Comfy
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2005
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Ok, so Patu came to my place with slightly less than 20kg in gear. (No, not that kind of gear...)
He brought his hefty Storm Digital D02 DAC and his RudiStor RP5.1 amp, along with a flight case full of wooden glory, the Audio-Technica W5000.
My contribution was the following: Zhaolu 1.3 DAC (fully modded), Single Power MPX3 with SLAM adapters and AKG K1000 and Grado RS-2 headphones.
So we had the perfect opportunity to compare some fine apples to some fine oranges:
1. Zhaolu Vs. Storm Digital
2. RudiStor Vs. Single Power
3. W5k Vs. K1k (Vs. RS-2)
The results? In a nutshell: a few eargasms but no transcendental comparative findings.
1. The two DACs were surprisingly similar. In my opinion, the Zhaolu had an ever so slight lead regarding separation and dynamics, and the Storm Digital was slightly more analog-sounding and smooth. Actually these findings are quite logical, as the Zhaolu is an oversampling DAC and the Storm Digital is a non-oversampling one. What was really surprising was that the differences were so small. We were able to tell the difference after a while of blind A/B:ing, but it was not easy.
2. A hybrid amp versus a tube amp. Again, the differences seemed to be subtle. Well, actually the differences were subtle when comparing the MPX3 fitted with three 6SN7s to the RP5.1, but when we SLAM-adapted the Single Power, the differences were more obvious. The RudiStor is a steady performer. Very neutral, very smooth, a fine sounding amp. The MPX3 stock was pretty much the same as the RP5.1. In our meet conditions we were unable to tell any significant differences between these two. But the MPX3-SLAM is a different story. The dynamics increase and the SLAM appears, and that smooth, refined experience is replaced by something more brute and visceral.
3. The most apples and oranges of them all: W5000 Vs. K1000. I just love both of these and would love to own them both. The W5000 are smooth and beautiful, the most comfortable pair of cans I've ever worn. And the sound, ahh... What a voluptuos, sweet, elegant, fun and musical experience that was. Very fine indeed. The K1000s are the diametral opposite regarding looks and comfort. You look like Mickey Mouse on acid wearing these things, and while they are quite comfortable when finally positioned correctly, there is no forgetting you've got two cheese graters protruding 10 cm:s from the sides of your head. The K1000s are fast and detailed like not many other dynamic cans. The soundstage is more speaker-like than headphone-like. Actually I don't think it really helps anyone if we directly compare these two cans. They're just two completely different animals. IMHO, the W5000 is one of the finest experiences ever regarding dynamic headphones, clearly more so than my experiences with the HD-650, the K-701s or the SA-5000s. I wouldn't want to compare them to my Grados, because I love my Grados and don't want anything bad to happen to them....
But the sheer fun of the W5000s is pretty much Grado-like, and this together with the best comfort ever, makes these cans a brilliant product. The K1000s are dynamic earspeakers, and I'm not going to say anything that hasn't been said already about these. I love how the K1000's headstage grabs you, and almost forces you into some ferocius headbanging and airdrumming (listening to some metal, that is...). Maybe Patu wants to comment further on these.
Conclusions: Get yourself a decent DAC (asian budget DACs rule!), a really good amp with some tubes in it, and lots and lots of wonderful headphones to play with, and you'll reach nirvana. Or at least a few dozen eargasms.
Regarding the sampled gear, I would be happy with any combination of the above, but I would really, really, really like to own both the K1000 and the W5000. (Sponsors? Anyone?)
(The expressed above are my impressions. Let's see if Patu chimes in with his...)
He brought his hefty Storm Digital D02 DAC and his RudiStor RP5.1 amp, along with a flight case full of wooden glory, the Audio-Technica W5000.
My contribution was the following: Zhaolu 1.3 DAC (fully modded), Single Power MPX3 with SLAM adapters and AKG K1000 and Grado RS-2 headphones.
So we had the perfect opportunity to compare some fine apples to some fine oranges:
1. Zhaolu Vs. Storm Digital
2. RudiStor Vs. Single Power
3. W5k Vs. K1k (Vs. RS-2)
The results? In a nutshell: a few eargasms but no transcendental comparative findings.
1. The two DACs were surprisingly similar. In my opinion, the Zhaolu had an ever so slight lead regarding separation and dynamics, and the Storm Digital was slightly more analog-sounding and smooth. Actually these findings are quite logical, as the Zhaolu is an oversampling DAC and the Storm Digital is a non-oversampling one. What was really surprising was that the differences were so small. We were able to tell the difference after a while of blind A/B:ing, but it was not easy.
2. A hybrid amp versus a tube amp. Again, the differences seemed to be subtle. Well, actually the differences were subtle when comparing the MPX3 fitted with three 6SN7s to the RP5.1, but when we SLAM-adapted the Single Power, the differences were more obvious. The RudiStor is a steady performer. Very neutral, very smooth, a fine sounding amp. The MPX3 stock was pretty much the same as the RP5.1. In our meet conditions we were unable to tell any significant differences between these two. But the MPX3-SLAM is a different story. The dynamics increase and the SLAM appears, and that smooth, refined experience is replaced by something more brute and visceral.
3. The most apples and oranges of them all: W5000 Vs. K1000. I just love both of these and would love to own them both. The W5000 are smooth and beautiful, the most comfortable pair of cans I've ever worn. And the sound, ahh... What a voluptuos, sweet, elegant, fun and musical experience that was. Very fine indeed. The K1000s are the diametral opposite regarding looks and comfort. You look like Mickey Mouse on acid wearing these things, and while they are quite comfortable when finally positioned correctly, there is no forgetting you've got two cheese graters protruding 10 cm:s from the sides of your head. The K1000s are fast and detailed like not many other dynamic cans. The soundstage is more speaker-like than headphone-like. Actually I don't think it really helps anyone if we directly compare these two cans. They're just two completely different animals. IMHO, the W5000 is one of the finest experiences ever regarding dynamic headphones, clearly more so than my experiences with the HD-650, the K-701s or the SA-5000s. I wouldn't want to compare them to my Grados, because I love my Grados and don't want anything bad to happen to them....
Conclusions: Get yourself a decent DAC (asian budget DACs rule!), a really good amp with some tubes in it, and lots and lots of wonderful headphones to play with, and you'll reach nirvana. Or at least a few dozen eargasms.
Regarding the sampled gear, I would be happy with any combination of the above, but I would really, really, really like to own both the K1000 and the W5000. (Sponsors? Anyone?)
(The expressed above are my impressions. Let's see if Patu chimes in with his...)
