Hardwiring K1000s

[boomana]

So I sold some stuff and want to use the money to hardwire my K1000s. Should I go Equinox as tried and true, or explore other options. I've only heard a Mogami hardwire,which offered minimal improvements to my ears and made the highs a little too much for me (I'm overly sensitive in this area), and the Equinox, which I liked very much, but heard it on a system very different than my own, so can't really compare. What have you guys heard that you could recommend? I'm using an Exemplar modded Denon 2900 > Extreme Platinum > FirstWatt F1.

If I can't decide soon, I know I'm going to blow my money on that dang TakeT group buy, so help me out here.

[philodox]

Well, I'd blow the money on the TakeT instead, but Fitz makes nice cables [they look nice anyways] and they are pretty inexpensive. Swt61 seems to really like their sound and construction and I've decided to give them a go on a couple upcoming projects.

[Guest sacd lover]

So I sold some stuff and want to use the money to hardwire my K1000s. Should I go Equinox as tried and true, or explore other options. I've only heard a Mogami hardwire,which offered minimal improvements to my ears and made the highs a little too much for me (I'm overly sensitive in this area), and the Equinox, which I liked very much, but heard it on a system very different than my own, so can't really compare. What have you guys heard that you could recommend? I'm using an Exemplar modded Denon 2900 > Extreme Platinum > FirstWatt F1.

If I can't decide soon, I know I'm going to blow my money on that dang TakeT group buy, so help me out here.

Equinox .... or the highs will annoy you. Mogami is to hot. Carnare is to hi-fi sounding. I am no BIG fan of Cardas either.

[postjack]

is taket fotm?

[boomana]

Well, I'd blow the money on the TakeT instead

yep.

arrrgh. I know. It's soooo tempting. And I have this lonely second system with a Heed integrated amp that would be perfect.

[boomana]

is taket fotm?

Could be. Not enough people have heard them, and they're ugly and not cheap, so I don't know if they'll ever go fotm. I really want to try them out, though.

[n_maher]

arrrgh. I know. It's soooo tempting. And I have this lonely second system with a Heed integrated amp that would be perfect.

Sell the Heed, save your $$$. Dangit, did I just do a "voice of reason" thing again, my bad, my bad.

And you know that John will let you borrow his, and isn't Gene getting a pair too?

[boomana]

Sell the Heed, save your $$$. Dangit, did I just do a "voice of reason" thing again, my bad, my bad.

And you know that John will let you borrow his, and isn't Gene getting a pair too?

John's backing out. He just picked up a pair of L3000s. Gene's fully in.

I can't sell the Heed. It was my one audiogon nightmare. It arrived damaged, (single box, no packing material), without doumentation, and the bitch lied her ass off, using my lack of feedback against me. I filed a complaint, but they wanted $95 to mediate. I gave the money to flecom to repair it, but the selector knob will never be flush, and I accidentally tossed the remote in one of my let's clean up everything now moods. It's a great sounding little amp, though. I was using it with my Abbys before I picked up the F1.

[tkam]

For the k1000 hardwire job you might want to contact AKZip he did a really nice job on mine. They sound great and it was less expensive than the equinox and turn around time was about a week.

[boomana]

For the k1000 hardwire job you might want to contact AKZip he did a really nice job on mine. They sound great and it was less expensive than the equinox and turn around time was about a week.

I was thinking of using him. What do you mean when you say they sound great? What differences?

[boomana]

dew eet.

I'm probably older than your momma, and haven't figured out what that means yet

that really sucks.

It does, but at least flecom did an amazing job consider how I got it (all bent up), and the amp sounds really good. I'm chalking this one up as a lesson learned. Oh, and NEVER buy from a woman named Catherine on audiogon. She uses things as demos, but then sells them, but denies she's a dealer. The audiogon people wouldn't let me use her emails to me as proof of my claims...go figure.

[boomana]

Okay, I'm not older than your mother, but thanks for the clarification. Re women, I trust quite a few, but most, like men, only conditionally. If you ever wanted to buy something from me, you could trust me. I'm too much of a wimp to screw anybody over.

[n_maher]

Okay, I'm not older than your mother, but thanks for the clarification. Re women, I trust quite a few, but most, like men, only conditionally. If you ever wanted to buy something from me, you could trust me. I'm too much of a wimp to screw anybody over.

Vicki, you want to post pictures of the damage and see if we can't find some way to spruce it up further? Even if you keep it it'd be nice if it didn't remind you of the BS every time you look at it. You've got all sorts of friends in low places now.

[boomana]

i was just joshing

"joshing" sounds like my grandmother

[n_maher]

between that and my reaction to the incredibly young seeming freshmen on my campus, i feel old beyond my years.

I'm with you there Reks, I was at UNH yesterday looking at a building that I designed and it occurred to me that this year's freshman class will essentially be the last class born of the 80s. Son of a...

[grawk]

My 20th high school reunion is this spring.

[JBLoudG20]

The freshman on my campus this year seems like they are SO DAMN YOUNG. It has never been easier to pick out the freshman. What the hell?

[boomana]

Vicki, you want to post pictures of the damage and see if we can't find some way to spruce it up further? Even if you keep it it'd be nice if it didn't remind you of the BS every time you look at it. You've got all sorts of friends in low places now.

Frank actually did a great job and you can't really see anything unless you look closely. Since I can't remember what he called the bent thing, and am entirely comfortable with sounding like the technological fool I am, I'll just stay the that stick thingy that is attached to the knob thingy that goes into the amp for the source selector switch thingy to actually select was horribly bent. He straightened it and all works well. I'm not real comfortable selling it as it was broken, and I couldn't get close to what it is worth sq-wise.

