[Wharfrat]

Quote:

Count me in. And Tessa too.

I've ceased using my Carver Receiver as a head amp and my D7000's have been sold.

I'm not sure what I'll have come May...

Whoot, dude?  I thought you were taking the D7000s to your grave! 

 
Josh:   I really haven't plumbed the depths of this amp...the phonostage is very good and I expect it will get better as the Sumiko Pearl cartridge on my Sota Comet TT goes thru its break-in period.   With the Focal 806 speakers, the Coffman puts out alot of loveliness...With headphones, it is downright sinful.  There is just so much more music left in my collection that is not even listened to (mostly  the vinyl) and each CD is a revelation all over again....I think you will like it...can't wait to get your opinion.
 
BTW, Doc...got all my fingers intact.  The English haven't gotten to them yet....

 

[KingStyles]

You have a Sota comet? I was looking at those. It is one of the tables on my hit list. I already bought my phono stage even though I probably wont have a TT for a few months. It gives me motivation to buy a TT.

 

[curbfeeler]

Quote:

You have a Sota comet? I was looking at those. It is one of the tables on my hit list. I already bought my phono stage even though I probably wont have a TT for a few months. It gives me motivation to buy a TT.

Take a look at the VPI Traveler at that price point.

 

[palmfish]

Quote:

Whoot, dude?  I thought you were taking the D7000s to your grave! 

 
The Sennheiser HD800 stole my heart (and wallet). But it sounds bad plugged into my Carver Receiver (very high output impedance headphone jack).
 
So I picked up a Benchmark DAC1 and a sweet Pioneer integrated amplifier. Funny story about the Pioneer...
 
I made a pleasant discovery a few weeks ago when I had the chance to compare a Violectric V200 side-by-side with my Pioneer Elite SC-25 (140 WPC IcePower Class D AVR). With hi-rez source and HD800's, I couldn't tell them apart. Turns out my Pioneer has an outstanding very low output impedance headphone stage!
 
I then went on a quest to find an affordable integrated amp with a good headphone stage to replace my Carver Receiver in my 2-channel system. Made the rounds at Magnolia and Definitive and only two integrateds had a low output impedance and were able to control the HD800's low freqs. They were the Peachtree Decco 65 and, you guessed it, a Pioneer (Elite VSX-42). I tried Marantz, Rotel, NAD, and Onkyo and all of them were high output impedance.
 
Finally, I went to Best Buy to try the really cheap ones. Tested Denon, Yamaha, and Sony and all were high output impedance. Tried a Pioneer VSX-1022 and it was low impedance and sounded fantastic.
 
Armed with this knowledge, I searched eBay and Craigslist for a Pioneer amp. I didn't want an AVR because the tone controls are buried in the menu system and also because in my analog 2-channel system most of the features are useless. I got excited about the Pioneer Elite A-20 but nobody has them in stock or has a date of availability. I finally found a beautiful Elite A-35R (the predecessor to the A20) for sale on Craigslist and went to pick  it up for $100. It's a dual mono design with 45 WPC into 8 ohms. Actual tone control knobs on the front with a "direct" bypass button, and a MM phono preamp built in.
 
**Edit** I tested the output impedance on the A-35R and discovered it isn't as low as the AVRs Ive tried, so I decided not to buy it. Instead I got a good deal on a TOTL Pioneer (non-Elite) AVR and got everything all hooked up. Headphones and speakers sound fantastic, although the features and menus are more cumbersome than an integrated.

 

[KingStyles]

Take a look at the VPI Traveler at that price point.

A vpi table is one of the tables that is top on my list.

 

[Wharfrat]

J-  If you are on the move for a used VPI or SOTA TT, you might want to check with Kurt at Echo Audio and Bill Davidson at Fred's Sound of Music, both in Portland
 
Echo had a SOTA Sapphire that is in gorgeously grained blonde-black wood.  Can't remember the cartridge tho. Saw it for $1,300 and change.  Normal retail was over $3K.  I think it might be posted on their website.
 
Fred's had a VPI (maybe a Traveller??) with a JMW 9 tonearm...for $795.00.  You have to call for their turntable list as they don't post it on their website.  Phone nbr is 503-234-5341.
 
Last saw them two weekends ago...so if the urge hits, good luck.
 

 

[westinlennox]

I will try to get there if I can! Sounds awesome!

 

[hiiisociety]

New to Head-Fi and a recent owner of a LCD-2.  Hope to drop by and see what's all the fuss is about.

 

[KingStyles]

Just bought a 009. Should have it in a couple of days. Hopefully I will have an amp to run it on.:rolleyes:

 

[Girls Generation]

Thought you already had put an order for it a while back? Gratz though and hopefully they won't disappoint... or fall apart.
Quote:

Just bought a 009. Should have it in a couple of days. Hopefully I will have an amp to run it on.

 

[KingStyles]

Found a pair for sale on headfi so I cancelled my order with price japan.

 

[Girls Generation]

 
Looking forward to hearing them
Quote:

Found a pair for sale on headfi so I cancelled my order with price japan.

 

[palmfish]

Looking forward to hearing them

+1

 

[Dark Helmet]

New to Head-Fi.  Looking forward to this meet, and hopefully some cool portable gear.  Barring a catastrophe, I'll be there.
 
By the way if anyone has the tera player please bring it.

 

[BIG POPPA]

Where are Ideas for the aftermeet???