pooMonger
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2004
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So about 2 months ago, I traded my q-Jays for HeadphoneAddict's Travagan White. He gave me a great deal, and I promised to write a review on it, so here it is!
First off, this is my first amp of any kind. My first setup was strictly a pair of Beyerdynamic DT770-80ohm Pro's hooked up to my Creative Audigy 2 ZS. I was extremely content with this for a long while, got more into IEM's (due to nappy headphone hair
), and only recently purchased the Denon D2000s. The D2000's out of the Audigy 2 sounded great! Mids were nice and forward. Bass was booming! I was thrilled. One minor thing that left me unsatisfied was that music seemed rather "slow." However, when I hooked up the D2000 to the Travagan White, this "slowness" diminished. Also, the booming bass that I mentioned before became tight and controlled. The difference was clear. As my first amp, I realized that the amp completely changed the sound signature (Audigy -> USB/DAC). At first, I was pleased with the results due to the better controlled bass and treble. Songs that were unpleasant to the ears due to harsh sibilance could now be listened to, thanks to the White.
However, not all was dandy. The mids with the White made me a sad panda
All vocals sounded slightly veiled and recessed. Totally unlike the experience I had straight out of my soundcard. So I figured, these puppies are definitely capable of forward mids. So I did what any other headphone enthusiast would do! Recable. And so I sent off my D2000s to Alex at APS. The overall process took a little longer than expected: ~5 weeks.
With the recable done, I still feel that the mids are a little veiled. Everything else rocks. Bass is so nice, and I’ve had DT770’s before, and while the strength and impact are completely different, I’d have to say I prefer this nice tightly controlled bass. But these things have less than 50 hours on them, so I’m not too jaded. I sorta dig the fact that my listening experience will improve as I clock more time with them. I’m more of a finishing product sorta guy, if that makes sense at all. Once I hit the ~300 hour mark with these, I'll definitely come back to update my impressions.
Sidenote: When I was without the D2000s for the recable, I hooked up my Sleek SA6 to the Travagan White, and wow, I was blown away. There was a noticeable increase in the bass impact, without getting in the way of the mids or highs. It thoroughly made me consider a small portable amp like the iBasso Boa for them. But, I'm a patient guy, so I'll wait for the Westone 3's to come out before I buy a portable amp.
Extra Sidenote: Thanks again to Larry (HeadphoneAddict)!
First off, this is my first amp of any kind. My first setup was strictly a pair of Beyerdynamic DT770-80ohm Pro's hooked up to my Creative Audigy 2 ZS. I was extremely content with this for a long while, got more into IEM's (due to nappy headphone hair
However, not all was dandy. The mids with the White made me a sad panda
With the recable done, I still feel that the mids are a little veiled. Everything else rocks. Bass is so nice, and I’ve had DT770’s before, and while the strength and impact are completely different, I’d have to say I prefer this nice tightly controlled bass. But these things have less than 50 hours on them, so I’m not too jaded. I sorta dig the fact that my listening experience will improve as I clock more time with them. I’m more of a finishing product sorta guy, if that makes sense at all. Once I hit the ~300 hour mark with these, I'll definitely come back to update my impressions.
Sidenote: When I was without the D2000s for the recable, I hooked up my Sleek SA6 to the Travagan White, and wow, I was blown away. There was a noticeable increase in the bass impact, without getting in the way of the mids or highs. It thoroughly made me consider a small portable amp like the iBasso Boa for them. But, I'm a patient guy, so I'll wait for the Westone 3's to come out before I buy a portable amp.
Extra Sidenote: Thanks again to Larry (HeadphoneAddict)!