They are still my reference and out of the Meier Concerto nothing short of amazing.   Quote: Me too. And the descriptive Reviews here.   IMHO, PS-1 and PS1000 are on the same level.   My RS-1 and PS-1 were balanced once but I did not like what it did to the sound. It works...

Quote: I heard some at JaZZ's home in that configuration.

Quote: Or some kind of RCA Splitter. http://www.amazon.com/MONSTER-CABLE-AYM2F-H-RCA-Y-Adapter/dp/B000068OJS/ref=sr_1_47?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1286119030&sr=1-47  ...

I never heard a distortion that was not in the recording. Allegedly, a few of the early production pairs went bad after a few hours of use and were replaced by Grado. Was the second pair you heard in a store too? If not, what did the owner say about your findings?

Quote: Did you use the same recording?

Quote: No, it's not.

Quote:   Now, that you mention it.     Quote:   Do additional and indentifiable micro details make one phone better than another?     Quote: Thank you. I wish you the same!     Quote: They do. 

    Good points, guys. Also, part of getting accustomed to differences is a learning to appreciate them. Who doesn't know the newby (still sane people) sentence "Yes, it sounds better, but not X amount of money better"?   Quote: This is not my experience. But if you say so.

  Quote:   Noted. I probably confused them with another model. I agree with everything else you wrote, except your view of the HD800.    

Quote: I don't know the STX and it may very well be almost as good as the Stagedac. But your phones might be the weak Link in a Stagedac -> Concerto chain. Maybe you would hear bigger differences with more resolving cans. Can you borrow some? Or travel to a meet with your rig?

Quote:   Which Headphones did you use when coming to this conclusion?  TIA  

Quote: Not quite. The mod elevated bass as a whole. The strange midbass dip is still there. That, and I just could not get used to the sound of the HD800. A matter of taste; I guess.

  Quote: Thanks for the tips, Peter. The amp is already sold to JaZZ who likes it quite a bit. When I had it I liked the new production tubes more, actually. Esp. the Sovtek 12AXLPS and the EH Gold.   Quote: Hehe, good for you. All the best for many more years to come.

Quote: I don't know the SR325 or the Sudgen Headmaster, sorry. But I can tell you this much: With the PS-1, GS- and PS1000, I much prefer the Concerto over a maxed out Mapletree. Which is a wonderful amp but just not on the same level as the Concerto. The Concerto is the least SS...

Quote: Yes please. No more pi****g contests about theory.   Quote: That's what some of us asked for: impressions, aka real world experiences. That happen to be with balanced LCD-2's. TIA      

Quote: I take it your statement, the LCD-2 would not gain from balanced drive, is not based on actual experience then. Did you ever compare a HD650 driven balanced vs. SE? The difference is everything else than subtle. And please stop nitpicking about the term "balanced". You know what...

  Quote: The point is that not every phone gains from balanced drive. Sennheiser sound much better, Grados rather worsen, IMO.

  The Concerto is also a really good match with Grados.

Quote:   IIRC, the v200 is a discrete design.

Quote: Can't wait.

  Quote: IIRC, you can stream Hi-Rez material with the HiFace. If you go that route I would be interested in your experiences. Esp. differences in redbook performance between HiFace and original USB connection.   Quote: Yes you did. You used "ad nauseam", "appeal to fear"...

Quote: Maybe the Stagedac together with a Concerto, if you have the space. They should sound slightly better than the one box solution. I liked JaZZ's Symphony a lot. That's why i ordered a Concerto. Very pleased with it.

Quote: Any news about that? TIA

Quote: So, after the Sennheiser veil now the Audeze wall? 

Quote:   The direct connection to my source sounds better than any amp I heard, so far.