[warrior05]

Quote:

Originally Posted by upstateguy /img/forum/go_quote.gif lol... yeah, too bad it got here so late.... I guess you'll just have to interpolate....

I'm going to be there and certainly interested in hearing the Heed. Hmm... we've got about 26 hours before the doors open for the meet. Come on! You can squeeze in 200 hours between now and then!

 

[Dexdexter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by warrior05 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm going to be there and certainly interested in hearing the Heed. Hmm... we've got about 26 hours before the doors open for the meet. Come on! You can squeeze in 200 hours between now and then!

Perhaps Wayne (dw6928) will be bringing his CanAmp. His must have around 10,000 hours by now!

 

[dw6928]

unfortunately, while I plan on attending, it will be brief. I have to work that day and can only spend an hour or so at the meet. Hardly worth bring the Heed for an hour! You are right Dex, the Heed has been running for many thousands of hours and does not sound anything like it did at 26 hours.

 

[1Time]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dexdexter /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, yes, 1T, the PROline 750 & 2500 are much more difficult to drive than the PROline 650, which can be quite happily driven without an amplifier. With their lower impedance, while they can achieve loudness with just about anything, they require substantially more current to achieve comparably acceptable sound quality. Conversely, a 300 or 600 Ohm headphone can provide good sound quality with relatively little current, needing only voltage to achieve loudness. Therefore, higher impedance cans are actually easier to drive in this respect. Took me a good long while and experience with my various headphones to grasp the concept, since it's essentially the opposite of what our intuition might suggest, initially.

Thanks, Dex. I only have a rudimentary understanding of the relationship between these electrical terms. Your explanation really helped.

 

[db597]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dexdexter /img/forum/go_quote.gif Having spent some time with a HeadFive at last weekend's Bristol Meet, I can say with reasonable confidence that the CanAmp plays on quite another level to it altogether and the differences are far from subtle, at least with my 40 Ohm Ultrasone PROlines and the Grado GS-1000 & RS-1.

Thanks for your thoughts. Yep, I am certain it will best the HeadFive by a margin. Though I do wonder if what you're describing is an issue of gain?

On paper, the Opera is a competely different animal due to it's balanced ground. But of course it's not ALL amp - I agree you pay for a lot of other things. I'd like a cut down version that's minus all the inputs and DAC. But as that doesn't exist, the next best value is the CanAmp.

My only worry is that after I buy the CanAmp, the following month I'll be looking at the Opera (or some other high end amp) again. The upgratitis is terrible. My HeadFive is about 6 months old and I feel like I NEED to upgrade it (and I would have upgraded 3 months ago if my wife wasn't watching). Nothing wrong with the H5's sound quality, but rather my imagination of how much better an Opera or CanAmp would be - which will no doubt turn out to be subtle and far exaggerated. Curse you Head-Fi!

 

[upstateguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dw6928 /img/forum/go_quote.gif unfortunately, while I plan on attending, it will be brief. I have to work that day and can only spend an hour or so at the meet. Hardly worth bring the Heed for an hour! You are right Dex, the Heed has been running for many thousands of hours and does not sound anything like it did at 26 hours.

Hi dw#s

In 30 minutes I will have 24 hrs on my Heed. No noticeable change yet, but 24 is a long way from 200.

What I would like to ask you is how much of a change did you experience after 200 hrs? Without getting into the whole "burn in" thing, how much change can really be expected with a solid state amp? Is it going to sound like a completely different amp after 200 hrs, or are the changes/differences going to be subtle?

Also, I don't remember which amps you compared it to and which headphones you were listening with besides the 701s (if memory serves).... I know it must be somewhere in this thread, but maybe you could tell me.

Anyway, I will look forward to seeing you at the meet. It would be interesting to see if you can detect any obvious changes between the early and late model Heeds.

