[edwardsean]

Did anyone have a chance to check out the Unique Melody PP6, especially compared to the JH3A?

 

[Silent One]

Thanks for your time and effort...taking me to RMAF, HeadphoneAddict!

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Impressions Part 2 - Day Three RMAF 2012

 
First - I updated my first impressions post to fill in answers to my questions, and to make a couple of corrections and additions.  
 
(1) the CEntrance M8 will actually need 3-4 months to be finished, according to their beautiful production manager.  The 6-8 week estimate was if Michael only sleeps 3 hours a day. Now he can sleep 6 hours a day instead.
 
(2) the M8 iPod input will support the same 24/192 as the computer USB DAC, as long as Apple supports that high. As I understand it, FLAC player on the iPad supports 24/96, and the iPad music player can stream 24/96 music via home sharing?  
 
(3) The M8 will include shorter cables to connect your 30-pin or Lightning dock devices, so you wont need to use your really long iPhone or iPod sync cables unless you want to.
 
(4) The M8 will charge via wall power or USB, and it will charge your iDevice when its plugged into the M8.
 
(5) While the M8 uses a USB type-B jack for computer, and a second full size USB jack for iPod input, the CLAS uses a single mini USB jack for computer use and includes an adapter to the full size USB jack when using an iPod Lightning cable.  The CLAS and ALO Rx Mk3 combined together seems to be about the same size as the single unit M8.
 
(6) Also, the HiFIMan HM-901 supports 24/192, not just 24/96.
 

MORE NEW IMPRESSIONS:

 
(1)  I revisited the Schitt Audio Gungnir and Mjolnir with the LCD-3 today, focusing more on the source and amp this time - For $749 each, this balanced DAC and amp combo is almost a no-brainer, even with spending the extra $100 to add the USB DAC.  I'm not all about specs as the sound is more important, and as soon as I started listening I forgot about anything but the music.  Jason Stoddard had some great music on his Macbook, that revealed the depth and clarity of this gear to demonstrate what seemed to be the full capability of the LCD-3 headphones.  Last year after RMAF I posted that I would be buying the LCD-3 over the SR-009, and then a month later ordered the 009, but I never ruled out the LCD-3.
 
Despite the price, I just can't say that these electronics would be the weak link any chain - headphones are usually the weak link because converting electrical energy into mechanical energy without alteration in the waveform is so tricky.  If I didn't own ANY headphone rig already but wanted something that sounded extraordinary, and if I couldn't spend as much money as I have over the past 5 years, I could see this as being my one and only full size headphone rig to jump into from the start.  On the other hand, I don't see myself selling my Perfectwave DAC with bridge, KGBH amp, and SR-009 headphones just to get this rig.  I'm not sure this would be that much of a downgrade with as much as I enjoyed it, and I'd love to own it some day.  What can I say, I'm an addict and even with a top notch rig I enjoy playing with new stuff.
 
(2) APEX Pinnacle amp - I went back to visit TTVJ's booth again, and listened to the Pinnacle with the HE-500 and CablePro Freedom cable.  I forget the CD player brand, but knowing Todd you can be sure he didn't skimp on the source. The sound was outstanding, with deep rich textured bass and transparent vocals, and another rig I would enjoy if I owned it.  But I think I'd keep going back to the Schitt + LCD-3 rig above.  Part of that may be that I only had time to listen with a CD called "Bass Busters".  Definitely don't rule this one out.
 
(3) I got to try the Sennheiser Momentum closed headphones today, and really liked them.  It's a bit more transparent and less colored than the HD25-1 II or Amperior, and uses a different driver and materials than those.  These are a little brighter and more energetic than the V-MODA M-100, with a little more efficiency, and otherwise have a similar warm midrange and bass response/impact.  I didn't get to compare the M-100 and Momentum side by side, but to use analogies I'd say "The M-100 are to the LCD-2 what the Momentum are to the HE-500".  Or the M-100 would be the HD650 while the Momentum would be the HD600 in terms of differences.  I didn't get to listen long enough to be clear on how their level of detail or soundstages compared, and my impressions are mostly based on frequency response and sound signature.  I can see either one being more useful with some music and sources than the other, and I'm not sure which one would be better if you couldn't get both.
 
