webbie64
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2006
- Posts
- 1,642
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- 12
This thread is a backhanded appreciation of people who are just too darn good at what they make.
After all, surely I can't be held responsible for my own Head-Fi adddictions
I only came to read about fellow electrostatic owners.
Then I started noticing threads about portable amplifiers. Nothing electrostatic was too easy - tried some SR001s on the train (no isolation
), and have decided 4070s wouldn't provide enough isolation
So what other choices?
At the time a number of threads were raving about a thing called the 'Tomahawk' and how it compared to the Hornet 'M'. Other threads were advocating the Westone UM2 for its combination of isolation, comfort and SQ.
I grabbed the UM2s and missed the highs but found them to be a good isolated set for the train.
Then I went to the March Sydney meet and tried a Hornet 'M'. OMG I was disappointed. I tried other portable amps (that had larger form factors like the Z Lambda) and could hear what was possible. I liked what was possible.
But so many Head-Fi-ers couldn't be wrong about the Hornet 'M', surely. So I read threads and saw how importnat it was to 'burn in' these Ray Samuels portables.
So I got one and burned it in (400+ hours). Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
And that's how it really started...one brilliant amp. From Ray.
Since then I've acquired a:
* Xin (Supermini 3 - this taught me Xin's products were smaller and at least equal in SQ IF you liked fiddling with Op Amps, etc. I'll probably get it upgraded to IV spec and onsell it to someone starting in this portable amp area)
* RSA Tomahawk (because there was so much debate compared to the Hornet 'M' with half selling off their Tomas and half selling off their Hornets that I wasn't sure what was true: I now agree with the mega amp review threads - the Toma is good, but a couple of steps - to me - behind the Hornet 'M')
* FordGTLover built Mini3 (I've posted my thoughts on this compared to the Hornet 'M' here. I use the Hornet 'M' for its form factor on the train but the Mini3 at home - well, when I can't use electrostatics such as when I'm listening in bed whilst my wife is sleeping alongside
)
And for headphones I've replaced the UM2s with Livewires T1s. Because John Diles is right - I won't find a better value/SQ combination in this price range. If I find a product that varies in performance based on the quality of what its being fed then I see it as truly GIGO equipment - it will easilly tell me if I've got quality at the front end, and the Livewires do this for me to the point I may simply give up altogether on MP3s and stick with FLAC (Yes, it's audio-snobbish I know but, quite frankly, I really do notice the reduced quality difference, the Livewires do show everything so well).
But what's really the problem with all of this is that I'm still looking/wondering (all over a bit of gear that is still a good number of steps behind the home electrostatics that I truly love!).
It's that Ray Samuels and John Diles. They've shown me very good quality is available portably. And, although I don't want to spend more money I find that I am. I've even got an SR71 on its way ATM!
And I don't think it's just me because look at all the portable gear that's hitting the market - Predator, Pico, the iBasso suite, etc.
So I figure somebody got you hooked on portable systems as well.
[size=small]Here's your chance to share - who was it? Whose work/gear got you hooked?? [/size]
After all, surely I can't be held responsible for my own Head-Fi adddictions
I only came to read about fellow electrostatic owners.
Then I started noticing threads about portable amplifiers. Nothing electrostatic was too easy - tried some SR001s on the train (no isolation
So what other choices?
At the time a number of threads were raving about a thing called the 'Tomahawk' and how it compared to the Hornet 'M'. Other threads were advocating the Westone UM2 for its combination of isolation, comfort and SQ.
I grabbed the UM2s and missed the highs but found them to be a good isolated set for the train.
Then I went to the March Sydney meet and tried a Hornet 'M'. OMG I was disappointed. I tried other portable amps (that had larger form factors like the Z Lambda) and could hear what was possible. I liked what was possible.
But so many Head-Fi-ers couldn't be wrong about the Hornet 'M', surely. So I read threads and saw how importnat it was to 'burn in' these Ray Samuels portables.
So I got one and burned it in (400+ hours). Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
And that's how it really started...one brilliant amp. From Ray.
Since then I've acquired a:
* Xin (Supermini 3 - this taught me Xin's products were smaller and at least equal in SQ IF you liked fiddling with Op Amps, etc. I'll probably get it upgraded to IV spec and onsell it to someone starting in this portable amp area)
* RSA Tomahawk (because there was so much debate compared to the Hornet 'M' with half selling off their Tomas and half selling off their Hornets that I wasn't sure what was true: I now agree with the mega amp review threads - the Toma is good, but a couple of steps - to me - behind the Hornet 'M')
* FordGTLover built Mini3 (I've posted my thoughts on this compared to the Hornet 'M' here. I use the Hornet 'M' for its form factor on the train but the Mini3 at home - well, when I can't use electrostatics such as when I'm listening in bed whilst my wife is sleeping alongside
And for headphones I've replaced the UM2s with Livewires T1s. Because John Diles is right - I won't find a better value/SQ combination in this price range. If I find a product that varies in performance based on the quality of what its being fed then I see it as truly GIGO equipment - it will easilly tell me if I've got quality at the front end, and the Livewires do this for me to the point I may simply give up altogether on MP3s and stick with FLAC (Yes, it's audio-snobbish I know but, quite frankly, I really do notice the reduced quality difference, the Livewires do show everything so well).
But what's really the problem with all of this is that I'm still looking/wondering (all over a bit of gear that is still a good number of steps behind the home electrostatics that I truly love!).
It's that Ray Samuels and John Diles. They've shown me very good quality is available portably. And, although I don't want to spend more money I find that I am. I've even got an SR71 on its way ATM!
And I don't think it's just me because look at all the portable gear that's hitting the market - Predator, Pico, the iBasso suite, etc.
So I figure somebody got you hooked on portable systems as well.
[size=small]Here's your chance to share - who was it? Whose work/gear got you hooked?? [/size]
