Merry Christmas 2015!

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  • JonMarsh
    Mad Max Moderator
    • Aug 2000
    • 16038

    #1

    Merry Christmas 2015!

    Well, it's a bit after 9 AM, I've rebooted and rescanned the USB library on my AURALiC Aries streamer (added more "Christmas" albums, of course), and we've probably got enough music queued up to last till evening. Certainly will get us through the rest of preparing Christmas dinner and dinner we've scheduled with friends and GF's son at about 2 PM.

    This has been another year for the record books in many ways- so many things to take care of at work and otherwise, including finally moving out of my old place, which was a huge project/effort in and of itself (late October and much of November).

    Many new technology tasks and initiatives launched at work, and several for music/audio, which I'll likely be writing about more this coming year as things come to fruition. My thanks to my collaborators from HT Guide- both past, and present/upcoming.

    I know about "interesting things" in the pipeline at work, too, 2016 should be a very, very interesting year all around. Many challenges, but many opportunities, too.


    I did get one "present" for myself this year, and thought I'd report about it because it seems to be an unusually good value proposition for this type of thing. You see, I really like the sonics and build quality of the super high end Audio Technica headphones, but, believe it or not, I can't stomach the $500+ prices. OTOH, there is a pretty significant and big step up in performance, even compared to their more standard $200 products.



    Well, short story long, they have a new model, the ATH-MSR7 that is getting fairly rave reviews, as regards both it's measurements and sonics. OF course, there's always a downside, and this is a fairly typical quote:

    The Bottom LineThe Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7 is a great-sounding headphone with the one caveat that its sonic detail is so impressive that it brings out both the best and worst in any given source material.
    They are also not the sort of pseudo high end headphones with a built bass boost to impress- they do go deep, but they are very neutral and clean. I love them. The high end sound, but at about half the price of the high price spread- typically around $250 depending on the retailer. Very neutral but transparent midrange through top end. Comes with three cables, including a phone style cable, and a 3 meter cable for when you need some flexibility on listening distance from the source.

    They won a headphone of the year award for 2015...

    Find the perfect headphones here, the most comprehensive source for unbiased, trustworthy headphone reviews, including travel headphones, ear buds, over-ears, and more.





    If you're a headphone buff (I'm actually not, but... For these...) you may want to check these over the ear headphones out. Most impressive.

    Merry Christmas, everyone, and get ready for 2016! Best wishes for the new year!
    the AudioWorx
    Natalie P
    M8ta
    Modula Neo DCC
    Modula MT XE
    Modula Xtreme
    Isiris
    Wavecor Ardent

    SMJ
    Minerva Monitor
    Calliope
    Ardent D

    In Development...
    Isiris Mk II updates- in final test stage!
    Obi-Wan
    Saint-Saëns Symphonique/AKA SMJ-40
    Modula PWB
    Calliope CC Supreme
    Natalie P Ultra
    Natalie P Supreme
    Janus BP1 Sub


    Resistance is not futile, it is Volts divided by Amperes...
    Just ask Mr. Ohm....
  • Paul W
    Senior Member
    • Oct 2004
    • 552

    #2
    ...and a Merry Christmas to you too Jon. 74 today in ATL!
    Paul

    Comment

    • kvardas
      Senior Member
      • Dec 2005
      • 125

      #3
      Jon,

      Thank you for your endless contributions to this forum.

      Merry Christmas.

      Kris

      Comment

      • csmielke
        Senior Member
        • Jan 2015
        • 109

        #4
        Jon,
        Merry Christmas back to you and yours. The headphones look sweet, now you need the Pono Music Player to go with them. I mentioned in a previous post how impressed I was with the one I picked up. Listed Class A in Stereophile and voted digital product of the year. I really like it hooked up to my main rig via Surf Cables balanced cables. I also echo a huge thanks for all you do here trying to lift many of us out of the stone age and showing us what is now possible by the DIYer.
        Many Thanks,
        Chris

        Comment

        • TEK
          Super Senior Member
          • Oct 2002
          • 1670

          #5
          Merry Christmas to all of you :-)
          -TEK


          Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired and discouraged men who kept on working...

          Comment

          • JonMarsh
            Mad Max Moderator
            • Aug 2000
            • 16038

            #6
            Originally posted by csmielke
            Jon,
            Merry Christmas back to you and yours. The headphones look sweet, now you need the Pono Music Player to go with them. I mentioned in a previous post how impressed I was with the one I picked up. Listed Class A in Stereophile and voted digital product of the year. I really like it hooked up to my main rig via Surf Cables balanced cables. I also echo a huge thanks for all you do here trying to lift many of us out of the stone age and showing us what is now possible by the DIYer.
            Many Thanks,
            Chris
            Thanks Chris, and hope you have a great holiday! I'm interested in getting a true portable player, but I've also got to get some earlier purchases this year fully integrated!

