[Joey_V]

CONGRATS TO THE MAX!!!

You have a nice setup!!

Glad you joined high end headfi!

Mwahahahaha!

 

[Covenant]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joey_V CONGRATS TO THE MAX!!! You have a nice setup!! Glad you joined high end headfi! Mwahahahaha!

You're glad! Imagine how i feel, after so many months of reading about people's setups

Head-Fi may be evil, and my wallet may be empty (yes, it truly is), but its a satisfying feeling to finally have a high-end rig complete, even if i'm still a source upgrade away from true nirvana.

The SA5K's arrived early this morning when i was getting ready for work, and i had to dash off quickly afterwards, so i'm beginning my first demo listen now.

 

[overlunge]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Covenant You're glad! Imagine how i feel, after so many months of reading about people's setups Head-Fi may be evil, and my wallet may be empty (yes, it truly is), but its a satisfying feeling to finally have a high-end rig complete, even if i'm still a source upgrade away from true nirvana. The SA5K's arrived early this morning when i was getting ready for work, and i had to dash off quickly afterwards, so i'm beginning my first demo listen now.

Yes... keep the impressions coming! SA5000 is a headphone truely unique in its sound. [size=xx-small]And be wary of the power of the Dark Side of the Fuzz.[/size]


Overlunge

 

[Jazper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by overlunge Yes... keep the impressions coming! SA5000 is a headphone truely unique in its sound. [size=xx-small]And be wary of the power of the Dark Side of the Fuzz.[/size] Overlunge

depending on the source/amp.. I think the SA5ks can be very fuzzy..

 

[mneuwiueyagaobcf]

covenant - did you have to pay taxes (GST) or customs duty on the Raptor?

 

[Covenant]

Edit: PM'ed instead.

 

[Covenant]

Okay, a small update.

I spent most of last night acclimatising myself to SA5K sound, and mental burn-in's beginning to set in.

The very first difference i noted was the increased treble energy/extension. Despite my fears that this would prove painful/fatigueing/harsh, i find i actually enjoy the increased attack in this area.

Second difference i noted was clarity. SR60 being driven by the Raptor is remarkably clear and controlled for such a budget headphone, but SA5K (predictably) supercedes it. I haven't listened enough to quantify by just how much it exceeds SR60 yet, but that it does is obvious.

The speed is also greatly increased, i've been throwing my fastest and most detailed tracks at the SA5K, and if i were to personalise the headphone's response, it'd be something like "Meh. That was supposed to be challenging? *scoff*"

From the comments on it i've read, i would've expected a lack of tone/unnatural tone when portraying natural instruments/vocals, which seems to be one of the main criticisms levelled at this headphone. To my ears, on the Raptor, with this source, that doesn't seem to be the case. Sting and Diana Krall sound just as good as they did on Grado, and are even somewhat improved.

And one last comment - bass. I've also heard alot of comments that SA5K bass lacks impact, slam, quantity, etc. I've also found that not to be the case. Me and Jazper both loaded up some Metallica tracks last night, including the incredibly fast, impact-heavy Battery, and SA5K bass is unbelievable. Not boomy by any strech of the imagination, true, but there and there in spades.

 

[Teerawit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Covenant Okay, a small update. I spent most of last night acclimatising myself to SA5K sound, and mental burn-in's beginning to set in. The very first difference i noted was the increased treble energy/extension. Despite my fears that this would prove painful/fatigueing/harsh, i find i actually enjoy the increased attack in this area.

Weird...with the SA5000 and The Stealth (which I would imagine shares a similar sound signature with the Raptor) I noticed that the treble in the SA5000 was less energetic, and therefore less painful and fatiguing to my ears. I increased the increased fluidity that the Stealth imparted on the SA5000 -- smoother yet retaining the detail.

 

[overlunge]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Covenant From the comments on it i've read, i would've expected a lack of tone/unnatural tone when portraying natural instruments/vocals, which seems to be one of the main criticisms levelled at this headphone. To my ears, on the Raptor, with this source, that doesn't seem to be the case. Sting and Diana Krall sound just as good as they did on Grado, and are even somewhat improved.

I found the timbre of instruments on SA5000 is not very natural, but does improve with tube colouration. I have tried them with solid state (Perreaux SXH2, slight warmer sounding) and hybrid (Chinese DIY) amps, and I prefer the hybrid over solid state. I have yet to try the SA5000 with my EMP.

Might not be very fair to compare SR60 with SA5000, but if you do get to try chungsoi's RS1 this weekend at the meet, you will find the timbre of RS1 has a more natural tone in comparison to the SA5000.


Overlunge

p.s. Maybe it's time for photos?

 

[Veto]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Covenant From the comments on it i've read, i would've expected a lack of tone/unnatural tone when portraying natural instruments/vocals, which seems to be one of the main criticisms levelled at this headphone. To my ears, on the Raptor, with this source, that doesn't seem to be the case. Sting and Diana Krall sound just as good as they did on Grado, and are even somewhat improved.

They are somewhat lean in the mids, best noticed with acc.gitars and piano.
Not that shocking and with a bit of tuberolling it can be corrected.

Have fun

Veto

 

[Covenant]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teerawit Weird...with the SA5000 and The Stealth (which I would imagine shares a similar sound signature with the Raptor) I noticed that the treble in the SA5000 was less energetic, and therefore less painful and fatiguing to my ears. I increased the increased fluidity that the Stealth imparted on the SA5000 -- smoother yet retaining the detail.

Keep in mind that by "increased treble extension" i meant in relation to the SR60's - i've never tried the SA5K on anything but the Raptor thus far, so i don't know how different amps could contribute to this.

As for pics - i'd love to. Send me your digital camera and i'll happily oblige

And it will definitely be interesting to see how the RS-1 fares against SA5K. My ears probably aren't refined enough to do either justice yet, but we'll see.

 

[Covenant]

I read somewhere that it was important to keep the amp unit as far to one side of the power supply as possible, so the two transformers didn't interfere with one another, but i forget which side that is

Atm i've got the amplifier unit on top of my cdp to the right of the power supply, is this correct?

 

[Ray Samuels]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Covenant I read somewhere that it was important to keep the amp unit as far to one side of the power supply as possible, so the two transformers didn't interfere with one another, but i forget which side that is Atm i've got the amplifier unit on top of my cdp to the right of the power supply, is this correct?

Always keep the amp section on the left of the power supply when both units are facing you. Never place the amp on top of the power supply.
Cheers.
Ray Samuels

 

[Covenant]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray Samuels Always keep the amp section on the left of the power supply when both units are facing you. Never place the amp on top of the power supply. Cheers. Ray Samuels

Cheers for that clarification Ray, corrected that problem now. For some reason i thought it was supposed to go on the right

 

[crazyfrenchman27]

I really don't understand the exuberance people display when they receive a new amp.

If an amp is doing it's job, you shouldn't hear it anyway...also, the difference between lower-end amps and +$1000 amps is almost negligible. Use an ABx switchbox if you disbelieve me.

If you want a tube sound out of solid state, you can just swap in LT1028, LT1122, or AD8397...ABx it against the raptor, I bet you won't be able to tell the difference.

Sources and headphones I understand...but not amps.

Congrats on your new amp, anyway,

Matt