[CRESCENDOPOWER]

The advise that Timmy D is giving you is good. The HD580/600s do not need a bright amp. They need a good amp to bring out detail, and keep the bass from sounding muddy, and taking over the music.
There is a general consensus that the HD580/600s benefit greatly from improved electronics.
Also, I second KurtW's advise. The Clou cable will make them sound faster, more dynamic, with better detail.

 

[sordidman]

Hi Crescendopower,

Where do I get the Blue Clou cable???

Thanks for your advice.

 

[CRESCENDOPOWER]

Hi sordidman. I have the Red Clou cable, and I love it. Big improvement over the stock cable.
I believe Headroom is the only place in the U.S.A. that carries it. www.headphone.com
Good luck!

 

[merlin]

Hi Sordidman, I also use a Merlin Speaker, in my case the VSM-M with BBAM, and HD600 headphones for my headphone rig. I actually find the sound to be somewhat similar, detailed yet smooth. I think the reason could be the fact that I use Joule Electra PRE and AMP which of course is OTL and for my headphone setup I use an Earmax Pro - also OTL. I find the speed and transparency of OTL amps fantastic. I am very happy with the Earmax/hd600 combination. I also use a HD600 + MG Head amp for my office system which while not quite as good as my home combination is very close for the money difference. For what it is worth I also extensively demoed the Sugden Headmaster which was definately a little brighter than either tube amp - not quiet as smooth as either but a very good match with the HD600 phones. If I was to rank the headphone AMPs given my tastes I would choose the Earmax Pro followed by the Headmaster and finally the MG Head but value for money the MG head wins hands down. BTW I have previously used the TSM speakers with the ML 383 integrated and thought it was a sweet combination but a little to bright for me (partly because of my listening room) - much better with tubes - finally switch to VSM's and joule (classic match made in heaven)

 

[sordidman]

Hi,

Wow Merlin,

Thanks a lot for your comments. Yeah, I really like the Levinson TSM combo and I have a very small room. I am only sitting about 8 feet back from the speakers that are 6.5 feet apart. I sometimes worry that I'm not getting enough range out of TSMs and am thinking about moving to the VSMs. Are they good for this near a field?

I think that I really prefer the solid state sound so I'm sticking with the Levinson. I am also getting the Corda, so I'll see how it works out. If it's not bright enough to match up with the TSMs I'll either get a silver interconnect or just buy those darn VSMs

Thanks,

 

[merlin]

Hi Sordidman,
The VSM's can also be used in the near field like the TSM but they really do better if you can get them out into the room. They image much much better. Main difference between the VSM's and TSM's are LF - the VSM's go much lower (mainly due to the BAM), more transparency and more warmth and smoothness. TSM's are however my favorite stand mounted speaker. BTW do you have millenium edition of the TSM's or the SE.

Good luck with the Corda and let me know what you think after you have had it a while.

 

[Sirwar]

*loves his Corda*

The Corda supposedly has a perfectly flat frequency response up to like 400khz or something insane like that. So given that, it probably doesn't add anything to the sound other than the actual amplification. The crossfeed is great, too. Doesn't change the sound at all, just makes it more natural. You CAN build your own crossfeed circuit, Jan even posted the design for DIY, but I'd rather pay to have it done RIGHT

I'm still surprised that not many people here have tried the Corda compared to how many have tried almost every other god damn amp on the planet