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Post by novisnick on Oct 8, 2018 1:38:55 GMT -5
Gar - Consider putting some spacers between the two amps. Even though they run cool, the bottom one isn't getting much ventilation... What he said! ^^^^^^ |
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Post by garbulky on Oct 8, 2018 9:44:23 GMT -5
Gar - Consider putting some spacers between the two amps. Even though they run cool, the bottom one isn't getting much ventilation... Will do! They come with little feet that aren't obvious from the camera angle so there is a gap. But I shall give it an additional gap. |
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Post by garbulky on Oct 8, 2018 23:39:14 GMT -5
AudioHTIT novisnick Boomzilla The PA-1 amps are out of the system. The XPA-1 gen 2 is back in in running in class A mode. Sigh...I haven't been this confused in a long time. Long story short the PA-1 amps do a lot of things better than the XPA-1. The XPA-1 is still no slouch and does a bit better in certain other categories. It wasn't the king for no reason! But more importantly taking the overall experience of the sound, the PA-1 is just a stunner. This is improtant. Previously I've heard stuff sound better but simply not overall better enough to entice me. There was always some negative. Well the PA-1 really has me turning my head and wondering - hmmm...a different direction maybe? Who am I kidding it's having me crane my neck! That's without even mentioning that it is about 1/12th the size of a pair of XPA-1 gen 2's. If cash wasn't an issue I would have four PA-1's in a heartbeat. These are very clean super fast amps with stunning soundstaging ability. This is why I need to stop auditioning excellent gear I don't own. Aarrrghh! Class D has arrived and Emotiva didn't mess around. I hope they use the same designers to build their Emersa gear because gosh diggy those should be incredible. I also wonder if they know exactly what kind of gem they have with this amp? Because I sure didn't hear a fuss when they released it. I looked at the spec sheet for the ICE 300AS module - it's advertised as "for hi fi and PA SYSTEMS". PA SYSTEMS. Oh lord.... even the makers of ICE don't know what they've got. I think I'll have a full initial review coming up soon. And yes it's VERY favorable to the PA-1. Anyway....$600 for a pair?! Come on now! Verdict - BUY.
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Post by AudioHTIT on Oct 8, 2018 23:51:30 GMT -5
... If cash wasn't an issue I would have four PA-1's in a heartbeat. . ... Bi-amping I assume? |
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Post by novisnick on Oct 9, 2018 0:06:22 GMT -5
@garbukly
Great to hear you love the PA-1.
I have one comment for you. Speaking of the XPA-1’s you said, “It wasn't the king for no reason!” Yes there was a reason, Emotiva discontinued making the XPR-1. 😁
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Post by garbulky on Oct 9, 2018 0:11:56 GMT -5
@garbukly Great to hear you love the PA-1. I have one comment for you. Speaking of the XPA-1’s you said, “It wasn't the king for no reason!” Yes there was a reason, Emotiva discontinued making the XPR-1. 😁 Bwahahaha!  |
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Post by garbulky on Oct 9, 2018 0:14:23 GMT -5
... If cash wasn't an issue I would have four PA-1's in a heartbeat. . ... Bi-amping I assume? Hehe yah! Probably no good reason for it. But if you could carry a stack of four fully balanced monoblocks + the DAC/preamp all with one hand, you'd do it too!   |
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Post by Boomzilla on Oct 9, 2018 3:09:56 GMT -5
I think that the T2 speakers and the PA-1 amps would be a match made in heaven... The enthusiastic bass of the T2 would perfectly compliment the polite bass of the PA-1, and the excellent midrange + ribbon-tweeter combination of the T2 would make the most of the PA-1's detail and depth. I think that this under-$2K combo (a pair of T2s, and a pair of PA-1s) might rival anything, anywhere, at most any price (or at least anything that I've heard). Hyperbole? Go listen for yourself!
But of course I speculate this having never actually heard this combo. I guess I'll finally have to attend an Emofest?
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KeithL
Administrator 
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Post by KeithL on Oct 9, 2018 9:58:50 GMT -5
Thanks for the kind words.
And, yes, we do know what we've got with these. The ICEpower modules have been popular with audiophiles for a few years - and with good reason. About the only catch, until now, has been that amplifiers built with them tend to end up being somewhat pricey.
