[leesure]

Quote:

 

I see.  The product lines were a bit confusing to me up until now.
 
 balanced out Corvina amp = balanced out Isabellina HPA Amp section
 
Would the same be true for
 
 SE out Corvina amp = SE out  Isabellina Amp HPA section

Correct-a-mundo.
 

 

[WarriorAnt]

Quote:

Correct-a-mundo.
 

Is it a given that the Balanced out corvina will perform better  than the SE Corvina?

 

[leesure]

Quote:

Is it a given that the Balanced out corvina will perform better  than the SE Corvina?

Well...I guess that would depend in the cans, but with the LCD-2's, I would say yes.  1, because of the extra power and 2, because I heard an increase in micro-dynamics and detail with the balanced over SE version.
 
Vinnie offers a money-back guarantee and a great upgrade path policy...give it a go.  I did and haven't been disappointed.
 

 

[leesure]

Just traded e-mails with Vinnie (who replies at 10pm?  Vinnie, that's who! Nice customer service!) and he clarified a few things...
 
"Corvina (balanced) -- Same LiFePO4 battery pack, SMART board, LFP-V Tube Stage, Balanced output
stage, and internal wiring as Isabellina HPA (balanced) and Audeze Edition.  However, Corvina has no remote
volume control, no Isabellina Pro dac, and no line-out.  But it has 2 analog inputs.

For $500 less, it can be configured with the single-ended stage that is also an option with the Isabellina HPA.

Isabellina HPA (balanced) -- Same LiFePO4 battery pack, SMART board, LFP-V Tube Stage, Balanced output
stage, and internal wiring as Audeze Edition.  It can be configured with the Isabellina Pro dac (just like Audeze Edition),
or the standard Isabellina dac.  It can also be configured with the 12Vdc output jack that the AE has.  When you configure
it to be just like the AE, it is $3600, but unlike the AE, it does not come with the ALO Audio AE cable (which is $650 if you were
to purchase it seperately, and it does not come with the travel case for the whole system.  And the front panel does not
have the Audeze logo and the red knob."

 

[WarriorAnt]

Quote:

Just traded e-mails with Vinnie (who replies at 10pm?  Vinnie, that's who! Nice customer service!) and he clarified a few things...
 
"Corvina (balanced) -- Same LiFePO4 battery pack, SMART board, LFP-V Tube Stage, Balanced output
stage, and internal wiring as Isabellina HPA (balanced) and Audeze Edition.  However, Corvina has no remote
volume control, no Isabellina Pro dac, and no line-out.  But it has 2 analog inputs.

For $500 less, it can be configured with the single-ended stage that is also an option with the Isabellina HPA.

Isabellina HPA (balanced) -- Same LiFePO4 battery pack, SMART board, LFP-V Tube Stage, Balanced output
stage, and internal wiring as Audeze Edition.  It can be configured with the Isabellina Pro dac (just like Audeze Edition),
or the standard Isabellina dac.  It can also be configured with the 12Vdc output jack that the AE has.  When you configure
it to be just like the AE, it is $3600, but unlike the AE, it does not come with the ALO Audio AE cable (which is $650 if you were
to purchase it seperately, and it does not come with the travel case for the whole system.  And the front panel does not
have the Audeze logo and the red knob."

Thanks for the leg work.  
 

 

[Currawong]

Quote:

Hi guys,
 
Just bought the LCD-2 from my local retailer. So far, i didn't using any amp yet but the sound quality is brilliant. This baby is really heavy, my neck starts tired. 
 
Unfortunately, i was a little bit unhappy due to my local retailer, Stereo Singapore. I found out that my LCD-2 wire cable is not the original. They provided me a different type, not similar to the Audez'e Homepage. 
 
I dropped a email to the staff, wish he could provide me a good reason if not i won't shop in Stereo.sg anymore...

Some of the pictures on the site show the original cable, not the new flat cable, so I wouldn't worry about it. They changed the cable a couple of times. The first was red and black with techflex around the wires. The second was black and round, but a bit heavy. The third and current is flat and light.
 
Quote:

Don't use the stock cable, I suggest you try the Norse, they are really bang for the buck. You won't want to go back to the stock cables once you have tried the Norse.

