[up late]

I agree. Some DACs can sound impressive at first as well, but were thin and become irritating and unnatural after some more time is spent.

Also the selected tracks used in many of these Orpheus demos can sway the argument. It is much better and more accurate to the listener if they take their own (high quality) tracks they know very well. 

All this is telling us is with any high end gear, get it home and have a day at least with each product. Once we get over 5K an item, most dealers will allow that.

this has been said before here but it appears that there's a need to repeat it - it is unlikely that prospective buyers will have that opportunity because the orpheus 2 will be built to order

I own the headphones and the woo Wes and the BHSE . The woo Wes can roll many tubes while the BHSE can only roll the output.
Neither is warm and you do not want a warm stat amp. If You want warmth let it come from the DAC choice so you have a better variable. Meaning
The headphones and amp should be neutral as you cannot make a warm amp cold while chageing dads.or even some interconnects can make the changes you desire.

can you explain why you think it's better for a dac to impart "warmth" to the sound rather than an amplifier?

 

[ALRAINBOW]

Simply because it's fore tin the chain as such anything after the DAC cannot be reversed . As I own some speakers too it's the same. The speakers must be neutral allowing the amp or DAC to add what is desired in overall tone. Speakers are a bit diffent as of one uses a turntable to open reels there cannot be any easier and additions or subtraction so. Now with our headphones it's a diffent . I own a pair of LCD 3 they are warm of neutral if I use a warm amp and DAC it's just gone for me. I think others here can explain better then I can and they will agree .

 

[up late]

i had no idea that the order of components in the signal chain mattered in that regard. couldn't you counter balance a "warm" sounding dac with a "lean" sounding amp for example or vice versa? does it really matter either way as long as you achieve the system "synergy" that you seek?

 

[wink]

What DAC and AMP do you suggest for "best synergy" with the Sr009 ?

I have a BHSE on order, will it be a good start ? ( BHSE do not have the réputation to be on the " warmish side" ! )

Will a DAVE + BHSE be OK ?

Get the YGGY.......   

 

 

[ALRAINBOW]

Info not know what the DAVE sounds like. Or the yiggy. A friend heard the new top dog from chord and said its nice.
The HUGO I have that I am selling is not for me period.
I can say as the stax 009 is hyper details I would try a dac that is weighted meaning not thin. Too much in one direction is bad for headphones.
My first thought not knowing your budget would be a lampi B 7 or even better a B7 head dac. It's a fantastic dac and beats my msb and it cost over 35 K
The lampi head dac gives many options and there is many posts on tube rolling with it. The head dac is a B 7 but adds a driver tube so more fun. With my hd800 it's the best I never heard and a stax combo it's just amanzing.
See if you can loan one where do you reside ?

 

[Articnoise]

The biggest misconception in hifi is that those sterile hifi gears that lacks natural richness and shimmer are not colored and the ones that have more natural richness, warmth and organic sound etc are.

 

A gear that is colored is either adding or taking away something from the original sound.

 

A good gear, no matter if it is a DAC, amp or transducer should not add nor take away anything from the original signal. A good gear will therefore sound rich in tone on recordings that has been recorded in a way that make them sound rich, warm etc. The opposite should happened then playing a record that is recorded to sound neutral, sterile, garage or whatever.    

 

No need to impart "warmth”. What’s need to be done, is to not erase it in the first place and then artificially add it later on. The less manipulation the better, is good rule to follow. It’s all the bad filters, compressions and other **** that are normally used in modern recording studios and digital gear that kills the sound the most IMO.

 

In real life we listen to system that is built with more than one gear. This is there synergy between gear comes in to play and what make it much harder to say which gear is sounding this or that way.

 

If it’s not right from the beginning (source) it’s never going to sound real. Good maybe, but never real. 

 

My 2 cents.

 

[astrostar59]

What DAC and AMP do you suggest for "best synergy" with the Sr009 ?

I have a BHSE on order, will it be a good start ? ( BHSE do not have the réputation to be on the " warmish side" ! )

Will a DAVE + BHSE be OK ?

Personally I prefer R-2R DACs as I found they sound less digital and more like real music. The issue I have with some DACs is they can sound a bit technical or sterile. This can add or compound the 009s excited treble sensitivity and coldness of Stax stats (009s, 507s, Lambdas) and be just too much. What you need is a smooth transparent but non fatiguing DAC as a source, then the BHSE or other decent amp and the 009s will be fine. The BHSE can be fine tuned by using Mullard valves for example, but the source needs to be right first, or it will become too much (treble emphasis) IMO.
 
I would look at Audio Note (the real world priced models) & Lampizator for tubed DACs and TotalDAC for solid state. You can't really go wrong with any of those models.