I can see where a brighter source or amp could possibly make these sound fatiguing over time, but with the 5th Gen Nano > LOD > Pico Slim, or with the headphone out of the 5th Gen Nano I didn't have a problem. I still suspect they'd be more suited to the sound signature of the 6th Gen Nano or HiFiMan HM-801/901, but it was the end of the last day and we were out of time and I couldn't bring out all my sources/amps.  These did stand out as something I could see myself buying someday.  I'm only interested in these kinds of phones because my ATH-A900 don't isolate well, nor do my LA7000 or ESW10JPN; and my SRH-840 and HD25-1 are not quite good enough for the long run.  The Momentum's lambskin earpads feel pretty luxurious, and the look is very attractive and sophisticated.  The included hard case for the Momentum is flatter and wider/deeper than the narrower but thicker case of the M-100, so it reminds me of the case for my ATH-ANC7 (also less SQ than I want).   I believe the Momentum are worth the $349 price tag, and I think they were going to be available before the end of the year.  The M-100 are expected to be in stock sometime in December as well. 
 
(4) Sony MDR1 - I spent even less time with these at the end of the day, but Jude put up with me while I made him unpack them.  These are about the size of my ATH-ESW10 JPN, and fold flat too, but they isolate a lot better than the ESW10 which don't isolate much at all.  I also really liked the sound of these, with their rich and vibrant mids and treble, and strong bass.  Sometimes I thought the mid-bass was a little too much, but mostly when listening to some acoustic jazz where there was some bass bloom to the string bass that I thought was a little overdone.  This didn't change whether listening via Nano headphone out or Nano > Pico Slim. Jude had a velour bag to store them in, not a case.  If the price was right I might consider buying them, but I'm not convinced I want to go there yet.  
 
(5) JH Audio JH16Pro with Freqphase time|phase WaveGuide - This new design improves the phase coherency and treble extension, and via the iPad into Fostex HP-P1 the JH16Pro sounded very good, even without the JH3A driving it.  If I couldn't get the JH3A this would be my next choice.  I actually had Jerry take my impressions, in case I place an order so I can add it to my flagship IEM review. 
 
(6) Westone 4R with TWag V2 balanced cable and SR-71b - This was a bigger step up than I expected, being able to ditch the stock cable for the TWag cable and drive them balanced.  I definitely have to get the W4R to replace my regular W4. This transformed them from sounding like an LCD-2 r1 to sounding more like an HE-500, i.e. more energetic and alive sounding.  Usually the W4 are more laid back, and some people have complained about that.  When I go out and about, if I put my customs in my pocket (even with cargo pants) I always end up accidentally bending the pins where the cable enters the IEM, so I tend to just carry my universal fit IEM which are flatter and fit in a soft pouch better.  The W4R are about half the thickness of my customs, and playing around with them I don't see how I would be able to bend the pins on the cable by stuffing them in a pocket.  So, I could carry around the W4R with a single ended TWag and Pico Slim, and not miss my customs terribly much.  When I tried my Triple.fi 10 Pro with various cables and TWag cable in the past, that didn't improve the sound enough to make them worth using - this set up did.
 
(7) V-MODA Vibrato IEM - These are a fun little $129 earphone, with iPhone mic and buttons.  They have a "fun" frequency response rather than "audiophile" response, making them sound a bit more energetic with my iPhone 5 than many other IEM.  The iPhone 5 headphone out seems a little duller or more bland sounding than my 4S, so these would be good for those times when I just want to let the music distract me but don't want to analyze the music.  I liked the fabric covered cable of all the V-MODA phones, and these are no exception.  Turns out they're currently sold out on Amazon, but they are Prime eligible when in stock.  I was intrigued enough to drop a little cash on their used demo pair before the end of RMAF.
 
(8) Monster Diamond Tears and DNA - These Diamond Tears that Jude told me to listen to today sounded a lot better than the passive Inspiration.  The looks didn't do it for me, but if you are looking for an "out there" headphone look you could consider these.  They do look like a sparkling jewel with a lot of depth.  The DNA has a more traditional look, but with triangular ear cups, but the sound wasn't as good to my ears.  They still had fewer flaws than the passive Inspiration, but I don't recall how they would compare to the active ones - those were being used by other people, and again I was out of time.  I didn't really compare the DT and DNA to anything else, so take this with a grain of salt.
 
I think that's about it for now.  Here come the photos in my next post.

 

[Moosecraft]

Impressions Part 2 - Day Three RMAF 2012

First - I updated my first impressions post to fill in answers to my questions, and to make a couple of corrections and additions.  

(1) the CEntrance M8 will actually need 3-4 months to be finished, according to their beautiful production manager.  The 6-8 week estimate was if Michael only sleeps 3 hours a day. Now he can sleep 6 hours a day instead.

(2) the M8 iPod input will support the same 24/192 as the computer USB DAC, as long as Apple supports that high. As I understand it, FLAC player on the iPad supports 24/96, and the iPad music player can stream 24/96 music via home sharing?  

(3) The M8 will include shorter cables to connect your 30-pin or Lightning dock devices, so you wont need to use your really long iPhone or iPod sync cables unless you want to.

(4) The M8 will charge via wall power or USB, and it will charge your iDevice when its plugged into the M8.

(5) While the M8 uses a USB type-B jack for computer, and a second full size USB jack for iPod input, the CLAS uses a single mini USB jack for computer use and includes an adapter to the full size USB jack when using an iPod Lightning cable.  The CLAS and ALO Rx Mk3 combined together seems to be about the same size as the single unit M8.

(6) Also, the HiFIMan HM-901 supports 24/192, not just 24/96.

MORE NEW IMPRESSIONS:

(1)  I revisited the Schitt Audio Gungnir and Mjolnir with the LCD-3 today, focusing more on the source and amp this time - For $749 each, this balanced DAC and amp combo is almost a no-brainer, even with spending the extra $100 to add the USB DAC.  I'm not all about specs as the sound is more important, and as soon as I started listening I forgot about anything but the music.  Jason Stoddard had some great music on his Macbook, that revealed the depth and clarity of this gear to demonstrate what seemed to be the full capability of the LCD-3 headphones.  Last year after RMAF I posted that I would be buying the LCD-3 over the SR-009, and then a month later ordered the 009, but I never ruled out the LCD-3.

Despite the price, I just can't say that these electronics would be the weak link any chain - headphones are usually the weak link because converting electrical energy into mechanical energy without alteration in the waveform is so tricky.  If I didn't own ANY headphone rig already but wanted something that sounded extraordinary, and if I couldn't spend as much money as I have over the past 5 years, I could see this as being my one and only full size headphone rig to jump into from the start.  On the other hand, I don't see myself selling my Perfectwave DAC with bridge, KGBH amp, and SR-009 headphones just to get this rig.  I'm not sure this would be that much of a downgrade with as much as I enjoyed it, and I'd love to own it some day.  What can I say, I'm an addict and even with a top notch rig I enjoy playing with new stuff.

(2) APEX Pinnacle amp - I went back to visit TTVJ's booth again, and listened to the Pinnacle with the HE-500 and CablePro Freedom cable.  I forget the CD player brand, but knowing Todd you can be sure he didn't skimp on the source. The sound was outstanding, with deep rich textured bass and transparent vocals, and another rig I would enjoy if I owned it.  But I think I'd keep going back to the Schitt + LCD-3 rig above.  Part of that may be that I only had time to listen with a CD called "Bass Busters".  Definitely don't rule this one out.

(3) I got to try the Sennheiser Momentum closed headphones today, and really liked them.  It's a bit more transparent and less colored than the HD25-1 II or Amperior, and uses a different driver and materials than those.  These are a little brighter and more energetic than the V-MODA M-100, with a little more efficiency, and otherwise have a similar warm midrange and bass response/impact.  I didn't get to compare the M-100 and Momentum side by side, but to use analogies I'd say "The M-100 are to the LCD-2 what the Momentum are to the HE-500".  Or the M-100 would be the HD650 while the Momentum would be the HD600 in terms of differences.  I didn't get to listen long enough to be clear on how their level of detail or soundstages compared, and my impressions are mostly based on frequency response and sound signature.  I can see either one being more useful with some music and sources than the other, and I'm not sure which one would be better if you couldn't get both.

