[BANGPOD]

Bumpage so usc goose and philodox can see what I said...
Usc goose, please seriously consider my recommendation!

BANGPOD

 

[lan]

Quote:

Originally posted by BANGPOD I never said he should dismiss the smART-modded DI/O. I simply stated that it is bested by the MUSE 2 PLUS DAC.

All a matter of taste and synergy

Send me your MUSE 2, I'll compare it to my MENSA

 

[philodox]

well mine is not quite 'smart' yet in any case... its had some of the mods... but there are a more that need to be done before it achieves 'smart' status, lol...

Ian... I'm not giving up on the dio... I love the little thing... as far as cables and power... I'm using a zu cable ash and the upgraded stancor PSU... I am running it straight out of the wall though... but I live in a newer apartment building... so I'm not sure if I really need power conditioning

bangpod... good luck with your new system... if its anything like when I finally got mine together it should be exciting to say the least

 

[lan]

Whether you're in a new or old power building, there's still a crazy amount of noise in the lines. More so if you're in the city like me. People do have a different amount of voltage variance, emi/rfi, and surges.

Well as long as you are enjoying it, that's all that matters. Just use a good surge protector.

 

[wallijonn]

Quote:

Originally posted by Riordan beyer 880s - some music just works better with a little less soundstage and more bass, i guess.

Huh?

I find just the opposite - the DT880 has a much better soundstage, it transistions more smoothly and has less of a hard left / hard right soundstage to it. Yes, the bass seems to be a little more aggressive in the DT880, but nothing will beat that K501 comfort.

I listen to rock, disco, electronica, techno, classical, jazz, latin, chinese, hillbilly on mine and it all sounds good. It may not sound great, but it is defintely the headphone to grab when the ears are tired.

 

[Alex Altorfer]

Ian,

Quote:

Originally posted by lan Whether you're in a new or old power building, there's still a crazy amount of noise in the lines. More so if you're in the city like me. People do have a different amount of voltage variance, emi/rfi, and surges. Well as long as you are enjoying it, that's all that matters. Just use a good surge protector.

In my hometown, S‹o Paulo - Brazil, residential areas use the same powerline networks as industries, so there's plenty of harmonics in the electrical supply. I was considering PS Audio's Ultimate Outlet but some have said in this forum that it inadvertently affects amplifier dynamics. What do you think of this?

Cheers,
Alex

 

[BANGPOD]

Quote:

Originally posted by wallijonn Huh? I find just the opposite - the DT880 has a much better soundstage, it transistions more smoothly and has less of a hard left / hard right soundstage to it. Yes, the bass seems to be a little more aggressive in the DT880, but nothing will beat that K501 comfort. I listen to rock, disco, electronica, techno, classical, jazz, latin, chinese, hillbilly on mine and it all sounds good. It may not sound great, but it is defintely the headphone to grab when the ears are tired.

wallijonn --

The AKG K-501's are the most comfortable headphone I have ever wore.
I just can't get over how the K-501's are essentially a circumaural ER-4S.

All I need next is a pair of HP-1000's and I will have a full set of Etymotic's.

BANGPOD

 

[lan]

Quote:

Originally posted by Alex Altorfer In my hometown, S‹o Paulo - Brazil, residential areas use the same powerline networks as industries, so there's plenty of harmonics in the electrical supply. I was considering PS Audio's Ultimate Outlet but some have said in this forum that it inadvertently affects amplifier dynamics. What do you think of this?

I think it may affect more power hungry components like power amplifiers. Headphone amps aren't that power hungry so you might be able to get by. It all depends. Since you are in Brazil, it is expensive just to try it and return if you don't like it?

 

[Edwood]

I wouldn't say that the Muse 2+ crushed the smART DI/O, it's different. I found the soundstage to be a bit more open, and the sound to be smoother. The Muse was more suitable for classical and jazz, while the smART had a bit more foward, viseral slam. Great for rock. Take a look at Iron_Dreamer vs. My musical tastes and it's pretty obvious why we picked which DAC.

In the end, the HDCD decoding of the Muse 2+ really gave it a decisive edge. I really do miss it, pretty neat finding out which of your CD's are encoded that you didn't know. When that bottom LED lights up, it's like a newly discovered treasure.

