Wmcmanus
President treasurer secretary and sole member of the Cayman Islands Head-Fi Club.
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2002
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I've actually done more listening that I normally do at meets, but perhaps that's because I arrived with the early crew and got a chance to hang out all weekend.
Most impressive and pleasantly surprising was the DIY amp that Frank (don't know his username, sorry, I think he's mostly a lurker at this point) managed to put together just in time for this meet. Here are the pics of the amp again:
Quote:
It uses some tube types that I had never heard of before which really sort of added to the allure of its striking (and distinctively non-DIY) looks, but what really floored me about this amp was the way it made me melt into the listening chair with the K1000's. What a match made in heaven! Vicky seemed equally impressed when she had her go with this rig, hours later, as I overheard her asking Frank (as I had) what it would cost to convince him to make another one for her (which would be the 3rd one he would make, after making the 2nd one for me!).
More than anything, the sound was as analog-like as I've ever heard from a digital source, and this was especially surprising with the K1000's which do tend to have a sort of digital sound in the upper registers. Frank had some interesting explanations as to why this was the case, and it certainly was his goal in designing the amp, but I didn't understand much of the technical mumbo jumbo. What I did understand was the fact that he has achieved a rather interesting and completely relaxing yet highly involving sound, and one that translates well from the K1000 to the HP1000 to the L3000 and so on. Well done, Frank. I seriously think this amp could become a highly successful commercial product if ever you were so inclined.
The rest of the K1000 room sounded quite nice as well. I was reminded of how much I enjoy my Stax 4070 which I thought performed quite well when compared directly to the Omega II (first and second editions in brown and black, respectively) and the HE Audio 1.2, all through the Emm Labs front end and Singlepower ES-1 amp. It was a really enjoyable listening session all around featuring top gear from top to bottom. Speaking of the ES-1, it will be a really great day (whenever that day may arrive) when my ES-1 shows up on my doorstep.
Another Emm Labs stack (Al's front end) and Singlepower SDS-XLR was a big hit downstairs for a wide variety of balanced dynamic headphones, all of which were sounding as good as they ever get (K701/Moon Audio black dragon, Ultrasone Edition 9, and Headphile AKG K340). This is extremely high end gear and no matter what music you throw at it, the results are simply stunning! Speaking of the SDS-XLR it will be a really great day (whenever that day may arrive) when my SDS-XLR shows up on my doorstep. As you can see, one of the great things about my Singlepower orders is that they have given me a chance to practice my cut and paste skills. Really top notch gear when you can get your hands on it.
The other highlight was ironbutt's reel to reel system. Interesting story about his username as well. Apparently it comes from an interview he heard some time ago where Mike Judge (creator of Beavis and Butthead) was describing one of his childhood friends who believed that his posterior was immune to pain and encouraged people to kick him there. In any case, his reel to reel rig really kicked butt. I had never had the privilege of hearing such amazingly clear source material before. It's also quite cool just to watch the tape being fed as I listened. An Eddie Current Zana Duex amp provided the amplification. Sweet sounds, but not at all a cheap setup considering that finding top notch source reel to reel material is not an easy task these days. The tape I was hearing cost $200. That's right, $200 for a single performance. CDs are cheaper, last I checked. But they sure don't sound like this!
Oh, and Vicky's ATH ESW9 portable woody headphones were also quite nice. I listened to them for quite a while last night with an iPod and portable amp of one variety or another (that she handed me). They and the Cowboy Junkies helped me to ease into a mini nap. I'll probably end up with a pair one day. If for no other reason, they just look so cool and would make a great photo with my W1000 and EW9.
There was more. I heard quite a few other things as well, these were just the ones that stuck out in my mind. Boy, do I ever love those Singlepower beastly amps. Reminds me of why I ordered mine.
Most impressive and pleasantly surprising was the DIY amp that Frank (don't know his username, sorry, I think he's mostly a lurker at this point) managed to put together just in time for this meet. Here are the pics of the amp again:
Quote:
Originally Posted by tyrion /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
|
It uses some tube types that I had never heard of before which really sort of added to the allure of its striking (and distinctively non-DIY) looks, but what really floored me about this amp was the way it made me melt into the listening chair with the K1000's. What a match made in heaven! Vicky seemed equally impressed when she had her go with this rig, hours later, as I overheard her asking Frank (as I had) what it would cost to convince him to make another one for her (which would be the 3rd one he would make, after making the 2nd one for me!).
More than anything, the sound was as analog-like as I've ever heard from a digital source, and this was especially surprising with the K1000's which do tend to have a sort of digital sound in the upper registers. Frank had some interesting explanations as to why this was the case, and it certainly was his goal in designing the amp, but I didn't understand much of the technical mumbo jumbo. What I did understand was the fact that he has achieved a rather interesting and completely relaxing yet highly involving sound, and one that translates well from the K1000 to the HP1000 to the L3000 and so on. Well done, Frank. I seriously think this amp could become a highly successful commercial product if ever you were so inclined.
The rest of the K1000 room sounded quite nice as well. I was reminded of how much I enjoy my Stax 4070 which I thought performed quite well when compared directly to the Omega II (first and second editions in brown and black, respectively) and the HE Audio 1.2, all through the Emm Labs front end and Singlepower ES-1 amp. It was a really enjoyable listening session all around featuring top gear from top to bottom. Speaking of the ES-1, it will be a really great day (whenever that day may arrive) when my ES-1 shows up on my doorstep.
Another Emm Labs stack (Al's front end) and Singlepower SDS-XLR was a big hit downstairs for a wide variety of balanced dynamic headphones, all of which were sounding as good as they ever get (K701/Moon Audio black dragon, Ultrasone Edition 9, and Headphile AKG K340). This is extremely high end gear and no matter what music you throw at it, the results are simply stunning! Speaking of the SDS-XLR it will be a really great day (whenever that day may arrive) when my SDS-XLR shows up on my doorstep. As you can see, one of the great things about my Singlepower orders is that they have given me a chance to practice my cut and paste skills. Really top notch gear when you can get your hands on it.
The other highlight was ironbutt's reel to reel system. Interesting story about his username as well. Apparently it comes from an interview he heard some time ago where Mike Judge (creator of Beavis and Butthead) was describing one of his childhood friends who believed that his posterior was immune to pain and encouraged people to kick him there. In any case, his reel to reel rig really kicked butt. I had never had the privilege of hearing such amazingly clear source material before. It's also quite cool just to watch the tape being fed as I listened. An Eddie Current Zana Duex amp provided the amplification. Sweet sounds, but not at all a cheap setup considering that finding top notch source reel to reel material is not an easy task these days. The tape I was hearing cost $200. That's right, $200 for a single performance. CDs are cheaper, last I checked. But they sure don't sound like this!
Oh, and Vicky's ATH ESW9 portable woody headphones were also quite nice. I listened to them for quite a while last night with an iPod and portable amp of one variety or another (that she handed me). They and the Cowboy Junkies helped me to ease into a mini nap. I'll probably end up with a pair one day. If for no other reason, they just look so cool and would make a great photo with my W1000 and EW9.
There was more. I heard quite a few other things as well, these were just the ones that stuck out in my mind. Boy, do I ever love those Singlepower beastly amps. Reminds me of why I ordered mine.
