The Expanding Man

I've forgotten how good this is.

Mint Julip. Makers Mark & brown caster sugar.

Britten's War Requiem on old, slightly crackly vinyl. Rather nice.

Thank you. I have now had a couple of listening sessions with the O2 Mk1's. I am driving them with an SRM-Mk11 while Justin gestates me a BHSE. Very classy, very regal headphone but I feel the amp is letting them down. At present, the amp really shines with my Lambdas. I'm quite glad in a way - headphones are a bit like women. The faster you fall in love with them, the faster you fall out of love and the things that first attracted you are the things that first irritate you. I'll wait patiently for my BH. In the meantime, I am very satisfied with the Lambda / SRM1 Mk 11 combo.

Vinyl or digital?

Edit.

A big hobby day for me - I'm still off work. I cleaned and lubed my turntable, set the tension springs, and then installed a new belt, an RB300 tonearm and a new Shure M97x. The tonearm and belt I meant to replace years ago, but the cartridge just arrived. I've got the Jico SAS ready to go on it when I finalise the cartridge settings and things have settled in a bit better.

The SRX Mk3 and O2 Mk1 have both been in the house for a week, but I had no means of driving them. Today's post brought the Lambda and SR-1 into the house. I thought I'd start at the ground level and work my way up. First listen - SRX Mk3 - Kind of Blue SACD. I've come exclusively from dynamic headphones (HD580, HD590, K701 and for a while I owned Grado HF-1). First impression - best headphones I have ever heard. I've been listening to Kind of Blue for nearly 30 years and have never heard this level of detail before. Second Listen - Lambdas with Caravanserai SACD. First impressions - even better than the SRX-Mk3. What I used to attribute to inadequacies in my signal chain I now put down to some extent to limitations in delivery by dynamic technology. What hit me first was the engagement and lack of fatigue. For about 5 years I was aware that I was short sighted, but never got around to visiting an optometrist. When I finally did, and received my first ever glasses, I can recall quite vividly my brain tingling as unused neurons were suddenly activated by being required to process all this additional visual information. I just had the exact same neurological experience listening to the Lambdas. Well, the O2's will be my next listen, and some time down the track I'll acquire a better source and amp. I'm very thankful I took the time to read this entire thread and put a bit of faith in the views of the posters.

Bolivar Habana Half Corona. This one has at least 4 years of aging. Very well constructed, good draw. Initial flavor was grass, followed by cinnamon. Second half, more citrus. This is a very interesting smoke, nothing unpleasant but nothing dominates. More sweet than savory, it would go well with a sweet beverage after a heavy meal. Very smooth. Sugars are well crystalized, so should be interesting to see what another year in the humidor does to these.

Partagas Serie D No 4. This one has about 3 years in the humidor. Cream, a touch of vanilla and the odd hint of caramel. The draw is a bit tight, which might be down to dampness. Very nice, overall.

Forget that, I've worked it out.

Is it still available? I could't find a direct link on the head amp site, just to the BH.

This bandwagon has been trundling along now for 366 pages, so it's time I jumped on it. I've had a good run of luck lately, spare cash in the bank, paid for me & Mrs Expanding to have a nice holiday, some (to my eye at least) good audio deals to be had. Firstly, I picked up a nice pair of SRX Mk 3. Then, needing something to drive them, I picked up a Lamba and SRM-1. Last night, a set of O2 Mk 1 on audiogon dropped their price to a reasonable level, so they were also picked up. I'm in Perth, Australia, and have little opportunity to audition amps. This thread would suggest that the SRM-1 will be adequate at best for driving the O2's. I can afford a KGSS from Justin. If I wait a few months, I can probably afford a BH. Is the BHSE still available? I've also scanned the KGSSHV thread, so waiting for this project to develop is also an option. Looking for advice/experiences as auditioning is not an option for me. My current source is a stock denon 3910. A better dac is also on the cards down the track.

I'm about to give my M^3 a major overhaul - new enclosure, sigma 11 to replace the current tread power supply, and a possible cap upgrade. I've never found myself using the bass control much and am considering removing it. It's removal would seem to remove 1 pot and a few caps from the signal path, which might be a good thing to do, especially if you don't see the need for constant bass adjustment.

I bought these last night: Gotta work out how to drive them now.

Yes, I relate to that song in an over-weight, middle aged loser kind of way.

Yes, I meant that the reviewer concluded that using the optical input to the D10 DAC was slightly superior to using the USB input of the Pico DAC, but the Pico was slightly superior to using the USB input to the D10 DAC. I'm interested to hear some other, less fotm, opinions.

I'm looking to upgrade my office set up from an aging bithead. I live in a remote location, and my chances of auditioning either the Pico or D10 are nonexistent. In terms of pricing, a D10 is roughly equivalent to the Pico DAC only. The Pico DAC is an option, as I have a mini^3 I could use. On paper, the D10 is the better deal, as it comes with an amp and line out along with optical and coax inputs. It will be a lot less faffing around, and will be more portable with the built in amp stage. I've read one review that gives the edge to the Pico DAC if you are using usb, but rates the D10 as slightly better using an optical input. I will mainly use the usb input. At present, cans used in the office will be HD590 and ety e4p. So, is the D10 the better option as it comes with the amp stage, or does it totally blow, compared to the Pico DAC? I know a lot of you hate these kinds of threads, but I have no ability to audition.

McClelland Old World Classic in this, my latest pipe:

Price of itself is not the issue - rather that I have no chance to audition it and would take a big loss if I decide to resell.

Mullaloo, not Honolulu. Nice to meet a neighbor.

Forgot to add - zap filters would give me a balanced output option.

I have been so good for so long - no new purchases. However, now I feel that itch for an upgrade / new product. Here is my current set ups: Speaker System Denon 3910 Thorens TD160S with ATML440 Muscial Fidelity X-LPS Aksa GK-1 Preamp Aksa Power Amp Speakers Main Headphone Rig Denon 2910 RSA Raptor (no flames, I like it!!) Headphones HD580 with Cardas AKG701 HD590 with SAA cable (ditto the Raptor). Desktop Computer Rig Monica11 USB DAC M^3 diy job Work Setup Bithead with the HD590's These are the options I am considering: (1) A Pico. I am finally ripping my CDs to Flac on a laptop for portability. Pros - should be a great portable/work set up. (2) DIY'ing a Beta 22. I am thinking real kick ass balanced. This will lead to the need for a balanced source - possibly a twisted pear opus DAC. Cons - I do like my Raptor, have found some tubes I love. I prefer the sound of tubes to my SS M^3. No chance of auditioning a Beta 22 where I live (the remotest city in the world, people). (3) Finishing a project to build a plinth for a Garrard 401 turntable (will be paired with a RB300 and Denon 103R). Pros - It frees up my current turntable in my speaker set up to place it in my main headphone set up. Pros & Cons - I will need a second phono stage. I had my eye on the DIY Hifi Cole kit, but I see it is no longer listed, just the prebuilt LCR version. (4) Taking advantage of all my Flac ripping and getting a Squeezebox. Pros - I can get fatter by not getting up to change discs Cons - I do like my high rez formats. (5) Doing some upgrades to my digital sources - thinking zap filters to start with. Suggestions/sarcasm/totally off-topic replies welcome.