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Post by jandl100 on Jan 28, 2020 10:03:38 GMT
Something like $6k back in the day, I think. I bought it for about £80 from an ebay seller in Switzerland.  Mint condition, sounds seriously good as a dac/pre combo. |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Jan 28, 2020 10:24:46 GMT
Something like $6k back in the day, I think. I bought it for about £80 from an ebay seller in Switzerland. Mint condition, sounds seriously good as a dac/pre combo. How interesting. No such bargains available now, just had a look |
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Post by jandl100 on Feb 7, 2020 6:51:56 GMT
A recently purchased headphone amp by the sadly now defunct Epiphany Acoustics is working out very well.  Epiphany Acoustics E-HP-O2 Lots of good reviews and awards won. The reviews are right; effortlessly powerful, bold, controlled and transparent, brimming with detail. It really is very good. Battery powered with 2 rechargeable PP3 - fresh ones inserted on arrival - intended as a portable device, all connections are on the front panel, which makes it a bit clumsy for desktop use where rear inputs would be tidier. Still, it sounds great.  |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 7, 2020 9:49:47 GMT
A recently purchased headphone amp by the sadly now defunct Epiphany Acoustics is working out very well. Epiphany Acoustics E-HP-O2 Lots of good reviews and awards won. The reviews are right; effortlessly powerful, bold, controlled and transparent, brimming with detail. It really is very good. Battery powered with 2 rechargeable PP3 - fresh ones inserted on arrival - intended as a portable device, all connections are on the front panel, which makes it a bit clumsy for desktop use where rear inputs would be tidier. Still, it sounds great. Never heard of them? |
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Post by jandl100 on Feb 7, 2020 10:12:51 GMT
Epiphany Acoustics, a small Brit cottage industry type company headed up by Oliver Freeborn - made some excellent cables as well as headphone amps and a DAC or so, I think. I still use their Atratus 3 interconnects, they're the best I have heard so far. Sadly they stopped trading a few years ago. Hi-Fi World gave the Best Headphone Amplifier of the Year 2012 award to the EHP-O2. There's a review of the amp I have on the Wigwam - www.hifiwigwam.com/ehp-o2-portable-headphone-amplifier-review/ |
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Post by dsjr on Feb 7, 2020 10:34:12 GMT
I still have the Atratus 1 cable. One of the channels went intermittent and after I almost forcibly had to open the RCA plug and remove the hot melt goo inside, I discovered it's a screened twin core mic cable of serious conductor gauges. I always wondered if the slightly 'creamy' sound was due to the two inner cores being used as 'hot' and the screen as return, increasing capacitance I think (but maybe it doesn't?).
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2020 0:21:59 GMT
The III is no different as regards to the construction.
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Post by jandl100 on Feb 8, 2020 10:33:32 GMT
The III is no different as regards to the construction. Yes, according to those who have peered inside the Atratus 3 is nothing special, but it sounds astonishingly transparent for some reason. Mark YNWAN put me on to it a few years ago, and we both have yet to hear a better interconnect, despite trying! |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2020 11:52:20 GMT
It is all a matter of “taste” I think, and suitability for your system. I have the details of the cable used somewhere.
I tried it, kept it for a while and sold it on.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 8, 2020 13:27:31 GMT
It is all a matter of “taste” I think, and suitability for your system. I have the details of the cable used somewhere. I tried it, kept it for a while and sold it on. So true. Supposed "giant killing cables" have often left me flat and uninspired. Synergy is where the magic lies |
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Post by hudz on Feb 8, 2020 13:33:53 GMT
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Post by jandl100 on Feb 8, 2020 14:21:47 GMT
It is all a matter of “taste” I think, and suitability for your system. I have the details of the cable used somewhere. I tried it, kept it for a while and sold it on. So true. Supposed "giant killing cables" have often left me flat and uninspired. Synergy is where the magic lies Well, I don't think I ever mentioned "giant killer".... they're just better than anything else. 😁 |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 8, 2020 15:16:56 GMT
So true. Supposed "giant killing cables" have often left me flat and uninspired. Synergy is where the magic lies Well, I don't think I ever mentioned "giant killer".... they're just better than anything else. 😁 NO, not talking about these and no you didn't. Been a few pairs over the years on trial here, but as I say, its all about what works for the listener |
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Post by jandl100 on Feb 8, 2020 15:37:11 GMT
Isn't it always.
..... Some people like Tannoys. Maybe the Lord knows why, but I don't!
