T2 - Finally bought one!

[purk]

U guys have to thanks me too Without your pal, GeorgeP would not be able to do his chasis run (I sold him the last of KG made chasis after all).

Joking aside, we should thanks Birgir for starting the DIY T2 project with his own dime by buying the SRM-T2 from Japan to get a hold on the circuit diagram.

 

[rgs9200m]

More great pics. Thanks! Is that a Headroom amp I see there on the first shelf? That's amazing.
I've just been posting recently how great the synergy is between my 18 year old Headroom Max (w/ 2006 control module upgrade) and my Utopia.This combo sounds really fine to me.

LOL, I sold my GSX2 because the Max I bought in 2000 sounds better to me. It doesn't even have the stepped attenuator; tthey said mine was too old to accommodate it.

(I think the Max was what Tyll's idea of great sound was. He's the father of the Max.)

 

[mulveling]

More great pics. Thanks! Is that a Headroom amp I see there on the first shelf? That's amazing.
I've just been posting recently how great the synergy is between my 18 year old Headroom Max (w/ 2006 control module upgrade) and my Utopia.This combo sounds really fine to me.

LOL, I sold my GSX2 because the Max I bought in 2000 sounds better to me. It doesn't even have the stepped attenuator; tthey said mine was too old to accommodate it.

(I think the Max was what Tyll's idea of great sound was. He's the father of the Max.)

Yes, well spotted; that's the 2007 Max Balanced I got from Purk, who turned me on to these amps. It's the latest and greatest version of their "BlockHead". But the Home Balanced with Max modules (from same year) also sounds very close, and is usually quite the deal when they turn up. There's a really nice touch of warmth to the sound.

These are excellent amps for the Focal Utopia, and Sennheiser HD600/650 - and I presume HD800 too, though I don't like that headphone. The Max Balanced/Utopia is particularly excellent on vinyl. It could even kind of hang in there pretty close to the BHSE/009, which was very impressive to me. It's just that now, T2 rules with ease! I'll probably let go of the Max Balanced and Utopia soon. And a local buddy has expressed strong interest in the BHSE (good home).

 

[rgs9200m]

Thanks for that update Mulveling! Again, you sure have a superbly curated equipment collection.

 

[Whitigir]

Thanks for that update Mulveling! Again, you sure have a superbly curated equipment collection.

Also superbly pocket damaging equipments .

 

[mulveling]

Also superbly pocket damaging equipments .

I try not to think about the ballpark amount too much, lol. I don't have a wife or I'd have been murdered by now - and this hypothetical wife could probably even find a willing agent in one of my 2 best friends lol.

The T2 continues to completely rock my world. Lots of goosebump moments with favorite tunes. This is the perfect setup for closing your eyes in a darkened room and transporting to another place - of course it's also hard to stay seated when the music gets going. Lately the 009S has taken a lead as its smoother, more natural midrange advantage is still there. But who knows, I could be favoring the 009 later this week. Still need to give the L700 a fair whack; not sure if anyone else with our OG KG T2's has one of those. The ultimate scaling test!

Tonight's listenings:

• Alice In Chains "Alice in Chains" (3-legged dog album) - 1995 1st pressing (2x LP). Absolutely sublime in music & sonics. Well worth the big money these pressings command. Listen to "Heaven Beside You" on this setup (or my speakers) - holy crap!
• Kate Bush - "Never for Ever" - Original pressing; superb music with great sound.
• Tobias Sammet's Avantasia - "Wicked Symphony" - Original pressing, amazing music, just amazing. Sonics could possibly be slightly better, but it's still great; more than good enough to let the music flow. First 5 albums by Avantasia all hit me so damn hard in the feelings. I have all their LP's.
• Klaatu "Klaatu" - I really love this band (and have all their LP's); whimsical and creative without losing sight of what great rock music is! Awesome sound quality on most of their LP's, too, especially this one.
• Urusai Yatsura Songbook - Lol. Which one of these albums is not like the others. I like the "Beautiful Dreamer" end theme track. Great sound quality and pressing, as is typical from Japan.

 

[purk]

That's passion for you gear and music right there @mulveling! Seriously though, Its a credit to the T2 knowing how amazing your 2 channel sound.

 

[Whitigir]

That's passion for you gear and music right there @mulveling! Seriously though, Its a credit to the T2 knowing how amazing your 2 channel sound.

Surprisingly right ? Dedicated Stax can get that far to speakers with only different presentations ! Hence I love T2 and Stax so much ! I will also hold my idea of going into large speakers for now....too insane of cost LoL!

