[feckn_eejit]

Jury still out.  Right now it's still V1s for me, but I'm a detail freak and like my bass with zero flab/bloat.  V2s continue to improve...

 

[stang]

Quote:

@ Stang. 
 
Nice rig.
 
When we do get that mini meet going, you can try the K1000, single ended (assuming it has the relevant cable) on a B22 I have. It drove a bass-heavy K1000 with relative easy. Fantastic on classical.
 
Never thought you'd have parted with that Mad Ear amp. Hah. 
 
Can't wait to get my hands on all my gear.

 
Thanks 

Unfortunately it just has the straight speaker tails, as I never planned on buying a β22, as they are very expensive (this coming from someone who is getting a pair of ~$2300 K1000 

). I don't even have enough money to buy a 1/4" or XLR plug anyway haha. I am spending the majority of my money shipping the MAD Ear+ HD and Grado HF-2 and getting qusp to make me those cables. I wish I could sell the MAD Ear+ HD here and give Patrick the money. It would mean I don't have to spend about $150 on shipping to Sweden and if I ever wanted to buy it back again, it wouldn't be too far away if the seller wanted to part with it.
 
I love the MAD Ear+ HD, but mainly because if its reputation, and reputation with Grado's. Everyone loves it, but I prefer my DT880+M^3 combo more for some reason.
 
Looking forward to your review of your Magnums 

 

[theryaner]

did the stock sr325 have more detail than the v1?

 

[Currawong]

Quote:

did the stock sr325 have more detail than the v1?

Hell no.  The only thing I was lucky enough to compare was the 325 drivers, and they were not nearly as detailed as the V1 drivers. Tonally very similar though, which made it easy.  IMO the detail was and is similar to the HD-800, though admittedly I haven't volume matched properly to be sure, but I never felt I was losing anything switching to the Magnums from the HD-800s, unlike when I had the stock 325 drivers, where I felt I was losing detail.

 
Quote:

Alright, so, V1 vs V2? Reviews for the V1 were great from the start and the V2 needed a bit of time for people to have anything positive to say, So which of the two is better?

It's impossible to tell unless someone gets hold of both versions.  Adding to this is there is a considerable tonal difference between the two.  Most of the discussion has focussed on this.  
 
 

Quote:

I won't be ready for about a month from now, as I have to burn the HLLY Tamp-20 in and am getting a pair of 40cm Valkyrja RCA interconnects w/ Eichmann Silver Bullets made soon.

 
I'd strongly suggest, unless you are paying very little for them, that quite a few Nordost cables both add a lot of clearly audible tonal distortion and are grossly over-priced, even more so considering the amp and DAC you are using.

 

[Killercrush]

V2 Drivers = Tweaked V1 Based Drivers ?!
 
Where did all the V1 drivers go by the way ??

 

[shawn_low]

Quote:

V2 Drivers = Tweaked V1 Based Drivers ?!
 
Where did all the V1 drivers go by the way ??

V1 drivers were kept by Rhydon.
 
V2 drivers are claimed to be new drivers.

 

[theryaner]

Quote:

Hell no.  The only thing I was lucky enough to compare was the 325 drivers, and they were not nearly as detailed as the V1 drivers. Tonally very similar though, which made it easy.  IMO the detail was and is similar to the HD-800, though admittedly I haven't volume matched properly to be sure, but I never felt I was losing anything switching to the Magnums from the HD-800s, unlike when I had the stock 325 drivers, where I felt I was losing detail.

 
 

Man, now I want the V1, lol....

 

[stang]

Quote:

 
I'd strongly suggest, unless you are paying very little for them, that quite a few Nordost cables both add a lot of clearly audible tonal distortion and are grossly over-priced, even more so considering the amp and DAC you are using.

Well I am paying the equivalent of about $800usd for the Valhalla recabled AKG K1000. They also come with the stock cable and outer grilles (neither are fitted currently). If I don't like them, Patrick said I could send them back to him anyway. I haven't even traded/'paid' him for it yet and he has already shipped them off to me. He doesn't mind. 
 
I have heard K1000 before and really liked them. I never use my MAD Ear+ HD and Grado HF-2 combo anymore, so why not sell/trade it for something I want even more? 

 

[Currawong]

Quote:

Well I am paying the equivalent of about $800usd for the Valhalla recabled AKG K1000. They also come with the stock cable and outer grilles (neither are fitted currently). If I don't like them, Patrick said I could send them back to him anyway. I haven't even traded/'paid' him for it yet and he has already shipped them off to me. He doesn't mind. 
 
I have heard K1000 before and really liked them. I never use my MAD Ear+ HD and Grado HF-2 combo anymore, so why not sell/trade it for something I want even more? 

I was thinking of the interconnects, which are probably costing more than your DAC.  Patrick poked holes in the drivers of his K1000s from what I gather as well, so they are as likely worthless anyway.

 
Quote:

Man, now I want the V1, lol....

Aimlink is selling his.

 

[stang]

About the holes, I am 99% sure those were his first pair which he later destroyed. They stopped working as a result of either poking a hole in the diaphragm or something like burning the driver from soldering.
 
I am getting 40cm of Nordost Valkyrja speaker wire (I think it is the speaker wire...) for $100. Then qusp(Jeremy) is charging $150aud for labour + the Eichmann Silver Bullet RCA plugs (which are worth something like $150 anyway) because I will give him the left over 3 conductors, as only two are needed for each RCA interconnect. I have my gear really close together, so I guess I will use that interconnect for a long time, so I opted for the expensive silver bullet plugs. 
 
I am trying to save for a new DAC, but I compared my $150 Zero to the $300 Matrix Mini-i and found a very small difference, hardly worth the $150 to me. I didn't use balanced, as none of my current gear is balanced anyway. I plan on saving for a Audio-GD DAC-19 DF or Gamma 2. Buffalo is too expensive for me.

 

[SemiAudiophile]

I find the Magnums more enjoyable at low/moderate to medium listening levels. There is enough detail so that there isn't a need to blast them very loud, plus they are less fatiguing this way and lets me wear them for hours. I've been mostly listening to acoustic and they are excellent for them. It's a toss up between them and the LCD-2 for acoustic. Magnum if I want more front row intimacy, LCD-2 if I want further back acoustics in row K. 
 
They are sounding smoother with each listen. Not butter smooth or smooth like chocolate. A different kind of soothing smooth. I like it. 

 

[Rhydon]

Semi,
 
they should continue to improve for at least another month. The elements in the driver are different from the previous model and take slightly longer to settle in.

 

[tim3320070]

Time frame on the second batch?

 

[Currawong]

I get the impression the bass has tightened up since I received them, which is good.  If this continues, they'll be about spot-on for me.

 

[shawn_low]

Quote:

I get the impression the bass has tightened up since I received them, which is good.  If this continues, they'll be about spot-on for me.

@ Currawong Nice to hear that. I see you refer to these Magnums as HP-2 clones. Have you heard the HP-2s? How does it compare? A clone? Or entirely different beast altogether?
 
@ Rhydon. Thanks for chiming in and confirming that these are entirely different drivers altogether! Further impressions of your design and sound signature are much appreciated!