Asr

Hrm...any chance I could get some one-on-one time with the Shanling before you have to send it back? Seems like an interesting amp, I'd certainly give it some love as I'm a sucker for a good AC-powered home amp, even if it does use tubes.

It always puts a smile on my face when I see other people buying Arcam equipment. It's just value for dollar plain and simple! And nice speakers too.

I voted. Now to get free Starbucks and Ben & Jerry's later...

Arcam FMJ DV139 (universal disc player), for a future high-end HT setup. Would've put this on indefinite hold but the deal on Audiogon was way too tempting. Man I've gotta kill this addiction to source components, I'm digging my own grave! In the meantime I guess it'll be a nice replacement for my cheap POS DVD player. OPA627 in output stage is the only info that Class

Yup, TI PCM1792. Three of 'em, 2 for the balanced output and 1 for the single-ended. Class

Class

Denon AVR-888 A/V receiver, along with Blue Jeans HDMI and speaker cable, to go with my recently-purchased Monitor Audio BR5:

I finally spent some time critically listening to my recently-modded (by a Head-Caser, who shall remain anonymous) CA Azur 640C V2 after putting it off for far too long. Mods to the CDP included: - caps on main power, secondary, filter input, filter output, and de-coupling rolled to Rubycon Black Gates (not sure what was in place before) - 5 filter op-amps socketed and rolled to National LME49720 (from stock TI NE5532) - WIMA 0.1uF C0G cap inserted across the rails Before: (click for larger) After: (click for larger) And How Does It Sound? I tried to replicate my original 2006/07 setup as best as I could. The original setup back then was: - Signal Cable Silver Resolution Reference AC power cord - Signal Cable Silver Resolution Analog w/ Eichmann silver bullet RCA interconnects - HeadAmp GS-1 - AKG K701 and Audio-Technica AD2000 (both stock) And the setup the CDP is in right now: - Signal Cable SRR power cord (same one) - Analysis Plus Silver Oval RCA interconnects - HeadAmp Gilmore Lite and AE-2 - AKG K701 (3 - stock w/ low hours, w/ SAA Equinox, & w/ APureSound V3), Audio-Technica AD2000 w/ APureSound V3 The modded 640C V2 definitively beat out my past memories of it in stock config. I distinctly recall its treble as borderline harsh and metallic (particularly on HeadAmp amps) and was pleased to note that this characteristic was completely gone in the modded unit. No more grating treble - very much smoothed over compared to what I remember hearing from it. And while I also distinctly recall it being lean in the mid-range originally, the modded unit had a nicely filled-out mid-range, and even almost borderline thick. In comparison to my current baseline the Plinius CD-101, the modded 640C V2 was a noticeable step down. No scratch that, I mean a big step down! The difference was effectively a landslide. Not that the 640C sounded bad, it still sounded good - plenty good in fact, I was surprised at how well it held up against the Plinius. But the comparison proved to me just how much difference a good DAC makes, because the Plinius sounded so much better - as if two or three veils were removed from the music, with considerably more "breathing room" to the soundstage, actual air to the image (the 640C V2 felt very 2D in comparison), and clearer, faster, plus so much more bass depth it was almost silly. The modded 640C V2 did not reproduce very low frequencies that well (sub-50Hz) - it gave plenty of mid-bass impact, but the mid-bass overtook the lower bass for a lopsided "welpy" presentation. As in, plenty of impact, but not so much authority and creeping ooze. The Plinius delivered this, the 640C V2 did not. Treble was passably good on the modded 640C V2, but again, the Plinius just plain eclipsed it. It wasn't "crystal-clear" or razor-fast, and blurred out extremely fast sounds. The mid-range clearly overtook the treble on it - not enough that I'd call it bad, but definitely off-balance. And overall presentation between the two CDPs was a major shift. The modded 640C V2 felt like it was nearly shoving the music forward, it was very direct. The Plinius, on the other hand, took a big virtual step back for the music to sound like it was occuring on a soundstage instead of right in front of you. (With a whole lot more overall air & space as well.) As superior as the Plinius was over it though, I didn't think the modded 640C V2 sounded bad, it really sounded acceptably decent. Listening to it was a nice reminder of the past and how far my digital source journey has come. But would I consider going back? Never! I've been spoiled and could never put up with anything less now, it's all about hi-end, hi-fi sound for me forever! And were the mods worth it? Yeah I'd say so, I pretty much hated the stock sound this CDP had. I prefer the new sound sig and I think most people would too.

