[randerson3024]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spritzer /img/forum/go_quote.gif Flooding is never good. The sea is about 15 meters from my house and the weather can get really bad here in the winter, so bad that the western most part of Reykjavik (where I live) has turned into an island. I really should move all my most valuable things to a more secure location... The Mye stands will be a good start. Planars need something sturdy to push against or we might all just buy dynamics...

I would love to visit Iceland some day. I travel extensively, but have never made it there.

The flooding was a drag.

Mye stands helped the 3.6R's quite a bit. Obviously all mods on the Maggies will have to commence on my next trip.

My only real disapointment was not having the time to get my Aristeaus converted. If I do find some reasonably priced HE 90's or Omega I's, I will just have to run them through the SRM-727, which ain't Stax's best effort for amps. It sounds shrill on the high end and does not drive the 4070's properly. The harshness on the highs is really present on the HE 60's, but I have learned to live with it. I am hoping the Ultrasones will be fun to listen to. The HD 650's and HE 60's are so different that I can't listen to them both during the same listening session. I really suspect that the 4070's may be a jewel when driven properly.

I am traveling soon, and look forward to getting back on the forum a little more.

 

[spritzer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by randerson3024 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would love to visit Iceland some day. I travel extensively, but have never made it there. The flooding was a drag. Mye stands helped the 3.6R's quite a bit. Obviously all mods on the Maggies will have to commence on my next trip. My only real disapointment was not having the time to get my Aristeaus converted. If I do find some reasonably priced HE 90's or Omega I's, I will just have to run them through the SRM-727, which ain't Stax's best effort for amps. It sounds shrill on the high end and does not drive the 4070's properly. The harshness on the highs is really present on the HE 60's, but I have learned to live with it. I am hoping the Ultrasones will be fun to listen to. The HD 650's and HE 60's are so different that I can't listen to them both during the same listening session. I really suspect that the 4070's may be a jewel when driven properly. I am traveling soon, and look forward to getting back on the forum a little more.

You should visit us sometime but the weather can be a bit unpredictable. There is a saying here, "If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes..." and it sums it up pretty well.

If the Aristaeus is configured for 230v, then why not use a step up transformer? It will cause a slight degradation is sound quality but it's nothing to worry about.

I have high hopes for the 4070 but they will have to wait for awhile since I'm ordering some much needed Stax stands and other parts that cost more then the 4070 and then there is the SR-007 Mk2. This has been a very expensive summer...

 

[randerson3024]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spritzer /img/forum/go_quote.gif You should visit us sometime but the weather can be a bit unpredictable. There is a saying here, "If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes..." and it sums it up pretty well. If the Aristaeus is configured for 230v, then why not use a step up transformer? It will cause a slight degradation is sound quality but it's nothing to worry about. I have high hopes for the 4070 but they will have to wait for awhile since I'm ordering some much needed Stax stands and other parts that cost more then the 4070 and then there is the SR-007 Mk2. This has been a very expensive summer...

I know expensive, all totaled up, I probably spent $80,000 on audio this year, the largest purchase being the Esoteric P-03/D-03 combination.

I forgot to mention that I have a Melos SHA Gold waiting on the boat. I think this might sound really nice (I had one last year and regret selling it) with the Ultrasones and Grados, also, I have heard that my HP-4 is a bad amp to use with Audio Technica 5000's. I hope they sound better with the Gold. Many different friends have reccomended them to me, but mine sound so bad, I wonder if they are defective. Yech!

I never thought of using a step up transformer for the Aristeaus, but now it's too late, they are in my storage. I am considering Blue Hawaii and keeping the Aristeaus at home, but my spending habits are pretty unpredictable. I do like to have great gear on the ship since I am there so much, however, I worry about having all this stuff out there.

 

[robm321]

Good choice. Heaphones are great for under $2K, but tough to justify over that considering the kind of speakers you can get.

besides that I find the law of diminishing returns about as bad as you get in all of audio over $1.5K with headphones. The improvements above that are very small to none is some cases.

