Ben Gramain

RS-1's always sound nice at meets. It's when you get them home that things change Will be keeping an eye on this thread. I'm keen on the GS-X but I'm also eyeing the Max Balanced.

I used to own some Arcam gear some time ago and I felt it was OK, and of course well reviewed. It's only since I've started sitting down with other players that I started to suspect that especially the FMJ stuff was not worth it. My last (and probably final) encounter with an Arcam was when I demoed the FMJ DVD player alongside the Naim DVD5 for a while and it was kind of worrying how the Naim really made it's difference felt over the Arcam for both video and audio (this is going through the same surround amp + speakers) especially as I was struck by how inferior the DVD5's audio was when even compared to Naim's entry-level CD5. That makes the DV29's audio... well, you do the maths. Granted the DV29 was quite a bit cheaper than the Naim, but the sound was definitely in the "Is it really worth it over a Denon" bracket as opposed to "Cheaper so worth considering". Which is strange as they are fairly well known for decent audio innovations, aren't they? They do seem to have a decent following though. Could it be ropey QC?

How about the slinkier techflex that some builders are starting to use nowadays?

My Black Dragon is on the MDR-V700DJ where the quality of the cable is more suited.

Bwahahahaha. I think almost every review gets an award for something. Those that don't must be really cruddy In my more ignorant days, I actually bought stuff on their breathless recos.

Don't forget the CEO's third cat's 15th birthday and the chief headphone designer's mother's 50th wedding anniversary are not too far off either. I'll wait for limited woodies for those.

FLAC > Dual Opteron 270 > K8N-DL > j.River Media Center > Algorithmix Linearphase PEQ > RME Fireface > SRM-717 > Omega II or even FLAC > Dell Inspiron 9400 > j.River Media Center > Algorithmix Linearphase PEQ > Focusrite Saffire > SRM-717 > Omega II = "Synergy" reduced to irrelevance.

red

I've started noticing a certain amount of discolouration and and 'ragging' at the edges of the "pads". (as 010 owners know, "pad" is a bit of a misnomer) What would you recommend for nourishing the 010 leather? NO ARMOR ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (oh yeah, perhaps no need to say that... Sovkiller's gone )

I wasn't. Thanks for the link. Seems they haven't done the Max module comparisons yet. Ah what the hell, I'll go for the upgrade.

Sorry about going slightly off topic, but was anyone able to do any in-depth comparison at all between old modules and new? My Max has to go in for repair and I was wondering whether a module upgrade was worth it.

It's very pretty inside. Can the LCD displays show up little programmable messages too? That would be nice.

Former = no, latter = a bit, other reasons = most definitely.

Thanks for the listings so far. Singlepower are off the list, but I'll be mulling over the rest.

My K701 is now shipping. I have no idea what to expect but judging by the varying comments on the boards I guess these are fit / ear-configuration-sensitive beyond the likes of the SA5K or the HD650. I'm hoping for something slightly more "woken up" than the HD650. Less bass won't worry me much. I presume the reason why these aren't fited with AKG's standard miniXLR jack is that these have two ground wires?

I figured I'd set the low bar. The current balanced Max is at the top of my list at the moment as far as the amps I would like to get. I notice headamp doesn't offer the Balanced Reference anymore. Is the GS-X it's replacement? Is it a Gilmore design or a Headamp design?

All right, so assuming this would be the undisputed #1 in that case in the list, let's get back to the rest. Mods, please remove if it offends This may be degenerating into a farce thread but I am actually looking to buy something decent.

So basically, as long as it has lots of large and long things resembling penises poking out of a hulking casework, it's in the top 10 by default?

I have a distinct dearth of receivers in my house, but rather an excess of decent headphone amps

That argument is rendered rather moot as I also own the Qualias... which have the same electrical characteristics. I could actually see the difference in movement between the drivers with a large low bass sound. Bass impact: Qualia = Ali. SA5K = banana.

This is a mystifying thing to me. The SA5K to me had an uncontrolled, DJ-phone-like bass. The contrast for example was really stark in conjunction with both a standard and recabled DT880. The 880's hit less but you could really make out the attack. The SA5K in comparison had plenty of volume, but all the impact of being poked with an over-ripe banana. I wonder if there was something wrong with mine? I hope the K701 fares better.

I have a Gallardo for an extended weekend soon. Joining a supercar club was a great thing to do. Haven't tried a KGSS but I prefer the 717 to the 007t for general PC use. Mainly because it's less compromised in response, whereas I think the 'flavour' of the 007t actually robs the O2 of some of it's potential impact. I change the flavour through EQ (Algorithmix PEQ, both Orange and Red DirectX plugin used with j.River Media Center) on the PC.

You'll need a little bit more than a couple of thousand bucks Feel free to buy my K181DJ for a couple of thousand though. It's a really good headphone honest, I was just trying to keep it a secret...

And oh yeah... what the fuck is up with the fucking fucks? It's like being in the fucking back of a fucking school bus.

Muhahahahaha Rather like Xin (but treading a different path), I have every confidence in KG's abilities as a guy who places his own priorities for what makes an amp above anyone else's... and I don't mean that in any weird way (well, not too weird a way ). It just means you have full conviction in what you do. I think for what they are, RS's amps are a tad overpriced... if you don't look at the cast-iron build quality. If you put the amp topology aside for a moment, they are really quality items to a standard that many other 'semi-pro' manufacturers can't quite match, no matter how carefully it's done. In terms of basic build quality and a sense of what makes something look like a premium piece of kit, I think Ray Samuels and Headroom are way out there. It's a small difference really in the process, but it makes a definite difference when the box arrives on your doorstep. His amps are not perhaps the best in the respective price bracket, but neither is it the worst... and they are definitely without question the best built. I had a Max in for a while for example. While objectively speaking in a purely sonic front it can be bested by other DIY amp efforts, it just looks and feels like it's in a totally different league. It's my supposition that how something feels and looks does have a bearing on how something sounds to you on a casual basis, provided it doesn't suck... and none of the amps we're discussing here, I believe sucks in an absolute way. I think the 'best' amp should offer both a visual and sonic confirmation of it's intentions. This is a potential customer speaking, not a 'tyre-kicker'. Call me weird, call me suckered, I think RS's output can stand well alongside any of KG's efforts... because KG only provides 50% of the picture. Being from the East, I can fully agree with the maxim "Size isn't everything... It's all in the execution"