[colour97]

when i talked with kingwa: ( we are speaking the same language), he said
 re master 5/6 : head amp is bonus.  what we paid for is the pre-amp.
master 6 can drive any easy or hard to drive can. but in fact my es10 i set 8-10/70 is ok to listen.
 
after around 200 hrs burn-in,  my impresson is  you will easily find out which album is good recording, no bargain. 
 
and more details i can get in which  previously cantate 2 can't provide.
 
when i listened to RUSH-MOVING PICTURE , didnt feel noisy, I set DT880 to 30/70, 
Now,  high-mid-bass is very neutral and harmony, i won't feel any part is too much. and of course
the horsepower is so strong. 
 
forget to tell you, dt880 is single end only, later on, will mod it to balance. and change another power cord instead of fty power cord.
 
 
 
 

 

[colour97]

Quote:

I am using an Oppo BDP95 as a source and could not be happier. USB inputs allow the use of an external harddrive, flash drive or you can also stream via network. currently listening to 24/192K Flac files via thumb drive and performance is amazing. Plays SACD, DVD audio, and pretty much any format you can input.
 
I purchased it after a disappointing audition of a Cambridge Audio Dac magic plus. I ended up sending the CA Dac magic back due to several issues and couldnt be happier I did.

 
 

can you give more impression if :
balance output to amp directly, and
 
use it as a transport - digital out  to dac to amp. 
 
what interested me for this oppo is its
 
 
ES9018 SABRE 32-bit Reference DAC
& Toroidal Transforme, 
 
and thinking about how would it sound if balance out to master 6.
 
i cant get CD7SE , and looking for  any good choice other than CD7SE, 
 

 

[Jonlereux]

Colour97, I am using the RCA's out directly to my Schiit Lyr amp. The Schiit amp is not balanced. I plan on getting a balanced amp, like the Master 5 and using the balanced outs, however I have spent lots of $ lately and cannot afford it right now
 
The reason I ended up with the Oppo 95 is that I had purchased a Cambridge Dac Plus and was disappointed in the performance.
I had issues with high resolution files, Signal out via Rca's and problems playing different file formats.
 
The Oppo is an amazing unit; sounds much better than the Cambridge Dac plus using all formats. It will play Super audio CD, and will also play high resolution Flac 24/192 files directly from a USB thumb drive. I am using a portable hard drive connected directly to the USB port and am able to navigate the folders via monitor.
 
It is also a phenomenal blu ray and 3d blu ray player  which is an added plus for me, but it may not be important to you.
 
 

 

[LarsHP]

Quote:

Yes please try it Lars

 
I had to cut my 1/8" to 1/4" adapter to be able to plug the SM3 into it

 
Well, this cut might compromise the connections and make a partial short or whatever - or it may not. I don't think so, but here is what I hear and don't hear:
Anyway I can hear NO hiss, but a clearly audible hum is present (from a trafo somewhere) when music is not playing.
At level 1 on the volume, sound is in fact very low. Gain is therefore strangely enough not a problem and there is no channel imbalance (listened just shortly).
 

Edit: the SM3 has a sensitivity of 122dB/mW and is 34 Ohm.

 

[tim3320070]

Quote:

Tim,
 
That would be something for me to consider. Thus far my speaker rig doubles as my Home theater setup and I dont have a dedicated stereo setup
 
It seems like you have or have had several Audio Gd products
 
What is your experience with purchasing from Audio Gd? Lead time? customer service if you have problems? They seem to offer excellent value products... As mentioned before, Phoenix was a product that I was interested in and from what I have heard the Master series outperforms it in every way.
 
Thus far the unknown of the ordering process has kept me from pulling the trigger on some of the items they have to offer.

They are very good, honest sellers. If they have to build it, it will take at least a month so be patient. If you ever have a problem or questions other than wanting a quote, contact Kingwa directly. His english is okay but not great so you have to ask questions in a simple, short format.
 
 

 

[maguire]

Thank you Lars, custom nuts, Tim, colour etc. You all have been very helpful. I will have to get in touch with man himself as directed for additional info. In simple short format... yep. got it...

 

[Jonlereux]

Quote:

They are very good, honest sellers. If they have to build it, it will take at least a month so be patient. If you ever have a problem or questions other than wanting a quote, contact Kingwa directly. His english is okay but not great so you have to ask questions in a simple, short format.
 


 

Tim, It sounds  like you have been very pleased with Audio Gd and the services they have provided. Thanks for the feedback. I am awaiting the arrival of some HE5LEs and the Master 6 would be a perfect fit for them. I will be driving them with a Schiit Lyr until I can pull the trigger on something balanced. I would love to hear the Master Series though. Can I ask what headphones do you primarily use with the Master 5?

 

[lmswjm]

Quote:

 


I briefly had my Antelope Zodiac+ & Ref 7.1 together and tested both before it was sold. The Ref 7.1 replaced it - It was far superior. The zodiac+ had amazing digital/clocking section and more features, however it fell short big time (in comparison) in the power supply and analogue sections. The Ref 7.1 is right up there in that regard.

I've posted this before: I tested the Zodiac Gold with Voltikus PSU headphone out against the Ref1/ Phoenix combo. From the hype, I was expecting the Zodiac to be my next DAC, but to my surprise the ZG did not out-perform the Audio-Gd units.
 
I have purchased the CD7, Ref1(V5), Phoenix, Ref 7.1 and Master 6 direct from Kingwa for my 2 current set-ups. I have always received excellent customer service and have to say that all of these components are excellent products that have eliminated any need for upgrade in the forseeable future.

