Mike Lavigne
Member
- Thread Author
- #1
below is a response from the Kharma thread reposted here. i will delete that post.
hi Ken,
i am very much enjoying the way the Select Headphone amplifier works in my system, the MSB integration and how it all blends. the fact that the Select II has such a high performance passive volume control plus an analog input really makes it slick. and physically it is an elegant thing to fit. other high level headphone amplifiers are not 2 channel speaker system integration friendly. i'm able to switch easily from speakers to headphones, from dac to my laptop input, and use it seamlessly.
and in and of itself the performance is really fine; the Stax 009S's are still breaking in so i'm not there yet in terms of ultimate transparency. it's nice to have such unlimited headroom in terms of power and control. objectively i'm getting phenomenal headphone performance.
it's a spendy proposition, but it really delivers the goods.
the only thing not ideal is that i had a level of purity and total grainless type of performance with the MSB RCA analog module feeding my 50 ohm BNC 'zeel' darTZeel input on my preamp with the Evolution Acoustics BNC cable. the MSB XLR analog module does bring more drive and power to the music, but the XLR cables i had on hand don't play at the same level as my Evolutions did. and with this system and this headphone amp and headphones, it's an open window to every piece in the signal path. it's great sound, but not quite all the way there to where i was. the recent (Taiko Extreme server music management) TAS upgrades to the transparency were amazing. it's just a tic less now.
so i might need to invest in some better cables, and if/when i do that, i will find out whether cables can be enough to get back what is missing. i do appreciate the extra drive to the music. it's normal to need to optimize any addition. and this one is so integrated it's inevitable to have to do some things to get it perfect.
i have been to valhalla in terms of ultimate transparency. so it's a question.
i would add that even though there has been trade-offs up to now, that the headphone experience is different and quite special. i'm not exactly sure why yet, but there is something very intimate about listening to great music on this headphone system. very relaxing and satisfying. and this is even directly compared to my 2 channel system. so maybe it's just a 'new thing', but maybe it's more than that. i need some time to know where this part will end up. and so far i've listened for more than 2 hour stretches a couple of times with the headphones and had zero fatigue or anything uncomfortable. the Select Headphone amp and Stax 009S headphones seem a match made in heaven.
FYI; i have not sampled other top level current headphone combo's; so i don't want to infer that what i'm hearing is any better than any other choice. i do suspect that this plays at the highest levels, but i really am only guessing. i'll add some pictures later.
The Select Headphone Amp Features - MSB Technology
hi Ken,
i am very much enjoying the way the Select Headphone amplifier works in my system, the MSB integration and how it all blends. the fact that the Select II has such a high performance passive volume control plus an analog input really makes it slick. and physically it is an elegant thing to fit. other high level headphone amplifiers are not 2 channel speaker system integration friendly. i'm able to switch easily from speakers to headphones, from dac to my laptop input, and use it seamlessly.
and in and of itself the performance is really fine; the Stax 009S's are still breaking in so i'm not there yet in terms of ultimate transparency. it's nice to have such unlimited headroom in terms of power and control. objectively i'm getting phenomenal headphone performance.
it's a spendy proposition, but it really delivers the goods.
the only thing not ideal is that i had a level of purity and total grainless type of performance with the MSB RCA analog module feeding my 50 ohm BNC 'zeel' darTZeel input on my preamp with the Evolution Acoustics BNC cable. the MSB XLR analog module does bring more drive and power to the music, but the XLR cables i had on hand don't play at the same level as my Evolutions did. and with this system and this headphone amp and headphones, it's an open window to every piece in the signal path. it's great sound, but not quite all the way there to where i was. the recent (Taiko Extreme server music management) TAS upgrades to the transparency were amazing. it's just a tic less now.
so i might need to invest in some better cables, and if/when i do that, i will find out whether cables can be enough to get back what is missing. i do appreciate the extra drive to the music. it's normal to need to optimize any addition. and this one is so integrated it's inevitable to have to do some things to get it perfect.
i have been to valhalla in terms of ultimate transparency. so it's a question.
i would add that even though there has been trade-offs up to now, that the headphone experience is different and quite special. i'm not exactly sure why yet, but there is something very intimate about listening to great music on this headphone system. very relaxing and satisfying. and this is even directly compared to my 2 channel system. so maybe it's just a 'new thing', but maybe it's more than that. i need some time to know where this part will end up. and so far i've listened for more than 2 hour stretches a couple of times with the headphones and had zero fatigue or anything uncomfortable. the Select Headphone amp and Stax 009S headphones seem a match made in heaven.
FYI; i have not sampled other top level current headphone combo's; so i don't want to infer that what i'm hearing is any better than any other choice. i do suspect that this plays at the highest levels, but i really am only guessing. i'll add some pictures later.
The Select Headphone Amp Features - MSB Technology
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