[Audio Addict]

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Mine arrived today but I am only 2 1/2 hours from Ray so FedEx does deliver quickly at times.
Thanks Ray.

[pix snipped - refer to post #451]
2 hornets but no mustang?!? methinks you need to revamp your collection!

I had to have the Green Hornet besides it was the modified version while the black was the original.
 
I did have an XP7 with external power supply I actual sold.  
 
Ray just has way too many portables to own them all.  I don't own the SR-71, the SR-71A, the Mustang and the Predator.  If it does count, I do own a Stealth and an Apache but they wouldn't fit in the picture.

 

[cooperpwc]

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I have several balanced headphones including the Grado HP2s, the AKG 701, the HD600 and the Telsa T1s ...I don't expect to be anything but pleased... I would think it would be indistinguishable from balance with my Apache.
 

Wow. That would make the SR-71B just this side of magic. I frankly can't believe that this can be true but I would love to be wrong. Please do let us know.
 

 

[Audio Addict]

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I have several balanced headphones including the Grado HP2s, the AKG 701, the HD600 and the Telsa T1s ...I don't expect to be anything but pleased... I would think it would be indistinguishable from balance with my Apache.
 

Wow. That would make the SR-71B just this side of magic. I frankly can't believe that this can be true but I would love to be wrong. Please do let us know.
 

I have a custom cable being made to connect balance from the source to the SR-71B and will find out.  One of the challenges fully balanced will be the corresponding increase in loudness and separating this change from the overall change.

 

[cooperpwc]

For sure, matching volumes is important. I really look forward to the comparisons.

 

[GeorgeGoodman]

That will be great! I know that they will all be spectacular with this amp having heard it myself running the HE-6 and HD600 from Ray's balanced Meridian CD player. Just let me know what you really like about each phone from it. 

 

[Jalo]

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I would really appreciate any comparisons between the SR71-b and the Protector:
 
1.  With single-ended input and single-ended output
 
2.  With single-ended input and balanced output
 
3.  With the 71b in fully-balanced mode and the Protector with SE input and balanced output.
 
I'm especially interested in comparisons using custom IEMs, Edition 8, HD800, and LCD-2. 
 
Thanks and happy holidays everyone!

I have just received my SR71b and it is being charged now.  I have both the Protector and the SR71b in my possession now, Wow.  Of the phone that you are interested, I have the JH13, hd800 and lcd2.  I'll give them a try and let you know.  But you really want to know about the ED8, you can sent it to me and I'll answer any question you have

 
The SR71b is smaller and much thinner than I expected.  Build is impeccable and solid.  It is the size of a deck of card.  So small but yet so powerful.  I think I'll keep this one for awhile.

 

[jamato8]

 
THE Blackbird SR-71B   a review:
 
How complicated can a review be? When talking or writing about sound, I am finding that with all of our interpretations of what we hear, what we like to hear, what we need to hear and what we should hear to sometimes be at opposing ends of this art. Since we are interpreting sound, music, which to me is art, the instrument to do this, by design must malign this art as little as possible if we are to remain true to this record of an event.
 
The Blackbird SR-71B is a link in the chain the conducts an electrical signal to transducers that turn this into energy into sound waves. Since the 71B is an amp with balanced and single ended drive capabilities, your choice of how you wish to listen is doubled.
 
The source is from lossless files on my iRiver via optical out or my MacBook Pro using either optical or USB in 24/96. The optical cable is the Sys Concepts 1300 fiber toslink that has proved to me that there is more to be found on this music and that the signal can be lost in conventional optical cables. The IC from dacs, the MB-1 dual dac, Boomslang balanced dac or a dac for USB 24/96 is the Twag for balanced and my own silver IC for single ended. Much of the listening was done with the Audez’e LCD-2 as I feel this is the most resolving phone I have heard and gives me immediate feedback and while not clinical, can dissect what I am hearing to a point I know what everything up stream is doing or not doing.
 