But thanks for the offer!

[boomana]

you designed buildings? sweet. pics?

edit: i'm going to feel real dumb if i find out you're an architect...

X2

Oh, and as for old, as some of you know, I gave up my middle school teaching job this year to continue working in drug rehab (I've been doing that 8 years) as I couldn't do two jobs and longer, and this pays twice as much. Anyway, we've a crop of college freshmen crash and burn binge drinkers in right now: smart-ass, rich, entitled, punk boys from Greenwich, CT. It's like doing adolescent treatment, which is NOT what I signed up for. I not only feel old, I feel homicidal.

[n_maher]

you designed buildings? sweet. pics?

Mostly, I make them stand up. I'm a structural engineer and do residential and commercial buildings most days of the week. When I do my job well you hardly know I was involved at all. I'll dredge up a few pics and post them some time in the "projects" thread in the DIY forum to not completely derail this thread.

And Vicki, as long as you're happy with it that's all that matters. Since you seemed interested in the whole "buildings" thing as well here's a picture of a little house that I worked on a couple years ago.

And yes, those aholes have sand for a front yard and an unimpeded path to the Atlantic. Worse still, this is the family's fourth house and they only use it a couple times a year.

[JBLoudG20]

Mostly, I make them stand up. I'm a structural engineer and do residential and commercial buildings most days of the week. When I do my job well you hardly know I was involved at all. I'll dredge up a few pics and post them some time in the "projects" thread in the DIY forum to not completely derail this thread.

And Vicki, as long as you're happy with it that's all that matters. Since you seemed interested in the whole "buildings" thing as well here's a picture of a little house that I worked on a couple years ago.

And yes, those aholes have sand for a front yard and an unimpeded path to the Atlantic. Worse still, this is the family's fourth house and they only use it a couple times a year.

Sounds just like my g/f's uncle.. only liek quadruple the size of that house, and put a beemer or two in the driveway. *sigh* maybe one day...

[postjack]

shit if I had that kind of money I'd get Mikhail to build me a headphone amp so big I have to park it in the driveway. it would have to be waterproof b/c of the rain.

and what headphones would I have him tune it for? HD650. it would use special XLRs the size of toddler.

[boomana]

Okay, this thread's been totally derailed, and partially by me, but back to my original question, we've got one vote for Equinox and one for apuresound (but I don't yet know why). These were numbers one and two on my list before I posted. Oh, and one vote for Fitz. Has anyone else other ideas based on what've you've heard?

Nate, making building stand up is a good thing. I'd like to formally thank all structural engineers now.

[Icarium]

I'd suggest Apuresound too. You'd have to wait forever for the Equinox and they just send you a cable from what I understand and you have to find someone to do it. I'd go with [AK]Zip for that if you do go with the Equinox cable besides him the other guy I know that is doing it is Ori but he's based in Cali.

[AK]Zip has had a lot of experience doing it and he can turn it around in a week though right now he's got a long backlog so it might be 2-3 weeks from Saturday. He can tell you for sure.

Plus he informed me last week that he has finalized version 3 of his cable (Version 2 is what he's been selling over the last year) which is radically improved construction/wire composition or so blind tests from local customers has said. It's only 10 bucks more (He's making significantly less per cable versus version 2 but figures its already at the limits of what people will pay) for all full sized headphones including the K1K. I'm probably going to get a balanced v3 Qualia cable next month... still enjoying the v2. But I want to get a pimped out v3 with Xhadow XLR connectors (Expensive and probably pointless).

Details that I'm allowed to discuss re: his V3 versus V2 (Official announcement will be on Saturday). His cable has always been a copper cored silver wire (V2 was 75 percent silver with the remaining 25 percent being a solid copper core) , the percentages have been changed in v3 but both metals are a higher grade now and thicker gauge. The cotton insulation is now dual layer instead of single layer and the wires for left and right channels are separately insulated in the cotton. The insulation has changed with the shielding removed as its deemed unnecessary. It's I quote "5x" more flexible while being thicker over all. New sleeving options are black/carbon and clear (Though remember the cotton is dyed black). Custom sleeving/connectors are available at added cost of course.

I've heard a variety of K1k hardwires and my ranking for them is something like K1K with Black Dragon Hardwiring > Equinox > Silver Dragon. I actually haven't heard Black Dragon hard wiring but my impression based on just the Black Dragon tail along.... I think there was enormous potential there (Voltron agreed completely).

Now where [AK]Zip's cable fits in there (V2 or v3) I have no idea... but for another bright sounding headphone that vaguely leans in the K1K direction (Wide soundstage/detailed/etc).. the Qualia I've heard v2/black dragon/silver dragon/blue dragon.

For that... [AK]Zip's cable wins out in everything except mids followed closely by the Black Dragon cable and both cables thoroughly destroy the Blue Dragon and the Silver Dragon (Silver is just a bad choice for bright sounding headphones).

The Black Dragon is a very sweet cable with a very balanced sound that is detailed (Though slightly less so than Silver Dragon) that still has a very nice tone and is warm. Perfect sound distance and just good all around. Downside is its extremely fragile and prone to short with Qualias and very fat/inflexible and EXTREMELY microphonic.

Now [AK]Zips v2 cable has better extension/better clarity/great bass/the most detailed out of all the cables/wider soundstage. The mids are a little bit less sweet and a bit recessed compared to the Black Dragon. As for construction it is not very microphonic with the Qualias ([AK]Zip says it depends on the headphone how microphonic it is), is extremely flexible and way more durable/better constructed. v3 is supposed to be less microphonic.

[boomana]

Well, I emailed Alex. We'll see how it goes from here.