Ray Samuels "The Hornet" Version 2?

[Romanee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by K2Grey I fail to see how something being high end means that it must take exponentially greater amounts of time to break in. Does a top notch TV take 500 hours to settle in, whereas a cheap TV settles in within 5 hours?

It really has nothing to do with the Hornet being "High End". Here's the pertinent, extracted quote from Ray in post #20 on page 1 of this thread:

Quote:

Originally Posted by RaySamuels ...I believe the long time of the burn-in is due to a very little use of the energy stored in the 15000mf filter which prolongs the burn-in period of the amp. ...

I've burned in a good number of portables with much "smaller" caps ranging from 2x1,000uf to 2x3300uf — and they took 200 hours to develop and a little more to stabilize … so it's no surprise that 15,000uf needs a significantly larger burn in period.

 

[K2Grey]

I was referring to KZEE's claim that _all_ high end equipment requires far longer than, say, lesser equipment to break in.

 

[Teerawit]

Nice impressions Romanee! Your write-ups always impress me, in profundity, clarity, and precision. How are you able to listen so critically

I always get lost in the music

 

[Romanee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teerawit Nice impressions Romanee! Your write-ups always impress me, in profundity, clarity, and precision. How are you able to listen so critically I always get lost in the music

Thanks, T. I most often get (happily) lost in the music, too.

There's something bull-dogged in my nature that when something requires an answer, or a problem needs a solution, I'm driven to disassemble the thing like a broken clock to determine based on experience and hopefully express clearly what my perception of it is — with sometimes more and sometimes less success. I guess I'm a little sensitive to the sound of instruments … when I hear an orchestra playing, if any instrument is out of tune it sets the hairs on the back of my neck on end and makes me really tense (nuisance for me — I'd rather be a bit more dense and less critical).

 

[tyrion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romanee The very full and richly textured sound I described is, I believe, achieved by its rendition of a very complete harmonic structure so that much more of information that makes up each note and the sound of each instrument is reproduced. Although it is fast and has excellent leading edges, it also maintains beautifully extended decay when needed rather letting it drop off too fast due to any inability to resolve those very low level components.

Excellent review! I wish I could articulate what I hear in this manner. I picked a couple of quotes out your review because I believe they describe the "organic" sound that I and perhaps some of the others that used that term early on to describe the sound of the Hornet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romanee BTW - concerning doubts that the Hornet matches well with Senns and Grados: I've heard it sounding great with HD650 (stock & Equinox cable), HD600/Blue Dragon cable (even better), PXC300 (cleaner, wider with much better imaging than I expected), HF-1s (smooth and powerfully deep), HP2 (I can't remember the sound but will hear it next weekend and will make notes).

I've come to the same conclusion relative to Grado (HF-1, modded and stock) and HD-650 (stock, zu and RnB cables).

 

[Todd R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by K2Grey I fail to see how something being high end means that it must take exponentially greater amounts of time to break in. Does a top notch TV take 500 hours to settle in, whereas a cheap TV settles in within 5 hours?

They may both take 500 hours, but on the cheap TV you may not notice it due to the lower resolution.
Same goes for stereo IMO.

 

[stevesurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romanee On closer listening, the Hornet's soundstage has gotten much wider than out of the box, not just a little. Separation, placement/imaging, and definition of instruments is now very clear and precise without the "bunched up" impression I heard at the zero hours.

IMHO this post is exactly what I am experiencing after about 220 hours of listening / burn-in. It is amazing how such big sound comes out of this tiny jewel. This is well appreciated by a good set of IEMs that isolate well, such as the e4s. The detail is getting better now, so I can no longer justify a 128k iTunes download for music I can purchase on CD.

I must comment on Ray's original offer for Mod2, though. It is unusual for a manufacturer to even consider that type of versitility in a single product, when two are offered. Also, it is unheard of to offer a modification such as that at no charge. Ray continues to rewrite the book on customer service. I am fortunate to also own an SR-71 as well, so I can have a very different experience with a different headphone setup as well.

I am extremely happy with the original Hornet and applaud Ray for having a quality product and once again being the tops in customer service for any manufacturer I've know, and I have known quite a few!

 

[Riboge]

Romanee, I too want to thank you and express awe at both what you can hear and how you can verbalize it which defeats my usual skepticism about claims of such minute and exact perceptions. I will use it as a guide for trying to hear and appreciate more myself.

 

[munkong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray Samuels This reminds me of the post by a headfier "Munkong" in Thailand, where he posted that after 300 hours the Hornet has changed dramatically & settled. He was right with that, I believe the long time of the burn-in is due to a very little use of the energy stored in the 15000mf filter Ray Samuels

I'm is the first Hornet owner who's burn-in over [size=small][size=large][size=xx-large]300[/size][/size][/size] hours
all of my comments, it's very personal,
Please don't trust my ear, and don't believe me at all

but this time, I'm not finish in burn-in
I still burn-in The Hornet throught 450 hours
it's sound perfect !!
but....if Ray can offer me to Mod The Hornet (if it's real matter)
I will send it back to change The Hornet's sound signature

 

[Riboge]

Quote:

Originally Posted by munkong it's sound perfect !! but....if Ray can offer me to Mod The Hornet (if it's real matter) I will send it back to change The Hornet's sound signature

Ah, another man who appreciates a paradox!

 

[Canman]

I like the Hornet the way it is. If I wanted it to sound like an SR-71 then I would have bought one of those instead.

 

[Jahn]

Although it is fast and has excellent leading edges, it also maintains beautifully extended decay when needed rather letting it drop off too fast due to any inability to resolve those very low level components. - Romanee



Ah-ha. When we were comparing the Hornet to the AE-1, I think that's what Oski and I heard - for instance the bass notes in the AE-1 were rounded and fast off the edges, while the Hornet was warmer but not smeary. I guess it was a more natural decay. Interestingly, the AE-1 bass helps to cut through ambient noise on the go, and the Hornet just has plenty-o-bass so it's always thick enough to push through any ambient noises. Different approaches, both effective, but as to which is more natural? I guess it's the Hornet (but I do like the AE-1 sound, it's growing on me)

 

[Romanee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn Although it is fast and has excellent leading edges, it also maintains beautifully extended decay when needed rather letting it drop off too fast due to any inability to resolve those very low level components. - Romanee Ah-ha. When we were comparing the Hornet to the AE-1, I think that's what Oski and I heard - for instance the bass notes in the AE-1 were rounded and fast off the edges, while the Hornet was warmer but not smeary. I guess it was a more natural decay. Interestingly, the AE-1 bass helps to cut through ambient noise on the go, and the Hornet just has plenty-o-bass so it's always thick enough to push through any ambient noises. Different approaches, both effective, but as to which is more natural? I guess it's the Hornet (but I do like the AE-1 sound, it's growing on me)

I liked the AE-1 for some recordings and not so much for others.

Must hear AE-1 and SR-71 again side-by-side with burned-in Hornet.