Velodyne DD15

[Sleestack]

Without hearing one, I ordered a DD 15 last night for my 2 channel setup. It won't be used in my HT setup b/c I already have 2 powered subs in there. Anyway, anyone have any thoughts on the DD15? I'm pretty sure I can't go wrong but any impressions would be appreciated.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I have had the HGS-10 and now own an HGS-18. Reports are that they DD-15 is a step up from the HGS-15, which just seems impossible to believe. You will most definitely be very happy.

Unless you don't like subs that deliver rich smooth, very controllable bass.

 

[jaxvon]

Man Sleestack, you seem to have hardcore upgraditis. What are you running for your system right now? I remember before that you had dropped a lot of cash on your audio stuff.

 

[Sleestack]

Man Sleestack, you seem to have hardcore upgraditis. What are you running for your system right now? I remember before that you had dropped a lot of cash on your audio stuff.

I still have my home office. I replaced the B&K 507 S2 in there with the Emotive EMC-1 and DMC1. I wanted a more dedicated 2 channel setup in a room with better acoustics, so I set up a 2 channel system in my living room. It is an EAR 864 preamp, Meridian G57 amp, Meridian G08 CD player, Cardas Golden Refernce interconnects and cable, Super Scoutmster turntable w/ Grado Statement cartridge. I'm using Onix Ref. 3s for now. At $4500 they seem a bit mid-fi for the rest of my components, but in reality, I have yet to hear another pair of speakers that make me want to switch. The DD15 will be used in that system.

But yes, I do have upgraditis... more like lack of impulse control. My shopping list in the last 3 months:

Headphones/speakers:
HD650
2 pairs of HD595s (both given away)
SA5000s (sold for their excessive brightness)
AKG K1000s
ATH-W1000s
Etymotic ER4Ps (damned microphonic cable and fragile build is making me nutz)
Shure E5Cs (sold to a nice Head-fi member)
2 pairs Shure E3cs (both given away)
2 pairs shure E2cs (both given away)
Shure E4cs
Onix Reference 3
Velodyne DD15

Amps/preamps/soundcards:

Maxed MPX3
SR-71 (returned b/c... well I kind of regret that return)
2 Supermacro V3s (one given away and one sold)
E.A.R. V20
E.A.R. 864
Meridian G57
X-can V3
Denon PMA 2000IVR
Emotive EMC1
Emotive DMC1
2 M-audio Audiophile USB
Total bithead (returned)

Sources:
2 stacks of the the X-DAC v3/X10 v3 and X-PSU v3
Perpetual Technologies P1-A, P3-A and Monolithic power source
Roku M2000, and 2 M1000s
Meridian G08
Onix CD-1
Onix XCD-88 (sold to a head-fier)
iPod 60 gig Photo (given away)
iPod 20 gig (given away)
iPod Mini 4gig
3 Sony NW 407 flash players (one given away)
VPI Super Scoutmaster
Grado Statement
Grado Sonata
Technics SL1200 GLD
2 Sony PSP

Cables and miscellaneous:

Cardas Neutral Ref. interconnects
Cardas Golden Ref. interconnects and speaker cable
Equinox cables for the HD 650 and AKG K1000s
VPI record cleaner

My next project is the dedicated home theater. I'm looking at a Parasound processor and Pass Labs amps, but 2 channel is always more important me.

 

[Duffinator]

Sleestack, can you please add me to your giveaway list, especially if you don't like the DD15.

 

[jaxvon]

Did you buy the Cardas cables before you frequented this site? I seem to remember helping you with cable advice, but i might just be crazy. Oh, and I second that request to be on the giveaway list.

Nice setups though. I'd really like to hear your main rig. What other speakers have you auditioned? B&W? Magnepan? Martin-Logan? VMPS?

 

[Privateer]

Cardas Golden Refernce interconnects and cable

Why would you waste money on something that makes no difference?

 

[Sleestack]

Did you buy the Cardas cables before you frequented this site? I seem to remember helping you with cable advice, but i might just be crazy. Oh, and I second that request to be on the giveaway list.

Nice setups though. I'd really like to hear your main rig. What other speakers have you auditioned? B&W? Magnepan? Martin-Logan? VMPS?

