catscratch

Raising some Old Rasputin in your honor.

Fantastic writeup. But, Is that Spritzer's Egmont-building cousin? *Jeremy Clarkson voice* Some say that his brain is biased to 580 volts, and "EL84" really is his middle name. All we know is, he's not Spritzer, but he is... Spritzer's Egmont-building cousin!! or maybe: There are those who say that "Stax" was his first ever uttered word, and that he can replace the pads on an O2 Mk1 in his sleep, with his toes. All we know is... Bah, must make stig-style intros! Can't stop!!!

Lambdas? Floats? Sigmas? Piezo ribbons? Bone-conduction headphones? And, lest we all forget, plasma headphones? Sorry, plenty more weird headphones out there than just what they found. Though the K1000 is pretty cool, and the HE90 certainly deserves mention based on asking price alone. And where's the Sennheiser Surrounder?

HE90 had a massive wow factor and a very strong initial impression on me, but then again it was a fairly long time ago and I was still pretty new to this whole headphone deal. It definitely sounded pretty colored, but those colorations were very euphonic and pleasing. This was with the HEV90 BTW, I heard a (then prototype) ES-1 with the HE90 and those colorations that I liked so much with the HEV90 were gone, and all that was left were the HE90's technical merits which were less than stellar. At the time I wrote that off because of the amp, but right now I'm having second thoughts. I would very much like to hear the HE90 again and see what's what from a more experienced viewpoint. I do know that I like its colorations, and I could probably live with the HE90/HEV90 system happily ever after, but there's no way I would fork over the asking price considering what else can be had for the money. I haven't read all of Jude's reviews, but a lot of them do seem pretty fishy to me. He does have a track record for endlessly hyping up new incoming products, and a lot of stuff that he was claiming as the best thing ever in its category - like the E4c - I thought was pretty substandard. So, I don't know the guy and I won't make personal judgments about him, and he's always been very nice to me in online interactions anyway, but I don't trust his reviews at all. Needless to say I will take KG's technical analysis over every other opinion. I don't have the knowledge to formulate educated technical opinions myself, so I'll trust the people who do, rather than going by random and potentially questionable people's audio impressions.

Can't comment on any technical aspects of the amp obviously, but I do like the look/design a lot, especially the power supply. It's simple and classy, not overblinged like a certain amp builder's stuff. Now I'm just waiting for (or dreading more likely) the final price.

Well you could always go the intermediate route and get the K1000. Still a headphone, but pressure issue solved

Darth Nut's review is fantastic. It's one of the few really good attempts to actually discuss sound and break it down into easily understandable and identifiable parameters. Really a rarity when most reviewers feel the need to talk about improvements in sonic gestalt from their $7000 power cables... Unfortunately it ends up being too detailed and intelligent for its own good and many people will not have the patience to make it through a review of that magnitude.

I wouldn't pick DHL even if the alternative was an oversized catapult. My company did shipping with DHL exclusively for several years and we've collected enough horror stories to never want to go near them again.

Wow, nice work on getting rid of the SR-404's midrange coloration. I guess I don't have to tell you that this coloration drove me insane while I still had the phones. The driver is attached with double-sided sticky tape? Good God. I don't know much about headphone design but that strikes me as awfully lazy construction. Won't this make the housing pretty much useless at dissipating excess energy regardless of what the housing is made of? I can't believe that mounting the drivers properly would drive up the cost or manufacturing time that much, at least in comparison to the sonic benefits. Stax's standards and QC have slipped enormously...

Nice, I have nearly all of their beers at my local, I will check them out.

Stouts are my favorite non-Belgian style, especially Russian Imperial Stouts. I really love Stone Russian Imperial, Founders Russian Imperial, Founders Breakfast Stout, and Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout though it's rare as balls and seriously hard to find. Brooklyn's Black Chocolate Stout was the very first craft beer I've ever had, and man did it ever impress the hell out of me. I don't like very overhopped, dry stouts though, like Rogue Russian Imperial. Too bitter and one-dimensional in its flavor. And I love good IPAs, so you can imagine just how bitter this was... If you can find any of the Founders stouts, do give them a try. Founders brewery specializes in stouts and is one of the top breweries in North America IMO.

I think they were ATC, but not sure which ones. In any case, the signal path was completely custom-built, as was the room. Don't ask me for details since I'm not an electrical engineer and they probably wouldn't be too happy if I gave out too many details anyway.