Therefore, about the only new thing we could bring to the game with them was to offer them at a truly reasonable price.  AudioHTIT novisnick Boomzilla The PA-1 amps are out of the system. The XPA-1 gen 2 is back in in running in class A mode. Sigh...I haven't been this confused in a long time. Long story short the PA-1 amps do a lot of things better than the XPA-1. The XPA-1 is still no slouch and does a bit better in certain other categories. It wasn't the king for no reason! But more importantly taking the overall experience of the sound, the PA-1 is just a stunner. This is improtant. Previously I've heard stuff sound better but simply not overall better enough to entice me. There was always some negative. Well the PA-1 really has me turning my head and wondering - hmmm...a different direction maybe? Who am I kidding it's having me crane my neck! That's without even mentioning that it is about 1/12th the size of a pair of XPA-1 gen 2's. If cash wasn't an issue I would have four PA-1's in a heartbeat. These are very clean super fast amps with stunning soundstaging ability. This is why I need to stop auditioning excellent gear I don't own. Aarrrghh! Class D has arrived and Emotiva didn't mess around. I hope they use the same designers to build their Emersa gear because gosh diggy those should be incredible. I also wonder if they know exactly what kind of gem they have with this amp? Because I sure didn't hear a fuss when they released it. I looked at the spec sheet for the ICE 300AS module - it's advertised as "for hi fi and PA SYSTEMS". PA SYSTEMS. Oh lord.... even the makers of ICE don't know what they've got. I think I'll have a full initial review coming up soon. And yes it's VERY favorable to the PA-1. Anyway....$600 for a pair?! Come on now! Verdict - BUY. |
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Post by garbulky on Oct 9, 2018 10:46:38 GMT -5
I think that the T2 speakers and the PA-1 amps would be a match made in heaven... The enthusiastic bass of the T2 would perfectly compliment the polite bass of the PA-1, and the excellent midrange + ribbon-tweeter combination of the T2 would make the most of the PA-1's detail and depth. I think that this under-$2K combo (a pair of T2s, and a pair of PA-1s) might rival anything, anywhere, at most any price (or at least anything that I've heard). Hyperbole? I think you are right here. This combo would be really nice pretty much near the best sound I've heard. DC-1 -> PA-1 -> T2. Done. Fully balanced monoblock path to provide full range sound. |
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Post by garbulky on Oct 9, 2018 10:47:24 GMT -5
Thanks for the kind words. And, yes, we do know what we've got with these. The ICEpower modules have been popular with audiophiles for a few years - and with good reason. About the only catch, until now, has been that amplifiers built with them tend to end up being somewhat pricey. Therefore, about the only new thing we could bring to the game with them was to offer them at a truly reasonable price. AudioHTIT novisnick Boomzilla The PA-1 amps are out of the system. The XPA-1 gen 2 is back in in running in class A mode. Sigh...I haven't been this confused in a long time. Long story short the PA-1 amps do a lot of things better than the XPA-1. The XPA-1 is still no slouch and does a bit better in certain other categories. It wasn't the king for no reason! But more importantly taking the overall experience of the sound, the PA-1 is just a stunner. This is improtant. Previously I've heard stuff sound better but simply not overall better enough to entice me. There was always some negative. Well the PA-1 really has me turning my head and wondering - hmmm...a different direction maybe? Who am I kidding it's having me crane my neck! That's without even mentioning that it is about 1/12th the size of a pair of XPA-1 gen 2's. If cash wasn't an issue I would have four PA-1's in a heartbeat. These are very clean super fast amps with stunning soundstaging ability. This is why I need to stop auditioning excellent gear I don't own. Aarrrghh! Class D has arrived and Emotiva didn't mess around. I hope they use the same designers to build their Emersa gear because gosh diggy those should be incredible. I also wonder if they know exactly what kind of gem they have with this amp? Because I sure didn't hear a fuss when they released it. I looked at the spec sheet for the ICE 300AS module - it's advertised as "for hi fi and PA SYSTEMS". PA SYSTEMS. Oh lord.... even the makers of ICE don't know what they've got. I think I'll have a full initial review coming up soon. And yes it's VERY favorable to the PA-1. Anyway....$600 for a pair?! Come on now! Verdict - BUY. Yeah the price you've got them selling at is really competitive imo. |
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Post by garbulky on Feb 10, 2019 15:41:28 GMT -5
It's been long enough. It's time for Youtube to allow for lossless audio. We can already select video quality. Why not allow for a higher audio rate? Youtube already provides bandwith for 8k and up to 60 frames per second video streaming. Why not the extra bandwith for better audio?
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Post by garbulky on Feb 11, 2019 23:14:20 GMT -5
Well I finally decided to upgrade my HD 600. Brand new is the HD 700 in house!
First impressions!