^ Arcam equipment is always nice, they sure know to make stuff that sounds good and is relatively affordable. As for me, HeadAmp AE-2...for the 3rd time. Polished this time, just like the Pico. The only thing I hate about polished is the fingerprints, agghhh!

Nothing "wrong" per se with CS4398, but they could've gone with better DACs. CS4398 is so...mid-fi. It's also in a bunch of other mid-fi gear including some <$5K Esoteric and Marantz CDPs.

Hrmm...dual CS4398 DACs.

Some interesting info on PS Audio's new transport & DAC from their latest newsletter:

In an ideal world cloning would exist, and then I'd send Justin through the cloning machine twice. One clone would take care of all the amp-building, and the other would handle customer service, while the original tells them what to do Lumbergh-style and gets to enjoy his life & spare time.

Monitor Audio BR5....my first pair of speakers! Figured I would start with MA's entry-level and upgrade to their GS20 much later in the future when I have the resources to pull together the proper source and amps for it.

Listened to these speakers last week at a local dealer. Impressions below written from saved notes. Source Component: Rotel RCD-1072 Amplifiers: Rotel RC-1070 pre-amp & RMB-1075 power amp Impressions: I started off by going straight into the 684, as it's the cheaper model. However, I immediately realized that my listening would be futile without a comparison of some kind, and there were a bunch of other B&W speakers in the room that could be switched between at will, so I ABX'd the 684 against the next-higher-up model, the 683, for all of my listening. Reference CD tracks included: - Alison Krauss & Union Station - New Favorite - "Let Me Touch You For Awhile" - James Newton-Howard - The Village [OST] - "Noah Visits" & "Those We Don't Speak Of" - Massive Attack - Mezzanine - "Inertia Creeps" - Porcupine Tree - In Absentia - "Blackest Eyes" - Priscilla Ahn - A Good Day - "Dream" - The Crystal Method - Community Service - "Dude In The Moon [Luna Mix]" Initial impression of the 684 before I heard the 683 was relatively positive - it sounded good and didn't seem to do anything bad that I could tell right away. However, as soon I switched to the 683, the 684's shortcomings were instantly obvious. The 684's bass was fairly boomy (which was certainly fun-sounding), had a considerably smaller soundstage, and there was an upper-mids/lower-treble spike that gave it a nasal, bronzy, hard quality. The 683 threw open the soundstage quite a bit more than the 684, though it didn't really completely "disappear," as I could still easily pinpoint the music coming from the speaker drivers with my eyes closed. But in comparison to the 684, it actually partially disappeared, whereas the 684 didn't. The 683's sound was definitely clearer than the 684's too, with better separation and less muddying throughout the entire frequency spectrum. It was also less boomy, more controlled, and more rhythmic in the bass. It also had increased treble energy over the 684 that made it sound more articulate and fast, not slowed down by anything, while the 684 seemed a bit sluggish. There was also a difference in presentation between the two models - the 684 was forward and direct, while the 683 was more in the laid-back direction (but not as laidback as the Monitor Audio RS8 that I heard just before RMAF). Neither of the speakers were totally dynamic or totally rhythmic - I didn't get a good sense of either of them contrasting quiet vs loud very well (lacking immediate volume intensity also), especially as neither was really subtle on quiet parts - I tried to hear a sense of fading "silence" from them but neither expressed that aspect. And while the 683 was certainly more rhythmic than the 684, even it sounded a bit slow in both the bass and treble area. I felt the 683 lacked some treble extension to really make fast notes & effects stand out. I came away feeling the 683 is a good speaker overall, considerably better than the 684. Anyone looking to buy either should definitely skip the 684, the 683 was that much of a jump over it. I thought the 683 was good enough that I could live with it, but in comparison to the Monitor Audio RS8, I definitely prefer the RS8's sound and would rather live with something more like that...which is why to start with, I've already bought their BR5, which if it doesn't work out, I can always sell later.

You're right hydro, I do want one of those, but I don't think it'd be that much of an upgrade over the Pico.

You're joining the club a little late, don't you think? And as a reliable source told me some time ago, almost all portable amps are relative sidegrades from each other technically (or downgrades, as some cases might be). Doesn't really take a genius to figure it out either. The best portable amps in the arena are either DIY or produced by HeadAmp. As for portable hi-fi, I think it's patently absurd to amp from a DAP. Most DAPs don't have enough storage space for uncompressed files, and amping MP3 is just plain stupid. That is why I personally use just my IEMs from my DAP, they're more than revealing enough without an LOD & amp (and I hear plenty of MP3 artifacts as it is anyway with 96-256 VBR MP3).

