Thunderpants (T50RP mod) Group Buy

[sbradley02]

But I thought Sunfire only focused on making home theatre stuff? They are most famous for their subwoofers no? Are their speakers really good for 2-channel music?

When I first made the switch from stereo to multichannel it was an absolute must for it to continue to excel with music. Having two systems didn't make sense to me.
My first setup was based on the Magnepan MG3.5rs that were my last stereo pair. I added the other channels using all Maggie except for the subs. This was a very impractical system requiring a very large room and enormous power. However it sounded magnificent with all source material.
Fast forward to today and I don't have the same space availability. I ended up with the Sunfires for my LCR. Still great for stereo and movies. I get around 80% of what I had with the Maggie setup (same subs) but much more practical. Visitors are very impressed with the system performance and it does very well with all music genres and cinema. Here is a TAS 2 channel review from a few years back
http://www.sunfire.com/reviews/CRM2_SRS_210R_TAS_Aug2008.pdf

 

[Il Mostro]

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Lol, I think you're the only other person on head-fi to even mention Sunfire until now =).  I was originally introduced to the brand when my father purchased the Sunfire True Sub Signature when it was originally released.  Needless to say, I've been a fan ever since.  I was planning to build a high end 2 (or in this case 2.1) channel system for a while, and decided on the CRM-2 for several reasons--size, ribbon tweeters, power handling, sonic holography, etc.  Actually, I just got them two weeks ago.  Every time I sit down with some good material, I'm stunned by how much detail there is.  I never realized how much was actually captured in recordings, but I can say definitively for the first time that, if I close my eyes, it really feels like I'm at a live concert.  Particularly amazing are violins, brass, and female vocals--opera.  I could go on, but this is a headphone-centric site, so I'll leave things at that.
 

 
That's true.  The number of innovations that Bob Carver has introduced never ceases to amaze me.  And each one is a masterpiece in its own right--Tracking Downconverter, High Back EMF, etc. I haven't heard the Amazings, so I can't comment on them, but I will say that the Cinema Ribon's are a hell of a speaker.

 
Bob Carver has been making ground breaking speakers, amplifiers, and a plethora of other audio gear since the 70's.  And he's founded several companies, of which Sunfire is only the most recent.  The subwoofers are well known, but pretty much everything Bob Carver ever creates tends to set a new president in its respective category--take the Ultimate Receiver with 200w/7 channels among other things.  To answer your question though, yes, the speakers are really that good!  There are a lot of reviews.  Sound & Vision and Stereophile are probably a good place to get started if you want to check them out.

 

 

For us ESL guys who did not have their noses up in the air Sunfire amps were a great "sleeper" SS option.  Good stuff.

 

[svyr]

emailed gary to query my order status. since he ignores pms. heh.

 

[dragoonv]

My headphone has arrived but I am at work at the moment. So excited!!!! I will post up and do the review tonight since I have a day off tomorrow

 

[mmayer167]

Excited to see people are getting these! 
 
-M

 

[bobeau]

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My headphone has arrived but I am at work at the moment. So excited!!!! I will post up and do the review tonight since I have a day off tomorrow

Did you get a notice from Smeggy when they shipped?  
 
I remember the day a few months back when I was pleasantly surprised by my Metrum Octave arriving with no prior notice.  I still thought I had about a month wait left.
 
 

 

[dragoonv]

Yes I did. I got a PM from him on the 30th of Jan
 
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Did you get a notice from Smeggy when they shipped?  
 
I remember the day a few months back when I was pleasantly surprised by my Metrum Octave arriving with no prior notice.  I still thought I had about a month wait left.
 
 

 

 

[Reticuli2]

Interesting.  Here's to hoping some more of you guys send yours off to Tyll for measuring and there are more group buys (or normal ones) in the future.

 
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Seems Mochan and Sherwin (both members here) didn't like Sherwin's pair.  A couple (speculative) things to note:
 
1) I don't know when Sherwin bought his pair, but I'm under the impression that Smeggy's Thunderpants have been a work in progress - an older pair may not sound as good as a newer one.  When he started making them he was a guy in his basement with a passion for audio who had wood.  Now he is the same guy trying to do this full time - I would imagine he's investing in better equipment, tweaking damping, etc - in other words, there may have been more variability in pairs in the past and thus more polarity with opinions.
2) It's really hard to make good closed headphones.  Even the pairs that some people like (D2-7K, ED series, DX1000 among current production) others hate.  I don't think Thunderpants are any different, they're a hit or a miss - with those users I guess something was amiss.
3) Sometimes things can be over-hyped.  With Jude's review and an immediate group buy, there can be a strong gag reflex among those who hate FOTM.  While I will say they are the best (current production) closed headphone I've heard, I'd also say there isn't much else on the market.
 
It would be interesting to send a few pairs to Tyll and have him measure them - I would assume the variability is more than say with the LCD-3 yet, as it is still really a DIY effort.
 

 

 

[svyr]

emailed gary to query my order status. since he ignores pms. heh.

Hi Vlad,

sorry, I didn't mean to ignore you, I'm just overwhelmed. I did make your set but the Koa didn't have enough figure and looked like crap so I had to find a new supply. I got some much better Koa with awesome curl and color and I'm currently remaking the cups. Here's a pic of the originals and the new cups, I hope you think it's worth the remake.




The plugs... I haven't been able to find any1/8" for sale with the screw adapter, only the standard push click. I do have a decent quality click type if that will do. Let me know what you prefer.

I'll try to get them out by Friday.



Regards

Gary Butcher
ThunderpantsTP1

Sounds good to me. (I presume the stripier 'more curly' one is the new cup type) I told Gary I understand he's still swamped with orders and to let me know when they go out, but by no means rush them before he's completely happy with them.

 

[googleli]

Dudes..................... Any update??????????????????????

 

[dragoonv]

I am going out later. Haven't got a chance to have a good listen and compare with my other headphones. Here are some pics of my TP unboxing. One thing, I would recommend is go for the beyerdynamics velour pads. Also can someone tell me which way would the TP go? I am having problems putting it on my head. 
 

 

[Radio_head]

Are the pads angled?  (Can't really tell from the pics)  If so the wider part of the padding is usually towards the back of your head.

 

[googleli]

Looks nice dude. Now when can I get mine...

 

[dragoonv]

By wider, do you mean the thickness of the pad?
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Are the pads angled?  (Can't really tell from the pics)  If so the wider part of the padding is usually towards the back of your head.

 
I think it will be helpful if you send him an email. 


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Looks nice dude. Now when can I get mine...

 

 

[Radio_head]

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By wider, do you mean the thickness of the pad?

Yes.
 
 
Took another look, they do look angled.  In that case, I'd label like this: