[10068]

Bright? I didn't find the Hornet bright at all. The opposite in fact, I found the Hornet to be detailed and airy without being harsh or bright in the treble. I find the treble of the SR-71 to be harsh and fatiguing within about 30mins.

 

[Teerawit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyfrenchman27 UE-10: Best listening device I've ever heard. Still. Completely worth $900. Friendly customer support. Fast, detailed, jaw-dropping bass, portable, discreet, sounds wonderful from crap sources/amplification, and provides isolation. What is there not to like? BUY THIS PRODUCT!

How were you able to audition UE-10 pros (or do you personally own them)? Were you able to fit someone else's custom molds in your ear?

 

[Borat]

I learned this weekend that I don't have the most critical ear so take these mini impressions with that in mind....

Cardas Balanced Senn HD650/HD595/DT880, HeadRoom Max Balanced, Meridian 508 - This was the first setup I listened to at the meet and it was one of the most unforgettable. I could not believe these were the same headphones (HD650) that I used to own. There was no hint of "veil" or "darkness" to the sound that I remembered. Everything was clear across the range while still retaining the smooth signature. I was really impressed by the features on the Max like the crossfeed and gain selector switch.

Senn HD600 (Cardas), Ray Samuels Stealth, Meridian 508 - LFF was already putting Ray's Raptor through the motions with his reference cd's so I was happy to join him on the Stealth, which was connected to the same source. I really liked this amp for the classical and vocal jazz that we were listening to. It presents a very clear overall picture that goes well with the HD600's laidback/smooth characteristics. Nothing in the spectrum really jumps out and grabs you, it is just presented in a neutral manner that is great for orchestral/classical and the like.

HD600 (Cardas)/HD650/Grado RS-1/Sony SA-5000, Ray Samuels The Raptor, Meridian 508 - This amp has some serious sledgehammer force. It provides attack, bass, and dynamics in spades. I am not the least bit surprised that this can drive the AKG K1000. The sound was exciting through any headphone I plugged into it. Using LFF's reference bass track, this amp just owned it.

Sony MDR-R10, Ray's switchbox

,Ray Samuels The Hornet vs. The Raptor, Meridian 508 - Okay I admit it. I failed the A/B test. But so did almost everyone else, so stop persecuting me!

At first I felt disappointed in my perceived audiophileness because of this, but hey, if it saves me 800 bucks or more then I can live with that. Ray made sure to unplug the cables to show me that the switchbox was legit. Kudos to Edwood who was the only contestant out of about 5 who could tell the differences, slight as they were. And I do mean slight, as in imaging and not really anything else. This is the most powerful 9v powered portable amplifier that I have heard to date. It laughs at the Senns like it's saying, "Is that all you got?"

I also hooked the Hornet up to my portable setup (iPod, PocketDock line out, RnB Sky Blue Mini V.2) and the sound was as good as I've ever heard out of it. The only thing that makes the decision to pre-order this dynamite little amp difficult is...

Ray Samuels Emmeline SR-71 - This amp really doesn't need any introduction. It has been the gold standard in portable amplifiers for some time now. The introduction of the Hornet will not make this amplifier "obsolete." They are both excellent, but very different portables. It is my opinion that the Hornet was voiced to sound like a mini Raptor (aggressive mids, dynamics, attack) while the SR-71 provides a smoother coherent overall picture with nothing jumping out at you, much like the Stealth/HR-2.

Depending on your preference of presentation, you cannot go wrong with either amp. Unfortunately for my wallet, I like both. Ray has really covered the bases here by providing two different flavored portables. Because as we all know, people simply have different tastes. Neither are better/best, just different.

HD650 (Equinox), SinglePower SDS-T, Exemplar Modded Denon 2900 - I only listened to this setup briefly but I came away very impressed. The deep soundstage and lush tube sound coming from the SinglePower was nice. I really wish Mikhail could have made it out because there weren't many of his amps present at this meet and I was interested in hearing them.

Grado PS-1 with Moon Audio Balanced Black Dragon, modded Benchmark DAC1, HeadAmp Gilmore Reference - Many of the attendees including myself were very impressed with the balanced PS-1. This was like the ultimate rock/rap/electronic music headphone. The bass went way low without masking treble detail and top end. Drums and cymbals really sounded awesome on this with great impact. The only problem was the comfort. The weight of the metal cups combined with the unpadded headband and bowl pads made it difficult to leave on for a long time. Also how am I supposed to rock out when they keep slipping off?

