[punkaroo]

I had a Woo 6 at one point with a Sophia Princess rectifier. The Sonett beat it hands down; it's faster, has better bass, and got my feet tapping. I found the WA6 to be boring.
 
I also tried the LCD-2 with the Sonett and found the pairing to be very nice. Better than nice, actually. Listening to k.d. lang on that setup was heavenly! I didn't hear any clipping or feel that the LCD-2s needed more juice.

 

[Rdr. Seraphim]

The Sonett has been a wonderful music making machine. I have one mod left to do, swapping the POT for a stepped unit from Goldpoint, and then I'm pretty much at that point where any additional changes would most likely be too cost prohibitive (e.g. transformers) or make changes in its fundamental design (e.g. power supply). I'm hopping that the stepped POT will give just a tad more extension, and improved channel balance.
 
From here, I will be branching out in my investigation of other headphones. You might recall that one of my primary purposes for the Sonett was to determine the upper end possible with the Westone ES3X, and it has been the mainstay for my music system. (As I type this, I am listening to Beethoven's Erioca performed Otto Klemperer and the Philharmonia Orchestra.) Every system change including NOS tubes,  IC's, AC power, and the addition of a modified Wyred 4 Sound DAC-1, has been clearly delineated! My strong recommendation to everyone in this hobby is to get as intimately familiar with the sonic character of your music system as possible. Sadly, it's just too easy to make multiple changes to the core system, sometimes for the better, sometimes not, and to miss what the actual change was.   
 
One of the biggest changes in sound quality came with the Wyred 4 Sound DAC-1 (see below). And as controversial as it may seem, another BIG SQ improvement came when I changed out my Harmonic Technology Magic Link Two IC's for Downsize's "The Best Interconnect." You can read about my experiences here:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/508252/the-best-interconnects-i-have-ever-heard-photos/120
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/508252/the-best-interconnects-i-have-ever-heard-photos/120#post_7022612
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/508252/the-best-interconnects-i-have-ever-heard-photos/135#post_7026641
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/508252/the-best-interconnects-i-have-ever-heard-photos/180#post_7105913
 
My review of the modified Wyred 4 Sound DAC-1 is a work in progress, but I hope to publish it sometime before Christmas.
 
All of these items are part and parcel of how the Sonett performs using the associated equipment I have been using. All I can say at this time is, "Well done Donald! Well done!"
 
EDIT: BTW, I plan to continue using the Sonett as my reference amp for some time to come. So, while a few things might change around it, the amp will remain! Yes, I believe it is that good! 

 
 
 
 
  

 

[jc9394]

Please post pics of the mod and an impression when you are done with the mod.

 

[budx3385]

How many users would be interested in upgrading the transformer?  Maybe we could get a decent price on a set of silver wire transformers as a group.  I think that would be fantastic!!!

 

[MrSpenkelink]

Very interested in this amp. So it pairs very well with the HD800 by all accounts. Has anyone tried it with the PS1000 and/or the RS1i?

 

[Rdr. Seraphim]

Count me in! 
 
Quote:

How many users would be interested in upgrading the transformer?  Maybe we could get a decent price on a set of silver wire transformers as a group.  I think that would be fantastic!!!

 

[Rdr. Seraphim]

Was going to add a shunt to the pot, but ended up ordering a 50K Khozmo attenuator from the Parts Connexion: 
 
http://www.partsconnexion.com/KHOZMO-74447.html
 
Here's the data sheet:
 
http://www.partsconnexion.com/prod_pdf/khozmo.pdf
 
This is a ladder type attenuator with 48 steps, the first 11 being 2db, and 1db after that. This should provide good adjustability for those of us with high sensitivity IEMs, and still allow good coverage for larger cans. Resistors are Caddock, the shunt being a Vishay/Dale RN55 (not the nude, but easily replaceable).
 
I'll post pictures when it's complete.    
 
Quote:

Please post pics of the mod and an impression when you are done with the mod.

 

[jc9394]

Thanks, this is going to be a killer amp.

 

[USAudio]

I've read most of this thread but still can't quite get an idea of how taxed the Sonett is driving the HD800's and LCD-2's.
Everyone seems to indicate the sound quality of those 2 headphones with the Sonett is excellent but how hard is the Sonett working to achieve all-you-can-stand loud levels?
While listening to the HD800 or LCD-2 are you typically somewhere in the middle of the amp's range with room to spare for further adjustment or is it topped out?
Will I have to turn it up to 11? 

