PWilson

Further information: These are brand new in box first edition K7xx. I bought these when a pair of K701 were my best & favourite headphones. These were meant to add some bass and bring it closer to the profile of the much more expensive K712, so it made sense to upgrade. While waiting for them to drop/ship, I found a great deal on some Hifiman HE-500, and decided that I should branch out instead of just consolidating variations of the same, so I picked them up, and have swapped a couple more planars since. These were kept in the box so I could sell them. I just take a while to get around to things. While you'll read mixed opinions on head-fi, I'm with the camp that think these are fast, clear and airy (a huge, if a little oversized, soundstage). https://www.soundphilereview.com/reviews/massdrop-x-akg-k7xx-red-edition-review-3158/ I obviously liked the K701 enough to want to upgrade to the same but better. I still do use (and enjoy) the K701 in my rotation. These are supposed to address the lack of bass of the K701. Personally, I found the K701 to have great slam when amped properly, but maybe needing a bit more in the rumble, so if these add that little bit in, they'll reallly be a great pair of headphones. When available, the K7xx still seem to be about USD200 before shipping, so I think the price is fair, especially considering they're new. Photos:

Etymotics for me. I'm very happy with them as a fairly flat attenuation. Primary used for metal gigs. Disclaimer: I love the Ety sound signature as I use Ety canal phones as well, and have no issues stuffing them deep in my ears so they can work properly.

Sounds good Marten. I've replied to your PM. *Sold pending*

Item: Massdrop AGK K7xx Headphones Location: Perth Price: $250 shipped Item Condition: Brand new in box Reason for selling: I moved to planars Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, Bank Transfer Extra Info: These are brand new in box first edition K7xx. I bought these when a pair of K701 were my best & favourite headphones. These were meant to add some bass and bring it closer to the profile of the much more expensive K712, so it made sense to upgrade. While waiting for them to drop/ship, I found a great deal on some Hifiman HE-500, and decided that I should branch out instead of just consolidating variations of the same, so I picked them up, and have swapped a couple more planars since. These were kept in the box so I could sell them. I just take a while to get around to things. While you'll read mixed opinions on head-fi, I'm with the camp that think these are fast, clear and airy (a huge, if a little oversized, soundstage). https://www.soundphilereview.com/reviews/massdrop-x-akg-k7xx-red-edition-review-3158/ I obviously liked the K701 enough to want to upgrade to the same but better. I still do use (and enjoy) the K701 in my rotation. These are supposed to address the lack of bass of the K701. Personally, I found the K701 to have great slam when amped properly, but maybe needing a bit more in the rumble, so if these add that little bit in, they'll reallly be a great pair of headphones. When available, the K7xx still seem to be about USD200 before shipping, so I think the price is fair, especially considering they're new. Photos:.

Item: AKG K550 MkII headphones Location: Perth Price: $100 shipped Item Condition: Excellent Reason for selling: Too big for my small head Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Bank Transfer, Paypal Extra Info: Bought these to use in the office. I've got a small head, and the band really doesn't let the cups seal nicely, so I don't get the sound working nicely unless I press the cups against my head. They're a nice pair of headphones with the usual AKG tuning, and punch above their price, imo. Photos:

I've been very keen to hear these for quite a while. PM sent with intent to buy.

I used to have the v1. That thing was an absolute beast and its size belies its power. No dramas driving AKG K701, HE-500 and LCD 2 (this is coming from someone from the 'more power is better' school of thought). And HeadAmp designs are wonderfully transparent.

Hi. I'm keen on the Sheer if you're willing to post to Perth (and it's not horribly expensive to do so).

I've been very keen to try one of these out. I'm in Perth, so can come over and hand cash over when I pick it up (though likely Wednesday at the earliest due to weekday commitments). Otherwise I can direct deposit to secure it. Please PM details.

Absolutely. Should've just saved the money and stuck with playing it out of his ipod, eh?

Took this news for me to realise the 800 series has been upgraded. Shame the cones have to protrude from the cabinet like that, as I don't think they look anywhere near as pretty as the old ones. There's some serious hyperbole being thrown around about how much the sound's improved though (from your usual cnet type sites that don't really know any better). Anyway, interesting and slightly worrying considering the focus of the new owners. But I can't imagine them fiddling too much with the winning upper end of the range. Looking forward to reading the interview.

I'm not familiar with the ODAC, so I don't know what level of improvement you can see. But personal experience is that I've seen some pretty significant improvements in quality upgrading, including a fuller bottom end. You might be able to get even more of that prodigious bass from the 2.2. If you've got the opportunity to audition, that's a fantastic way to make sure you get something that's an upgrade and fits the sound you're after.

I think it's a steal at that price. I just spent a bit more than I wanted to on orthos, but if this had been up a week ago I would have had what I really wanted and more money in my pocket >_<. I'd wish you good luck with the sale, but I don't really think that's necessary.

Substantial enough that he want from wanting to upgrade to no longer wanting to upgrade.

