[iGig]

Some updates: this is day 5 of non-stop burn in and I hear some changes, the sound is opening up and I'm getting a little more treble. I also feel as if the soundstage has gotten slightly wider, is this possible?

Allright, I know the serious audiophiles disregard my opinions because I'm overly enthusiastic, to balance this post I will say something negative now:
This amp sounds so good I want to turn it up and up and up, and that's not good for my hearing. So far that's my only complaint.

Edit:
It is now a few days later... after listening to several of my favorite albums on their entirety and in full bliss, I can say that my HD650 has grown fuller, stronger and more pleasing to me.
It'll be a long long time before I look for something better or more expensive and I can now stop reading HF for a while.
See ya guys in a couple of years, thanks for all the help.

 

[bobpensik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iGig /img/forum/go_quote.gif Allright, I know the serious audiophiles disregard my opinions because I'm overly enthusiastic, to balance this post I will say something negative now: This amp sounds so good I want to turn it up and up and up, and that's not good for my hearing. So far that's my only complaint.

x2, I can't really find fault with this amp.

The soundstange is expanding for sure IMO, I'm at about 75 hours and songs I have listened to countless times sound better then ever!

 

[Taikero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wovenhand /img/forum/go_quote.gif Anyone who has ordered & received the "regular" K.I.C.A.S. and wish to post their initial impressions?

I have received mine and posted some thoughts in this thread (as well as a minor blurb or two in the Group Buy thread).

I leave the amp at work because that's where I listen to music on headphones the most. I rarely find occasion to use headphones over speakers at home.

I'm going to hold off on any real thoughts until I'm sure over 100 hours has passed on the amp. The only thing I do know is that the K.I.C.A.S. is lighter and brighter on the low end (perfect for my D5000s) compared to the Caliente. Other than that, I'm quite sure they're mostly the same.

Also, as some have mentioned, my only complaint is that while music sounds fantastic at low volume levels with this amp, it REALLY sounds awesome at higher volume levels. I have to constantly remind myself not to damage my ears.

I'm also going to be getting some fiberloft in the next couple of days, so I'll be applying the pad mod to my D5000s, which should give them a larger sound stage. It'll be interesting to hear the difference, which I'm quite sure will be favorable (I'm mostly hoping to get rid of the constant presence of the headphone driver every time something kicks in on the low end).

 

[oqvist]

Greymoor don´t fail me

 

[sheppard]

Is there going to be another group buy? I'm interested in trying a Caliente out for myself and Purity Audio's site says their currently sold out.

 

[BushGuy]

Oriel is quite good in responding to PM/eMail - why not write him and post the result?

 

[wovenhand]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taikero /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm going to hold off on any real thoughts until I'm sure over 100 hours has passed on the amp. The only thing I do know is that the K.I.C.A.S. is lighter and brighter on the low end (perfect for my D5000s) compared to the Caliente. Other than that, I'm quite sure they're mostly the same.

Yeah, I know the K.I.C.A.S. is a bit lighter in the low end and supposedly more "tube-y", that's why I'm going for the K.I.C.A.S. and not the Caliente as I already have a tube amp.

Looking forward to reading your impressions!

 

[sheppard]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BushGuy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oriel is quite good in responding to PM/eMail - why not write him and post the result?

You're right - Oriel is quick to respond! He's PM'ed me that they will soon have stock - hopefully in two weeks.

 

[CompressionalFlagellation]

Some things hard panned R/L sound like they emanate from behind -- now that, is awesome.

 

[oqvist]

I am thinking of the K.I.C.A.S as well. I thought Caliente at first for the HD 650 but since I much preferr the DX 1000 that it would go better along with that. Should also suite my PRO 900 better I suspect from what I read upon it.

 

[Headphile808]

I'm picking up a Cailente from a fellow Head-Fier on the FS Forums. Can You believe it, someone is actually selling theirs. After two months of searching, finally spotted one. Stoked.
Aloha

Headphile808

 

[bobpensik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Headphile808 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm picking up a Cailente from a fellow Head-Fier on the FS Forums. Can You believe it, someone is actually selling theirs. After two months of searching, finally spotted one. Stoked. Aloha Headphile808

Lucky grab!

The price / performance ratio is unbelievably high with the Caliente and I don't regret my purchase for one second. The sound coming out of this amp is incredible and seems to still be getting better (although admittedly in smaller increments) as time goes on.

 

[slypher]

I am looking forward to see how it stacks up against a CKIII headphone amp built by FallenAngel. I should have it on the weekend with any luck and I will post impressions.

 

[Taikero]

I got the materials together to do the fiberloft pad mod on my D5000s yesterday, making the pads 33%-50% thicker.

Noticeable differences:

Slight weight increase, slight increase in clamping pressure
Larger sound stage, mostly in width but slightly in depth
Due to the slight angle of the pad mod, the music is placed slightly more forward than before
Bass doesn't punch the ears as much (really annoying after a while), but the power's still there. The bass also doesn't cut into other frequencies as much (probably due to improved sound wave expansion because of the increased distance from driver to ear)
Mids were brought forward
Slightly improved instrument separation
Strangely, some slightly irritable high frequency sharpness fell off, specifically with artists like Dragonforce. That's always good.
I feel sibilance may have ever so slightly increased, but it could be my imagination here, or it could be exactly the same but the slightly decreased bass presence brought the sibilance more to my attention (of which there is very little already)

Overall I think there's a definite improvement, one I really like.


More on topic about the K.I.C.A.S., I think I can agree with others that the sound stage seems like it's slightly expanding, both in width and in depth. Often, I don't think I'm listening to stereo, but more of a "surround" type of sound. I feel enveloped by sound without feeling like I'm standing in the center of the band (which is strongly placed in front of me). I continue to be amazed at the bass control the K.I.C.A.S. exhibits. It hasn't failed me in a single song yet. At all. Wow.

 

[oqvist]

bass control? You mean it´s tight bass? Still good extension?

Greymoor I am so disappointed lol. Though I am going for the original K.I.C.A.S now and it may only exist in black