The monitors used are all balanced. The JH13 Pro with Twag, HD650, Ultrasone Ed. 9, ESW 10, Grado HF2, PortaPro, LCD-2. Again all are balanced and can be used single ended with my adapter.
 
The music used is lossless 16/48 and 24/96. Types of music pretty much covers the map from classical, jazz, rock, rhythm and blues, reggae, trance, metal and what ever else falls onto my ears. I would like to stress again that using the new 1300 fiber toslink cable with it much wider bandwidth and lower modal dispersion, allows even the 16/48 to sound better let alone what it does for 24/96 since most toslink can barely do better than 16/48 and often it will not even resolve that.
 
General characteristics of the SR-71B:
 
What comes to mind when I think of the sound that comes out of the 71B is not only that it resolves the body of the main instruments and voices, but also that of what I would call secondary sounds. Like a story you have the protagonist and the antagonist and then there are the foils, the characters that also build the story, give it texture and if the story is well written, the depth of a believable event but are never developed like the main characters. The 71b resolves the secondary sounds giving them body and substance more than a foil, which doesn’t have the full dimension of persona built upon. With the 71b you can hear more deeply into the recording, which in turn brings more life and realism to the auditory imagery laid out before you.
 
I don’t know what the noise floor is for the 71b but it must be very low. The notes rise and fall with a decay that fades into blackness giving them a distinct quality.
 
Side note:
 
As I write this electricity has gone out. The island of Pohnpei has one power plant that runs on diesel generators and one of the two has been down. That puts all the strain on one and we often lose power for anywhere from 10 minutes to hours. That second generator is now down. I have been listening with my MacBook Pro with an external hard drive with 2300 albums during this particular writing so with a pull of the optical cable and switching to the iRiver it is just a blip. On I go with high quality balanced sound via battery.
 
Audible frequency response:
 
   The upper frequency response of the 71B is smooth and extended. By extended there is no audible rounding of the high frequency range but a natural extension that lacks any grain or artificial edge. There is an airiness to the sound when a recording has this.
 
   Mid frequencies are full and have a slightly warm tone that is very analogue like. I do not find the mid frequencies are pushed forward nor are they recessed. The human voice, male or female, is portrayed with a fullness that imparts a feeling that it comes from a body. There is a mental image of human rather than sound coming out of type of void.
 
   Low frequencies are extremely well controlled and it is easy to follow even on bass heavy recordings if the recording is well done. This amp will not correct poor bass but does portray well recorded bass, as it should be, with bass notes that do not blur one into the other.
 
On instruments my comments on the frequency range follow suit. Well recorded acoustical guitars can be beguiling. There is such a melodic tone that if you are listening and doing something else, it is easy to be drawn back to the music and forget what you are focused on. Electric guitar, sax and instruments with drive have the right bite and edge. Piano has the nuances and volume, that come across with ease giving this instrument the respect it deserves.
 
Further observations:
 
The only way that background sounds could have substance is if the amp is transparent enough to resolve this and that is what the 71B does. By being transparent and handling the macro and micro dynamics and detail, sounds do not bump into each other but are presented as part of the whole but also as distinct parts within the soundscape.
 
The balanced output on this amp does differ a little from the single ended. In single ended you are put slightly further from the music, which for me is a nice exchange. You still have an amp with solid bass, great transparency and a soundstage that has believable width and depth but a little different perspective. Rather than sounding like the balanced section but having a decrease in sound quality, the single ended output is a slightly different placement while maintaining a high quality to the sound. As in a change from perspective there is a small change in tonality, which if understood you are a little closer with the balanced mode can be understood. To have the choice of either is excellent in my opinion. For the very hard to drive headphones the balanced mode does also offer the doubling of power and with this, you still have a truly portable, not transportable, headphone amplifier. 
 
Summary:
 
So that is my basic synopsis of the SR-71B. The balanced section is a little different presentation, as the drivers are driven both with the positive and negative current flow with 26 volts of voltage swing while the single ended is just that, a positive current flow to ground and approximately 13 volts. In a small package you get a beautifully crafted and looking amp with excellent sound that further helps us to interpret this sound, this art, we call music.
 
