Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by jwcy

Beyerdynamic T1 (Balanced) 4-pin XLR & 6.3 adaptor

jwcy — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 11:27:36 +0800

Item(s): Beyerdynamic T1 Flagship cans terminated to 4-pin XLR connector. Comes with XLR to 6.3 TRS adaptor.

Package includes: T1, original metal storage casing, original packaging.

Price: RM 2,500 only

Warranty: NIL

Dealing method: PosLaju or COD within Klang Valley

Location of seller: Ampang

Contact method/details: PM or WhatsApp

Age of item: 3 years.

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Item(s) conditions: 9/10, zero scratches or scuff marks. View to appreciate.

Picture: https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?act=ST&f...post&p=58335554

Reason for sale: Downsizing my collection.

Thanks in advance for your interest.

[WTS] Assorted Interconnects & Cables

jwcy — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 18:26:12 +0800

Items: Misc interconnects for sale, all used items from my own collection.

Dealing method: PM me for all items below with offer price, or to nego. COD possible depending which part of KL, otherwise PosLaju rates applicable.

Warranty: "ALO Audio" Ipod Cryo Dock

Price: Offer me

Warranty: "ALO Audio" AlgoRhythm Solo Interconnect Package

Price: SOLD

Warranty: "Double Helix Cables" Triple Threat Adaptors (Mini XLR to Sennheiser plugs)

Price: Offer me

Warranty: "Double Helix Cables" Triple Threat Adaptors (Mini XLR to Mini XLR)

Price: Offer me

Warranty: "Double Helix Cables" interconnect (3.5mm straight)

Price: SOLD

Warranty: "Ray Samuels Audio" interconnect (3.5mm angled)

Price: SOLD

Warranty: "CEntrance" Reserve Series Interconnect

Price: Offer me

Location of seller: KL

Contact method/details: PM

Thanks for checking out my stuff.

[SOLD] HE-500 + Schiit Mjolnir - Balanced Pair

jwcy — Wed, 18 Jun 2014 20:59:30 +0800

Item(s): (1) HiFiMAN HE-500 with balanced DHC Molecule 4-pin XLR silver cable (2) Schiit Mjolnir solid-state balanced headphone amplifier.

Additional gear: HE-500 comes with original HE-6 balanced cable (4-pin XLR), plus original 4-pin XLR to 6.3mm single-ended adaptor. HiFiMAN carry case included.

Price: SOLD

I won't be selling these as separates - they're just too good together. Seriously.

It's a really awesome pairing and I urge anyone who's considering getting into the world of balanced audio to give this combo a go. Just add a decent DAC (either balanced or single-ended) and you're good to go.

As for the WTT bit, I just put that in there to keep things interesting. Heh.

Warranty: HE-500, no; Schiit, yes.

Dealing method: COD preferred.

Location of seller: Klang Valley

Contact method/details: PM to indicate interest.

Age of item: Both approximately 2+ years

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Item(s) conditions: Both in excellent condition. View to appreciate.

Picture: You don't know what a HE-500 or a Schiit Mjolnir looks like?!

Reason for sale: Because I can.

[REDACTED] HD25-II

jwcy — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 11:54:49 +0800

Item(s): Sennheiser HD25-II Portable Headphones with customised Double Helix Cable "Molecule" single-ended 3.5 miniplug

This pair of cans are modern classics: durable & bulletproof, resolving & detailed, light & comfortable with incredible isolation. Still the pro choice for audiophiles, DJs, and ENG professionals.

Package includes: HD25-II, original steel cable, spare velour earpads (new & unused), original screw-on 3.5 to 6.3 adaptor, original packaging, DHC Molecule cable, DHC cloth bag

Price: REDACTED

Warranty: None

Dealing method: COD or PosLaju (additional)

Location of seller: Kuala Lumpur

Contact method/details: PM to indicate interest.

Age of item: 18+ months

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Reason for sale:

[SOLD] AKG K550 Reference Headphones

jwcy — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 11:15:01 +0800

Item(s): AKG K550

Package includes: Everything in the original box.

