I have not seen anyone with that combo yet. I would love those impressions!
The Decware TABOO MK 111 Thread
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Kendoji
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Had a fun moment today. My girlfriend and I had just discovered the lovely new Agnes Obel album 'Aventine' and were enjoying it playing through my Taboo mkIII to my speakers. Then I plugged in my HE-500 and HD 800 and we swapped back and forth a bit. At a certain point I flicked on new lucid mode and my girlfriend went 'WOAAH'. I think she had the Sennheisers at the time. A few minutes later I flicked it back off, and a look of horror flashed across her face as she went 'NOOO PUT IT BACK'. New lucid mode works well on this abum. 
OPR8R
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Had a fun moment today. My girlfriend and I had just discovered the lovely new Agnes Obel album 'Aventine' and were enjoying it playing through my Taboo mkIII to my speakers. Then I plugged in my HE-500 and HD 800 and we swapped back and forth a bit. At a certain point I flicked on new lucid mode and my girlfriend went 'WOAAH'. I think she had the Sennheisers at the time. A few minutes later I flicked it back off, and a look of horror flashed across her face as she went 'NOOO PUT IT BACK'. New lucid mode works well on this abum.
Sweet. Some stuff works really well with New Lucid. Also, I'll have to give Agnes Obel a listen.
If anyone is interested I wrote up my opinion about the MrSpeakers Alpha Dog driven by the CSP + Taboo. I'm curious as to whether other Taboo owners are enjoying the combo as well. I think the Alpha Dog benefits from a tube amp like the Taboo. Lucid mode helps give Alpha Dog needed width and depth on some tracks. Definitely not needed with all tracks. Then there is the power and Decware house sound which compliments the neutrality of the Alpha Dog.
http://www.head-fi.org/products/mrspeakers-alpha-dog-t50rp-mod/reviews/9993
http://www.head-fi.org/products/mrspeakers-alpha-dog-t50rp-mod/reviews/9993
OPR8R
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Wow. That's a very well written review. I only listened to the AD briefly, but I liked it a lot. They're really good.
Kendoji
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Sweet. Yeah I'm day-dreaming about the Alpha Dogs as an upgrade towards a great transportable / portable rig (I love the idea of Alpha Dogs and 4 pin XLR with a Centrance Hifi M8), but I'm holding off as I just can't justify it. Yet.
thegrobe
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Okay, here's a weird one...
Of course you folks following this thread remember my comments about background hum with IEM's, pretty much makes the amp not useable for me with them. I sent the amp back to have it checked out, everything was normal, warranty was transferred so it wasn't a wasted trip at least. Then remember Negura posting about the Taboo being a sensitive instrument, advice about power conditioning, etc. ?
So I continue to fool around with this, as I REALLY want my Taboo background silent so I can use my CIEM's. The CSP3 background is dead quiet, the CIEM's work well with that side of the pair, but not on the Taboo side.
Well the Taboo is most certainly sensitive. Check this out. I have the Taboo next to the CSP3, naturally. I plugged my CIEM into the Taboo, with the Taboo TURNED OFF. But the CSP3 was turned on. I could hear the background hum.... with the Taboo turned OFF. Weird. So I figure something is coming through the cables maybe? I disconnect the speaker wires, the RCA interconnect, event the power cable feeding the Taboo. Nothing hooked up to it.
I turn the CSP3 on, plug my CIEM into the Taboo and guess what? Background hum. The same noise I'm hearing when the Taboo is on by itself. This is crazy. I pick the Taboo up and move it about two feet away and the noise stops. Something inside the Taboo is acting as an antenna and picking up "hum" from the transformer. Either the transformer of the CSP sitting beside it, or naturally it would pick up the hum from it's own parts as well. So this explains why it hums.
Soooo...should I send it back again? Or does anyone have an idea of why this is happening and a possible fix? I LOVE this amp but this one thing bugs me and would like it not hum. Totally weird that it can be fully disconnected and have a background hum by just sitting next to another amp.
Also anyone else with a CSP pre and a Taboo that has a little background hum, see if you can recreate this?
TOTALLY WEIRD
...TABOO?
Of course you folks following this thread remember my comments about background hum with IEM's, pretty much makes the amp not useable for me with them. I sent the amp back to have it checked out, everything was normal, warranty was transferred so it wasn't a wasted trip at least. Then remember Negura posting about the Taboo being a sensitive instrument, advice about power conditioning, etc. ?
