[Chris Kaoss]

Will try something with the pads of my SEM5 or D7200, if i can get a proper seal between the different pads.
But i don't have such foam pads right now.

 

[phthora]

Somewhere is a dimly lit back office, a frantic call is placed to the Dekoni CEO...

"Sir! I think I just found a way to double our sales..."

 

[Anatman]

"Sir! I think I just found a way to double our sales..."

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/281702

 

[Harmonyx]

Is anyone considering the new Burson Soloist 3X amp to power the QUAD's?
The ERA-1's should respond very well to the Class A power and high current.
https://www.bursonaudio.com/products/soloist-3x-performance/

Personally, I have mine running off a heavily upgraded Musical Fidelity X-Can V3 hybrid, which is sublime, but I am curious to hear how they sound via a competent class A solid state.

 

[Slim1970]

Is anyone considering the new Burson Soloist 3X amp to power the QUAD's?
The ERA-1's should respond very well to the Class A power and high current.
https://www.bursonaudio.com/products/soloist-3x-performance/

Personally, I have mine running off a heavily upgraded Musical Fidelity X-Can V3 hybrid, which is sublime, but I am curious to hear how they sound via a competent class A solid state.

I have some other amps that I use with the Quads, but I'm a big fan of Burson amps. I owned the 3XR when it was released but recently sold in favor of the FA-10. I didn't get a chance to try the Quads with the 3XR before I sold it, but I'm sure it would've paired great with the Quads. The 3XR was great with all my headphones but it was missing a little something with my Susvara's that the FA-10 brings. But the Soloist seems to be something different and it's only amp. So I'm interested in it.

 

[Louisiana]

I'm in love with my HE-500 & LCD 2C, so is it worth to buy a Quad Era?
These Cans make me really curious!

 

[Uebelkraehe]

I have some other amps that I use with the Quads, but I'm a big fan of Burson amps. I owned the 3XR when it was released but recently sold in favor of the FA-10. I didn't get a chance to try the Quads with the 3XR before I sold it, but I'm sure it would've paired great with the Quads. The 3XR was great with all my headphones but it was missing a little something with my Susvara's that the FA-10 brings. But the Soloist seems to be something different and it's only amp. So I'm interested in it.

I prefer them both on the SMSL SP200 (THX) and the LD MK III (OTL tube) to the C3R. On the first one, they seem to be extremely transparent and controlled, almost like they don't exist, whereas on the LD MKIII layers and warmth are very enjoyable to me. On the C3R, they show neither of these characteristics in particular and the typical improvements in regards to punch and soundstage which other headphones (especially dynamics) tend to have with class A amps are also largely missing (this is not an attack on the C3R in general, which i absolutely love with my Heddphone, the Purpleheart TR-X00 and the DT 880 Pro. Just not with the Quads.). YMMV, of course.

 

[nar53]

So, after weeks of reading reviews, comparing figures I've finally made my first upgrade to drive the Quads. My current set up is the Schiit Magni 3 & Modi 3. I've been quite happy with the sound that they give me but due to mobility problems I wanted something with a remote as I often sit 3 mtrs away from my desk where the set up sits. So I looked at all sorts of stuff, Like the RME-ADI, Topping DX7, Sabaj D5 & was most excited by the reviews of the Topping D90/A90. Unfortunately whilst the D90 comes with a remote the A90 doesn't. Also I wanted my purchase to be somewhat future proof so I'm thinking MQA, I don't have Tidal, but maybe in the future I will. So that narrowed things down somewhat. I decided I could either sit back & wait for the Topping P90 (or whatever it will be called) with remote + the D90 mqa or go for another solution which is currently available. So once again I re-checked the figures over & over & came to the conclusion that the only thing available for less than 1k at the moment is the SMSL 500. So here it is, I pulled the trigger on Friday & its on my desk on Saturday. It's not been plain sailing, when I set it up the screen wouldn't work, I could see it enough to set it up which I did & quickly decided it was a great upgrade to my Schiit stack, but no screen! Anyway I had stuff to do so off I went thinking send it back, pull it apart & look for a loose connection or whatever. Well the next time I looked at it the display was working OK. I've turned it on & off several times with no problems so here we go, we'll see what happens over the next couple of weeks. In the meantime I'm loving the sound & hoping it keeps working as it should.

 

[Anatman]

I'm in love with my HE-500 & LCD 2C, so is it worth to buy a Quad Era?
These Cans make me really curious!

Read about it in this thread. There is a lot of compares.

I have not had the pleasure of long listening to the HE-500s, (just briefly test listening), but the LCDs - both the classic and the closed - have I had the pleasure of listen to, and for me, the Quads are all over better in all ways, in my ears. The Classic I didn't have at the same time as the Quads, so there I have to rely on my memory.

If you want to read about my outburst of love, and detailed information about the soundpicture of them, check out the madness in my previous posts.

 

[Anatman]

Just a little nagging and the freaky bragging again, from Frankenstein’s laboratory of madness and madless.

