Asr

The SR-404LE kicks ass. I like it more than the OII and SR-X MKIII. I think I might even like it more than the AD2000! Well it's not perfect but its sound has a lot of what I like - speed, satisfying mid-bass and mid-range, and just enough treble to not annoy me (though it'd certainly approach my ideal if there was moar treble). I find it to be a worthy competitor to the AD2K as far as my preferences go, so close that it's nearly a tie between them. I'm still using KT77s in the BHSE and have yet to find out how the stock Mullard EL34s might sound with the 404LE though. But as far as I'm concerned, the sound so far is sublime. My preferred music so far with the 404LE is electronica, trip-hop, pop/rock, etc. I use the OII for classical/soundtracks and jazz. It's a dead heat between my dynamic and stat gear right now, but I don't have all the planned pieces of the dynamic system yet so the race could continue to change....

^ Thx for the correction. Gear I'm bringing to the show, because Tyler isn't updating the thread over at HF: System #1: Cary 306 SACD Pro > (XLR ICs) > HeadAmp BHSE > Stax OII MKI, SR-404 LE, and SR-X MKIII System #2: laptop PC (loaded with all the music I bought recently) & Pico USB DAC > Gilmore Lite (or AE-2, if GL doesn't get here on time) > AKG K702 and Audio-Technica ES7 System #3 (maybe, not sure if I'm going to bother): either Arcam FMJ CD36 > PPA > K701 | AD2000 single-ended, or North Star Sapphire > WA22 > HP2 | AD2000 | K701 balanced (since Jack told me my WA22 will be done in time and will also be there) Also bringing the Qualia 010 but it's going to be hidden away and will only be brought out for supervised listening sessions.

^ No. Granted I did not do a direct comparison (I didn't own them at the same time) but in my experience, the Pico (as an amp) and GS-1 had distinctive different sonic attributes. The AE-2 is more indicative of the GS-1's sound. I covered this subject a bit in my Pico DAC/amp review which you can find here: Review: HeadAmp Pico w/ DAC - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

I can now confirm that the Genalex Gold Lion KT77s work just fine in the BHSE. The tubes have been running for hours and seem to be stable. I couldn't get them exactly to 0VDC but they're within 0.2V (assuming that's ok?). The most immediately noticeable changes to SQ are more mid-bass and more PRAT. The bass sounds "rounder" if that makes any sense, kinda like it's being cushioned, but there's more impact and force. And the more PRAT is really fun, it makes stuff like Porcupine Tree even more headbang-worthy. These tubes combined with my source provide a really fun, fast, & bassy sound that I really like. No thanks, and I did say in my post above that I prefer the sound of my Plinius CDP over the Cary.

Yes - Fragile [MFSL] First time I've heard anything from this band and it's pretty cool stuff.

FYI Larry, the BHSE will be at RMAF but not the Plinius unless I can fix an issue it has (which seems unlikely). Also I'm sure you want to hear it, but you'll have to acquiesce listening priority to RMAF attendees per standard protocol for an event of this type. If you don't get a chance to hear it at RMAF don't worry, a mini-meet after RMAF can always be arranged you know. And I already have the KT77s which I got some months ago, it's a matched quad of the Genalex Gold Lions.

The Plinius CD-101 has officially swayed me back to the electrostat side. I was less than impressed with the OII/BHSE out of the Cary 306 Pro (even in balanced mode), but out of the Plinius it's amazing! I wish everyone could hear what I'm hearing, it's one of the most awesome listening experiences I've had yet. It really is true that the OII is very source-sensitive. I like the OII even more now, now that I've heard it properly sourced. My mind has been blown and I'm starting to really understand the advantage of the OII. Got my SR-404 LE from Elusive Disc yesterday and it sounds promising but I'll have to spend more time with it. Also looking forward to trying my KT77s, which will be very soon....

Hrmm, an authorized dealer for Plinius. Can I send you my CD-101 to get fixed? There's a problem with the transport mechanism. Also do you have any deals for demo 9100s or 9200s?

^ I did cancel my previous pre-order. I ordered them again. I figured I would give them a fair shake on my own amp before completely dismissing them. spritzer's positive impressions were also kind of a factor. And I saw they were finally in stock at Elusive Disc today, just in time for RMAF. I took that to be a sign. And I was still hesitant about the 4070.