Wow, what a week. I had the chance to listen to one of the best speaker systems in the world at a rather well-known mastering lab, and let's just say that it gave me a nice perspective into what a system that measures perfectly flat in an acoustically-tuned environment sounds like. And, well... it sounds rather like the O2 Mk1 in a lot of ways. It wasn't very bright. I always thought that most headphones bumped up the highs significantly and this was confirmation of that. This system's treble was completely free of spikes, peaks, and any irregularities, and it was able to render cymbals and other treble-heavy instruments in perfect clarity and in perfect balance with relation to everything else, but there was no glare, grain, brightness, sharpness, pretty much no articafts whatsoever. The midrange wasn't overly forward but wasn't recessed either. Rather, it allowed instruments to come to the foreground when they needed to, and let things stay in the background when that was appropriate. Its tonality was what I always thought "accurate but a tad warmish" but now I'll just call that accurate, and leave it at that. It was basically spot-on what I hear from a well-driven O2 Mk1. The bass presentation was interesting, and once again shared a lot of similarities with the O2. It could be downright massive and commanding, and it could be quiet and tuneful, all depending on the material. Still, this was no wimpy SR-404 bass. It was full, detailed, punchy, and powerful. Robust. Not, it has to be said, as detailed as the O2 Mk1, but then again the speakers were dynamic. Soundstage wasn't enormous but it was absolutely holographic. The imaging precision was incredible and it was as airy and three-dimensional as anything I've ever heard. Once again, very much like the O2 Mk1. The one area where the O2 was ahead was speed, but then again it's an electrostat. But on the whole, that system was the O2, but bigger, and with a lot more tactile impact, and perhaps more detail but then again I was listening to a high-rez digital rip of "Dark Side of the Moon" that was ripped straight off the analog master, and I don't have anything of that caliber at home. It also shared that same sense of incredibly fluid transparency with the O2. I always thought the O2 was slightly more fluid than necessary and this was its only coloration, but now I think that this is simply accurate and nearly everything else is too dry. If anything, this is confirmation that I'm on the right track in my system.

Well, I had a chance to visit beer mecca, so to speak. Stone Brewery, not too far outside of San Diego. Oh man. If you're in the area, google directions and visit it. It's worth it. Very good food that's simple, made from local ingredients, and really well prepared, amazing selection of microbrews on tap, and a very cool and thoroughly modern facility. Best brewery I've been to by miles, though admittedly I'm still new to the whole beer scene. Oh yeah, I also had a chance to visit the Mastering Lab in Ojai, meet Doug Sax and hear one of the best systems in the world. Yeah, it was better than any headphones I've ever heard, but you know what... the O2 is remarkably close. Especially when it comes to tonality. So, I think I'm on the right track in my system at least. Now, back to beer.

Yes, real criminals, those Phish fans. Quick, lock them up for life so that Joe Biden can get richer our children will be kept safe!

Also lusting after this machine, and by lusting I mean trying to decide between this and a PC+DAC setup. Of course if something like the DA6400ES but with less unnecessary features existed it would be ideal. How much would I have to blow on a DAC that rivals the 5400, DA6400 aside? Dumb question but is there any degradation in quality when you do that as opposed to factory-pressed CD?

Shulman - In Search of a Meaningful Moment Eclectic, genre-blending, mind-bending, seriously tripped-out ambient electronica with a strong sense of classically-trained melody. The best electronica artist I've discovered in the last few years. If you're into Shpongle this will be up your alley, though Shulman is somewhat more free-form and experimental.

I just found a store that stocks lots and lots of microbrews, including nearly everything from Stone brewery, and nearly everything from Founders. Take note: beer heaven starts on 3/3/2009. On this week's menu are: Founders Breakfast Stout (I'll see if they have Kentucky Breakfast, they should), Founders Imperial Stout, Stone Russian Imperial Stout (!!!), and Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale. I predict the next few months to be full of amazing beery goodness. Currently making my way through Founders Breakfast Stout, and man, is it good... but more on it later.

