The diary entries of a little girl in her 30s! ~ Part 2
Oct 9, 2013 at 10:52 PM Post #18,991 of 21,761
   
Fresh of writing that 1Plus2 review I almost feel like you are talking about me >__< I know you aren't though because I haven't being this for a number of years. Please curb my self aggrandizing when you see it though...
 

 
Oh no no... not talking about anyone here. This person is actively out to destroy the reputations of others. He's ridiculous.
 
Oct 9, 2013 at 11:21 PM Post #18,992 of 21,761
I've already discovered a cheap tube amp that doesn't suck, that oddball FU32 amp I mentioned a while back. Comparing it side-by-side with the Zana Deux and HD800's, it comes very close to the ZD in performance. Adding an 12ax7 tube to it brought it even closer. For $250 it's as good as you are going to get in a pure tube design, especially for Sennheiser 'phones...
 
Oct 10, 2013 at 12:43 AM Post #18,993 of 21,761
 

Fresh of writing that 1Plus2 review I almost feel like you are talking about me >__< I know you aren't though because I haven't being this for a number of years. Please curb my self aggrandizing when you see it though...


Oh no no... not talking about anyone here. This person is actively out to destroy the reputations of others. He's ridiculous.


Well if I've been more active like I did back when I'm on the must-consume treadmill, maybe I would've recognize the described person. As it is, I may have an a clue as to who, based on my faulty memory.

And funnily enough, for me at least since I'm not going to hint subtly blatantly who, I almost did just that in the underlined part...
 
Oct 10, 2013 at 11:39 AM Post #18,994 of 21,761
I realize this isn't exactly breaking news, however I thought I'd mention that
AKG is launching a new flagship headphone....
 

 

 
K812
 
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/headphones/1302967/akg-launches-1-000-k812-reference-headphones-hands-on
 
Photos courtesy of the above site.
 
I'm rather interested in this thing, as it's been quite some time since AKG released a new statement headphone. The K3003 is their current flagship to my mind, in much the same spirit of the K1000 but better than the K1000 in overall tonal balance. However in terms of circumaural headphones, they've been milking the K701 / 702 for all its worth over the years. The Q701 was a slight sonic improvement, and the anniversary model after that was slightly more of an improvement; then the K712 was released which AFAIK is just a non-limited version of the anniversary model with orange accents instead of blue.
 
[size=small]So now they have the K812 to slot in above the K712.[/size]
 
[size=small]Personally I really dig the design. It has a very purposeful, utilitarian look to it like the AKGs of old. Those metal accents around the cups are a definite throwback, and there's no trace of brightly colored plastic. They remind me somewhat of the K340 hybrids (which are, incidentally, an *awesome* headphone IMHO). So while I'm still somewhat disappointed there's no K1000 successor, this offering is compelling to me nonetheless. Hopefully AKG gets the voicing right. Particularly the bass, which has been the biggest issue with their previous flagships.[/size]
 
Oct 10, 2013 at 11:48 AM Post #18,996 of 21,761
Hah, first thing to cross my mind was, "they're reviving the K340? That's a shock!"

The K340 had a lot of problems, mostly due to being a technically challenging device in its own right, combined with AKG's well-earned reputation for manufacturing inconsistency. I've heard both very good and very idiosyncratic-sounding examples... could never say "bad", really, but buying sight unseen meant you have no idea what you're getting, and if a given unit's idiosyncrasies are not to your taste, then, well...
 
Oct 10, 2013 at 12:05 PM Post #18,997 of 21,761
While I'm on the subject of designs I like, I thought I'd bring up the Ultrasone Edition 12. It's based largely on the Edition 10, the appearance of which I've been a fan of since it was first announced years ago. In fact my first posts on head-fi were about the design of the Edition 10. The newest addition to the Edition family substitutes the brown-dyed Ethiopian animal flesh for grey, and the zebrawood inlay has been replaced with pearlescent metal. The result is a headphone that looks decidedly icier than its sibling. A curious foil to their sound which is said to be warmer and more easy-going than the previous iteration.
 
 
 

 
Edition 12 and 10 side-by-side. That's not the original cable on the Edition 10, btw.
 

 

 
Photos courtesy the Ultrasone website.
 
The Edition 12 is meant to be a more versatile "everyday" kind of thing versus the Edition 10. TBH, I always felt the Edition 10 was fairly underrated. Ultrasone has a lot of product variation, so I think my particular set was always better than most. I'd really like to listen to the Edition 12 someday soon.
 
Oct 10, 2013 at 12:28 PM Post #18,999 of 21,761
On the topic of Ultrasone, what the heck were the ED8 Romeo et Julia versions supposed to be about?
 
