NYC(ish) Meet -- 12/13/08

[The Monkey]

Post away with impressions and pics.

As usual, for me, it was more about the folks than the gear. But I did accomplish what I set out to do re gear: compare the O2 mk2 to the O2 mk1.

Great to see friends old and new.

[n_maher]

Glad to hear that you had fun Vincent. After nearly 48hrs the lights just came back on in my house, there are many still without and there's no guarantee that they'll stay on here. Sorry to have missed you guys, guess we'll have to reconvene in Cali June, eh?

[grawk]

or in NC in feb

[catscratch]

As usual, for me, it was more about the folks than the gear. But I did accomplish what I set out to do re gear: compare the O2 mk2 to the O2 mk1.

And?

Come on, you can't just leave us hanging like that!

[Grand Enigma]

Fun was had for the most part.

[deepak]

Good meet, good meet. Good meeting people too

[The Monkey]

And?

Come on, you can't just leave us hanging like that!

heh, sorry about that. Meant to post again last night.

My comparison between the mk1 and mk2 left me very satisfied. I own the mk2 and had listened to the mk1 in the past. I loved both. But based on some of the thoughts of several folks whose opinion I trust, I was concerned that perhaps I was severely missing out on the mk1, so I decided to spend more time with it at the meet.

Given the ability and nuances of presentation capable of being delivered by these cans, Meet conditions are certainly less than ideal for comparison. However, my basic conclusion is that these are really 2 different headphones. I hear a collective, "duh" out there, so I'll expand.

The mk2 does not sound evolutionary to me in comparison to the mk1. The sound signature is that different. The mk1 midrange is absolutely stunning. I think it sings in the way that my Lambda Signatures do, but even better because it is more neutral and transparent. That said, I heard just the slightest bit of etch. This familiar Stax etch does not bother me, but I heard it. And it was definitely more subtle than on certain Lambdas. So maybe I'll refer to it as just a bit of grain rather than etch. The highs and treble extension are excellent. But the top end is very unforgiving. I heard some splash and sibilance on several recordings, which I think is likely do to the mk1's resolving ability than to its natural tendency toward sibilance. That said, this is where I think one of the main differences is between the mk1 and mk2. I do not think the mk1's treble extension is completely balanced by the bottom end. Not that they need to offset. However, the comparatively less bass extension led me to feel that the mk1 has a more ruthless presentation than the mk2. That is not a bad thing, but it is a consideration when thinking about how I'm going to actually live with these phones. For all the talk of neutrality, I still think the mk1 retains that euphonic sound that will keep me with stats for good. But the mk1 manages to balance the euphonic presentation, keeping itself honest. To me, with the exception of the slight grain, this phone has that special capability of only the best to simply disappear. The mk1 is truly an outstanding headphone.

The mk2. A totally different beast. And I do think they mk2 is a bit beastly. In a good way. To me, more slam than the mk1. The mk2's low end is big and expansive, but not one-note boomy. To me, the bass extension in the mk2 is not quite balanced by its high end extension. Almost like the inverse of the mk1. And I think that big bass can bleed into the mid-range a bit, and this causes the mk2's mid-range to sound more colored to me than the mk1. Perhaps this factor is compounded by my impression that the mk2 does not have the treble extension of the mk1. That said, I do not detect the same grain in the mk2, which results in a less strident presentation. To me this is both good and bad. I think the mk2 is more source forgiving, but perhaps at the expense of a slight bit of detail. But it is smoooth, and the mk2 rocks more than the mk1. It might be a little less agile, but it stomps harder. In short, I think the mk2 is fun. But that statement alone does suggest that the can is perhaps not disappearing quite as much as the mk1 by inserting its signature more into the presentation. I need more time (and a quieter room) to really sort that out.

Bottom line? I'm keeping the mk2. But I could see myself buying a mk1 sometime in the future. However, for now, I think that a better amp than the 007t (for the O2) is a more important piece to the puzzle. So I am very seriously considering the GES, but I would like to talk to Jack to see if there is anything that can be done to give that amp just a little more juice. I am also very tempted by the KGSS. We'll see. But my overall feeling is that these are 2 excellent headphones. I completely understand the love for the mk1. It is a classic. But the mk2 kicks a bit of ass, too, and has fun doing it.

Equipment/Disclosures: I own the mk2, not the mk1. I listened to both cans on a stock Woo GES, a maxxed GES, and a KGSS. Sources, and I'm not sure any were particularly wonderful (although I'm not sure what the Woo source was). The room was hot and loud, making comparison possible in only the broadest of strokes.

[catscratch]

Thanks, those are some great impressions! Regards to the Mk1 being potentially sibilant/etched - I think this is more due to the rest of the system. I've heard it sound dull, bright, dark, sibilant, thin, congested, airy, grainy, fluid, just about anything you can think of really, and all with the meager assortment of components I have at home. Something as simple as the right interconnect can really make or break the system. So, IMO it can definitely be tuned not to sound bright, or to sound just about every which way you want, with some strenuous component matching.

There was certainly lots of digital glare in the highs and elevated highs in general with the 840c, but with the Opus 21 I had to roll in some of the brightest cables I had in order to offset the massive difference in tonal balance.

You're also spot on about it being absolutely ruthless when it comes to showing up recording imperfections, to the point that some really bad recordings are unlistenable.

I would like to hear the Mk2 with Stax's current lineup of amps, especially the 727. If it's voiced more for the Mk2, then it could make for a good system.

[spritzer]

Wait what??!!?? Etch on the Mk1? The SR-Omega has it but that's something I've never heard from a 007, be it a Mk1, Mk2 or my hybrid.

[The Monkey]

Wait what??!!?? Etch on the Mk1? The SR-Omega has it but that's something I've never heard from a 007, be it a Mk1, Mk2 or my hybrid.

Could be an issue of semantics. It was not quite the same as I have heard on the other Stax cans, but still a bit familiar. Again, more like a grain than an etch and a bit higher in the treble than what I have heard before. Now, it is possible that some of this is a source issue. deepak and I discussed a bit, and we agreed that the Oppo source was not doing any favors to the headphones. But I still heard it a bit on other rigs. Very subtle, but still there to my ears. I am also open to the possibility that what I was hearing was the treble extension compared to the mk2, which was resulting in a slightly "hotter" signature from the mk1. Maybe the finer detail can be perceived as grain in a direct comparison.

Regardless, we are splitting some very fine hairs here. Whatever the phenomenon--be it etch or grain or hyper-detail--it was very very subtle.

On a side note: I don't think I heard any Stax farts, so I'm still not quite sure what that is.

[deepak]

I am attributing it to the source as well. Since I haven't heard it with the MK1 and my old North Star, Parasound and my vinyl setup. Of course I have a lot of poorly mastered music (like some of the Mosaic 1950s jazz, the treble can be unbearable) that the SR-007 MK1 will show any flaws in the recording.

[spritzer]

I too would blame this on the source as the Mk1 is as smooth as the come but will reveal everything the source spits out.

On a side note: I don't think I heard any Stax farts, so I'm still not quite sure what that is.

The noise level at the meet may have been too high but they are almost impossible to miss. It sounds like a high pitched plastic squeal though.

[deepak]

The WooAudio amps are also killer- they look great, feel great (volume knobs, pot feel, etc), and sound fantastic. The WA6 and their 300B amp was able to drive the Yama HP-1 very well. Other than the GS-1 I think those were the only amps that I tried that could drive the orthos.