One more week of patience...

2bigears · « **Reply #200 on:** 2 Aug 2014, 12:24 pm »

Hi 13,, cooling off over there ? Ha. I just read all of this thread and you were seemingly stuck in the paradox of choice. I actually just sparked up my head rig yesterday and I gotta say,, it sounds pretty darn good. Like you,I have the 650's with balanced cables from a Headroom amp which most likely isn't all that good of an amp. I did look at your one idea and phones and amp would be 10k for the both. Man,that must sound like heaven. The Stax with a Blue Hawaii SE ---- whoa ! That's something to dwell on. I'm interested.

Guy 13 · « **Reply #201 on:** 2 Aug 2014, 01:28 pm »

Quote from: 2bigears on 2 Aug 2014, 12:24 pm

Hi 13,, cooling off over there ? Ha. I just read all of this thread and you were seemingly stuck in the paradox of choice. I actually just sparked up my head rig yesterday and I gotta say,, it sounds pretty darn good. Like you,I have the 650's with balanced cables from a Headroom amp which most likely isn't all that good of an amp. I did look at your one idea and phones and amp would be 10k for the both. Man,that must sound like heaven. The Stax with a Blue Hawaii SE ---- whoa ! That's something to dwell on. I'm interested.

Hi 2big(Tigers)ears.

My name is not 13, but Guy 13 !

Did you wrote/think that I have balanced cables from Headroom.
I have the stock cables that came with the HD650.
Just I case you missed it, I have a Bottlehead Crack
without the Speedball uip-grade.
Sorry, if the confusion come from my planet.
Yes, the Stax combo is around 10K$,
almost the price of a car,
but without the operating/maintenance cost of a car.
I hope one day (Before I kick the bucket)
I will have the chance to listen to them for a few minutes,
then I will be able to rest in pieces.

Unfortunately, I will never own that Stax combo, unless of course,
my wife wins the jack pot at the lottery,
which might happen, given the numbers of tickets she buy every day.

Guy 13

It's cooling off, when I am under the shower.
Still 30C+ every day.

dB Cooper · « **Reply #202 on:** 2 Aug 2014, 06:15 pm »

Quote from: 2bigears on 2 Aug 2014, 12:24 pm

Hi 13,, cooling off over there ? Ha. I just read all of this thread and you were seemingly stuck in the paradox of choice. I actually just sparked up my head rig yesterday and I gotta say,, it sounds pretty darn good. Like you,I have the 650's with balanced cables from a Headroom amp which most likely isn't all that good of an amp. I did look at your one idea and phones and amp would be 10k for the both. Man,that must sound like heaven. The Stax with a Blue Hawaii SE ---- whoa ! That's something to dwell on. I'm interested.

That's the combo I heard at CAF last week and good Gawd was that some fine sound. I still resist the idea that any headphones could be worth $4K, but if any are, it's those.
I note that the Beyer T1 is on sale at Amazon for $883, around half price.
It sucks having champagne tastes and a beer budget, but for me my HD650s are right about where the law of diminishing returns starts to kick in, and for source material that sounds too "dark", a little treble boost in my Fidelia audio player lifts the "veil" nicely.

2bigears · « **Reply #203 on:** 2 Aug 2014, 07:26 pm »

You heard that exact duo? I am really interested in that combo and thinking ,, maybe ! Just maybe ?

dB Cooper · « **Reply #204 on:** 2 Aug 2014, 10:12 pm »

Yep. Got the evidence right here (sorry all my phone verticals come out turned 90 degrees)

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #205 on:** 2 Aug 2014, 10:16 pm »

Quote from: dB Cooper on 2 Aug 2014, 10:12 pm

Wow, nice violet anodized face plate.

dB Cooper · « **Reply #206 on:** 2 Aug 2014, 11:24 pm »

Odd to see on an amp called "Blue Hawaii", eh?

