SRX Plus and where do i go from here.

[Oldie]

Since i finally registered, i thought i might as well enquire, can't hurt;

Very recently finished building my SRX Plus, tip top on all mats minus the pot which is a TKD CP2500, gets a bit too steep from there

What that sounds like, most of you already know, so will skip this part.

Am currently pairing it with a DIY DAC that's based on an old dual PCM-63(P) Elektor magazine diagram that i've beefed up considerably. DAC as is now has great punch, bit of pompous a character if i might put it thus and is rather partial towards its lows/mid-lows; what you want as a source when pairing with an electrostatic amp and aiming for a balanced system. Dances circles around many well known DACs out there, so not changing it.

Current pair of headphones are the 'old' L700s, mki. No mods.

Power cabling is Oyaide Tunamis, Furutech gold-plated sockets, Furutech gold-plated distributors. Signal is also gold-plated, a Transparent Reference pair (back when they did what they promised, before they switched to .. "musical"); USB to DAC cable is also gold-plated, a Furutech GT2 Pro. Yes, stacking the gold-plating, obvious reasons given the particulars of electrostats.

 

This should give you an idea of where i stand musically.

 

I won't ever be able to afford a flagship STAX. No other way to put it, just can't do 5+ grand in one go. Mats however, to slowly be purchased at wholesale prices (perks of the job) and eventually made into an amp? More likely.

Enters the question: With the above and with a taste for classical music (putting aside the ideal perfectly balanced system, i'd rather err towards accuracy and brightness), where do i go?

- Must be something with an available layout, self-built no matter what.

- Suppose required skillset isn't an issue. So a Megatron for instance is possible.

- Excepting the DIY T2. What i've seen i don't like (SMDs) and i don't have the patience (or eyes) to put the work required to ammend that. Sprint Layout in my age isn't playing nicely.

And is there a reason to? Will the L700s scale past the SRX Plus?

[gepardcv]

I personally love the KGST. I haven't checked parts availability lately, though it used to be a reasonably affordable build. You can sometimes get a good deal on a 007 (I paid nowhere near list price for mine), though it definitely does not err towards brightness. Great headphone, though.

[Oldie]

I get the love for the 007s, but they're not my thing at all. To the extent i can have an opinion (without having heard them), i'd think i'd be needing to go straight to a 009 non-S or 009BK if i could get one. Quite a leap from my L700s

Regarding the KGST, i'll have a look at it, thank you very much. Will admit i've only looked at what folks around here consider 'best', BHSE, Megatron, etc.

[Oldie]

@Aspirant Audiophilei'll bite, tell me what's funny.

And in full disclosure that 99,9% i've only a worthless post to expect in reply, but i came here to ask something very specific so who knows.. maybe in your infinite wisdom you possess knowledge that would indeed make my enquiry seem ludicrous.

Have at it.

(also, because my understanding is that you're young, are here to talk about your new 'sport' and while affluent compared to me, you lack wisdom or tact; i asked something very specific, to which i've yet to receive a reply; that includes Gepard's post, which answers neither of my two questions. Tact however dictates i reply to him politely, thank him for bothering, keep the conversation going as it where, while refraining from repeating myself)

[tomislavkufrin]

You can always go for Carbon as the reference. It made the difference between 009 and 95x a lot smaller for me. You can use the power supply for Carbon with the GG which has tube output devices(similar to BH), so you can have two amps with different flavors for the total cost of a little bit more than for only Carbon, or only GG. This is what i have done in my system. 

I have also built SRX which pairs nicely with 009, but Carbon/GG are my favorites.

[Aspirant Audiophile]

1 hour ago, tomislavkufrin said:

You can always go for Carbon as the reference. 

If I understand correctly, this is what I'm doing. I'm not sure what I'm hearing with my temporary x9000s/353x setup, but it's not great. I hope to have a Carbon in a month, then explore other models with the Carbon as reference.

[Aspirant Audiophile]

23 hours ago, Oldie said:

@Aspirant Audiophilei'll bite, tell me what's funny.

And in full disclosure that 99,9% i've only a worthless post to expect in reply, but i came here to ask something very specific so who knows.. maybe in your infinite wisdom you possess knowledge that would indeed make my enquiry seem ludicrous.

Have at it.

(also, because my understanding is that you're young, are here to talk about your new 'sport' and while affluent compared to me, you lack wisdom or tact; i asked something very specific, to which i've yet to receive a reply; that includes Gepard's post, which answers neither of my two questions. Tact however dictates i reply to him politely, thank him for bothering, keep the conversation going as it where, while refraining from repeating myself)

I am neither young or affluent. I have no interest in sports--with or without quotation marks that attempt irony--and while my wisdom and tact (or lack thereof) are certainly subject to question, I rely on real-life measurements, not name-calling on the internet.

I have no opinion about your technical skills and I wish you the best.