[nytryder7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjcha Okay. Did anyone else spend a lot of time with the black Tomahawk in a portable rig? I know there was one other gentlemen listening to it with his MicroDAC and super.fi 5 Pro before I got to it. I spent quite a bit of time with the black one with my iPod for direct comparisons with the iPod's headphone out with my Shure E4c. I dunno, I'll be honest - I've heard the E4c sound mighty good out of many things, and mightly okay out of others, and with this Tomahawk, it didn't sound good at all. I wrote a lengthy post with the direct side-by-side comparisons - with the E4c sounding tremendously veiled (a big step towards the super.fi, at least for me (and not a good thing)) and less transparent, thick, with one-note bass out of the Tomahawk, relative to directly out of the iPod. There was a loss of resolution, definition and audio information, that kind of reminded me of switching to a pair of earbuds rather than fairly decently resolving IEM. The E4c is capable of sounding quite airy and spacious out of some rigs, but the E4c/Tomahawk sounded marginally more filled out in the middle than the iPod itself, which is pretty mediocre, imho. The honest truth was I was surprised at how much it impacted the sound of the IEM. I know I've gone on record as not liking the Hornet - but that was largely because I far preferred the SR-71 and I thought certain aspects of its sound weren't where I wanted it. But the Tomahawk made my E4c sound quite different than I've heard them out of many things. I suppose the only other portable amp that affected the sound as much is my HeadRoom Coda with Desktop module. I'm really disappointed with that one... Anyway, I love my E4c, even just straight out of the rather lackluster iPod Video. I love it even more out of my notebook computer (which is surprisingly airy and punchy with the E4c). But the Tomahawk really just didn't cut it yesterday with the E4c. All the strengths of the E4c were just really muted (decapitated perhaps). The Tomahawk did deal with some of the weaknesses of the E4c, specifically a sometimes glass-like, less than refined treble emphasis right before the roll-off, but it dealt with it by recessing the treble altogether, which is not a good thing. I dunno, I found it really surprising. It was not what I was expecting out of the Tomahawk. The thick/slow sound I got with the Tomahawk/E4c, isn't what Ray's portable amps sound to me, whether the Hornet or the SR-71. Who knows. Maybe it was the dock I was using, maybe it was a lack of burn-in. Though for me, burn-in and wire affect sound, but usually not to the extent necessary for me to recommend the E4c with the Tomahawk. As it was yesterday, this item really wasn't ready for gametime for me. Best, -Jason

I enjoyed my time with the Tomahawk. Using my iRiver 140 (flac) through the Micro-dac with ue superfi 5pros, I actually preferred the sound of the Tomahawk over my Hornet M mainly because I could drive the 5pros at a higher volume level and still have a comfortable listening experience.

I listened to jazz both vocals and instrumentals. IMHO the highs through the Tomahawk were crystal clear. The upper octaves of the pianos were not harsh at all, cymbals came across with accurate reproduction.

Vocals simply stated were nice and what I’ve come to expect from Ray Samuels’ amps. Bass was tight and just added to a completely enjoyable listen. Now, will I buy one?…hehehe….I snagged the one put up for auction.

I have to say that a pleasant experience was had while giving a listen to the Original CD-A8T. Tube and solid state outputs and the sound was sweet. Of course I preferred the tube output sound but for a sub $1000.00 cdp I was not expecting to hear sound so airy and clear. Great deck Ping!

As always it was great being around other heafiers. Upstateguy, It was good to meet and talk in person. Props to Bozebuttons for putting together a great meet with a lot of awesome equipment! If I could have only eliminated the drive to and from South Jersey it would have been a perfect day!!