            Frankly, it's amazing how good my iPhone6s+ sounds with these headphones with CD rips to FLAC played with FLAC player. Glad to hear you enjoy your Pono- I'm hearing they're having a bit of trouble developing in the market place as fast as they'd hope; I think it's partly an issue of resources. I tried to buy one online early on, and the web site was pretty convoluted then- made the process a lot harder than it should have been- I actually gave up on it then!
            the AudioWorx
            Natalie P
            M8ta
            Modula Neo DCC
            Modula MT XE
            Modula Xtreme
            Isiris
            Wavecor Ardent

            SMJ
            Minerva Monitor
            Calliope
            Ardent D

            In Development...
            Isiris Mk II updates- in final test stage!
            Obi-Wan
            Saint-Saëns Symphonique/AKA SMJ-40
            Modula PWB
            Calliope CC Supreme
            Natalie P Ultra
            Natalie P Supreme
            Janus BP1 Sub


            Resistance is not futile, it is Volts divided by Amperes...
            Just ask Mr. Ohm....

            Comment

            • csmielke
              Senior Member
              • Jan 2015
              • 109

              #7
              Jon,
              Thanks, I thought my Zune HD sounded pretty good with lossless files but the Pono is well beyond it. I don't have balanced input headphones, still using some Phiaton MS400s and it sounds better but, in balanced mode with the main stack it's really good. At $400 it's pretty amazing in my opinion. I have not had a chance to compare it to the A&K AK240 but $400 vs. $2500 makes it an easy decision. Size wise I know some might be concerned about the shape but that is not as important to me as how it sounds.

              Comment

              • wkhanna
                Grumpy Old Super Moderator Emeritus
                • Jan 2006
                • 5674

                #8
                Late on the draw here, but happy holidays to all!
                _


                Bill

                Practicing Curmudgeon & Audio Snob
                ....just an "ON" switch, Please!

                FinleyAudio

                Comment

                • JoeAngelicchio
                  Member
                  • Oct 2006
                  • 47

                  #9
                  Happy New Year to all!!!
                  arty:

                  Comment

                  • TEK
                    Super Senior Member
                    • Oct 2002
                    • 1670

                    #10
                    Thanks, but you are a bit early - we have still 9 hours before the new year kicks in ;-)
                    -TEK


                    Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired and discouraged men who kept on working...

                    Comment

                    • cjd
                      Ultra Senior Member
                      • Dec 2004
                      • 5570

                      #11
                      Well, a bit late to the party, but Merry Christmas! Here's to an even better year for 2016.

                      The output on the Apple stuff isn't bad at all if you can keep it on the low end of its output range. That's probably true of most phones, to be honest. I've only cranked my Sony Z5 to max connected to a cheap t-amp for a test run of a BFM Titan 39 I'm building for my sister... The amp wasn't up to the demands, but maybe the phone didn't help. It's good enough with IEM's (UE 900S) for my commute to work on the train, where it's more about noise removal and improvement than serious listening. But then, Sony certainly has the capability to know what it takes - they just seem to not care as often as not.

                      Next year starts off very weird for me, but we'll see where this goes I hope.
                      diVine Sound - my DIY speaker designs at diVine Audio

                      Comment

                      • TEK
                        Super Senior Member
                        • Oct 2002
                        • 1670

                        #12
                        Rocket time (and I, the dog and the cat is inside wile all the other is out with the rockets).
                        Happy new year everyone!
                        -TEK


                        Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired and discouraged men who kept on working...

                        Comment

                        • 5th element
                          Supreme Being Moderator
                          • Sep 2009
                          • 1677

                          #13
                          Merry Xmas and Happy New Year y'all!
                          What you screamin' for, every five minutes there's a bomb or something. I'm leavin' Bzzzzzzz!
                          5th Element, otherwise known as Matt.
                          Now with website. www.5een.co.uk Still under construction.

                          Comment

                          • dar47
                            Senior Member
                            • Nov 2008
                            • 876

                            #14
                            Yes, happy New Year HT Guide gang!

                            Comment

                            • JonMarsh
                              Mad Max Moderator
                              • Aug 2000
                              • 16038

                              #15
                              Happy New Year, Everyong!