 
The guy doesn't even have an amp or DAC yet and you're suggesting he buy a cable? We're nowhere near there yet.   The stock cable is fine.
 

 

[khaos974]

Quote:

Hey there,
Yes, basically, the maximum output current would limit how low an output impedance you could drive, what you have written makes sense.
But it is also tied into the efficiency or sensitivity of the 'phones. 
 
So let's try this another way.
As you all know, the LCD has an efficiency of 91 dB/1 mW, on the low side compared to a lot of other 'phones and an impedance of 60 ohms nominal (I got this from the manufacturer's website).
The LCD-2 is a low impedance, low efficiency phone so it needs lots of current.
 
Calculations ahead....I hope this isn't confusing..........
 
Let's say you want to listen at an average volume of 106 dB (loud!) and you want 15 dB of headroom because you have some very, very dynamic recordings.
So maximum peaks will be 121 dB.
If LCD-2 draws 1 mW at 91 dB then it draws 1.0 Watt at 121 dB SPL.
Crunch thru the numbers and we get 7.74 Vrms and 130 mAmps rms to get 121 dB SPL.
 
So, yeah, you need a fair amount of current to drive LCD-2s to high volumes.
An iPod would run out of Voltage and current.
I would think just about any portable would run out of voltage and current when asked to drive the LCD-2 to high volumes.
A Matrix M Stage will output max. 400 mW into 60 ohms, and 400 mW is only approx. 3 dB down from 1.00 Watt.
I'm only mentioning the Matrix cos I have one.
 
The high gain question: because the LCD-2 is a low efficiency phone, it also needs more voltage to drive it than say a pair of other low impedance 'phones like Grados or AKG K70x or 32 ohm Beyer DT770.
So your volume control would be turned up higher for LCD-2s than for most other 60 ohm 'phones.
And if you do want to listen at 106 dB with recordings with 15 dB of headroom then the 'phones need 7.74 Vrms.
I think my CD outputs a maximum of 2 volts (typical for most DACs and CD players) so it would be nice to have at least 10 dB of gain and even then the volume control would be set pretty high, think 2 or 3 o'clock.
Remember, headphone amps are actually voltage amplifiers:   Vout = Vin * gain.W
When everyone says "gain" they mean "voltage gain".
 
Disclaimer: I don't own the LCD-2 , but the planar technology fascinates me.

There's only one (huge) issue with that calculation, 106 dB isn't loud, it's ear splitting!
For myself, 80-85 dB average (ie 105-120 dB peaks for headroom) is already loud!
 
 
 

 

[Chris J]

 
Quote:

There's only one (huge) issue with that calculation, 106 dB isn't loud, it's ear splitting!
For myself, 80-85 dB average (ie 105-120 dB peaks for headroom) is already loud!
 
 
 

Maybe I should edit the post to say "really f@#%ing loud"?
LOL
You're, right, I certainly don't crank it out that loud.  Not even when I'm listening to Deep Purple or Van Halen!
I used those number because the LCD-2 spec sheet states that the LCD-2 can take an insane amount of power, not that anyone would want to listen to them that loud!
 
I found an article in Hi Fi World showing some measurements of some SACDs, the highest headroom ( peak to average ratios) they found were 16 dB.
 
 

 

[ptrok]

Quote:

No although I have heard it is very good. I have ordered the new Norse cable which is said to be better than Q and weightless with the 4 wire version for my LcD3. I also have the ALo cable for the SR71B but I am not impressed.

I prefer the Q cables myself because of the sound and ergonomics. Plus I think it is a little funny that Norse Audio cables came out with a cable so similar to the Q-audio after it's apparent success. Can't really say if it isn't better or not but as far as originality, it seems pretty weak. But hey, the guy has got to put food on his table.

 

[GMF2010]

Quote:

I prefer the Q cables myself because of the sound and ergonomics. Plus I think it is a little funny that Norse Audio cables came out with a cable so similar to the Q-audio after it's apparent success. Can't really say if it isn't better or not but as far as originality, it seems pretty weak. But hey, the guy has got to put food on his table.

