DeeJayBump
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2002
- Posts
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My Tangent-built META42
THE SPECS:
Vishay-Dale RN55D 1% resistors matched to 0.1%
Panasonic ECQP 2% polypropylene capacitors matched to 1%
Teflon-insulated silver-plated copper wire, 22ga
OPA637AP op-amp
4x EL2001 buffers on the outputs
ELNA Cerafine 470uF/25V power caps (main reservoir)
Wima 6.8uF/50V power caps (fast reservoir)
3-way modified Linkwitz crossfeed circuit
ALPS Blue Velvet 50K potentiometer
Blue LED
Cardas CTFA RCA input jacks
1/8" Switchcraft input jack
Neutrik NJ3FP6C-AG 1/4" output jack
Kilo ML 0.75" knob
Rocker switch for power
12xAA batteries
DC power jack
all in a Hammond 1455 case
THE SOUND
First, let me lay the foundation. All of my sonic impressions are in comparison
to the headphone outs of a Sony D-345, Sony D-555, Sony D-25S, and some mid-fi
Yamaha CD players and Yamaha receivers. Primary listening was done with the
D-25S, D-555, the Meta42 and Grado Sr-225s. The cable between the portables and the META is the Markertek Mini to Mini. All of these impressions are with the amp powered with Duracells.
How does it sound?
I am hearing details in music that I had never heard before on albums I
thought I knew. Sounds cliche, I know, but it's true.
All of my listening was done with CD. No vinyl, no SACD, and no DVD-A. Except
for a few Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs releases (Muddy Waters-Folk Singer, Pink
Floyd-Dark Side Of The Moon, and Santana-Abraxas) all of the CDs I listened to
were 16-bit offerings.
Let me start with what I like about the META42. EVERYTHING. Piano sounds
realistic and amazing. Trumpets, horns and brass all sound as they should.
Well-recorded drums are all distinct and individual and completely satisfying.
My well-recorded discs sound better than ever. My poorly recorded discs sound as
bad as ever. In recordings that contain multiple voices, each voice has its own
space and is clearly discernible from the others while still remaining part of the
musically satisfying sonic whole. In my recordings that have a soundstage, they
are downright reach out and touch them with this META.
Well-recorded drum-sets are absolutely amazing on this amp. Each separate drum
in the kit convey their drum head/skin, volume and tone with an ease that I had
not experienced prior to this in headphone listening. Just When I think the META
excels only with drums and percussion, I put on a different album and find the
META handles everything I throw at it with equal power, grace, subtlety or
finesse. Upright bass, guitars both acoustic and electric, percussion, piano,
horns of all types, vocals--all of these sound wonderful with this amp. I have
discs that I had heard the movement of fingers on strings when guitarists
are playing, but with the META, these same passages made the hair on my neck
stand up. And I cannot count the number of times I've been listening with the
lights out, and heard something deep in the mix that was previously obscured--
sometimes startling me, and causing me to make sure no one or nothing else was
in the room other than the pets.
I've played parts of approximately a hundred discs on the amp so far, and with
each album, I find myself enjoying this amp more and more. If this particular
META can provide this level of musical and spiritual enjoyment, I and my wallet
shudder to think of what the Gilmore Dynamic, the Berning MicroZOTL, the EAR HP4
or the other upper-tier amps provide.
Well, there you have it. My amp as configured and finessed by Tangent is a work
of art both in sonics and appearance.
Thanks Tangent for building me this amp, and for everyone (Morsel, Eric343, PPL,
Antness, Apheared) who contributed to the design and outcome of the META
42. Forgive me if I've forgotten someone.
Follow this link to view pics of this stunning amp.
http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrow...lected=1029611
Edited to include the cable (Markertek Mini to Mini) that I use to connect the Meta to my portables. Can't believe I forgot that.
Looking back over this post, I realize that I mainly gushed over the sound of my new Meta, but I didn't give any comparisons. Let me correct that.
Prior to the Meta, I was listening to my Grados through the D-25S and D-555 headphone outs. While both of these were satisfying, the Meta improved on them both in many ways. Compared to the Meta, both the D-25S and D-555 seem congested and almost as if something is there is a limit placed on the music. I'm not sure how to explain that, but with the D-25S and D-555, you get to see the outline of the sonic whole, while the Meta fleshes that outline out, adds body, depth, dynamics, and dare I say SOUL to the sonic picture. If what the D-25S and D-555 offers is a 2-D image, what the Meta offers is a fully dimensional, living, breathing sonic entity coursing through your headphones.
THE BASS, yes I capitalized that for a reason. For me, and for many of you as well, the proper foundation is what allows the rest of the sonic whole to flow forth with such ease and provides us with the level of enjoyment we seek. The Meta provides speed, depth, texture, dynamics, and fully developed bass. Moving up the spectrum brings us to the midrange. To me, this is the real star of the show. Once you get over how clean, deep, and infectious the bass is, you realize that the Meta (as configured) is breathing life into the all-important midrange. Two albums I listened to in particular showcased the Meta's midrange. They are Duke Ellington's Black Brown & Beige, and John Coltrane's Giant Steps. On the Duke album, the brass and horns are blatty, and reedy, as each instrument sounds, but the voices are "in the room" with you. With the Giant Steps, I can finally see why many describe his music as "sheets of sound". Both of these albums, as well as almost every album I have listened to with my new Meta has provided me with audio bliss that I've simply never heard prior to this.
I hope that those of you thinking about making or having someone make you a Meta go out and DO IT. You won't regret it. Your music will reveal hidden joys and details, and your ears, heart, and spirit will thank you for doing so.