 

[maguire]

I got in touch with Kingwa, re his best  pre-amp, & also if master5 can be used with custom IEM's.
 
His response was that his best Pre amp was Master-1.
Re- Master5 as he has not tried this before  would probably be ok with customs,but they might be too sensative .
 
So just as Custom nuts & Lars have suggested.

 

[colour97]

some impressions:
 
recently i am using audio technica AD700 to listen for 1 week. ( i bought this used one  2 years ago about usd 75.00)
 
it is open can and  53mm driver and its soundstage is pretty wide but very thin treble and bass. what attract me most is its soundstage.
 
or may say no bass at all. 
 
then listen for 1 week, and volume is around 12/70 , its sound change to be thicker , more richer  all the way,
 
because of the upside of the wide soundstage , make the whole listening to be more 3 D image. 
 
this master 6 really brings back ad700 to a new life,  to another high level music .  ( i guess on the past, ad700 driver was
not well warmed up)
 
 
 
 

 

[nigeljames]

Not ready for a review or anything like that yet but after having the Master-6 for 2 weeks now I have been able to put around 60 hours of power up of which about 25 hours with a signal through it and it already sounds so good that I am no longer concerned with any burn in.
 
With the HE-6's its very neutral with no emphasis on any part of the frequency range. Excellent dynamics,speed,clarity and detail. Stunning bass depth and control. Plenty of power, normally 30-35/70.
 
With LCD-2 r2 (new less than a week old) Extremely full bodied and powerful sound. Bass goes through the floor with excellent control and presence. Excellent low level detail and imaging. Great layered soundstage depth and natural width. No darkness at all, hf's extend way up and don't seem recessed and are very smooth. Volume at 18-25/70
 
Unbalanced with Beyer T1's. I have never heard the Beyers with more bass depth and power. Similar sound to the HE-6's in many ways. Excellent dynamics, clarity and detail again. Probably the best I have ever heard the T1's.
Volume at 28-35/70 (unbalanced)
 
So far highly impressed.

 

[lmswjm]

That's encouraging, I'm even more excited now about my incoming LCD3's next week........

 

[nigeljames]

Quote:

That's encouraging, I'm even more excited now about my incoming LCD3's next week........

lmswjm have you received your LCD-3's yet? They are probably my next headphone purchase.

 

[lmswjm]

 
Quote:

lmswjm have you received your LCD-3's yet? They are probably my next headphone purchase.

As expected, The Phoenix and Master 6 power these phones effortlessly. The LCD3's have unsurpassed bass response. The best I have heard for quality, quantity, speed and detail. Definitely reference. They sound to me just like the FR graph shows, solid bass and mids with highs that are just on the south side of neutral with full details etc. I thought these would be perfect for me, because I am a bass head at heart. However, I'd like a little more out of the highs to match the rest of the frequencies. To me it's a little too much bass tilted.
 
What was worse was the pressure on my ear canals. The ear pads created the greatest air-tight seal around my ears I've have ever experienced. I would actually put the phones on, and have to stick my fingers underneath the pads to break the seal. Even then there was still positive pressure on the ear canals. This coupled with the heavy weight of the phones made me too uncomfortable to listen to for long periods. I had read that one head-fier experienced a bout of tinnitus after repeated, long listening sessions and I definitely could see that. However another head-fier acknowledged the pressure, but for him it was more akin to custom IEM's. I can't stand those either though.
 
To summarize I'd say that the sound wasn't worth enduring the lack of comfort associated with them. They are beautiful phones though.
 
It is possible that they could be the holy grail for some, but I would recommend that they be auditioned in a non-commitment type environment first, especially considering the expense.
 
One more point to add is that from what I have read, they have significant variability in production. It is possible that not all LCD3's create this ear pressure.

 
 

 

[nigeljames]

Quote:

 

As expected, The Phoenix and Master 6 power these phones effortlessly. The LCD3's have unsurpassed bass response. The best I have heard for quality, quantity, speed and detail. Definitely reference. They sound to me just like the FR graph shows, solid bass and mids with highs that are just on the south side of neutral with full details etc. I thought these would be perfect for me, because I am a bass head at heart. However, I'd like a little more out of the highs to match the rest of the frequencies. To me it's a little too much bass tilted.
 
What was worse was the pressure on my ear canals. The ear pads created the greatest air-tight seal around my ears I've have ever experienced. I would actually put the phones on, and have to stick my fingers underneath the pads to break the seal. Even then there was still positive pressure on the ear canals. This coupled with the heavy weight of the phones made me too uncomfortable to listen to for long periods. I had read that one head-fier experienced a bout of tinnitus after repeated, long listening sessions and I definitely could see that. However another head-fier acknowledged the pressure, but for him it was more akin to custom IEM's. I can't stand those either though.
 
To summarize I'd say that the sound wasn't worth enduring the lack of comfort associated with them. They are beautiful phones though.
 
It is possible that they could be the holy grail for some, but I would recommend that they be auditioned in a non-commitment type environment first, especially considering the expense.
 
One more point to add is that from what I have read, they have significant variability in production. It is possible that not all LCD3's create this ear pressure.

 
 

Sorry to hear about the comfort issues you are having must be very frustrating to have issues like that at the price.
I notice the air pressure myself with my LCD-2 r2 but its very mild and only in the right ear. I have found that if I put them on very slowly though I don't notice it.
 
Disappointed, but not surprised, to hear that the LCD-3's are darker than the LCD-2 r2's. With my Master-6 there is absolutely no darkness at all although I do use a silver TWAG-2 cable which may be having an effect on the brightness.