[arnaud]

Hi all,

This is my first post to the forum, I thought some of you might be interested in an opinion on how the PreHead sounds.

The equipment used:
- a stock Sony NS500 until recently. Currently using a crappy portable CD player until I receive the long awaited Philips DVD963SA.
- outlaw audio interconnect
- the new PreHead from Meier Audio
- Grado RS2 / old AKG 240 / stock Senns HD600

I have had a Grado RS2 for a long time, always using cheap portable CD player, which was Ok with me. Then I recently decided to invest into the Senns HD600, which required to buy an amp. After reading through the forum, I had the gut feeling the PreHead was going to be a killer. I trusted Jan, which was one of my best audiophile decision in years...

I received the amp before the cans. Fired it up with the stock Sony I had bought for the occasion. I first used my Grado’s. I was very impressed with the tightened low end and the very clean sound (dead silence between the notes, excuse my poor vocabulary). However, the overall sound was terribly bright, and I blamed the CD player, which I returned a week later. Now, listening to the PreHead/RS2 combo with a cheap player did tame the sound a little, but that was still far from natural and enjoyable. I wrote back to Jan, explaining my case. Basically, I had the feeling the amp was way too detailed for the Grado’s. He suggested me to wait the HD600.

In the mean time, I used this old pair of AKG 240 that I found at my company. Well, now this was much better. Very very laid back sound but still quite detailed. I was not too impressed with the image, but at least I could listen to all my CDs, even my worst rock recordings.

Then, yesterday arrived the HD600s. And let the show begin… It was a blast. I had never listened to those headphones before. Very first impressions: tremendous soundstage (very wide), much more detailed sound than the AKG (and the Grados actually), and a low end soo true sounding. I have never heard such detail with a speaker system. But the most impressive part was how solid the whole sound is. I listened to classical music where my usual experience (with the Grado’s or speaker system) has been to hear all the instruments crashing against each other through a very small door. That’s the very first time I listen to a system where, no matter how complex it gets, the reproduction remains dynamic, discernable, wide. Even though, I am using brand new cans and amp, I bet you this PreHead is the guy responsible for such transparency, detail, and most of all solidity.

At this point, I am about ready to get read of the RS2. Through the amp, they sound, treble-boosted, bass-boosted, in other words completely unnatural. The only use I can make of them is through the cheap CD player phones output where the lack of details compensates for the Grado’s colored response. People argue the RS2 are extremely detailed. Too me, it seems they just boost the highs by 10 dB, giving you a superficial feeling of fine resolution. Once you use a resolving amp, the trick is revealed…

To give basic bullet-point conclusions on what I feel the amp is doing:
1. It helps me compare sources and cans very easily because it seems by itself extremely transparent and neutral
2. It did metamorphose the low-end resolution of my Grados but made them sound overly bright (and not by a half dB only!!!)
3. It did make my listening experience with the HD600 unforgettable: tremendous detail, extension, soundstage width, and resolving capability from voice/guitar to full bloom orchestra with organ.
4. Its dynamics never failed. Regardless of the number of instruments in the game, the amp would never fail. The dynamic has no limit, you can localize anything you want.
5. Listening to organ (Symphony no3 from Saint-Saens), it was soo pure and extended. The low end is heard, not blurred, nor distorted.

I guess I should note that I am using the cross-feed filter built-in the amp. Maybe that did contribute the my positive impression of the sound-stage?

Anyway, you guys might think I have been paid by Jan for making such comments. Well, try it out for yourself and tell me if I am just having too much placebo effect! Unfortunately, I can’t compare to other headphone amps since this is my first one… So, these comments are only worth so much. But I can tell you that this PreHead/HD600 combo made me gain my faith back into audiophile world… I had given up a long time ago, when realizing that these “6 figures price” esoteric speaker systems were hurting my ears so much…

I can’t wait to receive a decent CD player (hopefully the Philips will do the job) being already very satisfied!!!

Cheers,

Arnaud.

 

[darkclouds]

Welcom to HeadFi arnaud!

And nice review of the prehead. I've owned the RS2 before but sold it before I can really appreciate the Grado sound. They're quite different from the Senn HD600 (my reference).

I'd like to see what you think of the Grado after you've upgraded your source and have some more time with the prehead. I was considering picking up another set of RS2 for second trial.

Don't forget to pick up some upgrade cables for the HD600.