AKG K1000, Meier Corda Prehead, Meridian 508 - The Prehead was able to drive the K1000 surprisingly well. I had a lot of fun listening to these odd looking earspeakers. The sound as you would expect is a lot like listening to loudspeakers. Music does not have the in-your-head feeling that traditional headphones often present. These are probably the best headphones I've experienced under $1000.

Sony MDR-R10, Grace m902, PC using foobar2k - This was technically speaking the best headphone I heard at the meet. To my ears, this setup sounded completely flat. It was strange at first hearing a headphone that seemed neither warm nor cold. If the goal of all of this is to achieve the flattest response possible, the R10's and Grace are the way to go. The R-10's are also the most comfortable pair of headphones that have ever been on my head. The weight distribution is really good and I did not feel the clamp at all like my Senns. I was also really impressed with the versatility and features of the m902.

AKG K501 - Light on the bass, but really sweet in the mids with a wide soundstage. Not as comfortable as pictures suggest in my experience because my ears touched the driver mesh.

Beyer DT990 - was a pleasant surprise since nobody seems to talk about them here, I assumed they weren't really that great. But I thought the bass was tight, soundstage was very deep and wide, with very liquid mids.

AKG K340 with recable - I have never heard anything like this hybrid headphone before. The sound took a while to get used to but very cool. They made some rock music sound slower, but everything came out really clear.

Sony SA-5000 - I can understand why this headphone has its fans. The detail, resolution, and top end are very revealing, but they are just not for me. They are also probably the pickiest pair of cans when it comes to synergy with source/amps that I have ever heard. When plugged into a NAD CDP into a Gilmore V1 it was way too bright and sibilant. The Meridian 588 with RSA Raptor was better, but still not my bag. Everyone who likes these seems to own the Benchmark DAC1. I didn't hear it through that DAC, but maybe that's the key to unlocking enjoyment out of these things.

Alessandro MS-2i - Very nice. On the other hand...

Alessandro MS-2 - These were way too metallic sounding for my tastes. I don't know what John Grado did for the i versions, but they are a huge improvement in my experience.

Grado SR-225 - These truly are a rock headphone. I was originally planning on buying the MS-2i, but I was getting just as much, if not more, enjoyment out of these. Too bad there weren't any 325i's present as they fall in my price range as well.

Grado RS-1 - I could not get a hold on how these really sound because I think I tried 3 different padded versions at the meet. The Headphile C-Pad seemed to mask highs a little more than the bowls. Sound became smoother and less fatiguing, but lost some detail. The RadioShack comfies were similar in that they seemed to muddy up the top end a little. Bowls were much more enjoyable soundwise, just not as comfortable.

There was so much gear there that my ears started to get tired. If I remember anything else I will post again.

 

[Borat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teerawit How were you able to audition UE-10 pros (or do you personally own them)? Were you able to fit someone else's custom molds in your ear?

Mike Dias and UE sent over demo UE-10 Pros that were designed to accept univeral fit foamies. So it's not the complete custom molded experience, but at least one is able to audition them.

 

[Teerawit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Borat Mike Dias and UE sent over demo UE-10 Pros that were designed to accept univeral fit foamies. So it's not the complete custom molded experience, but at least one is able to audition them.

Cool, so i can only imagine the custom molds to be better, yeah? Don't tempt me with $1000 earphones!

 

[bookkeepers_son]

Hey, Borat, it was cool hangin' out with you at the meet, and also with augustwest, foo_me, DigiPete, Hsin (?, sorry forgot your screen name)and others. Great to meet Jon L. in person (he recabled my K340), too. Nice to see a person so young so deep into music and gear (Borat), and very astute in his 'phone impressions. You look like I'd be twice your age, Borat

Hsin, thanks for offering me your CDs to listen to. You a Rocker with a capital R, dude. augustwest, I'll always remember that fateful moment when you handed me the PS-1

Thanks for all the people responsible for the meet: LFF, Edwood, BRBJackson, others I'm forgetting, and also the gracious presence of Ray and Tyll.