Features: 
 
   A custom volume control with R and L balance control.
   Three gain positions.
   Balanced and single ended for both input and output.
   More than a 26 volt swing in balanced mode and 12-14 volts output in single ended. 
   Internal custom battery with external charger/AC-DC converter.
   A 3 year warranty on the battery and lifetime warranty on the amplifier. 
   Size: 3.24 inches in length, .7 in height and 2.25 inches in width. 
   RSA reliability and support. 

 

[GeorgeGoodman]

Awesome review, Jamato! Great prose. I am going to have to get some of that 1300 fiber toslink cable you keep talking about once I get my rig finalized.
 
Did you ever use the pan/balance control built into the volume knob? Ray told me the two pots would be in each other and normally they are locked but you can unlock them and adjust the left/right volume balance. Is this your experience? Some of my phones have definite channel imbalances and this panning built into the amp would be very helpful.  Also, is there any imbalance with sensitive phones at low volumes? I would think there would not be because each channel has its own pot, but you never know. Thanks again for the review. 

 

[jamato8]

Thank you. You won't be sorry if you get the multi fiber cable. The balance control works perfectly. It is easy to use and a nice plus. 

 

[Jalo]

I can not stop myself from trying out the 71B even though it is not fully charged.  Before I purchased the 71B I have serious question whether the 71B is an upgrade from the Protector in SE mode (since I have the Protector already), I talked to Ray on two to three occasions and each time he told me that they are the same in SE mode.  So I finally have both amps in front of me and naturally I cannot help myself to compare a little bit.  Especially since Skylab didn't do this particular comparison on SE basis between the Protector and the 71B.
 
A word of caution.  The comparison is done with zero burn-in on the 71B so it may even be better after burn-in.  I used the LCD2 (w/ ALO Chain Mail recable) and HD800 (W/ SAA Voice recable) both terminated in 2x3 XLR and a Whiplash TWag xlr to Protector adaptor.  In terms of volume placement, I need to set the volume at 2:00 o'clock for the Protector and about 12:00 for the 71B.  Both are set to High gain.  Music are female vocal and orchestral genre.  This is more a initial observation and really cannot be called a review as I felt the 71B may evolve over the next hundred hours or so.
 
I first listened to the Protector for 45 minutes and I am very familiar with the Protector as I've been using it for the last 6-8 months, then I listen to the 71B for the same time periods and pieces.  Almost immediately, I noticed that the 71B placed me closer to the music than the Protector.  This is something I like. I felt the 71B is more involving and musical.  This may be due to the fact that the 71B is more crisp, quick, impactive attack, yet with good decay.  The 71b definitely is more transparent and natural than the Protector, not by much but its clearly there.  The sound stage is good and a little bit larger than the Protector.  As Jam above described the "secondary sound" characteristic, I can see it's there, may be because it is the excellent instrument separation or placement, the entire presentation and sound stage is very natural with body.  Since I used quite a bit of vocal for the comparison, the mids are very smooth and involving.  One of my concern with portable amplication has always been the lack of the body and fullness that one can get from desktop especially with fullsize cans.  The 71B erase those concerns.  Compare to the Protector, the sound is much fuller with body.  The bass is there in both the Protector and the 71B but  the 71B specially with the LCD2 will give me that viceral impact much more frequent than the Protector.  
 
I am waiting for the Solo and Boomslang to arrive and I hope the SQ could elevate by another level or two, on theory they should.  But my conclusion is that the Protector is no 71B even on SE in balance out basis.  If I may be subjective about the difference, I think there is at least a 10 to 15 percent better in SQ between the two.
 
PS  I've own 5 RSA amps now and the 71B has the best Volume pot, very solid with a good feel.  I didn't not notice any channel imbalance and this is with the two very good and transparent phones.  
 
Edit:  I forgot to mention that the 71B has more air but retain a tight focus on the sound image when compare to the Protector.  The Protector sounds a bit congested in comparison.

 

[wuwhere]

Great review Jam, and an amazing portable amp.

