[Thaddy]

Keep the thoughts coming guys!

Also, I'd like to hear some more thoughts of the SA5000's vs. the HD650's. So Zemo, put down the portables and get right on that

 

[Zemo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thaddy Keep the thoughts coming guys! Also, I'd like to hear some more thoughts of the SA5000's vs. the HD650's. So Zemo, put down the portables and get right on that

haha, well, I already did, and my preference for the sony's stands. The Senns still have that narrow and constricted soundstage to my tastes, plus rolled off highs. Yes, the SA5k's are brighter...I think that's a good thing. You don't miss any detail or any bit of the music, whereas with the Senns, in comparison, I feel like I'm missing something. The senns do have a warmer and more lush sound....if I wanted to fall asleep, they'd work fine! But for my tastes, SA5k is still king!

 

[Budgie]

Okay, mildly hung over and completly unprepared, but I made it. Lots of good people and some sexy gear. Time to do some listening.........

 

[Thaddy]

How is GigaBomber's portable shootout coming? I'm expecting to see a powerpoint presentation included

 

[james__bean]

We just got back from eating out. Gigabomber's post is half finished, but we're still listening to the differences between the portable gear. I'll be posting my impressions as well.

 

[Gigabomber]

Should first be noted that my review is through the Cardas cabled Senn 650s and not the SA-5ks as the Senns are my preference, thus the amps sound different, etc. Part of the reason I Pick the Senns is that I think the soundstage is rather compressed with both when compared to the MS-2i soundstage that I enjoyed before, thus am learning toward the recabled beyers (real adrenaline rush from it).

I 'll keep the amp comparison rather simple as it is my first. First impressions were from the same player that I listed before, and I focused on the accoustic bass that was present on an Antonio Vivaldi CD. I noticed that the SM3 lacked the full bass I heard with the SR-71 and Zemo's Lamda, and that it became boomy with the boost engaged.

The second song I picked focused around a violin and I noticed that the Lamba had more extension than the SM and SR-71 though the SR-71 had a bit more detail and, again, I noticed the mid-treble hump and almost mis-diagnosed it as the same level of extension.

Listened to some vocals off of a cowboy bebop CD next while James__Bean hijacked my SR-71, so I settled for the SM3 vs the Lamda for a bit and discuss what Dev thought while Zemo was eating chips with Remilard's kickass salsa.

Really felt the detail and extension thrown in with a bit of SR-71-ish richness on the Lamda, and Dev agreed with me: that the two amps were so close together that spending the extra cash for the SR-71 is probably not worth the extra 230 dollars, though it clearly outclasses the SM and Lamda's enclosures (something Zemo will deal with once you all buy a bunch of his amps). I felt so compelled by Zemos amp that I am considering selling my SR-71, buying his amp and buying something else with the cash - something I hadn't dreamt of before a few minutes ago.

To sum up, I wouldn't buy an SM3 though Xin is a really cool guy, The SR-71 might be a bit overpriced, but if two hundred bucks doesn't bother you for your portable rig, get it. But if you're poor like the Oregon Head-fiers, you should definitely check this amp out. You might be a bit distressed at the build quality initially, but you may nearly break and buy two for sixty dollars less.

.....listening with James__bean...confirming or refuting my earlier treble comments and eating dinner be right back....(supposed to say this an hour ago)

Update: sounds like the Senns are quite a bit more forgiving than the SA-5Ks - quite a bit it turns out - and though they lack in the vocals, they thrive in the drum beats, guitars and electronic beats and sounds (someone once commented that they sound as if they were made for electronic and this seems accurate). The Senns seem to have better bass though, which fits by all accounts.

Amp wise, the SR-71 seems to have tighter highs than Zemo's, and the SM3 seems dry and not as musical, though has decent highs, and again, bloated bass with the boost on.
The Senns seem to react a bit better with the SR-71 than the other two, and since Ray uses Senns, this makes perfect sense. Zemo's amp does quite well with the SA-5ks though they reveal the airy and slightly thin sounding bass. Neither James nor I like the SM3 over the other two by a long shot, so I will refrain from commenting more about it.

Stay tuned for the Mean Bean review
~Gigs

 

[devwild]

GROUP PHOTO!

 

[Born2bwire]

I've finally have gotten to a computer but I don't think I have much time. Please, help me! I'm being forced to sit here, drink Oregon beer, and listen to Sony headphones. I'm located at... oh God! They've found me!!!! HELPeopefijf.3.rlkjvdio......

 

[Zemo]

For those of you less psychic than.....being psychic, the people in that photo, left to right are:

James_Bean, Remilard, Born2BeWire, HaydenLake, Seeberg, Budgie, Zemo, Snoopy, DevWild, GigaBomber.

Yes, we're that cool.

 

[james__bean]

I've been listening to these three portable amps for a couple hours now. Although meet environments are noisy and somewhat difficult to do extensive listening, I feel as though I have a pretty good idea of what these amps sound like with my SA5000's.

The Supermacro seemed to lack the bass of both the SR-71 and the Lambda. This was noticeable on most of the tracks with deep bass, and even some that didn't have much bass at all. Gigabomber described the sound as somewhat dry in comparison to the SR-71 and I would have to agree with that assessment. With the Senn's, the differences between the amps was less obvious. However, even though I feel the Senn 650's are overly bassy, I still prefered both the SR-71 and the Lambda when using the 650's as well. The Supermacro just didn't seem as lively.

I consider the Lambda to be better than the Supermacro. The Lambda had more prominent bass than the Supermacro without the bass boost. With the bassboost the Supermacro was just too boomy. In comparison to the SR-71, I would rate the bass on both about equal, with any possible edge going to the SR-71. The main difference between the SR-71 and the Lambda is the treble. The Lambda seems to have more extension than the SR-71, but the it sounds hollow and uncontrolled. This wasn't easily noticeable with the 650's, however with the SA5000's you could pick out this characteristic with a lot of the songs.

The SR-71 was my favorite of the group for a variety of reasons. I felt the sound, especially with the SA5000's, was more balanced than the other amps and it added a nice warmth that was very beneficial for these headphones. The SR-71 seemed to have a hump somewhere in the mid-treble in comparison to the Lambda. It's not really a hump, it just seemed like the Lambda was somewhat uncontrolled in this area. This is all relative though.

The build quality on the SR-71 was easily greater than the other two amps and in reality, this is what that extra $200 is going towards. I'd say out of the three, the Lambda had the lowest build quality in comparison to the brick like feel of the SR-71. Still, I don't know if I would recommend the SR-71 over the Lambda simply because the Lambda costs a lot less. The differences between them are relatively small. The only real difference for me was the warmth and treble performance. And with the Senn 650's, I could barely tell a difference at all.

 

[seeberg]

Yo yo yo yo yo! See-bizzerg is rollin in da' hizzie!
...For shizzle. Yeah.

Anyway, just thought I'd chime in, disclaiming a couple of things:
First, I won't be looking as ugly as I did in the photo- I'm getting a haircut to cure my lamehairmopitis(I'm the horse's ass in the center wearing a watch looking like a poser). Also, the SA1000's only had around 50+ hours of burn in. They'll most definetly sound better when the next meet drops like a bomb, which should be around Aug. 2, the day of the HeadRoom meet. I can't wait- CAN YOU? I didn't think so...

One of the funniest damn things that happened was when Born2BWire walked in, I was convinced he looked like the old dude that flashes in his avatar- I was definitely surprised there. I kept taking pics, one of which is debateable as to whether or not it violates any rules by posting(I'm a baaaaaaad little boy)-I'm never clear on these things.

But who cares? It's funner than sh**, and I'm having a blast. I sure wish I had a gigantic HDD though. Zemo's music collection deserves a look- the next meet, I'll make sure to have a 200-300 gigger on hand.
MUST HAVE MORE MUSIC!!!

Beyond that, I found the SA5000's much less congested than my "incomplete" SA1000's, and the Cardas'd HD650's sounded bloatedly bassy in comparison. I also tried HD280's for the first time, and they are pretty damn killer. I can't think of a better closed full size headphone in its price range. Too bad I already have ER6i's, otherwise I'd have an excuse to sidegrade to them.

I was amazed at the Rio Karma's stoutness- it's actually much smaller than I expected, but I've already got my DAP of choice- the Spirit. It's bigger than an iPod and a Karma, sure, but it's the same size as a Zen Xtra, so I don't care. If I had WAV files, I could give a decent comparo between its output stage and that of say, my Denon DCM350, which is already damned good, but needs repairs.

I suffered from a bout of intense heartburn at the Jin Wah resturant, and although I enjoyed the food alot(much of it I've never had before, but it was soooo good). So afterwards, a little trip to a Plaid Pantry, a purchase of some rolaids, and I was fine within an hour. It was a freak incident- it felt like I took a hit to the chest with a sledgehammer.

I'm still a bit nautious, but I should be fine when the meet is done.

,
Abe

 

[devwild]

To clarify/follow through with my comments vs giga's and james_beans, I feel the SR-71 and Lambda are both too bright with the SA5000 for my tastes. That I think is the key reason I prefer the SM... I feel the SM is a more comfortable listen. I agree the bass boost is useless with the SA5000s, Xin's bass boost is generally overkill still, I think he needs to tone it down even further than he has.

 

[devwild]

And it ends. More to be said I'm sure but the last person out the door left shortly ago so that's it for the live updates. I'm quickly winding down and probably hitting the sack soon whether I want to or not. Thanks guys for the great, and amazingly productive meet.

Eeep, looks like Budgie left his hat, he must be feelin naked!

 

[diredesire]

Quick request:

Next time we make a head-fi meet thread, can we keep the first post updated with the details? Such as location/times/date?

I hate picking through a thread to find bits of info ;P

If i had known i probably would have shown up

 

[Zemo]

That's a very very good idea....