2bigears · « **Reply #207 on:** 3 Aug 2014, 12:46 am »

. Eye and Ear and Brain candy ! What's the big ribbon out the front ? Is that the cable for the phones ? I really like this set up. As I may be right sizing everything I have,, this would be cool stuff....

Guy 13 · « **Reply #208 on:** 16 Sep 2014, 02:35 pm »

Hi all.
Many of you have been following my misadventures
or my partial un-satisfaction with my HD650 headphones.
Well let me share with you the following happy event that happened today.
My audio friend Mr. Khiem and I have set up a meeting at his house so I could listen to his Bottlehead Crack, but his, contrary to mine, with a Speedball upgrade.
First his system consisted of the following:
An HP laptop with files downloaded from the Internet I presume they are Lossless ??? We also used my CDs on his laptop.
An AudioGD NFB7 DAC with a Signal Cable coaxial cable
A Bottlehead Crack with the Speedball upgrade.
(Not sure of the 12AU7 + 6080 ?)
…and my super comfy HD650 and his less comfy to my ears BD T1.
Within 10 seconds, I know the sound was better with his Crack,
the veil was lifted and the darkness was gone.
What a pleasure to listen to the music, really enjoyable.
I would have never believed that the improvement/sound quality could be that much better.
The highs we clear as crystal, the mids were better and the bass, well maybe also better, but I am not sure, they were not worst that’s for sure.
Overall presentation was more enjoyable and not aggressive at all.
Then I tried his BDT1 comfortable, but I still prefer mine, because they are lighter and my HD650 surround the ears.
The bass on the T1 is a little better, minds you, with some music it sounded a little boomy, but in general was a little better, but I can’t complain of the bass of my HD650, very satisfying.
The mids and highs are clearer, probably a little more natural than my HD650, but since I’ve got the HD650 and they are paid for, I will keep them.
I have finish dreaming of the HD600, I will keep my HD650 because they sound good, with the Speedball upgrade that is.
Now, I have to find the money (Robbing a bank my be a possibility) to buy the upgrade and also find someone to do the soldering and installation, minds you, Khiem told me that he knows someone here on planet Vietnam that can do it for 50 USD, that sounds a little expensive, but if it’s done right, then I guess it’s O.K.
I am thinking of another meeting, but that one will be at my house with his Crack to make a side by side comparison with my Rega Apollo, my Signal Cable Interconnects.
Then I will be 100% sure that the weak link in my headphone system is the missing Speedball upgrade.
So for now the conclusion is: Sennheiser HD650 will stay at home, won’t go anywhere.
Happy temporary ending.

Guy 13

Do I look happy, yes? That's because I am/was.

From L to R: Mr. Huy and Mr. Khiem.

brooklyn · « **Reply #209 on:** 16 Sep 2014, 09:04 pm »

Hey Guy, hearing the Bottlehead Crack with the speedball upgrade is encouraging,
hopefully you will hear the same difference at your place when that happens.

How many years would you get on your planet if you did rob a bank anyway? It might
be worth it if they feed you and you get to keep the money.. LOL

Brooklyn

dB Cooper · « **Reply #210 on:** 16 Sep 2014, 09:17 pm »

Quote from: 2bigears on 3 Aug 2014, 12:46 am

. Eye and Ear and Brain candy ! What's the big ribbon out the front ? Is that the cable for the phones ? I really like this set up. As I may be right sizing everything I have,, this would be cool stuff....

The cable is very large at the amp as it contains both the signal cables and the high voltage cable for each channel. It splits out further along the cable of course.

Guy13, hope you get the upgrade and that it proves satisfying long term.

adydula · « **Reply #211 on:** 16 Sep 2014, 10:58 pm »

I would take his amp to your house and play it with your" stuff" to be sure!

Alex

dB Cooper · « **Reply #212 on:** 17 Sep 2014, 01:14 am »

Guy,
Did you listen to both amps, i.e. did you A/B them, or just the other amp?

BTW, from Bottlehead this is a $125.00 upgrade. I'd want to be sure I was getting what I was paying for if I were you.

