dBel84

No pics of the rig back then but it was "store bought" . The year was 1995, the Senn HD580 was getting a lot of press and after much debating I picked the original Xcans over the AudioAlchemy HPA1 to drive them. I really loved that rig and probably would have continued on my blissful ignorance had I not restored the Leak and heard Quads. Good memories, thanks Spritzer..dB

Damn, why did I leave the East coast. ..... didn't stop JP or Al - freck, need a real job ..dB

iirc digger945 is the only person to own both ( albeit the LV version of the aikido ), I would suggest directing this question at him. The EHHA is a great amp but I can only imagine that the Aikido would be every bit as satisfying. ..dB

You can't put this one on your wrist but this is a time piece that will be hanging in my office soon ..dB [ATTACH=CONFIG]2700[/ATTACH] edit : for some reason I cannot hyperlink the image - it is from tubecad

feel strong, and trust you enjoyed he birthday all the same ..dB

I took the pads of your HPs penger - real flimsy design imo. To get them back on just line them up, place a little pressure and twist ( a little like the AKG but nowhere near as sophisticated ) If I could have opened them without damaging the wood/housing, I would have. Great potential there ..dB

This is also the case with Orthos - the wharfedale ID2 / Leak L3000 have impressively taught drivers - very hard to drive but incredible speed. Bass was an issue initially but some persistent modding changed all that. I know the LCD1 was quite tight , suspect the HE5 is tensioned but not sure if it is to the same degree. ..dB

There was no question in my mind that the HE5 I heard had a 5-7KHz bump. I vote for an accessible cup for damping/modding. Better yet - an ortho iem ..dB

You don't need enormous current so any of them would do (Tangents is limited to xxx? ) I think it would be a tough argument to prove that any of these topologies would be "better" than each other in this application. I would choose based on footprint and ease of build ..dB

I just heard , excellent news regal ..dB

Nate , that supply looks very similar to the one stocked by circuit specialists. Schematic and Product link ..dB ....similar price however too

Merry Christmas all..dB

you are welcome. enjoy and hope you don't start sliding, it's a slippery slope ..dB

OT diversion again humblehomemadehifi is one of my favourite design sites..dB

Those are gorgeous transmission lines Earl. When I built mine, they started out conceptually as TL's but reality brought a reflex loaded MTM home. To stay on track, it has been a while since I heard an old Fischer but I do have fond memories ..dB

My purchase took forever to get to me, goes out today ..dB

All the very best John ..dB

thanks for the headsup steve, count me in too..dB

hmm is there more history I am ignorant too? I was merely commenting on personal preferences ..dB

all is not lost , seems it will come down to sound preferences (from the other side ..dB

all's i can say is bastard ( errm "lucky" ... bastard ) lol ..dB

Finally picked this up. I had heard Celloforte from Pittsburgh and really liked them, am enjoying this album very much. ..dB

Thanks for the impressions lads, I thought the HE5 sounded good too. The pair NoNoNoNoNoNo had was not as balanced as you describe but it sure had all the qualities I like about orthos. ..dB

The SOHA II can be modded to run 90V on the plates and iirc 5-7mA. Ferrari was the first to do this and it is in the HF thread. Actually, Alex mentions the 55V - 100V psu on his web site. I have mine set to 60V ( before this psu was designed ) and it runs the tubes at 2mA ..dB

and yes, i fully expect to get a shovel or 2 for posting such tripe ..dB