[ardgedee]

What are you planning to use the teflon wire for?

 

[kiteki]

The SA3000 will sound fine out of anything but you need to give it an amplifier with juice to extract the lemonade, if you can 7up my Taylor Swift.
 
 
The Qualia you just need to type in the secret 10010 code into your SACD player to close the neutron reflectors and enter criticality.
 
http://jolisfukyu.tokai-sc.jaea.go.jp/fukyu/mirai-en/2007/img/honbun/7-15.jpg
 
 
Then instant super-audio heartbeats.  The music is connected via radition, not air!

 

[kiteki]

What are you planning to use the teflon wire for?

 
Speaker wire to Yamaha NS-10's. =)

 

[PhoenixClaw]

After a grueling month of final exams I'm finally free... and I had some time today to audition two headphones I've been looking at for some time now - the M-80 and the ESW9. The M80 was pretty good, though I preferred my DT1350 overall. It just sounded a little too congested and less clear. I loved the ESW9 though. I've always been told that it's excellent for vocals (and i don't dispute that) but I also enjoyed it with most of my other music, including heavy metal and EDM.
 
I've been doing some cost/benefit comparisons as well and concluded that portable headphones are a better value for me than IEMs. I guess I'll start saving up for it. I wish I remembered to try the esw11jpn too though, I guess i'll save that for another day.

 

[mutabor]

Quote:

I bought my SA3000 (new) for less $200, in a store.  I see no reason to invest in an SA5000 (second hand) for $500, online, with shipping times, import tax, and no shopping experience.
 
Speaking from owning both, one has leather / magnesium and the other has some kind of... Nylon?... and plastic, different colours, and apart from these aesthetic features, I hear no distinct differences from one to the next.

 
Rants on build quality of the Sony SA-3000 ( $135)
 

The SA-1000 is plastic. It is in no way the same construction. The SA-3000 is a c[size=small]arbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP)[/size] and the SA-5000 is magnesium. 

 

[kiteki]

-

 

[DigitalFreak]

Quote:

Yeah, it looks really good imo. I like it!
 
Close to 6000 lines of code ATM, and the server is up and configured. I'm pretty far away from land though, and I have yet to pass the island of SQL connections, SQL commands and stuff (we're talking thousands of variables that need to be stored on the database server, and non-computer-people that need to put the data in there -- PHEW!). Luckily, since I'm being alone in developing this, I'm pretty free to solve this any way I want to, and because of that I've developed smaller programs that generates a lot of the code for me. I mean, what's the point of declaring thousands of variables into my code, when I can just code a program that does it for me - automagically. The same goes for all the SQL commands and so on ... This way, I can just concentrate on the logic in the main program, instead of doing all the "ant work". I am, admittedly, pretty proud of this solution - if you ask me! 

I have absolutely no clue what you're talking about to the point I'm wondering if you're posting in your native Swedish language. All that aside good one on you. Glad to see you're enjoying your new career. Mind if I ask why you decided on the HD650 as one of your must have headphones?

 

[wink]

Quote:

Close to 6000 lines of code ATM, and the server is up and configured. I'm pretty far away from land though, and I have yet to pass the island of SQL connections, SQL commands and stuff (we're talking thousands of variables that need to be stored on the database server, and non-computer-people that need to put the data in there -- PHEW!). Luckily, since I'm being alone in developing this, I'm pretty free to solve this any way I want to, and because of that I've developed smaller programs that generates a lot of the code for me. I mean, what's the point of declaring thousands of variables into my code, when I can just code a program that does it for me - automagically. The same goes for all the SQL commands and so on ... This way, I can just concentrate on the logic in the main program, instead of doing all the "ant work". I am, admittedly, pretty proud of this solution - if you ask me! 

Reminds me of the fact that the generation of random numbers is too important to be left to chance.

 

[MuppetFace]

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H E L L O   D I A R Y​

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The SA3000 and SA5000 are, for me, indicative of Sony's best at the consumer level. What they're doing now just doesn't capture the mystique harbored by their older children, much in the same way their recent IEMs lack the boldness of direction (power word: spirit) found in the EX700. In a way these things strike me as head-fi canon; as such, those with an adventurous disposition and the means of doing so owe it to themselves to listen to all three at some point, to get a lay of the land. They're archetypal in their respective ways.
 