Guy 13 · « **Reply #213 on:** 17 Sep 2014, 02:29 am »

Quote from: brooklyn on 16 Sep 2014, 09:04 pm

Hey Guy, hearing the Bottlehead Crack with the speedball upgrade is encouraging,
hopefully you will hear the same difference at your place when that happens.

How many years would you get on your planet if you did rob a bank anyway? It might
be worth it if they feed you and you get to keep the money.. LOL

Brooklyn

Xin chao Brooklyn,
which means: hello Brooklyn.
I really want to hear side by side my and his Crack.
Once set-up, I will be able to switch from one to the other within a few second.
Switch the PCC (Passive control center) from one to the other = 1 second
and unplug and re-plug the headphone jack from mine to his,
that's about 2 to 4 seconds.
Therefore, with some practice,
I will be able to switch amplifiers within 4 seconds,
which is my memory longest time it can keep the previous song/music.
Bank robbery is quite rare on this planet because the money denomination are so small,
that you would need to steal a 100 pounds bag of money to make it worthwhile.
A 500,000 VND (Vietnamese Dong) bill is worth only 22 USD,
so to get rich stealing a bank, you would need a truck load of money.

As far as how long you will get to rob a bank,
I don't know and I don't want to know.
If I go to jail for some time,
my wife might get the (Brilliant) idea to get re-married with a richer man than me.

Guy 13

Guy 13 · « **Reply #214 on:** 17 Sep 2014, 02:30 am »

Quote from: dB Cooper on 16 Sep 2014, 09:17 pm

The cable is very large at the amp as it contains both the signal cables and the high voltage cable for each channel. It splits out further along the cable of course.

Guy13, hope you get the upgrade and that it proves satisfying long term.

Hi dB Cooper.
I am very anxious to be able to sit down and really enjoy
listening to music with my Crack/HD650.

Guy 13

Guy 13 · « **Reply #215 on:** 17 Sep 2014, 02:34 am »

Quote from: adydula on 16 Sep 2014, 10:58 pm

I would take his amp to your house and play it with your" stuff" to be sure!

Alex

Hi Alex.
That what I want to do
and that's what I am trying to organized right now.
Even if the 115 USD Bottlehead Speedball upgrade is a fairly inexpensive upgrade,
I want to make sure I will not be spending 115 USD for nothing,
because I cannot afford that lost, not more than 50 USD or even 10 USD.

Guy 13

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #216 on:** 17 Sep 2014, 11:56 am »

Finally a good news.
What exactly is the speedball upgrade??

Guy 13 · « **Reply #217 on:** 17 Sep 2014, 01:20 pm »

Quote from: FullRangeMan on 17 Sep 2014, 11:56 am

Finally a good news.
What exactly is the speedball upgrade??

Hi FullRangeMan.
I wanted to post a link to the Bottlehead Crack which will also show the Speedball upgrade, but my Internet connection is so slow this evening that I cannot access the website of Bottlehead.
Maybe you can try yourself and you might be more lucky than me.
I will try again tomorrow.
Thanks.

Guy 13

JohnR · « **Reply #218 on:** 17 Sep 2014, 01:37 pm »

Here's the link:

http://bottlehead.com/?product=speedball-upgrade-for-crack-amplifier

From the description, it's a set of solid-state constant current sources, which have (speaking in general terms) the effect of linearizing the transfer function of the tubes.

steve in jersey · « **Reply #219 on:** 17 Sep 2014, 03:51 pm »

If anyone is still curious about that "ribbon cable" coming out of that "Blue Hawaii" amp , I would imagine
that is an electrostatic headphone cable from an electrostatic headphone. I think I've heard Jude over on "Head-fi" mention this amp a few times. I believe it has a fairly hefty price tag , the "box" to the left of it was the dedicated PSU. (If you zoom the picture out a bit you can see that the unused headphone jack has pin openings on it for the electrostatic connector)

(Actually, it is on Tyll's wall of fame over on InnerFidelity. $5 or $6k I believe)