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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2010 8:16:59 GMT
Yes they are excellent, im using his silver Linn phono cable on my Linn, with very good results, very well made, reasonably priced, and a nice guy.  |
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toad
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Post by toad on Feb 5, 2010 13:52:42 GMT
OK I admit to being totally gobsmacked. I am listening to the Fine Young Canibals through the custom HD681s and nothing more than a well made CMoy (with LM4562) and I am hearing subleties and details I have never heard before and I've owned this album for over 10 years! In simple terms, the CMoy/HD681 combo running from my PC with a modest little Go Vibe DAC is resolving the music on this album better than My Arcam/DV135/Solo/AKG-K701 rig at home. Mick, Frans. Hats off to you gentlemen. Fully Modded, this can is amazing! Ian EDIT: OK an update. On acoustic pop and soft rock the combo of HD681 and CMoy is excellent. However, on complex classical passages the CMoy has difficulty keeping pace and the HD681s lack the soundstage of the AKGK 701 but as I said earlier on acoustic, soft rock and pop etc the HD681/CMoy resolves the music at least as well if not better than my home system. A bit embarassing really as my home rig cost me well over £1000 and I buy things very keenly RRP would be over £1.5K and for that to be humbled (on some types of music) by a system that cost well under £200 is gobsmacking. I'm off to listen to some more  Ian |
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toad
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Post by toad on Feb 5, 2010 17:04:44 GMT
Hi Toad, Yes I have but mine have an external box filter (al la Frans via Puffin) but no Mike rings yet - mine are in Mike's queue ATM - sounds as though they might bring something extra to the party but ATM I'm still very impressed. Hi Dave, I have two pairs of HD681s. One modded with Micks Rings and end caps and one of Frans External Filters. The other is standard. I done a brief direct comparison of them at lunchtime. The Standard HD681 through Frans Filter is a very nice headphone but the can with Micks Ring Mods is in a different league. Bass is tighter, mids are smoother and more natural and there is more detail in the top end. Ian |
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Post by covenant on Feb 5, 2010 17:23:39 GMT
I would like to know how soundstage is recreated in headphones-you are right about the HD681's, probably their poorest feature.
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toad
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I am the Super Toad, the Original Toad, the Whole Toad and nothing BUT the toad.... don't forget it!
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Post by toad on Feb 5, 2010 18:46:42 GMT
Maybe Soundstage is the wrong term. I've heard the term Headstage too but TBH with the AKG K701s there are times where the music is projected outside my head or is at least perceived that way. Any time spent listening to binaural recordings with a pair of close to the ear cans like Allesandro MS1s, Sennheiser PX100s or Koss Porta Pros will absolutely convince you that headphones can generate a soundstage  |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2010 23:16:56 GMT
I would like to know how soundstage is recreated in headphones-you are right about the HD681's, probably their poorest feature. covenant With a high quality HA, good headphones, and better than average CDs, it is possible to get a 3D presention, even to the extent, where say there is a simulated moth flying around a flame anti clockwise, as in Olivia Newton John's "Moth to a Flame" you can even get the moth flying around you, however it is more of an elipse, rather than a complete anti clockwise circle as heard via good speakers etc.. You can also get an impression of height with some recordings. A Chesky recording of a storm downmixed from 5.1 to stereo is even capable of fooling you if you are relaxed and not expecting it, as it fades in after quite a few seconds when at normal listening volume. It sounds exactly like a real storm moving around ! SandyK |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 5, 2010 23:34:07 GMT
Try listening to Roger Water's "Amused to death".... TOTALLY 3D |
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Post by covenant on Feb 5, 2010 23:36:14 GMT
Try listening to Roger Water's "Amused to death".... TOTALLY 3D My favourite album |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 5, 2010 23:37:47 GMT
Try listening to Roger Water's "Amused to death".... TOTALLY 3D My favourite album One of mine too |
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Post by gomez on Feb 5, 2010 23:58:22 GMT
Try listening to Roger Water's "Amused to death".... TOTALLY 3D Yep one of my favorites too but not at the moment because the bravo amp likes to hiss in the quiet bits  but Mikes on the case and hopefully next week the silences will be silences again  |
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Post by gomez on Feb 6, 2010 0:03:46 GMT
By the way we went to see Waters  again on the last tour at the NEC perfection and the second set was DSOTM in it's entirety Incredible did anyone else catch it  |
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Post by covenant on Feb 6, 2010 8:45:33 GMT
Saw him do the same tour at Manchester MEN. Even my wife who likes George Michael and Il Divo said it was a brilliant show. Trouble is I then have to go to see the artists she likes....
