purk Posted December 6, 2017 Report Share Posted December 6, 2017 Have yet to hear a bad sounding ECP amps. Hell, I auditioned four of them and ended up buying all of them. Thank god now I am down to just the Ravenswood & L3. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tin ear Posted December 6, 2017 Report Share Posted December 6, 2017 10 hours ago, purk said: Check out the ECP amps and report back and you will understand why. I completely agree about the HD800 vs. HD800S though. TMoney should share his thought. His DSHA-3 is an excellent match to the HD800 as well. well that's not gonna happen without me buying one first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skullguise Posted December 6, 2017 Report Share Posted December 6, 2017 (edited) 19 hours ago, Voltron said: Let's be clear, Todd. Doug doesn't make "lowly" amps. Some are more costly to make than others but none are lowly. Oh, agreed, hence my quotes..... I still remember Doug schooling Frank I. from one of the headphone review sites, when he thought the GSX-MK II was much more powerful than the ECP Black Diamond because it was bigger.... I got that BD amp, still love it to this day. Edited December 6, 2017 by skullguise 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purk Posted December 7, 2017 Report Share Posted December 7, 2017 I miss the DSHA-2 prototype that I used to have. That was an ultra nice sounding amp in the Black Diamond Chasis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyrion Posted December 7, 2017 Report Share Posted December 7, 2017 So I picked up a Focal Clear and prefer it by a long shot over the Mrspeakers Aeon Open. They are both running through Raffy's Extreme. I am selling the Aeon on HF and have a chance to pick up an ECP BD for the Aeon plus some cash. From what I am reading, the BD should be a good match for the Clear. Any thoughts? 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopstretch Posted December 7, 2017 Report Share Posted December 7, 2017 I think you're a damn handsome man. 3 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forza AudioWorks Posted December 7, 2017 Report Share Posted December 7, 2017 On 5.12.2017 at 2:48 AM, Audiojunkie said: I've got a DAVE here (along with one of Justin's amp) and while I hold the HD800 in high regard, there is no comparison to the Utopia. I like Utopias more as well, that goes without saying, we're on the same page here. Though my point was that not many people have heard HD 800 at its finest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purk Posted December 7, 2017 Report Share Posted December 7, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, tyrion said: So I picked up a Focal Clear and prefer it by a long shot over the Mrspeakers Aeon Open. They are both running through Raffy's Extreme. I am selling the Aeon on HF and have a chance to pick up an ECP BD for the Aeon plus some cash. From what I am reading, the BD should be a good match for the Clear. Any thoughts? Too much hype on the Aeon Open I think. I have it too and thought it was a bit too warm for my taste and somewhat bassy with the stock cable. I'm also ready to sell mine. You can always check with Doug before proceeding with the BD purchase. For instance, my old DSHA-2 prototype is a better match to the Utopia because the Utopia's driver work better on an amplifier with very low output impedance rating. I'm not sure about the Clear. Edited December 7, 2017 by purk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyrion Posted December 7, 2017 Report Share Posted December 7, 2017 53 minutes ago, Hopstretch said: I think you're a damn handsome man. I cannot argue with that. 2 minutes ago, purk said: Too much hype on the Aeon Open I think. I have it too and thought it was a bit too warm for my taste and somewhat bassy with the stock cable. I'm also ready to sell mine. You can always check with Doug before proceeding with the BD purchase. For instance, my old DSHA-2 prototype is a better match to the Utopia because the Utopia's driver work better on an amplifier with very low output impedance rating. I'm not sure about the Clear. Purk, agree as to the Aeon Open. Bloated bass is my description and the inserts are silly. I think I should probably wait for Jp to sell either the Balancing Act or Supra and continue to use the Extreme. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purk Posted December 7, 2017 Report Share Posted December 7, 2017 I get what you are saying. Having an ability to do a tuberolling is fun and the Supra/SDS are great for that. How about getting the DSHA-3 from Doug and be happily ever after? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyrion Posted December 7, 2017 Report Share Posted December 7, 2017 2 hours ago, purk said: I get what you are saying. Having an ability to do a tuberolling is fun and the Supra/SDS are great for that. How about getting the DSHA-3 from Doug and be happily ever after? Happily ever after? I know I am not around a lot but you know who you are dealing with. Having said that, I will give the DSHA-3 consideration. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purk Posted December 7, 2017 Report Share Posted December 7, 2017 I figure that you may want to settle down by now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyrion Posted December 8, 2017 Report Share Posted December 8, 2017 Problem is that I'm now wondering if I should give the Utopia's a try. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purk Posted December 8, 2017 Report Share Posted December 8, 2017 (edited) 6 hours ago, tyrion said: Problem is that I'm now wondering if I should give the Utopia's a try. I love the Utopia and they demand very little in term of amplification compared to other highend headphones. I get *excellent* results out of my Sony NW-ZX300 Balanced output. Edited December 8, 2017 by purk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shellylh Posted December 8, 2017 Report Share Posted December 8, 2017 6 hours ago, tyrion said: Problem is that I'm now wondering if I should give the Utopia's a try. You've gotten me interested in the Clear and the Utopia now! Haha. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherwood Posted December 8, 2017 Report Share Posted December 8, 2017 Is Doug still selling a Torpedo on here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purk Posted December 8, 2017 Report Share Posted December 8, 2017 Not directly I don't think TomB is selling the Torpedo on his site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsavitsk Posted December 8, 2017 Report Share Posted December 8, 2017 7 hours ago, Sherwood said: Is Doug still selling a Torpedo on here? The Torpedo 3 has been retired. It is being replaced by the T4 soon (probably January, and no longer torpedo shaped). We'll also have an upgraded version, the T5, available soon after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skullguise Posted December 8, 2017 Report Share Posted December 8, 2017 1 hour ago, dsavitsk said: The Torpedo 3 has been retired. It is being replaced by the T4 soon (probably January, and no longer torpedo shaped). We'll also have an upgraded version, the T5, available soon after. Really?!!!! REALLY???!!!!! Why do you keep doing this to me?! Seriously, now I need to consider replacing the Black Diamond with one of these.....I loved the T3, just basically flipped a proverbial coin and kept the BD over that..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voltron Posted December 8, 2017 Report Share Posted December 8, 2017 8 hours ago, Sherwood said: Is Doug still selling a Torpedo on here? And who are you again? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsavitsk Posted December 8, 2017 Report Share Posted December 8, 2017 (edited) The T4 will basically incorporate the design changes that were shoehorned into the T3 with better heat dissipation, a lower noise floor, a better power supply, and a bit more output power. And a nicer case. It is a nice evolution but not a huge change. The T5 is a different animal, but it will also be considerably more expensive. Edited December 8, 2017 by dsavitsk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grahame Posted December 8, 2017 Report Share Posted December 8, 2017 Reassuringly so? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purk Posted December 9, 2017 Report Share Posted December 9, 2017 Way too many great sounding amps from you Doug. I am not complaining at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherwood Posted February 20, 2018 Report Share Posted February 20, 2018 I've been putting in a lot of hours with the Focal Clear on my L2 -- reasonably good match on low output impedance, very poor match on high impedance. I can't remember hearing another headphone so sensitive to high output impedance before, but it screws the bass all up. Understanding now why you make a DSHA-3F version, Doug. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlSeibert Posted March 22, 2018 Report Share Posted March 22, 2018 Trying the Elear earpads on the Utopias. It's like getting two! two! headphones for the price of one extraordinarily expensive one. Tyll measured the FR difference between the pads and on paper it looks like a minor difference. On my head, it's as if they're different headphones. Instead of maybe too cool with maybe a bright spot, you get maybe too warm and bass that's maybe (likely) too big. Dynamics in the lower mids are nicer. I'm wondering a little how they would sound with silver cables, which would be the last thing I would consider with the Utopia pads. For me, the Elear pads are more comfortable. They are a sort of rough-ish chamois-like leather instead of the shiny glove leather of the Utopia ones. More like velour, which is usually my preference. The big question is which is better, emotional-connection-with-the-music wise. At this point, I think I'm leaning toward the Utopia pads.Tyll wrote that he preferred the Elear pads. We'll see. Or hear. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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