So I continue to fool around with this, as I REALLY want my Taboo background silent so I can use my CIEM's. The CSP3 background is dead quiet, the CIEM's work well with that side of the pair, but not on the Taboo side.
Well the Taboo is most certainly sensitive. Check this out. I have the Taboo next to the CSP3, naturally. I plugged my CIEM into the Taboo, with the Taboo TURNED OFF. But the CSP3 was turned on. I could hear the background hum.... with the Taboo turned OFF. Weird. So I figure something is coming through the cables maybe? I disconnect the speaker wires, the RCA interconnect, event the power cable feeding the Taboo. Nothing hooked up to it.
I turn the CSP3 on, plug my CIEM into the Taboo and guess what? Background hum. The same noise I'm hearing when the Taboo is on by itself. This is crazy. I pick the Taboo up and move it about two feet away and the noise stops. Something inside the Taboo is acting as an antenna and picking up "hum" from the transformer. Either the transformer of the CSP sitting beside it, or naturally it would pick up the hum from it's own parts as well. So this explains why it hums.
Soooo...should I send it back again? Or does anyone have an idea of why this is happening and a possible fix? I LOVE this amp but this one thing bugs me and would like it not hum. Totally weird that it can be fully disconnected and have a background hum by just sitting next to another amp.
Also anyone else with a CSP pre and a Taboo that has a little background hum, see if you can recreate this?
TOTALLY WEIRD
...TABOO?
Argo Duck
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^ Interesting. Reminds me of Hertz' (1887) demonstration of radio transmission:
WNBC, excellent review!
WNBC, excellent review!
Thanks guys for the compliments. Now the search for an open headphone.
thegrobe, hum is such a mysterious thing that I don't know how to even tackle it. Now my CSP + Taboo is pretty quiet. However, in the past even with cheater plugs an annoying hum was present which would indicate something internal was picking up a signal. Didn't matter whether a source was hooked up. I don't know how it fixed itself but one day it was gone. Even with my Q-audio cable I'm hearing less background noise/hum than with my XLR cable. Weird, right? Should be the other way around. Frank in his review mentioned that the Taboo hooked up to the CSP would result in increased hum.
Have you talked to Steve about the Taboo and CIEMs? Do you hear a hum with your LCD-3s? I thought the Taboo was not designed to be used with efficient headphones or IEMs.
Experiment with different length cables? Kind of bummer because most of like to put the amps right next to each other.
thegrobe, hum is such a mysterious thing that I don't know how to even tackle it. Now my CSP + Taboo is pretty quiet. However, in the past even with cheater plugs an annoying hum was present which would indicate something internal was picking up a signal. Didn't matter whether a source was hooked up. I don't know how it fixed itself but one day it was gone. Even with my Q-audio cable I'm hearing less background noise/hum than with my XLR cable. Weird, right? Should be the other way around. Frank in his review mentioned that the Taboo hooked up to the CSP would result in increased hum.
Have you talked to Steve about the Taboo and CIEMs? Do you hear a hum with your LCD-3s? I thought the Taboo was not designed to be used with efficient headphones or IEMs.
Experiment with different length cables? Kind of bummer because most of like to put the amps right next to each other.
thegrobe
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Thanks guys for the compliments. Now the search for an open headphone.
Yes, great review btw! Thanks for the effort!
thegrobe, hum is such a mysterious thing that I don't know how to even tackle it. Now my CSP + Taboo is pretty quiet. However, in the past even with cheater plugs an annoying hum was present which would indicate something internal was picking up a signal. Didn't matter whether a source was hooked up. I don't know how it fixed itself but one day it was gone. Even with my Q-audio cable I'm hearing less background noise/hum than with my XLR cable. Weird, right? Should be the other way around. Frank in his review mentioned that the Taboo hooked up to the CSP would result in increased hum.
Yeah, I remember reading that as well. In my experience however, the CSP adds no hum at all. I get the same background noise whether I'm using the pair or the Taboo alone. So it's the Taboo. Once, I got a very low level buzz from a carelessly routed, unsheilded interconnect between the two (near a power cord). But that was fine after I moved it.
Have you talked to Steve about the Taboo and CIEMs? I don't remember exactly, to be honest. That was awhile ago but I'm sure I must have mentioned it. Do you hear a hum with your LCD-3s? Yes, slight but it's there. I thought the Taboo was not designed to be used with efficient headphones or IEMs. I didn't ever remember hearing that! Not doubting you, just never knew that if it's a fact. They sound fantastic other than the hum.
