[Pendergast]

This is more about long term use of RS SR-71.

I wonder, what have you, long time users of the SR-71, have to say that would be useful for a guy like me who just purchased one?

I am curious about anything: burn in, batteries, headphone match, stories, problems, etc.

My source is (and will be) an iPod (nano, now, maybe an ipod video later).
I have Grados (225) and etys 4p.

So, what are your suggestions?

 

[john_jcb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pendergast This is more about long term use of RS SR-71. I wonder, what have you, long time users of the SR-71, have to say that would be useful for a guy like me who just purchased one? I am curious about anything: burn in, batteries, headphone match, stories, problems, etc. My source is (and will be) an iPod (nano, now, maybe an ipod video later). I have Grados (225) and etys 4p. So, what are your suggestions?

I have one of the first ones made so I guess I qualify as a long term user.

Burn-in, I really did not notice that much. I honestly think if I mixed mine with yours you would have a 50/50 chance of picking yours.

Batteries, Go to Costco and buy a 20 pack. Cheap and you will have batteries for a long long time. Remember to turn it off when not listening. It is amazing the drain when you leave it on at work all weekend as I have done.

Phones - I use ER-4's and the PX-200's from Sennheiser I like both very much.

Problems - I loose touch with reality sometimes with the Ety's. Almost missed my plane once.

Sit back and enjoy the music knowing that you have one of the better portable amps made.

 

[bhd812]

I tortured mine in the Jacuzzi this summer for maybe 30 hours total (well maybe 20 hours and the amount is total summer usage, not at once).

She still works great to be honest, in fact perfect. the connecters didn't go bad or should I say don't go in and out (I did detox the connecters after each visit.). I opened her up the other day expecting some rust or corrosion from the humidity is the Hot tub air. The only thing I seen was on the metal plate separating the two 9 volts, there was some brown looking stuff..maybe mild rust?. Nothing wrong with the board itself though.

I used her a lot with my ipod mini and My shure e2's. I also used her a lot at home using the rs-1's (great match IMO).



I am going to try the turbodockII as soon as in comes in the mail, I hope you are planning to use something sorts of the same way of line out to get the best benefit in terms of sonic's the ipods and the sr-71 has.


battery life has been amazing also, I only replaced them 4 times this summer. they seemed to last longer then I thought they would but then again using my e2's or rs-1's I don't play them that loud neither.

 

[socrates63]

Congratulations. You've bought yourself an awesome portable amp.

If you're anal as most head-fi'er tend to be, myself included, then you may want to wrap up your brand new amp so the silk-screening doesn't rub off. I know Ray changed the silk-screening process earlier this year so yours won't be as susceptible to the lettering coming off. In any case, I have left mine in the anti-static bag in which it was shipped to me by ttvj.com. I like redshifter's solution better though. He put a neoprene wrist band on the amp so only the front and back faces of the amp are exposed.

As for batteries, I went with rechargeables. I bought four Maha PowerEx batteries and charger. The initial cost was quite high but worth it if you will use the amp heavily. People typically report battery life of 30-40 hours with rechargeables. Alkaline will probably yield 40-50 hours (my uneducated guess). Think about how much time you'll spend with the amp, and you can do the math to see if rechargeables are worth the initial cost.

I upgraded from a cmoy to the SR-71. My logic was that I didn't want to deal with upgraditis so I thought getting the top portable amp was a good idea(when I bought mine, AE-1 and other amps in the class of SR-71 were not available. I believe the only competitor was the Xin SM3). It was a good idea but curiosity crept in the place of upgraditis. Regularly visiting Head-Fi and reading about other amps stirred my curiosity. I bought a used Porta Corda MkII (left on the airplane last week) and Portaphile v2^2 maxxed (waiting delivery). While I absolutely loved the Porta Corda, it left me with a better appreciation of how great-sounding an amp the SR-71 is. I can't wait to hear how the Portaphile compares.