I can see where a brighter source or amp could possibly make these sound fatiguing over time, but with the 5th Gen Nano > LOD > Pico Slim, or with the headphone out of the 5th Gen Nano I didn't have a problem. I still suspect they'd be more suited to the sound signature of the 6th Gen Nano or HiFiMan HM-801/901, but it was the end of the last day and we were out of time and I couldn't bring out all my sources/amps.  These did stand out as something I could see myself buying someday.  I'm only interested in these kinds of phones because my ATH-A900 don't isolate well, nor do my LA7000 or ESW10JPN; and my SRH-840 and HD25-1 are not quite good enough for the long run.  The Momentum's lambskin earpads feel pretty luxurious, and the look is very attractive and sophisticated.  The included hard case for the Momentum is flatter and wider/deeper than the narrower but thicker case of the M-100, so it reminds me of the case for my ATH-ANC7 (also less SQ than I want).   I believe the Momentum are worth the $349 price tag, and I think they were going to be available before the end of the year.  The M-100 are expected to be in stock sometime in December as well. 

(4) Sony MDR1 - I spent even less time with these at the end of the day, but Jude put up with me while I made him unpack them.  These are about the size of my ATH-ESW10 JPN, and fold flat too, but they isolate a lot better than the ESW10 which don't isolate much at all.  I also really liked the sound of these, with their rich and vibrant mids and treble, and strong bass.  Sometimes I thought the mid-bass was a little too much, but mostly when listening to some acoustic jazz where there was some bass bloom to the string bass that I thought was a little overdone.  This didn't change whether listening via Nano headphone out or Nano > Pico Slim. Jude had a velour bag to store them in, not a case.  If the price was right I might consider buying them, but I'm not convinced I want to go there yet.  

(5) JH Audio JH16Pro with Freqphase time|phase WaveGuide - This new design improves the phase coherency and treble extension, and via the iPad into Fostex HP-P1 the JH16Pro sounded very good, even without the JH3A driving it.  If I couldn't get the JH3A this would be my next choice.  I actually had Jerry take my impressions, in case I place an order so I can add it to my flagship IEM review. 

(6)Westone 4R with TWag V2 balanced cable and SR-71b - This was a bigger step up than I expected, being able to ditch the stock cable for the TWag cable and drive them balanced.  I definitely have to get the W4R to replace my regular W4. This transformed them from sounding like an LCD-2 r1 to sounding more like an HE-500, i.e. more energetic and alive sounding.  Usually the W4 are more laid back, and some people have complained about that.  When I go out and about, if I put my customs in my pocket (even with cargo pants) I always end up accidentally bending the pins where the cable enters the IEM, so I tend to just carry my universal fit IEM which are flatter and fit in a soft pouch better.  The W4R are about half the thickness of my customs, and playing around with them I don't see how I would be able to bend the pins on the cable by stuffing them in a pocket.  So, I could carry around the W4R with a single ended TWag and Pico Slim, and not miss my customs terribly much.  When I tried my Triple.fi 10 Pro with various cables and TWag cable in the past, that didn't improve the sound enough to make them worth using - this set up did.

(7) V-MODA Vibrato IEM - These are a fun little $129 earphone, with iPhone mic and buttons.  They have a "fun" frequency response rather than "audiophile" response, making them sound a bit more energetic with my iPhone 5 than many other IEM.  The iPhone 5 headphone out seems a little duller or more bland sounding than my 4S, so these would be good for those times when I just want to let the music distract me but don't want to analyze the music.  I
liked the fabric covered cable of all the V-MODA phones, and these are no exception.  Turns out they're currently sold out on Amazon, but they are Prime eligible when in stock.  I was intrigued enough to drop a little cash on their used demo pair before the end of RMAF.

(8) Monster Diamond Tears and DNA - These Diamond Tears that Jude told me to listen to today sounded a lot better than the passive Inspiration.  The looks didn't do it for me, but if you are looking for an "out there" headphone look you could consider these.  They do look like a sparkling jewel with a lot of depth.  The DNA has a more traditional look, but with triangular ear cups, but the sound wasn't as good to my ears.  They still had fewer flaws than the passive Inspiration, but I don't recall how they would compare to the active ones - those were being used by other people, and again I was out of time.  I didn't really compare the DT and DNA to anything else, so take this with a grain of salt.

I think that's about it for now.  Here come the photos in my next post.

