[Dexdexter]

Thanks for posting that update, Dan!

Glad to see that it was just another case of "much ado about nothing".

Amidst all the snarky remarks about "Frankenamps" and kinda reckless speculation of Heed cutting corners to turn a fast buck (I mean, c'mon peeps, the margin on these things ain't that high!), there was not one single account of 2 CanAmps being compared side by side. Just hearsay swirling about, folks comparing each other's individual and very differing impressions, and then extrapolating some rather highly questionable conclusions from them.

But then, such is the nature of life on the public forums. The reputation of a given product can be built through them, but then torn apart just as quickly.

I sincerely hope that people will return here to view the CanAmp for what it is: an exceptionally good entry-level SS home amp and not the second-coming or whatever.

If anything, Heed Audio have demonstrated here time and again that they are a stand-up company of unusual accessibility and candor. They've got a fantastic distribution and dealer arm with the likes of your own bad self there in the States. And they back it all up with a no-quibble 3-year warranty.

And while we've run Alpar & Zsolt repeatedly through the gauntlet here, they still don't seem terribly perturbed by that despite it all.

May they continue to innovate for many, many years to come!

P.S. Loved the Les Paul parable!

 

[dw6928]

I couldn't agree more with Dex both about Heed and Dan at Blackbird. I, as many of you know, was in on the first round of Heed amps, and have enjoyed its quality and bang for the buck since the day it arrived. It is a wonderful entry level amp and should be viewed as a quality SS amp that is able to run the gamut of headphone types to the best of their ability.
With my trio: 650s, 701s and Ultrasone 2500s, the Heed is far superior to its predecessors, H5 and Microamp. It has the power/current to create a 3d transparent sound that puts a smile on my face. Dan is one of the best vendors/friends I know of in audio. He is standup, honest and caring, a wonderful combination to have in our midst. I am glad that Heed has been so forthright in their posts and hopefully this nonsense about modification will be finally put to rest.

 

[El Cucuy]

Hi Guys,

Thanks DEX, I appreciate what you've said here. I must admit that I was genuinely concerned about the "jumpering issue" as any time a customer's perception of a product is rattled or becomes doubtful, that item will never be looked at with the same enthusiasm or, at minimum "good buy feeling" as when it was initially purchased. It gave me a start and I had to ask about it.

Thanks for the comment on the Les Paul thing. It was fun sharing that.

We've all been having fun here - and the fun has had a much longer run in this thread than the dark speculation has.
Yes, there has been some quibbling about the level of quality-of-playback-prowess of this cool little amp but that's just human nature. We all have our likes and dislikes and we all have different levels of expectation. -Describe the taste of chocolate-. How can such an experience get put into words? And yet, we try with audio.
As in wine tasting we have developed a vocabulary so that everyone gets the gist of what we mean but in audio, it's still hard to convey the essence of the experience when others reading that description are using different sources: anything from the audio outputs of their laptop computers to iPods to very sophisticated CD players and/or DACs. Where is the source common denominator?

Wayne (dw6928), thank you for your support and viewpoint as well. I agree with Wayne in that it's a great little "entry level amp" but I'll submit there are times when the wolf looks out from under the sheep's clothing and struts his stuff, in that the amp can really, really perform!

I must say that many of the "early adoptors" from this forum do keep in touch with me from time to time and like Wayne, I see you all as friends. We are, after all, a community of people with a very fundamental common thread: an appreciation and enjoyment of music.

"...and that's all I have to say about that" -Forrest Gump

 

[dw6928]

Dan, I didn't mean to diminish the Heed's ability to strut its stuff by using the term entry level amp. I just finished a session with the Heed/Microdac/701(recabled) and it was
as pleasant an hour as one can imagine. The Heed put the music so far inside my head I was "elsewhere".

 

[Morph201]

Okokok, break it up! Take a cold shower or somethin'!!

Sooo much Heed love goin' around ...

 

[dw6928]

perhaps you should end your episodic journey and get one.