On a more personal note, the now sadly defunct EX700 has an unshakable association with the original diary thread. It occupies a place alongside the Teclast T51 and Rooth customs, at the very core of what "portable audio" connotes for me. It's circumscribed by such a particular time and place that to turn toward it also conjures memories of smoking Djarums and chatting with Kiteki about SNK. That was an enjoyable time, as the seas of portable listening lay before me in all their uncharted grandiosity, and in my relative inexperience I felt lost. Being in such a position is overwhelming, but it's also liberating in its possibility.
 
 

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I'm feeling [mostly] satisfied with my main rig at this point in time. The Liquid Lightning is really a splendid amp, and my search for an all-in-one solution to feed it has been narrowed down to either the Resonessence Invicta or the Resolution Cantata. Since the LL is already on the slightly euphonic side, the former seems like a better proposition synergistically speaking. Still, the allure of the Cantata is unshakable; the inclusion of a CD transport may be enough to justify using it in a secondary system. As I type this out however, I admittedly feel as though my heart isn't entirely in it, and my attention is being pulled in another direction entirely. The inclination has actually been there for a while now: to focus on vinyl again.
 

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In a way, I think cartridges are the most important component---deserving of a lot of consideration---when spinning wax. Beyond the mastering on the record itself, I've found the somewhat conventional wisdom that a good cartridge can result in substantial gains to be fairly accurate. Which makes sense. The cartridge is the point of contact, the interface between our world and the spiral galaxy inhabiting the surface of a black discus, the clockwork probe tracing a decaying orbit through time and space. To that end, I've been wanting to try one of Dynavector's creations for a while now. The Te Kaitora Rua (pictured above) has a certain regal quality befitting a grand entryway; it reminds me of a Shinto gate that stands as the border between realms.
 
Turntables in general push all the right buttons for me. I have something of a fixation on elaborate musical devices---either manually operated or automata---such as drone boxes, aeolian harps, glass harmonicas, installation art (like organs that play themselves using weights), bells on clocks, music boxes both ancient and modern, etc. As a device, turntables are really spectacular with their spinning platters and swiveling tonearms, a contraption that is both visually delightful and intriguing from a technological standpoint. My VPI Classic has been serving me well over the years, but I'm intrigued by VPI's new Traveler, which is designed to be much smaller and lighter, easier to transport when the need arises. Aside from that I've been growing increasingly interested in the concept of skeletal designs.
 

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The philosophy behind skeletal plinths is one of weight distribution. When considering something like the VPI Classic, one finds that the base is a massive, solid block. This is generally implemented to cut down on vibrations; it seems to work, as the VPI Classic is an extremely quiet turntable. With something like the Rega RP8 (pictured above) however, the base is designed to be as light as possible with the goal of reducing noise from the bearing and motor. To save on weight, the base is designed in an amorphous shape, only supporting key areas, rather than a rectangle with unused space. Going a step further, the RP8 in particular uses a foam material sandwiched in the middle of more solid top and bottom plates, with the majority of the weight now concentrated in the platter. What's particularly neat about the RP8 is that it allows for the use of a fairly standard, rectangular dust cover by suspending the skeletal plinth inside a rectangular outer base. While "docked," it remains independent enough to still reap benefits from its design, all the while retaining a certain level of practicality. Additionally it can be removed and used as a standalone. Which is awesome. Buying it as a set with Rega's Apheta cartridge seems like a really good deal, too.

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I've had the new Ear Suit W11LTD here for the last few days, but I've yet to give it a listen. Need to be in the right mood; first impressions are important. I'll say that from a purely aesthetic standpoint, it's rather attractive. Reminiscent of the W9, it has similar red hued wood, but it nevertheless has a certain additional antique quality the other lacks. Maybe it's the ghost walnut used in its construction? Some residual energies from the tree's spirit, the traces of times now extinct. It emits a dull glow, a certain satiny finish.
 

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The majority of my listening this week has been carried out using the new Jecklin Float Quad Atelier. Truthfully, I've been reluctant to say much, as I don't want to come across as though I were hyping it. Especially since it has some serious quality control issues. In that sense the experience has been somewhat frustrating, but overall they're shaping up to be the sort of headphones with which I feel I could retire---at least for a while---and just focus on enjoying music. I think they may be something special, provided one is looking for pink diamonds over sapphires or pearls. What was the H2+ again? Maybe an emerald whose level of occlusion depends on what the TR2 is plugged into, or whether the TR2 is even used at all. The QA transformer on the other hand is surprisingly good-sounding even out of a modest T-amp. 
 

