[Brad Harper]

I haven't had much time to listen yet due to the Christmas season, however, I instantly fell in love with the RKV HD600/Cardas combination. I know it's been said many times over, but this is a magical sounding combo and what a beauty!

The Emmeline arrived a couple of days ago and I have been listening to it at night. Ray built this with AD8610 op-amps because I told him I would be using the amp with Etys as well as HD600s and CD3000s. The Etys now sound harsh. I unplugged the P>S adapter cable and it helped a little, but I am not fond of this combination thus far. It is a shame because these are my travel and bedside monitors and I was looking for an amp to match them. I think the Cosmic may have been a better choice for the Etys. I realize that this is not going to be a popular thing to say, but it is my first impression.

That being said, the HD600s sound pretty good with the XP-7. Not the magic of the RKV but pretty good. This amp is way more aggressive than what I am used to and it brings a new life to the HD600s. I have enjoyed the laid back nature of the Sennheiser headphones for a good deal of my music. There are times I prefer Grados for heavy metal, but for the most part I love the 600s. Are they as accurate as the cd3000? No, but I have to listen to Sony headphones all day on my job so I prefer a different listing environment at home.

I am going to live a little longer with the XP-7 before I make any more judgements. I had very high hopes for this amp and I hope it doesn't let me down. Maybe a different set of op-amps.

P.S. I have heard from Ray and he tells me that the battery circuitry is not burned in yet. He burns in the amp with the power supply not batteries. I will report back in a few days after It has had a chance to settle in a little bit.

 

[markl]

Thanks for your thoughts so far. It's interesting because the thing I respond to with Ray's amps is their "unveiled" hi-rez nature, I like the clarity and immediacy, that's still easy on the ears. They give you what you put in without too much extra comment or extra restraint added.

BTW, what source are you using with your amps?

Op-amp possibilities I've tried are AD797 which are cleaner and more refined up top (they just sound so "right" to me), and the OPA627B which might be an interesting choice. In the HR-2, the OPAs had a very sweet top-end that had a more silky texture/quality to it. I found this pleasant, but to me the OPAs were a little more "distant" and reserved sounding than the AD797s and had subjectively less bass content. Overall too "soft" for me (though very elegant), but they might be just the ticket for you, give them a more "Sennheiser-like" sound. Cheers.

Mark

 

[Canman]

Hey Brad,

I feel the same way about the RKV and the Sennheiser's. Its an awesome amp and a synergistic match for those heapdhones (and for the K-1000 too!)

 

[Hirsch]

I second (or third) the RKV/Sennheiser (and K-1000) combo. It's one of those synergistic combos that simply sounds better than it has any right to sound

 

[Audio Addict]

I would definitely recommend the AD797 for the XP-7. I switched mine out within a couple days as the AD8610 just didn't mesh with my listening tastes.

 

[Gariver]

I will join Hirsch and Canman in their praises of the Audio Valve RKV amp! It has great synergy with the Sennheiser HD600 and the AKG K-1000 headphones!

 

[ManiacSmile]

Ok, well let me make a very original statement too... RKV/Cardas HD600 and K1000 - best of both worlds and no need to upgrade.