Oh, and I totally forgot to mention: Audio-Technica released a slew of new products today at a press conference, from an AD900X Limited Edition, an A900 (I think?) with an integrated DAC/amp inside its cups (the cable terminates to USB), a Fidelio lookalike portable on-ear, to a complete revamp of their IEM line. And when I say 'revamp' --- it really is.
 
http://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20131010_618904.html
http://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20131010_618856.html
http://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20131010_618830.html
http://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20131010_618810.html
 
Oct 10, 2013 at 1:20 PM Post #19,002 of 21,761
I wish Audio-Technica would release a new leather-cup flagship, like a better tuned successor to the L3000 or a leather Ear Suit. Speaking of, I forgot to mention that the Edition 12's earpads are velour and not leather.
 
Any info on where those new in-ears are supposed to fall in AT's lineup? Like, are we talking CK100Pro replacement with the higher end model?
 
I still need to hear the CK100Pro. Why haven't I heard the CK100Pro yet?
 
Oct 10, 2013 at 1:49 PM Post #19,003 of 21,761
  While I'm on the subject of designs I like, I thought I'd bring up the Ultrasone Edition 12. It's based largely on the Edition 10, the appearance of which I've been a fan of since it was first announced years ago. In fact my first posts on head-fi were about the design of the Edition 10. The newest addition to the Edition family substitutes the brown-dyed Ethiopian animal flesh for grey, and the zebrawood inlay has been replaced with pearlescent metal. The result is a headphone that looks decidedly icier than its sibling. A curious foil to their sound which is said to be warmer and more easy-going than the previous iteration.
 
 

 
 
Photos courtesy the Ultrasone website.
 
The Edition 12 is meant to be a more versatile "everyday" kind of thing versus the Edition 10. TBH, I always felt the Edition 10 was fairly underrated. Ultrasone has a lot of product variation, so I think my particular set was always better than most. I'd really like to listen to the Edition 12 someday soon.

 
I love their looks but I'm also interested in their Edition 5 with what seems to be a new approach to their S-Logic...
The only thing that sucks, as always, is their price!!! Arrghhh! Hopefully the Edition 5 will NOT be outrageously priced... hopefully...
 
Oct 10, 2013 at 6:52 PM Post #19,004 of 21,761

 
Despite not being a fan of the K701 or the K550, I'm still interested in these...
   the brown-dyed Ethiopian animal flesh

 
They should put that on the box. "THE FLESH OF A THOUSAND WILDERBEASTS"
 
  On the topic of Ultrasone, what the heck were the ED8 Romeo et Julia versions supposed to be about?
 
Oh, and I totally forgot to mention: Audio-Technica released a slew of new products today at a press conference, from an AD900X Limited Edition, an A900 (I think?) with an integrated DAC/amp inside its cups (the cable terminates to USB), a Fidelio lookalike portable on-ear, to a complete revamp of their IEM line. And when I say 'revamp' --- it really is.
 
http://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20131010_618904.html
http://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20131010_618856.html
http://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20131010_618830.html
http://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20131010_618810.html

 
I didn't know about the LE A900X! Know any info about that? The IEMs certainly look tasty. I wish I could read Japanese.
 
  Any info on where those new in-ears are supposed to fall in AT's lineup? Like, are we talking CK100Pro replacement with the higher end model?
 
I still need to hear the CK100Pro. Why haven't I heard the CK100Pro yet?

 
I would guess that a quad BA is meant to outdo the CK100 Pro at 60,000 Yen but then again it's not made of shiny metals so who knows. But you should definitely listen to the CK100Pro. The ergonomics kind of stop me from buying a pair but each time I hear a friend's they are sound pretty special and I reckon you would like them. It's one of the more Audio Technica things that Audio Technica makes.
 
Oct 10, 2013 at 8:06 PM Post #19,005 of 21,761
 
I didn't know about the LE A900X! Know any info about that? The IEMs certainly look tasty. I wish I could read Japanese.
 
I would guess that a quad BA is meant to outdo the CK100 Pro at 60,000 Yen but then again it's not made of shiny metals so who knows. But you should definitely listen to the CK100Pro. The ergonomics kind of stop me from buying a pair but each time I hear a friend's they are sound pretty special and I reckon you would like them. It's one of the more Audio Technica things that Audio Technica makes.

 
All I know is that it's limited? Can't read the nihongo either.
 
The CK100 PRO was meant to be part of ATH's 50th anniversary celebrations, and hence the heavy use of precious (okay, not-so-precious) metals. So far, from what I'm seeing from the design, the IM03 looks similar to the CK100 PRO; it's likely that the drivers were directly transplanted over, except the tube configuration is different now (which honestly affects sound more). The IM02 seems like a slightly tweaked version of the CK90PRO MK2, but the IM01 is a brand-new design with a brand-new driver (I have an idea which one, but can't be sure). It goes without saying that the IM04 is new design. All four models make use of the acoustic horn design carried over from previous models, which is a good thing.
 
I'd once again like to affirm my deep-rooted admiration for the CK100PRO; it is both ear-piercing and awesome.
 

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