Mini-Meet - Saturday 9/3/2016 Sherman Oaks 11 to 4

Discussion in 'The Meeting Place' started by purr1n, Aug 28, 2016.

  1. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    You porkers, someone at some company is going to stumble on this thread, not understand the sarcasm, and price their next flagship at $10k.

    Too many skeptics are eating crow on this damn headphone. I must resist for now.
     
  2. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I prefer the Utopia with slightly sounding amps like the BW2 - I thought Ron's setup at the meet had more synergy than mine. Not trying to sell you anything because we have nothing to sell. BW is cancelled.

    Now by warm, I don't mean laid back. Laid back setups take away from the energy and excitement the Utopia is capable of. Slightly warmer setups nicely color the overall neutral tonality.

    Other possibilities might include Mjolnir 2 or Torpedo 3. Night Blues Mini if you can manage to smuggle one from Russia.
     
  3. philipmorgan

    philipmorgan Member of the month

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    Wha? Does that mean no more will be produced after the current run is done?
     
  4. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    We've kept changing our minds since the BW's inception. It's probably done. I predict that a few guys will sell theirs for a new toy with a different sound, and then regret it later.
     
  5. philipmorgan

    philipmorgan Member of the month

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    Totally understandable with a thin profit margin product...
     
  6. jowls

    jowls Never shitposts (please) - Friend

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    It's sad to hear some people may miss out on BW, but it will be interesting to see what Copperhead brings.

    [​IMG]

    If anyone was waiting for the next run of BW there are two BW for sale on HF at the moment...

    http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?posts/76631/
     
    Last edited: Sep 8, 2016
  7. Gravity

    Gravity Friend

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    f**k f**k f**k. It was love at first sight... and now.. it's gone. Forever.



    Wait, what was that? There is something that can mend my broken heart you say? Torpedo 3. I'm gonna get you. This time for sure.
     
  8. drfindley

    drfindley Secretly lives in the Analog Room - Friend

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    @brencho, @bazelio and I heard this next to a Torpedo 3. It actually is a pretty great combo, but we all preferred the soundstage and sparkle of the T3 more (typical for tube amps), but tonally and warmth and richness was there on both. If you don't like tubes, BW + Utopia is good. Too bad it's canceled.
     
  9. Bill-P

    Bill-P Level 42 Mad Wizard

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    Yeah, I'd agree with Marv that at the meet, I did slightly prefer Ron's setup over his for Utopia. (Sorry, Marv!)

    Marv's setup had more air, is cleaner sounding, and so on, but it made the Utopia too thin-sounding. In contrast, Marv's rig was very nice with an LCD-2, adding just enough air and smoothing out just the right peaks to make it sound better overall.

    Both setups are still a bit too thin for me, though. Utopia had the right tonal balance on both, but it was just lacking that bit of body/warmth to its sound to make it more sweet, more engaging, but... without killing off the energy and excitement it can bring... if that's even possible.

    @zerodeefex would probably joke about me liking congestion, and... that's probably not too far off the mark. :p Utopia does sound like it's a bit too fast, too refined, too good that it's somewhat unnatural to me. It sounds like it needs a bit of imperfection to make it more real.
     
  10. brencho

    brencho Friend

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    Agreed... I've been doing a lot of back and forth in the past day (will do more later) between the BW2 and the T3 on the Utopias. They're slightly different but both very sweet. As findley was saying, the T3 has more sparkle and a deeper soundstage, but the BW2 gives just a tiny bit of body and warmth that is really magical and pleasing (as @Bill-P was suggesting above). It might resolve a bit less than the T3 but honestly you're not missing much because the Utopias themselves are so resolving. I'll "have" to keep listening...
     
    Last edited: Sep 8, 2016
  11. OJneg

    OJneg The Most Insufferable

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    Not sure if this has been mentioned already, but the Utopia does seem to benefit from slight Zout boost. Unlike Elear which seems to go out of control.
     
  12. brencho

    brencho Friend

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    this is interesting! i haven't really tried using high output z on the T3, been stuck on low z given the output impedance of the Utopias, but i'm curious to hear more about this! what does a higher output z do to them? i can check myself tonight when i'm back home but just curious about it, and why Utopia might handle higher output z...
     
  13. Drifterxny

    Drifterxny Friend

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    I've been using high output on ZDS instead of low. Started off with low output, but with high output at the same volume, it seems to add slightly more body and weight, at least to the bass.
     
  14. bazelio

    bazelio Friend

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    Sounds like it's time to get those Brimar 6060s back in the T3?
     
  15. brencho

    brencho Friend

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    oh they are! love them tubes.
     
  16. Ray

    Ray Friend

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    Two bw2 already up for sale at hf
     
  17. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    Oh goddamit. Just got off the phone with Marv. He's extolling the eerily perfect synergy between the ZDS and the Utopia.
     
  18. brencho

    brencho Friend

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    i feel the same way. still gotta hear the pairing, if @bazelio ever invites me into his secret lair. that's too expensive of a piece to go in on it without hearing it first. but yeah that's 3 people i respect and like (both important!) that have extolled the virtues of that combo.
     
  19. brencho

    brencho Friend

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    yeah people seem to get nervous antsy feet with gear haha
     
  20. philipmorgan

    philipmorgan Member of the month

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    ZD and Utopia-1600.jpg
     

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