Price: SOLD

Warranty: None

Dealing method: COD or PosLaju (additional)

Location of seller: Kuala Lumpur

Contact method/details: PM to indicate interest

Age of item: 18 months

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Item(s) conditions: Very good 8.5/10, no visible external damage, performance-wise 100%. Pictures below are 1 week old (sorry, cans looks a little dusty and my camera is too sharp, lol)

Reason for sale: Letting go a few of my closed cans due to underuse coz when I'm at home, it's all open, balanced cans and when I'm on the go, it's IEMs all the way.

My first impression user review: The AKG K550 Review

[SOLD] DACport LX + Reserve Series Interconnect

jwcy — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 19:01:59 +0800

Item(s): CEntrance DACport LX + Reserve Series Interconnect

Package includes: DACport LX, original USB cable, original complete packaging, carry pouch + triple-shielded Y cable.

Price: RM SOLD

Warranty: Nil.

Dealing method: COD / M2U

Location of seller: Klang Valley

Contact method/details: PM

Age of item: Appx. 1 year

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Item(s) conditions: Superb. See photos below, taken today.

Picture:

Product webpage: (1) DACport LX (2) Reserve Series Interconnect

[SOLD] Huawei E586E Mobile WiFi

jwcy — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:26:06 +0800

Item(s): Huawei E586E 21.6 Mbit Mobile WiFi modem/router, supports up to 5 devices.

Package includes: E586E, wall charger, original packaging.

Price: RM SOLD

Dealing method: COD / M2U

Location of seller: Klang Valley

Contact method/details: PM if interested.

Age of item: About 1 year.

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Item condition: 8/10, Very Good.

Reason for sale: Not using anymore.

[SOLD] RSA Blackbird SR-71A Portable Headphone Amp

jwcy — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 15:07:29 +0800

For Sale:
Item 1: SOLD Ray Samuels Audio "The Black Bird" SR-71A portable headphone amplifier
Item 2: SOLD CypherLabs AlgoRhythm Solo portable dedicated Apple iPod DAC

Package includes:
Item 1: SOLD Portable amp + all original packaging & accessories
Item 2: SOLD Portable DAC + all original packaging & accessories

Price:
Item 1: RM SOLD.

Item 2: RM SOLD.

~~Separate sale is available. If both items purchased together~~~~, I'll throw in for FREE a set of ALO Audio Copper Interconnect Cable Combo (retailing at USD235).~~

Warranty: Valid until January 2015

Dealing method: COD / M2U

Location of seller: Kuala Lumpur

Contact method/details: Via PM

Age of items: 13 months

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Item(s) conditions: 8.5/10 on all items, must see to appreciate.

Picture:

Reason for sale:
Shifting focus to desktop audio exclusively, looking to pass this on to someone who has better need for it.

For the lazy, here are some links to related product info pages:
1. Headfonia - RSA SR-71A review
2. Headfonia - The Usual Suspects - 12 Portable Amps Compared
3. Head-Fi - Ray Samuels Black Bird SR-71A Discussion Thread
4. Headfonia - Revolutionary: The CypherLabs AlgoRhythm Solo (CLAS)
5. Head-Fi - CypherLabs AlgoRhythm Solo Discussion Thread
6. ALO Audio - CLAS Copper Interconnect Combo

[SOLD] RSA "The Shadow" Portable Amp

jwcy — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 17:13:24 +0800

Item(s): Ray Samuels Audio "The Shadow" Portable Headphone Amp

Package includes: RSA Shadow amp, original packaging, manual, charger.

Price: SOLD

Bonus freebies: (1) ALO Audio "Low Rider" Interconnect, and (2) iPod nano 3rd Gen 4GB + hard case. Note these aren't cheap, throwaway freebies. No separate sale.

Overview: The Shadow, combined with the "Low Rider" and the 3rd Gen "fatman" iPod nano, presents a very compact portable audio system, and will easily slip into any pocket without little fuss and even less weight & bulk. The Shadow uses a digital volume control for perfect balance between L and R channels especially when using sensitive headphones or IEMs at lower volume. Even though it's size is super-compact, The Shadow has enough juice to drive many larger headphones as well (at max setting, it could drive my 600ohm Beyer T1 to moderately loud levels).

As an ultra-portable audiophile-quality rig, I think it's hard to beat. See photos below.