No, I am in the process of auditioning higher end speakers. The Onix were for the bedroom, but ended up exceeding my expectations so I've been taking my time. I wasn't crazy about the Martin Logans. Haven't heard the others in a proper listening environment. I'm really waiting to listen to the EaglestonWorks Andra IIs or Savoys.

With respect to the cabling.... I did spend a ton on cables for the home office HT system and felt that I could have spent less. Since that time, I have spent a considerable amount of time listening to music under high end heaphone setups. The bottom line is that I do hear slight differences in tone between certain (but not all) cables. I'm not saying those differences correlate to any rational price structure, nor am I saying that I have any objective basis for saying one is better than the other. Nevertheless, I do know that in my 2 channel setups (headphone and speaker) I do prefer certain interconnects over others. I don't agree that they make no difference whatsoever, however I do feel that is a matter of preference, not quality. In my HT setup, I just want quality cabling. In my 2 channel setups, I don't mind spending more for getting exactly what I want. Of course, a big part of the reason I went with Golden Reference was also the eye-candy factor. That's my story and I'm sticking with it. LOL.

 

[jaxvon]

Cabling CAN make a difference, but usually only if its poorly designed. A poorly designed cable can affect frequency response audibly.

With headphones, the same thing can happen. WmAx made a post about this recently saying that if one had a set of headphones with small steel wire, switching to a heavier copper cable could reduce the resistance enough to change the frequency response and volume output of the headphones. Of course, I don't know of any hi-fi headphone that doesn't come with quality copper cabling.

And also, if you're looking for eye candy (and want to have the feeling of investing some money), you might wanna check out River Cable and Cobalt Cable. They're more expensive than the stuff that usually gets recommended here, but nowhere in the league of other esoteric cables (in terms of price).

For speakers, you might just wanna go to the Stereophile website and look at their list of reviews. Maybe not even read them, because most don't tell you much. However, you'll get a good list of manufacturers to start with so you can find dealers and such. Just out of curiosity, what are you looking to spend on new speakers? Not that I can really help you out that much, but I'd just like to know.

 

[Sleestack]

Cabling CAN make a difference, but usually only if its poorly designed. A poorly designed cable can affect frequency response audibly.

With headphones, the same thing can happen. WmAx made a post about this recently saying that if one had a set of headphones with small steel wire, switching to a heavier copper cable could reduce the resistance enough to change the frequency response and volume output of the headphones. Of course, I don't know of any hi-fi headphone that doesn't come with quality copper cabling.

And also, if you're looking for eye candy (and want to have the feeling of investing some money), you might wanna check out River Cable and Cobalt Cable. They're more expensive than the stuff that usually gets recommended here, but nowhere in the league of other esoteric cables (in terms of price).

For speakers, you might just wanna go to the Stereophile website and look at their list of reviews. Maybe not even read them, because most don't tell you much. However, you'll get a good list of manufacturers to start with so you can find dealers and such. Just out of curiosity, what are you looking to spend on new speakers? Not that I can really help you out that much, but I'd just like to know.

I have some cobalt Cables. Very nice stuff and bought on your previous recc. I would gladly use Cobalt for my entire HT system. I think you have already figured out that I'm going justify my Golden Ref. purchase one way or another. I actually got it at a 50% discount, so it only cost me an arm.

My budget for my 2 channel speakers is $20-$30K. Actually, edit that, I'd like to keep it to $20K for the 2 mains speakers. If they can double as the mains in my main HT system, even better. I don't want to rush on the speakers, b/c I really have to think through how my main HT is going to be set up.

 

[jaxvon]

Wow, you can do really well with that kind of a budget. Glad you like those Cobalts. Do you plan on getting some nice amps to go with them? At that price range, I couldn't justifty NOT having monoblocks. There's so much to listen to for speakers and amps, it's really hard to know what you want. I don't know if you've looked into electronics much, but I think you might wanna think about something from RE Designs. Dan Banquer (spelling?) is the founder and is also a reviewer here for Audioholics. They make purely analog stuff. It isn't cheap, but there's no digital anything. You might want something like that for your 2-channel, or perhaps multichannel music-only setup. There's also an Audioholics review here of the preamp.

