My Panda just loves to play music!
Oct 14, 2011 23:17:25 GMT
Post by rob100 on Oct 14, 2011 23:17:25 GMT
Having been moaned at one too many times to turn it down, I recently thought I would give listening to headphones a go and based on reviews of the AKG K701 I purchased the Q701’s as I preferred the look and the longer detachable cable. Plus, they cost about the same when imported from the States.
Knowing they would need an amp I also bought a cheap Indeed G2, but whilst good for the money it wasn’t the clear detailed sound I was looking for. An accidental (?) bid on eBay landed me a cheap X-Cans, which sounded better and more natural, but lacking in oomph! I discovered that HiFi shops are useless when it comes to headphones so I dropped an email to Mike (PinkFloyd) to ask about upgrading the X-Cans. A few weeks, several emails and some good advice later I’m sitting here listening to U2 through a Panda and thought I would share my views.
Any ideas that a DIY amp would not be as well built as a mainstream amp have soon disappeared. In fact, it is quite the opposite! The quality of the case has to be seen, it doesn’t have the slick showroom appeal of my Cyrus gear, but it is just as well, if not better built, rock solid and looks rather smart!
Sound wise, I’m not quite sure what I was expecting but my first impression (that lasted less than 30 secs) was that it didn’t have quite the kick I was expecting. Then, I soon realised it did... it also had the sweet treble, smooth vocals and fast punchy detailed sound that I was longing for! Thing is, the sound is so well balanced that nothing stands out. It simply plays the music without shouting “hey listen to my thumping bass or my zingy treble!” And that’s the key to the amp compared to my others (that are now back on eBay...) it’s bringing me back to listening to music, like I did when I got my first walkman over 25 years ago, rather than getting lost listening to the bass, treble, detail, imaging etc etc...
You can buy the parts needed to build this amp, including the excellent case, for around £150, and for that kind of money you’re not going to buy anything near this good from a mainstream manufacturer. I’m guessing that most of the guys on the forum will reckon that half the pleasure of listening to a DIY amp as good as this is the knowledge that you built it yourself – for me, I’m safe in the knowledge that mine was built by a craftsman rather than a muppet like me!
Now why did they have to make the cable that yucky green colour??
Knowing they would need an amp I also bought a cheap Indeed G2, but whilst good for the money it wasn’t the clear detailed sound I was looking for. An accidental (?) bid on eBay landed me a cheap X-Cans, which sounded better and more natural, but lacking in oomph! I discovered that HiFi shops are useless when it comes to headphones so I dropped an email to Mike (PinkFloyd) to ask about upgrading the X-Cans. A few weeks, several emails and some good advice later I’m sitting here listening to U2 through a Panda and thought I would share my views.
Any ideas that a DIY amp would not be as well built as a mainstream amp have soon disappeared. In fact, it is quite the opposite! The quality of the case has to be seen, it doesn’t have the slick showroom appeal of my Cyrus gear, but it is just as well, if not better built, rock solid and looks rather smart!
Sound wise, I’m not quite sure what I was expecting but my first impression (that lasted less than 30 secs) was that it didn’t have quite the kick I was expecting. Then, I soon realised it did... it also had the sweet treble, smooth vocals and fast punchy detailed sound that I was longing for! Thing is, the sound is so well balanced that nothing stands out. It simply plays the music without shouting “hey listen to my thumping bass or my zingy treble!” And that’s the key to the amp compared to my others (that are now back on eBay...) it’s bringing me back to listening to music, like I did when I got my first walkman over 25 years ago, rather than getting lost listening to the bass, treble, detail, imaging etc etc...
You can buy the parts needed to build this amp, including the excellent case, for around £150, and for that kind of money you’re not going to buy anything near this good from a mainstream manufacturer. I’m guessing that most of the guys on the forum will reckon that half the pleasure of listening to a DIY amp as good as this is the knowledge that you built it yourself – for me, I’m safe in the knowledge that mine was built by a craftsman rather than a muppet like me!
Now why did they have to make the cable that yucky green colour??