Zahl HM1 Reference Headphones Mixing Amplifier Speculation

Discussion in 'Power Amps' started by purr1n, Dec 14, 2022.

  1. ufospls2

    ufospls2 Friend

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    Bro, I say this with respect, but I really don't think this is the way forward, at least on SBAF (or Head Fi but as far as I know Head Fi has rules against it outside of the SS sub forum.) If we start calling out anyone who likes piece of gear "A" (whether or not it is expensive) and telling them to do a blind AB test or their impressions don't count then we are no better than ASR or similar. Forums where this is the standard operating procedure do exist, but GS isn't posting on those forums about this piece of gear. I think GS should be able to share positive impressions on a piece of gear on SBAF without being challenged to do a blind AB test.

    Is there some new toy syndrome going on? Entirely possible, but I still appreciate GS sharing his thoughts and opinions about an interesting piece of gear, even though I'm not personally interested in purchasing or owning one (I know of Zahls equipment and work through my recording/musician background prior to the headphone amp.)

    And with all that being said I even agree with you about the headphones making the most difference within a system, but that doesn't mean that amps etc...don't provide a meaningful part of a set up, and I really hope we aren't going to demand blind AB tests just because of an amp being expensive, or scarce, whatever the issue is.
     
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  2. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    It doesn't need to be that involved as @Rthomas suggested (although I feel much of the procedures he specified was said in jest). Nothing against GS. Those are good data points there. However, I'd like to hear what @MisterRogers, @famish99, @jexby, @zerodeefex, @ChaChaRealSmooth, @OJneg, @Hands, (and many many others who I have not listed) would have to say. The reason is that there is shared experience, shared vocabulary, ability to provide nuanced insights - up to a decade now. This is what makes this place special. For how much crap we've gotten for elitism, there are two or three dozen seasoned people with really good ears and shared experience, who can give you their individual take, which won't necessarily be the same as the others.

    It's always been like this. The senior Klingons, the high council, they must judge, using whatever means they've always done, whether sighted, blind, or double-blind, etc. And also, why leave it to just SS amps?

    As for the price, really don't care about that. The MHA150 is $5,500 and that lands on my personal top 3-5 list with respect to SS amps. And how many people here have $10k DNA amps? (I'd have one if I still regularly listened on headphones instead of speakers). On the other hand, I just don't do solid state and would never spend more than $1200 on a SS amp, I'd rather spend that on shoes. Value is a very personal thing.
     
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    Last edited: Dec 16, 2022
  3. ufospls2

    ufospls2 Friend

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    Yeah, I agree with all that you said there, and especially if rthomas was mostly meaning the specifics in jest and I interpreted it incorrectly. I also understand any very warranted skepticism with regards to new gear on the market, or expensive gear or whatever it happens to be. Hype trains do happen of course, I just saw the double blind stuff and thought it wasn't the best way forward, thats all :)
     
  4. willc

    willc Friend

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    Shoe game = chad
    HM1 = incel

    Elon Musk launches a bunch of starlinks, sells a million teslas, or buys a twitter every time one incel amp is sold.
     
  5. Rthomas

    Rthomas Friend

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    If @GoldenOne is generous enough to ship the amp to Marvey to try I’ll contribute towards shipping costs.
     
  6. netforce

    netforce MOT: Headphones.com

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    We do got the demo unit for NA arriving soon which would be much more cost efficient then shipping it over the pond. Just wouldn't probably borrow it from content team that is all probably eager to hear it. Though Marv did mention he was also going to be in the area so maybe a trip to HQ could be a good middle ground.
     

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