[number1sixerfan]

So I've been eyeing quite a bit of gear lately after being pretty stagnant since selling off the Caldera and Utopia. Recently started seriously looking at houses with the fiance and man, every part of it just confirms that sometime soon my headphone hobby investments will come to a screeching halt lol. The things she talks about doing to the house, furniture, creating living spaces, etc etc... I'll never be able to spend money on this hobby once we're there lol. But we're having fun going through the process and are aiming for summer unless we have unexpected life changes.

So I have the Pacific DAC coming Thursday. Found out my dealer can get a really good deal on the AIC, and have some interest in my current amps to sale + my Hugo 2. Going to put the Expanse up soon as well. I'm still on the fence, but I definitely would prefer to have a single box and offloading some of this gear would make it a much easier pill to swallow. My current setup is also more ideal for power hungry headphones and not as such for the R10 and L3000 (despite the adapters I'm using).

The Mass Kobo was impressive, but my dealer can't get that and it's much more expensive and probably off the list. Wish I had more time to hear it and compare, as it was really good, maybe another time.

 

[SolarCetacean]

Good luck on the house hunt! I'm also looking for a house with my wife and it's a tough game to play. But I'm waiting to get the house all settled in before I continue upgrading my audio gear. My view is that it's going to be a pain to move those things, and we'll probably move within a few months so no sense in getting big and expensive things now. Plus, a house means that we'll be upgrading our furniture - much of which dates back to when we just finished college - so different furniture would relax some constraints on equipment size. For example, I've been thinking of getting the LTA Z10e for a living room listening setup, but our current TV console isn't really designed for that sort of audio gear - all sorts of compartments and dividers that complicate cable management - and it's a cheap unit from Target. I'm keen on getting a more open design (I liked a SolidSteel two-level rack that I saw at an audio store recently) which can serve as both TV console and audio rack for the living room. I recognize that I'm very fortunate in that I can afford a house in downtown-ish DC and have money for new furniture and audio gear.

 

[number1sixerfan]

Good luck on the house hunt! I'm also looking for a house with my wife and it's a tough game to play. But I'm waiting to get the house all settled in before I continue upgrading my audio gear. My view is that it's going to be a pain to move those things, and we'll probably move within a few months so no sense in getting big and expensive things now. Plus, a house means that we'll be upgrading our furniture - much of which dates back to when we just finished college - so different furniture would relax some constraints on equipment size. For example, I've been thinking of getting the LTA Z10e for a living room listening setup, but our current TV console isn't really designed for that sort of audio gear - all sorts of compartments and dividers that complicate cable management - and it's a cheap unit from Target. I'm keen on getting a more open design (I liked a SolidSteel two-level rack that I saw at an audio store recently) which can serve as both TV console and audio rack for the living room. I recognize that I'm very fortunate in that I can afford a house in downtown-ish DC and have money for new furniture and audio gear.

The point on extra gear to move is a great point actually. This was the biggest hassle with my cross country move here a year ago.. thankfully we're looking at moving 10min or less away.

What I'm struggling to reconcile is that my hobby of headphones provides incredible value, while furniture shopping for wooden dinner tables at pottery barn (or wherever else) that just sits... doesn't lol. But happy wife, happy life lol

Also on the topic of furniture for audiophile gear, I have a similar frustration with decent racks/stands costing thousands and thousands. Ultimately, outside of this hobby I'm a bit cheap lol. Still looking for something I like that doesn't break the bank. I have a very cheap wayfair stand for the time being and it just doesn't cut it space and quality wise. Good luck on your house hunt, btw!

 

[ufospls2]

So I've been eyeing quite a bit of gear lately after being pretty stagnant since selling off the Caldera and Utopia. Recently started seriously looking at houses with the fiance and man, every part of it just confirms that sometime soon my headphone hobby investments will come to a screeching halt lol. The things she talks about doing to the house, furniture, creating living spaces, etc etc... I'll never be able to spend money on this hobby once we're there lol. But we're having fun going through the process and are aiming for summer unless we have unexpected life changes.

