Home Theater/Personal audio thread...

[Clipdat]

Since we have bumped this thread, I'll share that I've made a few purchases recently. One solid state and one tube preamp, Dayens Ampino Preamp and Backert Labs Rhumba 1.2 Extreme, respectively

I also just ordered this:





Marantz SA-KI Ruby

[krayzie]

Glad to see at least one manufacturer in Japan bringing back / still using copper plated chassis and screws in this day and age. Looks even better than when the Marantz brand was owned by Philips. Made in Japan FTW!

[MuseChaser]

Out of curiosity, does anyone here have any experience with the Akitika products, or the updatemydynaco stuff? I've got two semi-fried SCA-80Q Dynakits, one of which I built as a teenager back in the 70s, and I'd like to restore at least that one just for sentimental reasons, but I'm torn between how to approach it. The updatemydynaco stuff does just that.. replaces whichever circuits you wish with ostensibly improved, more reliable, and better sounding versions (preamp, power amp, power supply, etc). At that point, however, it isn't really an SCA-80Q any more.. it's just a different integrated amp in an SCA-80Q chassis. However, it'd be fun project and, if it does indeed sound a lot better, would probably be worth it. The traditionalist in me still wants to restore one to as close to working OEM as possible, as impractical as that probably is.



Anyone have any experience with any of these products?


Thanks..

[Clipdat]

I recently went through some similar thoughts, about locating an old Onkyo Integra integrated amplifier and having it refurbished with all new capacitors, etc.

It took a few hours, but I quickly came to the realization that for the amount of money it was going to cost, it simply wasn't worth it. I also realized that nostalgia is a hell of a drug!

I think that you should ask yourself what it is that you are chasing in regards to your Dynakit amps. What is your goal? Depending on the answer to this, you might find your potential expenditure would best be served in another area.

[MuseChaser]

Yeah, I'm aware that sinking money into an SCA-80Q isn't exactly the most cost-effective path to audio excellence, but I built it in the first place and it served me well for thirty years. The money spent, at this point, would be relatively minimal since I'd be doing all the work as opposed to "having it done," .. just whatever the materials/components cost.. and I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a pretty strong emotional attachment to the amp. Just curious if anyone had any experience with the updatemydynaco mods/replacements. The Akitika kits, on the other hand, seem to be a quality newer offering in the kit market, so they have some appeal to me too. Of course, I need another amp like I need an extra colostomy bag.

[Clipdat]

BUMP!

[Vracer111]

Nice! Which LCD is it? And how do you like the Phonitor?

I've made some big changes to my gear within the past year. Got rid of all my E-stat specific equipment and pared down to my modded Fostex TH-X00 Purplehearts, modded Koss Porta Pro Xs, and closedback modded Sennheiser HD58X. Also went to Garage 1217 Project Ember tube amps and Project Polaris JFET solid state amp.

One of the Ember setups I use for my office:



Home setup:

[Clipdat]

Love the graphic EQ display on the RME DAC!

They are the LCD-3 model. I first heard them last October at a local HiFi store, and I hadn't been able to shake the memory of how good they sounded. I kept thinking about them often, so I knew I just had to bite the bullet and buy them.

The Phonitor X has been great so far, no complaints. Although much like my new Audeze headphones, this is my first foray into higher end headphone gear. Previously I had only used various $100-250 headphones and a Schiit Asgard 2 amp. The best pair I had were the Beyerdynamic DT-880 Pro but they were a little too analytical for my tastes, and the clamping force/comfort didn't work for me.

So, I don't have a ton of reference points on how the Phonitor stacks up to other amplifiers in it's price range. One of the main reasons I got it is because of it's flexibility to integrate with my computer speakers. I have it set up using the "slave thru" function, so as long as it's powered on, it's always passing the signal from my Topping D10 DAC through to the RCA pre-outputs, un-attenuated and out of the path of the main volume control.

Then, when I want to listen to headphones I just plug them in, switch from mute to headphone on the front, and then turn the volume knob of the preamp for of my powered computer speakers all the way down. So for my setup it was an easy way to have the best of both worlds. I couldn't really find any headphone amplifiers that had pre-outs that allowed you to route the signal through without it being attenuated by the master volume knob like how the Phonitor X does.

In terms of sound quality, I think the Phonitor has a pretty linear/flat presentation, which you'd expect from SPL's studio pedigree. The bass from the LCD-3s is quite controlled and not at all boosted. I originally heard these headphones being powered by this amp: https://wooaudio.com/amplifiers/wa11 - The bass and low end presence must have been slightly boosted with it, because it was intense.

Or, maybe it's just because my LCD-3s are brand new and not broken in yet? Or it's because I have longer hair now and it's not making as good of a seal around my ears? Or...?

Like I said I'm fairly new to serious headphone listening, so I'm still trying to get my feet wet. One thing for certain is that the LCD-3s are worth every penny. They seriously sound so amazing. It completely challenges your expectations of how you think headphones can sound. I wish more people could experience what it sounds like to actually have a soundstage in your headphones, and be able to pick up on all the three dimensional depth cues that are inside your favorite music.

Once you experience the Audeze sound, they pretty much sell themselves, if you're even remotely passionate about music at least.


Oh, and I also ordered an aftermarket/custom silver cable for them already, because why not?

[Clipdat]

Bump. Reviewing the iCAN.

[Vracer111]

So... what are your thoughts on the iCAN?

[Clipdat]

It's pretty cool, I like it! I'm still logging some time with it.

This will be a formally written review, so I will be sure to share the link to it here once it's finished.

[thomasmryan]

great thread.


just picked up an oppo ha-2se and the first version of the onkyo dp-x1 to playback dsd files.

both have balanced outputs and i am unfamiliar with the advantages as i have only used normal headphones/earphones.

[thomasmryan]

ordered some oppo pm-2s from HK.

[Clipdat]

Great! That'll be an excellent starting point. Once we hear what you like/dislike about their sound as well as finding out what genres of music you listen to, we can make other headphone recommendations for you to check out!