[ktm]

Stax SR202 + Stax 313: Wow! I must have spent nearly an hour on these throughout the day. The detail from electrostats is not underrated by any means. These were everything I expected an electrostat to be. The nice surprise was they were well balanced across the spectrum. The bass was just a touch light and felt a bit otherworldly, but they are very interesting to me. I might have to pick them up to go with my dynamic setup.

Stax SR404 + SRM-1: Having tried the SR202 first, I expected a bit more, but I came away feeling like I got less. Overall they were fine, they just didn't pull me in like the 202s even after going back and forth a few times. Seemed like the mids were slightly recessed and the bass didn't have much punch, but easily listenable phones. Not bad.

QUOTE]

The SR-404 and SRM-1 combo- the amp tends to be rolled off in the high
end. The SR-404 gets way too forward with the srd-313 amp.
They really need tubes to sound right, it's on my list of things to do!
But the 202 and SRM313 combo really is a pretty good pairing.
Likewise, the ATH-w100 paired up well with the Gilmore Dynamic V2,
which was sold a couple of weeks ago. I don't think the ASL amp
handles lower impedance phones well.

 

[plaidplatypus]

I tried an ASL with my A900LTD, awful match.

 

[pabbi1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrarroyo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Speaker power amp? Thanks.

Yes, normally - Pete just brought it to show - he mentioned it usually drives some Klipsch, but can also drive headphones. I really liked the Corian he used in the case - VERY creative. Might ought to be used more often.

 

[auee]

The meeting was fantastic; it provided a great opportunity for a newbie in the realm of headphone listening to hear great gear and meet really nice people. I came with only an ipod and Denon 1001s (which of course worked perfectly until the meet) and was greeted very warmly.

I learned a great deal. First, I love the sound of the Sennheiser 580s, 600s, and 650s. Although there are differences, they are not dramatic and they are very comfortable for me. I have already placed my order. Second, Alex's cables are very well made and do make a difference in the sound of the Sennheiser's for the better. When I decide between a single ended and balanced amp, I will be in line for the cables. Third, for headphone listening, I prefer the sound of an all tube amp, such as Chris's Little Dot Mark VI. This was the first amp I listened to and was totally blown away. I just kept coming back to it. Even in an all digital rig, the sound was full bodied, but not bloated or colored in any appreciable way. The highs were extended but not etched. The bass was deep and rhythmic. The mids were uncolored and detailed. The timing was just right. It simply worked with the music I heard such as Radiohead, Pink Floyd, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Nora Jones and symphonic, such as Appalachian Spring. My foot was tapping and my mouth has a big grin on it.

I had the opportunity to listen to a Stax rig and it was a great treat. What it does well, it does extremely well. Man is it fast. I did learn that the phones are huge and are flike having light weight speakers hanging on the head. If I had unlimited funds, I would want to have this at home also.

I am grateful to all who gave me an opportunity to listen to their music and equipment. I hope to attend the next meeting with some gear to share.

Best regards until then,

David

 

[buzzsaw]

This was my first Head-Fi meet as well. I was thrilled with the impressive line-up of equipment. There was a ton of great gear, and everyone was happy to share.

I showed up after Noon, and only had a few hours to play with, so I had to refine my focus. I skipped a detailed comparison between cans and focused on listening to the available amps with my HD650s. My goal was to really drill down on amp differences.

The main amps I listened to were the Millett 307a, the Millett FET-A solid state, [AK]Zip's home-brew amp, and the Little Dot MKVI.

The results were really simple: all of these amps really kicked ass. Seriously... I couldn't go wrong with any of these amps.

I found myself returning to the Millett 307a quite often (which now I realize is no big surprise, but at the time I had no idea how serious this amp really was). Also, Maxvla's Little Dot MKVI, with the balanced V3 cable, really whipped the Llama's ass. The LDMKVI was also my first experience with an aftermarket cable and balanced system. It was a real surprise. All in all, the solid state held it's own, but I'm going to buy a tube amp for my HD650s.

I also got a chance to briefly listen to the K1000's, K701s, Denon D2000s, HD580s, and the Stax. The K100s are a really cool design that requires a quiet listening environment, as such, I didn't get a good listen and can't really comment (but I wish I had, they're really cool). The K701s seemed a little weak to me, even on the 307a amp. The D2000s had too much bass for my taste, but were pretty nice. The HD580s had been recabled by [AK]Zip and sounded just as good as my HD650s. Finally, the Stax SR202 - these headphones were awesome. Now I want a pair.

