Nikolai Dot Org
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2001
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You people have ruined my bank account for the month. At least my ears are getting a serious education.
I'm having fun with a Musical Fidelity X-Cans headphone amp, Creek OBH-11 w/stock PS, Sennheiser 580's, and Clou Jaspis 212 blue cable. My impressions gel with most of the other opinions posted by the experienced listeners on the Head-Fi forums, but here's my 2 cents anyway:
Sennheiser 580: Comfy like nobody's business. Revealing, detailed, airy. Affordable, too. Everyone should have a pair, even Gradoians.
Clou Jaspis 212 blue cable for the 580's: Not cheap but looks very cool. Way stiffer than stock cables, which I don't like but can deal with. The all important question: Does it make stuff sound better? Honestly, the difference is perceptible, but minimal. Seriously minimal. Keep it on your shopping list, but make it the last thing you buy. Good cans would be #1, amplifier #2, source #3, and last would be decent interconnects (i.e. cables) sitting at #4.
Creek OBH-11 vs. X-Cans... The Eternal Debate: You simply can't have it all. By buying one, you sacrifice what the other does at its best. That's the way it goes. Choose wisely or buy both.
The Creek makes listening to rock/pop/techno more fun because it has the power to move the music... and it can do so quickly. Guitar chords *snap*, and the overall presentation has *energy*. The Creek delivers what rock/pop/techno music needs the most. If you can only buy one amp and 51% or more of your music collection falls into this category... the Creek is waiting for you. It isn't a spectacular amplifier, but it does what it is supposed to do very well.
On the other hand, if you belong to the classical/jazz/vocal music camp, the X-Cans is absolutely, positively the one for you. The little details are all there, in sweet, engaging helpings. Strings sing and even squeak in the most minute of ways, delivering exceptional realism. Voices are ghostly-realistic... allowing you to hear the vocals with precision and perhaps even telepathically perceive the singer's emotional state. This amplifier is a bit of a one-hit wonder, but what a hit!
You can probably identify which camp you belong to with ease. However, everyone has some of both types of music in their collection, don't they? Here's what happens when you listen to the "wrong" type of music in either amp:
The Creek makes classical/jazz/vocal music sound "powerfully flat". Everything is delivered with the Creek's typical full-bodied presentation, but because of the lack of comparative detail, everything tends to "hit the wall". The miniscule breaths, clicks, taps, and layered background sounds are somewhat obscured or possibly lost. Bass has more presence, but it only minimally enhances the experience because the midrange detail isn't there. It isn't annoying to listen to classical/jazz/vocal music through the Creek, but it doesn't excite you, either. It's just there. Passable. Okey-dokey. Decent.
With the X-Cans, unfortunately, you make a wee bit more of a tradeoff. Rock/pop/techno loses its critical presence and edge, sapping its vitality. The vocals and smaller details will certainly pop out of the background, but because it does so out of a weaker overall presentation it leaves you wanting more punch. In some cases, the computer-amplified output of your Sound Blaster Live sounds better. No kidding.
That's the ugly, awful truth about the Creek OBH-11 and X-Cans: Neither one can do it all. Each has a strong point, and a weak spot. Listen extensively to each using a wide variety of music before you decide. Since it can be hard to find a store that stocks them both (especially considering the X-Cans series is no longer in production), I suggest you buy both of them and eBay the one that doesn't quite work for you. Or, simply keep one of each and wonder no longer what you might be missing when you slip in the CD from the "other camp".
I have yet to try the mid-priced amps such as the EarMax Pro or Sugden Headmaster. For what they cost, either one had better be able to beat owning both a Creek and a X-Cans amp. I'll check them out when I save up enough lunch money.
I'm having fun with a Musical Fidelity X-Cans headphone amp, Creek OBH-11 w/stock PS, Sennheiser 580's, and Clou Jaspis 212 blue cable. My impressions gel with most of the other opinions posted by the experienced listeners on the Head-Fi forums, but here's my 2 cents anyway:
Sennheiser 580: Comfy like nobody's business. Revealing, detailed, airy. Affordable, too. Everyone should have a pair, even Gradoians.
Clou Jaspis 212 blue cable for the 580's: Not cheap but looks very cool. Way stiffer than stock cables, which I don't like but can deal with. The all important question: Does it make stuff sound better? Honestly, the difference is perceptible, but minimal. Seriously minimal. Keep it on your shopping list, but make it the last thing you buy. Good cans would be #1, amplifier #2, source #3, and last would be decent interconnects (i.e. cables) sitting at #4.
Creek OBH-11 vs. X-Cans... The Eternal Debate: You simply can't have it all. By buying one, you sacrifice what the other does at its best. That's the way it goes. Choose wisely or buy both.
The Creek makes listening to rock/pop/techno more fun because it has the power to move the music... and it can do so quickly. Guitar chords *snap*, and the overall presentation has *energy*. The Creek delivers what rock/pop/techno music needs the most. If you can only buy one amp and 51% or more of your music collection falls into this category... the Creek is waiting for you. It isn't a spectacular amplifier, but it does what it is supposed to do very well.
On the other hand, if you belong to the classical/jazz/vocal music camp, the X-Cans is absolutely, positively the one for you. The little details are all there, in sweet, engaging helpings. Strings sing and even squeak in the most minute of ways, delivering exceptional realism. Voices are ghostly-realistic... allowing you to hear the vocals with precision and perhaps even telepathically perceive the singer's emotional state. This amplifier is a bit of a one-hit wonder, but what a hit!
You can probably identify which camp you belong to with ease. However, everyone has some of both types of music in their collection, don't they? Here's what happens when you listen to the "wrong" type of music in either amp:
The Creek makes classical/jazz/vocal music sound "powerfully flat". Everything is delivered with the Creek's typical full-bodied presentation, but because of the lack of comparative detail, everything tends to "hit the wall". The miniscule breaths, clicks, taps, and layered background sounds are somewhat obscured or possibly lost. Bass has more presence, but it only minimally enhances the experience because the midrange detail isn't there. It isn't annoying to listen to classical/jazz/vocal music through the Creek, but it doesn't excite you, either. It's just there. Passable. Okey-dokey. Decent.
With the X-Cans, unfortunately, you make a wee bit more of a tradeoff. Rock/pop/techno loses its critical presence and edge, sapping its vitality. The vocals and smaller details will certainly pop out of the background, but because it does so out of a weaker overall presentation it leaves you wanting more punch. In some cases, the computer-amplified output of your Sound Blaster Live sounds better. No kidding.
That's the ugly, awful truth about the Creek OBH-11 and X-Cans: Neither one can do it all. Each has a strong point, and a weak spot. Listen extensively to each using a wide variety of music before you decide. Since it can be hard to find a store that stocks them both (especially considering the X-Cans series is no longer in production), I suggest you buy both of them and eBay the one that doesn't quite work for you. Or, simply keep one of each and wonder no longer what you might be missing when you slip in the CD from the "other camp".
I have yet to try the mid-priced amps such as the EarMax Pro or Sugden Headmaster. For what they cost, either one had better be able to beat owning both a Creek and a X-Cans amp. I'll check them out when I save up enough lunch money.
