Yada
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2005
- Posts
- 37
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- 0
As background, I’ve been into hifi for about 30 years. After building up a fairly serious high end system I came to the conclusion that no matter how good the equipment might be, unless the room is comparably good it’s very difficult to get accurate and pleasant sounding music. To me a good system should sound good across many types of music and I found it very hard to build a high end system that could allow me to get past favorite test LPs and CDs. I was always listening to the equipment in search of a better configuration rather than listening to the music. To be clear, I’m not saying that headphones are better than 2 channel stereo systems with speakers in a room, but I am saying that if your room isn’t right in terms of length, height and width dimension ratios, shape, and surfaces – you might not be able to get there from here.
I believe that room acoustics are the least understood and appreciated part of high end hifi. On the other hand, headphones, to a significant degree, design-in the acoustical environment from the get-go rather than leaving environment engineering up to the user. (If I could have just one, the perfect room and room-based system or the perfect headphone system, I’d take the room and room-based system – but I simply don’t have such a room.)
Anyway, when the lack of a decent room recently caused me to throw in the towel on chasing ever higher high end hifi equipment I decided to give headphones a try. This site (head-fi.org) was very instrumental (a pun, I guess) in shaping my thinking about headphone systems. After reading lots of threads, I listened to both Sony CD3000s (CD3ks) and Sennheiser 650s. I can understand how some people would prefer the 650s over the CD3ks but for me it wasn’t a very hard decision to go with the CD3ks. One thread here pretty much summed up my perception by saying something to the effect that listening to the 650s was like hearing the music from a block away. Nonetheless, I’m sure the 650s can sound great with some equipment and for some people as there are many 650 fans here. Having said all that, my comments on the Singlepower MPX3 SLAM are based on my use of CD3ks.
The short summary is that the MPX3 SLAM is an excellent amplifier. It provides an optimum tradeoff: lots of definition but no harshness or glare. Bass extension is good and reasonably tight. The midrange is one of the amp’s strengths – it is open and airy. With a good recording the midrange can be somewhere between stunning and nearly startling; it is very real. The high end also has openness and air and good detail. It is possible that the high end is ever-so rolled off, but the end result is a wonderful match with the CD3Ks. I’ve heard the CD3Ks on another tube amp and a solid state amp and clearly the MPX3 SLAM offered the most synergy with the CD3Ks; (back to the Sennheiser 650s, I can understand why some people might consider the CD3Ks to be too bright – for me it was the opposite, the 650s were too warm and lacking in presence); but the point is - with the MPX3 SLAM the CD3Ks fit like a hand in a glove.
The slightly longer description has to take into consideration tubes, the source device, and cables; synergy is a real thing.
I tried a lot of different tubes in the MPX3 SLAM. My preference so far are two Tung Sol 5687s and a Ken-Rad VT231. This combination seemed to bring out the best of everything including bass, midrange, highs, definition, transient response, air, and sound staging. For the source, I used two CD players: a Dynaco tube-based CDV2 (which is a very good CD player) and an Audio Research CD3 MkII which is probably worthy of being considered a world-class CD player for redbook CDs. The ARC is superior to the CDV2, but the CDV2 holds it’s own; I intend to try a Jolida 100A soon as I believe it has the potential to offer strong price performance. In any event, my frame of reference is the MPX3 SLAM with the Tung Sols and Ken-Rad, and the ARC CD3 MkII.
Having zeroed-in on the preferred tubes and CD player, I then experimented with interconnects. Again, I tried several combinations. Near the end of the IC trials I was homing-in on Kimber Heros and interestingly a pair of old, nothing special Sony ICs that probably came with any of a number of inexpensive Sony products many years ago. The Sony ICs, for some reason, offered nearly the tonal balance, definition, and clarity of the Kimber Heros, but beyond that, they seemed to create more “PRaT”. For a long time in my hifi career I found it difficult to get my head around PRaT (Pace, Rhythm, and Timing.) While I am now a believer in the concept of PRaT, I can’t begin to explain it technologically. Nonetheless, I’ve heard enough combinations of equipment to know that some systems get your toes tapping and other systems just hit you with impressive sound. To me it was a surprise that the plain old Sony ICs could a) sound as good as Kimber Hero’s that probably are worth 20 x the price, and b) that the Sony ICs could actually inject (or yield?) PRaT beyond what the Kimbers yielded. I switched the two ICs back and forth a dozen times to confirm the impression and it was always the same.
