[kiwirugby]

Mavis,

I am really going to be interested in your comparisons of the 227 and 627. As you may remember I had mine changed from 627s to 227s (4-switch version), didn't sound too wonderful at first, gave it 6 days of un-interrupted burn in, and the sound was much better.

Needless to say, my memory of how the 627s sounded was pretty distant. That being said, there's just something about the 227s that's*not just quite right. I think they are not as quick and sharp in attack as the 627s, and I am thinking they (627s) may just have the edge in terms of dynamic range. There are some quiet bass notes that are just missing for me (Brahms Ist, bar 37, cello pizzicato note). whereas they were there before.....I think!!

I'm still going to hold on to the 227s for a bit and listen some more. Xin still has my 627s, so I can always switch back.

But I am eager to hear your comparisons.

 

[mavis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kiwirugby Mavis, I am really going to be interested in your comparisons of the 227 and 627. As you may remember I had mine changed from 627s to 227s (4-switch version), didn't sound too wonderful at first, gave it 6 days of un-interrupted burn in, and the sound was much better. Needless to say, my memory of how the 627s sounded was pretty distant. That being said, there's just something about the 227s that's*not just quite right. I think they are not as quick and sharp in attack as the 627s, and I am thinking they (627s) may just have the edge in terms of dynamic range. There are some quiet bass notes that are just missing for me (Brahms Ist, bar 37, cello pizzicato note). whereas they were there before.....I think!! I'm still going to hold on to the 227s for a bit and listen some more. Xin still has my 627s, so I can always switch back. But I am eager to hear your comparisons.

Will do! I'll post my observations in a couple weeks - the new (227) SM is on its way, it shipped today - so, after I've put about a week of burn-in on it, I'll do some listening and see what I find.

 

[goto2003]

I compared OPA637 and 227 in the past few days. OPA637s are more transparent the punchier while 227s darker and more laid-back.

 

[alanz]

I just received my SuperMacro, 2x buffers, 227 opamp, with the four feature switches.

It's burning in now, with my Grado SR60s attached...

A question for those of you who have either ETY 4p or Grado SR-60 phones with this configuration.

Do you prefer switching in the additional 75 ohms with either of these two?

My first impressions is that I might prefer it for the Ety, but I'm not sure about the Grado... could go either way.

My first impressions about the xfeed is that I think I prefer to leave it off.

All impressions are subject to arbitrary retraction at any time, especially as the amp burns in < s >

 

[rab10]

Quote:

Originally Posted by alanz A question for those of you who have either ETY 4p or Grado SR-60 phones with this configuration. Do you prefer switching in the additional 75 ohms with either of these two?

Using the Ety ER4Ps with my SM and I do not like to use the impedence switch that much. Why? Because whatever bass my SM does enhance for
my ETYs, the impedence switch on dampers the bass boost impact. I only
use the impedence switch when I want to focus on certain instrumentation
in my music. I turn on the impedence switch, and I am able to turn up the
Volume Pot, and listen more closely to the clear details in my music.

I don't see this as an inconvience, nor do I see this as the AMP coloring my music. Try using different headphones with the SM, and play around with the switches. I found the SM, with the impedence switch turned on, and the Koss KSC-35's to be an excellent match. The KSC-35's are bassy, and with
some music the bass sounds bloated or muddies the music. With the SM
Impedence switch turned on the KSC-35's sound excellent, the highs are
clearer, vocals are crisp and clear, and the bass is tamed considerably.

The SM is a powerful and versatile portable headphone amp.

Thanks.

 

[MonkeyButt]

I finally got my SM two days ago . . . with the 227s installed (4 switches, 2x buffer) but with the 627s included in the package for rolling purposes. Haven't rolled the OPAMPs yet (don't really know how yet) so I've only heard the 227s so far.

Being my first headphone amp, I'm probably experiencing a 'honeymoon' effect but . . wow! It’s a totally new listening experience wearing my A900s attached to my iPod. The most apparent difference was the soundstage - it completely opened up. It was like going from tunnel vision to full stage sound. Also, the bass is more dynamic, the highs are crisper, and the full range of sound doesn't come across so muddled. In essence, it really brought my A900s to life, which I didn't completely expect because of the low impedance of these headphones. And all of this happened before a proper burn-in!

Unfortunately, the effect on my E3s was not as dramatic - which is consistent with other postings that I have come across on this site. The same elements described above did improve but the magnitude was much, much less.

Overall, I am impressed with SM in regard to what it delivers to my listening experience. Once the 227s burn-in, I will have the opportunity to try out the 627s and see how they compare in sound. Since a lot of people seem to prefer the qualities of the 627s compared to the 227s, I’m excited to try them out down the road.

Does anyone have any advice for rolling the OPAMPs within the SM? Xin’s instructions are not that clear on his website and I don’t too much experience fiddling with electronics.

 

[goto2003]

Do give SM with 227s a week's (over 100 hrs) burn-in. My SM with 227s did opened up a lot in a week. Now it sounds amazing. However, I still prefer AD8610's over 227's when listening to vocal in my system (Indigo DJ+SM+HD600). AD8610's really shine for its super sweet mid and high that makes singer standout and live.