Right off the bat, it was obvious this headphone takes a bit of time to break in. The treble seemed a little off. But some things appeared better than the HD 600 while somethings sound simply different.
Now after an hour of listening, there has been some obvious tonal changes (for the better).
Right now - the HD700 is closer in tone to the HD600 than to the HD6xx when using my A-100 amp in direct drive mode.
It has that "airy treble" which I wasn't expecting when I read the reviews. I was expecting something closer to the HD6xx with a warmer sound and rolled off treble.
The HD700 has a "bigger" sound than the HD 6xx in the same vein of the HD 600. Also it appears to be more "held together" than the HD600 in louder passages. The HD700 is strong on detail. I am able to follow a lot of subtle instrument expressions on the upright bass.
Stay tuned!
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Post by novisnick on Feb 11, 2019 23:22:09 GMT -5
Well I finally decided to upgrade my HD 600. Brand new is the HD 700 in house! First impressions! Right off the bat, it was obvious this headphone takes a bit of time to break in. The treble seemed a little off. But some things appeared better than the HD 600 while somethings sound simply different. Now after an hour of listening, there has been some obvious tonal changes (for the better). Right now - the HD700 is closer in tone to the HD600 than to the HD6xx when using my A-100 amp in direct drive mode. It has that "airy treble" which I wasn't expecting when I read the reviews. I was expecting something closer to the HD6xx with a warmer sound and rolled off treble. The HD700 has a "bigger" sound than the HD 6xx in the same vein of the HD 600. Also it appears to be more "held together" than the HD600 in louder passages. Stay tuned! Nice preliminary, looking forward to your impressions once the drivers are broken in. |
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Post by garbulky on Feb 12, 2019 12:52:46 GMT -5
Well trying a new piece of gear is always tons of fun. My HD700's are still breaking in. Currently my impressions with the HD700 is that it has a knee. To get that warm nice enveloping sound you got to push the volume up past the knee and then things get nice and punchy.
I've been noticing lots of new details in songs that i hear. I also notice a lot of expression or little instrumental flourishes with the background instruments.
For instance in this song by Lake Street Dive
The tambourine player's expressiveness stood out. But also interestingly I'd never noticed the bass player but she was doing some impressive stuff. For instance in some parts she'd let the bass ring out and in other parts she'd only play the note and mute it soon after. And sometimes it felt like she was playing a harmonic. Whatever it was, she was definitely grooving. Previously, I'd just heard the bass but now I found it easier to notice the differences.
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Post by dsonyay on Feb 12, 2019 18:31:08 GMT -5
Do you plan on selling the HD 600?
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Post by garbulky on Feb 12, 2019 19:19:32 GMT -5
Do you plan on selling the HD 600? I don't know. I doubt I'd get much for it. |
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Post by dsonyay on Feb 13, 2019 17:40:07 GMT -5
Do you plan on selling the HD 600? I don't know. I doubt I'd get much for it. Well maybe I can give you that! LoL |
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Post by garbulky on Feb 15, 2019 1:11:39 GMT -5
Well I've been leaving the headphone playing music as much as I can and the difference is audible. I have a hard time believing that most of the break in is done within the first minute because it clearly takes quite a bit longer than that!
The sound signature is MUCH more neutral now than it was when it first started.
So far the genreal impressions have been this
More spacious than the hd 600. There is a sense of a more relaxed space while the hd600's space is much closer to your ears.
More dynamic. This can be noticed in all kinds of things. Especially notice in drums. Who knew James Taylors drums on fire and rain had so much pop and pow to it? upright bass has real texture and an impressive sense of dynamnics.
So over here, I'd like to stress that I really dislike a pumped up bass. It stands out to me. If there is a pumped up bass, senheisser has tuned these headphones really well to make it not overbearing but adding to the musicality.
A sensation of a lot of resolution. Still waiting on it to even out to pronounce it as actually feeling like it has more resolution but I feel that the treble is faster and not as homogenized/smeared.
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Post by garbulky on Feb 18, 2019 1:19:03 GMT -5
I feel that the hd 700 are done or at least the majority of the break in on the drivers are finished.
I won't lie. I was quite worried about the HD 700 when I got them. Was the HD 700 Sennheiser's mistake? Did they get it right with the HD 600 and then they just didn't understand what made that headphone great and ruined it?
Well, the answer is no. They are talented at headphones. I've been enjoying the heck out of these HD 700's. Hope to get started on a final review of these lovely headphones. A short while ago, I was devouring the reviews of these headphones and realized I couldn't tell at all what these headphones really sounded like. Now, I know why that was so hard!
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