My final impression was that Head-Fi is a great community. All of the guys at the meet were cool guys with a great love for music and audio gear. The Dallas meet provided an awesome seleciton of gear, and you can bet I'll be attending all future meets. Next time I plan to have a nice tube amp to contribute to the mix.

Cheers,

-Brian

 

[uptou2]

nice read thanks

 

[luvdunhill]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pabbi1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, normally - Pete just brought it to show - he mentioned it usually drives some Klipsch, but can also drive headphones. I really liked the Corian he used in the case - VERY creative. Might ought to be used more often.

Al:

Could you expound more on the 307A / Bijou? Anyone else compare the two?

 

[pabbi1]

Well, I'll start with the Bijou - for whatever reason, no one seemed all that interested in listening to it, except Alex and Stan, who thought it was meh, at best. Really hurt my feelings, but I do understand their point.

Bijou has a spacious soundstage, one that can make a full orchestra fill a room, where you literally feel like sitting in the Meyerson, with 200 feet in any direction, including up. My fear is that I have simply learned to love the design, and it does not allow for immediate appreciation with a handful of cuts. The bass is a tad flabby, but the midrange is simply luscious - string anything is just spectacular. Beck's 'Sea Change' is spellbinding.

The snare and mid percussion are fabulous, as is the placement and seperation of the instruments. This placement is somewhat a curse, as sometimes it recesses the vocalist, but, if that was how the recording mix was done, so be it. That may be the thing disturbing about this amp - it simply presents the sound stage in a way that people think something is wrong - I see it as too revealing. Some may also say the Bijou (mine balanced) has too much air (I find that impossible), as to be diffused. But, that comparison also opened my eyes to be more critical of the Bijou - for what it does well, and what it could do better.

307a is, in a word, simply the truth. Perfect balance on top and bottom, lush in the middle, and tight, TIGHT bass. Nothing to muddy up anything - truly a wire with gain. There is just no other way to describe it, except, as I have said elsewhere, this is the end of the road for dynamic headphones, from what I have heard to date. Something may be out there that sounds different, but, I just do not think better, especially given my (admitted) bias to glass over sand. And, the response is dead flat, from the lowest audible levels, to the threshhold of pain - no decibel sweet spot. I listened to 3-4 full CDs, and simply could not find any weaknesses, and not sure there was any single moment that I preferred the Bijou over the 307a. Rare that something is so technically superior, without an Achilles Heel somewhere, or, at least that well hidden.

It was startling evough for me to realize that transformer coupled is the path of the righteous. And, basically all my amp builds to date have been a waste of time, compared to that amp, and the hd800 makes it imperative to now pursue that calling.

 

[Maxvla]

I did tell you I liked the Bijou better than my MKVI. I also never got around to listening to any of Pete's gear, though. Just because the 307A is a better amp in your opinion doesn't mean the Bijou is bad. What is the cost of the 307A? You said your parts cost on the Bijou was $750 or thereabouts. I have to imagine the 307A is well over that. The MKVI is likely somewhere around $300-350 in parts, your Bijou is better and is $750 in parts, logical progression would show that a more expensive 307A is a better amp.

Before you start throwing around money though I would ask Pete if you could meet him and listen in a black environment, free from the chatter of a meet. You are seeking the best, you need to be sure of it.

I know you are a pro and experienced with meets, but to suddenly find an amp that transcends your latest effort in every way speaks of placebo. It may very well be true, but I'd give it another shot before you decide that for sure.

edit: TTVJ has 307A at $6000.00. If it is worth it to you, by all means, but also consider it's 8 times the cost of your Bijou (+your labor assembling).

