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A used 5350SE would be great, at one point I was really looking to do the same thing and yet might. Because I enjoy the Creek sound so much I am likely going to look for a Destiny on the used market in the near future. Anyway, it has been nice chatting with you about things. Post back in this thread when you have found your new gear as I would be interested in hearing about how it turns out for you. Cheers.
I've had an interesting couple of days...
Yesterday I visited a high-end audio shop (Magnolia's flagship store in Seattle) and auditioned the Peachtree Nova with a pair of HD650's. I've never heard them sound better. Though the treble was still a little recessed for my liking, the 650's sounded lush with beautiful midrange and tight bass.
Next I went across the street to Hawthorne Stereo to listen to some used amps - including a Creek 5350 and NAD 3300 they had listed on their website. This is a terrific shop with good prices and nice quality stuff. Unforunately, the Creek was sold so I still haven't listened to one. The NAD sounded decent but was a little warm for my tastes (no doubt exaggerated by the 650's character). Finally, I listened to a Cambridge Audio Azur 650A, which sounded decent enough but unremarkable - much like how I remember the Asgard.
Today, while traveling for work, I stopped in at a high-end headphone store (32 Ohm in Portland) to audition a few different setups. I ended up listening to every headphone on my list through a Burson amp sourced by a Music Hall CD player.
I satisfied my curiosity about the AKG 601 and 702, Denon AH-D2000, Beyer 880 and 990, and a couple others I was curious about. They were all too bright for me and either lacking in bass or had too much (uncontrolled) bass. I guess my first instinct was correct - I'm a Sennheiser guy. So, on to the good stuff...
I tried the Sennheiser HD800 first and really like them. Bass was punchy and controlled, midrange seemed a smidge leaner than the 650 (not in a bad way), and they had a more forward treble (without sounding bright) so the details came through better. They were also very comfortable.
Next came the Audeze LCD-2 (v2). They sounded a lot like the HD800 to me at first, but as I listened longer, a began to hear a little deeper (but no less controlled) bass and slightly more recessed (but slightly smoother) treble. I really liked them - a little more than the 800. Finally, a pair of Grado GS-1000i's, which I couldn't bear to listen to for more than a few seconds. Way too bright!
So then I listened to the LCD-2's through a Peachtree iDecco (they didn't have a Nova) and it was too close for me to call. They certainly sounded just as pleasing to me as they did with the Burson. Plus the Peachtree has very smooth controls and fine build quality (I hate the volume control on the Burson). Of significance to me is that, while listening to the LCD-2 and HD800, I came to a couple of realizations:
First, I like both of these headphones mostly because they sound like a brighter, clearer HD650 - much like I remember the HD600. I need to go back to 32 Ohm next week with a pair of HD600's and compare them to the LCD-2's. I strongly believe one of them is "the one."
Second: After experiencing the elegance of the Peachtree Nova and iDecco, I really don't want a dedicated headphone amp. I don't like the idea of another box sitting on my cabinet and then adding DACS, RCA cables, and switching through a tape monitor loop to listen to headphones. Unless the thing is beautiful like a WA2, I'm going integrated.
Finally, to cap off the day, I got a response to an e-mail I sent to a friend of mine last week who offered to sell me his vintage Sansui G8000 receiver. He bought a G9000 a couple of months ago and sent me a message thinking I might like the 8000. I told him "YES" and I should be picking it up this Sunday and put it through it's paces. I have my doubts about the low impedance Audeze's matching up with that old-school Sansui, so I'm hoping the 600's sound like I think I remember them. That would be the "bargain" solution. The "high-end" solution (and I admit I'm excited about this prospect) would be the LCD-2's with the Peachtree Nova. I can't stop thinking about the Nova. I really like it's fidelity, capabilities, and design/build.
At last I'm making progress - and still having a lot of fun.