 

[bozebuttons]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SiBurning Thanks to LenMinNJ at Core Sound for sending a HeadLine pre-production prototype for us to listen to. I set it up at my table, since that's where most of the portables were. There were a number of switches on the box, and I couldn't figure them all out, so I'm not sure I set it up right. It was powered by the supplied wall wart, which was plugged into a Belkin power strip meant for computer equipment. The source was an iRiver DAP connected via toslink. The DAP was filled with uncompressed FLAC files. I listened with my Etymotic ER4P with P to S adapter. There was some line noise present, almost like hiss or white noise. I know certain amps hiss with IEMs, and I didn't try the HeadLine with normal cans. On the other hand, this did interfere with the sound quality, which is not what I associate with IEM hiss. The sound signature is a bit reminiscent of studio monitors, which isn't surprising since the intended audience is professional sound engineers. As with studio monitors, there's an emphasis on the midrange in the broadest sense. There's something like the British roll off in the very high end, at least compared to my "reference" micro stack, which has a lot of output above 4kHz. Cymbal crashes cut through credibly, if not brilliantly. The sound isn't especially sweet or "hi-fi", but it's not harsh in any way either. It sounded a bit grungy. I don't know whether or not this is due to the the line noise or lack of synergy with the Etymotics. The HeadLine articulates details nicely without being overly fussy. One of my main details tests is the "Can I clearly hear the harpsichord accompaniment behind Hillary Hahn's squeaky violin" test, and the HeadLine clearly passes. Personally, I prefer a bit more separation of the different instruments' timbres, but many people dislike that level of micro-detail. The HeadLine performs adequately in all of my other tests, if not spectacularly. I feel I didn't give the HeadLine a proper test, being that I only listened with my Etymotics, but that's how I judged everything at this meet--as if I was auditioning stuff to fit with my current system. It really seems like the HeadLine is meant for some other can. With the Ety, and set up he way it was, the HeadLine just didn't get my toes tapping. The big surprise was the YUIN PK1. So a bud CAN sound good after all. It's still just a bud, but my first impression was just Wow! And I heard three other people say exactly the same thing. Just Wow!

I spent some time with the Headline amp today,using batteries & my portable sony dvd player using toslink connector,used the PK1 earbuds,seemed to be a good match.

First I tried the sampler binural Cd Len sent me,Unit was dead quite,soundstage was pretty good,as well as detail.
then I listened to a couple of my cds ,same result.
Since it was a preproduction unit,slide switches here kind of hard to move,I had to use a small screwdriver to move them,production units will have switches that stick out so you can move them easier.
I think the headline is a good all around flexible unit for the price.
Battery life according to the manufacturer is 4-5hours,I may have gotten
a little over 3 hours on a new pair of duracells.If I have one complaint
I would like to see more battery life.

Anyone else have any impressions of the Headline,please posts your thoughts good or bad,as well as any other gear you have listened to.

 

[bozebuttons]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stuartr I am really sorry that I missed the meet guys. I had to go to Photo Plus at the Javits center on Saturday, and that pretty much took up my day. I also have not received my KGSS and Omega II's yet, so I would not have had that there...hopefully next time I will be able to make it, or perhaps for a mini-meet. Stuart

Was looking forward to meeting you,to bad you didn't make it, But we still have to have the Melos shootout,so when the other guys get theirs ready
there could be a Melos mini-meet in our future.

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bozebuttons At least you will have a Hat to remember the meet you didn't make.

ah, a new hat? bonus!

 

[nichifanlema]

Any pictures for the new AE-1 ?

oh, and what's that HUGE vacuum tube in the picture?

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bozebuttons Tubes in the Melos where Mullard 7308s instead of the more impactfull amperex pw tubes that where in the box at the meet.I use the mullards because of how well balanced they are.

aw man! i would have loved to have rolled in those tubes in my Melos, and seen how my pair of PW did in yours!

 

[jpelg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn ah, a new hat? bonus!

Yeah, but we sent it to 1911 because he said you would pick it up at his place

.

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nichifanlema oh, and what's that HUGE vacuum tube in the picture?

I think it's something Mikhail was considering for a tubed portable amp, but the battery life of 2.3 seconds was a bit problematical.