Awesome impressions plz a more in depth comparison with M100 and Momemtum

 

[Asr]

Whew, what a weekend. It was a fantastic time as always! Something Jude said to me summed up the weekend for me: it was something like The Hangover where everything becomes a forgotten drunken memory while the crazy stuff gets saved to a camera somewhere. It wouldn't have been complete without Tyll either.

All pics will be posted here later, of course.
 
Overall a great show, and it was great to catch up again with so many familiar vendors & other faces, and to meet new ones. A big thanks to Todd at TTVJ for bringing large quantities of beer and other alcoholic beverages for the Saturday Night Social, which was totally awesome. Thanks to Jude and Joe (the other Head-Fi admin) too of course for organizing the event, and all the other vendors who showed up with all sorts of stuff.
 
As usual, listening to gear was secondary for me so I didn't listen to much, but what I did hear was mostly average to excellent - more on that subject to come later.
 
This was a great way to go out with a bang for my last RMAF. I seriously encourage everyone who hasn't yet attended one to go to next year's! Jude's official announcement probably won't be posted until 2013, but everyone can safely count on there being a 2013 CJ@RMAF. A birdie at the show told me that it's going to happen, so plan on it! The date/location/etc is already on audiofest.net, so make plans now! For anyone into headphones, these are literally can't-miss events!
 
Pics & impressions to come later....
 
Btw, I got to leave the show with a pair of the SR-009.

Specific thoughts on it to also come later, but not in this thread....

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

PHOTOS:  I've uploaded a photo set to Flickr at the following link, but I'm planning to upload them to head-fi as well.  Here's the link.  I'll see if I can add 58 photos to this thread and label them.
 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/larryganz/sets/72157631773500431/
 
Oh, another impression - I listened to the ALO Studio Six full-size amp Sunday as well.  It's unique because it has 4 single ended headphone jacks so you can have headphone party's and mini-meets at home.  Actually, it's so people with multiple headphones like me don't need to disconnect any.  The sound is reported to not change at all whether there is one phone or 4 plugged in.  I didn't hear a change when it was driving an LCD-3 and HD800 at the same time.  It's an OTL amp, and I did think that the bass on the lower impedance LCD-3 was a little bloomy and boosted, but in a fun way.  It still took away from the transparency of jazz music with string bass for instance.  I liked it more with the HD800, but I sometimes wished for a bass level that fell between that of the HD800 and LCD-3 with this amp.  Obviously with 6 tubes you can change the sound with different tubes to tune it to your gear.  If I recall it costs over $4K and so you really need to try it with your gear to decide if you need this amp.

 

[wormsdriver]

Great job guys, I need to go to one of these things, looks like a lot of fun.
HPA, thanks for the updates on the CEntrance M8, and especially thanks for taking several pictures of it, it really helps out a lot.

 

[Zuqi]

Thanks for sharing your impressions Larry.

 

[jckp919]

Hi HeadphoneAddict! I saw you posted on the pre-order thread of Pico Power and knew that you had the chance to listen to it. Can you briefly give me your impression about this AMP? like comparing to the ALOs and etc.? THANKS!!!

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

I posted captions for my photos here on head-fi, so you know what's going on - http://www.head-fi.org/g/i/700446/a/699604/sort/display_order/
 
Quote:

Hi HeadphoneAddict! I saw you posted on the pre-order thread of Pico Power and knew that you had the chance to listen to it. Can you briefly give me your impression about this AMP? like comparing to the ALOs and etc.? THANKS!!!

 
The amp had great dynamic range and could drive full size phones to impressive volumes without clipping, and at similar levels to the SR-71b and ALO Rx Mk3.  I thought it sounded great, but I think all three of these amps I just mentioned are at the peak of portable amp performance.  At the same time, I could turn the volume down pretty low and not ever feel like the gain was too high.  Unfortunately I forgot to try the Pico Power and Rs Mk3 with IEM.  I think you can't lose if you buy any of these three portable amps.  The new RSA Intruder sounds like the SR-71b, but with a higher gain that can also drive the HE-6 a little better, so it's on the list of my favorite hi-power portable amps too.  I've spent time with the Meier Stepdance that used to be a higher than normal single ended portable amp, but I think the Pico Power has surpassed it.  It's nice that you don't need to get a balanced cable to enjoy such great power into a single ended headphones.  In my experience, the balanced amps just don't drive SE headphones as authoritatively as they do balanced headphones - they really need to be run in balanced mode to shine.  The Pico Power simplifies things a bit.  
 
