earthling
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2002
- Posts
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- 13
I finally got around to trying the AD843KN in my meta42. I compared it to the AD8620 on several types of music. My source material for this was a Cal Audio Labs CL-25 playing CDs through a Lexicon DC-2 (w/DAC upgrade), connected to the Meta42.
My reference system is the Cal Audio Labs Cl-25 source playing through a Krell pre for stereo and Lexicon DC-2 for multi-channel, backed up by three Krell amps. The speakers are Von Schweikert VR4Gen II SEs, LCR-30 center,TS-210 surrounds.
My goal has always been to bring the dynamics, speed, and authority of my home system with me to work and on the road when I travel. Or at least to get close.. To that end I have been building several amps as I work my way towards building a Gilmore. I have a CMOY, and two meta42s, one that is complete and one that I am building up as a maxed out meta42 for the cottage.
The current Meta42 was ordered from Tangent as a kit and I have since upgraded to stacked 2001s (2x), bigger input caps, the alps blue pot, etc. The 2- 843s are mounted on a adapter and plugged into stacked sockets on my meta42. I could not clear the cascodes unless I added a second socket to gain more height, in its final configuration I will probably solder the adapter in by using some extra long legs. The powersupply for testing is a bench unit designed for lab use and is set to 16V. The rest of the meta42 is generic in the sense that everyone seems to be using the same high quality dale resistors, wima caps, etc. My cans are sennheiser HD-580s and 600s (home and work).
The bottom line is that the difference was not subtle. The 843 can be described as 'articulate' and 'powerful' without being edgy. The 8620 is a bit more laid back and smooth. The 8620 was a definite improvement over the 8512 which was in turn an improvement over the 2132 where I started.
The wife and daughter were both sick so I had a rare opportunity to listen for 8 hours straight. I started by selecting tracks and listening to them on my home system for calibration, then the same track on the AD8620 and finally the same track on the AD843s.
I listened to a range of tracks from Rock to Jazz and on to some Classical. For anyone that cares this was a mixture of Dire Straits, Janes Addiction, Pink Floyd, Tragically Hip, Bela Fleck, Incubus, Our Lady Peace, Lyle Lovett, Dwight Yokum (yes my taste is that strange), Patrica Barber (cafe blue and modern cool), Diana Krall, Eiji Ouje 'Stravinsky', 'Pictures at an Art Exhibition', David Zinman 'Rodeo', and a bunch of telarc.
I won't go on about the individual differences I heard on particular musical selections but I can describe my impression of the difference between the 8620 and 843 like this.
After listening to my home system the 8620 seems smooth, but somehow still able to convey a sense of speed and instrument separation. The highs are sweet and extended without harshness or edginess. This was not the case with the 2132 which to my ears were a bit rolled off and the 8512 which I found harsh and grainy. The 8620 exhibits good bass control and definition but perhaps without that last bit of authority. The 843 had the same ability to handle the highs without becoming grainy or edgy but the instruments seemed a bit more defined than they had with the 8620. Cymbals in particular seemed to have more decay and the initial strike was better defined. The mid range was smooth without being overly warm, vocals have a 'bit' more presence, especially male vocals for some reason. Bass reproduction however is where the 843 seems to really shine. This is the first time I have actually felt like my HD600s were 'moving air' (without resorting to insane volume levels). The bass produced by the 843s seems to have more authority, more resolution, and better control. Overall where the 8620 was articulate, the 843 was both articulate and powerful. Where the 8620 was smooth the 843 was as smooth but had that extra bit of definition and clarity. In my opinion the words 'imaging', 'soundstage', and 'headphone' don't belong in the same paragraph, headphones just cannot compare with a dedicated speaker system for representing a depth and width of soundstage. Headphones are a different experience. I am building a crossfeed board for my meta but I do not expect miracles, just possibly less headphone fatigue. Having said that, the 843s ability to convey instrument separation and individuality, combined with the extra character conveyed by its greater articulation at least provided hints of the soundstage and that is a very good thing.
Several times during my listening I forgot that I was working on a comparison and simply got lost in the music which is what it is all about. Of course the wife didn't appreciate me rolling into bed at 5:00am.
One footnote. I did some listening to the house audio system which has is all mp3 encoded at 320kb CBR, the most recent 100 or so are recorded with the preset --insane (lame). The 843s are very revealing of the limitations of mp3 encoding. Actually the 8620 is as well but not to the same extent. I wouldn't recommend the 843 to someone who was using primarily mp3, or MD as source material. Its just too revealing. I guess that means that I would also not like the Gilmore either for that purpose.