 

[kelly]

arnaud
Welcome to Head-Fi. What an awesome first post. Ah, to be upstaged by a newbie. I have to agree with you about your overall impressions of the RS-2 but an awful lot of people really like their sound. It seems like you and I have similar sensitivities to brightness. The HD600 is indeed a headphone that very much comes alive with a good amplifier--my view on this topic has enraged more than one disagreer with me. Always nice to have another supporter. I am a fan of Meier's crossfeed circuit, also.

I have my own impressions I need to write up. I'm just running behind. Either way, you have a killer setup for someone just now posting to the forum.

If you get upgraditis, look into the threads about the StefanAudio Art Equinox and Cardas HD600 cable upgrades. They matter more than you'd expect.

 

[lextek]

Quote:

Originally posted by kelly If you get upgraditis, look into the threads about the StefanAudio Art Equinox and Cardas HD600 cable upgrades. They matter more than you'd expect.

Translation: Welcome to Head-Fi, sorry about your wallet.

 

[Rameish]

Well, Well, Well,

Corda Pre-Head as well huh. Mine is on its way as we speak. I can tell you that I'm very interested in what you have to say because I have the RS-1 (almost the same sound as RS-2). A little more lush and less bright.

However, before you sell off your RS-2, may I suggest that you try the ear pad for the Sennheiser HD-414. Buy 2 pairs as you'll be cutting a hole into one pair. They are yellow in colour though - yech! I'm using one on the RS-1 without the hole cut in the middle. It seems to have cut down on the brightness but I'm still evaluating the overall sound.

More importantly, is your Pre-Head the regular version or the ones with the AD8610 opamps. I ask, because I understand that the AD8610 in this amp is warmer sounding (no 1st hand experience though).

Kelly has the regular version with a different opamp LM something, I think.


Once again welcome

 

[arnaud]

Thanks guys for the welcome and most of all for your advice!

I will surely hold on to the RS2 until the source I use is a decent one... Thank's magicdragon for the tip on the pads, that could help solve the case for my two major complains about the RS2, my second one being the pain after wearing them for more than 30 minutes!

Kelly, I have to admit that your posts, those of KurtW, and some others are what motivated me in the first place for going back to crazy audiophilia

magicdragon, I own the PreHead with the LM something opamp. I have not listened to the other version, so I can't say if this is what the RS2 are not happy with... I am looking forward to hearing comments about the other version of the PreHead.

Regarding the cable upgrade, two things are worrying me:
1. Paying more than half the price of the can into a piece of wire (I paid less than $200 through Meier Audio...)
2. The tonal balance of the stock HD600 is just fine with me in the sense I am not sure I would enjoy getting any more treble. Now, this may be due to the source. But until I get a proper one, I'd rather be reasonable. Unless upgrading the cable is not only about brightening up the sound... But that's what I sort of understood when quickly going through the posts. Please correct me if I read too quickly!

The one thing a little strange about the highs with the current setup is that they seem a little detached from the rest. As if I hear too much of the harmonics of the cymbals, but not the body. I guess some call it thin sounding, I am guessing this comes from the .... 10 year old 1bit portable CD player I am using (worth $80 at that time...). Yes, it is a major piece of junk, I warned you, but a robust one

. How can my opinion be taken seriously with such source, hahaha? Well, that is why Grado owners should not freak out when reading my post... The problem might be somewhere else hahaha.

Cheers,
Arnaud.

 

[kelly]

arnaud
The improvements the cable bring are more than brightness, but I agree with you that $150 seems ridiculous for a headphone cable for a $200 headphone. *shrug*

 

[Rameish]

Don't thank me, thank Hirsch. He was the one who led me to the Senn Ear Pads for Grado Headphones.

Aslo Marantz make some inexpensive and warmer sounding CD Players, than say compared to Sony or Rotel.

I have both the Marantz 6000 OSE and Rotel RCD-971. I also have an older Rotel RCD-855 (16 bit chips). I sold off my Copland 289 (better sound than the Rotel RCD-971 but not by that much). Take what I say about CD Players with a pinch of salt as I never like the sound of music through CD players. I usually use a turntable. $ 4 $ a TT will outperform a CDP above the 1 Grand price point. As usual, setup is crucial for a TT.

Also give time to your future CDP and the Pre-Head to run in. I try not to listen for the 1st 72 hours of playback...try. Most components sound their natural self after about 150 hours.

