[BANGPOD]

Head-Fi'ers --

THE HR-2 HAS ENTERED THE BUILDING!

First three things I noticed:

Lack of static (blackness)
Clarity of vocals (more than anything)
Resolution and detail at both extreme's

Bass was tight and non-intrusive.
High's were eased in and soothing.

Song of the day from HR-2: Pink Floyd's Learning to Fly

Hearing that song kept reminding me of markl's comments...
That the HR-2 loves to rock and you HAVE to get involved.

So very true! Great reviews, guys! Now, all I need to do is...
Upgrade my NEC CD-ROM and buy a Meridian 500 CD Transport!

No, I am NOT addicted! I don't have upgraditis! I SWEAR!
But I was stunned at how much an amp can change a system...

Any advice or comments from other HR-2 owners is welcome...

By the way, Mr. Samuels, great job on my amp! WELL DONE!
I couldn't have expected or wanted anything more!

BANGPOD

 

[BANGPOD]

Addendum:

Expect a review from me in a week or so on my first impressions.
As it will be my first review, please don't rip on me if I am off...

I might not be able to describe things as markl can, but I will try!
I will do my best to give you guys an objective review of my amp!

Only oddity I noticed: The HR-2 wasn't the proverbial bass monster.
The bass was so tight and controlled but it wasn't overpowering.
This is a great thing, but it wasn't what I had expected from this.

Also, the K-501's have officially woken up! All they needed was power!
They sound great now. Not like my ER-4S, but great nonetheless.
Soundstage is not very deep, but extremely wide. Uncanny...

Also, vocals are sweet on these (I am assuming vocals fall under midrange).
Treble was okay, but I attribute this to my lack of a better transport.

Again, any thoughts, comments, and suggestions are welcome!

BANGPOD

 

[usc goose]

congrats.

now get off the forum and go enjoy your music.

 

[Ticky]

ARGGHHH!!! Jealous!!

I still have to wait another 2 weeks or so before Ray gets mine done. I need something to tone down this anxiety.... prozac, can someone prescribe me prozac?!

BTW - do you know how much power the HR-2 consume? I order a 220v version in anticipation of my move to Asia later this year. But I can't wait THAT long to plug this baby in. As such, I need to get a power converter. But I need to know how much the HR-2 consumes in wattage to get the right one.

 

[BANGPOD]

Quote:

Originally posted by Ticky ARGGHHH!!! Jealous!! I still have to wait another 2 weeks or so before Ray gets mine done. I need something to tone down this anxiety.... prozac, can someone prescribe me prozac?! BTW - do you know how much power the HR-2 consume? I order a 220v version in anticipation of my move to Asia later this year. But I can't wait THAT long to plug this baby in. As such, I need to get a power converter. But I need to know how much the HR-2 consumes in wattage to get the right one.

Ticky --

I have no idea regarding how much power the HR-2 consumes.
All I know is that whatever it does, it sounds DAMN good...

PM Ray Samuels or post him a message here so he can answer...
I mean if you have a question, why not ask the man himself?

I am taking notes for a review I will be writing in a week's time!

BANGPOD

 

[lan]

Quote:

Originally posted by BANGPOD Treble was okay, but I attribute this to my lack of a better transport.

Lower jitter transport, better digital cable, and power conditioning is what the doctor ordered.

Welcome to Team Ray Samuels!

 

[Sean H]

Quote:

Originally posted by lan Lower jitter transport, better digital cable, and power conditioning is what the doctor ordered.

Ha ha ha! You're killing me!

BTW, you're not getting my HDXV.

Congrats BANGPOD, it's a fine amp!!

 

[BANGPOD]

Quote:

Originally posted by lan Lower jitter transport, better digital cable, and power conditioning is what the doctor ordered. Welcome to Team Ray Samuels!

lan --

What do you recommend for me, Swami of Sound Suaveness?

I was looking at the Meridian 500 CD Transport... Your thoughts?
Power conditioning is foreign to me... Explanation, please?
And what digital cable to you feel I should pursue?

Do you own an HR-2? Do you agree with my initial impressions?

BANGPOD

 

[lan]

Sean, I'm already on a local trail for HDXV. You reply too slow

>>>I was looking at the Meridian 500 CD Transport... Your thoughts?

Try and borrow a nice player. See if it makes a difference.

Power conditioning is foreign to me... Explanation, please?

Everybody could use better AC line quality. There are power strips with filters to get rid of EMI/RFI and more complicated devices like balanced power, or AC regenerators.

>>>And what digital cable to you feel I should pursue?

I've been hearing good things about Stereovox HDXV for coax. I'm going to try and get one to see if it makes a sizeable improvement over the belden+canare recipe cable.

If you're going optical, some like the glass toslink from ebay or from cablesamerica.

I think that's it for bang for the buck.

Some DACs are more sensitive than others concerning power and incoming jitter. So your results may vary.

>>>>Do you own an HR-2? Do you agree with my initial impressions?

I agree with the blackness of Ray's amps. I have a Stealth but don't really know how the headphone jack is since I don't use it. My PortaPros never sounded better though.

 

[BANGPOD]

Quote:

Originally posted by Sean H Ha ha ha! You're killing me! BTW, you're not getting my HDXV. Congrats BANGPOD, it's a fine amp!!

