[Dixter]

  Thanks! So the Schiit's are the best amps for the price overall?

Another option that works very well with these phones is the ifi iDSD Micro...   and it does DSD native or conversion of red book/FLAC to DSD

 

[upsguys88]

Thanks I was also looking at ifi or schiit

 

[Tequilasunriser]

Does an upgrade from Mad Dog to Alpha Dog still include new pads (since the pads stretch too much to be reused)?
 
I recall reading this here a while back but there's just too many posts to sift through now and Dan's website doesn't mention anything about it on the upgrade page.

 

[DaemonSire]

  Does an upgrade from Mad Dog to Alpha Dog still include new pads (since the pads stretch too much to be reused)?
 
I recall reading this here a while back but there's just too many posts to sift through now and Dan's website doesn't mention anything about it on the upgrade page.

I think so...I think I recall Dan even saying to keep your pads when you send them in for an upgrade.
 
That was a while ago so I could be wrong / may have changed.

 

[Ableza]

  Does an upgrade from Mad Dog to Alpha Dog still include new pads (since the pads stretch too much to be reused)?
 
I recall reading this here a while back but there's just too many posts to sift through now and Dan's website doesn't mention anything about it on the upgrade page.

Email is your friend.  info@mrspeakers.com

 

[mrspeakers]

  Does an upgrade from Mad Dog to Alpha Dog still include new pads (since the pads stretch too much to be reused)?
 
I recall reading this here a while back but there's just too many posts to sift through now and Dan's website doesn't mention anything about it on the upgrade page.

Upgrades all get fresh pads.  

 

[tehsprayer]

Hey guys I have decided to sell my Alpha Dogs and I am in Canada so if you're interested in saving some money w/o paying duties/taxes over to Canada this is a great option!

 

[Ableza]

My Alpha Dogs are packed and shipping out today to MrSpeakers for the Prime upgrade.

 

[aamefford]

I'm in the 11/17 group.  will pack them up next week.  I am so excited!

 

[musicman59]

I got a call from the Fedex office. My AP are ready to be picked up! Guess what I am doing tonight.... 

 

[swspiers]

I got a call from the Fedex office. My AP are ready to be picked up! Guess what I am doing tonight.... 

Well...?

 

[musicman59]

Easy boy, I just start playing with them. I believe in burn in with my Vanquish cable so I left them burning over night so these are preliminary impressions.
 
First, I like the new comfort headband in this AP better. The rest of the headphones are first class just like the AD.
 
I  played with them all morning. During the first listening I noticed a wider soundstage than the AD, more detail, a sharper and more defined highs and tighter bass BUT I noticed (to my taste) a hump in the upper midrange and lower highs that was fatiguing me. I removed the ear pads and noticed no dots on the drivers. I placed first 1 dot at the center of each driver and listened again. The improvement was little so I removed the pads again and place a second dot at the front corner (as Dan recommended). They improved a little more but still kind of bright to my taste.
 
I had on hand a tuning kit that I ordered when I had the ADs so I took couple of felt disks (even that is said they are not used for the AP) and place one in each cup. Now the improvement was noticeable but the sound went just a tad too dark in some recordings. After that I decided to remove the pads to realigned the two dots on each driver with the same configuration used on the AD which was the tow dots butting together across the middle of the driver. 
 
That did the trick and magic started happening. The sound now was perfect. Similar signature of the my old ADs but with bigger soundstage, more definition and tighter bass. 

 
More to come later after some more time with them.

 

[neopac]

Some weeks ago i started my search for a new small form-factor high-power ss amp and finaly bought a Violectric V200. I thought i´m gonna post my input from another thread also in here, so people can find it, if the search this one..
 
Verdict: Alpha Dogs low end benefits enormously from this amp - it´s warm signature is unmistakable but i don´t feel like i´m missing much detail .. sporadic harsh moments are gone and the AD is shifted to the mellow side of the road, with all it´s pros and cons... i like it a lot
 

So, with about 50+ hours on the v200, i think it´s about time to give my 2cents on this amp according to all my questions in the OP and etc.
 
Violectric V200
 
- is it really as warm, as the reviews stated?

hell yeah.. this isn´t subtle.. this amp is "warm" like a 1000W hair-dryer right in your face. The m-stage sounds like a bone dry analytical amp in comparison.
 

- is it to warm?
imo, i don´t think so. Besides it´s sound-signature, this is truly a first class amp, but he sure is no "jack of all trades" due to it´s warm signature, it works very well with the ADs and that gives me a "mission accomplished" on that end, but i´m going to keep both, my m-stage and the violectric --> first i thought i can ditch the m-stage, that´s not gonna happen.
 
- doesn´t sound to exciting, are you pleased?
yes .. very pleased indeed.. let me phrase that in 3 points (IMO, compared to the m-stage)
 

1.) it´s noise-background is pitch black.. i mean i can drive iems and all my headphones including the demanding AlphaDogs with one +0dB preGain setting. Noise/Hiss with the m-stage and the ie80 was very audible, with the v200 i can´t hear anything(!).. very universal... i like this fact

 

2.) Soundstage and intrument separation is great ... i´ve got plenty of acoustic highres recordings with potential great instrument separation (for example "88/24" norah jones - seven years https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXiRuSIXbns ) and the violectric is king in this concern. This sure has a lot todo with his full-bodied sound (i´m going to rave about in Number 3), but his 3D presentation/seperation of instruments is so nice, i can pretty much touch them when i close my eyes. was ok with the m-stage, got stellar with the violectric. I´ve also recognized that the soundstage got a fair bit wider, and a little bit deeper (m-stage is a great amp in this department, so this is a big deal for me).

 

3.) King of Body and Bass ... this is the part i like the most. In my first review of the alpha dogs i prefered my UltrasonePro 900 for everything that demanded "a lot of energy going on in the sub-freq-region"... this is completely gone. It´s his strongpoint and maybe weakness at the same time, the bass is deep, great and very punchy. This sure is a factor that points in the heaphone-amp pairing direction, but i can attest that he even works great with the dark/bassy Ultrasone Pro900. This emphasis of the lower freqs, result in a perfect full-bodied sound, combined with his great stage and instrument seperation, it´s a pure joy to listen to some recordings with great crescendo/largando, goose bumps all over.
 
- final words
i would have ditched him without looking back, if he hadn´t met my requirements, he´s just a to pricey piece, to be anything less than "what i was looking for".. .but he´s a keeper, that´s for sure. but i wouldn´t start to argue with someone who dislikes him ... his warm nature is unmistakable and not everyones cup of tea.

 
cheers

 

[OJdaJuiceman]

Can anyone tell me the hex key size for the vari-bass port? I don't happen to have a set lying around, and searching the Mr. Speakers site and this thread hasn't come up with anything so far. Thanks.

 

[UprightMan]

Can someone please let me know if there is much difference in (primarily outside) isolation in the MD/MDP/AD?  I need some cans I can listen to at good (ok, I like my music loud) levels on bus/train etc without bothering others  
 
(I just got some Custom One Pro's and they aren't gonna cut it!)