THE SPECS:
Vishay-Dale RN55D 1% resistors matched to 0.1%
Panasonic ECQP 2% polypropylene capacitors matched to 1%
Teflon-insulated silver-plated copper wire, 22ga
OPA637AP op-amp
4x EL2001 buffers on the outputs
ELNA Cerafine 470uF/25V power caps (main reservoir)
Wima 6.8uF/50V power caps (fast reservoir)
3-way modified Linkwitz crossfeed circuit
ALPS Blue Velvet 50K potentiometer
Blue LED
Cardas CTFA RCA input jacks
1/8" Switchcraft input jack
Neutrik NJ3FP6C-AG 1/4" output jack
Kilo ML 0.75" knob
Rocker switch for power
12xAA batteries
DC power jack
all in a Hammond 1455 case
THE SOUND
First, let me lay the foundation. All of my sonic impressions are in comparison
to the headphone outs of a Sony D-345, Sony D-555, Sony D-25S, and some mid-fi
Yamaha CD players and Yamaha receivers. Primary listening was done with the
D-25S, D-555, the Meta42 and Grado Sr-225s. The cable between the portables and the META is the Markertek Mini to Mini. All of these impressions are with the amp powered with Duracells.
How does it sound?
I am hearing details in music that I had never heard before on albums I
thought I knew. Sounds cliche, I know, but it's true.
All of my listening was done with CD. No vinyl, no SACD, and no DVD-A. Except
for a few Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs releases (Muddy Waters-Folk Singer, Pink
Floyd-Dark Side Of The Moon, and Santana-Abraxas) all of the CDs I listened to
were 16-bit offerings.
Let me start with what I like about the META42. EVERYTHING. Piano sounds
realistic and amazing. Trumpets, horns and brass all sound as they should.
Well-recorded drums are all distinct and individual and completely satisfying.
My well-recorded discs sound better than ever. My poorly recorded discs sound as
bad as ever. In recordings that contain multiple voices, each voice has its own
space and is clearly discernible from the others while still remaining part of the
musically satisfying sonic whole. In my recordings that have a soundstage, they
are downright reach out and touch them with this META.
Well-recorded drum-sets are absolutely amazing on this amp. Each separate drum
in the kit convey their drum head/skin, volume and tone with an ease that I had
not experienced prior to this in headphone listening. Just When I think the META
excels only with drums and percussion, I put on a different album and find the
META handles everything I throw at it with equal power, grace, subtlety or
finesse. Upright bass, guitars both acoustic and electric, percussion, piano,
horns of all types, vocals--all of these sound wonderful with this amp. I have
discs that I had heard the movement of fingers on strings when guitarists
are playing, but with the META, these same passages made the hair on my neck
stand up. And I cannot count the number of times I've been listening with the
lights out, and heard something deep in the mix that was previously obscured--
sometimes startling me, and causing me to make sure no one or nothing else was
in the room other than the pets.
I've played parts of approximately a hundred discs on the amp so far, and with
each album, I find myself enjoying this amp more and more. If this particular
META can provide this level of musical and spiritual enjoyment, I and my wallet
shudder to think of what the Gilmore Dynamic, the Berning MicroZOTL, the EAR HP4
or the other upper-tier amps provide.
Well, there you have it. My amp as configured and finessed by Tangent is a work
of art both in sonics and appearance.
Thanks Tangent for building me this amp, and for everyone (Morsel, Eric343, PPL,
Antness, Apheared) who contributed to the design and outcome of the META
42. Forgive me if I've forgotten someone.
Follow this link to view pics of this stunning amp.
http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrow...lected=1029611
Edited to include the cable (Markertek Mini to Mini) that I use to connect the Meta to my portables. Can't believe I forgot that.
Looking back over this post, I realize that I mainly gushed over the sound of my new Meta, but I didn't give any comparisons. Let me correct that.
Prior to the Meta, I was listening to my Grados through the D-25S and D-555 headphone outs. While both of these were satisfying, the Meta improved on them both in many ways. Compared to the Meta, both the D-25S and D-555 seem congested and almost as if something is there is a limit placed on the music. I'm not sure how to explain that, but with the D-25S and D-555, you get to see the outline of the sonic whole, while the Meta fleshes that outline out, adds body, depth, dynamics, and dare I say SOUL to the sonic picture. If what the D-25S and D-555 offers is a 2-D image, what the Meta offers is a fully dimensional, living, breathing sonic entity coursing through your headphones.
THE BASS, yes I capitalized that for a reason. For me, and for many of you as well, the proper foundation is what allows the rest of the sonic whole to flow forth with such ease and provides us with the level of enjoyment we seek. The Meta provides speed, depth, texture, dynamics, and fully developed bass. Moving up the spectrum brings us to the midrange. To me, this is the real star of the show. Once you get over how clean, deep, and infectious the bass is, you realize that the Meta (as configured) is breathing life into the all-important midrange. Two albums I listened to in particular showcased the Meta's midrange. They are Duke Ellington's Black Brown & Beige, and John Coltrane's Giant Steps. On the Duke album, the brass and horns are blatty, and reedy, as each instrument sounds, but the voices are "in the room" with you. With the Giant Steps, I can finally see why many describe his music as "sheets of sound". Both of these albums, as well as almost every album I have listened to with my new Meta has provided me with audio bliss that I've simply never heard prior to this.
I hope that those of you thinking about making or having someone make you a Meta go out and DO IT. You won't regret it. Your music will reveal hidden joys and details, and your ears, heart, and spirit will thank you for doing so.
