[adydula]

Sitting here listening to some really nice tunes and I was switching between two sets of headphones and the first set is my
"gold" standard reference set...and the second is well a lesser headphone in specs, price and various opinions...

So I switched from the gold standards and started listening with the lesser cans..and sure thing the subjective part of me
said "dang these suck!"...but  kept them on and after 30 minutes or so of internet trolling.....

I started to say to myself "dang these cans are really good!!"...then I said "hey! these are those lesser cans!!"...

Still smiling here, need more coffee...

Alex

[dB Cooper]

Absolutely. I can think of one example. I was listening to a Chesky headphone demo disk, switching between my various headphones as they suggested, and noticed that my $79 apple IEMs seemed to preserve more low-level (hall sound) info than my $500 HD650s did. May have to do with the 'brighter' presentation, but I doubt that accounted for all of it.


'More expensive' isn't always 'better', and, even when it is, very very often isn't proportional to the price difference.

Also, I think our perceptions change over time- sometimes even over short periods of time. I adjusted to the 'veil' in the HD650 but now am happier with the more 'forward' sound of my Beyer Amirons (gotta write a review sometime.) I doubt your 'second-tier' cans are that bad even if they don't goe toe-to-toe with your best ones. We audiophiles (myself included) have a way of making mountains out of molehills at times. Maybe the 'Tier 2' ones are better than you thhought after being accustomed to the big kahunas. Just some random musings.

(adydula, I'm sitting herre istening to my 'AGDR 'boosterboarded' O2 as I write this btw)

[adydula]

dbCooper..

Agree, our changing moods, amount of beer consumed etc...all can add up to a good or not so good experience with a wide variety of "stuff'.

I told my wife this, stating my mega buck cans were great, but when I put on the lesser priced cans the sound was ok, then it got awhole lot better over time...

She said it was probaly the music your were listening to at the time...hmmm smart woman! Lol..

AGDR's booster board...you know I have been in close contact with AGDR, Martin for years, but for some reason over the past few months he has gone into in-communicado...he purchased a really nice audio analyzer and was going to do some real audio measurements like you see on some sites with his stuff and some others.

Martin has been a real friend and a wonderful person helping out others especially with his projects and stuff. I sent some of my stuff to him for repair and analysis...

I hope all is well with him and his family I would hate to loose contact with this guy....he is one that has tried and actually done things to try to make better and improve on nwavguys O2....with real hardware.

So consider your self luck to have a O2 Booster board..he stopped making these awhile back.

All the best and Happy Saturday!
Alex

[kphooligann]

Yeah, but I hate to admit it.  It gets worse.  I once didn't notice that I was listening to a mono CD.  It was a Chet Baker CD.  Still sounded good to me.

[dB Cooper]

Martin has been a real friend and a wonderful person helping out others especially with his projects and stuff. I sent some of my stuff to him for repair and analysis...

I hope all is well with him and his family I would hate to loose contact with this guy....he is one that has tried and actually done things to try to make better and improve on nwavguys O2....with real hardware.

So consider your self luck to have a O2 Booster board..he stopped making these awhile back.

All the best and Happy Saturday!
Alex

Hope he's OK. Haven't been in touch but just looked at his website very recently and the booster board was still on it. he helped me out with the board when I realized my eyesight can no longer cope with miniature PCBs (and forget about surface mount parts).

[FullRangeMan]

Seems your brain was satisfied with the first can and after some time listening to the second can self adjusted to it as the home ambient was enjoyable.

[adydula]

I have a Bottlehead Crack OTL tube amp that I have a few different sets of vacuum tubes...and even though I often chide others about their
wasting their hard earned money chasing audio nirvana by buying high dollar NOS tubes, I have spent some bucks on other tubes as well. But in my paltry defense
I look for the less expensive tubes and try to keep the cost well within the budget!! LOL.

So the point here is that I have taken a liking to a particular RCA 6AS7G Coke Bottle shaped tube and a US Navy stamped 12Au7A variant...my goto tubes!

I bought a real cheap tube for $9.95 and popped it in my Crack and said this is indeed not that good at all...out it went.

For a few years its sits there looking at my asking me "why did you buy me??" lol

So while my Schitt Bimby MB was back at Schitt getting "fixed" I popped this tube in with another dac (ODAC) and started listening..

OMG it was like where did this marvelous sound come from..and that el cheapo not so NOS tube said:

"Been here all the time!! Buddy!!

 

Good Morning all!
Alex

[FullRangeMan]

OMG it was like where did this marvelous sound come from..and that el cheapo not so NOS tube said:

Very interesting, what brand was this tube?

[FullRangeMan]

...and even though I often chide others about their
wasting their hard earned money chasing audio nirvana by buying high dollar NOS tubes,

Sometimes I wonder why tube amps owners change tubes frequently as it can loose the pins socket and mading false contatcs and noise.

[adydula]

It was a Thompson CFS 6080WA - France I bought for $10 at partsconnexion a year back....a 6A7SG plug compatible tube.

Yes when you keep swapping tubes out this can cause issuse...if the parts that are soldered to the pins have no stress relief they can eventually break or a cold solder joint may surface as well....and the pins and socket gets wear and tear..but lots of folks do this...

I stopped this madness a long time ago...I ususally build and listen and then buy a backup set of the tubes i get or like..then stop the constant changing stuff..

Alex

[FullRangeMan]

OK thanks Alex