[Holy Zoo]

Vote!

 

[legoman]

listening with crossfeed is just so much less fatiguing to me, i also just love the soundstage, but the fact that the headroom crossfeed changes the tonality is really, really disquieting to my paranoid audiophile soul .....

legoman

 

[Ross]

The Headroom crossfeed is a definite "no" for me, but Jan Meier's enhanced bass crossfeed (which I use on my CMoy portable) is okay. With the Headroom processor the cure is far worse than the disease, with flattened sound, skewed tonality and a harder, less musical sound. This is made so obvious because the Headroom amps are otherwise so good, and sufficiently transparent that this defect is immediately obvious, at least to me.

 

[legoman]

Quote:

Originally posted by Ross The Headroom crossfeed is a definite "no" for me, but Jan Meier's enhanced bass crossfeed (which I use on my CMoy portable) is okay. [...]

Is there a way to buy the Meier crossfeed somewhere (short of buying a Corda) or is DIY the only option?

 

[chych]

I can only speak for the WowThing crossfeed (or whatever it is) and some software stereo imaging processes and boy, do they suck... I have yet to listen to a real crossfeed processor.

 

[dhwilkin]

The Headroom crossfeed is OK. There are a few songs it REALLY helps, in terms of making the soundstage cohesive, but the majority of music I listen to is unaffected.

 

[slindeman]

Yes, DIY is the only option short of buying the Corda. However, the Natural Crossfeed is only a few capacitors and resistors, the input/output jacks, a switch to turn it on/off (which can be omitted) and a small enclosure. You can build it for less than $15 if you have a soldering iron, $25 if you don't. The modified linkwitz is a few more parts, but not any more costly, and is just as easy to build (it also can drive headphones directly, while the Natural or Enhanced Bass Crossfeed is best followed by an amp).

I built the modified linkwitz successfully for my first DIY project (I had never used a soldering iron before) and it took about 4 hours total. I built another one recently in an hour and a half. Believe me when I say it really is easy, even if you've never built anything before. You can get more fancy and make the crossfeed adjustable or just keep it simple like me and have one crossfeed setting. You can even find all of the necessary parts at Radioshack.

 

[KurtW]

It would be interesting to see this survey sorted out by who's crossfeed circuit they were referring to. As mentioned by several of the people here and verified myself, there are big differences in the way crossfeed is implemented that affect the sound.

I also recommend the dty route.

 

[Holy Zoo]

Unfortunately, I don't (yet) think I have the background to be able to formulate the correct set of questions to do that. Someone more experienced want to give it a try?

I suppose that a poll could be set up something like this (and remember, you can only have 10 questions max):

1. I love ALL cross-feed circuits that I've heard.
2. I love the HeadRoom cross-feed circuit, can't live without it.
3. I love the Meier cross-feed circuit, can't live without it.
4. I love the XXX cross-feed circuit, can't live without it.
5. I love the YYY cross-feed circuit, can't live without it.
6. I don't like the YYY cross-feed circuit.
7. I don't like the XXX cross-feed circuit.
8. I don't like the Meier cross-feed circuit.
9. I don't like the the HeadRoom cross-feed circuit.
10. I don't like ANY cross-feed circuit.

Hmm... maybe it'd just be easier if everyone posted in this thread after they voted explaining their vote.

 

[MacDEF]

Actually, the big missing poll choice is "depends on the music." Some albums sound simply amazing with crossfeed, while others sound horrible.

 

[jude]

The only crossfeed I've tried so far is the HeadRoom brand of it (on the Max and the Total Airhead), and I'm addicted. I'd like to try other crossfeed types some day, but, for now, I'm pretty happy.

I really didn't think I'd like crossfeed -- the idea of any sort of signal processing was, in concept, a big turnoff for me. But now that I've got it, I can't turn it off. I do find crossfeed listening less fatiguing with most material. Actually, there are some recordings where the switch is moved back to non-crossfeed, and that's when I'm listening to old music recordings, like a lot of the old jazz tracks on the Ken Burns Jazz CD box set.

 

[joelongwood]

I've only tried the crossfeed on the TA......UGH!
Muddies the sound, reduces clarity.......horrid!
IMHO.

 

[ian]

Please don't give up on crossfeed because of headroom's crossfeed (esp on the TA). I didnt like it on the TA either. But with Jan Meier's Corda it is a completely different story. It simply makes listening FAR more relaxing and enjoyable. It really is wonderful and I dont listen without it.

 

[JMT]

The only crossfeed I have heard is on my DIY Cmoy, I don't hate it, but I do prefer listening without it. I find that crossfeed takes away from the extreme highs and lows. I believe that the Cmoy circuit is the same as the HeadRoom circuit which is Jan Meier's design.

 

[SumB]

I can do without it. Crossfeed really buggers the signal IMO (Headroom's at least). Most amps that have it seem to be a sonic compromise.