Just MO

 

[spritzer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by randerson3024 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I know expensive, all totaled up, I probably spent $80,000 on audio this year, the largest purchase being the Esoteric P-03/D-03 combination. I forgot to mention that I have a Melos SHA Gold waiting on the boat. I think this might sound really nice (I had one last year and regret selling it) with the Ultrasones and Grados, also, I have heard that my HP-4 is a bad amp to use with Audio Technica 5000's. I hope they sound better with the Gold. Many different friends have reccomended them to me, but mine sound so bad, I wonder if they are defective. Yech! I never thought of using a step up transformer for the Aristeaus, but now it's too late, they are in my storage. I am considering Blue Hawaii and keeping the Aristeaus at home, but my spending habits are pretty unpredictable. I do like to have great gear on the ship since I am there so much, however, I worry about having all this stuff out there.

80K$ is some serious commitment.

I'm still able to satisfy me lust for gear with cheap vintage electronics of ebay and Yahoo! JP so that keeps the spending down but I'm running out of phones to buy so it wont last long.

Melos produced some nice stuff but they are aging and will need new caps soon as they have a finite lifespan. You will also have a much better amp on your hands after it has gone through the hands of a good modder.

The A-T's could be defective, but they will probably sound broken and not just slightly "off".

The sea can have a nasty effect on electronics, corroding everything in sight. It wrecks havoc on switches, tube sockets and volume controls but if the room is well insulated, you should be fine.

 

[randerson3024]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spritzer /img/forum/go_quote.gif 80K$ is some serious commitment. I'm still able to satisfy me lust for gear with cheap vintage electronics of ebay and Yahoo! JP so that keeps the spending down but I'm running out of phones to buy so it wont last long. Melos produced some nice stuff but they are aging and will need new caps soon as they have a finite lifespan. You will also have a much better amp on your hands after it has gone through the hands of a good modder. The A-T's could be defective, but they will probably sound broken and not just slightly "off". The sea can have a nasty effect on electronics, corroding everything in sight. It wrecks havoc on switches, tube sockets and volume controls but if the room is well insulated, you should be fine.

I don't worry much about the atmospheric problems from the sea as much as I do about funky power generated by the ship's generators. The Shunyata Hydra 8 and V-Ray have greatly improved performance, also their power cords, while expensive, have made a big difference.

The AT 5000's are just nauseating, however, after describing the sound to Afrikane, and a couple of other members I befriended in the forum just after joining, I am fairly certain they are not defective, I just hate them. They are really nicely constructed and I am not quite ready to give up on them, at worst, they will just be an oddity in my collection. I have a weakness for headphones, headphone amps, and moving coil cartridges. I never can bring myself to sell them. Oh, yeah, I have one other weakness, I love old retro gear, I have a pair of DQ-10's and every amp and preamp ever made by GAS. It all sounds terrible compared to my reference system, but I really wanted that stuff when I was a kid and could never afford it. Just having it all seems to fill the void. Go figure..................

 

[spritzer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by randerson3024 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't worry much about the atmospheric problems from the sea as much as I do about funky power generated by the ship's generators. The Shunyata Hydra 8 and V-Ray have greatly improved performance, also their power cords, while expensive, have made a big difference.

The inverters are nasty beasts. You could always have your gear modified and run it on DC with a lot of DC-DC converters.

Quote:

Originally Posted by randerson3024 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The AT 5000's are just nauseating, however, after describing the sound to Afrikane, and a couple of other members I befriended in the forum just after joining, I am fairly certain they are not defective, I just hate them. They are really nicely constructed and I am not quite ready to give up on them, at worst, they will just be an oddity in my collection. I have a weakness for headphones, headphone amps, and moving coil cartridges. I never can bring myself to sell them. Oh, yeah, I have one other weakness, I love old retro gear, I have a pair of DQ-10's and every amp and preamp ever made by GAS. It all sounds terrible compared to my reference system, but I really wanted that stuff when I was a kid and could never afford it. Just having it all seems to fill the void. Go figure..................

I guess it's quite similar to my experience with the He90. I don't really like what it does but I can't bring myself to sell them.

I'm also very fond of vintage equipment, especially old tube amps and ESLs. The DQ-10 is a very nice speaker but how they stole the Quad ESL look was not a good thing.