Top Gear. That's about it. I don't have time for shows nor even the slightest inclination to watch them, unless they're good. Like Band of Brothers, which I thought was excellent. Needless to say, I don't watch the bastardized, shortened US version of Top Gear. Andy Wilman's hatred of Youtube and their general hatred of all things American is a disgrace. They don't understand that youtube gave them their financial success in the first place, and the attitude that the rest of the world can settle for second-rate versions of the show, and second-rate content in general, is downright insulting. So, it's no surprise that most Top Gear fans outside of the UK have taken the matter into their own hands, so to speak. Still, the show, at least in the original UK version, is brilliant, so good in fact that it is worth putting up with all of their bullshit. I did recently uncover "Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure" as well as "Oz and James Drink to Britain" both of which are absolutely hilarious.

Word of advice. If you want to stay on this forum, you would do well to do research on your own instead of asking for information to be spoon-fed to you, and then being indignant when people refuse. "What's the best IEM for ipod" is a question that you can answer after 10 minutes of work. We're not here at your convenience, and if you want inane chatter then stick to head-fi. But with that said... For $200 I really like the Shure SE420. Read up more on that. I think it has a very good combination of warmth and detail, and should be fine for an all-rounder from an ipod. I think it's very underestimated and overlooked. You will also want to experiment with every type of eartip known to man to get the best fit. It would be warm, bassy, but very clear sounding. If it sounds thin, tinny, and metallic, then you're not getting a good fit.

Polishing off the 3d bottle of Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout. Wow, this is a proper brew and no mistake. Pitch black that doesn't let any light through, with a thin tan head. Hops and bitter chocolate in the nose. I'm not that adept at describing flavors yet, but the first things to hit your palate are bitter chocolate and coffee, followed almost immediately by an onslaught of roast malt and bitter hops. This is one hoppy beer! Then, it finishes on a sweet chocolate/caramel note though with some hoppy bitterness in the mix. The mouthfeel is crisp, the body is medium and there is some moderate carbonation, so you have a stout that doesn't feel quite so creamy and lush, but rather crisp and what would have been refreshing if it wasn't so bitter and bold. This is a 9% beer, but the alcohol flavor is almost completely masked by the bold and upfront flavor. All in all, quite a bit hoppier than I would like, but in a good way. I think I prefer sweeter and creamier stouts, but this is a brew I'm sure I'll be having again. I also had some Allagash Four some time ago. Now, I wasn't in the best mindset to provide a proper review and I just wanted to enjoy it, but it was very good from what I remember. Not hoppy or bitter, not overly carbonated, but lush, complex, and with lots of different fruit flavors. Very very good, but I don't have any experience with Quadrupels to compare.

Say rather that you're less perfectionistic and anal about your gear. Which I would like to be, but the reality is very far from that. I simply *cannot* for the life of me enjoy a system that has obvious flaws. Every tiny little flaw drives me up the wall. That's why I like the O2 Mk1 so much - not because it's the most exciting, most vibrant, most energetic presentation there is, but because it does nothing wrong. There is very little in its sound that annoys me, assuming that the signal path is correct. Nearly every other headphone has flaws, some of which make them impossible to enjoy. Now, this doesn't mean that I don't enjoy music on less than perfect systems. I can listen to my favorite stuff on my crappy Bose car system and like it. I can listen to laptop speakers and like the music. I've listened to music on nothing but the E500 over the last week since I'm never home, and I liked every minute of it, though admittedly the E500 isn't bad. However, I can't like a system unless it's flawless. Frustration with gear is what made me upgrade this far, and I'm not anywhere near done. There are still flaws to iron out. I'm also not a headphone polygamist. There are certain headphone niches I want to fill - closed/computer/gaming/movie headphone, isolating portable headphone, primary critical listening headphone. But I don't need a different headphone for different genres and flavors. I just want one for each category, as long as it's perfect for its intended use. (so why do I have the massive stash then... )

Wherever I can find that will ship to NJ. Right now from www.liquorama.net, but I've just started looking and there are probably much better places out there. I didn't have the Black Ops but I did have Brooklyn's Black Chocolate Stout, and that was very good, though the alcohol flavor wasn't quite as well masked as I'd like. A bit aggressive and unrefined for a stout, but with lots of flavor. I'll buy it again for sure but it's a seasonal and it's done until the fall...

I've finally progressed to buying beer online. Yes, I'm becoming a beer geek. Got some Old Rasputin Stout and am going to progress through whatever Russian Imperial Stouts I can find. Also other stouts, IPAs, Tripels and Quadrupels, and well just about anything good, really. It's hard to find good stuff locally Suggestions for really good stuff that's not insanely priced are welcome.