 

[debitsohn]

thanks jalo and jam.

 

[jamato8]

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Great review Jam, and an amazing portable amp.

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thanks jalo and jam.

Thank you. I am glad you enjoyed reading it and yes, it is an incredible amp.  Jam 
 

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

 
Originally posted in Skylab's review thread - http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/529311/review-ray-samuels-audio-sr-71b-balanced-portable-headphone-amp/30#post_7146829
 
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS SR-71B:
 
My SR-71b arrived on the 22nd, and I have only had time to try the HE-6 and JH13Pro balanced with the SR-71b so far.  The SR-71b sounded great right out of the box, but I'm still giving it some burn-in with music into my balanced JH13Pro.  After some listening with the HE-6 balanced I can say that the SR-71b is "significantly" more powerful than my balanced Protector (using TWag "Protector to 4-pin XLR" adapter). 
 
While the Protector drives my HD600 and HE-5 LE with authority, it can only maintain "conversation level" volumes with the HE-6; but the SR-71b drives the HE-6 better than I ever hoped.  I didn't believe it until I heard it for myself.  And it's not just in having enough power, but the sound quality is also superb.  I would have to say the treble quality is smoother than the Protector in balanced mode so far.  Bass, mids and highs are all excellent and balanced in respect to each other.  So, in both power and sound quality I'd say the SR-71b has an edge over the Protector, and that's with less than 24 hours on the SR-71b and over 1,000 hours on the Protector.  One thing to note is that the Protector in balanced mode sounds slightly more aggressive than the SR-71b or P-51, although less so via single ended mode.  While the Protector has been perfect for my balanced JH13Pro, the SR-71b is every bit as good or better with them and yet not too forward with the HE-6.  (I have not swapped over my Westone IEM to the balanced TWag cable yet, as it's too early in my ownership to try anything else.)  I will compare the balanced output vs SE output later.
 
There are several other amps that I reported on in the HE-6 threads, including the HDP, SAC KH1000, EF5, WA6 and ZDT.  I haven't compared the SR-71b yet to them, but I can say that I do believe it's a better match than HDP, SAC or EF5 in terms of sonic synergy and balance because I'm enjoying the combo more.  I previously felt that the SAC and HDP amps could be slightly bright with HE-6 as the volumes got higher, and the EF5 had a good balance but lacked the detail and soundstage of the other amps.  I'm certain that I would pick the SR-71b over any three of those amps for my HE-6.  I'm surprised that I can turn it to max volume without signs or strain or distortion like with the above desktop headphone amps.  My ZDT also allows me to max out the volume with the HE-6 without any distortion, and I would not be surprised of the SR-71b can match volume levels with the ZDT, based on what I am hearing up here in my bedroom rig.  The SR-71b is clearly more powerful driving the HE-6 than my WA6, although I didn't have many complaints about the sound quality at normal volumes with the WA6.  The WA6 is phenomenal with the JH13Pro, and it's too early to say how the SR-71b compares, although I am not hearing anything that I would want to change or fix with the SR-71b.  
 
As stated above, I have not had time to try any other full size phones or IEM with it yet.  I am planning to order a balanced LCD-2 Silver Dragon cable in the next week or two, so I'll be able to listen like I did at RMAF with the demo SR-71b and LCD-2 - I loved that combo there.  My HE-5, HE-5 LE, HD600, HD800 are already balanced with a 4-pin XLR like the HE-6, and I'll try them later on the SR-71b.  Plus with my Protector adapter and my APS V3 1/8" adapter I can use all these phones on any of my amps.  So that will make comparing amps easier later.  
 
I wanted another small balanced SS amp, and I have gotten my wish.  So far, just with these two phones I have no regrets about spending $614 on the SR-71b, and all my desires to repair my balanced Single Power Square Wave XL's broken PSU have evaporated.  

 

[wht]

jamato8, Jalo and HeadphoneAddict, thank you all for the very well written reviews/impressions.
 
HeadphoneAddict, I am eager to read your comparison of balanced versus single-ended as well. Thanks.