[sean-xenos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Borat Hi sean-xenos, Can you report back with your impressions of the DT880 with the TW-J1 after burn-in? I am trying to decide between buying the HD600 or DT880 and I have heard neither. But since I have already committed to buying the TW-J1, I want to know if the DT880 goes well with it. I already know that the HD600 has good results per PinkFloyd (thank you by the way for this wealth of information on this fine Chinese amp). But like you I am very attracted to the comfortable velour ear pads of the DT880. Also what is your source? Thanks

Hello Borat,

it will take more time to burn in the amp before I can give you detailed information. I found out that the kind of interconnects I use between my CD-Player / or integrated amplifier and the TW-J1 does matter, as well as there is an issue with the polarity of the AC-connection. In Germany we have symmetrical AC-plugs with ground, not the three pin design like in the UK (I hope you can understand what I try to describe, my English is really not perfect on that matter.)
You can look up the kind of sources I use in my profile.
I tried the TW-J1 in direct connection from my CD-Player and the tape outlet of my integrated amp.
I do the "burning in" directly from my FM-Tuner, so I don't have to bother with changing CDs etc.

/ Holger

 

[sean-xenos]

Hello Borat,

the DT 880 is really no good combination with the TW-J1.
The bass did not change in the process of "burning in". It stays thin with no impact, no deep bass at all.
Even the headphone outlet of my CD-Player does better with the DT 880

The combination with the Grado RS-1 turns out better, good tonality, deep and natural bass, but may be the amp is a bit to much on the bright side for the Grados. Some section of the highs is exaggerated, almost earpiercingly exaggerated and this annoys me with classical music. Probably "PinkFloyd" is right, the best combination might be the Sennheiser HD600 and HD650, as the highs of these Senns are known to be a little bit laid back.
I found a shop that lets me test the Grados with many different kinds of headphone amps (Grado RA-1, GSP solo, Lehmann Black Cube, ...), that certainly will be interesting.

 

[chim]

what about a gilmore lite ? they're supposed to kill with grados

 

[Romanee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tezzla i love this place i too am looking for an amp and as i live in the uk i have had lots of trouble trying to figure out what to get!!! i think i will get the amp you recommended pink flloyd. i have ms-1s and am about to have akg k501s...i assume it will be fine for the ms-1s, will it be ok for the k501s? Thanks so much for the help! Terry.

Tezzla -- if you happen to want a portable amp that has great synergy with the K501s (my favorite phones below the K1000), consider the Portaphile V2. Glance at some notes I posted today in the owners thread:

Portaphile V2 owners thread - re: AKG K501s

The basic amp is $185 USD (+ $15 USD for AC/DC back plate ... power supply/wall wart not provided, tho' you can get an ELPAC WM080-1950-760 24VDC PS from Allied Electronics, or get another of your own choosing ... or just use 9V batteries). You'll have to contact Cesar at Portaphile.com about shipping costs to UK.

 

[Electric_Mofo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chim what about a gilmore lite ? they're supposed to kill with grados

Im planing on purchasing Grado SR225 and I was told that a Gilmore amp would be perfect

 

[chim]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Electric_Mofo Im planing on purchasing Grado SR225 and I was told that a Gilmore amp would be perfect

I didnt see that under your list of choices... i have a pair of SR325is and i have a gilmore lite coming next week

will tell ya what i think

 

[Borat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sean-xenos Hello Borat, the DT 880 is really no good combination with the TW-J1. The bass did not change in the process of "burning in". It stays thin with no impact, no deep bass at all. Even the headphone outlet of my CD-Player does better with the DT 880

Are you saying the TW-J1 is at fault for the lack of bass? Because if you are hearing bass with the DT880 out of your source, but not through the amplifier, then the amplifier is a bottleneck in your system correct?

The results you are experiencing are clearly different from PinkFloyd's. I hope you and I are not getting fake TW-J1's through our dealer. With the controversy surrounding this amp, who knows. I'm getting a little worried.

How do you like the sound of the Beyers through your other equipment, not through the TW-J1?

Thanks for your input.

 

[tezzla]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romanee Tezzla -- if you happen to want a portable amp that has great synergy with the K501s (my favorite phones below the K1000), consider the Portaphile V2. Glance at some notes I posted today in the owners thread: Portaphile V2 owners thread - re: AKG K501s The basic amp is $185 USD (+ $15 USD for AC/DC back plate ... power supply/wall wart not provided, tho' you can get an ELPAC WM080-1950-760 24VDC PS from Allied Electronics, or get another of your own choosing ... or just use 9V batteries). You'll have to contact Cesar at Portaphile.com about shipping costs to UK.

lol now im confused again. From what sean says regarding the jee dubya jay-1 and the beyer dt880s and lack of bass, it sounds (no pun intended) like the k501s will be in the same boat...ie: not the best synergy. I really dont mind portable or home amp, id prefer home amp if that meant i'd get better quality sound for my money as i just cant see myself lugging an amp around with my mp3 player and canal phones.

