padam

Uh oh, taken from HF and connects to what Birgir said about the MK2.5 as well (it was in the thread about the HE90 and BH that was put on for sale): "I am not very happy with the SR009 that I bought so I am looking for another. The SR009 to me as well as Wiktor is the better version of the Omega 2 mkII but with better detail, soundstage, clarity and transparent but the brighter tone is still the same. The mid is more forwarding comparing to the O2mkI, O2mkII and even SR Omega, so I don't think it can be compared with HE90. I listened to it for few months and now I changed back to SR Omega, some with HE90 (I am still waiting for my aristaeus) and the R10 and LCD2 rev1 and rev2 with my new 300B Balancing act. I will do more research on this HE90 , however John seems to be an honest and straight shooting guy and easy to communicate with." The amplification source etc. might change a fair bit though (at least that is how I see with the Qualia it can sound totally different with one source to another) and some might simply just fancy the sound as it is.

This is great about the (balanced) Qualia and not so great on the SR-007 (with 717) at least for me. At low volumes there is not enough bass slam to keep me happy and at high volumes it has some but starts to fall apart rather quickly. This is the reason why I can only guess a Blue Hawaii or similar is so great because probably the bass and high notes come earlier so a lower listening volume can be used and with better dynamics. I tried the SR-007 with a DIY GES and the bass was great but it was too dark for me. Gu, how is the SR009 for bass impact? I guess a 717 that you use as well is a not a bad match for this headphone because it has a warmer sound to compensate some of the brightness (or maybe a DIY GES or similar as well).

I'm afraid it is not, it is not even a discrete design.

It could be connected with diffuse-field equalization to give a bigger headstage.

Looking good!

Have you tried them balanced yet? I just got an balanced APS cable and it is even better than before, more refined and the soundstage is really big. I also dig out the old HD250 that I haven't used for months which should be similar to your pair and tried with the balanced cable and I was quite surprised...it is arguably more accurate than the Linear II (which has a bit of mid-bass emphasis) and goes almost equally deep although it definitely needs more power as well. Sometimes it sounds a bit soft but I need to re-adjust from the IIs. Nice contrast between the two.

SRH840

Get a pair of HD250-II and you will discover a whole new level of bass extension (with a good pair at least). I haven't used my MK1s at all since months, although this new CEC amp might give them new life (so far the best match with these Senns), after I get the balanced cable I will try those as well.

I took the us going rates as basis, the price here is 260$ and of course they aren't worth that much...

I could try a pair of SRH840s for a few hours and I thought they were nice especially for the used going rate but no match for the HD250IIs, they were a bit rolled off in the bass and treble and the soundstage wasn't as big so the sound wasn't as 'alive' and had less resolution. The bass quantity was ok for me, if the SRH940's have better treble but less bass then I guess they are also not for me. The HD250II's bass goes quite deep but a bit larger than life. I like it, I can use a lower listening volume, others may not. The Shures were also less comfortable because of more clamping force and somewhat heavier (1.5x) weight and one-piece headband. But they are more forgiving and a lot easier to drive (HD250IIs are a bit harder to drive than the HD6xx series) so a much better starter headphone. The HD250II have a bit of a problem with voices that are not closely recorded they are a bit distant but that is the price to pay for that wide and deep soundstage. Hopefully balanced drive will improve things further (unfortunately I guess the Shures need to be recabled for balanced use).

Even James May likes it

http://www.hifiwigwam.com/showthread.php?58119-MSB-Platinum-DAC-IV-for-sale.

Yes pretty much the same as yours except twice as many K-grade chipses to provide balanced output (which I will use soon). I could try that Kingrex locally to compare with the Halide, although that needs a special digital cable which I am sure they don't have - I guess they couldn't fit the standard 3-pin connector there...

There is a new Stello U3 as well. Now I wonder, would there be any improvement using the AES/EBU connection instead of coaxial, anybody compared these two inputs?

Airbow has released two new headphones based on the SR-407 and SR-507, named SR-SC11 and SR-SC21 http://blog.ippinkan.com/archives/20110620120051 Maybe they just designed nice new stickers for them?

Macbook Air refreshed

Ep4 was funny I thought, wish they had fired up that V16 though.

Have a good one Birgir!

From what I gathered it seems the SR-Omega has less detail and slightly less bass extension and not as pin sharp imaging-wise. But nevertheless the guy who bought my pair seem to prefer it to the SR-009 sound-wise so maybe I should have got a good amp for it instead of selling it.

I think there should not be much problem with the brightness, there was one opinion with a bhse: "I see a long weekend coming... First impressions - one should send this package to Audez'e to show them how to ship a headphone And - forget the idea that BHSE and SR-009 might not work - it's a fabulous combination Coming from the O2, one starts turning the head left and right to "see" the whole stage - what used to be a (although very precise) small picture is now everywhere, all around... The 009 is brighter than the O2, but not as "glaring" as the HE60 - so it's exactly what I hoped it would be... lots and lots of perfectly defined bass, good voices, lots of details turning up one didn't notice before, no sibiliance... But not picky, even bootlegs that are pretty much unlistenable to on the O2 sound pretty good on the 009. Sorry that I don't have all the lingo down yet - but take my word, this is a fantastic combo "

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Justin!

1st episode was a good start.

Happy Birthday!

Based on the problems reported with channel balance (with three different pairs already, yikes) it was wise to order with the US warranty.