 

[kin0kin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhd812 I tortured mine in the Jacuzzi this summer for maybe 30 hours total (well maybe 20 hours and the amount is total summer usage, not at once). She still works great to be honest, in fact perfect. the connecters didn't go bad or should I say don't go in and out (I did detox the connecters after each visit.). I opened her up the other day expecting some rust or corrosion from the humidity is the Hot tub air. The only thing I seen was on the metal plate separating the two 9 volts, there was some brown looking stuff..maybe mild rust?. Nothing wrong with the board itself though. I used her a lot with my ipod mini and My shure e2's. I also used her a lot at home using the rs-1's (great match IMO). I am going to try the turbodockII as soon as in comes in the mail, I hope you are planning to use something sorts of the same way of line out to get the best benefit in terms of sonic's the ipods and the sr-71 has. battery life has been amazing also, I only replaced them 4 times this summer. they seemed to last longer then I thought they would but then again using my e2's or rs-1's I don't play them that loud neither.

yes, the metal plate gets rusty. I kept mine in dry places but it eventually got rusty. I masked the board and sanded the rust off, then painted it with black color rust paint....viola...problem solved. I pmed RS about it when I first noticed it asking him to look into this minor flaw but doesn't seem like he made any changes to it. it doesn't affect the amp's operation though.

 

[raisin]

I have the eleventh blackbird made, and have used it continuosly for over 18 months (40-50 hrs/wk). Although others had silk screening problems, mine is pristine because i keep it in a seperate cloth sleeve during use.

 

[cheechoz]

I think your going to love this one!!

My, now sold, SR-71 has been through hell, and back! Visiting a friend some time ago, I brought along my portable rig, which consisted of an SR-71, iPod, Cardas Mini, and my beloved E5c's. I put it along side some lit candles, and yes, the bag caught fire!

I was on the phone at the time, but I could smell something was wrong. Well, before it was to late, I managed to put the fire out, but not before damage had struck. The E5c's were toast, iPod was charred pretty bad, but still worked, and my SR-71 survived, but was also pretty well done

. I managed to clean, and scrape the charring off, but it just was still so ugly. The main thing, was that it still worked just fine, and continued to power all my needs for months to come. I switched to lithium 9v batteries, and let me tell you, this thing would not die for nothing! I just might buy another one, as it was one sweet sounding amp.

 

[Kirosia]

my sr-71 has a chip in it that initiates a self-destruct if hooked up to crappy stock headphones. Never dared to test it out.

 

[wolfen68]

I have #154. It's been a plug and chug deal, no real issues or problems. Only concern is that some batteries do not fit perfectly (a gap remaining on back plate once tightened down). Because of this, I use ray-o-vac alkalines which fit fine and get around 50 hours of life.

My silk screen is wearing off around the dial and power button. Ray says my unit is not one with bad silk screening (only first 100) and that this is from normal wear and tear.

 

[cheechoz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfen68 I have #154. It's been a plug and chug deal, no real issues or problems. Only concern is that some batteries do not fit perfectly (a gap remaining on back plate once tightened down). Because of this, I use ray-o-vac alkalines which fit fine and get around 50 hours of life.

Same thing here, some batteries are very hard to get in and out. Particualarly the lithium 9V's. The duracell's slide right in perfectly. I guess if there's a bettery to build around, that's the one!

 

[Deuterium]

I didn't start the thread, but as a new owner of a Blackbird, I appreciate the info.

 

[Pendergast]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deuterium I didn't start the thread, but as a new owner of a Blackbird, I appreciate the info.

So am I. Very entertaining and educational so far. Thanks to all, and welcome to others who want to add to this threads about it.

(I want to point out that I am related to Ray Samuels only through the purchase I made of a silver SR-71 from Todd the vinyl junkie.)

Please, keep them coming!

 

[euclid]

i am a very short term SR-71 owner but im also impressed so far.

i really dont have anything to add but im curious about the serial number system, does it start at 6000?

 

[wolfen68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by euclid the serial number system, does it start at 6000?

Yes.

 

[Pendergast]

Bump, hoping more can share their stories.