Emmeline HR2 and Sony CD3000?
Jun 21, 2003 at 1:03 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 12

shafu

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The HR2 with Sony R10 seems to be "magical". How does the R10's little brother sound with the HR2? I haven't seen too many reviews of the combo. Is it a cheaper version of that magic?
 
Jun 21, 2003 at 4:09 AM Post #2 of 12
Quote:

Originally posted by shafu
The HR2 with Sony R10 seems to be "magical". How does the R10's little brother sound with the HR2? I haven't seen too many reviews of the combo. Is it a cheaper version of that magic?


The HR-2 and CD-3000 is an excellent pairing. I've listened with the CD-3000 several times, and it's a very natural and clean sound. It escapes the bass bloat that the CD-3000 can have with some amps.
 
Jun 21, 2003 at 5:42 AM Post #4 of 12
Quote:

Originally posted by shafu
The HR2 with Sony R10 seems to be "magical". How does the R10's little brother sound with the HR2? I haven't seen too many reviews of the combo. Is it a cheaper version of that magic?


I spent some substantial time listening to this combo at the Detroit meet, it was exceptional, no worries.

JC
 
Jun 21, 2003 at 6:25 AM Post #5 of 12
Quote:

Originally posted by pigmode
How does the HR 2 compare to a tube-sounding tube amp?


I'm espeically interested in the comparison of the HR2 versus the RKV with CD3000. Has anyone made a direct comparison? How would you characterize the difference?

Thanks.
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Jun 21, 2003 at 11:20 AM Post #6 of 12
shafu, Which amp do you like best with your CD-3000? Your Zotl, or the RKV?
 
Jun 21, 2003 at 4:12 PM Post #7 of 12
Listening with the CD3000 the zotl is as Markl has stated, nice and polite. With the RKV, the CD3000 sounds so much lusher and fuller. Keep in mind, I don't have the Impedanzer, so I haven't been using hte CD3000 all that much with the RKV.

I also have to echo Hirsh's comment about the Zotl having better highs while the RKV has better lows. For me, the increased soundstage and the better lows fit the CD3000 better. (Note, I do not find the CD3000 bright, even straight out of my iPod).

That said, the Zotl is a great amp with the CD3000 - it's clean and clear. The RKV is a bit more musical in my book.

But with the cost of an Impedanzer, this is making me take a serious look at the Emmline HR-2.
 
Jun 21, 2003 at 4:31 PM Post #9 of 12
Just curious--what do you find lacking in your current amp inventory? Is there something specific you are looking for, or is it just time for something new? I ask because you already have two highly regarded tube amps.
 
Jun 21, 2003 at 4:38 PM Post #10 of 12
Quote:

Originally posted by pigmode
How does the HR 2 compare to a tube-sounding tube amp?


One of the op-amps that is available for the HR-2 is supposed to the amp the tube sound. I'm not sure which one is is or how it sounds as I have not heard it. I'm sure Ray or one of the others will fill us in on which one it is.
 
Jun 21, 2003 at 4:41 PM Post #11 of 12
Quote:

Originally posted by pigmode
Just curious--what do you find lacking in your current amp inventory? Is there something specific you are looking for, or is it just time for something new? I ask because you already have two highly regarded tube amps.


Nothing lacking. When I had the HD600 (cardas) I thought the Zotl was the better amp. However, I had the opportunity of purchasing the CD3000 and jumped on it. That made me turn 180 degrees and decided to go with the RKV.

I think the Zotl is a great amp for detailed listening, or espeically with non vocal jazz or classical. With the RKV, vocals and more "rock" type of music comes out better due to the warmth and soundstage.

As far as looking into a third amp, I've read about the magical nature of the HR-2 and the R10. I wanted to see if it was similar with the CD3000 and how it compared to listening with the RKV.

Why? Because this site drives you crazy! Also, I couldn't help but get caught up with the hype around the HR-2. (Note - I'm also considering the DT880 too. Going to do a swap with MacDEF in July (he get's my CD3000 first, then I get his DT880).

I think I would be happy with the CD3000 and the RKV (Impedanzer) but I just had to ask the question...
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Jun 21, 2003 at 4:53 PM Post #12 of 12
I've owned the CD3000s and as I mentioned in my review of the HR-2, I *speculate* they'd make a terrific team.

Shafu, I think the HR-2 really is calling your name, based on what you've said you are looking for. bass performance with stock AD797s is awesome, and the highs extend forever, should combine the best of both worlds (ZOTL and RKV with a delicious extra flavor of its own).

As I've been saying, the HR-2 is just great with rythmic, driving music like rock/pop which is primarily what I listen to. The HR-2 is going to be more versatile than the RKV without impedencer, able to drive any load so you can rely on it to tell you the truth about any new phone you may get in the future. It could be argued that the Impedencer box for the RKV is an afterthought design add-on to make the regular RKV able to play with low-impedence phones. It's probably more optimal to have a single-box, single circuit solution, but I will stop short of making any speculation on how the RKV with impedencer might sound vs. the HR-2 because I have no idea. No, I have never heard an RKV, but I do believe its a fine amp based on everything I've read, not disparaging that amp, just making observations. Good luck!

Mark
 

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