[atsq17]

I don't know much about headphone amps , will I need to buy one and if so which portable amp /dac is good match with alpha prime

 
My partner uses it with the following:
 
Audio GD NFB 1.32 DAC, Schiit Mjolnir amp (connected via balanced 3 pin XLR interconnect - get a decent cable)
 
Obviously connected via 4 pin XLR balanced (Mjolnir only has balanced output). 
 
She says that it is amazing. She prefers her setup to my LCD-X. I know why she likes hers but I prefer the LCD-X personally. Clarity is very strong with Alpha Prime though. 

 

[Maelob]

Please forgive what may be a dumb/obvious question...

My first truly "hi fi" headphone was/is the Alpha Dog which I acquired a couple months before the Prime was announced. I'm enjoying the AD but would definitely be upgrading if it were an option. And I would be willing to pay considerably more for the upgrade than the difference between the retail price for the AD and the Prime. I suppose the issue here is that you cannot buy the drivers from Fostex on their own and that you have to acquire the full headphone?  Otherwise, I'm sure most AD owners would have no issue paying an extra $50 above and beyond the $400 difference in the retail price between the AD and the AP for an upgrade as the driver would cost far less than $50. Heck, the TRP retails in the range of $125 US anyway so an additional "donor" headphone would be $100 wholesale? I'd pay $500 for the upgrade.

Having said all this, part of the reason I chose the AD was because I had read about Mr. Speakers' great upgrading policy and just assumed that I'd be able to upgrade like others have in the past. Ultimately I can still sell my used AD's so all is not lost.  

you could sell your alphas really easy and then pay the dufference for the primes.
i think the issue was tha a lot of the drivers were failing during the upgrade progress.
i am happy with my alpha dogs but someday i will get the primes-

 

[Alphanewb]

you could sell your alphas really easy and then pay the dufference for the primes.
i think the issue was tha a lot of the drivers were failing during the upgrade progress.
i am happy with my alpha dogs but someday i will get the primes-

I agree. But I don't think I phrased my original question all that well.
 
I understand the upgrade process would involve sending your AD's to Mr. Speakers and that the failure rate of modifying an AD's driver is too high. I understand that a $420 upgrade fee (as offered early on, on a test basis) does not then represent a good business case for Mr. Speakers. And that is completely understandable in my opinion. The products provide GREAT value to begin with and I have a great deal of respect for the company and its owner, Dan's presence here is indicative of someone who is passionate about the hobby and his product, not to mention a strong commitment to customer service.
 
However, I've heard the driver probably only costs $15 to $30 which sounds reasonable to this newbie given that a complete T50RP sells for about $125 retail. My point was that I would absolutely be willing to pay $450 or so for the upgrade assuming that Mr. Speakers would need my donor AD PLUS a new T50RP driver to perform the upgrade. If Mr. Speakers is unable to source a brand new donor driver (on its own) from Fostex for about $25 to negate the upgrade risk then I don't see why the company couldn't just source a brand new T50RP at a wholesale price and offer the upgrade for about $500 or so. 

 

[Schopenhauer]

you could sell your alphas really easy and then pay the dufference for the primes.

i think the issue was tha a lot of the drivers were failing during the upgrade progress.

i am happy with my alpha dogs but someday i will get the primes-

I agree. But I don't think I phrased my original question all that well.

I understand the upgrade process would involve sending your AD's to Mr. Speakers and that the failure rate of modifying an AD's driver is too high. I understand that a $420 upgrade fee (as offered early on, on a test basis) does not then represent a good business case for Mr. Speakers. And that is completely understandable in my opinion. The products provide GREAT value to begin with and I have a great deal of respect for the company and its owner, Dan's presence here is indicative of someone who is passionate about the hobby and his product, not to mention a strong commitment to customer service.

However, I've heard the driver probably only costs $15 to $30 which sounds reasonable to this newbie given that a complete T50RP sells for about $125 retail. My point was that I would absolutely be willing to pay $450 or so for the upgrade assuming that Mr. Speakers would need my donor AD PLUS a new T50RP driver to perform the upgrade. If Mr. Speakers is unable to source a brand new donor driver (on its own) from Fostex for about $25 to negate the upgrade risk then I don't see why the company couldn't just source a brand new T50RP at a wholesale price and offer the upgrade for about $500 or so. 

For one thing, the failure rate is supposed to be 75%.

 

[iamxLn]

I'm not sure they need any

I've recently taken delivery of Project Ember and I can say that the Ember & Alpha Primes are a perfect match, the combo sounds fantastic. Light years ahead of my pairing with NFB-15.

Can you do a mini review of the ember? What tube are you using?

 

[DPogster]

Hey all, new to headfi but I just wanted to let everyone know of MrSpeakers excellent customer service. I had run into an issue with my primes a couple of weeks back and contacted MrSpeakers about repair services via email. MrSpeakers told me to go ahead and send my unit in for service which I did and the issue was diagnosed, resolved, and my unit returned to me within a weeks time period. MrSpeakers not only makes amazing products but stand behind them with excellent customer service and repairs. Loving my primes atm. Thanks MrSpeakers.

