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Originally Posted by machead /img/forum/go_quote.gif
That's funny! When I bought my Headphiled K340s from Larry, he opined that they would probably just be a step in the path towards a full electrostatic system. You seem to be heading in the other direction!
In my case, Larry was correct in that I have since invested in some Stax. But I still have my K340s and I'm still looking for an amplifier that makes them sing for me. I even tried them out on some of the offerings at the recent Head-Fi NY meet; but I didn't hear anything that drove them as well as my upgraded AudioValve RKV. Lately, I like how they sound out of a Perreaux SXH1 but I really need to crank the volume to get a decent SPL.
Meanwhile, my Lambda Novas continue to disappoint when driven by the SRM-T1S (~SRM-006t?). The upper midrange/lower treble is MIA, while the mid-bass is overbearing. The K340 is way better in both these areas. I have a couple of pairs of different tubes to roll into the SRM; but I suspect I'll be driven to equalization (or sale) as the long-term remedy.
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Wow, that's an interesting description of the Lambda Nova. It's the exact opposite of what I'm hearing - and what disappoints me - from the SR-404/SRM-313 combo. There, the combo has an overbearing upper midrange, a thin midbass, and a rather dry overall character with very short decay. It's not a pretty sound, though it is a fairly accurate one save for the tonal disbalances.
Now, I'm not putting down the SR-404, especially with my praise of the K340. I think the SR-404 is a beast that can be truly amazing when well driven. The McAlister amp has shown glimpses at it's true potential - absolutely amazing PRaT, drive, and dynamics, coupled with electrostatic detail, wonderful lushness and freedom from fatigue, and a very wide soundstage (but with a forward instrument placement). Honestly, if the amp didn't have issues I'd settle down with this combo permanently, K340 or no. But, the amp seems to have been damaged in transit - or maybe there's an outright design flaw - because it clips during dynamic passages and hums during certain positions of the volume pots. The amp is, unfortunately, very flimsily built (on my rather brief inspection of it's insides), so damage through transit is definitely quite possible.
I'd send it to Peter right this instant, but I'm a bit hesistant to annoy him any more than I have already. Believe it or not, Canada post actually
lost the very first amp he designed and built for me, so he sent me a second one. I can only imagine the financial hit that he took when that happened. I'll send the amp in for repair eventually, but I also want to play around with it for a bit first and see if I (or my recording engineer friend to be more precise) figure out what's wrong with it myself.
In any case, the SR-404 can be truly world class when properly driven. It's an electrostatic Grado with soundstage. The upper midrange coloration never goes away, but all of the headphone's other virtues make up for it. I don't want to compare the SR-404 and the K340 at this juncture just yet, but all I can say is that they're both excellent headphones that compete for tops in the sub-$1K bracket, and share many similar virtues.
I can definitely say now, having gotten more experience with different good headphones, that I'm not a Sennheiser person. PRaT, drive, dynamics, speed, resolution, and ability to handle very complex passages without losing detail in each individual layer are qualities that are all very important to me, and while the Senns are great, they're not the best in this regard. I love the HD600 for what it is and what it does - one of the few headphones that gets tone color right - but it will never be my primary listening headphone.
I don't think that I'm moving away from 'stats, but a K340 system may be a bit more practical right now (and cheaper).
