MellowVelo

I preferred the Rogers one over the TS one in the loaner, personally, but yeah try both and see what works for you.

Try to hear the differences. See if *you* have a preference. Years ago, I had a dozen old American 6SN7s; I sold them all, except one (not telling).

@Claritas I certainly take your point. Ultimately, only I can decide what I like. That said, I appreciate reading about people's preferences and triangulating with my own experience. It helps me to understand what I'm hearing.

@9suns the price is right, for sure. Have you used the Presonus speakers?

Not yet, was also looking for studio monitors and noticed the Eris had those characteristics. I think the rca inputs, class a/b amps and absence of internal ad/da alone makes it a nice choice in that price range tbh. Have to hear one ofc but seems like a safe bet.

@9suns yes, I like those characteristics too. I think that they look nice too.

Please do. I’ve been thinking of upgrading. I feel like the MM-6 needs cleaner top end…less murky.

@Azimuth will do. I haven’t heard other DL models, but I don’t perceive a murky top end on the MP-7.

@Azimuth I posted impressions of the MP-7, if you’re still interested.

https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/darlington-labs-mp-7-comparative-review.11262/#post-396908

Haha, I had the same with the Mani 1, I sold it immediately and I completely agree with the bass, its thick and detailed but doesnt bleed. I've had three iterations of the MP-7 so I've also seen it progress over time, mostly with the bass

Do you think you want to post your findings on the thread? Could be interesting for others too

Yes, I’m definitely planning to post my impressions. Could you also post an update about how the MP-7 has improved with subsequent iterations? I think that people would find this interesting, and it speaks to Keith’s commitment to continually improve his products.

oh definitely, I created that comparison thread with the intention of doing a lot of side-by-sides with other units and there's something to be said there about iteration comparison. I had some setbacks in getting that done, but I'll be picking that up again in the coming days

First spin: “Random Access Memories” by Daft Punk.

Haven't heard but was curious myself a couple years ago. Those balanced inputs/outputs especially appealing. In a big compare of phono stages, I found the big difference, unsurprisingly, to be between tube and solid-state.

@SoupRKnowva nice! I didn't see the page because it's not listed in the menu. Canare L-4E5C is standard, but if you want the slightly larger Canare L-4E6S, you can request it for a few bucks more. I had a great email conversation with Andrew at BJC. He's super knowledgeable and helpful.

So, what do you think of the HP cable so far?

@roughroad I haven’t done an A/B comparison (life is too short), but the Focal Elear sounds as expected. I purchased the cable because I wanted a particular length and termination. Canare starquad is well regarded for headphone cables. It’s durable and non-microphonic. Lots of folks on SBAF use it.

As with everything, the amp/source/chain/synergy matters a lot, but all things being equal, you'd be missing resolution, micro.

You're missing beryllium and swagger. ;)

Driver timbre is noticeably different between the two. Utopia also has incredibly smooth upper treble; still never heard a headphone with better performance there. Utopia also scales like mad with better gear since it's so resolving

https://dr.loudness-war.info/

Here's how I see DR. High DR doesn't guarantee a mastering will sound good, because there are other ways to bork a mastering, but a low DR almost always guarantees the mastering will suck because if the DR level is low enough there is no saving it.

Well said. Many older CDs have high DR but also sound thin and brittle. I seek out masterings with high DR, but I have to actually listen to know whether or not it sounds good.

https://www.patreon.com/SBAF

I just did the same! Very much feel the same way. Cheers :).

I used Decibel X but I think I’ve had similar readings from other apps in the past

@edd Thanks. I downloaded Decibel X. The results were really insightful. After getting settled and finding my typical long-term listening level, I measured the SPL around 60-65 dB. I also tried listening around 80 dB. Frankly, I would never listen at that volume. It was really uncomfortable for my ears.

Long story short, I don’t think that I’ll have any driver excursion issues with the Focal. Thank you to everybody who contributed to this conversation.

I have a special place in my heart for 701's.

The 701 really captures the magic of direct drive, and the tonearm was basically designed for the V15 Type III. A winning combination, if there ever was one.

And I say this as somebody who once paid full price for a GS-X mk2 and regretted the decision immensely.

nice man, that's what i hear. i'd like to hear one sometime!

would like SBAF ears on this as well. especially those that have heard BW2, 3F, Rag.

Congrat. Which amps do you pair with pmx2? I've seen several folks were struggling about how to (better) amp it.

Mjölnir Audio Pure Bipolar (aka SuSy Dynalo mk2). I haven’t tried the PMx2 with any other amps, but I like what I’m hearing. Think of the synergy between HD650 and Jotunheim, but Pure Bipolar offers more refined treble, better resolution, and no glare.