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At the moment my interests are shifted back to the realm of portable audio, wherein I'm finding a desire to resume my exploration of customs. Not sure how flexible Suyama is with regard to customization, but I like the thought of the FitEar Monet with soft pink shells, possibly with a small block-numeric "30" on one side. Also considering the Frogbeats C4 which has been praised quite extensively by some shadowy, oft-referenced "folks whose ears I trust."
 
Still unsure as to whether I want to get all spendy on the new Ocharaku Flat-4. I need to decide soon whether the wood housing and extreme rarity of the thing are worth the expense, as I've got one on hold more or less. I love the original Flat-4 but can't seem to get particularly worked up about this new iteration for whatever reason. What else? The Final Heaven VI shipped ...final-ly. Speaking of which their new headphone line will apparently be called Pandora. Really dig that name, so that's cool.
 
Bringing this around full circle: discussing older Sony Walkmen is fun and rekindles fond memories of my minidisc player. I've decided to eventually pick up one of the new F-Series players to accompany my A865.
 
 

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(Above) My old MZR-700...​

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The F-Series with FitEar TG 334s...​

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Holy sh... a Qualia Walkman, the 017. ​

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[tomscy2000]

Quote:

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H E L L O   D I A R Y​

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At the moment my interests are shifted back to the realm of portable audio, wherein I'm finding a desire to resume my exploration of customs. Not sure how flexible Suyama is with regard to customization, but I like the thought of the FitEar Monet with soft pink shells, possibly with a small block-numeric "30" on one side. [1] Also considering the Frogbeats C4 which has been praised quite extensively by some shadowy, oft-referenced "folks whose ears I trust." [2]

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(Above) My old MZR-700... [3]​

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Holy sh... a Qualia Walkman, the 017. [4]​

 
[1] Did you see these? https://twitter.com/kindo3/status/274172258166116352/photo/1 & https://twitter.com/kindo3/status/274105712261623808/photo/1
[2] Will PM about that...
[3] I had the exact same one!

[4] I really wanted that back in the day...

 

[veyrongatti]

Quote:

Great, the SA3000 goes up on the list.

Well it is only 125....... Turns out I dont have the space for a full sized amp 

 

[ardgedee]

Quote:

I bought my SA3000 (new) for less $200, in a store.  I see no reason to invest in an SA5000 (second hand) for $500, online, with shipping times, import tax, and no shopping experience.

 
One reason for interest in the SA5000 is the leather earpads stand a somewhat better chance of not flaking onto everything after a few years. That seems to be a problem with Sony headphones.

 

[Coq de Combat]

Quote:

I have absolutely no clue what you're talking about to the point I'm wondering if you're posting in your native Swedish language. All that aside good one on you. Glad to see you're enjoying your new career. Mind if I ask why you decided on the HD650 as one of your must have headphones?

Well, it's had a reputation of being a great headphone for quite a while. Also, I think I need one of them open-backed Sennheisers on the list. In my opinion it deserves to be called a classic, and it's just one of them headphones that I have a lot of respect for. However, I actually decided on going with the HD600 instead of the HD650. I remember my biological father saying that Sennheiser headphones were the ones to get, back when I had contact with him. I guess it's been stuck in my head since my childhood.
 
Is there something I should know before putting any of them on the list? 
Quote:

Well it is only 125....... Turns out I dont have the space for a full sized amp 

Yep, not a lot of cash.
 
Sorry to hear that you don't have space for a full sized amp. Was the amp meant for your headphones or are you referring to a speaker amp?

 

[veyrongatti]

Quote:

 
 
Sorry to hear that you don't have space for a full sized amp. Was the amp meant for your headphones or are you referring to a speaker amp?

Was thinking of a nice Desktop headphone amp but no space so will have to do with portables 

 

[ardgedee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuppetFace /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
I'm feeling [mostly] satisfied with my main rig at this point in time.

 
"Mostly" is a heck of a qualifier, isn't it? 

 

Originally Posted by MuppetFace /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 

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Holy sh... a Qualia Walkman, the 017. ​

 
It always made me think of a hip flask.
 
I wonder if anybody, besides maybe Sony, has a complete set of the Qualia series. The project seemed like such a misdirected ambition, to make a complete suite of statement electronics, mostly in realms where the technology and consumer expectations were moving much faster than the effort could justify.