                              Let's all make 2016 the best yet! :B
                              the AudioWorx
                              Natalie P
                              M8ta
                              Modula Neo DCC
                              Modula MT XE
                              Modula Xtreme
                              Isiris
                              Wavecor Ardent

                              SMJ
                              Minerva Monitor
                              Calliope
                              Ardent D

                              In Development...
                              Isiris Mk II updates- in final test stage!
                              Obi-Wan
                              Saint-Saëns Symphonique/AKA SMJ-40
                              Modula PWB
                              Calliope CC Supreme
                              Natalie P Ultra
                              Natalie P Supreme
                              Janus BP1 Sub


                              Resistance is not futile, it is Volts divided by Amperes...
                              Just ask Mr. Ohm....

                              Comment

                              • sdl2112
                                Senior Member
                                • Mar 2006
                                • 571

                                #16
                                Happy New Year and let it be full of more speaker building arty:

                                Comment

                                • Hank
                                  Super Senior Member
                                  • Jul 2002
                                  • 1343

                                  #17
                                  I hope ya'll had a great Christmas and Happy New Year to you! Over the past two weeks I constructed the frame and covered it with Carl's Flexi-white screen material. Now I have a 134" diagonal screen and the PQ from my JVC RS-25 projector is fantastic.

                                  Comment

                                  • CraigJ
                                    Senior Member
                                    • Feb 2006
                                    • 519

                                    #18
                                    Originally posted by Hank
                                    I hope ya'll had a great Christmas and Happy New Year to you! Over the past two weeks I constructed the frame and covered it with Carl's Flexi-white screen material. Now I have a 134" diagonal screen and the PQ from my JVC RS-25 projector is fantastic.
                                    Have you painted the screen yet? I'm waiting to hear if you like Mississippiman's paint.

                                    Comment

                                    • JonMarsh
                                      Mad Max Moderator
                                      • Aug 2000
                                      • 16038

                                      #19
                                      Originally posted by Hank
                                      I hope ya'll had a great Christmas and Happy New Year to you! Over the past two weeks I constructed the frame and covered it with Carl's Flexi-white screen material. Now I have a 134" diagonal screen and the PQ from my JVC RS-25 projector is fantastic.
                                      Nice move! That's another kind of DIY I haven't been involved in for a long time- front projection and screens! So many things to do, so little time... :B
                                      the AudioWorx
                                      Natalie P
                                      M8ta
                                      Modula Neo DCC
                                      Modula MT XE
                                      Modula Xtreme
                                      Isiris
                                      Wavecor Ardent

                                      SMJ
                                      Minerva Monitor
                                      Calliope
                                      Ardent D

                                      In Development...
                                      Isiris Mk II updates- in final test stage!
                                      Obi-Wan
                                      Saint-Saëns Symphonique/AKA SMJ-40
                                      Modula PWB
                                      Calliope CC Supreme
                                      Natalie P Ultra
                                      Natalie P Supreme
                                      Janus BP1 Sub


                                      Resistance is not futile, it is Volts divided by Amperes...
                                      Just ask Mr. Ohm....

                                      Comment

                                      • TEK
                                        Super Senior Member
                                        • Oct 2002
                                        • 1670

                                        #20
                                        Originally posted by Hank
                                        I hope ya'll had a great Christmas and Happy New Year to you! Over the past two weeks I constructed the frame and covered it with Carl's Flexi-white screen material. Now I have a 134" diagonal screen and the PQ from my JVC RS-25 projector is fantastic.
                                        Where's the pictures? :naughty:
                                        -TEK


                                        Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired and discouraged men who kept on working...

                                        Comment

                                        • JonMarsh
                                          Mad Max Moderator
                                          • Aug 2000
                                          • 16038

                                          #21
                                          Originally posted by Hank
                                          I hope ya'll had a great Christmas and Happy New Year to you! Over the past two weeks I constructed the frame and covered it with Carl's Flexi-white screen material. Now I have a 134" diagonal screen and the PQ from my JVC RS-25 projector is fantastic.
                                          TEK has got a point- on the internet, nothing is real without pictures (which can be fake, but there's GOT to be pictures!)
                                          the AudioWorx
                                          Natalie P
                                          M8ta
                                          Modula Neo DCC
                                          Modula MT XE
                                          Modula Xtreme
                                          Isiris
                                          Wavecor Ardent

                                          SMJ
                                          Minerva Monitor
                                          Calliope
                                          Ardent D

                                          In Development...
                                          Isiris Mk II updates- in final test stage!
                                          Obi-Wan
                                          Saint-Saëns Symphonique/AKA SMJ-40
                                          Modula PWB
                                          Calliope CC Supreme
                                          Natalie P Ultra
                                          Natalie P Supreme
                                          Janus BP1 Sub


                                          Resistance is not futile, it is Volts divided by Amperes...
                                          Just ask Mr. Ohm....

                                          Comment

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