gurubhai

Thankyou Mr. Gilmore for the explanation. I was reading up a bit in tubecad journal & here's a quote : It seems that the key variables are : Headphone capacitance , Highest Audio frequency desired : 20k for all practical purposes, Slew Rate of the Amplifier, & the Voltage Swing of the amplifier . I was just hoping if someone could provide these specs for various headphones & amps but it seems that the question did not go too well with some folks here.

Its something I have been wondering for some time & though its the LCD-3 thread, the current discussion gives me the chance to pose these question. 1) How much power(watt/mA) is required for Lambda models, 007 & 009 respectively? 2) What is the power output of currently available DIY/commercial amplifiers ? FWIR, the answer would depend on slew rate of amp apart from the voltage swing & headphone capacitance. So, if someone can explain in those terms it would be even better. Edit: dBel84 posted above while I was typing & while it is related, my questions still stand.

Happy Birthday.

LCD-3 eat the 007 for breakfast, 009 for lunch & by dinner time they would have crossed 1000 posts about impressions/reviews of a headphone which no has heard yet. How many post has 011(which BTW is another headphone no one has heard yet) had ? A couple at best. So, you see, $2k is probably too cheap for them.

I would get hum on my amp when the mains voltage would drop below 200V(and that happened often during the summers). The issue was that the LM317 would drop out of regulation, fixed it by getting a bigger transformer.

^It can definitely be done. While I haven't tried it on LCD-2(one doesn't mess around with $1k borrowed headphones) but I have managed it on a number of vintage orthos. You can start by replacing the stock felt with felt of similar thickness but of lesser density and see if it helps.Be warned though, that this 'trial & error' process can be quite cumbersome esp. when you are so close to achieving the right balance.

Don't know if the measurements show it but I have always maintained that LCD-2 are a touch 'overdamped'. Apart fom the decay of notes, it also leads to the 'hardness' in treble that Tyll talked about.

Thank you Tyll, for finally providing some much needed measurements on the electrostats.

Happy birthday, Don !

I know my way around those woods for some time now. I asked here because i thought that someone gotta be a headcase to try these on.

ety8™ In-The-Ear Bluetooth® Earphones Any one tried these ?

Happy Birthday !

Does anyone have some information regarding the transformer box of PMB500? I recently acquired them but the trafo box seems to be malfunctioning. I am getting no sound fron left side & very weak sound from right. I opened it up & there are 2 transformers( one for either channel) & the resistors around the trafos seems to be burned out. I can't make out their value. If any one has some info or any tip regarding where to begin, I would be very thankful. P.S. : I am a newbie to stats & circuits but can wield an iron well enough.

I bet that we will see worsening of 30 Hz square wave patterns.

I can't either. So much for the power of suggestion.

I tried it but didn't find much difference in the FR. The L setting is loudest giving the sensitivity of roughly my Yamaha HP50 orthos. however there is some distortion of bass below 30 hz presumably due to clipping. I am no expert on back-electrets or on electrets for that matter. its my first foray into world of 'trets, may be someone with more experience in electret drivers can chime in.

Here is a rather unique & rare planar headphone : Rotel RH-930 back-electret headphones. This is an OEM version of Toshiba ?HR-910.? The wikiphonia entry suggests 910 but the pics on this japanese site are suggest hat it is OEM version of HR-810. The transformer is built into the TRS plug & so it can be used with usual dynamic amplifiers. The transformer plug has three settings- H, M & L The driver is 65 mm. No backwave damping here. Most electrets are considered infereior to the 'electrostats' but back-electrets are a bit different. Check this wikiphonia link for electret driver principle: About the Sound : The first thing that struck me was how smooth they were in mids & treble. I can't seem to pick any major peak/dip in there frequency response.I can play them as loud as I can from my amp & they don't get shouty. The Treble is very extended & without a hint of that plasticky sound that seems to bug most dynamic cans. In the stock form they have significant bass roll-off starting from 175 Hz & lower meaning that one would miss the mid-bass & that the male vocals sounded a bit thin. I improved the backwave seal of the cans & that has cured the vocals. The bass still rolls off but most of it is now in sub-bass region & doesn't hurt the the timbre of most instruments. Pressing a bit on the earcups improves the sub-bass too which suggest that experiments with better sealing earpads are in the order. All in all, a welcome addition to the planar family at my home.

I would suggest the Fostex T50RP for your purposes. Its sturdy & comfortable with good isolation, not as pretty as ESW9/10 though.

Its been a while since my NAD were stock but I do remember that they did sound excellent even then. I think they sound even better now. About the HE-6,you mean that they are on the 'under damped' side? That would explain the reports of sub-optimal imaging & mid-bass hump.

A bit hard to put into words, but I shall give it a go : Underdamped : If you have listened to a stock vintage ortho, you would probably get it more easily. Mushy, rounded edges, loose bass, imaging not upto mark, guitar strings appear a bit loose. Overdamped : Dry, lifeless, cymbals lose there sparkle, guitar strings appear too tight etc. We try to find a balance between these too states. To answer my own question,w.r.t. LCD-2, For my tastes their balance is just about perfect (being slightly over damped). The mid-range is a slightly drier than what I personally prefer.

posting before this thread goes far away,again.

^Which tubes on EHHA? Some tubes sound a bit slow & mushy with LCD-2, but the telefunkens seem to have just the right balance for me. Never heard a β22 though.

Its unfortunate that the LCD-2 are having to go through the life-cycle of a FOTM , they are better than that IMO.

Hardcore softies

That has been my experience too. The cable I made for my friend( who owns the LCD-2 ) was because the original cable was rather heavy & clumsy. Its a simple Belden 1172a mini starquad cable, nothing fancy.My friend reported that he noticed slight improvement on highs with the new cable but he was more impressed that the new cable was flexible & light. @DAC : you seem to be pretty used to heavier cables. The cable on your erstwhile HP50 was just as clumsy !