Warranty: Valid until October 2014 (amp)

Dealing method: COD / M2U

Location of seller: Klang Valley

Contact method/details: PM if interested

Age of item: About 1.5 years (amp)

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Item(s) conditions: Amp 9/10, Low Rider 9/10. iPod 7.5/10

Picture: Picture 1 (front view) and Picture 2 (reverse view). What you see in the photos is exactly what you get except for the Shure IEMs.

Reason for sale: Although it's one of my favourite combos, I rarely use a portable rig anymore.

Related links: Ray Samuels Audio "The Shadow"

EDIT: Correction to package contents - now includes charger from RSA.

[SOLD] Schiit Lyr

jwcy — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 12:14:14 +0800

Item(s): Schiit Lyr hybrid head amp + extra pair of tubes (2 x Electro-Harmonix 6922 Russian-made boxed)

Package includes: All original packaging, manual, 2 x GE 6BZ7 tubes, power cable, head amp.

Price: SOLD (Schiit Lyr package + extra pair of tubes).

Warranty: Purchased from authorised distro in SG in March 2012, comes with 5-year warranty.

Dealing method: COD / M2U

Location of seller: Klang Valley

Contact method/details: PM if interested.

Age of item: About 1 year.

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Item(s) conditions: 8.8/10

Picture:

Links: Schiit Lyr product page, & also the awesome FAQ. If you're interested in some serious tube-rolling, browse this Head-Fi thread.

Reason for sale: Preparing for the God of Thunder to arrive...

[REVIEW] AKG K550 Closed Headphones

jwcy — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 17:21:39 +0800

Wokey, so I got myself a(nother) pair of new headphones last night: the new AKG K550. Thanks to the kind folks at Jaben who kindly reserved a pair for me from last week, I finally made time to go collect them yesterday night. Brought them home and stuck 'em on my head for 3-4 hours straight. The following is an early impression/mini-review from that session.

THE AKG K550 REVIEW
They say beauty is only skin deep, and that true beauty lies inside the heart. Well, either way the new circum-aural, closed-back K550 from AKG has both bases well-covered.

DESIGN & BUILD QUALITY
If going by looks and build quality as a key criteria, the K550 would easily qualify as a 'flagship' model in any headphone manufacturer's line-up.

I mean, look at it - sitting alongside a pair of much more high-end (and much more expensive) headphones, the K550 looks like it TOTALLY belongs in their company.

And if you think it looks good in pictures, you should try holding them in your hands - construction is mostly metal and synthetic rubber which is very pleasant to the touch. Headband is wide, decently padded, and comfortable - you can easily wear these for 3-4 hours with no pain or strain which is exactly what I did when I brought them home just last night. Fitting adjustments have a nice solid click, complete with nicely etched markings on each side of the headband.

The pleather pads feel closer to real leather than most other pleather variants I've come across. Very soft, very comfy, like the feeling when you sink yourself into an Italian leather sofa.

All in, the K550 feels very solid and appears constructed from quality materials all over.

If I have any gripes in this area, it's with the earcups which I find to be a little shallow (or perhaps because the padding is so soft) and the headband clamping force which I find to be a little too loose for my liking. But these are minor issues.

To recap: the K550 looks and feels better than headphones costing twice as much or more, and will likely make owners of the HD650 or SRH1840 green with envy.

SOUND QUALITY
Of course, all the above would mean very little if the K550 sounded like total shite, and I'm happy to report it doesn't.

(I've read some reviews/opinions that say the K550 sounds like a closed version of AKG's venerable K701. Well, thank God it doesn't because I could never warm up to the K701, esp with its fussy amping requirements.)

In a nutshell, the K550 sounds like a true reference-quality thoroughbred. Very balanced and neutral on the whole, with good imaging and instrument separation. Treble is well-defined and sparkly but I wouldn't call the K550 a bright pair of cans by any measure.

Likewise for the performance of the mids which, imho, is markedly superior to big brother K701. As for bass, the K550 has a sufficient amount on tap but it's of a more civilized nature: tight and full-bodied but never bloated. Bassheads, however, may find these headphones to be lacking.