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 8, 2020 15:39:35 GMT
Isn't it always. ..... Some people like Tannoys. Maybe the Lord knows why, but I don't! There are forums for people like that lol |
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Post by jandl100 on Feb 20, 2020 18:36:50 GMT
Arrived today.  Sennheiser HD700. Curious dichotomy between the 'pro' and forum reviews. The pro reviews fairly consistently ecstatic, forum reviews are mixed with some quite vitriolic. I'm with the pros. I'm far from a bass freak but the first thing I noticed as distinctive was the control and tautness of the bass. But they are very good all-rounders. Not quite as open and spacious as the Philips Fidelio X2 which are exceptional in that respect, probably artificially so! But still very good. As detailed as my Beyer T90 Tesla, but a bit more relaxed in a natural kind of way. I think there are some treble peaks which occasionally get excited on some recordings, but overall a nicely rich tonality. Yup, these are fun. Keepers? Who knows, early days yet. |
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Post by jandl100 on Apr 19, 2020 14:29:08 GMT
Recently arrived, the (almost) legendary Sony MDR CD1700. I've owned a pair twice before; I gave the first pair to my (non-audiophile) brother after I saw his face when he tried them.  Bought myself another pair soon after that - getting on for 20 years ago now, can't recall why I eventually sold them or what replaced them. Getting all nostalgic I started looking out for another pair, curious to find out how they sounded to me now. The 1997 Hifi Choice review - "...sound quality is startlingly good, with the kind of exquisite clarity and delicacy normally found in top-class electrostatics". Mmmm, yup, still true. But these are conventional moving coil 'phones. And like many stats, they are a bit on the bass light side. Very open and airy. And very cumfy. £199.99 back in 1997. Yay, it's nice to have them back again.  |
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Post by jimbo on Apr 19, 2020 14:52:07 GMT
Look comfy, like the X2's? Do they sound better?
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Post by jandl100 on Apr 19, 2020 15:17:38 GMT
Different - Philips X2 are more forceful and grippier, stronger bass. A bit grainy compared to the Sony.
The Sonys really do sound a lot like a 'stat - same kind of refinement, delicacy and detail.
Yes, they are cumfy, get a little warm after an hour or so as the velour is nestled against the ear.
I'll be keeping both - and a few others.
That's one of the great things about headphones compared to speakers, you can easily keep a whole bunch of them and swap them round as the mood dictates!
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Post by jandl100 on Apr 19, 2020 15:20:09 GMT
Here's the full Hifi Choice review if you're interested  |
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Post by antonio on Apr 19, 2020 16:06:30 GMT
I think they'd suit me Jerry.  |
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Post by jandl100 on Apr 19, 2020 16:37:39 GMT
There was a mucky pair on ebay a few days back.
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Post by jimbo on Apr 19, 2020 18:40:50 GMT
How much do they go for now? Although the Philips X2s are good they are somewhat veiled so the Sony MDR CD 1700 sounds like it maybe worth a listen as I like clarity and detail.
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Post by jandl100 on Apr 19, 2020 20:03:44 GMT
I paid £98 delivered for a VGC pair.
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Post by jandl100 on Apr 20, 2020 8:40:40 GMT
How much do they go for now? Although the Philips X2s are good they are somewhat veiled so the Sony MDR CD 1700 sounds like it maybe worth a listen as I like clarity and detail. Have you tried electrostatics? You can often find good condition Stax SR3 / SRD5 on ebay for under £150. Lots of clarity and detail to be had with those. But a bit bass light without eq, but they respond surprisingly well to a bit of bass boost. |
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Post by jimbo on Apr 20, 2020 10:12:03 GMT
Never heard electostatic, always thought they were very pricey but I have heard some Planar Audeze.
Can't find any MDR CD1700 up for sale currently but will look out for a pair.
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Post by jandl100 on Apr 20, 2020 10:56:47 GMT
Never heard electostatic, always thought they were very pricey but I have heard some Planar Audeze. . Electrostatics are polar opposites to planar magnetics imo. I've heard many planar magnetics and disliked them all; boringly smooth. While electrostatics hold a real fascination for me. |
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Post by jimbo on Apr 20, 2020 13:23:34 GMT
Must admit I prefer dynamic drivers like the X2s to Planars so I would probably like electrostats. I have never come across a pair to listen to yet and never bought a pair as they have been frighteningly expensive.
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Post by jandl100 on Apr 20, 2020 13:48:56 GMT
Not often cheap, no, but as I said you can sometimes get a Stax SR3 + energiser for under £150, well worth a crack at. Check out some reviews, it's still highly thought of.
In case you're tempted, I'd advise against the new breed of electrostatic / dynamic hybrids, awful things imo. Mitchell and Johnson, Sharkk... give them a miss. They don't sound like stats at all imo.
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Post by sq225917 on Apr 20, 2020 15:36:38 GMT
I was gifted a pair of Stax SR Lambda 7 pro with srd-7sb mk2 pro energiser.
They're 30 years old, take power straight from my power amps and sound like no headphones I've ever owned, quite remarkable transparency, bass is entirely dependent on how you wear them.
I'll throw a new set of pads on once I have a spare £100! Lying round.
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Mint condition, sounds seriously good as a dac/pre combo. 