So I have the Pacific DAC coming Thursday. Found out my dealer can get a really good deal on the AIC, and have some interest in my current amps to sale + my Hugo 2. Going to put the Expanse up soon as well. I'm still on the fence, but I definitely would prefer to have a single box and offloading some of this gear would make it a much easier pill to swallow. My current setup is also more ideal for power hungry headphones and not as such for the R10 and L3000 (despite the adapters I'm using).

The Mass Kobo was impressive, but my dealer can't get that and it's much more expensive and probably off the list. Wish I had more time to hear it and compare, as it was really good, maybe another time.

Looking forward to your thoughts about the new DAC, hope you really enjoy it!

 

[number1sixerfan]

Looking forward to your thoughts about the new DAC, hope you really enjoy it!

Thank you! Feels good finally taking a plunge after a years of drooling for one and a year+ trying to figure out which way to go. Will give it about a week and share some thoughts!

 

[goldwerger]

I liked a SolidSteel two-level rack that I saw at an audio store recently

Also on the topic of furniture for audiophile gear

I have a SolidSteel rack (4 shelf Hyperspike HY-L) and their build is just exquisit. I'm super happy with it.

 

[gammi]

Recently started seriously looking at houses with the fiance and man, every part of it just confirms that sometime soon my headphone hobby investments will come to a screeching halt lol. The things she talks about doing to the house, furniture, creating living spaces, etc etc... I'll never be able to spend money on this hobby once we're there lol.

On the bright side, it sounds like a good opportunity to work in a nice pair of speakers into the living room "furnishings"

 

[Frankie D]

Hi all. Anyone ever find a good rack that fits on a desk and can hold most audio gear ( amps, dacs, )?

 

[number1sixerfan]

I have a SolidSteel rack (4 shelf Hyperspike HY-L) and their build is just exquisit. I'm super happy with it.

That looks really nice. Expensive lol, but really nice.

On the bright side, it sounds like a good opportunity to work in a nice pair of speakers into the living room "furnishings"

Definitely lol. On the 2-channel side I think I'll just eventually find a used set of Klipsch La Scala's or Klipschorns. My fiance really likes the Heresys, as do I, so it makes sense just to go up that path. The nice thing about 2-ch is that second hand gear comes at a steep discount (also a negative if you prefer buying new). But probably won't invest heavily in 2-ch anytime soon, but we'll see.

 

[number1sixerfan]

I've had the Pacific for almost a week. This thing is massive.. and gear is ALWAYS double the size you imagined when simply looking at the specs lol. Amazing craftsmanship and feel. Doesn't fit well on my current rack, which I'm going to replace either soon or after I move. So future pics will be limited as it's not in an ideal photo worthy space. But you get the idea . I originally wanted to pure gold classic Pacific chassis, but that's been discontinued and I'm pretty sure anything with the engine 11 upgrade going forward is likely to be in this colorway.. in the end I have appreciated it quite a lot as it looks less gaudy and more similar to the gear I own.

As for the sound, I've intentionally been really lip tight as I typically am with new gear. I had been listening to the SGL Sr. and HE90 w/the Dave mainly leading up to its arrival, and have been using them mainly with the Pacific for consistency. Right now, I've come to two pretty consistent conclusions:

1. Resolution/Detail/Spacing: overall in these categories, the Pacific is pretty noticeably ahead of the MDave, which for me, was a bit unexpected and surprising. I've always figured, "how much better can things get in that regard?". But it was apparent from the very first listen.. a) a bigger stage and enveloping sound while maintaining the same since of intimacy and closeness, b) I'm literally hearing detail I haven't heard in songs before, and consistently, and c) vocals and instruments sound more detailed, clear and textured than ever.
2. Tone/Timbre: from a tonal balance perspective, the Pacific with the tubes I have is pretty lush in the midrange, detailed in the highs, while being more resolving and transparent (clearer perceived window into the music) than the mDave, which is a major accomplishment. It also doesn't sound overly warm or "tubey", which was my primary reason in going with the Pacific over the GG. I want to maintain the transparency and neutrality the mDave provides to a large degree. Regarding timbre and weight of the music, it's pretty similar to the Dave. With the current tubes, I don't sense a much weightier sound, but rather an improved tonal balance.
3. Bass impact/subbass: performance here is virtually the same, and in some cases, I'm even sensing less of a visceral impact and sub-bass rumble than w/the mDave. This difference is pretty slight, but it was unexpected and given my previous desire to improve upon mDave in this aspect, it stood out as not as impressive as I would have hoped.
   1. I do think (and hope) this is largely based on the stock tubes supplied with it, new production KR 5u4g rectifier and PX4 power tubes. From what I've read the PX4s can be a bit slower and softer in attack and 242s and others should be better. I also now have a Tak 274b tube (minimal improvement) and I'm likely closing in on a used matched pair of 242s

So overall, definitely a pretty impressive improvement over the mDave, and particularly in categories in which I expected things to be far closer. The first few hours were really an incredible wow experience in which I haven't really experienced since I upgraded from the 009 to the SGL Sr. and separately from the BHSE to the T2. Almost reminded me how when I went from the Hugo 2 to the mDave.

Now I just need to find the right set of tubes that improve the bass. I'm not expecting a massive improvement here, but would like to at least get slightly improved performance over the mDave. I've talked to quite a few ppl that have gone through this exact upgrade path, and nearly all of them noted improved bass, so will just have to experiment. If it doesn't improve, that would just be the one area that isn't a significant improvement (editing this to "one area that would be a major disappointment" given what I originally set out to accomplish in moving on from mDave--again, resolution, clarity etc. wasn't the driving factor in moving on).

 

[number1sixerfan]

Transparently, I think upgrading to a new piece of gear... and especially gear that is expected to replace something beloved over a long time, it can be a bit hard to acknowledge disappointment. Edited my post above. My original goal was to improve timbre and bass, which hasn't really happened here. The timbre is absolutely acceptable, especially given the tonal improvement.. but if the bass doesn't improve with tube rolling, that will in fact be a disappointment for me (not overall, but in that regard specifically). Made an edit above to reflect.

It will also drive me nuts because I don't get how it could improve that much in every other aspect of the sound, which I completely didn't ask for lol, and not in the category or two I was looking for lol. But again, everything I've read + 1:1 conversations are contrary to that, so we shall see lol. Either way, I'll report back with full transparency and share honest perspective.

 

[orrman]

I've had the Pacific for almost a week. This thing is massive.. and gear is ALWAYS double the size you imagined when simply looking at the specs lol. Amazing craftsmanship and feel. Doesn't fit well on my current rack, which I'm going to replace either soon or after I move. So future pics will be limited as it's not in an ideal photo worthy space. But you get the idea . I originally wanted to pure gold classic Pacific chassis, but that's been discontinued and I'm pretty sure anything with the engine 11 upgrade going forward is likely to be in this colorway.. in the end I have appreciated it quite a lot as it looks less gaudy and more similar to the gear I own.

As for the sound, I've intentionally been really lip tight as I typically am with new gear. I had been listening to the SGL Sr. and HE90 w/the Dave mainly leading up to its arrival, and have been using them mainly with the Pacific for consistency. Right now, I've come to two pretty consistent conclusions:

1. Resolution/Detail/Spacing: overall in these categories, the Pacific is pretty noticeably ahead of the MDave, which for me, was a bit unexpected and surprising. I've always figured, "how much better can things get in that regard?". But it was apparent from the very first listen.. a) a bigger stage and enveloping sound while maintaining the same since of intimacy and closeness, b) I'm literally hearing detail I haven't heard in songs before, and consistently, and c) vocals and instruments sound more detailed, clear and textured than ever.
2. Tone/Timbre: from a tonal balance perspective, the Pacific with the tubes I have is pretty lush in the midrange, detailed in the highs, while being more resolving and transparent (clearer perceived window into the music) than the mDave, which is a major accomplishment. It also doesn't sound overly warm or "tubey", which was my primary reason in going with the Pacific over the GG. I want to maintain the transparency and neutrality the mDave provides to a large degree. Regarding timbre and weight of the music, it's pretty similar to the Dave. With the current tubes, I don't sense a much weightier sound, but rather an improved tonal balance.
3. Bass impact/subbass: performance here is virtually the same, and in some cases, I'm even sensing less of a visceral impact and sub-bass rumble than w/the mDave. This difference is pretty slight, but it was unexpected and given my previous desire to improve upon mDave in this aspect, it stood out as not as impressive as I would have hoped.
   1. I do think (and hope) this is largely based on the stock tubes supplied with it, new production KR 5u4g rectifier and PX4 power tubes. From what I've read the PX4s can be a bit slower and softer in attack and 242s and others should be better. I also now have a Tak 274b tube (minimal improvement) and I'm likely closing in on a used matched pair of 242s

So overall, definitely a pretty impressive improvement over the mDave, and particularly in categories in which I expected things to be far closer. The first few hours were really an incredible wow experience in which I haven't really experienced since I upgraded from the 009 to the SGL Sr. and separately from the BHSE to the T2. Almost reminded me how when I went from the Hugo 2 to the mDave.

Now I just need to find the right set of tubes that improve the bass. I'm not expecting a massive improvement here, but would like to at least get slightly improved performance over the mDave. I've talked to quite a few ppl that have gone through this exact upgrade path, and nearly all of them noted improved bass, so will just have to experiment. If it doesn't improve, that would just be the one area that isn't a significant improvement (editing this to "one area that would be a major disappointment" given what I originally set out to accomplish in moving on from mDave--again, resolution, clarity etc. wasn't the driving factor in moving on).

This is Pacific 2 right? just assuming based on the Engine 11 comment..

 

[number1sixerfan]

This is Pacific 2 right? just assuming based on the Engine 11 comment..

It's a Pacific 1 that's been upgraded to the Engine 11. In the official commentary, Lampizator mentions that they don't consider Pacific 1's (or other models) that have had the upgrade to be "Pacific 2's", yet that the performance is at similar levels.

 

[number1sixerfan]

It has been a really amazing experience getting to re-explore some of my gear so far with the Pacific. The 009 and 007 both are scaling really well with it. They don't sound like entirely new headphones, but both sound more refined, open and more enjoyable. This stands out even more with the 009, which I know intimately well--the fatigue factor has gone down, the detail up a bit and just overall an incredible experience. Sounds very TOTL and end game worthy, and I'm spending more time with the 007 now and it's very impressive as well.

So far I've mainly spoken on the things that stand out the most, recapping:

-Detail, Resolution and Spacing is drastically improved
-There's better tonal balance
-The bass performance is similar, not really elevated or improved as I had hoped

Overall, it's an incredibly impressive sound. I didn't cover areas that are likely more similar between the Dave and Pacific, except for bass because that was an area of focus for me. The imaging within the spacing seems comparable between the Dave and Pacific, as does timbre. Those are two aspects that I absolutely need more of a head to head A/B comparison to provide any meaningful thoughts. I won't get to that probably for another week as I get to know the Pacific better.

I also have KR 242a on the way, plus some additional driver tubes that were a plus added in on the used sale. I want to make sure everything works effortlessly in single ended mode (two power tubes vs. 4) and after that I can grab PX25s, T100s, and have solid pairs to see if that fine tunes the sound. Holding off on 300bs, as I am seeing more consistency in the wide array of 300bs not being the best tube for the Pacific, although some specific types seem well received.

 

[number1sixerfan]

This is absolutely the best I've ever heard the 009 sound lol