My apologies. I read it that way from what looked like a defensive answer when people mentioned the difference in price points of your analogue vs digital setup. Personal experience is that spinning discs in a Cambridge 840C is a noticeably better experience than spinning discs in an Oppo BDP-83, which is a noticeably better experience than playing digital files (FLAC, etc) through a first gen DACMagic, which is a noticeably better experience than that little Firestone Audio DAC I had before it (which was better than the DVD player I started my hifi with). I haven't spent a lot of time with the 840 plugged in to my PC for use purely as a DAC, but my memory of it was that I didn't like it as much as when it was playing discs natively. I don't see why that would be the case, but it's what my brain remembers. It was some time ago, before I had the Oppo or the DACMagic. I still have all 3 so current perceptions are legit. Going from the DACMagic to the Oppo to the 840 (but especially going to the 840) brings a fair bit more high and low end as well as making it 'nicer'. The 840 was my first major step from the Firestone and I was floored by the amount of extra low end I was hearing. Not what I was expecting at all. I just wanted a less shrill high end. YMMV

Your initial post asked the question like you didn't know the answer. Your subsequent posts give the vibe that you already had the answer in your head and just wanted to create the forum to post it in. Main thing I noticed moving to my first higher priced (for me) DAC was a tangible increase in bottom end. Then there are all the detail/space improvements on top of that.

And there I was at present ruing (again) the fact that I bought an amp to run the HE-500 and then it got pulled just as I was ready to buy and I'd never get to spend time with one. PM sent.

Thanks for the impressions. That's quite promising. I'll pass it all on and see how he goes. Shame to hear they shut doors. And very interesting to see where they're headed.

Bump. This is back up and a workmate's interested. I've heard very little in terms of user feedback (which I value more than mag/site reviews). Have these come to you already? How've you found them?

That one was a bit odd. When playing the Stairway clip backward, it was a slightly different playback when they had the 'lyrics' up (it was definitely higher in pitch and easier to understand (I flicked back and forth to check)). Not to say the effect doesn't work, because I know it does, but it's a bit weird that they cheated a little to help it along. I also didn't really get what was going on with the 'legislatures' bit.

Other ear->brain shenanigans: https://soundcloud.com/whyy-the-pulse/an-audio-illusion

I've been spinning that Omega Massif album a bit, and enjoying it. Looking for more Aussie metal, I found this proggy-neo classical-techy-death. They're like a not quite as good Cynic, but going even further on the implementation of other instruments, the double kick drive, and the time sig changes. And then I found out they just toured Perth in December. Dammit! I also found these guys playing atmospheric black/death from Ukraine. Very very awesome. The Seasons of Mist label's turned up a few gems, actually. There's more to post later to not overwhelm this one.

Ha, I seem to be the only one on SNA that likes to do my listening sober. When I've got a couple of drinks in me, my ears turn to mush and everything sounds the same. When I'm sober and my ears are working nicely, I hear all the nuances that swirl into making a musical experience one can lose oneself in. Personal experience is that I was always curious but skeptical about what difference a dedicated music CDP could make vs a DVD player or whatever was handy. I ended up purchasing blind when I came across a good deal, on the basis that I could move it for not too much loss if I didn't like it. I was stunned at the difference it made. Exceeding my small expectations would have been easy, but this was improvement on the grand scale. All said and done it's still hard to rate one above the other on priority, but a great CDP can still vastly improve the quality of sound you're getting through a system that doesn't have a great amp (while the flipside is also true).

Thanks for the replies. Input impedence is something I've read around the periphery of but haven't really delved into enough to understand fully. I guess I'll go do that (as time allows). The rest of the stuff makes sense, but it does give the impression of the part of the chain where you'll hit diminishing returns the fastest (but I don't really have a sense for how much noise the cheaper/midrange) preamps add. The esteemed Mr Wilson has spent more money than he should have on other components lately, and is going to have to patiently sit on his hands for a while. Also trying to buy second hand/run-out stock means auditioning can be difficult.

Besides the obvious role of input switching and volume control, obviously. What extra does a preamp bring to the system, and what separates a good pre from a mundane pre? I'll use Cambridge gear as my examples, because it's what I'm most familiar with (owning some, and liking it). Cambridge's 840/850 series comes with an integrated (A) and a dedicated pre (E), as well as the power (W). While I can understand the big price on the W, as it's quite a beefy unit and specced much higher than the power section of the A, what I don't understand is the pricing of the E relative to the A. They're generally sold for the same price (give or take), or with the pre at a slight premium. I figured the circuitry between the pre stage of the A and the entire E would be similiar, but if they're the same price where one has to account for the power section as well, obviously they're not. What difference would the better circuitry in the E bring? For someone (someone hypothetical. Let's call him... PWilson) running their system using a lower range integrated as a pre, for a higher range power, what could they reasonably expect in terms of improvement moving to either a higher range integrated (as a pre) or a higher range dedicated pre?