[tkam]

I hosted a mini-meet at my place today fante and thaddy got a ride over from fante's friend Robert (he's not a head-fi'er). It was good to see thaddy again and to meet fante and Robert. All the gear listed in my signature was present and thaddy brought his Millet Hybrid and hd650s. Fante had his Marantz CDP (forgot the model #), dt880s and hd600s with him.

I really didn't do to much listening but I did spend some time with the DT880 and the Millet Hybrid that was hooked up to the Marantz CDP. I think this is a really nice budget setup, the Millet does a really nice job of keeping the DT880s treble in control and adds a nice bit of warmth to the midrange. With the clearance price Meier Audio has on the DT880s I just might have to pick up a pair and balance them

.

Thanks for coming over guys it was a blast.

 

[fante7]

Thanks so much for having us Todd, it was really a great time! It's really amazing how good your space heater sounds.

I can't really comment on specific pieces of gear because listening to Todd's setup is a completely different experience, so I'll comment on the entire thing. With any of his headphones, out of the DynaMight, the instrument separation is fantastic, although the L3000 and HP3000 are a clear step above the HD650. It just sounds very natural... you stop listening to the gear and just listen to the music. The detail is there if you want it, but it is not shoved down your throat either. In some sense, the best thing about the gear is that there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. However, there is a bit of a dilemma when you don't have that much listening time... you really want to keep listening to the same song because it's so good, but at the same time you want to listen to so many other things.

I understand now why the hybrids are made from CD3000 shells.. man those things are comfortable.

 

[fante7]

Also, it was a bit scary when in the first 5 minutes of the meet, Thaddy was listening to the Marantz > Millett > HD650 setup and the left channel dropped out. Fortunately it was only a dead tube, and after a quick replacement we were back up and running.

 

[Thaddy]

It was nice to see Todd again, especially since he's gone through a bit of upgrading since the last time I saw him

Also, a big thanks to Robert for getting us there, I hope he enjoyed himself.

Since this was a small get-together, it was easy to do some critical listening without getting caught up in the insane amout of gear that can be present. I only came in with 2 goals:

1. Listen to Fante7's new Marantz CD6000OSE with my setup to guage any performance increases over my EMU-0404.
2.. Give Todd's new gear a listen.

The Marantz was definately an improvement over my 0404. Even though it's modded, and is a darn good souncard, it just can't produce the fullness or a good CDP. His Marantz definately gave a much more musical presentation, and is now giving me a sour taste in my mouth after coming home to my 0404. I always heard descriptions of soundcards sound too "digital", and now I finally have a basis for comparison. A better source is next on my list of upgrades for sure.

Todd's setup was...well, I can't explain it. I think the guys knew I was enjoying it when I got off of Todd's bed to sit on the floor. I stuck my head between my knees and got completely lost in the music. His L3000's are incredible, and they produced everything I've ever wanted my HD650's to give. I've never heard anything like this before, and I think you'd be hard pressed to put together a better sounding system within his budget range. We were all floored by his setup, and concluded that any real upgrades from here out would cost him some serious dough...

Oh, and I nearly crapped myself when the left channel of my Millet dropped out without warning. Luckily it was just a tube, even though it was my favorite set of Tung-Sol 12FK6's

 

[Glod]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thaddy ..."The Marantz was definately an improvement over my 0404. Even though it's modded, and is a darn good souncard, it just can't produce the fullness or a good CDP. His Marantz definately gave a much more musical presentation, and is now giving me a sour taste in my mouth after coming home to my 0404. I always heard descriptions of soundcards sound too "digital", and now I finally have a basis for comparison. A better source is next on my list of upgrades for sure."...

Yes those Marantz CDP's have an appealing sweet, detailed and full sound. Not only the OSE, but especially the upgraded KI is (was) a very able machine in its class IMO. Is this a modified OSE? I know there are some kits and ready modded units one can buy.

 

[fante7]

My Marantz CD6000 OSE is completely stock. However, my friend Robert actually has some kind of heavily modded Marantz CDP, and I could ask him what kind of mods were done, although I'm pretty sure it has some kind of tube output. His player is warm and laid-back, which he said he wanted to balance out his aggressive speakers (Triangle Zephyr XS).