Soundstaging was adequate considering the closed-back nature of the K550, while isolation was quite good considering my complaint about the weakish clamping force of the headband - I could drown out almost all the noise of kids yelling and dog barking in the house! Sound leakage to the outside world was minimal.

AUDIO CHAIN
For this mini-review, I used the modest setup as follows:

ALAC > iPod Touch 4G > AKG K550

I will be testing the K550 with all my amps, portable and home, in the next few days.

PORTABLE USE
I guess this is a good time to state that the K550 performs very well unamped (ie, directly from a DAP)> Not "brilliant" but plenty good enough - I could get up to the 85-90% mark on the volume bar of my iPod but that was already pretty loud.

So could one use the K550 as a portable headphone without any amping?

Yes, it even comes in a 3.5mm plug with a very nice screw-in 6.3mm adapter BUT…. the main issue in using it as a portable is the 3m long cable. Not so bad if you happen to be an NBA pro player but for the rest of us, lugging that extra long cable around will be a major annoyance.

So, to answer the question more honestly: No, you don't really want to use the K550 as a portable headphone. But no one can stop you if you do.

TEST TRACKS
Music tastes are pretty subjective. What's good to me may be rubbish to you. Here are a selection of test tracks/albums I usually use to listen to and test audio gear.
Roxy Music (Avalon), Bela Fleck (Live At The Quick), Cocteau Twins (Treasure), Dido (Safe Trip Home), Alison Krauss & Union Station (Paper Airplane), Massive Attack (Mezzanine), Portishead (Dummy), Depeche Mode (Playing The Angel), Dire Straits (Love Over Gold), Jackson Browne (The Very Best of Jackson Browne), Led Zeppelin (LZ4), Nirvana (Nevermind), The Beatles (Abbey Road, Revolver), Radiohead (OK Computer, HTTT, In Rainbows), RHCP (By The Way), Robyn (Body Talk), Sonic Youth (Goo), Rolling Stones (40 Licks), Taylor Swift (Fearless), Vampire Weekend (Contra), Tears For Fears (The Seeds Of Love).

I also listen to quite a number of movie and videogame OSTs

Using FLACs at home (pref HD, pref 24/96 or higher), and ALACs on the go. I also do 320 MP3s in my portable setup, depending on the complexity of the music.

IN CLOSING
I haven't mentioned it elsewhere yet but the K550 is only USD 299, or roughly under RM1,000 thereabouts. Taking its above-mentioned performance into account, this price point makes the K550 a *phenomenal* value.

Before this, I had planned on picking up another pair of DT770s to replace the one I sold (great headphone, awesome bass, legendary comfort) when the K550 became available. No doubt, as I've described above, the DT770 and the K550 are two different beasts but, head to head, it's a no-contest: the K550 blows the DT770 clean out of the water in every other category, except in bass and, possibly, comfort.

If you're in the market for a pair of home-based headphones with a budget of at least RM1,000, you'd really should give these a go. Seasoned head-fiers know well enough that no one single headphone can do everything well, but if one headphone is all you can ever afford, these may be all you ever need.

[SOLD] Audio-Technica ES7 Black

jwcy — Wed, 30 May 2012 15:44:37 +0800

Item(s): Audio-Technica ATH-ES7 headphones (Black).

Package includes: Original packaging, soft carry bag, and polishing cloth.

Price: SOLD.

Age of item: Purchased in Dec 2011.

Warranty: Ended Dec 2012.

Dealing method: COD preferred.

Location of seller: Klang Valley.

Contact method/details: Additional details, if required, via PM.

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Item(s) condition: Very good (zero scratches on chrome earcups).

Picture:

[b]Reason for sale: Not used, listening to other headphones.

Head-Fi links: Official ATH-ES7 Thread & Mini-Review: V-Moda M-80 vs Audio-Technica ES7

Other misc review links: Here, here, and here.

SONY MDR-EX1000 In-Ear Monitors

jwcy — Mon, 28 May 2012 11:41:44 +0800

Picked up a pair of MDR-EX1000 from Sony in KLCC last weekend.

According to Sony KLCC staff, overall supply is very limited - only 2-3 units allocated to them.

For a Sony flagship item, these were retailing for a not unreasonable RM1499 before discount and also Made in Japan no less, so I said "what the heck"...