I have a 4-wire and 8-wire Norse Audio Norn cable coming for my LCD-3. IMO, there is no other cable maker out there that offers the same bang for the buck. Norse Audio is also the only cable maker that offers matching wood Y splitters, which really adds a nice touch to the overall look of the LCD-2/3.
 
Just my $0.02

 

[WNBC]

Was Q cable the first to make Litz headphone cable?  I agree that they came out before Norse but not necessarily the first in the headphone cable world.  When you google Litz headphone cable there are companies besides Norse and Q making Litz headphone cables.  If Q was the first then mad props and thank you spreading the technology.  I was actually thinking about the Q cable interconnects.  Anybody have experiences with them?
 
Quote:

I prefer the Q cables myself because of the sound and ergonomics. Plus I think it is a little funny that Norse Audio cables came out with a cable so similar to the Q-audio after it's apparent success. Can't really say if it isn't better or not but as far as originality, it seems pretty weak. But hey, the guy has got to put food on his table.

 

 

[Vinnie R.]

Quote:

Well...I guess that would depend in the cans, but with the LCD-2's, I would say yes.  1, because of the extra power and 2, because I heard an increase in micro-dynamics and detail with the balanced over SE version.
 
Vinnie offers a money-back guarantee and a great upgrade path policy...give it a go.  I did and haven't been disappointed.
 

 
With the LCD-2 / LCD-3s, the balanced Corvina is MUCH better!
 
 
For clarification:
 
Corvina (balanced) -- Same LiFePO4 battery pack, SMART board, LFP-V Tube Stage, Balanced output
stage, and internal wiring as Isabellina HPA (balanced) and Audeze Edition.  However, Corvina has no remote
volume control, no Isabellina Pro dac, and no line-out.  But it has 2 analog inputs.
 
For $500 less, it can be configured with the single-ended stage that is also an option with the Isabellina HPA.
 
Isabellina HPA (balanced) -- Same LiFePO4 battery pack, SMART board, LFP-V Tube Stage, Balanced output
stage, and internal wiring as Audeze Edition.  It can be configured with the Isabellina Pro dac (just like Audeze Edition),
or the standard Isabellina dac.  It can also be configured with the 12Vdc output jack that the AE has.  When you configure
it to be just like the AE, it is $3600, but unlike the AE, it does not come with the ALO Audio AE cable (which is $650 if you were
to purchase it seperately, and it does not come with the travel case for the whole system.  And the front panel does not
have the Audeze logo and the red knob.
 
Again, for $500 less, it can be configured with the single-ended stage.  You also save $500 if you go with the standard Isabellina
dac instead of the "Pro" dac which has the additional high res Wolfson d/a chip.
 
Audeze Edition -- Just like a fully-loaded, balanced Isabellina HPA with Isabellina Pro dac, 12Vdc output, and has the
ALO Audio AE cable and custom travel case for $3950 (or $4900 with the LCD-2 rev. 2s).
 
 
Isabella Preamp (2 tubes, hi/low gain, 3 analog inputs, 2 variable outputs) -- can be ordered with the Isabellina or Isabellina Pro
dac board, and/or the single-ended or balanced headphone stage, and/or 12Vdc output jack.  This is our best sounding headphone
amp, but it has features that roll into the home audio territory - and is the most expensive.  But for those who want the very best,
this is the one.
 
If people come to the webpages of these products and click "purchase" - they can configure the options that they want and see
what the cost is - on the fly.
 
We had the AE Edition System and the new Corvina at the NY Headfi meet two weekends ago:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/580037/ny-area-meet-november-12-2011-impression-thread#post_7888745
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/580037/ny-area-meet-november-12-2011-impression-thread#post_7887570
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/580037/ny-area-meet-november-12-2011-impression-thread#post_7887668
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/580037/ny-area-meet-november-12-2011-impression-thread#post_7887830
 
 
Cheers!
 
Vinnie

 

[WarriorAnt]

Thanks for the info Vinnie !

 

[Girls Generation]

Zana Deux or V282/4?

 

[WarriorAnt]

Quote:

Zana Deux or V282/4?

Well there is no V282.  No one really knows if it will be made not even Violectric.    Been doing some research on the ZD myself and a few folks did not like it with the LCD.  Any owners out there who feel different please comment...