Listened to the whole album “A Deeper Understanding” from The War On Drugs, MQA/Audirvana/Tidal Master. This album has for me the variations that needed to make up my mind here.

First time using the stock leather pads. Listen to it again, sadly starting with a messy process to fit/aligned the Grado-foams in perfect position to the stock leathers – but wow it was worth it! Now thinking of permanently glue the Grados on.

From the midst to the deep, deeeeeeeep bass, SLAM, SMACKK, WOOM, BOMM, BOOOM, OMPH, PHOMPH, SCMOKCHOUMPH, and the BAMMM! The different decrease of the bass frequencies in different parts of the music, feels like a tight controlled groowling ride down the rollllls off, with a thunder of pleasure, when gradually fading away of the growls and browls, tightness, and, and and... I’m deeply in dark love! Also the very upper basstones - e.g. as of a bass guitar - shines all over, and feels more substantial, separated and integrated at the same time, if you get my picture.

Is the prolonged tunnel of darkness messing up with the middle midst, higher midst, openness, top of the scale? I cannot hear any distort, quit the opposite I have to say. I may be biased as the Queen of the homebrew here, for all means – but the opportunity to give the right amount of juice due to the tunnel of darkness, also all of the midst AND highs shines in my ears.

I will emphasize that a amp here is a totally must!

 

[mobbaddict]

Anybody managed to use other aftermarket pads on the Quad? I think the ideal pads would be the same shape as the velour ones (flat and close to the eardrum to maximize transparency) but using full leather material to allow better bass impact and tame the lower treble.

 

[Moleboy81]

I finally got myself a pair. I saved money and got them as an open box item from Music Direct. The sound is exactly what I was looking for. I was ecstatic....until the left driver died about fifteen minutes in. I'm beyond frustrated. Once I return them, I'll need to decide if I want to get a brand new pair or go another direction entirely. I've always been nervous about open box items, but I was able to convince myself I was being irrational. Go figure.

I was told 1st quarter 2019 but wasn't given a definitive date, so would be safe to assume March 2019 - excerpt from the email exchange;
"Yes there was a problem and it hard to tell but it does not look like you had the later modified drivers as we will informed at the time. So both drivers have been replaced now."

Also, to my question as to how Quad ensures replacement drivers are matched to the original if a single driver is replaced, below was the reply;
"Every single driver is tested against a master reference which was designed and is regularly calibrated. Any deviation from the master reference is rejected."

However, it is best if you get both drivers replaced at the same time, since, by doing so, you stand a better chance of having a matched pair of (new) drivers.

Hi,

I have had notification today that my quads are being replaced, rather than repaired which in some ways is good for the reason of getting new headphones that potentially are a later batch, with updated drivers. I checked with the store and the ones I'm getting came to them in August 2020, so hopefully are updated drivers. Plus as they are new I get a renewed 2 year warranty! I do worry that they won't sound the same as the ones they're replacing. Hopefully they'll be just as good and finger's crossed, better.

 

[Anatman]

Anybody managed to use other aftermarket pads on the Quad? I think the ideal pads would be the same shape as the velour ones (flat and close to the eardrum to maximize transparency) but using full leather material to allow better bass impact and tame the lower treble.

So you mean that when the seal around the pads, are leather/pleather or similar, it will produce better bass impact etc? Cause velour etc is leaking? I have problems to understand that the "seal" (my skin in the meeting of the pad) ones create with "non-velour-pads", can create such difference? By all means, you can be completely in flow here, I have not testet that specific combination. You must tell us about your experiences and impressions when tested!

 

[mobbaddict]

So you mean that when the seal around the pads, are leather/pleather or similar, it will produce better bass impact etc? Cause velour etc is leaking? I have problems to understand that the "seal" (my skin in the meeting of the pad) ones create with "non-velour-pads", can create such difference? By all means, you can be completely in flow here, I have not testet that specific combination. You must tell us about your experiences and impressions when tested!

I think the material can create such a difference yes. If you compare the stock pads on the Quad, I think the difference is quite obvious. The bass is tighter and more impactful with the leather pads. I can hear the bass with the velour pads but it's more loose, less focused. I hear the same thing with my HD600. Maybe I'm wrong but I think we are losing transparency/resolution with the Quad leather pads because they're quite deep. Or maybe it's just the material itself that is not good enough.

 

[Anatman]

Finally, I decided that I take the glue out of the glue, the two-component glue that glues everything known to man. So, this is the no return to the one set of velour-pads, they’re now eternally attached to the two components hamburger of love, this consists of a Beyerdynamic on the outside, and a Grado in the middle.

Due to mobbaddict, that I am totally agreed with in his belief that the pads should have leather on the outside, I chose this setup of three different pads. And after experiment with the Grados, I did left them as stock, because then they give the most of everything when not hazzled with.

I am just stunned, there is no more to say, the sound is unbelievable, I am totally blown away – not just because the crazy never-ending depth of the bass, but also how wonderful the midst and the tops are, It is just unbelievable, in that words deepest meaning.