 

[Icarium]

Imo get a Zana Deux which really is one of the best single ended tube amps you can get and run your w5000 out of that. Definitely the best amp I've heard in conjunction with that headphone... I'd be frankly very surprised if even the HA5000 could surprass that performance.

 

[Afrikane]

Not that I wish you to commit yet more funds to essentially one headphone but as discussed before the HP4 is a shade on the lean side of neutral and not the best match for the AT. Perhaps the Melos will warm things up nicely for the W5K and you get to escape another wallet draining exercise.

 

[randerson3024]

Thanks for the continued tips on the 5000's. I will get good sound out of them at least once some day, they are just too pretty and cool looking to sell, although I must admit I am very skeptical about expensive Japanese conventional headphones now, such as the Sonys and JVC's.

 

[randerson3024]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spritzer /img/forum/go_quote.gif The inverters are nasty beasts. You could always have your gear modified and run it on DC with a lot of DC-DC converters. I guess it's quite similar to my experience with the He90. I don't really like what it does but I can't bring myself to sell them. I'm also very fond of vintage equipment, especially old tube amps and ESLs. The DQ-10 is a very nice speaker but how they stole the Quad ESL look was not a good thing.

Yeah, they stole the look for sure. I also have my father's vintage Dyna equipment. I would like to get the Stereo 70 modified. It may be a nice amp to use with the AKG 1000's. I also have the origanal AR speakers and turntable that he had, naturally with the original Shure V 15 that still works.................

 

[Icarium]

Ruling out one brand's headphones because a bad experience with a single instance of a differing brand's headphones being non optimal for you just because the two brands share a country of origin is... uh... bold? random?

Given how much a single brand's offerings differ from model to model let alone from brand to brand.... country to country (Actually I don't see how country of origin factors into anything related to headphones)...

Well at least your wallet is that much safer I guess.

 

[randerson3024]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icarium /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ruling out one brand's headphones because a bad experience with a single instance of a differing brand's headphones being non optimal for you just because the two brands share a country of origin is... uh... bold? random? Given how much a single brand's offerings differ from model to model let alone from brand to brand.... country to country (Actually I don't see how country of origin factors into anything related to headphones)... Well at least your wallet is that much safer I guess.

That did sound petty and bad, didn't it? I would like to audition some of the higher end models sold by companies that tend to sell mid-fi electronics - that didn't sound much better, either. Oh well, expensive JVC's, Denon's and Sony's conventional headphones can wait until I have heard some other models. I am profoundly disappointed with the AT 5000's so far, but have not given up on them. As always, I do appreciate the advice............

 

[spritzer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by randerson3024 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah, they stole the look for sure. I also have my father's vintage Dyna equipment. I would like to get the Stereo 70 modified. It may be a nice amp to use with the AKG 1000's. I also have the origanal AR speakers and turntable that he had, naturally with the original Shure V 15 that still works.................

Very nice stuff. You can get a lot of performance out of this old equipment with some modernization. The resistors and cps start to drift and the wire was horrible so a few upgrades could be very nice. Many people consider this sacrilege but I'm after the performance, not the nostalgia.

A Dynaco 70 or an old Mcintosh would be ideal for the K1k. You can do better with a nice SET but it's much more expensive.

 

[purk]

Quote:

That did sound petty and bad, didn't it? I would like to audition some of the higher end models sold by companies that tend to sell mid-fi electronics - that didn't sound much better, either. Oh well, expensive JVC's, Denon's and Sony's conventional headphones can wait until I have heard some other models. I am profoundly disappointed with the AT 5000's so far, but have not given up on them. As always, I do appreciate the advice............ __________________

You will be pretty surprised with what Sony has accomplished in higher end audio market. Have you heard of Sony CDP-R10 and DAS-R10. Their DAC and CD trasport are too die for in Japan and just as expensive as your digital frontend. Sony MDR-R10 was also introduced together with serveral of the "R" series. They are very difficult to obtain but if you manage to land one, you won't be disappoint. You will be surprised if Sony wants to accomplish anything, they can, and they can do very well too.

BTW, the "R" is for renaissance not reference.