 

[mulveling]

Yes, the 2ch speaker system costs almost 4 to 5 times that of the Stax / T2 setup - but to be fair, a chunk of that expense is in exotic vinyl gear, which I might someday try with the Stax. The speaker setup offers a more complete music experience, and there's no way I'd give that up, but the Stax / T2 setup is still very, very competitive. There are even some days I simply prefer the performance of Stax (even if slightly). This was not the case before the T2 arrived - I'd recently mentioned that the headphone setup was lagging badly behind my 2ch. And before that, it was lagging even further until I switched from digital to a great vinyl source (my 2nd turntable). Even having heard Purk's T2 several times, I was still skeptical it could close the performance gap so much - and during the build process, I had moments of worry I'd end up considering the expense a mistake. Expectations vastly exceeded!

My 2ch has been tuned to my preferences, and gear synergies, over several years. There are many excellent, and very expensive 2ch setups that I don't like nearly as much as the Stax. I'm definitely not one of those guys who thinks a $1000-2000 set of speakers blows away even high-end headphones. I don't get those guys, and I've always liked headphones.

 

[Whitigir]

Well, god helps my ears. I have a habit that I drank my Stax and T2 so freaking Loud when I am on it

 

[mulveling]

Well, god helps my ears. I have a habit that I drank my Stax and T2 so freaking Loud when I am on it

I love to listen loud too - which for us probably distances the T2 even further from lesser amps. I limit my overall time exposure per day/week at preferred levels, to help protect hearing. For the times I do listen at work, it's with EarPods at extremely low levels (for background noise, not enjoyment); I avoid loud volumes from lower quality reproductions. Both my speaker setup and Stax have very, very low fatigue factors at a given volume level - there's no spikes or nasty resonances that could otherwise damage specific frequency hearing. In fact Stax are easily the lowest fatigue of any headphone I've ever tried.

Of course some will say that loud listening for any duration is bad, but I'm not nearly so cautious in my life anymore. It's no fun. Caution would have vetoed the purchase of a 5-figures $$$$$ headphone amp, lol.

 

[Whitigir]

Oh well....better have XGasm while you still can ? I guess ? Orgasm or Eargasm, Tasegasm....etc...etc...because when you are old, you won’t be able to anymore....but Alzheimer's instead LoL

 

[336881]

Congrat's on the T2. I think I see a FR tonearm on that sexy Sota. Good stuff.

$11k though. Good lord that's allot of money. For $11k the guy who sold me my APM 4's got a Stax dma-x2 ($7k) and got it refurbished ($4k). Took a few years though.

The T2 is a beast but the dma-x2 is 202 pounds of Stax goodness.

 

[mulveling]

Congrat's on the T2. I think I see a FR tonearm on that sexy Sota. Good stuff.

$11k though. Good lord that's allot of money. For $11k the guy who sold me my APM 4's got a Stax dma-x2 ($7k) and got it refurbished ($4k). Took a few years though.

The T2 is a beast but the dma-x2 is 202 pounds of Stax goodness.

Yes, but then the original Stax SRM-T2 cost at least similar to that (if accounting for inflation), at an apparently huge financial burden to Stax, and the KG DIY T2 is vastly improved over it. Let's not even discuss its value compared to other "high end" electrostat offerings on the current market, or I'll choke to death. And it truly achieves a "beyond comprehension" pinnacle of performance that is magical. So honestly, I believe it's quite the astonishing bargain

That is indeed a Fidelity Research FR64fx. Lovely tonearm. And the SOTA is in an original 1980's cabinet of absolutely gorgeous Koa wood - with a full-on iridescence/chatoyancy/tigers-eye effect (in person, with decent lightning). I also have an FR64S waiting in the wings for mounting on my main ClearAudio deck, but it's taking an inordinate amount of time for the custom armboard to be finished. The FR64S (with original B-60 VTA base) at 3 lbs is actually far too heavy to mount on the SOTA. The lighter FR64fx just makes the cut, by a couple of ounces.

I've run Koetsu stone bodies for most of the past 8 years as my primary/favorite cartridges, but now I'm really loving a Shelter Harmony in the 2ch rig, which is why I've ordered a Shelter Accord for this SOTA table. Currently running "just" an Ortofon Cadenza Bronze here, since the extra output helps in the headphone rig (the Shelters also have extra output at 0.5mV); this Cadenza cartridge had been relegated to backup duty for years, as I felt it performed a level below the Koetsus & Shelters. However, I'm simply shocked at the greatness of sound coming out of this Cadenza now, into T2 + 009S. Never would've guessed it could perform at such a high level. Hope the new Shelter Accord can exceed this when it arrives!

 

[Whitigir]

I am drooling look at it!