deepak

Saw this in the IMax Saturday opening weekend, I was not too thrilled about having to drive an hour to catch it.

I mentioned this on the SH forums but I hear distortion on the drums and cymbal hits. It's really bad on My Gift of Silence and Where Is My Love.

I look forward to spending many more hours with it. I played a few poor recordings (Blackfield, Neal Morse) and the M192 is just as unforgiving as the DA10 :'( But I'm really enjoying the good stuff, DCC classics, newer Hoffman, first edition CDs, needle drops all sound so good. Still haven't got around to listening to the K1000, the HP-2 boogey factor is stealing all my time.

I see a Aries with SDS in your future

Woah... I would be afraid for the good doc, cotdt could always threaten to kill him like he did half his high school class

I think my next digital upgrade will be a Squeezebox, then I can finally say I'll be done for a while.

Man I know I need to put together my Bugle and remount the cart. But every time I have a stretch of free time I leave the house. The TT thing is going to take a while to get setup right. The only way is to buy used

Northstar M192 DAC (thanks Reks) Neat optical illusion. the faceplate is not wavy aluminum like it looks from the front. Back: Certainly a dynamite looking product. just some chicken scratch (upsampling turned on at all times, will mess around with it later), all testing was done switching back and forth. Started off with some John Zorn's Electric Masada and then some early King Crimson and Tool. I think the Lavry is still a very dynamic DAC, but the Northstar takes it to a whole different level. Loud sounds are huge, dynamic shifts (both macro and micro) sound incredibly lifelike. Dire Strait's Brothers In Arms/Communique (both WG Target discs) is sublime. I've only been using the HP-2 so far but I'm itching to take out the K1000 and the Star Wars soundtracks. Female vocals - Jane Monheit is my latest obsession, she has such a sexy voice. I use the track Honeysuckle Rose to really hear her voice and it has some nice piano and double bass to go with it. Eargasms, breath of life whatever you want to call it it's there (which leads me to believe the M192 has more midrange detail, but more on that with more listening), the piano and double bass carry more weight and have their own space. Isis - Wrists of Kings - the opening drum hits... this is what the HP-2 is about. More forward sound of the Lavry gives the illusion that it's more exciting, but dynamics hit home with the M192. Tan Dun/ Yo-Yo Ma - Night Fight (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon OST) - drum hits much, much harder. Attack is very snappy. Rage Against the Machine - The Battle for Mexico City (live) - more of that PRaT goodness. basslines/drums continue to impress. I always thought Tim's bass guitar was mixed a little lower than the rest of the instruments/vocals, nope. There has to be more midrange detail, on Bulls on Parade when Morello is doing that funky thing with his guitar you can hear it echo off, as well as some of the feedback/HF distortion from the amp; all these details are present on the Lavry but it sounds more natural on the M192. If you like RatM pretty much a must have recording/DVD. Necronomicon - Tips Zum Selbstmord (crazy drugged out German krautrock guitar meltdown, let's just say I'd own a tube if only to listen to this album over and over. Haven't heard electric guitar like this on solid state) - there's this weird guy singing in gibberish at the beginning and you can actually hear his voice echo as if it's bouncing off some walls. Bass lines more palpable. The Northstar has more air and space to breath in the midrange and higher registers. The Northstar is a tiny bit more laid back (like comparing the HP-2 with an RS-1 but not as extreme), but I still find the Lavry is incredibly fatigue free to listen to (I've spent many long sessions with it). The midrange isn't completely neutral, if the Lavry is considered neutral. The upper bass is also a tiny bit more pronounced on the Northstar. Very smooth sounding piece I like. Also the Northstar outputs a louder than my Lavry @ 25, so I did my best to volume match the Lavry. The higher output on the Northstar is slightly annoying since I have to use my HP-2 at 8 o'clock for most recordings (on the Melos) instead of 10 or 11. Like the Lavry the M192 can playback 24/96 needle drops. Soundstage and imaging are up next, I'd like to hear more classical and jazz. But already this is making me want to relisten to my entire music collection.

:D I actually wish I owned the picture, it was posted on another music forum I frequent. I know if I actually had it hanging up I'd get a good laugh everytime I looked at it. My favorite comment was about the girl in the wheel chair wanting to steal the little Chinese girls organs Oh yes and the boy on the top row 5th from the left side, the expression on his face is priceless.

I think my concentration/attention span improved after having to study 6-8 hour days for 4 years. I can put up with 20-30 minute Yes and E,L&P wank fests.

Yeah I do like how the album starts off, it's pretty fun...but then kinda goes all over the place... Timbaland

Well it's hanging in my living room for starters But the answer to your question is "I don't know"

Bjork needs to eat too But I agree

Yeah the Melos isn't too bad with the 580 but there's room for a lot of improvement. I'm sure an amp like the HA-2 or Extreme (or Dynahi/B22) with really powerful output tubes would really wake them up. I actually got them for use with my laptop so a little DIY side project is in order for this summer like a DAC/tube amp combo (the redesigned Millet Hybrid looks really tempting)

Just don't sing along, people might look at you funny when you say "I'll punch a donkey on the streets of Galway"

The HP-2 does ok with The Drift. Personally I like the K1000 because it just scares the shit out of me listening to that CD late at night. I know what you mean about having to really listen to it. I had it in my HF signature telling everyone to get the album. Oh man I'm such a SW fanboy

The Drift is one of the few flawless albums I've heard in the last few years. I didn't really think much of it with the HD650. Hearing it with the headphones I used to own I would rank it: K1000 > Stax SR-404 > HP-2 > HD650 > K701 I haven't played the album with my K340 or HD580 yet but I'll give it a go. I can always listen to more The Drift

Then again the HD650 never did it for me either. I guess I'm a 580/600 type <Sennheiser> person.

I got an HD580 on Monday (my second time owning them). Didn't really use it much until today. The K701 has a really wonky soundstage, I thought I was just imagining it at first. But switching to the HD580 everything sounds more cohesive and intimate again (I like). The K701 also has an incredibly dry midrange (female vocals are dull to listen to; even the sexiest of voices, and guitars have no magic, I never thought I'd find a pair of headphones where I'd want to stop listening to Dire Straits), nothing like the K1000, K340 or K501. The K701 is off to a new home. Aside from lacking dynamics they weren't too bad with classical and I feel they got the tone of the violin right.

I'm sure if Lost was in a dictionary "a show that fucks with the fans" would be one of the many definitions

SPOILER But also remember that Locke's story arc is complete with his father dead. He doesn't serve much purpose to the show other than being a character that nearly everyone liked SPOILER

HUGE SPOILER I believe he is dead. The writers were hinting that one major character was going to die in season three. HUGE SPOILER

I know the feeling. For all of March I got by on 6 hours of sleep just so I could stay up and listen to them. They just gel with the types of music I'm into. And they're the only Grados I've heard that have amazing depth to the soundstage. This to me is what sets apart the ho hum from the world class. Roll in some Amperex and welcome to Melos heaven warning: these headphones carry a special curse. You'll start to look for the best versions of recorded music (is it coincidence LFF has an HP-1000?), I'm lurking the SH forums even more now. And they also demanded a vinyl rig, who am I to say no.

On many more listens the initial wow factor has gone down. I don't know if any old Bjork fans will like this. I still intend to pick up the special edition just for completeness sake.