HeadphoneAddict Posted October 16, 2008 Report Posted October 16, 2008 ...oh, and I forgot to mention that SWMBO's retaliation for my SR-007/SRM-717 expenditure was to go out and book a family holiday costing exactly 2.5 times as much as the headphones! (And how could I possibly counter the argument that since I'd spent x on headphones which were just for me, why can't I spend 2.5x on all of us! Bummer!) Happened to me too - SWMBO has us booked for Hawaii X-mas eve -> new years eve... At least I got my O2 Mk2 and Woo GES Maxed, all within the past week or so.
HeadphoneAddict Posted October 16, 2008 Report Posted October 16, 2008 I temporarily traded my SRM-1 MKII for an SRM-T1 with another Head-Fier at RMAF. So far I definitely prefer the SRM-T1, it seems to push the somewhat forward presentation of the SR-007 MKII back out a bit. There's also a greater ease & smoothness to the sound. Cool. I listened to that same SRM-T1 at my house a couple of weeks ago (Sherwood) and we both liked it more than the SRM-1 Mk2 Pro with everything, especially the HE60. The 3yr old Woo GES prototype sounded almost identical in power and detail and tone, except we had to add about 1.5 db EQ in the prototype's bass to match the T1. I shipped out the prototype to the Texas head-fi meet this week, but I have my GES maxed in the house now (225 hours burn-in so far). Then I got my SR-007 Mk2 last night and need to spend some time with them now (gotta move my rig back to my bedroom after Sherwood comes by to listen again). Are you going to do the ear-pad spring mod for the mids, or wait for your BHSE first?
Guest troymadison Posted October 16, 2008 Report Posted October 16, 2008 After listening to the SR-303, I would have to say it sounds like a warm sounding K1000. The Stax is too laidback and dark for me. I much prefer my 55x and k501 to it. Is there any brighter sounding Stax headphones than the SR-303?
deepak Posted October 16, 2008 Report Posted October 16, 2008 Jesus try adding + 20 dB EQ from 12000 Hz up I thought the SR-404 (same driver as SR-303, different cable) was damn bright with the upper mid peak adding to that. Maybe you just like horribly, horribly bright headphones
Guest troymadison Posted October 16, 2008 Report Posted October 16, 2008 Jesus try adding + 20 dB EQ from 12000 Hz up I thought the SR-404 (same driver as SR-303, different cable) was damn bright with the upper mid peak adding to that. Maybe you just like horribly, horribly bright headphones Yeah I do hear an upper mid peak, but the highs are still laidback though.
deepak Posted October 16, 2008 Report Posted October 16, 2008 Yeah I do hear an upper mid peak, but the highs are still laidback though. Have you considered getting a hearing test with an audiologist? If you have insurance they might cover it.
Guest troymadison Posted October 16, 2008 Report Posted October 16, 2008 Have you considered getting a hearing test with an audiologist? If you have insurance they might cover it. Well, the quarts I like so much sound similar to the DT880. Is the DT880 a "horribly bright headphone"? I don't think it is but I couldn't stand the sibilance on the DT880.
Guest troymadison Posted October 16, 2008 Report Posted October 16, 2008 Maybe I'm not putting this into words correctly, the SR-303 doesn't seem to do rock music/folk music well at all. A Grado headphone does a half-decent job at this.
grawk Posted October 16, 2008 Report Posted October 16, 2008 Sounds like your taste is more towards those quarts. Just be glad, and sell off the stax and koss.
faust3d Posted October 16, 2008 Report Posted October 16, 2008 Maybe I'm not putting this into words correctly, the SR-303 doesn't seem to do rock music/folk music well at all. A Grado headphone does a half-decent job at this. I think you will just love QP85 or PMB500.
Guest troymadison Posted October 16, 2008 Report Posted October 16, 2008 I think you will just love QP85 or PMB500. How expensive are they
faust3d Posted October 16, 2008 Report Posted October 16, 2008 How expensive are they Not very, just hard to find.
Asr Posted October 16, 2008 Report Posted October 16, 2008 Are you going to do the ear-pad spring mod for the mids, or wait for your BHSE first? I don't plan to do any mods to my SR-007 MKII. If I end up not fully liking it with the BHSE in my system, I'm going to either swap it for an MKI or go with something else.
Sherwood Posted October 16, 2008 Report Posted October 16, 2008 I temporarily traded my SRM-1 MKII for an SRM-T1 with another Head-Fier at RMAF. So far I definitely prefer the SRM-T1, it seems to push the somewhat forward presentation of the SR-007 MKII back out a bit. There's also a greater ease & smoothness to the sound. I'd offer to sell it to you, but what's the point? Your BHSE will run circles around it, and I kinda like having it around. Your SRM1-mk2 would probably tide me over forever had I not heard the SRM-T1, though.
DoomzDayz Posted October 17, 2008 Report Posted October 17, 2008 is there a consolidated post anywhere that compares all the vintage options for headphones and energizers? there are so many options... SR-# SR-X SR-Sigma, Lambda, Gamma, etc SR-## (I understand electrets are not as good? SRD-# Any sonic differences between all these adapters? newer better?
luvdunhill Posted October 17, 2008 Report Posted October 17, 2008 is there a consolidated post anywhere that compares all the vintage options for headphones and energizers? there are so many options... SR-# SR-X SR-Sigma, Lambda, Gamma, etc SR-## (I understand electrets are not as good? SRD-# Any sonic differences between all these adapters? newer better? why don't you ask at a third forum, three's a charm.
