Hybrid Maple/Black Limba cupped V7 Build Tour Impressions
May 7, 2017 at 10:45 AM Post #16 of 54
Nice! You're getting me curious about tubes now...LOL.
 
May 8, 2017 at 12:32 PM Post #17 of 54
Nice! You're getting me curious about tubes now...LOL.

I really recommend the Project Ember, I've only got some... basic entry level new Production tubes, but even then it really fills out the sound on your Magnum Build! It combines the really great texture and detail of it, and brings the Timbre right to dead neutral to my ears

Also, I'll be shipping these out today... and I'm a little made. I was listening to Miles Davis So What on my last day with them, and there was... just a little wail, a little shift in the sustained note on the trumpet that I never heard before! I double checked with my HE 4, and sure enough it was there but only your Magnum Build with a Tube brought that detail forward enough to be heard clearly! It was really cool!
 
May 8, 2017 at 7:02 PM Post #18 of 54
"so what" is a good one, one of my go-to's

i think the M7 has a bit more on the high end than
the ypsilon and some of the others, without being too harsh

there's some great tube amps out there for not too much money
i'm using a little dot Mk3 with mullard preamp tubes, sounds amazing
 
May 8, 2017 at 8:16 PM Post #19 of 54
"so what" is a good one, one of my go-to's

i think the M7 has a bit more on the high end than
the ypsilon and some of the others, without being too harsh

there's some great tube amps out there for not too much money
i'm using a little dot Mk3 with mullard preamp tubes, sounds amazing

I've always heard good things about the LD MK3, an I've always been curious about their balanced LD MK6/7

also @wormsdriver the Headphone has been delivered it looks like
 
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May 14, 2017 at 10:49 PM Post #20 of 54
Sorry to have taken so long, here are my full impressions of these beauties.

What makes these headphones so much fun is the individuality that each one has, as every part is sourced individually according to the tastes of the builder. They are truly works of Art, painted with metal, wood and wires

These are my first built by Fleasbaby, and I'm really impressed the overall look! The brown leather headband, and cable visually compliment the Maple Sleeves. Additionally, he's assembled these flawlessly. There are no creaky hinges, no flimsiness gimbals, and almost no plastic.

In terms of use, the Magnum v7 driver does benefit from a dedicated amplifier. I was able to use them at moderate volumes on my LG V20, but the sound gained much more authority and control when switching into a dedicated amp.

The overall sound on these was fantastic, very neutral with a midrange sweetness and very little decay. They sound a little like a Beyerdyanmic DT 880 fused with a Grado RS2E, controlled bass, very clear imaging and amazing tone. The overall timbre is dry but natural, it's presentation is brighter than neutral and it has a very neutral overall sound signature.

In truth, I found them to be very transparent so much so that I used them to review JDS Labs The Element.



With many of my solid states, the timbre proved to be too dry. The irony being, that a drier sound was my aim with those units! But having had them so long with my own gear I forget just how dry they are.



Though when I paired it with my Garage 1217 Project Ember II running a new production Electro Harmonix 6SN7EH the timbre was perfect! The Ember II brought the mids forward a little an added just enough body and extra decay into the mid range to keep all of the texture, but smooth out some of the roughness.



What resulted was sheer perfection in the mid-range. An aggressive edge, paired with quick decay and a smooth shift in sustain. I found that in many tracks this Magnum V7/Ember II combo had a better presentation than my Hifiman HE 4 out of my NFB 10ES2! Where as the HE 4 has a dead center neutral presentation, the Hybrid Maple Sleeved /Black Limba Cupped Magnum V7 had a slight forwardness to the mids. As such, it brought focus onto many of the little details in the midrange. Such as the trumpet and sax performance within tracks such as Miles Davis So What and David Chesky's Transcendental tripping. While my HE 4 also presented these same details, it didn't compliment them as well as this Magnum V7 did when pair'd with my Project Ember II.



Amidst my love affair with the mids, I did find extension on both ends of the spectrum to be excellent. There was some sub bass roll off that was only audible with Electronica, other wise the Hybrid Maple Sleeved /Black Limba Cupped Magnum V7 had a taut low end, with generous texture and power. It wasn't boomy, nor flabby, didn't ever linger too long or bleed into the mids. While it didn't quite compare to the power and weight of my HE 4, it matched it perfectly in natural timbre, decay and transients. I found them to be airy on the top end, with a nice splash. Though, with just a solid state amp, the top end and upper mids can get very harsh almost scratchy. Out of my Project Ember II, the highs kept a lot of energy and sparkle with good decay. Best of all there was no loss of micro detail when switching from a solid state amp to a hybrid tube.