I mostly concentrated on headphone comparisons but did note exceptional performance from some amps (Raptor, Hornet, KGSS). None of the headphones that I listened to actively irritate or offend. Or maybe I just have plebeian tastes and is easy to please

I did notice like the others that something was awry with the K3000 sample. Hope to listen to a rightly functioning one in the future. The two headphones that really got my juices flowing were the PS-1 and the Stax Omega II (driven by the KGSS). I still like my MS-2 but listening to the PS-1 offered me the improvements that I've always wished on the MS-2: less hardness on top and when driven harder, more forward midrange or dimensionality but with less sharper outlines (sounding more natural), deeper and fuller bass. This is the only headphones at the meet that gave me goosebumps. The track was a well-played track for me that day (It's for You; Pat Metheny/Lyle Mays) so it wasn't a case of a track being played for the first time. I'll most likely spring for the PS-1 but this will probably take me a few months (broke at the moment). In the meantime, I'll be suffering with my MS-2s and K340s

The Omega IIs that I've listened to before did not sound as good as the one at the meet with the KGSS, so I attribute the better sound to the amp, logically. Maximum resolution, quickness, the sense of the artist singing or playing right at that moment that you're listening is so great. Belle and Sebastian and Jobim as music choices didn't hurt either. This is the only other headphone/amp combo at the meet that amped my lust. It's quite an expensive proposition for me, however.

Other noteworthy 'phones at the meet were the K1000 (very open) and the HD650 (very even-handed). Can't wait 'til the next one...

 

[bhd812]

yes how did augustwest's ps-1's sound?

how are they David?...

 

[Aural Fixation]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BRBJackson Hey, that's my pile of... uh, equipment. Except that's one of Ray's MIT cables in the stash

And that's my CD (A Meeting by the River: Ry Cooder and V.M.Bhatt- on Water Lilly Acoustics). This is an awsome, pure analogue recording in a small church with 2 stringed instruments and 2 percusion instruments: East meets West with guitar, Mohan vina, tabla and dumbek. Tim de Paravicini of EAD (Esoteric Audio Research) built all the vacuum-tube mikes, recorders,preamps, etc and there is no signal processing in the chain. A Blumlein (crossed figure 8) mic setup was used. A great CD to test the ability of a system to resolve 3 dimensional space, natural reverb/decay, tonality and visceral impact of instruments.

Any interest in putting together a Headfi Test CD for internal use (to avoid copyright issues)...or at least a thread with listening recommendations?

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by arnaud Interesting opinion Edwood. Reading the posts here, it seems there is a general consensus that the hornet IS brighter than typical gear from RSA (come to my mind SR-71 and Stealth). Being a Stealth owner, I could personnaly find the SR-71 signature much closer to the Stealth than the punchy Hornet. I also have very hard time believing that the Stealth is not a neutral sounding amp (it can't be if you consider the Hornet as neutral sounding...). The point I am trying to make here is that this qualification of "a very neutral amp" may be misleading for head-fiers who want to purchase gear without audition. Ray specifically designed the Hornet to sound DIFFERENT from the SR-71 and the rest of his gear. He succeeded in this, and the Hornet is indeed a rocking amp! But IMO, somebody looking for a neutral sounding amp should rather think about the SR-71 than the Hornet... Just my 2 cents... Arnaud.

LOL, one of the things you will find is that it is important to pay attention to which source is plugged into which amp. Particulary pay attention to the source being used. Ray's amps are not forgiving. (as most well designed amps are). Many people listened to the Hornet with the Meridian 508, which is a pretty bright source to begin with.

-Ed

 

[Edwood]

LFF had a very interesting test track that he used which he called the "Bass Crusher". Don't remember the song, but it was a particularly robust and well recorded timpani drum strike. It is what LFF felt was the perfect test for "natural, powerful bass."

I wish I could've heard more headphones with this one. Of all the headphones we listened to. (The R10's, SA5000's, PS-1's, and HD650's), only the HD650's really got it right. The R10's and SA5000's, while nicely detailed and better positioned (imaging wise), did not have the sheer impact the HD650's had. However, it was a bit of a shocker (well, at least to me), that the PS-1's failed miserably. They clipped and distorted, and it was not pretty.

I think I will definitely have to use this track more for tests in the future. It is very easy to get to, since it is early on in the song, which is nice when using CD players.

I'll have to say, LFF is very very knowledgeable with music. I was very impressed and learned alot.

*Edit, by the way, this "Bass Crusher" test was used with Ray's Emmeline Stealth and Meridian 508.