Yay! I hope they're all you're expecting and more. Here's some stuff I got within the past couple months up until today: - AKG K702 - Analysis Plus Black Oval 12 8' speaker cable (for an imminent speaker purchase) - Woo Audio 22 (silver) (not here yet) - Cary Audio 306 SACD Pro (black) - Hitachi 100GB ATA-66 7200rpm 2.5" laptop HDD (upgrade for current 40GB) - Enigma Audio Mimetes power cord w/ Wattgate 5266/320 plugs - Western Digital 1 TB Elements external HDD (the case is awesome, true tank-like build quality) - 2GB Crucial DDR3 SDRAM module (tri-channel upgrade for i7 920 desktop PC) - Audio-Technica ATH-ES7 (black) (current ES7 had developed a malfunction) - Isoclean Tip Toe Base Small set of 4 - HeadAmp Pico USB DAC/amp (silver) - Stax SR-404 LE (Elusive Disc's stock got delayed for 2 months!)

......aren't I older than you tho?

Sounds like it was a cool mini-meet, and if there had been some advance notice, I might have made it out there too! Well maybe next time for AuraJam II, but if not, definitely for CanJam 2010. I look forward to checking out the Cicadas sometime too. zomg, you almost gave me a heart attack with that pic, with that unexpected facial expression of shock and.....facial & chest hair? Are you shirtless in that pic and why?

Thanks for the music recs postjack, hungrych, & Dusty, much appreciated. I'll check all those out at some point. And CD batch #3 of 3 for RMAF (mostly, a few exceptions). Whew. I think I have all my bases covered now. I'll eat my shirt if anyone shows up that can't find something to listen to. Dave Brubeck - Time Out [50th Anniversary Legacy Edition] Diana Krall - Live in Paris Eva Cassidy - Live at Blues Alley Jethro Tull - Aqualung Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin I Linda Ronstadt - Prisoner in Disguise [MFSL] Marvin Gaye - What's Going On Miles Davis - Kind of Blue [Legacy Edition] (should've noticed the Legacy Edition before ) Patricia Barber - Cafe Blue [Audio Fidelity Gold] Pristina - Stars and Sirens Porcupine Tree - The Incident The Ditty Bops - Moon Over The Freeway (got this one awhile back, cool stuff for anyone into alt/indie-pop) Yes - Fragile [MFSL]

I am so envious. Wish I had been there to partake in what surely was a party of epic proportions. I clearly should've bought a plane ticket instead of moar audio gearz. Looks like the Scot who flew across the pond had a grand ole induction to some of the finest HC-ers, as expected. One wonders if everyone lived up to Duggeh's expectations.

Elephas, so let me get this straight, you have the SR-Omega and 4070? Which would you say has more treble quantity between the two? And which has more bass quantity? I'm seriously considering a purchase of the 4070 but you mentioned it has less bass than the OII which would be disappointing, and kinda begs a follow-up question from me, is there a stat headphone that's particularly bassy? (OII MKII notwithstanding.) And since you've tried KT77s, are those stable in the BHSE? (I'd imagine they need to biased, right?) That's an encouraging sign, I might try mine as well then. And here's an updated pic of my BHSE @ work setup with all the labels exposed. Both the amp and CDP are packed back up now, I'll be bringing the amp home next week for some overdue critical listening finally (my earlier impressions should be thrown out now since I'm unfamiliar with the sound of the Cary 306 Pro). Really looking forward to hearing the BHSE with my Plinius CDP. (click for larger)

Definitely one of the best 90s MS-DOS game soundtracks there, but I personally prefer this one: Parallax Software (now defunct) - Descent II [feat. Skinny Puppy and Type O Negative]

^ One of you is warm.

A pic of my BHSE-at-work setup. Kudos to anyone who can identify the source the BHSE is sitting on. (I covered up all text and logos because I didn't want anyone to identify the components and hence be able to look up their value - oh, and I've been locking them up at night too.)

CD batch #2 (of 3) mostly for RMAF: A Fine Frenzy - Bomb in a Birdcage Allen Toussaint - The Bright Mississippi Andre Cluytens & Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra - Beethoven: Les 9 Symphonies Charles Mackerras & Scottish Chamber Orchestra - Schubert: Symphony No. 9 "The Great" & Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished" Georg Solti & Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra - Mozart: Requiem K626 John Coltrane - Blue Train Seiji Ozawa & Boston Symphony Orchestra - Vivaldi: The Four Seasons The Beatles - Abbey Road (2009 Stereo Remaster) The Beatles - Revolver (2009 Stereo Remaster) The Beatles - The White Album (2009 Stereo Remaster) Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra - Johann Strauss: The Best of Vienna [Maazel/Boskovsky/Bohm/Karajan/Abbado]

Bump the speaker budget up a bit, you could get the Dynaudio Excite X16: AudiogoN ForSale: Dynaudio Excite X16 If I wasn't already completely fixated on a different brand's speaker in the same price range, I would've bought that by now.