 

[Morph201]

I hate to start something, but my confidence is still at a "low" with the perceived inconsistencies on said device. Besides I don't think it would be transparent enough for me... *sigh*... the journey never ends, well it will end very soon... I'm slowly coming to my senses!!!

 

[Dexdexter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dw6928 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Dan, I didn't mean to diminish the Heed's ability to strut its stuff by using the term entry level amp. I just finished a session with the Heed/Microdac/701(recabled) and it was as pleasant an hour as one can imagine. The Heed put the music so far inside my head I was "elsewhere".

Trust me, Wayne, you ain't heard nuthin' yet. Just wait'll you hear how the CanAmp sings with the Edition 9s!

 

[dw6928]

tomorrow can not come soon enough (at least the Ed9 part)

 

[El Cucuy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dw6928 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Dan, I didn't mean to diminish the Heed's ability to strut its stuff by using the term entry level amp. I just finished a session with the Heed/Microdac/701(recabled) and it was as pleasant an hour as one can imagine. The Heed put the music so far inside my head I was "elsewhere".

No worries, Wayne. I know what you meant.

Well... it's hard to think of anything with a retail value from (then) 400.00 to (now) 450.00 as being entry level but there are even more headphone amplifiers out there costing at least twice as much and beyond. In fact, our industry has shown us that there are some pretty wild specialty audio items "out there" that get out into the exotic in price ranges (I just fitted my demo Basis turntable with a $5k catridge and the upgrade was worth every penny for that system). But there are also many good, more modestly priced headphone amps too. You guys just seem to have stumbled onto a good synergy of amp-to-cans with a couple of brands of 'phones and the CanAmp. Kudos!

Morph201"Okokok, break it up! Take a cold shower or somethin'!! Sooo much Heed love goin' around ... "

Yeah, Ok... no more Barry White in the background when we write to this forum. Ha!

 

[Morph201]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackbird Audio /img/forum/go_quote.gif Morph201"Okokok, break it up! Take a cold shower or somethin'!! Sooo much Heed love goin' around ... " Yeah, Ok... no more Barry White in the background when we write to this forum. Ha!

Hahaha!! Now THAT is a funny thought!!! I'll have to find a "Love's Theme" mp3 when reading this thread next time!! Hahaha!!

 

[El Cucuy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morph201 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I hate to start something, but my confidence is still at a "low" with the perceived inconsistencies on said device. Besides I don't think it would be transparent enough for me... *sigh*... the journey never ends, well it will end very soon... I'm slowly coming to my senses!!!

Humm.... what to say here...
Obviously, you should never "go along" with things you're not entirely commited to.
There is a large body of information on this site in general, from where you can extract experiences and reccomendations. Ultimately, you need to feel good about the (buying) decision that you make.

BUT, if we all waited to buy a car until one came out that was exactly what we felt we wanted, we'd probably all still be riding horses. (I'm being extreme here, I know it).

At some point one needs to take the plunge, as in the meantime, until that "special something" does come to market, we might possibly walk by many opportunities that would have given great performance until then. In the meanwhile you might be cheating yourself of some great experiences.

I'd insert another noteworthy Forrest Gump-ism here but the "box of chocolates" quote is so over-done.

 

[dw6928]

could someone give me a definitive definition of transparency when it relates to amplification?

 

[Hi-Finthen]

Wayne, there's Sterophiles glossary of audiophile terms :transparency, transparent 1) A quality of sound reproduction that gives the impression of listening through the system to the original sounds, rather than to a pair of loudspeakers. 2) Freedom from veiling, texturing, or any other quality which tends to obscure the signal. A quality of crystalline clarity.

A-Z found here: http://www.stereophile.com/reference/50/index8.html


These words such as transparency, in practice then have degrees of course, when compared to other amplifiers and also intermixed with the other audiophile qualities we hear as being "right" when we hear it. The effort is made I suspect, to design the amp to be to a high degree, transparent. But those audiophile qualities are expensive and the more rare the lower the price point.IMO

 

[dw6928]

Thank you Bill, just what I needed.