GPH Posted October 17, 2008 Report Posted October 17, 2008 I've been listening to the Cambridge 840A / SRD-7 Mk2 combo on the last two days and I have to say it does a very fine job driving the SR-007. There are no obvious faults in this setup, the only shortcomings appear if I compare it to the KGSS that I used to own. This is all based on memory so it might not be perfectly accurate though. I remember that when I had my SRM-T1S, I was not entirely satisfied by the bass presentation, it was too syrupy, not punchy enough and in too small quantity. The KGSS corrected that and then some. With the transformer, I'd say the bass is closer to the KGSS, very punchy and well defined, though there is slightly less in quantity than on the KGSS. Also, I think the bass on the SRD-7 doesn't extend as deep, but I'd have to do a direct comparison to be totally sure about that. For the midrange and vocals presentation, the SRD-7/Cambridge seems more lively and upfront than the KGSS which was slighly more laid back and perhaps more "neutral". This is good for some genres like rock and metal, but the KGSS is still king on classical and jazz. With that said, the SRD-7 did well with all the genres that I've tried and is certainly better than the T1S amp I had which was too smooth and gentle for testosterone-driven music like Iron Maiden and Metallica. For the treble extension, I have to concur with some reports that I've read saying it's slightly rolled off on the very top. This is apparent if you've heard better amps, but it's not something that really bothers me in this case. The percussions are rendered nicely with good punch and attack. The biggest difference between this setup and the KGSS would be the retrieval of small details and the instruments placement. The KGSS put weight on every instrument and everything was focused and well defined. The separation between the different melodies and musicians was great and something that I haven't heard from any other headphone/amp combo. With the SRD-7, everything is slightly more diffuse and "light", and it doesn't retrieve micro-details like the KGSS used to. It was apparent when I listened to a familiar track and expected to hear some crackling at the beginning due to bad recording. It was there, but much less audible and annoying than on the KGSS. It makes for a very fun listen, but it's not the last word in terms of resolution. Overall, I'm really enjoying this setup and I like the convenience (and $ saving) of using the Cambridge both as a speaker and headphone amp.
spritzer Posted October 17, 2008 Report Posted October 17, 2008 Great impressions and we really need to come up with a better transformer based solution...
grawk Posted October 17, 2008 Report Posted October 17, 2008 I'd love a nice transformer I could integrate with my icepower modules to make a speaker/koss amp
Sherwood Posted October 17, 2008 Report Posted October 17, 2008 is there a consolidated post anywhere that compares all the vintage options for headphones and energizers? there are so many options... SR-# SR-X SR-Sigma, Lambda, Gamma, etc SR-## (I understand electrets are not as good? SRD-# Any sonic differences between all these adapters? newer better? The answer to your question is no, there is no consolidated post. There is also no consolidated opinion. Use the links others have given you, and click the little "<< First" on the top of this thread.
n_maher Posted October 17, 2008 Report Posted October 17, 2008 I'd love a nice transformer I could integrate with my icepower modules to make a speaker/koss amp The problem, at least one I can foresee, is that the Icepower modules are specifically designed to drive low impedance loads and typically trafo primaries have rather large impedances so they might not play nicely together. I sent a message to B&O about this very project and they were evidently unimpressed with my proposal.
spritzer Posted October 17, 2008 Report Posted October 17, 2008 I'd much rather go for a low wattage ClassA amp then the ICEpower stuff in a dedicated setup. Slew rate is king here and the primary impedance of the transformers can be managed with resistor in series/paralell. That's how Koss always did it but using an output transformer in reverse would give you an 8ohm primary.
faust3d Posted October 17, 2008 Report Posted October 17, 2008 I remember that when I had my SRM-T1S, I was not entirely satisfied by the bass presentation, it was too syrupy, not punchy enough and in too small quantity. The KGSS corrected that and then some. With the transformer, I'd say the bass is closer to the KGSS, very punchy and well defined, though there is slightly less in quantity than on the KGSS. Also, I think the bass on the SRD-7 doesn't extend as deep, but I'd have to do a direct comparison to be totally sure about that. Did you try to tuberoll with your SRM-T1S? I tried nice RCA cleartop tubes and got much better bass with them. I am going to look for some Toshibas to maybe even further improove it.
GPH Posted October 17, 2008 Report Posted October 17, 2008 Did you try to tuberoll with your SRM-T1S? I tried nice RCA cleartop tubes and got much better bass with them. I am going to look for some Toshibas to maybe even further improove it. Good point. I remember reading somewhere that rolling tubes doesn't make a big difference in Stax amps, but I didn't try it myself. I only changed the tubes once, and it was to replace the stock ones that were dying by the GE that you got, so I couldn't really tell if there was an improvement or not.
Sherwood Posted October 17, 2008 Report Posted October 17, 2008 I've tried the Cleartops and the Toshiba, and I definitely preferred the Toshiba. I can't speak to extension, as it seemed decent with both tubes on my (your) Lambdas, but the clarity was much increased with the Toshiba. The amp got out of the way better. The necessary 45-minute warm up made A/B comparisons difficult, but I had a blind preference for the Toshiba.
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