06-Aug-2016, 13:11
(06-Aug-2016, 09:12)Confused Wrote: OK, nearly time to head off to Oxford! Being as I am a human being, not a piece of laboratory equipment, I thought it would be useful to state my 'expectation bias' up front, regarding what I am expecting the 1000 Pro to sound like. I can recall a couple of demonstrations of dual mono (500 and later 800) versus the 240 /250 in relatively short demos at Oxford Audio. In both cases I found the dual mono to be better, perhaps no surprise there, but not a massive leap. One way of looking at it is the D240/250 is a decent piece of kit and happens to be good enough to drive the Blades well, so how can it be a MASSIVE improvement? I did have a weekend home demo of a companion, and this convinced me of the benefits of going dual mono, a decision I have never regretted since. Basically at this level, small improvements are impressive, and one man's 'wow that's amazing' is the next mans 'there is a small discernible improvement', even when they are hearing the same thing.
So what is my 'expectation bias' expecting today? To be honest, a small discernible improvement', but nothing spectacular. For me, the D800 is already a fine match for the Blades, and somewhere up there with the better amplifiers in the world, so something small would be good. An epic leap in SQ? I don't think it's possible. So this should put whatever I post next into context, it should be an interesting day.
Oh, and as a tiny little teaser..... If all goes to plan, I should also be listening to a non Devilalet option with the Blades today. This is not one of the current forum favourites, such as the Gryphon, Aavik or whatever, but something interesting nevertheless.....
As always I look forward to your observations
Devialet 200 -- Roon Nucleus-- Sonus Faber Olympica 2 -- Tellurium Q Black Speaker Cables --
Chord Qutest -- Niimbus US5 Pro Headphone amp —HifiMan HEK, Abyss 1266TC
Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Chord Qutest -- Niimbus US5 Pro Headphone amp —HifiMan HEK, Abyss 1266TC
Newcastle upon Tyne, England