neilvg
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2004
- Posts
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Well, it has been a long time in the making. And those of you who have been following its progress know exactly how long. All things eventually come to an end (even waiting!), and happily, I can now say that I finally have within my reach (I would say hands, but I would likely contract a hernia holding it) my long awaited Singlepower ES2. This system completes my Singlepower / EMM Labs / PS Audio / Virtual Dynamics / HE90 Rig - or in other words, the ES2 Stack.
Here is a link to another similar feeling day - let these pic's be a lesson to you all. The journey never ends! You may think it does... you may be in the stratosphere... but there is still quite a ways until you hit outer space. I feel I may be close, the air is very thin around here
===
For updated pics:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/4324671-post19.html
So now, here are some pictures of the latest incarnation. Please note, these pic's are incredibly bad. Shamefully bad. I took them with my iPhone. Blasphemous for sure, but, my camera charger is lost and so in the meantime, this is what you get (until a real photographer can give this setup justice). Without further ado:
SP Crate Arrives
Very packed box within the crate
Bam! ES2 Stack - I know, it's blurry, I'm sad too
How about an overhead view - Perty tubes in a circle
A little closer up perhaps?
It's ALivE!!!!! My current evolution in cable madness
===
So how does it sound? Well there is one thing left to do which Mikhail, bless is heart, is actually coming to my place TODAY [Sep 8 '07] to fix. However, regardless of this relatively minor issue which likely occurred in shipping, this amp sounds... AMAZING!
If the HEV90 is lucscious, delicate, like a lovely ballerina prancing over the notes, the ES2 is a star athlete who has simultaeously trained in ultimate fighting and won a beauty contest or two in the process. This thing is a beast! Where the HEV90 is smooth and rounded, this thing is chunky and full of texture. Deep weighty bass, did I say texture? Massive texture and the best part - this ultimate fighter can do ballet too! The way the upper treble transients are handled, I have never heard sibilants handled with this much refinement out of the HE90, or even ever out of a headphone really. It has to be heard to be believed.
The classic Singlepower house sound is here in spades - I can only describe this as an almost overdriving of the headphone. Not to distortion mind you, but you feel the power, the grip this amp has over the membrane. The level of control and detail is astounding, but it does it in a very sensuous manor. Yes, that is the word, sensuous. Forget words like transparency, euphony, etc... blah blah blah. These things are there, but the most important aspect? The sound is inviting, and fun. I can play it louder and incur less fatigue than the HEV90. THe headstage is huge and more focused than with the HEV. With what little tube swapping I have already done, I can say that the tubes make a considerable impact on the sound for sure. I'll report further as time goes by.
===
ES2 Features - Completely Max'd out amplifier. Custom (obviously) faceplates and chassis. Bias voltage display along with bias'ing controls built in. Connections for HE90, HE60 & 2 Stax. Volume trim pot on the back for matching headphones of different sensitivities. Carbon fiber feet (no spikes!). Front panel is blood wood (a nice match to the HE90 wood), brushed over in a satin-type finish. Lights and panel to match look and color of EMM Labs gear. Font and styling laser engraved onto the wood. The writing is very fine and beautiful, it will take a nice camera to capture it.
Neil
Here is a link to another similar feeling day - let these pic's be a lesson to you all. The journey never ends! You may think it does... you may be in the stratosphere... but there is still quite a ways until you hit outer space. I feel I may be close, the air is very thin around here
===
For updated pics:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/4324671-post19.html
So now, here are some pictures of the latest incarnation. Please note, these pic's are incredibly bad. Shamefully bad. I took them with my iPhone. Blasphemous for sure, but, my camera charger is lost and so in the meantime, this is what you get (until a real photographer can give this setup justice). Without further ado:
SP Crate Arrives
Very packed box within the crate
Bam! ES2 Stack - I know, it's blurry, I'm sad too
How about an overhead view - Perty tubes in a circle
A little closer up perhaps?
It's ALivE!!!!! My current evolution in cable madness
===
So how does it sound? Well there is one thing left to do which Mikhail, bless is heart, is actually coming to my place TODAY [Sep 8 '07] to fix. However, regardless of this relatively minor issue which likely occurred in shipping, this amp sounds... AMAZING!
If the HEV90 is lucscious, delicate, like a lovely ballerina prancing over the notes, the ES2 is a star athlete who has simultaeously trained in ultimate fighting and won a beauty contest or two in the process. This thing is a beast! Where the HEV90 is smooth and rounded, this thing is chunky and full of texture. Deep weighty bass, did I say texture? Massive texture and the best part - this ultimate fighter can do ballet too! The way the upper treble transients are handled, I have never heard sibilants handled with this much refinement out of the HE90, or even ever out of a headphone really. It has to be heard to be believed.
The classic Singlepower house sound is here in spades - I can only describe this as an almost overdriving of the headphone. Not to distortion mind you, but you feel the power, the grip this amp has over the membrane. The level of control and detail is astounding, but it does it in a very sensuous manor. Yes, that is the word, sensuous. Forget words like transparency, euphony, etc... blah blah blah. These things are there, but the most important aspect? The sound is inviting, and fun. I can play it louder and incur less fatigue than the HEV90. THe headstage is huge and more focused than with the HEV. With what little tube swapping I have already done, I can say that the tubes make a considerable impact on the sound for sure. I'll report further as time goes by.
===
ES2 Features - Completely Max'd out amplifier. Custom (obviously) faceplates and chassis. Bias voltage display along with bias'ing controls built in. Connections for HE90, HE60 & 2 Stax. Volume trim pot on the back for matching headphones of different sensitivities. Carbon fiber feet (no spikes!). Front panel is blood wood (a nice match to the HE90 wood), brushed over in a satin-type finish. Lights and panel to match look and color of EMM Labs gear. Font and styling laser engraved onto the wood. The writing is very fine and beautiful, it will take a nice camera to capture it.
Neil
