[milkpowder]

hoosterw, incredible showroom! I will make sure I make a visit if I'm in the Netherlands on holiday. I love the way your headphone sampling "corner" looks!

 

[hoosterw]

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkpowder /img/forum/go_quote.gif hoosterw, incredible showroom! I will make sure I make a visit if I'm in the Netherlands on holiday. I love the way your headphone sampling "corner" looks!

Thanks, always welcome. Just mind the opening hours

.

Hans.

 

[milkpowder]

Dexdexter, I've just made it to the end of your very well written saga. Thanks for taking the time to document your superb Xperience. I'm curious about what's underneath that white cloth

Oh Hans, you must love your job

I've heard the CD555/PS555 and it's really quite something. In fact, my dad was set on buying a CDX2/XPS2, NAC282/HiCap and a NAP250 before something else caught my eye. The Naim sound is astonishingly good and I like the way they look: understated elegance.

 

[Contrastique]

Yeahhhjjjj upcoming monday is my turn! Me happy

 

[hoosterw]

 

[Contrastique]

Well, just came back home from my visit to Hans. What a great place he has there but I guess the pictures from Dex will tell you enough about that. Standing there and seeing it for yourself is a different thing though. Nicest candystore I have ever been to and too little time there was to check it all out. But that's just a good reason visiting this place again

It's just impossible to A-B all the things because of the little time and the getting tired part. So I tried the most important things for me at that moment. And as you know, that was mostly the Larocco.
So I started out with the blue version with the AD8620 dual fet opamp and Blackgate Rubicon Capicators. I was ab-ing it with my GoVibe and noticed a difference but expected it to be way more. I heard difference in soundstage and detail and the presentation of the bass, the Larocco being the leading amp. But I found the differ kinda small though and missed the true soundstage and openess I was used to with the Prolines. Thought at first it was my cold cause I had a severe influenza for the past week wich wasn't completely over.
After half an hour or maybe 45 minutes I remembered that at my work I had used my ipod to let a costumer listen to some cheapy ****** speakers for the Ipod and I switched the EQ from "off" to "small speaker".
AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH and that was causing the problem haha! After I turned the EQ off the sound opened up again and the difference was like I would expected it to be: Massive! Massive maybe being a too big word but now it was definately much much more audible.
They have such more refined bass with a nice punch and detail in it. The thing I often found lacking with the GoVibe. The mids were much more forward. Voices were being pushed more to the forground while with the GoVibe they were really recessed. Very much wider soundstage and more clarity overall. To keep it short, it was the winner most definately and I immediately knew it would come home with me.

Hans also had a silver version with the 2107 dual fet opamp.
So after I knew the Larocco would be the one I compared these two Laroccos. Not for long though, cause I immediately found the blue one much more pleasant to listen to. The silver one missed the punch. They sounded a little too kind and a tad boring compared to the blue one. Soundstage was also less if I got it right.

As a surprise he also had the black version with the AD744 mod but only for listening and wasn't planning on selling it now. So I checked it briefly.
I think the sound was more purer than the blue one. That is the only thing I can say about it. Listened too short to jump to conclusions. I wasn't able to purchase that one so I also really didn't want to find out that the 744 was truly a better opamp so that is for later on. I am first gonna enjoy this sound and we will see what the future will hold for me.

I also tried the K701 and the GS1000 and the W1000 briefly. But connected to the Ipod (with Larocco) and Hans told me they should be driven by greater power than my portable setup. So not much valuable comment from me on that either.
I did like the K701, I only missed the punch and the nice deep tight bass the Proline has. GS1000 I liked as well but they sounded too messy for my ears. I didn't like the W1000. For me lacked in everything. But again, all of them were not powerfully enough driven so I would like to revise my opinion on these hps and try them out connected to a decent home setup.

And I totally forgot about the SR71 wich I did wanted to audition but I was kinda occupied (as usual again lol). Listened briefly to the Hornet but I didn't compare it with anything else, just too little time to do this extendedly. But OMG they are sooooo smallllll! I thought they would be much bigger. And on top of that the view of the Tomahawk just made me laugh. Jeeezzzz, that is just too small. I would loose that thing so easily i think. But nicely built though.

Well, anyways it was a true AudioXperience and I truly enjoyed this afternoon. Definately worth another go! So thank you Hans for taking your time for me and thanx again for the golden adapter! I once got it with the Sony hp but lost it during the way.

Ohhhh and ofcourse a pic with the Larocco I just made at home!!!



Sigh....me happy girl haha!

 

[slwiser]

Great picture again....enjoy the music.

 

[mrarroyo]

That blue LaRocco is just gorgeous! Enjoy it for a while and maybe later if you feel the need you could do the AD744 mod or not.

BTW would you post a couple of pics of the Edition 9? Thanks.

 

[Icarium]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Voltron /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am seriously thinking of joining Team Ultrasone if my local shop can get a pair of Edition 9s in for a trial. (Audio Visions has the best collection of Hoofdtelefoons and Hoofdtelefoon versterkers in SF to my knowledge, but nothing so nice and comfortable as the audioXperience Head-Fi enclave. Jealous.) Ultrasone is actually out of stock for Ed.9s in the US at the moment, but a pair is supposed to be making its way here for me to try and maybe buy. I should have tried them out seriously at the Int'l Meet but failed.

Oh man ;p Ed9s and PS-1s are on your horizon? Well no one can blame you for having missed out on listening to Ed9s you were a bit busy at the meet ;p Hopefully your amp comes this week. I'll probably have your cable out thursday after fesitivities it shan't take long to reach you

It didn't make end up making that journey to north bay.

Actually, since BlessingX is a co-worker I'll send it up with him ;p

 

[Contrastique]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrarroyo /img/forum/go_quote.gif BTW would you post a couple of pics of the Edition 9? Thanks.

Don't know if you meant me to post some pics of the ed9, but I found some gorgeous pics on the Ultrasone website I thought I'd share:

 

[mrarroyo]

Thanks Contrastique! I gather they are not open air, is this correct? finally are they terminated on 1/4" or /8"? Thanks.

BTW great pics.

 

[robm321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Voltron /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am seriously thinking of joining Team Ultrasone if my local shop can get a pair of Edition 9s in for a trial. (Audio Visions has the best collection of Hoofdtelefoons and Hoofdtelefoon versterkers in SF to my knowledge, but nothing so nice and comfortable as the audioXperience Head-Fi enclave. Jealous.) Ultrasone is actually out of stock for Ed.9s in the US at the moment, but a pair is supposed to be making its way here for me to try and maybe buy. I should have tried them out seriously at the Int'l Meet but failed.

I'd be happy to read your impressions. Would be nice to have a pair locally. So far from reading, the ED9 doesn't seem to be my preference, but nothing beats hearing them to really know for sure

 

[EnOYiN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrarroyo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks Contrastique! I gather they are not open air, is this correct? finally are they terminated on 1/4" or /8"? Thanks. BTW great pics.

They are closed cans. You wouldn't say so if you are listening to them though. And if I can recall it well they have a 1/4 plug.

 

[slwiser]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrarroyo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks Contrastique! I gather they are not open air, is this correct? finally are they terminated on 1/4" or /8"? Thanks. BTW great pics.

mrarroyo

Wish you could here the UE9s out of my setup as a portable setup. They sound soo goood....

 

[mrarroyo]

EnOYiN and slwiser thanks for the information. I finally went to the Ultrasone website and read about the Edition 9. I bet they sound fantastic but at the moment I do not have $1,500 to get a pair.

How do the 2500 compare with the Edition 9? Thanks again.