Sean H --

Yes it is -- it completely changed the sound of my system.
The K-501's improved from terrible to very good, but not GREAT.
Soundstage was very wide, somewhat deep, vocals were killer.

Accuracy and strength of vocals are what make the K-501 good.
Roger Waters sound totally convincing and emotional. Nice!

I haven't really had a chance to give the ER-4S a listen on this.
I'll do that tomorrow, but I am sure there is resolution galore.
But, since the HR-2 is nice in detail, the ER-4P might be better.
Since I could use a little bit of a nudge down in the bass region.

But regardless, this is the best quality bass I have ever heard.
It blends in so well it is almost hidden in the background of it all.
That's a good thing, I don't want bass that I am always aware of.
This is what allows listeners of the HR-2 to get lost in the music.
The bass is balanced with nice high's, and midrange takes over.

Sean H, your first comment -- is it something between you and lan?
Do tell, do tell; but, I see... You want to take MY PRECIOUSSS! Haha.

BANGPOD

 

[BANGPOD]

>>>I was looking at the Meridian 500 CD Transport... Your thoughts?
Try and borrow a nice player. See if it makes a difference.

Borrow a nice player... Do you mean a transport or a CD player?

Power conditioning is foreign to me... Explanation, please?
Everybody could use better AC line quality. There are power strips with filters to get rid of EMI/RFI and more complicated devices like balanced power, or AC regenerators.

I have the new Belkin "The Isolator" Power Strip... Your thoughts?

>>>And what digital cable to you feel I should pursue?
I've been hearing good things about Stereovox HDXV for coax. I'm going to try and get one to see if it makes a sizeable improvement over the belden+canare recipe cable.

I'll look into this cable. How expensive is it? Pardon me for asking.
If you're going optical, some like the glass toslink from ebay or from cablesamerica.

@*(@*&$@!(&#%(*@&@)%(*% optical!

I think that's it for bang for the buck.
Some DACs are more sensitive than others concerning power and incoming jitter. So your results may vary.

This part confuses me... Royally! A little more in depth, if you will?

>>>>Do you own an HR-2? Do you agree with my initial impressions?
I agree with the blackness of Ray's amps. I have a Stealth but don't really know how the headphone jack is since I don't use it. My PortaPros never sounded better though.

I own a pair of PortaPro's... With Bass Reducer, they are GOD!

BANGPOD

 

[Sean H]

Quote:

Originally posted by BANGPOD Sean H, your first comment -- is it something between you and lan? Do tell, do tell; but, I see... You want to take MY PRECIOUSSS! Haha.

Oh, just a little inside humor is all, sorry. I mentioned the HDXV digital cable in another thread the other day and lan made a comment.

Yes, the bass is very tight and detailed in the HR-2!

 

[lan]

A transport and CD/DVD player are the same thing. The transport is the drive mechanism and laser assembly but that's just part of the whole player. Since you're using an external DAC, you wouldn't really use the internal DAC/analog section of the player. You don't really separate the two.

>>>I have the new Belkin "The Isolator" Power Strip... Your thoughts?

Never tried it so can't comment. I guess the main concern for audio is reduction of dynamics. You want to get a lower noise floor but not reduced dynamics.

HDXV digital coax is $100. There are other nice cables. You can try and audition which fits your system and preference.

Better quality components have better power supplies so are more immune to bad power. Some digital receivers are better than others in rejecting incoming jitter so a less transport wouldn't matter as much.

The NEC is great bang for buck but some say it doesn't have 75ohm output and the switching power supply is noisy.

 

[tiberian]

congrats bangpod...your amp is real ownage...

 

[BANGPOD]

Quote:

Originally posted by lan A transport and CD/DVD player are the same thing. The transport is the drive mechanism and laser assembly but that's just part of the whole player. Since you're using an external DAC, you wouldn't really use the internal DAC/analog section of the player. You don't really separate the two. >>>I have the new Belkin "The Isolator" Power Strip... Your thoughts? Never tried it so can't comment. I guess the main concern for audio is reduction of dynamics. You want to get a lower noise floor but not reduced dynamics. HDXV digital coax is $100. There are other nice cables. You can try and audition which fits your system and preference.

lan --

I know that a transport and CD player are the same thing...
But I didn't know whether or not you wanted me to bypass my DAC.
As in, get a standalone CD player and take the NEC and DAC out of the loop.
Or, just take out the NEC and replace it with a nicer, upgraded transport.

I found I heard good dynamics out of this power strip, but I am not in position to comment.
This is my first true audio system, so I don't hav ethe experience to tell you what I hear.

You said --

Better quality components have better power supplies so are more immune to bad power. Some digital receivers are better than others in rejecting incoming jitter so a less transport wouldn't matter as much. The NEC is great bang for buck but some say it doesn't have 75ohm output and the switching power supply is noisy.

I think this is the root of my problems with the treble region.
It seems you hit it right on the nose and this sounds logical.

That's why a Meridian 500 transport will sound much better!
Thanks for giving me an excuse to UPGRADE again. MWAHAHA!

I am not going to worry about interconnects and power until after.
I want to get my source, amplifier, and headphones figured out.
Those tweaks are last, because they are minor in comparison.
A new cable will not nearly have the effect that the HR-2 did.
A new power source will not make the differences of a Meridian.

Even I know THAT, and I am dumb when it comes to this stuff!

BANGPOD