In truth, I was a little smitten with these! They were astonishingly beautiful to listen to with my Project Ember II, they will remain by far one of my favorites.

Pictures are also posted here alongside my thoughts,
 
May 14, 2017 at 10:55 PM Post #21 of 54
Thanks for the review Mshenay! Glad you liked them!
 
May 14, 2017 at 11:04 PM Post #22 of 54
Thanks for the review Mshenay! Glad you liked them!

Truly a work of art man! I only wish I could have gotten my Ember II sooner, and had a RS2E to compare them to directly! I'll say that my Nhoord Red V1 wasn't much of a comparison...
 
May 22, 2017 at 1:23 PM Post #24 of 54
Well here's the long and short of it: the V7 is the best, most natural sounding Magnum I've heard. It's completely void of the somewhat digital top end that I'e found on every other Magnum (save the V4), but still keeps the lower-extending bass that is an improvement on the Grado sound these guys often replace.

From the bottom up...

Bass:
From my 325e review, "Punchy, very textured, and dynamic. Kick drums don't sound like blobs of bass. They sound like actual drums with an initiation, sustain, and decay of sound. Electric bass through a tube amp sounds like electric bass though a tube amp, not enveloping, room-shaking bass or amorphous blobs of low frequencies." That pretty much sums it up. The low end goes lower than any Prestige and RS Grado and slightly warms the low end. Really nice.

Mids:
Here's the biggest departure from the Grado house sound. Most Grados are characterised by a forward, rich midrange. Not the case with Magnums. IMHO, they are generally V-shaped, and the V7 is no exception. The mids are just a little behind the extremes, not recessed per se, but not definitely not upfront. This makes the Mag really fun to dig on instremental music with, but won't give you quite the intimacy you get with vocal-centric tracks.

Treble:
The upper range is the best improvement over past Magums to these ears. I've found the V5 and V6 especially a little fatiguing thanks to a somewhat digital or artificial sounding upper end. I don't have the vocab to describe why it sounds that way, but I do now that I could only listen to those for long sessions if I ran them with a real smooth tube amp. The V7 gives me a really RS1-esque treble and I love it. Kudos to the boys at Symphones!

Soundstage/Imaging/Separation/WhateverYouWantToCallIt:
Pretty solid. Nothing to write home about, but not gross or compressed either. Somewhat wider than normal Grados, but nothing in the PS or GS range. In the words of Forrest Gump, "that's all I have to say about that."

Conclusion:
If you couldn't tell, I dig the V7. It's the best, most mature version of the Magnum I've heard (which it should be) and it sounds great in some beautifully-crafted @fleasbaby cups. Highly recommended.



Wabi Sabi Cups:
I'd like to make a quick comment about the quality of the custom cups that Bruce at Wabi Sabi put the Magnums in. They were an RS1 style cup (if memory serves) with a maple outer cup and a black limba inner sleeve actually holding the drivers. They are GORGEOUS. I wish I had taken pictures when I had them... but they really are a top-level set of cups. Beautiful design, finish, and craftsmanship. Check out his builds/services on the recently-launched website: wabisabiheadphones.wordpress.com
 
May 22, 2017 at 2:56 PM Post #25 of 54
Well here's the long and short of it: the V7 is the best, most natural sounding Magnum I've heard. It's completely void of the somewhat digital top end that I'e found on every other Magnum (save the V4), but still keeps the lower-extending bass that is an improvement on the Grado sound these guys often replace.

From the bottom up...

Bass:
From my 325e review, "Punchy, very textured, and dynamic. Kick drums don't sound like blobs of bass. They sound like actual drums with an initiation, sustain, and decay of sound. Electric bass through a tube amp sounds like electric bass though a tube amp, not enveloping, room-shaking bass or amorphous blobs of low frequencies." That pretty much sums it up. The low end goes lower than any Prestige and RS Grado and slightly warms the low end. Really nice.

Mids:
Here's the biggest departure from the Grado house sound. Most Grados are characterised by a forward, rich midrange. Not the case with Magnums. IMHO, they are generally V-shaped, and the V7 is no exception. The mids are just a little behind the extremes, not recessed per se, but not definitely not upfront. This makes the Mag really fun to dig on instremental music with, but won't give you quite the intimacy you get with vocal-centric tracks.