 

[MonkeyButt]

Thanks for the tip. I will be running music through them throughout the nights as I sleep . . . . and of course, try to listen using my headphones as much as I can during the day.

 

[alanz]

I got my SuperMacro a couple of days ago. 227 amp, 2x buffers, optional switches.

Very very nice... right out of the box. But even after about 20 hours of breakin I can hear a difference... they are opening up nicely.

I'm using it mainly with ER4p and SR60 phones... but they really make a pair of KSC35's perk up (adding in the impedence.)

 

[jlingo]

Hey guys,
I have just rolled from 627 to 227,
I find that 227 is more open, more like airy, sound more like hall, with echo sort of. light, soothing, very relaxing.

if I recalled correctly, 627 was tighter more defined in sound, brighter?
I have to switch back to 627 again once I listen to a fully burned in 227.

 

[jlingo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kiwirugby Mavis, I am really going to be interested in your comparisons of the 227 and 627. As you may remember I had mine changed from 627s to 227s (4-switch version), didn't sound too wonderful at first, gave it 6 days of un-interrupted burn in, and the sound was much better. Needless to say, my memory of how the 627s sounded was pretty distant. That being said, there's just something about the 227s that's*not just quite right. I think they are not as quick and sharp in attack as the 627s, and I am thinking they (627s) may just have the edge in terms of dynamic range. There are some quiet bass notes that are just missing for me (Brahms Ist, bar 37, cello pizzicato note). whereas they were there before.....I think!! I'm still going to hold on to the 227s for a bit and listen some more. Xin still has my 627s, so I can always switch back. But I am eager to hear your comparisons.

Hi Kiwirugby,

I have listened to 227 for two days so far, and 227 is not as quick and sharp in attack as 627. with 227 it has a more relaxed sound all together(Laid-Back). It's very noticable in the bass area. Especially upper bass(100Hz), it becomes a lot lighter but full. In the lower bass(20Hz) it still sounds very punchy and tight.
In case of my setup with Sensaphonics, I like the 227 a lot. It makes the sound a lot fuller and bigger soundstage I think. Especially with the bass boost on, it sounds just about right to me. All relaxed, emotional, airy.
Sensaphonics with 627 to me sounded too bloated and thick especially in the upper bass and mid area. and tighter, and also drier.

May be 227 bass is not as tight and not as detailed as the 627. So you feel like there is few notes missing with the bass of 227 SM. 227 SM concentrates on Emotion, sweet sound quality. 627 is becoming more analytical compared to 227.

 

[digicom_t1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by e_dawg The SuperMacro is basically a buffered cMoy design. I don't know if I would use the 637's without some kind of capacitive coupling or higher gain... perhaps the SM is set to high gain already, which could negatively impact performance as well. IMO, 627's with a low gain setting would be just as good if not better than 637's with high gain. What headphones are you using? And what is your buffer configuration? Low impedance phones and single buffers are not optimal either.

My Pimeta with 637's and 32ohm Grado's sound great. The Pimeta has 2 outputs optimized for 32 ohm and 600ohm so that could be why. As well there is more capcitance built in than on the Macro.

I would describe that hard to define characteristc of the 637 as "silkyness". The sound is slightly extended over the 227, more detailed as well. After burning in and listening to the 637's for a period, then going back to the 227's, the differences become more noticable.

Overall, I have not found the Burr Brown/Senns combo satisfactory. Too veiled to me. Perhaps the AD series of opamps are more suited to the Senns but I haven't tried them yet. Then again it may be just the senns. The HD-650 just seems to impose a fog between the music and my ears even when cranked up. The Grados can be overly bright and fatiguing with some music and the OPA637's seem to do a great job of mitigating that.

 

[mavis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlingo ... I like the 227 a lot. It makes the sound a lot fuller and bigger soundstage I think.

I'm listening to my new 227 SM right now (it's been burning in for the past 100 hours or so) and right off the bat, I'd have to say I agree with the soundstage comment - seems much more expansive than the 627s ...

I might post a mmore detailed comparison later, I'm actually getting my Sensas delivered tomorrow evening (counting down the hours!) so I need to get used to them a bit before I can do any serious comparisons between these opamps ...

 

[chrisczarra]

Since switching out the 627 for the 227 opamps, I noticed a lot more body and dynamics to the presentation, at the expense of some noticable detail. But I found the 627 much less involving. At some point I will switch back to the 627 to compare again, but I see why Xin uses 227 stock. Really enjoyable fatigue free listening.

 

[mavis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisczarra Since switching out the 627 for the 227 opamps, I noticed a lot more body and dynamics to the presentation, at the expense of some noticable detail. But I found the 627 much less involving. At some point I will switch back to the 627 to compare again, but I see why Xin uses 227 stock. Really enjoyable fatigue free listening.

Agreed. The 227 seems to be handling my acoustic stuff (Elliott Smith, Dave Matthews) particularly well ... more body, like you said.