-Ed

 

[PsychoZX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood LFF had a very interesting test track that he used which he called the "Bass Crusher". Don't remember the song, but it was a particularly robust and well recorded timpani drum strike. It is what LFF felt was the perfect test for "natural, powerful bass." I wish I could've heard more headphones with this one. Of all the headphones we listened to. (The R10's, SA5000's, PS-1's, and HD650's), only the HD650's really got it right. The R10's and SA5000's, while nicely detailed and better positioned (imaging wise), did not have the sheer impact the HD650's had. However, it was a bit of a shocker (well, at least to me), that the PS-1's failed miserably. They clipped and distorted, and it was not pretty. I think I will definitely have to use this track more for tests in the future. It is very easy to get to, since it is early on in the song, which is nice when using CD players. I'll have to say, LFF is very very knowledgeable with music. I was very impressed and learned alot. -Ed

Maybe LFF can chime in to tell us where to get this track.

 

[Edwood]

Speaking of learning a lot, I have to thank Ray so much for sitting me down and teaching me the basics of power supply design. Particulary with grounding. He is a very good teacher. He even drew out a schematic and explained everything in great detail, while keeping the terms correct, yet very simply explaining how everything worked, particulary the science behind it, in very logical and simple terms as well.

I also had a great time talking with Tyll, particulary about the future of music, and how we could possibly listen to music. Tyll is a foward thinker, and has some great ideas, that I hope to see come to fruition.

In fact, I just had a blast talking in general with everyone I could. Sorry about my yammering, but as everyone found out at the meet, I talk a lot more than I type. Can you believe it?

Oh, what's that? Did I actually listen to any gear?

Why, yes. I did. Good thing the meet was two days long. More on that later....

-Ed

 

[brianknewbie]

Three days later and still no meet impressions, Ed?

Anyway, of secondary interest of all the meet impressions is the subtext of the value (or lack thereof) of Empirical Audio's mods -- just posted this in another thread about DAC1 mods in the Dedicated Source forum:

Reports from CES where Empirical Audio demonstrated some of their products:
Quote:

Empirical Audio demonstrated a Perpetual Tech DAC P3a and a Mark Levinson preamplifier with and without mods. They were also showing their Off-ramp interface and a Sony DVPS 770 modded and unmodded. Fun to go back and forth and hear what the modded stuff can do over the stock—not even close. Way to go Steve!

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue17/ces05dc9.htm

 

[arnaud]

Edwood, yes source is critical, and I was lucky enough to be able to listen to the Hornet through the 508, which I know very well per my signature ;o). Actually, we also used the switch box, but it was a two step process: Meier Audio Prehead / Hornet and the Prehead / SR-71...

Later on, I compared the Hornet and SR-71 using a different source (ipod / line out) and headphones (Sensas 2X-S vs. HD650s above). Still the same conclusions...

But here comes an other surprise, the 508 is a bright source? That surprises me as the 508 is usually considered like a warm sounding player. But I don't have enough experience here to make a judgment. I could only properly compare the 508 to a Jolida JD100 with NOS tubes, and found the latter brighter !!

Anyway, Borat summarized the Hornet / SR-71 complementarity very well down below so I can stop here...

Arnaud.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood LOL, one of the things you will find is that it is important to pay attention to which source is plugged into which amp. Particulary pay attention to the source being used. Ray's amps are not forgiving. (as most well designed amps are). Many people listened to the Hornet with the Meridian 508, which is a pretty bright source to begin with. -Ed

 

[Jon L]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bookkeepers_son The Omega IIs that I've listened to before did not sound as good as the one at the meet with the KGSS, so I attribute the better sound to the amp, logically. Maximum resolution, quickness, the sense of the artist singing or playing right at that moment that you're listening is so great. Belle and Sebastian and Jobim as music choices didn't hurt either. This is the only other headphone/amp combo at the meet that amped my lust. It's quite an expensive proposition for me, however.

Ray, that Omega II setup was even more expensive than you think

The setup was laptop->toslink(isolates noise)->Empirical Audio Modded Monarchy upsampler/jitter box->coax->Audiologic 24 MXL tube DAC (nice piece by digital guru Jerry Ozmont)-> very heavy-duty looking interconnects->KGSS->Omega II. I'd hate to tally up the total cost. I think a lot of the nice sonic qualities come from that DAC. Wish I had a chance to compare that DAC to Empirical Benchmark DAC..