[TeeReQs]

Here is both @Yethal's review of the Bursons and Sparkos. Keep in mind that he only swapped the singles. There is a comparison between the two at the bottom of the Burson review
 
Sparkos:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/sparkos-labs-ss3601-discrete-op-amps/reviews/16354
 
Burson:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/burson-audio-supreme-sound-opamp-v5i/reviews/16539

 

[Clean6eR]

Do you think the Sparkos are worth the price they cost? And do you by chance have any other amps you can compare to?

i would need more time to review them as I'm ill at the min and need to sit and listen to them for a long time.
 
i have a hdvd800, at-ha5000, schiit uber and non uber, bravo v2, a black cube linear and a copy one which is in my dah1. (i have most gaming type amps, minus the sennhiser gsx1000 and steelseries 800 wireless ones, and dss mark1. i believe i have all the others)
 
the hdvd800 and ha5000 are both Superior when fed from the hdvd800 (the ha5000 shows the x7 up as a inferior source when i a/b tested prior to the op amp upgrade.)
 
i cant really and fairly comment until i get used to the sparko setup then a/b them all.
 
i like computers and i feel that the sparko's are like putting a sli 1080gtx into an amd apu based machine, you feel like the sparkos are doing all they can with what they have, they don't feel like a weak link in the x7. which is reassuring feeling i suppose.
 
are they worth the money:
 
well when you get a new pair of headphones like the 668b or the cloud2 or aurvana live2, that sounds surprising, you smile and think "yea!" and they are all great value, you also feel like you got a steal.
i feel that way with the sparko, it sounds different and better but the value is not as much of a steal, its like i got what i paid for, i don't regret it yet, but I'm not about to recommend to my non music loving friend to go out and buy it (like i would recommend the cloud's if found cheap)
 
i agree with the other reviews of the amps so far and feel they explain and review them better than i could. (thank you to them!)

 

[Find the Door]

i would need more time to review them as I'm ill at the min and need to sit and listen to them for a long time.

i have a hdvd800, at-ha5000, schiit uber and non uber, bravo v2, a black cube linear and a copy one which is in my dah1. (i have most gaming type amps, minus the sennhiser gsx1000 and steelseries 800 wireless ones, and dss mark1. i believe i have all the others)

the hdvd800 and ha5000 are both Superior when fed from the hdvd800 (the ha5000 shows the x7 up as a inferior source when i a/b tested prior to the op amp upgrade.)

i cant really and fairly comment until i get used to the sparko setup then a/b them all.

i like computers and i feel that the sparko's are like putting a sli 1080gtx into an amd apu based machine, you feel like the sparkos are doing all they can with what they have, they don't feel like a weak link in the x7. which is reassuring feeling i suppose.

are they worth the money:

well when you get a new pair of headphones like the 668b or the cloud2 or aurvana live2, that sounds surprising, you smile and think "yea!" and they are all great value, you also feel like you got a steal.
i feel that way with the sparko, it sounds different and better but the value is not as much of a steal, its like i got what i paid for, i don't regret it yet, but I'm not about to recommend to my non music loving friend to go out and buy it (like i would recommend the cloud's if found cheap)

i agree with the other reviews of the amps so far and feel they explain and review them better than i could. (thank you to them!)

I notice a huge difference when there's a lot of traffic with the 3601's installed. It's not as muddy and you can actually separate sounds easier. Does anyone know if the 3602's fit at all or with the cover on?

 

[Yethal]

I notice a huge difference when there's a lot of traffic with the 3601's installed. It's not as muddy and you can actually separate sounds easier. Does anyone know if the 3602's fit at all or with the cover on?

Not according to this photo.

 

[VeerK]

 

Not according to this photo.

 
That's disappointing, nothing we can do about it?

 

[Yethal]

That's disappointing, nothing we can do about it?

If the pins were shorter it would probably fit. I'd have to ask Andrew Sparks about the possibility of making the puns shorter.

 

[VeerK]

If the pins were shorter it would probably fit. I'd have to ask Andrew Sparks about the possibility of making the puns shorter.