BTW was the Senn you ordered from Jan, his recommendation or was it your request? I ask because I believe Jan used his Beyer 931 (with home brew cables) to judge his Pre-Head. An if you look back at Jan's other reviews, he usually has "no comment" next to Senn HD 600.

Has anyone tried making a litz wire headphone cable. A real litz wire with fabric sheath.

 

[Gergor]

Quote:

Originally posted by kelly arnaud The improvements the cable bring are more than brightness, but I agree with you that $150 seems ridiculous for a headphone cable for a $200 headphone. *shrug*

...and I was considering getting the Equinox for my $100 HD580...

 

[NotoriousBIG_PJ]

Quote:

Originally posted by magicdragon Don't thank me, thank Hirsch. He was the one who led me to the Senn Ear Pads for Grado Headphones.

Hey give some props to sacd lover. He originally got all us headfiers hooked on these things.

Biggie.

 

[Rameish]

NotoriousBIG_PJ,

Thanks for correcting me. Sorry SACD lover. Now can anyone located black versions of this. Also I washed the orginal Grado bowl pads in fabric softener (comfort brand) - after removing it from the headphones of course

. Now they are flater. I put a big heavy book (with a plastic bag over it) on them to squash it while still wet for one day they let it dry. I wash the pads

because my skin is sensitive to the Grado Pads - no such problem with the Senn Pads.
I'm told by the Grado Dealer in Singapore that washing begins the disintrigation process of the Grado faster.

 

[arnaud]

Well well well... It's now been what, a month and a half, since I fell for the PreHead / HD600 combo. I also own a Grado RS-2 but, poor guy, it took the heat compared to the HD600... People advised me to change pads and wait for an upgraded source.

So did I. I tried the Sennheiser pads, which definitely changed the sound but not to fit my taste (sort of muddy low end feeling). I now own a respectable source: Meridian 588. It is slightly better than my $80 10-year-old portable Sony CD player

. Please see the post in the sources section for more info.

I tried the RS-2 again. No success. Of course, I can't complain about harshness anymore. This was obviously due to the source. Now, the bass, although too forward to my taste, is very impressive in terms of impact. Probably a better defined bass than the HD600, but there is too much of it I feel. But, one of the major complains I still have about the Grados is that they definitely sound coloured. It is soo obvious with voices. And the soundstage is such a joke compared to the HD600. Some (Stereophile) judged the headphones as cans that put you in the middle of the stage. I can believe that, because there is no stage anymore when I listen to them!!! It's all over the show, and I can't pinpoint anything. Also, micro-information seem so much more present on the Sennheiser (room effects, instruments timbre).

Anyway. I think this is the end of it for my Grados and I am now considering selling them. I think I'll use the money to purchase a Cardas or(/and!?) an Equinox replacement cable for the Sennheiser... It is soo hard to decide between the two... Need to listen!!!

Arnaud.

 

[Audio-Me]

Thanks for the wonderful review. I really like that you left out any filler unlike most reviews.

If you believe the PreHead to be a refreshment to the HD600 which brings it to life, you're in for another treat if your budget allows. I highly recommend you find a local Cary Audio dealer (you live in CA, they should be everywhere!) and audition the Cary CD-303/200 or its big brother CD-306/200 (more resolution, but nearly twice the cost). I feel that this component is the closest thing to bringing recorded music to a live performance. It's on the very top of my to buy list, and I'm wondering if I should have a passive preamp built with a headphone jack just so I can avoid any alterations to the sound from an amp.
It also has a digital input, I can't wait to try DVD w/ Dolby HP through its DAC.

This review is along the lines of what I think of it. http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue3/303.htm
contact a fellow member by the name of carlo for more insight (plus he knows places where you can audition it), btw, he writes for this magazine.

As for the upgrade cables, they are ludicrous if you think about it, but for some ungodly reason(s), they make while not a large but hell of a significant difference. I have tried both, and prefer the Equinox, but I want to get another set of HD600 (used to have two pair, sold one), for use with a Cardas cable. These cables should be prospect for all HD600 owners unless they truely need the stock cables flexibility.

 

[dd3mon]

With your source/music choices I'd guess you'd like the cardas over the equinox.. but why not buy both and compare? I've said before that the market for cardas/equinox here on head-fi alone is huge

I'm sure you'd have no trouble reselling the one you didn't prefer.

-dd3mon