Regards

USG

 

[upstateguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dexdexter /img/forum/go_quote.gif I tried out a Woo 3 this past weekend at the Bristol Meet, and with my 40 Ohm Ultrasones and some upper-range Grados (GS-1000 & RS-1), it just didn't muster enough current to drive them properly, whereas the CanAmp barely broke a sweat, so I suspect you ain't heard nothin' yet! (a pair of Dragon-cabled HD650s sounded wonderful, however, through both the Heed & the Woo, but then again, the Senns require far less current )

Hi DD

So as you suspect, the Woo3 probably wasn't made for low impedance headphones.... probably why the Woo6 with an impedance switch came out....

Would you be able to describe the differences between the Heed and the Woo with the 650s you heard at the Bristol meet?

Curiously, I find that my M^3 and my Woo3 have similar sound signatures, which are different from the Heed. Was that your experience?

USG

 

[dw6928]

I will look forward to seeing you Saturday. The changes were
distinct. The amp was pleasant and efficient out of the box but nothing remarkable. Remember, none of us had ever heard it. At about 100 hours it blossomed and at 200 hours it became my favorite piece of audio equipment. It runs every set of headphones I own (Ultrasones, AKGS and Sennheisers)
to their fullest capabilities and without even a bead of sweat.
I am anxious to hear your's at just a few hours to see "the early days"

 

[Dexdexter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by upstateguy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Would you be able to describe the differences between the Heed and the Woo with the 650s you heard at the Bristol meet?

My experience with the Woo was limited to observing that it was incapable of driving the Ultrasones and Grados properly, while it performed nicely with the HD650.

The CanAmp, in contrast, managed to handle all headphones we threw at it with equal aplomb.

I'm afraid I don't have a useful recollection regarding any specifics as to how the two drove the HD650 differently; at least with the Senns they both seemed very capable.

 

[dw6928]

You know what is a shame: Wooaudio is 3 minutes from where I live but they are not setup for any kind of "visitors" to demo their amps. What a pity.

 

[El Cucuy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by db597 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for your thoughts. Yep, I am certain it will best the HeadFive by a margin. Though I do wonder if what you're describing is an issue of gain? On paper, the Opera is a competely different animal due to it's balanced ground. But of course it's not ALL amp - I agree you pay for a lot of other things. I'd like a cut down version that's minus all the inputs and DAC. But as that doesn't exist, the next best value is the CanAmp. My only worry is that after I buy the CanAmp, the following month I'll be looking at the Opera (or some other high end amp) again. The upgratitis is terrible. My HeadFive is about 6 months old and I feel like I NEED to upgrade it (and I would have upgraded 3 months ago if my wife wasn't watching). Nothing wrong with the H5's sound quality, but rather my imagination of how much better an Opera or CanAmp would be - which will no doubt turn out to be subtle and far exaggerated. Curse you Head-Fi!

If I might be so bold as to chime in here... I can certainly see your concern about what might seem like a sideways move and thinking "If I'm going to upgrade, then I should spend more money and really upgrade. This is a very common way to think. Let me just throw this out there though: Right now, it's not a question of how much it costs but more; it's a matter of availability. I think buying the CanAmp would be a very sane (and for your wife’s benefit, fiscally sound) investment. It just might "wow" you with its performance level and keep you happy. If it doesn't, you could sell it off for practically what you paid for it. Advantage being, you have one to sell! Heck, I'm a dealer and I have to wait for months to get them for my customers. You'll have one in-hand... advantage, YOU.

I understand there is this uncontrolled variable of the amplifier perfomance being appealing to you. Everyone has difference tastes. For whatever reason you might decide to keep it or move off it to go in a different direction, it would be very hard to get burned at this price point.

DM

 

[Dexdexter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by db597 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'd like a cut down version that's minus all the inputs and DAC. But as that doesn't exist, the next best value is the CanAmp.

Pretty much sums it up, no?

 

[upstateguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dw6928 /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...The amp was pleasant and efficient out of the box but nothing remarkable...

Exactly my sentiments.......

USG

 

[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by daveDerek /img/forum/go_quote.gif screw the beetle. you could buy some L3ks for that!

Grasshoper you must educate yourself. There is no better car than an aircooled beetle.

 

[dw6928]

and I assure you that after 200 hours, your sentiment will be
exactly as mine.