I thought I read that there was an extender that could be removed, but I must be incorrectly remembering an old post. I support your push to ask Andrew, I don't think dust would be an issue with the cover off, but in general I feel much more at ease with the cover on. In the event that I'd move the X7, I wouldn't have to worry about something from my desk accidentally getting into the op-amp compartment or even worse, hitting one of the sparkos op amps. The cover is more for peace of mind in my case. 

 

[mbyrnes]

There is an extender that comes with the Sparkos. The pictures I used are just the op amps. The extender is not shown. It protects the actual pins during shipping.

Here's a pic of just the extender:

 

[Find the Door]

I've spoken with him - the only way to get it to where it'll close is that you need to remove the receiver completely. This would require you to completely disassemble the x7 and re-solder the backside of the board directly to the bottom of the 3602's pins. Says that you can connect the bottom of the pins on the 3602 by way of wire really just the current seat that's in there has to be removed. Also you need to remember the correct orientation of course.

Really all in all not worth the hassle of just having the bottom open.

 

[mbyrnes]

Here is a picture of the X7 sitting down without anything raising it up. They are on the right. They don't touch the table, but it's close. Kind of difficult for any dust to get in their.

 

[illram]

Just got a pair of AKG 7XX's from Massdrop. Trying them out with the X7, coming from the HE-400i they sound different and I am not sure how to describe it. Muffled? I was surprised as I read several comments online that the 7xx's have a bigger soundstage than the 400i. The 400i's really sound like you are in a room with speakers when you are using SBX surround. 
 
Messed with the EQ and SBX settings and got it to sound better, but anyone have settings with these cans (or equivalent like the annie 702's) they like that they can share? 

 

[gunwale]

  Just got a pair of AKG 7XX's from Massdrop. Trying them out with the X7, coming from the HE-400i they sound different and I am not sure how to describe it. Muffled? I was surprised as I read several comments online that the 7xx's have a bigger soundstage than the 400i. The 400i's really sound like you are in a room with speakers when you are using SBX surround. 
 
Messed with the EQ and SBX settings and got it to sound better, but anyone have settings with these cans (or equivalent like the annie 702's) they like that they can share? 

 
The 400i is somehow very compatible with the SBX surround for like movies.
 
It pushes the the wide and flat (2D) 400i sound stage to the front and extends it further and even further with dolby digital / dts encoding via player. (sounds like a sound bar right in front of you) 
 
I think other headphones that are more layered and less 2D will get push too far and it gets really soft and narrow.
 
So the 7xx will probably have a more extended to the front sound stage like T (not really wider) than 400i without any EQ / settings.

 

[kellte2]

Just got a pair of AKG 7XX's from Massdrop. Trying them out with the X7, coming from the HE-400i they sound different and I am not sure how to describe it. Muffled? I was surprised as I read several comments online that the 7xx's have a bigger soundstage than the 400i. The 400i's really sound like you are in a room with speakers when you are using SBX surround. 

Messed with the EQ and SBX settings and got it to sound better, but anyone have settings with these cans (or equivalent like the annie 702's) they like that they can share? 

I used to own the 702 Annies and I was under the impression that the 400i was considered an upgrade, albeit a small one, over the AKGs.

 

[Sam21]

I have a K702 and a HE-400, And I think HE-400 is clearer and faster....it also has the bigger but not wider soundstage....(more depth)...

 

[illram]

Yeah I'd have to agree at this point. I tried the 7XX's tonight just flat, no EQ, no bass and no crystalizer with surround at 100, and I had very good resolution of footsteps, possibly better in some instances in that they were slightly louder for some reason, but at the expense of a fuller sound (and basically zero bass unless I turned the volume up to uncomfortable levels). I never really tried the 400i totally flat with bass and crystalizer turned off though, because I never had too. I feel like the 400i sort of gets the best of both worlds in that I can EQ the sound to my personal liking and get more bass and more "oomph" but still resolve footsteps well. If I knew audio lingo maybe I could articulate this better...  
 
Still going to give these a longer whirl. Not disappointed in them, and I'm glad I have now satisfied my curiosity to try these. But also now even more impressed with the 400i's.