[lee730]

No worries. It's kinda like how some people consider overemphasized treble as detail when in reality its not the case all the time.
 

 

[uelover]

 
Quote:

No worries. It's kinda like how some people consider overemphasized treble as detail when in reality its not the case all the time.
 

 
It sure makes those treble details more prominent and easier to identify though.

 

[ZenErik]

 
Quote:

I do think that some people who use "speed" in this context do really mean "agility", which is to say, does the driver start and stop exactly when it should, with no over or undershoot. And a driver that does this better could indeed have a more transparent sound. But again, just to beat the horse to death, this really isn't "speed", for one, and secondly, many people are still not even referring to that, but simply equate a brighter sound for a "faster" one, for reasons I've never completely understood.
But this is now pretty far off topic, so I will refrain from flogging the horse any further, with apologies.

 
Perhaps what I am referring to is a combination of the "agility", brightness, and the resonance/ringing/whatever that certain headphones/housings create. I have no idea. Just going on what I hear, but I am not sure of all the technical reasons for what I am hearing.

 

[cute]

@ZenErik,  I think I read somewhere that you had taken the AD2000 and W3000ANV apart.....did the drivers look identical?  The AD2000 are black on the back side, are the W3000ANV drivers black on the back side as well?  I was interested because I have done some mods on a pair of my ATH headphones!

 

[AppleheadMay]

I just went for a little trip through the T1, D7000 and DX1000 this weekend and I just came back to the W3000ANV. Wow! These headphones are awesome! They became my favorite closed headphones.

 
 
Been catching up pages of posts in some threads today and I missed quite a bit of stuff it seems even the wonderful *cough* new D7001.
 
I love the W3000 but as an overall best headhone the D7000 is as close as it gets to me for now, that might change with the TH900.
 
I have some strange thought in my mind though, I am looking for an amp that works well with ATs and Denons. Ok, I have and had a few that are good for these phones but I have a specific sound signature in mind.
What I would like is as much soundstage, detail and clarity (even up to what some may call bright) as possible. Tubes or SS, both are fine. I don't want any typical tube warmth whatsoever but I found some tube amps I had sounded less warm than some SS ones.
I fine with a cheap amp or an expensive one, but not ridiculously expensive.
 
Any specific suggestions?

 

[ZenErik]

 
Quote:

 
 
Been catching up pages of posts in some threads today and I missed quite a bit of stuff it seems even the wonderful *cough* new D7001.
 
I love the W3000 but as an overall best headhone the D7000 is as close as it gets to me for now, that might change with the TH900.
 
I have some strange thought in my mind though, I am looking for an amp that works well with ATs and Denons. Ok, I have and had a few that are good for these phones but I have a specific sound signature in mind.
What I would like is as much soundstage, detail and clarity (even up to what some may call bright) as possible. Tubes or SS, both are fine. I don't want any typical tube warmth whatsoever but I found some tube amps I had sounded less warm than some SS ones.
I fine with a cheap amp or an expensive one, but not ridiculously expensive.
 
Any specific suggestions?

 
The GS-1 seems like a great option to me for the sound your are describing, but a Gilmore Lite would be a solid but much cheaper option. I also liked the M-Stage but never tried it with A-T headphones, and it is on the warmer side. Another amp I owned, the SPL Auditor, sounds terrible with A-T's, IMO.
 
Quote:

@ZenErik,  I think I read somewhere that you had taken the AD2000 and W3000ANV apart.....did the drivers look identical?  The AD2000 are black on the back side, are the W3000ANV drivers black on the back side as well?  I was interested because I have done some mods on a pair of my ATH headphones!

 
I have not taken any headphones apart. Sorry. My guess is that they do not use the same drivers. The W3000ANV is angled. The AD2000 is not. Perhaps the W5000 or the W1000X (does this one use angled drivers?) use the same or almost the same drivers.

 

[purrin]

 

Quote:

Any specific suggestions?

 
 
Apex Peak / Volcano.
 
Hybrid amp on the neutral or even bright side. I used to own it. Brings out micro-detail like crazy. Extremely extremely clear. Great bass control - very tight. Wide soundstage, precise imaging (may depend upon tube), but not as deep as the best full tube amps. Just the tiniest slightest hint of tubes, and then only in the midrange. 6SN7s are not tubey to being with. I had this combo when I owned the W1000X and D5000 (markl modded.)
 
The only thing I'm not sure about is noise. I had some hiss (you had to strain a little bit to hear it) with the sister amp Arete and the W3000ANV. But it wasn't a problem with music on. I don't recall any such issues with the Apex though.

 

[purrin]

Quote:

@ZenErik,  I think I read somewhere that you had taken the AD2000 and W3000ANV apart.....did the drivers look identical?  The AD2000 are black on the back side, are the W3000ANV drivers black on the back side as well?  I was interested because I have done some mods on a pair of my ATH headphones!

 
I think I may have been the one who took them apart. I don't remember if the drivers look identical because a lot of the AT drivers look identical. 
 
The AD2000 and W5000 drivers do have some similarities, they are not the same driver. 

 

[AppleheadMay]

Would the GS1 sound cleaner than the P-1u?
And the Apex, is that the 10k$ one?

 

[purrin]

Peak/Volcano is the $2k one. You are thinking of the Pinnacle.

 

[AppleheadMay]

Ah, ok, sounds a lot better then!  
I'll do some reading on that one.
How would you compare it to the BA or Zana?

 

[purrin]

BA is better at macro-dynamics, micro-dynamics/little instantaneous dynamic contrasts, has wider range/more granularity/continuity of loud/soft sounds and is more liquid. Soundstage is deeper and way more open (most open sounding of any other head-amp as of today.) KR PX4 (and definitely KR PX25) and a lean driver tube gives it the same tonal characteristics of the Peak (neutral/bright.) The BA is not as clear or clean sounding as the Peak; and the bass is a bit rounder (this is more noticeable for harder to drive cans.)
 
The Peak's strength is clarity, control, and sharp transient response. BA can get very close with the right tubes, but it's still a tube amp. Both as just as detailed, but with different ways or presentation. The Peak screams: "hear the detail" (and it's real resolution too, not false resolution). The BA's approach is: "I reproduce the nuances that make recordings sound real. Listen to the music."
 
I sold the Peak/Volcano for the BA because the HD800s were a bit sharp and I needed something to take the edge off.
 
I do miss the clarity and control of the Peak sometimes, but the overall level of musical involvement is higher on the BA (or any other EC tube amp) compared to the Peak. Finally, I would reiterate my concern with the Peak's ability to play well (noise/hiss) with highly sensitive headphones. A call to Todd at TTVJ regarding this should be made if you decide to take the next step.
 

 

[AppleheadMay]

The soundstage of the BA sounds very attractive to me and indeed with the right tubes ...
Where would you position the Zana compared to these two concerning soundstage and clarity/detail?

 

[purrin]

Better than most solid-state, worse than the BA or 2A3. That is in terms of depth - and general "openness" which transcends just "soundstage." Zana seems just as speedy though. Not as clear or detailed as BA, but YMMV depending upon your DAC. All EC amps are very close in terms of how they sound. It's a matter of refinement (more resolution, less grain, more relaxed, more detailed) when you move up the ladder. The BA is the point where things really take off in terms of openness and to a lesser extent detail. I'm surprised he doesn't charge more for it.

 

[AppleheadMay]

Hush! Don't say that until I paid for mine!  
 
 
Edit: Thanks by the way, I'm getting the picture where to position them all.
I'll read up on the Peak/Volcano but I think the idea I got earlier this week may be the best: the BA.
Hard choices though, I wish there was more of this gear to try out over here.