Just checked out a review of the B&W 800 Signature. It's right around $20k. Be wary though, unlike a lot of loudspeakers, B&W's are used as studio monitors because they're flat and accurate. They play what you give them, nothing more.

 

[Sleestack]

Wow, you can do really well with that kind of a budget. Glad you like those Cobalts. Do you plan on getting some nice amps to go with them? At that price range, I couldn't justifty NOT having monoblocks. There's so much to listen to for speakers and amps, it's really hard to know what you want. I don't know if you've looked into electronics much, but I think you might wanna think about something from RE Designs. Dan Banquer (spelling?) is the founder and is also a reviewer here for Audioholics. They make purely analog stuff. It isn't cheap, but there's no digital anything. You might want something like that for your 2-channel, or perhaps multichannel music-only setup. There's also an Audioholics review here of the preamp.

I'm looking at monoblocks from Pass Labs for the mains, however, I'm definitely doing my homework. The Meridian G57 is a beautiful, powerful amp, but it will eventually go in the bedroom. A tube preamp for the 2 channel is important to me so the EAR 864 will probably be used. I also need a bypass so the monoblocks can be used with a HT processor. I'm considering the Parasound Halo processor.

 

[Sleestack]

Just checked out a review of the B&W 800 Signature. It's right around $20k. Be wary though, unlike a lot of loudspeakers, B&W's are used as studio monitors because they're flat and accurate. They play what you give them, nothing more.

As you might already know based on my preference or tubes, flat and accurate isn't neccessarily what I am looking for. I often find that equipment described as flat and accurate sounds a bit bright and harsh to me. I primarily listen to jazz, blues, cuban and female vocals so warmth is essential. Nevertheless, I do want flat and accurate for my HT. I'm probably going to have to keep the 2 systems separate.

 

[jaxvon]

I get ya completely. It's all about what you like. That said, many reviews talking abou the RE monoblocks say they have an almost tube-like sound. I dunno, but it might be worth your while to audition them. Besides, when you're looking at Pass Labs stuff, the $2750 asking price on the RE monoblocks can't be too much of a worry.

Heh, if you wanna go all out, why not just get a full setup of Boulder 2000 Series, a Wadia CD player, a RockportTurtable and call it a day. Course, you wouldn't have the tube sound in there, but I don't think you could beat it.

Anyway, that stuff is even out of YOUR league (well, not the Wadia, but everything else). Good luck with your search. I've love to hear what you're audiotioning and what you eventually end up with.

FWIW, VMPS makes some mega-big towers with ribbon tweets and midranges. Maybe they're what you're looking for. My only issue with them is the fact that their stuff tends to be ugly. Fugly in fact.

 

[Privateer]

My budget for my 2 channel speakers is $20-$30K.

Did you have a look at the Mcintosh XRT28?
http://www.mcintoshlabs.com/mcprod/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=20&cat=Loudspeaker+Systems&prodid=1042&product=XRT28

The reason I do not like cardas is because I took one of my neutral reference interconnects and cut it open, only to find the same old crap inside. I can send you the pics if you want?

 

[jaxvon]

Oh, another speaker idea, the Linkwitz Orion. Dipole speaker goodness. Magnepan, another one to audition.

 

[Sleestack]

Oh, another speaker idea, the Linkwitz Orion. Dipole speaker goodness. Magnepan, another one to audition.

Magnepan are high on my list. Thanks.

 

[Privateer]

Sleestack

So if I send/post some pictures of my cut up cardas neutral reference interconnect would you them believe that cables make no difference?

 

[Sleestack]

So if I send/post some pictures of my cut up cardas neutral reference interconnect would you them believe that cables make no difference?

It's not really a matter of me believing or not believing. You can show me a cut up a Neutral Reference, but I'm not sure it would reveal anything that would surprise me. I do use Neutral Ref. already for one of my headphone amps. I have already seen a cross section of the Golden Ref. and it looks like cable to me. I'm not expecting anything magical inside. I appreciate your attempt to save me some money, but I'm going to indulge myself on this one.