[wacomme]

Am I becoming overly obsessed?

Here's my history:

Mid-May 2002 I bought the Airhead and Etymotic ER6 canalphones from Headroom. I was astounded by the sound, so I started reading these forums. In June I returned my Airhead and ER6 for the Total Airhead and ER4P + S adapter. Also, I bought the Sony CE775 cdp and have bought a half dozen or so SACD's. I'm in heaven now, but I continue reading these forums. I've already spent more money on music than I ever intended; it's now hard to listen to my computer speakers playing mp3's.

Today, I had another thought (and rationalized it too):

I'll keep what I have (mostly for office and travel), but for my home office (where the CE775 sits) Iwould like to purchase the following:

From Jan Meier: Corda HA-1 and Sennheiser 600 headphones (I'll sell my Grado SR80's).

Outlaw interconnects (I currently have old Audioquest Turquoise).

Cardias or Clou replacement cables for my new Sennheiser 600's (maybe I should wait until Christmas).

Vibrapods (#3) for the CE775.

First of all, am I crazy? Second, what do you think of this set-up?

(I love the ER4x, and plan to continue wearing them at home, but I thought it would be nice to have variety, so I thought of replacing the Grado SR80's with the Sennheiser 600's. Besides, I can buy the 600's at a great price when I buy the Corda HA-1 from Jan). Good idea?

Thanks for your help.

Michael

 

[Nick Dangerous]

Nah... we're all obsessed.

Your setup sounds perfect and well researched. Eventually I'd investigate whether tubes or solid state is your thing. In the meantime, the Corda HA-1 is a very fine choice. It's the best value in solid state amps at that price point.

The Sennheiser HD600 is also a fantastic product. When Tyll demonstrates his products, it is the only headphone that is coupled with his high performance amps. I think that says it all.

 

[markl]

At your level, I'd advise upgrading your phones/amp/source before addingt something like Vibrapods.

markl

 

[andrzejpw]

I agree with markl.

 

[Nick Dangerous]

Nah... keep the Vibrapods. They're super cheap and you'll always have a component or two to stick 'em under...

 

[andrzejpw]

hmmm, cheap eh? How much?

 

[wacomme]

I think the vibrapods are $30. I can probably place that item on my Christmas wish list.

Other than the vibrapods, what do you think of my "buy" list? I missed the Headroom stop in Denver, so I don't have a way to listen before I buy. Would the CE775 benefit from the Corda HA-1? With this set-up, are Cardias replacement cables for the Sennheiser 600's worth the investment? Are my Audioquest turquoise interconnects worth replacing with the Outlaws? With my "buy" set-up, is my weak link the cpd? Where's my best bang for the buck?

Michael

 

[Nick Dangerous]

About $6 each. It's the least expensive isolation device I have ever seen.

www.vibrapod.com

 

[Nick Dangerous]

Best bang for the buck? Probably your headphone cable. I'm not familiar with that CDP... anyone else? Since you already have decent interconnects, I'd hold off on the Outlaws for the moment.

Concerning the cable upgrade, keep in mind that most of the users on Head-Fi fall into two categories:

#1 Cardas sounds better than anything.

#2 Clou is great and the Equinox is even better but didn't like the Cardas.

Why not order the blue Clou and a Cardas cable and return the one that doesn't work out for you? If you favor the Clou, consider the $189 Equinox as a small step up in performance.

 

[andrzejpw]

$6! This is going on my x-mas list for next year!

 

[wacomme]

Nick,

Would you consider purchasing headphone cables (for the 600's) before replacing my TAH for a Corda HA-1 as my home set-up?

"Since you already have decent interconnects, I'd hold off on the Outlaws for the moment. "

Are the Audioquest Turquoise interconnects good? Do they make them any more? What's their equivalent?

Michael

 

[andrzejpw]

Personally, I'd get the corda. You wouldn't believe the difference an amp makes!

 

[Nick Dangerous]

I've never heard the Audioquests, but if they are better than the standard Best Buy generic cable hold off until you upgrade your amp and headphone cable.

Between a headphone cable and amp upgrade, I'd go for the amp. The Corda has been described as having soft (but not lacking) bass, so if it is at all possible I'd also grab the blue Clou since it adds bass.

 

[braillediver]

Yeah I know what you mean. I keep looking at the EarMax-Pro in the for sale section and I don’t even have any headphones yet. I rationalized the Corda HA-1 and HD600 package from Meier Audio by calling Magnolia Hi-Fi and asking the price, this way I think I’m getting the HA-1 for free. I’m even getting parts together to build the META42 portable headphone amp and again I don’t have a portable device or headphones for it.

I’ve got to go look at the reviews on the EarMax Pro again.

 

[MacDEF]

Quote:

Originally posted by Nick Dangerous Concerning the cable upgrade, keep in mind that most of the users on Head-Fi fall into two categories: #1 Cardas sounds better than anything. #2 Clou is great and the Equinox is even better but didn't like the Cardas.

Nick, my impression from reading the reviews has been that the two categories are:

#1 Cardas are better than Equinox, both are better than Clous.

#2 Equinox are better than Cardas, both are better than Clous.

I think I've only seen one person say they liked the Clous better than the Cardas, and no one who's like the Clous better than the Equinox.