 

[SuperU]

Hey all, new to headfi but I just wanted to let everyone know of MrSpeakers excellent customer service. I had run into an issue with my primes a couple of weeks back and contacted MrSpeakers about repair services via email. MrSpeakers told me to go ahead and send my unit in for service which I did and the issue was diagnosed, resolved, and my unit returned to me within a weeks time period. MrSpeakers not only makes amazing products but stand behind them with excellent customer service and repairs. Loving my primes atm. Thanks MrSpeakers.

 They are fantastic to deal with. Glad to hear that you had a good result as well. In fact, I don't think I've ever heard of anything less than a really good result from them.

 

[SuperU]

 
I'm not sure they need any
 
I've recently taken delivery of Project Ember and I can say that the Ember & Alpha Primes are a perfect match, the combo sounds fantastic. Light years ahead of my pairing with NFB-15.

I would love to hear more of your thoughts regarding the pairing. 
 
Is there any noise you hear when using the Ember?
 
Does it have enough power to drive them well.
 
I was thinking that a tube amp might not pair well so am very interested in any additional thoughts you may have.

 

[rollinbr]

 

you could sell your alphas really easy and then pay the dufference for the primes.

i think the issue was tha a lot of the drivers were failing during the upgrade progress.

i am happy with my alpha dogs but someday i will get the primes-

I agree. But I don't think I phrased my original question all that well.

I understand the upgrade process would involve sending your AD's to Mr. Speakers and that the failure rate of modifying an AD's driver is too high. I understand that a $420 upgrade fee (as offered early on, on a test basis) does not then represent a good business case for Mr. Speakers. And that is completely understandable in my opinion. The products provide GREAT value to begin with and I have a great deal of respect for the company and its owner, Dan's presence here is indicative of someone who is passionate about the hobby and his product, not to mention a strong commitment to customer service.

However, I've heard the driver probably only costs $15 to $30 which sounds reasonable to this newbie given that a complete T50RP sells for about $125 retail. My point was that I would absolutely be willing to pay $450 or so for the upgrade assuming that Mr. Speakers would need my donor AD PLUS a new T50RP driver to perform the upgrade. If Mr. Speakers is unable to source a brand new donor driver (on its own) from Fostex for about $25 to negate the upgrade risk then I don't see why the company couldn't just source a brand new T50RP at a wholesale price and offer the upgrade for about $500 or so. 

For one thing, the failure rate is supposed to be 75%

The failure rate was when going from an Alpha Dog to a Alpha Prime. So whatever modification was done to the Alpha Dog was undone and then the Alpha Prime modification was attempted and 75% of the planars failed. When upgrading a new/fresh T50RP to a Alpha Prime the failure rate is much lower. (That is my understanding of where the 75% failure rate occurred. Not on new/fresh T50RP HP's.) I did have my Alpha Dog's upgraded to the Alpha Prime during the beta testing and I"m very happy with the results. 

 

 

[Alphanewb]

  The failure rate was when going from an Alpha Dog to a Alpha Prime. So whatever modification was done to the Alpha Dog was undone and then the Alpha Prime modification was attempted and 75% of the planars failed. When upgrading a new/fresh T50RP to a Alpha Prime the failure rate is much lower. (That is my understanding of where the 75% failure rate occurred. Not on new/fresh T50RP HP's.) I did have my Alpha Dog's upgraded to the Alpha Prime during the beta testing and I"m very happy with the results. 

 

 
That is exactly what I was thinking.
 
Worst case, you would think that a donor Alpha Dog + a new TR50RP at wholesale (lets assume $100) + $999 (AP price) - $599 (AD price) = a suitable upgrade cost for an AD to AP upgrade. Unless of course the failure rate applies to another part of the Alpha Dog too??? 

 

[steelcitysi]

   They are fantastic to deal with. Glad to hear that you had a good result as well. In fact, I don't think I've ever heard of anything less than a really good result from them.

I second this opinion. I had a shipping mixup (wrong color) and the replacement was out immediately. On top of that, it was a cross-border replacement that was absolutely painless. These guys are gonna take care of you.

 

[SuperU]

  I second this opinion. I had a shipping mixup (wrong color) and the replacement was out immediately. On top of that, it was a cross-border replacement that was absolutely painless. These guys are gonna take care of you.

I too had a great experience with them shipping fast and Dan helped me make up my mind with several phone calls. He went beyond what he would have had to do, that's for sure.
 
My only regret is not having bought the Alpha Prime. My Alpha Dog Pro is really good, but I should have purchased the Alpha Prime. Oh well, live and learn. 

 

[reddog]

MrSpeakers is going to make a open backed headphones . I am totally happy about this lol. It's called the ETHER. I might have two sell another pirate weapon and sell some gear.

 

[Schopenhauer]

MrSpeakers is going to make a open backed headphones

. I am totally happy about this lol. It's called the ETHER. I might have two sell another pirate weapon and sell some gear.

Is this confirmed?

 

[sonitus mirus]

Is this confirmed?

Unless April Fool's Day is a little early.

https://mrspeakers.com/ether/