 

[ALRAINBOW]

Wow they may some hope for me after all. It seems my concepts are in the right direction. If only people can understand me I could be helpful.
Over the weekend I was moving some stuff around and had the opportunity to try he msb and the new lampi with r2r and new dsd 256 engines.
I tried three sets of output tubes
First up is the 6A3 a mid forward type sound
Next the ps vane WE300 B
Last the eml 45
Head ones were he stax 009 amd the woo Wes amp
And the hd800 straight out of the lampi head dac
While both sets were great the stax do have a better level of clarity and with all three sets of tubes they were not steril
Faster not sure , impact about the same , euphoric both. But the stax although many times in price were great but not worth the additional cost. If I had to only have one set and would have to freaky sacrifice to buy the stax set I would stop at the hd800. There was a little more weight with the HD over the stax
Weight equals more musical even with the 6 A3 tubes hiw sweet they were. If you have limited funds and can budget the head dac and he hd800 it's good place to stop and get the bus
For this reason I know he new O2 or he1 must be better I doubt it's monumental in any way and then comes the dac
Also keep this in mind just hiw great is great music
Meaning we all have some great music but how great does it sound. Take the lcd 3 much more magic sounds great on them. While the hd800 much less and the stax 009 even less. The more revealing the system the less the magic is great. Aqualung or pink Floyd are great music but far less than great sounding. Something to ponder for all
Of us. Way back when it was car stereo , then headphones
Then house speakers
All was fine till I bought my first set of rs1B
All of sudden my music was not sounding as good , since then it's been a lifelong hunt for great music that sounds great a tough find at best. Mostly what I do now is learn to live grew sounding music. See my point lol

 

[up late]

concepts? try beliefs.

 

[mtoc]

Breakng news! This HE1060/HEV1060 suit is now called: HE1.

HFM thinks: what tha hack?!

 

[seanwee]

Breakng news! This HE1060/HEV1060 suit is now called: HE1.

HFM thinks: what tha hack?!

This was mentioned a couple of pages back.............

 

[astrostar59]

I've seen some saying the HE-60 sounds very good driven by the BHSE, whereas Birgir has an HE-90 and put Lambda Nova Signature drivers in that headphone, so obviously he can't have reckoned that much about the HE-90 with it's original drivers.

David, are you sure? The Lambda drivers are a very different shape to the HE-90 shape chassis. I would not rate the Lambda Nova Signature panels as top notch, just ok really. I had 2 pairs over the years but never heard real bass and a full range sound until I got the 007s and later the 009s.

 

[Rayzilla]

The HE1 is going to be in Asia (for the first time?) next week, here in Hong Kong.

 

[wink]

 Originally Posted by David1961 


I've seen some saying the HE-60 sounds very good driven by the BHSE, whereas Birgir has an HE-90 and put Lambda Nova Signature drivers in that headphone, so obviously he can't have reckoned that much about the HE-90 with it's original drivers.

 
Quote:

 
David, are you sure? The Lambda drivers are a very different shape to the HE-90 shape chassis. I would not rate the Lambda Nova Signature panels as top notch, just ok really. I had 2 pairs over the years but never heard real bass and a full range sound until I got the 007s and later the 009s.

http://www.mjolnir-audio.com/projects/   

 

[astrostar59]

Wow they may some hope for me after all. It seems my concepts are in the right direction. If only people can understand me I could be helpful.
Over the weekend I was moving some stuff around and had the opportunity to try he msb and the new lampi with r2r and new dsd 256 engines.
I tried three sets of output tubes
First up is the 6A3 a mid forward type sound
Next the ps vane WE300 B
Last the eml 45
Head ones were he stax 009 amd the woo Wes amp
And the hd800 straight out of the lampi head dac
While both sets were great the stax do have a better level of clarity and with all three sets of tubes they were not steril
Faster not sure , impact about the same , euphoric both. But the stax although many times in price were great but not worth the additional cost. If I had to only have one set and would have to freaky sacrifice to buy the stax set I would stop at the hd800. There was a little more weight with the HD over the stax
Weight equals more musical even with the 6 A3 tubes hiw sweet they were. If you have limited funds and can budget the head dac and he hd800 it's good place to stop and get the bus
For this reason I know he new O2 or he1 must be better I doubt it's monumental in any way and then comes the dac
Also keep this in mind just hiw great is great music
Meaning we all have some great music but how great does it sound. Take the lcd 3 much more magic sounds great on them. While the hd800 much less and the stax 009 even less. The more revealing the system the less the magic is great. Aqualung or pink Floyd are great music but far less than great sounding. Something to ponder for all
Of us. Way back when it was car stereo , then headphones
Then house speakers
All was fine till I bought my first set of rs1B
All of sudden my music was not sounding as good , since then it's been a lifelong hunt for great music that sounds great a tough find at best. Mostly what I do now is learn to live grew sounding music. See my point lol

Hi ALRAINBOW
 
I think I get the thrust of the post, though spelling and letters missing make it confusing.
 
But this is an interesting post. I have not heard the HD800s driven by a decent source and amp, only a mid fi amp at a hifi show, and in that instance they sounded flat and boring TBH.
It is hard to judge in a short demo, but for example, if I listen to one track on my 009s cold, i.e. not used them all day so my ears and brain are fresh. the impression is WOW, it gets me every time how fantastic they sound.
 
One thing that might be helping your HD800s is they are driven direct from the Lampi DAC, i.e. no extra pre-amplifier in the chain. I have done that with my Audio Note DAC, used a passive direct to my KGSShv and my speaker power amplifier. The sound is faster, cleaner and less bloat.
 
Bad / Poor Recording
I agree with your point on recording quality. The gap between really great sounding music and poor is huge in a good system, even more than my previous setup where I used the 007s. That is as you get more transparency and just more of everything, you expect it in the sound. When you put on a poor recording and that extra energy and detail is gone, or it is harsh sounding, it is simply showing up those faults as the 009s are more revealing and faster. The only way to reduce that effect is have a warmer and duller sounding headphone (LCD-2?) that stamps it's character all over the sound and throttles the treble and detail aspect. This is to me a compromise, as it brings down those really great recordings to a lower level. I don't have many recordings that are that irritating, maybe lass than 5%, and I can live with those as 95% sound so damb good.