The one thing that I found problematic about the smART DI/O is that it'd output is realy powerful. Maybe it was just Iron_Dreamer's former unit, but it caused a helluva lot of clipping and crackling distortion in my Headroom Little More Power, no matter what the volume was at.

I guess the smART may not be suitable for weaker amps.

-Ed

 

[BANGPOD]

Quote:

Originally posted by Edwood I wouldn't say that the Muse 2+ crushed the smART DI/O, it's different. I found the soundstage to be a bit more open, and the sound to be smoother. The Muse was more suitable for classical and jazz, while the smART had a bit more foward, viseral slam. Great for rock. Take a look at Iron_Dreamer vs. My musical tastes and it's pretty obvious why we picked which DAC. In the end, the HDCD decoding of the Muse 2+ really gave it a decisive edge. I really do miss it, pretty neat finding out which of your CD's are encoded that you didn't know. When that bottom LED lights up, it's like a newly discovered treasure. The one thing that I found problematic about the smART DI/O is that it'd output is realy powerful. Maybe it was just Iron_Dreamer's former unit, but it caused a helluva lot of clipping and crackling distortion in my Headroom Little More Power, no matter what the volume was at. I guess the smART may not be suitable for weaker amps. -Ed

Edwood --

I heard a smART DI/O last weekend and I felt there was no comparison, IMO.
I agree that the Muse 2 was very jazzy, but I don't agree with the DI/O being smooth.

The DI/O had a digital signature that I just couldn't get over.
Maybe my ears were too used to my Muse 2 to accept others?

And when I heard the DI/O in my system, I had none of the slam you mention.
I thought that the DI/O was harsh in the upper frequencies, almost unbearable.

I GOT IT!

I think I was hearing the crackling distortion you speak of!
Maybe that is why I felt it was digital sounding and harsh...
Could it be that it was all because of the amp connected?

BANGPOD

 

[philodox]

strange that I dont get this crackling business with my lowly pimeta

not sure if this is related, but FYI... I've tried 44.1khz, 88.2khz and auto synch and I've ended up settling with 88.2khz as it seems to have a smoother sound... not sure if this is oversampling the recording or what, but it sounds great

 

[Riordan]

Quote:

Originally posted by wallijonn Huh? I find just the opposite - the DT880 has a much better soundstage, it transistions more smoothly and has less of a hard left / hard right soundstage to it. Yes, the bass seems to be a little more aggressive in the DT880, but nothing will beat that K501 comfort.

you're right, and i should have been more precise - the 880 doesn't have less soundstage, but (at least to my ears) it's less WIDE. the 880 provides more depth (soundstage-wise), which makes a nice complement to the wider but (in comparison) shallower image of the akg (still have the k500, not the k501...)

on some music the additional width/room of the akg works better for me, on some i prefer the increased depth/bass/focus of the beyer.

overall i prefer to swim, not to dive

for concentrated listening, and if i want impact and energy - i take the beyers.

for soothing, late-night listening and when i want to lose myself in the music - akg.

 

[BANGPOD]

Quote:

Originally posted by Riordan for soothing, late-night listening and when i want to lose myself in the music - akg.

Riordan --

What types of music do you use/not use your K-501's for?
What do you personally like about the K-501s' signature?
Do you feel the non-impactful bass is a problem to your ears?
Do you feel that this "problem" is corrected with a better amp?

BANGPOD

 

[Alex Altorfer]

Ian,

Quote:

Originally posted by lan I think it may affect more power hungry components like power amplifiers. Headphone amps aren't that power hungry so you might be able to get by. It all depends. Since you are in Brazil, it is expensive just to try it and return if you don't like it?

Well, I could give that a shot. The dealer has no such policy, but he knows me quite well by now. I bought my Rega equipment from him and paid for it, so I might as well ask. I think I'll wait a while before actually buying something like the Ultimate Outlet, as I've just ordered the Oehlbach cable.

Thanks Ian for the suggestion!

Cheers,
Alex

 

[Edwood]

You get your HR-2 yet, BANGPOD?

Yeah, I never remember saying the smART DI/O is smooth. Far from it. Your impressions are pretty much right on with what I was hearing.

What amp did you hear with the DI/O?

Yeah, the smART DI/O has pretty high outputs. Can easily cause clipping in weaker amps.

My Grace had no problems with the extra voltage. In fact, it benefitted from the higher output, giving the Grace some more volume headroom.

-Ed