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Post by gomez on Feb 6, 2010 10:03:50 GMT
Saw him do the same tour at Manchester MEN. Even my wife who likes George Michael and Il Divo said it was a brilliant show. Trouble is I then have to go to see the artists she likes.... "George Michael  I would have to draw the line at that Mate, I'd go and see Waters with My friends or alone before I agreed to that. I'm sure he's perfect for some peoples tastes but it is a taste I haven't acquired. Gomez..... |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2010 8:25:17 GMT
@ HD681 users. Please bear in mind that new HD681's (also the modded ones I send that do not have more than 2 minutes playing time) need some burn-in time.  They already sound very good when new but the bass tightens over some time and the highs become somewhat 'less coarse / mellow out' a bit. I found the diaphragms do not take much time to reach the proper compliance in order to sound at their best. ENJOY ! that's what it is all about.... and Mike is right when he says: There is no such thing as a can that is perfect for every occasion/music type so indeed the HD681 won't shine that bright on all types of music. It would be nice to know how users feel which types of music they like and do not like on the HD681 (and why...)  Frans |
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toad
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Post by toad on Feb 7, 2010 11:11:58 GMT
From my observations so far, the only minor failing I have found with the HD681 is it doesn't produce a large enough soundstage (headstage) when it comes to full orchestra classical or large live pop/rock events when compared to the AKG K701. This doesn't mean it isn't enjoyable with classical and live concerts etc just that IMO the AKG is better for that type of music/event. For studio recordings the Frans/Mick modded HD681 is truly an excellent headphone that you will be hard pushed to beat at any money. In conclusion the modded HD681 is possibly the best all round headphone I've ever heard. It does nothing badly and many things very very well indeed. I'm still in awe of it TBH Ian |
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Post by derekrumble on Feb 8, 2010 11:00:44 GMT
I would like to know how soundstage is recreated in headphones-you are right about the HD681's, probably their poorest feature. covenant With a high quality HA, good headphones, and better than average CDs, it is possible to get a 3D presention, even to the extent, where say there is a simulated moth flying around a flame anti clockwise, as in Olivia Newton John's "Moth to a Flame" you can even get the moth flying around you, however it is more of an elipse, rather than a complete anti clockwise circle as heard via good speakers etc.. You can also get an impression of height with some recordings. A Chesky recording of a storm downmixed from 5.1 to stereo is even capable of fooling you if you are relaxed and not expecting it, as it fades in after quite a few seconds when at normal listening volume. It sounds exactly like a real storm moving around ! SandyK Have you heard that famous Holophonics demo of the shaken matchbox? It's easy to hear the noise coming from both above and well below the head. Brilliant effect. |
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Will
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Post by Will on Feb 8, 2010 11:08:34 GMT
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Post by derekrumble on Feb 8, 2010 11:15:35 GMT
Thanks for posting that Will - I didn't have time to search for it at that moment. I am used to hearing proper outside-the-head effects with 'standard' binaural - but that above and below effect is amazing. D. |
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Post by MaN227 on Feb 9, 2010 7:28:54 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2010 7:34:46 GMT
Artificial head recordings are great.. at least when played back on headphones. Too bad these recordings can't be played back properly on speaker systems and have similar effects.  the other 'barber' recordings are fun also (for demonstration of headphones) the fun part is that even on crappy cans the sound walks around your head in the same manner. It does not say a lot about the SQ/imaging of cans I'm afraid. It only tells us something about how our brains are able to recreate a 3D soundstage with the input of merely 2 signals. a neat thing... this brain. I wonder what it can do even more in letting us hear/experience/think things by inputting only 2 signals via the 'little microphones' in our heads ;D It sure is great fun playing all these recordings, some street recordings are excellent also. Frans |
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Post by derekrumble on Feb 9, 2010 8:45:49 GMT
Artificial head recordings are great.. at least when played back on headphones. Too bad these recordings can't be played back properly on speaker systems and have similar effects. Later on today I will try and find a link to a Sensaura demo. The one I am thinking of is just traffic noise, oh, and rail station recording too. These show definite beyond the speaker boundary effects. You have to set up a proper equilateral triangle with you and the two speakers but it's effective. Sensaura was a big thing some years back but now disappeared; am I mis-remembering or did it get swallowed up within Creative / Soundblaster? There were a couple of Sensaura commercial CDs - an EMI one with Steven Kovacevich playing Beethoven, and some Machaut on Naxos. I have both of these but they aren't successful really. Although the Kovacevich is great playing ( my non-musician view anyhow) and the recording venue acoustic does seem large with being too reverberant. Derek |
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Post by andy on Feb 9, 2010 9:48:43 GMT
A little of topic but i helped set up a binaural speaker system last year, didnt work as well as headphones but was pretty cool.
We used a very highly directional speaker that uses ultrasonics to direct the sound to a very small sweet spot. One of these speakers per ear and the effect was very outside your head! to get it to work properly we had to get people to walk through a coridor on the marketing stand, and you had to be average height for it to work the best, my 6'4" was just on teh top edge of working but if i bent my knees it worked well.
I keep on meaning to record a flypast of a tornado fighter, our house is right under the flight path and i have a velux in the roof, just need another phantom power box for my other mic now... any iedas for a cheep one?
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robertkd
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Post by robertkd on Feb 9, 2010 10:50:04 GMT
Andy thats interesting stuff I'm kinda stuffing around with surround multi channel recording/playback when I get my kit together. For 2Ch stuff I use a PreSonus Firebox plugs into a firewire port on the laptop and provides 2 phantom mic inputs. I then record into the laptop. I guess the point is it's a convienent way to interface and fairly cheap. even cheaper are some of the M-Audio offerings like the Mobile-Pre but I find it's better to go for units with reasonable preamps and DAC's  |
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Post by derekrumble on Feb 9, 2010 16:14:06 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2010 13:31:09 GMT
AKG velour PADS are in da house ! every RG member that has placed an order will be contacted soon. Frans |
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but Mikes on the case and hopefully next week the silences will be silences again 
again on the last tour at the NEC perfection and the second set was DSOTM in it's entirety 
I would have to draw the line at that Mate, I'd go and see Waters with My friends or alone before I agreed to that. I'm sure he's perfect for some peoples tastes but it is a taste I haven't acquired. 