I figured I'd probably gotten your source wrong, thx for that correction. I didn't start writing down notes until everyone was packing up and by the time I got pen & paper, your stuff was already gone. As for how I heard your setup, well I guess we'll just chalk that up to different ears & K701 cables, since our serial numbers are both from the first batch.

No I wasn't thinking of any pics specifically, you can decide which ones to post at HF. If you have access to any hosting space though, I think it might be a better idea to re-host the ones you pick so you can rename the files and Head-Fiers won't guess the URLs for "missing" pics in the series...

Sure go for it...not all of them tho, I'd prefer to keep at least a few Head-Case exclusives.

Meet Pics Iron_Dreamer's pics on HF: Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio - View Single Post - LAX Hilton Can Meet 10/18/2008 Impressions zippy2001's pics on HF: Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio - View Single Post - LAX Hilton Can Meet 10/18/2008 Impressions, http://www.head-fi.org/forums/4882497-post34.html, Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio - View Single Post - LAX Hilton Can Meet 10/18/2008 Impressions blubliss' Singlepower ES-2 and SDS XLR DigiPete's Dynamite (4-channel balanced Dynahi) w/ SACDMods Denon 2910 ldj325's Rudistor RPX-100 sourced by Naim CD5i Luxman P-1 Marantz CD5000 transport & MHDT Paradisea DAC (feeding Luxman P-1) 909's Reimyo CDP-777 and Eddie Current HD2 DarkVoice THA 337 Iron_Dreamer and jp11801 (shot with one of Iron_Dreamer's lenses) Eddie Current Aficianado, front Eddie Current Aficianado, back Eddie Current Lunch Box Pro Uncle Erik's table featuring K240DF, K501, K701, 2003 DT880, DT48, K1000, HP1000, HD600 w/ Cardas, & HD650 from Zana Deux and SA8001 Beyerdynamic DT48 Rotel RCD-1072 and Singlepower MPX3 Edwood's Grace M902 w/ K1000 Ferbose's Oppo DVDP & Benchmark DAC1 to Cayin HA-1A and K701/K1000 Smyth SVS Realiser A8 surround sound processor 909's Reimyo CDP-777 Disc spinning inside CDP-777 RSA P-51 Mustang, front RSA P-51 Mustang, back RSA P-51 Mustang, top RSA P-51 Mustang size comparison with Tomahawk (bottom amp) Audio Note DAC5 Signature, back Inside Audio Note DAC5 Signature Iron_Dreamer's and Edwood's Toshiba laptops Group shot taken by Iron_Dreamer - Uncle Erik, Ray Samuels, Jasper994, unknown guy #1, Edwood, LFF, unknown guy #2, Asr, DouglasQuaid (I accidentally deleted a perfectly ok non-flash pic Peter took before this, argh! So here's the with-flash pic converted to grayscale)