At this point, I thought I was pretty well set. However, in the “it’s never over journey of hifi” I happened to be surfing a site called www.10audio.com. I’ve followed Jerry’s reviews and corresponded with him a few times. Jerry’s reviews have consistently lined up with my impressions. One review that he did on the Shelter 901 cartridge was virtually identical to my impressions of the cartridge and from that point on I’ve taken Jerry’s advice with considerable confidence, but I’ve never made a purchase based just on his advice – until this week. Jerry wrote a review on an interconnect cable called the Oritek Audio (that’s the manufacturer) X-1. You can read the review, but suffice it to say Jerry was wild about the product. So, what the heck, I sprung for a pair and they showed up earlier today. I plugged them in expecting one more in a long list of “it’s ok, but nothing really special” experiences – but I received a very pleasant surprise. The X-1s provided all the clarity of the Kimber Heros, the PRaT of the old Sony ICs, and generally took the whole system up a notch in terms of everything good and knocked out pretty much anything that could have been considered bad. Just read Jerry’s review on the X-1s; it’s just like he describes – and what I can say is that when you plug the X-1s in between an ARC CD3 MkII and a Singlepower MPX3 SLAM you will hear your CD3Ks (assuming you have those) play all types of music in a very exciting, real, and enjoyable fashion. And that’s what really has me fired up about the Singlepower MPX3 SLAM and this system combination – the ability to make any music sound good while making the equipment disappear from my mind.
To be accurate, I don’t listen to ALL types of music, but I do like rock, jazz, vocals, some classical, and some reggae. For the first time since maybe the 1960s or 70s I’m loving Rock and Roll and not having to say “yeah, it’s good music, but it doesn’t make my system sound very good.” I know the Rolling Stones aren’t known for great audiophile recordings, but they are known for some great music and for the first time since I don’t know when, their music is FUN to hear; it sounds like the Stones (I heard them once in a concert and on lots of big 2 channel speaker systems). It’s not just the Stones; try America, try Jethro Tull, try whatever – it has the rage, delicacy, texture, bass, transient response, you name it - it sounds good. And it isn’t just Rock and Roll. Try Bill Evans jazz (I know, if a system can’t make Bill Evans sound good, what music could a system make sound good?) Jazz sounds great with the MPX3 SLAM/CD3k/CD3 MkII/X-1. And of course, the real tests are vocals; it’s hard for us to know what some instruments (especially electronic instruments) are supposed to sound like, but we all have a sense for the human voice. Try Norah Jones, try Dianna Kroll. The breathiness, the rapture, the whole thing is there – and underneath it, but not running through it like some “always-on” vibration, is the strong bass foundation. Bass comes and goes, midrange comes and goes, highs come and go – they play together, but they don’t drag each other around; and the same with all the instruments and voices that play across the frequency spectrum. A lot of this last quality was already there with the electronics, but it kicked into an even higher degree with the X-1 ICs. The X-1s lay down great low end without letting the low end shift the midrange downward. And all of the components – the CD3Ks, the MPX3 SLAM, the X-1s, and the CD3 MkII provide air, transparency, high end detail without harshness, and sound staging that add up to a very real, engaging, toe tapping (PRaT-filled), enjoyable listening experience. Better recordings are more impressive than lesser recordings, but with virtuallly every recording you can forget about "system attributes" and just listen to the music. In fact, it's like all my recordings took a step or two up; unlistenable recordings became listenable, average recordings became highly enjoyable, good recordings became even more interesting. I’m not saying there aren’t better system combinations, but if you happen to put this combination of Sony, Singlepower (Ken-Rad, Tung Sol), Oritek, and Audio Research together I think you might find you are very close to whatever you’re seeking in a headphone system, and more importantly, in music enjoyment.
