Ha ha ... the Ether is that good?
 
No worries, I'll likely stick with my Prime and dream of the Ether.
 
Can't really use an Open Can due to a waterfall approximately 20 meters away from my room.

 

[money4me247]

  Can't really use an Open Can due to a waterfall approximately 20 meters away from my room.

that sounds really pretty!!!

 

[runeight]

Hello gents. I know that some of you are looking at power conditioning...............and I don't want to suggest this is bad idea, because it may not be..............
 
The Carbon has a universal switch mode power supply. This means that it is expressly designed and expects to see a line/mains voltage anywhere from 85V to 250V at either 50Hz or 60hz. In a sense, it already has a power conditioner in it, or more accurately, it responds well even to significant changes in line voltage. One thing you don't want to do is to introduce any unnecessary noise into it from a line conditioner.
 
The other associated equipment (with linear supplies) may benefit from a conditioner, but the Carbon probably won't. The Carbon is a fairly accurate amp, especially for its size and weight. It will tell what your source and headphones sound like fairly well. If it were me, and it isn't, I would focus on my DAC and headphones and get good interconnects. I think that's where you will see the most gains for the buck.
 
MHO.

 

[warrenpchi]

Wait a tick, first you sell us an endgame amp for under $600, then you tell us not to spend money unnecessarily... are you sure you're a hi-fi audio manufacturer?  Because you're not sounding like one right now.  

 

[DigitalFreak]

so screw the conditioner and just get good interconnects and DAC??

 

[Poimandres]

That's what the good Doctor stated.

 

[MattTCG]

^^ Seems like what he was saying. It's what I'm doing anyway. 

 

[Pirakaphile]

Its really 300 bones?!?!?!?!

I mean, I'm pretty sure we're talking about a component that you would use after already having an end game setup. I'm planning on getting their $50 one just to solve the AC noise I get from my 65 year old house's original wiring. And it protects against power spikes and such. For the money, I'd say it's a good buy.
For the $300 one, I bet it doesn't clean up much more than the $50 one, but I've never heard it. I'm just assuming it's like most things I've heard already. The base line model performs well, and everything else just adds a few extra percentages and fractions.

 

[Pirakaphile]

Wait a tick, first you sell us an endgame amp for under $600, then you tell us not to spend money unnecessarily... are you sure you're a hi-fi audio manufacturer?  Because you're not sounding like one right now.  

Very suspicious.. I bet he doesn't even believe in capitolism anymore!

 

[Pirakaphile]

Hello gents. I know that some of you are looking at power conditioning...............and I don't want to suggest this is bad idea, because it may not be..............

The Carbon has a universal switch mode power supply. This means that it is expressly designed and expects to see a line/mains voltage anywhere from 85V to 250V at either 50Hz or 60hz. In a sense, it already has a power conditioner in it, or more accurately, it responds well even to significant changes in line voltage. One thing you don't want to do is to introduce any unnecessary noise into it from a line conditioner.

The other associated equipment (with linear supplies) may benefit from a conditioner, but the Carbon probably won't. The Carbon is a fairly accurate amp, especially for its size and weight. It will tell what your source and headphones sound like fairly well. If it were me, and it isn't, I would focus on my DAC and headphones and get good interconnects. I think that's where you will see the most gains for the buck.

MHO.

So are we gonna bring up the 'what DAC looks good with the Carbon on/near/on top of/within it?' Conversation again?
DAC will be coming up in 2 years, since it'll be closer to $1k than my $500 budget. Interconnects will follow later, and then speaker journey will begin. I'm confident the Carbon will be my last stop for amps in the headphone department. After that it'll be all up to listening to old favorites and discovering new music.

 

[runeight]

Quote:

  Wait a tick, first you sell us an endgame amp for under $600, then you tell us not to spend money unnecessarily... are you sure you're a hi-fi audio manufacturer?  Because you're not sounding like one right now.  

 
Well.......I could be wrong.

 
 

I mean, I'm pretty sure we're talking about a component that you would use after already having an end game setup. I'm planning on getting their $50 one just to solve the AC noise I get from my 65 year old house's original wiring. And it protects against power spikes and such. For the money, I'd say it's a good buy.
For the $300 one, I bet it doesn't clean up much more than the $50 one, but I've never heard it. I'm just assuming it's like most things I've heard already. The base line model performs well, and everything else just adds a few extra percentages and fractions.

 
There are couple of good reasons here to do something before the equipment. Lots of noise on house AC and surge protection.
 
But, in seeking the best SQ one can get, MHO is that the DAC and headphones are the real keys to the equation. So if I made either of these two things I'd be about as clever as there is.

 

[Pirakaphile]

Quote:

Well.......I could be wrong. h34r:



There are couple of good reasons here to do something before the equipment. Lots of noise on house AC and surge protection.

But, in seeking the best SQ one can get, MHO is that the DAC and headphones are the real keys to the equation. So if I made either of these two things I'd be about as clever as there is.

Since I can hear it through the Schiit I've got, and the Carbon is really quiet, I have no doubts I'll want to get rid of that noise before the amp gets here.

Hey, clever doesn't mean a thing if you aren't having fun! Amps seem to be your thing, so as long as you're happy (and judging by the smiles in all those pictures, you are) there's nothin' more you gotta do!

 

[runeight]

Oh. I am not saying the power conditioners are not useful for audio rigs. Sometimes they can be critical. I'm only saying that the Carbon doesn't really need one. It's the DIYer in me who I've been keeping locked up for the last four years.