 

[Romanee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjcha Hey Peter, Yeah, I heard the exact same thing - oddly enough the RKV sounded totally etched and unrefined relative to the Tomahawk. Honestly, I thought the RKV might have had a better overal tonal balance (I thought the Tomahawk (well, the silver one in this rig at least) could have been a bit more weighty in the lower registers, relative to the RKV), but it had an odd emhapsis in the treble range that didn't cohere to me. I dunno... I can't help but wonder whether the RKV is capable of far more than what we were hearing... Best, -Jason

Jason -- the RKV is capable of WAYYYY more than you heard from the stock unit at the meet. As I said, Derek's maximized RKV (especially with the Eddie Current EC/DC) produces a gorgeous sound with the K701s. Maybe it can attend our next minimeet, if and when -- and if I and the amp can make it.

Hey Jim (jpelg - not Jahn) -- you left before I could hand you your PXC250s! I'll contact you and we'll figure a way for me to deliver them.

 

[dhp]

how did the tomahawk match up with the hornet?

 

[jdimitri]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DieInAFire how did the tomahawk match up with the hornet?

Yes.. and romanee, how did it match with the ES2, do you prefer it to your hornet?

Will it drive my DT990 fine?

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpelg Yeah, but we sent it to 1911 because he said you would pick it up at his place .

 

[SiBurning]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bozebuttons I spent some time with the Headline amp today,using batteries & my portable sony dvd player using toslink connector,used the PK1 earbuds,seemed to be a good match. First I tried the sampler binural Cd Len sent me,Unit was dead quite,soundstage was pretty good,as well as detail. then I listened to a couple of my cds ,same result. Since it was a preproduction unit,slide switches here kind of hard to move,I had to use a small screwdriver to move them,production units will have switches that stick out so you can move them easier. I think the headline is a good all around flexible unit for the price. Battery life according to the manufacturer is 4-5hours,I may have gotten a little over 3 hours on a new pair of duracells.If I have one complaint I would like to see more battery life. Anyone else have any impressions of the Headline,please posts your thoughts good or bad,as well as any other gear you have listened to.

Dead quiet, eh? Apparently, I didn't set it up right. Or maybe it just hisses with Etymotics. It isn't the only thing I didn't set up right. I just remembered this morning that the Zhalou DAC was giving my Portaphile a hard time. The output might be too high.

More on the HeadLine sound. One of the reasons I won't write a real equipment review is I leave out more than I put in. The HeadLine's sound signature reminds me of a PA system, such as you might hear at a concert. It's not that bass heavy sound you get at certan heavy metal concerts. More like a well-tuned horn system with its clean, up front midrange. It looks like I said the grunginess was due to the noise, but I think it's part of the sound. Think Grado or a stack of Marshall amps. I really dug the grunge of the guitar on Rush's "I Think I'm Going Bald" off the Caress of Steel album. We must get this thing at a portables mini-meet.

I'd like to start a discussion on the best way to set up a table for listening. Maybe this isn't the best place. After this meet, my thoughts--ast least for portables--is to leave the equipment unplugged, have a rack behind it with cables and connectors, and let people put things together however they want. Those little portables get lost in the tangle of connectors, and it probably intimidates people. more importantly, everyone's probably more interested in mixing and matching with their own stuff. I notice other people mostly just set their stuff out loose. Meet & learn.

 

[hYdrociTy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SiBurning Those little portables get lost in the tangle of connectors, and it probably intimidates people. more importantly, everyone's probably more interested in mixing and matching with their own stuff. I notice other people mostly just set their stuff out loose. Meet & learn.

Steves ball of stuff known as the portaphile+dacInBox+batteries+some 5 other unidentified objects was totally intimidating

. I stared at it going wow how am I going to attack it without pulling the wrong wire and blowing it up..Like diffusing a bomb.. except bombs tend to have less wires!

 

[laxx]

great meet. there was so much stuff i didn't know where to start! i didn't do much listening, it was just more stand there and stare at the equipement. nonetheless it was fun.

at least i got to realize that some phones just aren't comfortable for me to wear. it's best i tried them on at the meet rather than buy them and realize my big head is just too much for the phones. =]

i'm just happy that i got to hear some gear amped. after i paid for the corda aria, i got a bit worried that my ears might not be sensitive enough to hear the differences of an amped and unamped headphone. at least i know that i can hear it now. makes my wait for the the aria to arrive even more exciting.

i'll actually have gear to bring to the next meet, lol. so when is it?