I believe that room acoustics are the least understood and appreciated part of high end hifi. On the other hand, headphones, to a significant degree, design-in the acoustical environment from the get-go rather than leaving environment engineering up to the user. (If I could have just one, the perfect room and room-based system or the perfect headphone system, I’d take the room and room-based system – but I simply don’t have such a room.)
Anyway, when the lack of a decent room recently caused me to throw in the towel on chasing ever higher high end hifi equipment I decided to give headphones a try. This site (head-fi.org) was very instrumental (a pun, I guess) in shaping my thinking about headphone systems. After reading lots of threads, I listened to both Sony CD3000s (CD3ks) and Sennheiser 650s. I can understand how some people would prefer the 650s over the CD3ks but for me it wasn’t a very hard decision to go with the CD3ks. One thread here pretty much summed up my perception by saying something to the effect that listening to the 650s was like hearing the music from a block away. Nonetheless, I’m sure the 650s can sound great with some equipment and for some people as there are many 650 fans here. Having said all that, my comments on the Singlepower MPX3 SLAM are based on my use of CD3ks.
The short summary is that the MPX3 SLAM is an excellent amplifier. It provides an optimum tradeoff: lots of definition but no harshness or glare. Bass extension is good and reasonably tight. The midrange is one of the amp’s strengths – it is open and airy. With a good recording the midrange can be somewhere between stunning and nearly startling; it is very real. The high end also has openness and air and good detail. It is possible that the high end is ever-so rolled off, but the end result is a wonderful match with the CD3Ks. I’ve heard the CD3Ks on another tube amp and a solid state amp and clearly the MPX3 SLAM offered the most synergy with the CD3Ks; (back to the Sennheiser 650s, I can understand why some people might consider the CD3Ks to be too bright – for me it was the opposite, the 650s were too warm and lacking in presence); but the point is - with the MPX3 SLAM the CD3Ks fit like a hand in a glove.
The slightly longer description has to take into consideration tubes, the source device, and cables; synergy is a real thing.
I tried a lot of different tubes in the MPX3 SLAM. My preference so far are two Tung Sol 5687s and a Ken-Rad VT231. This combination seemed to bring out the best of everything including bass, midrange, highs, definition, transient response, air, and sound staging. For the source, I used two CD players: a Dynaco tube-based CDV2 (which is a very good CD player) and an Audio Research CD3 MkII which is probably worthy of being considered a world-class CD player for redbook CDs. The ARC is superior to the CDV2, but the CDV2 holds it’s own; I intend to try a Jolida 100A soon as I believe it has the potential to offer strong price performance. In any event, my frame of reference is the MPX3 SLAM with the Tung Sols and Ken-Rad, and the ARC CD3 MkII.
Having zeroed-in on the preferred tubes and CD player, I then experimented with interconnects. Again, I tried several combinations. Near the end of the IC trials I was homing-in on Kimber Heros and interestingly a pair of old, nothing special Sony ICs that probably came with any of a number of inexpensive Sony products many years ago. The Sony ICs, for some reason, offered nearly the tonal balance, definition, and clarity of the Kimber Heros, but beyond that, they seemed to create more “PRaT”. For a long time in my hifi career I found it difficult to get my head around PRaT (Pace, Rhythm, and Timing.) While I am now a believer in the concept of PRaT, I can’t begin to explain it technologically. Nonetheless, I’ve heard enough combinations of equipment to know that some systems get your toes tapping and other systems just hit you with impressive sound. To me it was a surprise that the plain old Sony ICs could a) sound as good as Kimber Hero’s that probably are worth 20 x the price, and b) that the Sony ICs could actually inject (or yield?) PRaT beyond what the Kimbers yielded. I switched the two ICs back and forth a dozen times to confirm the impression and it was always the same.
