RSA **Predator** A review in stages ** With some "NEW" images on 1st and page 64 . . .

[jamato8]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlingo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Mine doesn't even blink. I haven't seen it blinking yet. is that normal?

Yeah, the blinking can be hard to see. I noticed it the other day and then realized it doesn't BLINK but dims just a little as it blinks. You have to go into a darkened room. LOL I don't know, it doesn't blink real obvious but I haven't had any problems keeping this one charged.


I reported earlier that the gain switch did not change the sound but it does, a little. In the 0 gain it is slightly warmer and decreases in warmth as you go to the highest gain setting but this is a minor change but convenient as even in the 0 gain I have enough for my headphones.

 

[jlingo]

Yeah me too, I prefer to set the gain on low. It's somewhat more musical, slower, airy, tubey, better decay, relaxed and warm compare to being set to mid and high. It's in fact very noticable.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamato8 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah, the blinking can be hard to see. I noticed it the other day and then realized it doesn't BLINK but dims just a little as it blinks. You have to go into a darkened room. LOL I don't know, it doesn't blink real obvious but I haven't had any problems keeping this one charged. I reported earlier that the gain switch did not change the sound but it does, a little. In the 0 gain it is slightly warmer and decreases in warmth as you go to the highest gain setting but this is a minor change but convenient as even in the 0 gain I have enough for my headphones.

 

[OptionTrader]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlingo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Mine doesn't even blink. I haven't seen it blinking yet. is that normal?

I'm on my second day with my new Predator. After speaking to Ray about exactly this subject, he advised me that simply charging it for 2 to 3 hours would get the job done if you needed to do it during the day. Another alternative is to plug it in overnight to be sure. There is absolutely no risk of overcharging.

The subtle blinking of the power switch LED only happens briefly while the unit is switched on while charging. If switched off, you will notice nothing.

 

[OptionTrader]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamato8 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Near 600 hours and I am still experiencing changes and not always subtle ones.

I'm not even at 60 hours yet and the burn-in reminds me of my experience with my Hornet. 400 hours or so into that burn-in and it really started to show its qualities. I've been very happy with the Hornet and am looking forward to the maturing of my Predator.

 

[elnero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamato8 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yep, exactly what I got at first. I thought, "whoa, this thing sucks, what was Ray thinking?" It takes some time to open up and goes through more changes than Jim Carrey in The Mask.

Wait, I'm confused, I thought you said the one you were sent had 300 hours on it already.

 

[jamato8]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elnero /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wait, I'm confused, I thought you said the one you were sent had 300 hours on it already.

That's right, it had 300 hours but when I fired it up the cap took a couple of hours to settle and for the sound to become focused. I have often heard this with equipment that has been off for a while.

If you go to the first page from the 18th of December, I mentioned this in the beginning of the second paragraph.

 

[mitchb]

Does it matter wether or not the unit is on or off when charging overnight? I just got a Zune. Perhaps not the best but I just discovered portable. COOL!!

 

[OptionTrader]

It doesn't matter if the Predator is switched on or off while charging. You're good to go either way.

 

[jamato8]

It can be charged on or off. It is designed not to overcharge the battery.

 

[OptionTrader]

We must have hit the submit button at the same time jamato8.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamato8 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yep, exactly what I got at first. I thought, "whoa, this thing sucks, what was Ray thinking?" It takes some time to open up and goes through more changes than Jim Carrey in The Mask.

So, what does it mean when mine sounded nice (not perfect, but not flat, sucky or dull) right out of the box?

I have 28 hours on predator now and it sounds very nice. I haven't compared it yet to the rest of my plethora of amps yet, but I will. I am burning in the DAC and Amp together with my Proline 2500 which now have about 76 hours on them and are sounding really good too. Makes me want to save the New Edition 9 for later - got them in today but I'm afraid to listen to them

 

[Jaw007]

I was afraid to listen to a new amp that I got over a week ago,and still have not listened to it yet!

 

[mp101]

Burning mine in now, sounds good so far, using flac through USB (using Foobar), its been on now for 19 hours, just on the charge it came with. I'll post more later

 

[elnero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamato8 /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's right, it had 300 hours but when I fired it up the cap took a couple of hours to settle and for the sound to become focused. I have often heard this with equipment that has been off for a while. If you go to the first page from the 18th of December, I mentioned this in the beginning of the second paragraph.

Ok, that was weird, I posted that last night before I went to bed, got up this morning and not only did I not see a reply but I didn't see my original post. Not a big surprise, I'm on dial-up so sometimes things time out and I don't realize it so I reposted a little bit ago, I check again and now my original post and subsequent reply are there while the one I just posted is gone???

Anyhow, yes I've read the thread and even with the cap settling in as you say I didn't think you would equate one with 300 hours on it to a new one, it was just a confusing statement to me. So what do you attribute this settling period you experienced to, the amp having not been used for a period of time or something else?

 

[OptionTrader]

With the ridiculous (in a good way) battery life that the Predator offers, you could simply leave it switched on all the time and forget about the "settling period" altogether. Just plug in the charger every few days or so.