[preproman]

  But the bass doesn't hit like that on a jazz or classical piece. It's linear and true to the recording. 
 
i am getting the feel that there is less bite/attack/slam on jazz/classicals....from your description? 

 
Those genres (Jazz and Classical) don't usually call for "a lot" of bite, attack, and slam.  However, the double bass in a Jazz trio sounds great.

 

[Suopermanni]

Hey zowki,
 
Where did you get the Alpha Dogs from? Is there any Aussie distro that sells them at a decent price?

 

[zowki]

  Hey zowki,
 
Where did you get the Alpha Dogs from? Is there any Aussie distro that sells them at a decent price?

I bought my Alpha Dogs used from another head-fi user on the for sale section.
 
You can only buy the Alpha Dogs direct from MrSpeakers. Waiting time is 6 weeks.
https://www.mrspeakers.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=69

 

[Suopermanni]

>.> Not sure if you know this but AddictedToAudio in Melbourne seems to be taking pre-orders from their Website.

 

[Wyd4]

>.> Not sure if you know this but AddictedToAudio in Melbourne seems to be taking pre-orders from their Website.

Well I'll be damned they are too.
I had no idea.
Oh well.I am doing the upgrade thing anyway.
Still pretty cool

 

[Maxx134]

I didn't end up buying the Violectric V100. I did a brief non-blind AB comparison with my O2/ODAC and struggled to tell any difference.

your "hear no difference" bliss can come to an end in this type hobby..
the O2 is an exceent SS amp but on comparison to a tube or tube hybrid you may finally become a "believer" and hear the sweet difference..

 

[zowki]

your "hear no difference" bliss can come to an end in this type hobby..
the O2 is an exceent SS amp but on comparison to a tube or tube hybrid you may finally become a "believer" and hear the sweet difference..

I already know that tubes have different sound. Tubes are meant to modify sound to your tastes while SS is supposed to be neutral and transparent. I want to use SS because I desire neutrality and transparency. Any sound modifications can be done with EQ and DSPs for free.

 

[Lorspeaker]

I already know that tubes have different sound. Tubes are meant to modify sound to your tastes while SS is supposed to be neutral and transparent. I want to use SS because I desire neutrality and transparency. Any sound modifications can be done with EQ and DSPs for free.

 
so far i have not heard any of the ss amps i owned sounding the same... nuforce/meier/burson/MF/Graham/Lehmann,
they hav their "house sound" of sorts...tough to modulate that away...lessbass/moremids.. hmmmm.
Most claim neutrality/transparency, but fact is some are warmer, some cooler, some clearer, more refined etc etc..
its a whole sea of fishes out there.

 

[micmacmo]

Zowki, great review. I like the comparative approach (especially when I own one of the models ).

I think the choice of the O2 was a good one. It's neutral and can drive almost any headphone, so it can illuminate the inherent baseline strengths and weaknesses on an even-steven basis.

Thanks!

 

[MattTCG]

   
so far i have not heard any of the ss amps i owned sounding the same... nuforce/meier/burson/MF/Graham/Lehmann,
they hav their "house sound" of sorts...tough to modulate that away...lessbass/moremids.. hmmmm.
Most claim neutrality/transparency, but fact is some are warmer, some cooler, some clearer, more refined etc etc..
its a whole sea of fishes out there.

 
I would agree with this. And I'll add that I've never been able to truly achieve a tube sound using EQ. 

 

[ethan7000]

I would agree with this. And I'll add that I've never been able to truly achieve a tube sound using EQ. 

I wouldn't think you could replicate Euphonic distortion with EQ. I've seen tube emulation DSP but don't know how close it sounds to real tubes. Plus who doesn't want pretty glowing lights on their amp

 

[mrspeakers]

Yup, we've added distribution in Australia...

 

[imackler]

Thanks for the review and comparison with the HD600! I listen to a ton of chamber music and I appreciated your reflections.

 

[LoveKnight]

Hi, zowki. Do you still think that MA900 and Alpha Dog really have similar mids after more than one week? I expect the mid should be better than I thought about Alpha Dog, but after reading this additional comparison to MA900 my spirit decreases a bit. I am thinking of selling my HD598 and decide to buy which headphone? The Alpha Dog or the Sony MA900.

 

[zowki]

  Hi, zowki. Do you still think that MA900 and Alpha Dog really have similar mids after more than one week? I expect the mid should be better than I thought about Alpha Dog, but after reading this additional comparison to MA900 my spirit decreases a bit. I am thinking of selling my HD598 and decide to buy which headphone? The Alpha Dog or the Sony MA900.

Yes, I still think so. The MA900 mids are very natural like the Alpha Dog.