the terabyte
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2003
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after a rocky start (which i'll detail if/when i write an actual review), the chazz is alive. theres still ~4mV of noise in the left channel, but this is inaudible with the K1000s (i'm still going to track it down as it's an issue with other headphones).
other than that, it sounded great once it warmed up. not particularly slow as detailed in the 6moons review (there was still great bass detail and texture), but perhaps the highest frequencies are rolled off (cymbal territory). this doesn't mean that it's a dark sounding amp; it seems quite balanced, although i'll measure it to see for sure. i did note that the metallic character of the k1000s is all but gone, and violins now sound much more realistic. however, the flip side of this is that i electric guitars no longer sound as "electric" as they once did. perhaps its just because i was used to the raw, almost indescribable power that they gave guitars on a SS amp and this new sound is how it's supposed to be, but who knows.
once my K340s arrive, i'll find out how high impedance, relatively high sensitivity phones do, but for know i don't think it mated well with low impedance high sensitivity phones (7506s), but i'll try it with some grados and etys once i have a chance.
after my initial listening, i put it all together and moved it into my listening area for some real, critical evaluation. the first test was Holst's The Planets, specifically Uranus: The Magician. theres a part near the end (no timer on the turntable) with just an amazingly full tone, low bass, midrange, and then treble on top. when done well, it just sounds so satisfying and powerful. with the chazz running at 3/4 volume, my section approached, but when it happened, i was horribly disappointed. the trumpets on top were crunchy, the amp was majorly clipping. turning the volume back down to 1/2 solved this, but the level was too low for it to be satisfying.
once i try it with other phones, i'll write up something more substantial (with pics), comparing it to an amp people have actually heard (the grace 901), but until then i would recommend this unit only for those who do not listen at high levels to bass-y music. it is definitly true that the K1000s like tubes, however, the midrange flows like water, and the treble is not harsh at all, so fans of "lighter music" may still like the amp with the K1ks.
note: the chazz was connected to the tape outs on my technics sa-5160, which was connected to my philips 312. my "reference" amp is the technics (as funny as that sounds).
EDIT: this chazz is configured with the base options and KT88 tubes.
other than that, it sounded great once it warmed up. not particularly slow as detailed in the 6moons review (there was still great bass detail and texture), but perhaps the highest frequencies are rolled off (cymbal territory). this doesn't mean that it's a dark sounding amp; it seems quite balanced, although i'll measure it to see for sure. i did note that the metallic character of the k1000s is all but gone, and violins now sound much more realistic. however, the flip side of this is that i electric guitars no longer sound as "electric" as they once did. perhaps its just because i was used to the raw, almost indescribable power that they gave guitars on a SS amp and this new sound is how it's supposed to be, but who knows.
once my K340s arrive, i'll find out how high impedance, relatively high sensitivity phones do, but for know i don't think it mated well with low impedance high sensitivity phones (7506s), but i'll try it with some grados and etys once i have a chance.
after my initial listening, i put it all together and moved it into my listening area for some real, critical evaluation. the first test was Holst's The Planets, specifically Uranus: The Magician. theres a part near the end (no timer on the turntable) with just an amazingly full tone, low bass, midrange, and then treble on top. when done well, it just sounds so satisfying and powerful. with the chazz running at 3/4 volume, my section approached, but when it happened, i was horribly disappointed. the trumpets on top were crunchy, the amp was majorly clipping. turning the volume back down to 1/2 solved this, but the level was too low for it to be satisfying.
once i try it with other phones, i'll write up something more substantial (with pics), comparing it to an amp people have actually heard (the grace 901), but until then i would recommend this unit only for those who do not listen at high levels to bass-y music. it is definitly true that the K1000s like tubes, however, the midrange flows like water, and the treble is not harsh at all, so fans of "lighter music" may still like the amp with the K1ks.
note: the chazz was connected to the tape outs on my technics sa-5160, which was connected to my philips 312. my "reference" amp is the technics (as funny as that sounds).
EDIT: this chazz is configured with the base options and KT88 tubes.
