[raif]

update: nik says no hiss with the rp-5, though I would still like to hear gsferrari's opinion

by the way, thank you nik, your pm box was full so I couldn't send you a thank-you note

 

[Nik]

Yes! I deleted the old PM... (very little space for PM...).

Best!
Nicola

 

[Nik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wmcmanus Earl, there will be a lot of good sources at the upcoming meet in Florida on the 26th, as well as more ears to give the RP5 a good audition. Even under meet conditions, there should be a chance to put it through the paces since the Florida crowd is never in a hurry to go anywhere once they get started!

Hi Wayne,

did you received my e-mail about the 12ax7 tubes?

Best!
Nicola

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nik Hi Wayne, did you received my e-mail about the 12ax7 tubes? Best! Nicola

Yes, Nicola, my good friend and wallet buster! You have EM. Tubes rule!

 

[sacd lover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wmcmanus Earl, there will be a lot of good sources at the upcoming meet in Florida on the 26th, as well as more ears to give the RP5 a good audition. Even under meet conditions, there should be a chance to put it through the paces since the Florida crowd is never in a hurry to go anywhere once they get started!

Thanks Wmcmanus.

 

[TonyTripleA]

Thanks gsferrari,

as always informative review. Full of "tempting" conclusions! Obviously difficult for us Aussies to get to hear before we buy just about anything so these review really help.

Singlepower/Ear/Rudistor all sound like good amps for my Alessandros, as do the SS HR2 and Gilmours. Sounds like the RP5 might just have the edge...

Cheers,

TonyAAA

 

[gsferrari]

There is NO HISS...absolutely no hiss...

there is a mild hum with the Sony CD3000 which is the only headphone which fails this test. The Grados sound fine and even the Koss Porta Pro 2 is dead silent.

With the senns there is only blackness...

Hum can be because of choice of tubes, power quality in my area and problems with interconnects and even source noise...However the CD3000 did not hum with the Headroom MAX as it hummed with the Rudistor - this may be something to note.

All in all the Headroom Max is the most silent...dead silent...

The Rudistor is also silent but you can still hear a little hum...
I am getting repetitive

With the sennheiser HD-650 both amps are absolutely dead silent...your experience with other headphones may vary.

Updated review link will be up on thursday night.

Thanks for all the feedback and comments...I will also post this review on HeadFi as a separate thread on Saturday.

Cheers!

 

[agile_one]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Swampwalker Great start on the review, gs. What's the tube complement?

The RP5 has two tubes, and will work with ECC86 or 6922/E88CC's. Sylvania, Telefunken, Mullards and Jan Phillips have all been suggested by Rudi as being good for it. Guru - have you determined what is in there now?

Quote:

Originally Posted by raif Actually I was thinking of something. What about import taxes?

I can comment since I was the original purchaser of this RP5 from Rudi, and actually managed to hold onto it for a week or so before gsferrari spirited it away, and made it his

There were no duty or taxes at all. I paid Rudi via PayPal, and he shipped with the Italian Post Office equivalent of Priority Mail. Got here in less than a week, and neither the P.O. nor Customs raised an eyebrow.

As for sound - in the short time I had it, I heard HD650's, R10's and L3000's with it. The RP5 excelled with the 650's - best I've heard with those headphones, and that's saying a lot. OK, I've haven't heard a Blockhead or SDS with 650's, but do have a Stealth and MAX for comparison, and the RP5 just did more for me. This is out of a Meridian 588 source. The RP5 has the power and speed of the MAX, and the smoothness of the Stealth - everything the 650's need to be driven with authority.

With the R10 and L3000, I preferred the Stealth. Since I've decided to build my system around the R10's, I let gsferrari take the RP5 for his 650's, and that was the end of that - I will only be seeing it at meets from now on.

To those concerned about hiss or hum with low impedance cans (Grado, CD3K, R10, etc), my experience was that there is a very slight background hum audible with no source material present. The level of hum did not increase when the volume was raised - stayed consistently low all the way to max volume - and was completely masked by any signal when music was played. It seemed to me like 60 hz noise that could have been a ground loop, tube microphonics, or dirty power (I had no power conditioner at the time). It did not bother me nor impair my enjoyment of the low impedance cans in any way, but it was there, and it was audible when no source signal was present with low impedance cans. With the 650's, there was totally silent, black background all the way to max volume with no signal.

At its price, the RP5 represents great value, and is a stellar performer. Rudi Stor is professional to deal with, and cares greatly about designing and building great products.

I look forward to hearing the RP5 again at an upcoming meet June 26th. As Wmcmanus has mentioned, we will be able to put it through it's paces with many headphones (600/650, R10, L3000, RS1, PS1, etc), and compare it directly to other amps including the Stealth, Maestro, PPX3, and others. There will be some good sources available, too, so we will be sure to give the RP5 a go with one of them.

 

[gsferrari]

Quote:

Originally Posted by agile_one I can comment since I was the original purchaser of this RP5 from Rudi, and actually managed to hold onto it for a week or so before gsferrari spirited it away, and made it his

mua ha ha ha!! Its miiineee!! My precioussss!!

Excellent post Gene

I am opening her up to check out the tubes...wrote it down somewhere and lost the paper...darn!

LOL

 

[raif]

Quote:

Originally Posted by agile_one To those concerned about hiss or hum with low impedance cans (Grado, CD3K, R10, etc), my experience was that there is a very slight background hum audible with no source material present.

hmmm...
no thank you.

Too bad but I was about a week away from sending a grand out to Italy.

 

[gsferrari]

Quote:

Originally Posted by raif hmmm... no thank you. Too bad but I was about a week away from sending a grand out to Italy.

Thanks for sharing

 

[raif]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsferrari Thanks for sharing

I take it that means you hear the hum with grados too?

 

[gsferrari]

Quote:

Originally Posted by raif I take it that means you hear the hum with grados too?

No - I dont hear the hum with the Grados or the Koss or the Sennheisers. I only hear the hum with the Sony CD3000.

 

[pirate]

A picture in your review shows a CD3000. How do the CD3000 and your own Grado sound off of the RP5?

 

[gsferrari]

Sounds awesome...but I dont like the Sony CD3K's anyway

Grado SR-60 doesnt reveal any humm and sounds very very nice...

If you are using primarily with the low impedance cans then mention it to Rudi so that he uses a different potentiometer in the amp. The one in my amp is tuned to high impedance cans...low impedance cans get VERY loud VERY fast...within a few degrees of twist...kinda hard to get the correct volume with them because it is a stepped Pot. You can also ask him to use a smooth tuning pot without steps...

Note - this is NOT a stepped Attenuator