At this point, I thought I was pretty well set. However, in the “it’s never over journey of hifi” I happened to be surfing a site called www.10audio.com. I’ve followed Jerry’s reviews and corresponded with him a few times. Jerry’s reviews have consistently lined up with my impressions. One review that he did on the Shelter 901 cartridge was virtually identical to my impressions of the cartridge and from that point on I’ve taken Jerry’s advice with considerable confidence, but I’ve never made a purchase based just on his advice – until this week. Jerry wrote a review on an interconnect cable called the Oritek Audio (that’s the manufacturer) X-1. You can read the review, but suffice it to say Jerry was wild about the product. So, what the heck, I sprung for a pair and they showed up earlier today. I plugged them in expecting one more in a long list of “it’s ok, but nothing really special” experiences – but I received a very pleasant surprise. The X-1s provided all the clarity of the Kimber Heros, the PRaT of the old Sony ICs, and generally took the whole system up a notch in terms of everything good and knocked out pretty much anything that could have been considered bad. Just read Jerry’s review on the X-1s; it’s just like he describes – and what I can say is that when you plug the X-1s in between an ARC CD3 MkII and a Singlepower MPX3 SLAM you will hear your CD3Ks (assuming you have those) play all types of music in a very exciting, real, and enjoyable fashion. And that’s what really has me fired up about the Singlepower MPX3 SLAM and this system combination – the ability to make any music sound good while making the equipment disappear from my mind.
To be accurate, I don’t listen to ALL types of music, but I do like rock, jazz, vocals, some classical, and some reggae. For the first time since maybe the 1960s or 70s I’m loving Rock and Roll and not having to say “yeah, it’s good music, but it doesn’t make my system sound very good.” I know the Rolling Stones aren’t known for great audiophile recordings, but they are known for some great music and for the first time since I don’t know when, their music is FUN to hear; it sounds like the Stones (I heard them once in a concert and on lots of big 2 channel speaker systems). It’s not just the Stones; try America, try Jethro Tull, try whatever – it has the rage, delicacy, texture, bass, transient response, you name it - it sounds good. And it isn’t just Rock and Roll. Try Bill Evans jazz (I know, if a system can’t make Bill Evans sound good, what music could a system make sound good?) Jazz sounds great with the MPX3 SLAM/CD3k/CD3 MkII/X-1. And of course, the real tests are vocals; it’s hard for us to know what some instruments (especially electronic instruments) are supposed to sound like, but we all have a sense for the human voice. Try Norah Jones, try Dianna Kroll. The breathiness, the rapture, the whole thing is there – and underneath it, but not running through it like some “always-on” vibration, is the strong bass foundation. Bass comes and goes, midrange comes and goes, highs come and go – they play together, but they don’t drag each other around; and the same with all the instruments and voices that play across the frequency spectrum. A lot of this last quality was already there with the electronics, but it kicked into an even higher degree with the X-1 ICs. The X-1s lay down great low end without letting the low end shift the midrange downward. And all of the components – the CD3Ks, the MPX3 SLAM, the X-1s, and the CD3 MkII provide air, transparency, high end detail without harshness, and sound staging that add up to a very real, engaging, toe tapping (PRaT-filled), enjoyable listening experience. Better recordings are more impressive than lesser recordings, but with virtuallly every recording you can forget about "system attributes" and just listen to the music. In fact, it's like all my recordings took a step or two up; unlistenable recordings became listenable, average recordings became highly enjoyable, good recordings became even more interesting. I’m not saying there aren’t better system combinations, but if you happen to put this combination of Sony, Singlepower (Ken-Rad, Tung Sol), Oritek, and Audio Research together I think you might find you are very close to whatever you’re seeking in a headphone system, and more importantly, in music enjoyment.
