Getting into electrostats
Nov 9, 2008 at 10:07 AM Post #31 of 60
Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif
yeah! welcome stax to my home


Go get some Stax!
You are more than welcome to join us...
o2smile.gif
 
Nov 9, 2008 at 12:37 PM Post #32 of 60
Go for it, but even a 202 will still need a good source. It won't have to be reference-quality like it needs to be for the O2, but it has to be good. Mp3 players and most sound cards just won't cut it.

Be warned though that you will want to get the O2 eventually, or something like it anyway, once you get started on 'stats. You love the HD600, well the O2 Mk1 is very much an electrostatic HD600 but better in every way... save maybe for bass impact, but a Blue Hawaii will fix that. The O2 Mk2 is a bit different though.
 
Nov 9, 2008 at 1:10 PM Post #33 of 60
my source is a pioneer dvd player or my laptop playing flacs and cds mostly then vbr mp3s at worst... I'm also getting a cambridge audio dacmagic along with the stax to be connected to either of my sources
 
Nov 10, 2008 at 9:56 PM Post #34 of 60
Laptop with flacs isn't good enough by miles. The Cambridge Audio DAC should be good enough to start with, though you will want something better for the more revealing setups. Also CA stuff tends to be bright, which can be bad for Lambdas. Still, let us know how it goes when you get it all.
 
Nov 12, 2008 at 4:49 PM Post #37 of 60
Quote:

Originally Posted by catscratch /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Go for it, but even a 202 will still need a good source. It won't have to be reference-quality like it needs to be for the O2, but it has to be good. Mp3 players and most sound cards just won't cut it.

Be warned though that you will want to get the O2 eventually, or something like it anyway, once you get started on 'stats. You love the HD600, well the O2 Mk1 is very much an electrostatic HD600 but better in every way... save maybe for bass impact, but a Blue Hawaii will fix that. The O2 Mk2 is a bit different though.



Different strokes - I HATE the OII with my BH and 840c - go figure, after all those years of OII lust. My next purchase is the 950, which loves that source & amp.
 
Nov 12, 2008 at 5:24 PM Post #38 of 60
try nordost IC maybe You'll change your mind about O2 ??? - I know APS and heard nordost IC's many times - nordost has alot of treble and quite some bas but bit dry midrange which is very clear at the same time
 
Nov 12, 2008 at 6:49 PM Post #39 of 60
Quote:

Originally Posted by piotr z /img/forum/go_quote.gif
try nordost IC maybe You'll change your mind about O2 ??? - I know APS and heard nordost IC's many times - nordost has alot of treble and quite some bas but bit dry midrange which is very clear at the same time


Actually I don't think the nordost would help much. I don't think the 840c is a good match for the O2s. When I had it, it leaned towards being a bit too bright and analytical. I think that's the problem, out of the 840c the O2s probably sounded pretty dry and lifeless. Maybe a warmer source would work better with it. I wish I still had my DA220 to try with my O2s because that was WAY warmer sounding than my 840c. And while I love trying different ICs, I don't think any would be able to completely offset the sound of the source.
 
Nov 12, 2008 at 7:56 PM Post #40 of 60
I also listened with Marc's source, which he likes better than the 840c, and did not like them any better. Sadly, I just don't like the OII - though once, with an ES-1 through an AudioArts (?) source, they sounded wonderful.

Again, just my lack of personal taste - and good for me - now I do want to hear some 4070, and a Jade. Otherwise, no where else to go, really, as HE90 is just not feasible.
 
Nov 12, 2008 at 9:56 PM Post #41 of 60
Quote:

Originally Posted by Ricey20 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Actually I don't think the nordost would help much. I don't think the 840c is a good match for the O2s. When I had it, it leaned towards being a bit too bright and analytical. I think that's the problem, out of the 840c the O2s probably sounded pretty dry and lifeless. Maybe a warmer source would work better with it. I wish I still had my DA220 to try with my O2s because that was WAY warmer sounding than my 840c. And while I love trying different ICs, I don't think any would be able to completely offset the sound of the source.


ok
biggrin.gif
bad advice then - I thought that 840C was quite meaty source - didn't hear it - but playing with cables sometimes helps alot
 
Nov 12, 2008 at 11:29 PM Post #43 of 60
I agree with the 840c being too bright for the O2. With the 717, which has a warmish tonality but not too warm, the 840c was metallic, dry, and full of digital glare. It did sound very airy and detailed, but it also didn't have enough PRaT, and was distinctly laid-back. It worked pretty well for very fluidly recorded ambient electronica, where it was very airy, and for some large-scale classical pieces where the glare actually added a layer of sparkle to the sound. But for most things, it was way too colored and in a bad way. The O2 is just too damn revealing.

Still, it's still a decent source with the O2 for the money, since most things in the price range don't have anywhere near the necessary resolution and end up sounding grainy - which the 840c certainly didn't. I'll take its colorations over hideous grain any day.

The Opus 21 is better with the O2 in every way, but can also sound dark and dull depending on cabling.

Actually, when you get down to it, the O2 is very similar to the HD650 in that it has the power to sound truly dreadful in many systems. To make matters worse, the difference between good and dreadful can be as simple as an interconnect. The O2 is not a foolproof headphone, in fact it's probably the least foolproof headphone I've encountered. It needs you to tune your system by ear, since it will reveal everything about system synergy, but at the same time in needs the amp to have enough power to open it up and control the bass. The system has to be neutral, and it has to not have any serious imperfections and colorations. That's actually pretty hard to put together regardless of budget if you don't take the time to swap components in and out to see what works best. You absolutely cannot throw the O2 into any old system and expect it to work off the bat.

Subtle colorations are a good thing, IMO. They give you much more room to work with. Even the HD650, which is revealing enough in its own right, is much easier to system match properly. The O2 is too neutral for most consumer and a lot of audiophile-level gear, and you really have to be very picky. But on the upside, you can tune it to have different sound signatures depending on the rest of your system.
 

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