Someone mentioned the portaphile to me before, and ive no doubt (espec after reading the posts!) its an absolutely fantastic amp for its price. In fact i'd really like to buy it. However..the issue really is price - for me its going to cost 185 + 15 (backplate) + power supply (say 25?) + shipping + duty. Thats like 200 + cost of powersupply then whack another 17% duty on top of that (i think???) and then add the cost of shipping. Not including shipping im looking at $260 US which is around £140. Throw in shipping and ... well you get the picture ... im really really really trying to keep £100 as a ceiling on spending. (if my calculations are wrong, someone lemme know!)

Any other contenders for around £100 to be paired with Akg k501s? or should i just say screw it and buy the jee dubya jay-1? or should i just say screw it, stop paying my rent, buy the portaphile v2 and live on the streets selling my body to fund my music habit?

 

[sean-xenos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Borat Are you saying the TW-J1 is at fault for the lack of bass? Because if you are hearing bass with the DT880 out of your source, but not through the amplifier, then the amplifier is a bottleneck in your system correct? The results you are experiencing are clearly different from PinkFloyd's. I hope you and I are not getting fake TW-J1's through our dealer. With the controversy surrounding this amp, who knows. I'm getting a little worried. How do you like the sound of the Beyers through your other equipment, not through the TW-J1? Thanks for your input.

Hi Borat,

please read carefully what I've written. Your post makes me believe you did not.

As I wrote before, I tested the J-1 in different configurations. There was hardly any audible difference whether I connected the J-1 directly to the CD-Player or to the TAPE OUT of my integrated amp.

As there was no difference, I decided to do the rest of my tests using the RCA connectors of my CD-Player with the J-1.
I used some neutral and unobtrusive sounding interconnection cables (Fast Audio bicoax 2) to link the CD-Player with the J-1.

IMHO the Beyer DT 880 is simply not a good combination with the J-1. I said this before. The bass is thin, no deep bass at all.
I'm not an electronics engineer and don't have the equipment to do frequency graphics or impedance graphics, so I have to rely on my ears. I usually use two CDs testing new equipment: 1. Bill Lasswell: Hear no evil (warm sound, rich bass, fast tablas) and 2. Tchaikovsky No.5 e-minor op.64: RSO Moscow, Vladimir Fedoseev, JVC reference recording (great range of dynamics, big soundstage, good seperation of instruments necessary, neither too bright nor too dark, for my taste a very well balanced recording where nothing is missing)

The J-1 does sound good with the Grado RS-1 though for my taste it sounds too bright.
PinkFloyd said that the J-1 sounds great with the Sennheiser HD600 and I believe that the characteristics of the HD600 and the J-1 may match very well. PinkFloyd did not test the DT 880, as far as I know he does not have one.

Ok ?

I certainly don't have a fake J-1. I compared the details with PinkFloyd's amp and they are absolutely identical.
The seller on ebay confirmed that it's the real thing as well,
though he may not be authorized to sell the J-1 in Europe,
but that really doesn't matter to me.

I get the best sound from the Beyer DT 880 when I connect it through the headphone outlet of my integrated amp. The DT 880 feels very comfortable. Somehow it does not sound as good as the Sennheiser HD650 I owned for a short time but it's still a good headphone. The DT 880 is brighter, the mids not as clean as the Senn's. The Senn HD650 was much better for classical music, warmer, gave instruments more timbre than the DT880. The DT880 tends to sound inprecise with big orchestras. May be my experiences come close to the characteristics of the DT880 when driven by a matching headphone amp, may be not.

It's a pity that the J-1 arrived two days after I had to return the HD650, so I can only guess that the HD650 and the J-1 might match very well.

I returned the Beyer DT 880 yesterday and certainly will keep my Grado RS-1. I decided to build a well known DIY head amp that resembles the Grado RA-1. During my hearing session at the dealer I found out that the combination of the RS-1 and the RA-1 just produces the kind of sound I enjoy and I prefer this combo over the Stax SR404 with SRM-006t for example. I probably will try to sell the J-1 as I don't plan to buy the Senn HD600 or HD650 again.

 

[k00gar]

would be nice to see Pinkfloyds review of the jee dubya jay-1

again as the thread was pulled or a updated one.


k00g

 

[pabbi1]

I agree. The review of an existing product, regardless of it's promation / acquisition / origin, should be allowed, especially since they can now be purchased on eBay.

G&W J-1

 

[Romanee]

Tezzla:

Sorry -- had no idea you had a £100 budget -- and I only mentioned Portaphile V2 IF you needed a portable, which obviously you don't.

With that budget, it doesn't seem likely that anything shipped from the US would fit that could properly drive the K501s.

I have no experience with, and won't enter the fray about the amp in question.

Good luck.

 

[PinkFloyd]

I agree. The review of an existing product, regardless of it's promation / acquisition / origin, should be allowed, especially since they can now be purchased on eBay.


Haven't you read this?

 

[oneeyedhobbit]

.

 

[sean-xenos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oneeyedhobbit Personally, I think the G&W J1 should be boycotted now that Knoxed has purchased the trademark and are threatening legal action against ebay sellers and head-fi. What a bunch of blow-hards.

I don't think they actually bought the trademark,
they simply claim to be the only official distributor in Europe and the USA.