Treble:
The upper range is the best improvement over past Magums to these ears. I've found the V5 and V6 especially a little fatiguing thanks to a somewhat digital or artificial sounding upper end. I don't have the vocab to describe why it sounds that way, but I do now that I could only listen to those for long sessions if I ran them with a real smooth tube amp. The V7 gives me a really RS1-esque treble and I love it. Kudos to the boys at Symphones!

Soundstage/Imaging/Separation/WhateverYouWantToCallIt:
Pretty solid. Nothing to write home about, but not gross or compressed either. Somewhat wider than normal Grados, but nothing in the PS or GS range. In the words of Forrest Gump, "that's all I have to say about that."

Conclusion:
If you couldn't tell, I dig the V7. It's the best, most mature version of the Magnum I've heard (which it should be) and it sounds great in some beautifully-crafted @fleasbaby cups. Highly recommended.



Wabi Sabi Cups:
I'd like to make a quick comment about the quality of the custom cups that Bruce at Wabi Sabi put the Magnums in. They were an RS1 style cup (if memory serves) with a maple outer cup and a black limba inner sleeve actually holding the drivers. They are GORGEOUS. I wish I had taken pictures when I had them... but they really are a top-level set of cups. Beautiful design, finish, and craftsmanship. Check out his builds/services on the recently-launched website: wabisabiheadphones.wordpress.com

Oh I didn't know Bruce had a website, that's awesome! I was actually thinking today, If I ever get an HE 6 I might want him to make some cups for me!!

Nice review, I too loved them. Funny enough, I've got the Focal Elear, and the Elear is bringing me back to my time with that v7! The sound stage wasn't on par with the Elear or my HE 4, but overall Tone and detail were, I'm curious though @fleasbaby what would you MSRP these for?
 
May 23, 2017 at 8:52 AM Post #26 of 54
Oh I didn't know Bruce had a website, that's awesome! I was actually thinking today, If I ever get an HE 6 I might want him to make some cups for me!!

Nice review, I too loved them. Funny enough, I've got the Focal Elear, and the Elear is bringing me back to my time with that v7! The sound stage wasn't on par with the Elear or my HE 4, but overall Tone and detail were, I'm curious though @fleasbaby what would you MSRP these for?

@Mshenay Shoot me an email via the website and we can chat. I just noticed that my status on the site has been upgraded to MoT. Feels very official and cool, but I know there are some pretty specific rules about what I can and can't do from here on out. Basically, expect to see me adopt a lower profile.

I'll still be checking messages and threads and participating as much as I can though :).
 
May 23, 2017 at 10:33 AM Post #27 of 54
@Mshenay Shoot me an email via the website and we can chat. I just noticed that my status on the site has been upgraded to MoT. Feels very official and cool, but I know there are some pretty specific rules about what I can and can't do from here on out. Basically, expect to see me adopt a lower profile.

I'll still be checking messages and threads and participating as much as I can though :).
awwww were going to miss you, I remember when Peterk changed to MoT. Still it's excellent work that your doing,
 
Jun 3, 2017 at 2:00 PM Post #29 of 54
Hi Bruce,
wanted to let you know the Magnum V7 got delivered, love the look of the maple and the first impression are its really close to the RS2e. Will be listening and comparing to the Nhoord Red V2, original Ypsilon, Ypsilon R1, RS2e and the new Nhoord Sacrlet. Have some friends over so we're all listening to each of the headphones, a few pictures of the "gang"


L to R: Ypsilon R1, V7, RS2e, Nhoord Red V2, Scarlet, original Ypsilon on stand






Everyone pretty much think the V7 is good substitute for the RS2e, better bass and mids but the highs go to the RS2e, just a bit more extended and smoother.

Your maple cups are also a favorite of most while the mahogany and rosewood cups from Rholuplat are okay but some liked the contrasting wood filler I used.

For a bass-head the Scarlet is the easy choice, it makes my LCD-2f and HE400 seem bass-lite. One thing for me is I like the cheap G-pads on your V7 build, better sound stage and the bass is cleaner.

Thanks again for thinking about including me in the tour of your wonderful build and hope you are having a great weekend. I'll post a few more impressions after the weekend and I've had a chance to listen while not buzzed.

Cheers, David A
 
Jun 3, 2017 at 8:32 PM Post #30 of 54
A little better pictures of the Maple-Black Limba creation of @fleasbaby
Magnum V7-1.jpg R1-V7-1.jpg
 

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