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbVKWCpNFhY

 

[pigmode]

Quote:

Quote:

I heard a rumor that Donald North might be working on a new amp. I wonder... Donald?  
 

Yes, I have been working on a 2A3-based dedicated K1000 amp, having shown the prototype at a meet in a January. I'm still refining it and hope to have ready by winter.

 

 
By "dedicated" should I assume that it will not be available with a single ended input?

 

[Donald North]

 
Quote:

 
By "dedicated" should I assume that it will not be available with a single ended input?

 
Yes, this amplifier will have standard RCA single ended inputs. I'm still working on this amplifier and have not yet decided if it will have a 1/4" stereo output in addition to 4-pin XLR output for the K1000.

 

[budx3385]

Quote:

I've read most of this thread but still can't quite get an idea of how taxed the Sonett is driving the HD800's and LCD-2's.
Everyone seems to indicate the sound quality of those 2 headphones with the Sonett is excellent but how hard is the Sonett working to achieve all-you-can-stand loud levels?
While listening to the HD800 or LCD-2 are you typically somewhere in the middle of the amp's range with room to spare for further adjustment or is it topped out?
Will I have to turn it up to 11? 

No problem here.  I run my HD800s just below 5, and I can't tolerate 6, out of 10.  The impedance hi/lo switch makes some difference, on the plus side.
 

 

[USAudio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by budx3385 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Quote:

I've read most of this thread but still can't quite get an idea of how taxed the Sonett is driving the HD800's and LCD-2's.
Everyone seems to indicate the sound quality of those 2 headphones with the Sonett is excellent but how hard is the Sonett working to achieve all-you-can-stand loud levels?
While listening to the HD800 or LCD-2 are you typically somewhere in the middle of the amp's range with room to spare for further adjustment or is it topped out?
Will I have to turn it up to 11? 

No problem here.  I run my HD800s just below 5, and I can't tolerate 6, out of 10.  The impedance hi/lo switch makes some difference, on the plus side.
 

Thanks bud!
Do you use the IEC setting?  I emailed Sennheiser awhile back if the HD800 was optimized around a particular headphone output impedance, but haven't heard anything back yet ... not holding my breath ...

 

 
How about the LCD-2's?  Anyone out there using the Sonett with the Audeze LCD-2's?  Does the Sonett have enough oomph to drive the LCD-2's or do you have to crank it up to 10 to get any satisfactory volume out of them?

 

[vcoheda]

you prefer the rudistor over the sonett for the HD800 or in general?
 
Quote:

Quote:

I've read most of this thread but still can't quite get an idea of how taxed the Sonett is driving the HD800's and LCD-2's.
Everyone seems to indicate the sound quality of those 2 headphones with the Sonett is excellent but how hard is the Sonett working to achieve all-you-can-stand loud levels?
While listening to the HD800 or LCD-2 are you typically somewhere in the middle of the amp's range with room to spare for further adjustment or is it topped out?
Will I have to turn it up to 11? 

No problem here.  I run my HD800s just below 5, and I can't tolerate 6, out of 10.  The impedance hi/lo switch makes some difference, on the plus side.
 

 

[Asr]

Quote:

I've read most of this thread but still can't quite get an idea of how taxed the Sonett is driving the HD800's and LCD-2's. Everyone seems to indicate the sound quality of those 2 headphones with the Sonett is excellent but how hard is the Sonett working to achieve all-you-can-stand loud levels?
While listening to the HD800 or LCD-2 are you typically somewhere in the middle of the amp's range with room to spare for further adjustment or is it topped out?
Will I have to turn it up to 11? 

First, whether a volume knob gets "topped out" or not when driving a particular set of headphones has nothing to do with how hard an amp may be working. Usually the headroom on a volume knob is more affected by the amp's gain more than its power output capability. Most AC-powered amps have no problem driving the average dynamic headphone to earsplitting volume levels - so whether or not a headphone can get loud on an amp or not is not an indicator of the amp's quality (or its power output).
 
Second, the main point you're asking is best directly posed to the amp's designer, who's posted in this very thread.