[MattTCG]

^^ Welcome...

 

[Lorspeaker]

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d*mmmmm..... was waiting for prepro to abandon his redMADDOG. 

 

[ssrock64]

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I'm curious. Who's keeping their Mad Dog and still getting the Alpha Dog? 

I've got two MDs, so I'm only sending one off for the upgrade.

 

[kstuart]

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I'm curious. Who's keeping their Mad Dog and still getting the Alpha Dog? 

Moi.
 
I want to compare them, in light of my own personal tastes, and my 40+ years of audiophile equipment comparison experience.
 
Also, it's likely that they will each have their own specific uses (in terms of which music they are best for).
 
I expect that is why they are not "Mad Dog Version 4.0" but instead a new model.

 

[mikek200]

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I'm wondering how these are going to sound paired with a Woo... 
 

I was just thinging the same thing,but with my Taboo.
 
Any beta testers tried it with a tube amp??
Anyone,...??

 

[dleblanc343]

I'm all for MrSpeakers making what he thinks is the best decision in coloring.
 
If anything though, maybe he can set up a poll to make a final decision based on a couple colors voted by us. Something like Black, Silver or White. I really don't mind what color it ends up being; I just don't want something too flashy! 

 

[mikek200]

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Yes, payment processes immediately. We will monitor the backlog to make sure we can fulfill orders in a reasonable time, at which point we will switch to a wait list, if that is needed. As we get closer to ship date I will post eta for shipments based on the week ordered.

Dan,
What about the people ,who are doing a upgrades
And,will you be able to use my existing balanced cable..{had it made by Brian at BTG Audio}--would love to keep it-if possible.

 

[mikek200]

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I can verify that the cups felt extremely durable, and resistant to hand-applied crush forces (sorry Dan

).
 
 
This.
 
 
Many impressions - most of which are from listening tests conducted in far more ideal conditions than my audition - have already been posted.  But as a long-time fan of the Mad Dogs, my shortened answer would simply be MUCH BETTER. 

  So much better it's not even funny.
 
 
He can hardly contain himself! 

 
 
Indeed! 

 
 
Doesn't it?  Except that - through a rather accidental discovery - we found out that the pairing above results in an rather significant and pleasing bloom in the mid-range, with the highs opening up so as to clearly not be dark any more.  It pushes the Mad Dogs clear out of any semblance of neutrality, but it was such a wonderful coloration I must say.
 
 
Just to be clear, this is not my impression.  I'm not saying I disagree (or agree).  But people did remark, after having crisscrossed the Headmasters room between the Abyss and the Alpha, that they favored the Alpha.  I'm not going to point out who, and I suspect that they will be posting shortly anyway.
 
Beyond agreeing with what Jude has said in the video, I don't have a lot to add in terms of detailed impressions.  However, I can say that in the limited amount of time that I had with it, I found no faults with it, save for the fact that the pairs I listened to were not under my ownership.  And I have a strong suspicion that I may have found my closed-back unicorn.
 
 
Sure, in fact, here are a few crappy pics of everything I saw/heard there.  There was some trouble with the lighting in the room all morning... and I have a crap camera... but here goes:
 

The unpainted demo unit featured at Headmasters/California Audio Show.
 

The unpainted demo unit featured at Headmasters/California Audio Show (alternate view).
 

Ear cup close-up showing previous "screw-settings" for adjusting bass response.
 

Dan "Mr. Speakers" Clark holding up a partially-printed ear cup.
 

A close-up of the partially-printed ear cup.
 

Another close-up of the partially-printed ear cup.
 

Yet another pic of the partially-printed ear cup, with an updated prototype in the rear.
 

The updated prototype coated with the metallic claret finish.
 

A close up of the updated prototype's ear cup - featuring the "set-screw" bass response adjuster.
 

---

 
Stay tuned everyone, I believe that HiFiGuy528 will be on site to take better photos, and shoot a video (possibly with an interview), in just a few hours from now.  And Bill-P has got MORE than a few gorgeous pics - as well as detailed impressions - going up soon.  Keep and eye out for their posts! 

Excellent Pics
 
Tnx

 

[mrspeakers]

Upgrade info will come at the end of September.

People who have custom cables will get them back with their upgrade, removed as best we can. The cable termination info is posted a few pages back...

 

[Change is Good]

Quote:

I'm all for MrSpeakers making what he thinks is the best decision in coloring.
 
If anything though, maybe he can set up a poll to make a final decision based on a couple colors voted by us. Something like Black, Silver or White. I really don't mind what color it ends up being; I just don't want something too flashy! 

 
Agreed... a vote on color would be sweet. Something similar to what James did with the Fiio E12 DIY.

 

[brunk]

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Agreed... a vote on color would be sweet. Something similar to what James did with the Fiio E12 DIY.

Glossy Black please 

 The current color gives off the impression of a wanna-be TH900 IMO.

 

[mikek200]

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I say "meh" to the bassheads and move on towards reaching out to an audience who appreciates a more true-to-the-sound kind of sound. I'm not a basshead, never was, and I don't understand why manufacturers feel the need to cater to them.

I'm not a basshead either..,but .I do appreciate good quality bass.... maybe it's a good idea,because Dan needs to address a younger audience,and some of those people love their bass
With both my stepsons...their rooms are in constant vibration mode,and loud too.
To each his own.

 

[mikek200]

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I will vouch that I'm the guy with no credibility who will run the AD off a vintage amp with speaker taps!! 

Matt--does this mean ,your selling all  your gear..
Can I get one of those beautiful vintage amps ,you have??

 

[Lorspeaker]

MIKE....i see "ALPHADOGs" in your tagline 
u came out  30pages late, and stormed AHEAD...!!!

=========
 
i kinda like the unfinished offwhitecolor,  gonna take sandpaper n .........

 

[DigitalFreak]

All you guys realize that if the AD had been offered in all black there would probably be a plethora of posts from people complaining black was to gaudy or to boring. Seriously guys, Dan has posted what the color scheme is going to be and why he can't do multiple colors. I also doubt he's going to change his mind because he probably has already invested a sizable amount of bones into getting the AD's manufactured as is and I'm guessing production will soon be started if it hasn't already. He can't just walk out onto the floor and say stop the machines we're adding 2, 5, 10 or 50 new colors because people on head-fi demand it. Let everything sit until we can figure out how to retool production. Judging by all the activity on here I wouldn't be surprised if the orders he's received has been sizable and he's probably got enough problems double checking to make sure he can keep up. I doubt he's going to complicate things even further by trying to figure out how to accommodate a big mass of customer color orders from head-fiers. It comes down to this, do you guys want the AD for 599 or do you guys want the same AD headphone with color choices for 100, 150, or 200 bones more? That's what it comes down too. When you complicate the manufacturing process costs go up and in the end the consumer pays more. Personally, I say I'll take the color being offered and use the money I save towards another audio purchase. Whatever happened to all the head-fiers on these boards who would comment they didn't care what it looked like as long as it sounded fantastic?
 
Just my 2 cents.

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@\MrSpeakers
 
Would you mind commenting on what audio gear you've been listening to the AD on and what would be a good rule of thumb involving how to avoid bad synergy, impedance mismatch etc etc please? I'm curious on your personal impressions concerning what gear you find will really make these headphones shine and considering a lot of the younger crowd makes up your customer base I think a little advice from you involving gear would be warranted and helpful.
 
Thanks
DF