I look forward to building the Gilmore and hopefully that will be my last effort towards finding the right dedicated home amp so I can move onto other DIY projects (subwoofer, speakers, jukebox).
My reference system is the Cal Audio Labs Cl-25 source playing through a Krell pre for stereo and Lexicon DC-2 for multi-channel, backed up by three Krell amps. The speakers are Von Schweikert VR4Gen II SEs, LCR-30 center,TS-210 surrounds.
My goal has always been to bring the dynamics, speed, and authority of my home system with me to work and on the road when I travel. Or at least to get close.. To that end I have been building several amps as I work my way towards building a Gilmore. I have a CMOY, and two meta42s, one that is complete and one that I am building up as a maxed out meta42 for the cottage.
The current Meta42 was ordered from Tangent as a kit and I have since upgraded to stacked 2001s (2x), bigger input caps, the alps blue pot, etc. The 2- 843s are mounted on a adapter and plugged into stacked sockets on my meta42. I could not clear the cascodes unless I added a second socket to gain more height, in its final configuration I will probably solder the adapter in by using some extra long legs. The powersupply for testing is a bench unit designed for lab use and is set to 16V. The rest of the meta42 is generic in the sense that everyone seems to be using the same high quality dale resistors, wima caps, etc. My cans are sennheiser HD-580s and 600s (home and work).
The bottom line is that the difference was not subtle. The 843 can be described as 'articulate' and 'powerful' without being edgy. The 8620 is a bit more laid back and smooth. The 8620 was a definite improvement over the 8512 which was in turn an improvement over the 2132 where I started.
The wife and daughter were both sick so I had a rare opportunity to listen for 8 hours straight. I started by selecting tracks and listening to them on my home system for calibration, then the same track on the AD8620 and finally the same track on the AD843s.
I listened to a range of tracks from Rock to Jazz and on to some Classical. For anyone that cares this was a mixture of Dire Straits, Janes Addiction, Pink Floyd, Tragically Hip, Bela Fleck, Incubus, Our Lady Peace, Lyle Lovett, Dwight Yokum (yes my taste is that strange), Patrica Barber (cafe blue and modern cool), Diana Krall, Eiji Ouje 'Stravinsky', 'Pictures at an Art Exhibition', David Zinman 'Rodeo', and a bunch of telarc.
I won't go on about the individual differences I heard on particular musical selections but I can describe my impression of the difference between the 8620 and 843 like this.
After listening to my home system the 8620 seems smooth, but somehow still able to convey a sense of speed and instrument separation. The highs are sweet and extended without harshness or edginess. This was not the case with the 2132 which to my ears were a bit rolled off and the 8512 which I found harsh and grainy. The 8620 exhibits good bass control and definition but perhaps without that last bit of authority. The 843 had the same ability to handle the highs without becoming grainy or edgy but the instruments seemed a bit more defined than they had with the 8620. Cymbals in particular seemed to have more decay and the initial strike was better defined. The mid range was smooth without being overly warm, vocals have a 'bit' more presence, especially male vocals for some reason. Bass reproduction however is where the 843 seems to really shine. This is the first time I have actually felt like my HD600s were 'moving air' (without resorting to insane volume levels). The bass produced by the 843s seems to have more authority, more resolution, and better control. Overall where the 8620 was articulate, the 843 was both articulate and powerful. Where the 8620 was smooth the 843 was as smooth but had that extra bit of definition and clarity. In my opinion the words 'imaging', 'soundstage', and 'headphone' don't belong in the same paragraph, headphones just cannot compare with a dedicated speaker system for representing a depth and width of soundstage. Headphones are a different experience. I am building a crossfeed board for my meta but I do not expect miracles, just possibly less headphone fatigue. Having said that, the 843s ability to convey instrument separation and individuality, combined with the extra character conveyed by its greater articulation at least provided hints of the soundstage and that is a very good thing.
Several times during my listening I forgot that I was working on a comparison and simply got lost in the music which is what it is all about. Of course the wife didn't appreciate me rolling into bed at 5:00am.
One footnote. I did some listening to the house audio system which has is all mp3 encoded at 320kb CBR, the most recent 100 or so are recorded with the preset --insane (lame). The 843s are very revealing of the limitations of mp3 encoding. Actually the 8620 is as well but not to the same extent. I wouldn't recommend the 843 to someone who was using primarily mp3, or MD as source material. Its just too revealing. I guess that means that I would also not like the Gilmore either for that purpose.
I look forward to building the Gilmore and hopefully that will be my last effort towards finding the right dedicated home amp so I can move onto other DIY projects (subwoofer, speakers, jukebox).