Meet Impressions 'Twas another great meet to add to the history books. Quality listening enhanced by a group of great people. Lots of new faces too, was great to meet everyone. Big thanks to 909 for organizing and pulling it off without a hitch. Great location also, will make for another great National Meet next year, and I can see this hotel will work out great for quieter listening in more isolated environments. The only issue that will need to be worked on will be the A/C. And as I've said before on the other site, these meets are always a great experience. Not only for the gear but for the people who come - I continue to be impressed by the quality of people in this hobby. Half the fun of a meet is hanging out with new people and in that aspect this meet was a blast from pre-setup to the goings-on at dinner. Equipment Impressions - Luxman P-1 w/ Marantz CD5000 CDP and MHDT Paradisea DAC: I listened to this with my AKG K701 w/ SAA Equinox and Audio-Technica AD2000 w/ APureSound V3. Overall a very good amp - nothing really wrong that I heard in a semi-critical listen, and in fact a few things stood out about it. The treble was clean & clear, mid-range was nicely fleshed out, and it had strong deep bass - excellent bass response in fact, very extended and very weighty. The sound was also very fast and full of PRAT. Sonically, a great match for the AD2000 - good enough that I would absolutely recommend it for the AD2000. Though it also sounded good with the K701, it was definitely better for the AD2K - it took nothing away from the speed of the headphones and kept right up with it. On the other hand, the amp is $2.4K, which is pretty steep particularly for a solid state amp that's not balanced from input to output. It would be worth buying if it was maybe $1K less, but $2.4K is really just too expensive for an amp that's not balanced all the way through and essentially feature-less (except for the three headphone jacks of course). On sound alone, I didn't feel the $2.4K price tag is worth it, but if I was able to spend more time with it in my own setup, that could change. I read some impressions of this amp over at HF in the Marin meet impressions that criticized its mid-range & bass - I'd guess that's probably due to source, as the source at this meet was a DAC with a tube output, which I presume would explain the full mid-range & bass that I heard. I can only assume then that the amp may be relatively transparent and will show a source for what it is. - DigiPete's 4-channel balanced Dynahi (Dynamite) w/ SACDMods-Denon 2910: I listened to this setup in balanced mode with my K701. It was very open-sounding, but almost none of the sound was really to personal preference. Given the sonic transparency of the Dynahi that I know it has, I attribute the sound to the CDP. There wasn't close to enough treble energy that made it clean or clear (it was actually somewhat grainy), and not enough clear "focus" on individual layers. And there was some mid-range emphasis that detracted from the treble and bass. On the plus side, I could tell the amp had no trouble driving the K701 - the sound was fast and full of energy. DigiPete's build was also very nice-looking and looked slick with the compact dual-chassis and labels. - Singlepower SDS XLR w/ Audio Note DAC 5 Signature & WAV files on computer: Gave this a good semi-critical listen with my K701 in balanced mode. It sounded good but I wasn't really impressed by anything about it - not that it means it was bad, it just didn't seem to do anything special. I was expecting to be impressed by such a high-value amp but it left me wondering what exactly was great about it. Maybe it pairs better with other headphones, I don't know. - Sony MDR-R10 w/ SDS XLR: I was mildly curious about the R10 again when I saw it, so I checked out blubliss' balanced model briefly. This was my 3rd time listening to the R10 (always in meet conditions at that), and again I was still vastly underwhelmed (with music that I know, I might add). I mean, it sounds ok, but I've heard a lot of headphones in my time and don't get the R10 raving - it didn't seem like it was particularly great at anything. To each their own I guess. The only discontinued high-end headphones that I actually like the sound of are the Qualia 010 and PS-1, for different reasons. I really don't get the R10 and probably never will. - Singlepower ES-2 w/ Stax OII MKI: This setup also sounded good, though I wouldn't say it blew me away. I sat down to listen primarily to find out if it might be worth switching my MKII for an MKI and came away thinking that it may very well be worth it. I couldn't really find anything to complain about it - assuming the amp didn't add much coloration, I'd say the MKI has less mid-bass bloat and an overall lighter touch than the MKII (and incidentally, the computer acting as the transport actually had some of my reference CD tracks). - Eddie Current Zana Deux w/ Marantz SA8001: On this system, I listened to my own K701, along with Uncle Erik's HD650, HD600 w/ Cardas, K501, K240DF, and Beyerdynamic DT48. The HD600 was better than I remembered when I last owned one in 2006 - very natural tone and hard to fault anything about it. The HD650, not so much, just too much distracting mid-bass and mid-range. The K501 was nice to revisit (having previously owned a bass-light one) and sounded good with the amp. The K240DF was also pretty good but not my thing, kinda hollow in the mid-range but it was nicely clear and detailed. The DT48 I was disappointed by, given recent threads on Head-Fi about it. It had a relatively flat response, but it had a ton of clamping force (very uncomfortable), lacked some mid-range, and was very closed-in sounding. I was most impressed by my own K701 on this setup. The amp & CDP gave a sound that was very immediate and very liquid - smooth with a high sense of the music just flowing around in the drivers. It was also very bold & dynamic, lots of power to especially high-volume surges - it made music very exciting to listen to. I was convinced the amp is probably an excellent one for the K701. - Eddie Current HD2 w/ Reimyo CDP-777: This setup was a lot more subtle-sounding than the previous one, as in less immediate & less punchy as far as the dynamics go. It did "quiet" and "loud" with better contrast, and was also more low-key at quiet parts. I got a sense of it being more laidback and refined than the previous ZD setup. And it was definitely more detailed as far as separating layers from each other - for the first time ever I heard clear delineation between the background "ghost" vocals & Steven Wilson's vocals on Porcupine Tree's "Blackest Eyes" which was a revelation.

Heh, if I had the space for it I'd try. I'm sneaky that way. Will just need to be able to re-pack my headphones.

If someone could bring a roll of packing tape and a box razor, I would appreciate it, thx.

Yay for more AT headphones! I may go for the A2000X at some point...