Experiment with different length cables? Kind of bummer because most of like to put the amps right next to each other.
Well, this I've ruled out...I have however tried this. Anyway, if I have no cables attached or even a power cord on the Taboo and it's turned off and humming anyhow...doubtful it would be the interconnects, right? LOL.
The whole thing is confusing and mysterious, I am hoping it stops someday like yours
My understanding is that the Taboo was first designed as a speaker amp and then Frank talked to Steve about using them with planar magnetic headphones back in 2010. The rest is history....
http://dagogo.com/decware-taboo-mkiii-headphone-amplifier-review
I really liked the Taboo with a pair of woody Grado 225i but there was too much hiss and hum to enjoy it during soft passages. Efficient headphones are just too sensitive and your background won't be so black. That's not to say they won't sound good at normal listening volumes.
http://dagogo.com/decware-taboo-mkiii-headphone-amplifier-review
I really liked the Taboo with a pair of woody Grado 225i but there was too much hiss and hum to enjoy it during soft passages. Efficient headphones are just too sensitive and your background won't be so black. That's not to say they won't sound good at normal listening volumes.
Argo Duck
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^ Exactly right. Steve's write up of the Taboo II on Decware's website referred to it being a planar-magnetic hp as well as speaker amp (what it was originally designed for), with the CSP2 covering other phones.
I bought the Taboo II specifically for my LCD2, although it does sound pretty good with Grado RS1 too.
---
Grobe, probably way off the mark but my thought about your hum is induction. The transformers may be tuned circuits for each other., i.e. the live one 'transmits' to the one 'turned off'. Rather like the primary and secondary windings on a transformer in fact, but air rather than iron cored in this case.
If the hp outs on the Taboo are in circuit with the transformer then...
Don't know how you can solve this during live play though, other than keep them two feet apart
I bought the Taboo II specifically for my LCD2, although it does sound pretty good with Grado RS1 too.
---
Grobe, probably way off the mark but my thought about your hum is induction. The transformers may be tuned circuits for each other., i.e. the live one 'transmits' to the one 'turned off'. Rather like the primary and secondary windings on a transformer in fact, but air rather than iron cored in this case.
If the hp outs on the Taboo are in circuit with the transformer then...
Don't know how you can solve this during live play though, other than keep them two feet apart
thegrobe
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Ah, interesting stuff. Maybe it's all normal and I'm neurotic!
AiDee, the idea about keeping them two feet apart is novel, but I get the same effect running the Taboo on it's own, as it picks up noise from itself also. Induction like you said?... From either it's own or a nearby (CSP3) amp. I was just really surprised to hear it humming and not plugged in! LOL
AiDee, the idea about keeping them two feet apart is novel, but I get the same effect running the Taboo on it's own, as it picks up noise from itself also. Induction like you said?... From either it's own or a nearby (CSP3) amp. I was just really surprised to hear it humming and not plugged in! LOL
Argo Duck
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Oh! Didn't realise you got it when running by itself too. This means it's 'receiving' its hum from something else. I'm less convinced it can be picking up hum from itself; at least I would expect the character of it to be quite different from the apparently CSP-induced hum (with Taboo off). Is it?
Have you tried it in different rooms? This is to eliminate some source local to your room. Maybe it's acting like an old crystal set?!
You're not neurotic. Well, not unless all audiophiles are
Have you tried it in different rooms? This is to eliminate some source local to your room. Maybe it's acting like an old crystal set?!
You're not neurotic. Well, not unless all audiophiles are
I decided to post this in the Decware appreciation thread as it applies to most amps:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/593623/decware-appreciation-thread-mt-review-up-on-first-page-2-10-12/1140#post_10040051
This is also a goodbye for me to the Taboo MK3. Half-heartdely it is going away to a close friend, as I have moved to Stax and speakers. I had many too short nights and a super quality time with the Taboo and it will be missed.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/593623/decware-appreciation-thread-mt-review-up-on-first-page-2-10-12/1140#post_10040051
This is also a goodbye for me to the Taboo MK3. Half-heartdely it is going away to a close friend, as I have moved to Stax and speakers. I had many too short nights and a super quality time with the Taboo and it will be missed.
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