It is reported to run over 30 hours from a pair of Lithium 9v 520mah rechargeable batteries, of which I once bought a set with charger on eBay for $35.  If you had 4 batteries and one charger, you could run the thing 24/7 and only have to change the batteries once a day, and charge the spare set while you run down the 1st set, so no need for power adapter.

 

[arnaud]

HPA, so is that you taking a self portrait with the fashionable white plastic piece of junk phones? I thought it was pretty funny

 

[Audio-Omega]

Did anyone listen to Apex Glacier ?

 

[Mortalcoil]

Quote:

PHOTOS:  I've uploaded a photo set to Flickr at the following link, but I'm planning to upload them to head-fi as well.  Here's the link.  I'll see if I can add 58 photos to this thread and label them.
 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/larryganz/sets/72157631773500431/
 
Oh, another impression - I listened to the ALO Studio Six full-size amp Sunday as well.  It's unique because it has 4 single ended headphone jacks so you can have headphone party's and mini-meets at home.  Actually, it's so people with multiple headphones like me don't need to disconnect any.  The sound is reported to not change at all whether there is one phone or 4 plugged in.  I didn't hear a change when it was driving an LCD-3 and HD800 at the same time.  It's an OTL amp, and I did think that the bass on the lower impedance LCD-3 was a little bloomy and boosted, but in a fun way.  It still took away from the transparency of jazz music with string bass for instance.  I liked it more with the HD800, but I sometimes wished for a bass level that fell between that of the HD800 and LCD-3 with this amp.  Obviously with 6 tubes you can change the sound with different tubes to tune it to your gear.  If I recall it costs over $4K and so you really need to try it with your gear to decide if you need this amp.

 
Wow... 4K.  Singlepower pricing, with a better rep.
 
Thanks for the effort HA for getting these pics posted.

 

[islewind]

Glad to make it there even for just a little while. It's amazing to see how much more great equipment is available than there was just a few years ago. It's very nice to see such growth.

I also want to recognize Schiit Audio for being one of the few exhibitors to stay open til the end, and to maintain their super customer-focused attitude right til it was all over. Great new equipment fom them as well, Headphoneaddict is spot-on in his impressions above.

I wish I could have hung out more and chatted with more people, but it was nice to be able to say hello to Jude (Great job as always, man!) and Larry. What a great community!

 

[jckp919]

Quote:

I posted captions for my photos here on head-fi, so you know what's going on - http://www.head-fi.org/g/i/700446/a/699604/sort/display_order/
 
 
The amp had great dynamic range and could drive full size phones to impressive volumes without clipping, and at similar levels to the SR-71b and ALO Rx Mk3.  I thought it sounded great, but I think all three of these amps I just mentioned are at the peak of portable amp performance.  At the same time, I could turn the volume down pretty low and not ever feel like the gain was too high.  Unfortunately I forgot to try the Pico Power and Rs Mk3 with IEM.  I think you can't lose if you buy any of these three portable amps.  The new RSA Intruder sounds like the SR-71b, but with a higher gain that can also drive the HE-6 a little better, so it's on the list of my favorite hi-power portable amps too.  I've spent time with the Meier Stepdance that used to be a higher than normal single ended portable amp, but I think the Pico Power has surpassed it.  It's nice that you don't need to get a balanced cable to enjoy such great power into a single ended headphones.  In my experience, the balanced amps just don't drive SE headphones as authoritatively as they do balanced headphones - they really need to be run in balanced mode to shine.  The Pico Power simplifies things a bit.  
 
It is reported to run over 30 hours from a pair of Lithium 9v 520mah rechargeable batteries, of which I once bought a set with charger on eBay for $35.  If you had 4 batteries and one charger, you could run the thing 24/7 and only have to change the batteries once a day, and charge the spare set while you run down the 1st set, so no need for power adapter.

 
Thanks HPA!!! I thought the Pico Power is the way to go coz i don't wanna change all my SE cable headphones to balance.... but after reading your impression, I even more confident that Pico Power is the amp that I have to get!!