 

[shellylh]

TTVJ Millett 307A Headphone Amplifier [TTVJ Millett 307A] - $5,995.00 : TTVJ, Todd The Vinyl Junkie

I am sure Al could afford to go out and buy the 307A but what would be the fun in that!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxvla /img/forum/go_quote.gif I did tell you I liked the Bijou better than my MKVI. I also never got around to listening to any of Pete's gear, though. Just because the 307A is a better amp in your opinion doesn't mean the Bijou is bad. What is the cost of the 307A? You said your parts cost on the Bijou was $750 or thereabouts. I have to imagine the 307A is well over that. The MKVI is likely somewhere around $300-350 in parts, your Bijou is better and is $750 in parts, logical progression would show that a more expensive 307A is a better amp. Before you start throwing around money though I would ask Pete if you could meet him and listen in a black environment, free from the chatter of a meet. You are seeking the best, you need to be sure of it. I know you are a pro and experienced with meets, but to suddenly find an amp that transcends your latest effort in every way speaks of placebo. It may very well be true, but I'd give it another shot before you decide that for sure. edit: TTVJ has 307A at $6000.00. If it is worth it to you, by all means, but also consider it's 8 times the cost of your Bijou (+your labor assembling).

 

[Maxvla]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shellylh /img/forum/go_quote.gif TTVJ Millett 307A Headphone Amplifier [TTVJ Millett 307A] - $5,995.00 : TTVJ, Todd The Vinyl Junkie I am sure Al could afford to buy the 307A but what would be the fun in that!

I think I see what you are saying now. Al is going to try to reproduce or better the 307A on his own? That sounds much more interesting and worthwhile. Let's just hope the casework turns out better this time

 

[auee]

".... logical progression would show that a more expensive 307A is a better amp."

In my opinion, the fact that the the price or the cost of the parts of an amp or any audio product is higher than another does not in and of itself result in that component sounding better. It is how the component is designed and built that matters most. Obviously, if inferior parts are used the end result will be adversely affected. But assuming the use of quality parts suitable for their intended use, the design and build make the difference. That is why, in my opinion, relatively inexpensive audio components can give such great performance. A case in point is Maxvla's Cambridge DAC. I think it retails for about $400.00. I heard it in his system and therefore, I know that it be part of a system that reproduces music beautifully. The most expensive is not always the best. It is best to listen with one's ears and not with one's wallet.

This comment is not intended to address the merits of Pete's 307A. I heard it and was impressed with it. It is not every day that one gets to hear one of the best of its kind and I am grateful for the experience.

 

[pabbi1]

ell, my goals would be less, and more, ambitious that all that - 99% of the 307a functionality, at 20% of the cost... though, I do see some 307a tubes FS on eBay...

Actually, Cris, you did say that, and Pete lives about 15 minutes from me, where there will be a time I might have some extended access to that amp. My feelings are about the underlying architectures of the amps (transformer vs capacitor coupling), not so much the units themselves. Nmaher has been telling me this for a while via his Menace project, and I have heard the difference.

Could just be senility, or looking for an excuse to soft pedal the Dynafet (another $2k), but, it never ends.

Actually, I was going transformer coupled anyhow, just the Bijou popped up, and was ready to go - without $1600 in Swedish transformers just to get started.

 

[Maxvla]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pabbi1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif ell, my goals would be less, and more, ambitious that all that - 99% of the 307a functionality, at 20% of the cost... though, I do see some 307a tubes FS on eBay... Actually, Cris, you did say that, and Pete lives about 15 minutes from me, where there will be a time I might have some extended access to that amp. My feelings are about the underlying architectures of the amps (transformer vs capacitor coupling), not so much the units themselves. Nmaher has been telling me this for a while via his Menace project, and I have heard the difference. Could just be senility, or looking for an excuse to soft pedal the Dynafet (another $2k), but, it never ends. Actually, I was going transformer coupled anyhow, just the Bijou popped up, and was ready to go - without $1600 in Swedish transformers just to get started.

Well GL with the project. Sounds pretty complex. Maybe you'll have it with some HD800 for the next meet

 

[luvdunhill]

all good stuff. One potential distinction would be electrolytic output caps versus film output caps. I think if you had to go one more round with the Bijou, I'd look at the input tubes and the capacitors.

For example, let's say you optimize for the HD800 (300 ohm) and looking for f3 around 11 Hz. That would be ~48uF on the output... so, 47uF nominal would work. If you are okay with f3 of 16 Hz, then 33uF would be fine. 22Hz would be 24 Hz, etc.

So, < $100 for Mundorf M-Cap... Mundorf Tube-Cap would even be an option.

I think this would be a reasonable next step. Then take it back and compare with Pete's amp and get some more feedback from the crew