Aura, you should probably sink some time into auditioning speakers first at local dealers, taking notes, and then re-reading online reviews to compare your personal experience. While monitors are easier to buy (and sell) than floorstanders, that doesn't mean one should spend zero time & effort to decrease the size of the net being casted. Also, if time is not of the essence, you should carefully consider your options and start keeping track of certain models on Audiogon frequently too - it'll give you an idea how frequently a certain model sells (if at all) and how much can be saved by buying used (and if it makes sense to buy used). Money can always be saved by buying used of course, but some manufacturers are very protective of their brand and limit their dealer network and in some cases even prohibit online sales. I'd also add Aperion Audio and Monitor Audio to your list of brands. Also fwiw, back when I first hoped to get into speakers, I was looking at floorstanders, but given the costs that would've been involved (and other changes that would've needed to be made to the listening environment that I can't presently do), I recently decided against it and will be going for monitors instead, for a similar reason as yours. Some side issues that came up for me (that I've now solved) that may or may not apply to you: (1) proportioning the level of "fi" between speaker & headphone systems, (2) integrating (or splitting) setup of the speaker system and the headphone system, (3) factoring physical space allowance & placement of speakers, and (4) additional expenses for speaker-specific accessories such as stands, cables, power conditioners, etc. And when it comes to speakers, you have to pick your specific models first, and then find the proper amp(s) to match. Btw: I'm running Monitor Audio's entry-level BR5 floorstanders with a Denon A/V receiver for my mini-HT; the speaker system I'll be assembling soon is for semi-nearfield listening.

Sources Marantz CD-5003 ($350, Audio Advisor) Marantz DV-6001 ($250, Music Direct) (DVD player) NAD C515BEE CDP ($300, Audio Advisor) Oppo Digital DV-980H ($169, Music Direct) (DVD player) Cambridge Audio Azur 540C V2 CDP ($300, Audio Advisor) Cambridge Audio Sonata AR30 ($500, Audio Advisor) Amps Marantz PM-5003 int amp ($370 on b-stock, One-Call) NAD C315BEE int amp ($350, Audio Advisor) Onkyo A-9555 int amp ($483, B&H) ** plus tax for NY state Cambridge Audio 340A int amp, 340T tuner, & S30 bookshelf speakers ($658, Audio Advisor) Speakers Audioengine A5 speakers ($350, Audioengine) (active) Energy C-200 speakers ($150, Audio Advisor) Epos ELS-3 speakers ($250 b-stock, Music Direct) PSB Alpha B1 ($237 b-stock, Audio Advisor) Cheapest system: Oppo DV-980 + NAD C315BEE + Energy C-200, $669 System that might sound better and will be more adept with more speakers: Marantz CD-5003 + Onkyo A-9555 + Energy C-200, $983 - add ~$30 for a pair of Blue Jeans RCA interconnects

Buy everything on Audiogon! Used & older CDPs and integrated amps from brands like Arcam, Cambridge Audio, NAD, Rotel, et al, can be had for real bargains. All you need is time & patience to score the right deal. Count on anywhere between $400-$700 for a CDP and integrated amp, to leave between $300-$600 for mini-monitor speakers. Brands like Aperion Audio, B&W, Monitor Audio, Paradigm, PSB, et al, come to mind. If floorstanders are desired over mini-monitors, there aren't too many that will meet the budget and will sound good at the same time. And finally, leave $30 for speaker cable from Blue Jeans.

I saw this today for the first time and was like this: IPodPJ - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

Indeed, I'm beginning to realize that in-camera pics are just a starting point and almost any pic can be made to look better or even outstanding later (well, you still can't polish a turd of a pic though). Photoshop's Color Variations tool is awesomely handy! Makes it easy to add color and resolution, as you noted on #8. And more pics from both yesterday and today: Sad goose @ lake inside Keystone Resort Above-seen goose trying to hide from me! Red, white, & blue flags @ Keystone Resort Colorado State Capitol Building - City Civic Center Park (Downtown Denver) People-watching @ the 2009 A Taste of Colorado festival (Civic Park, Denver)