Heads UP - Hi-Z Phones for Crack

[Laudanum]

MB Quart no longer makes Headphones.  I guess that German Maestro took the handoff when Quart was bought.
 It's been debated whether or not the MB Quart and the German Maestros are the same phones with slightly different model numbers.
Probably some are, some arent.  There are a few reviews and some info at HeadFi.

But to cut to the chase ... on Ebay there are a few leftover high impedance Quart phones for sale, brand new (seller = sonicelectronix).
At last check there were 2 of the open back QP400's ($110) and 2 of the closed QP805HS ($88).  Both 300 ohms and pretty nice deals relative to retail price.
I believe that the QP400's (and closed counterpart QP450) were supposed to be their top of the line phones.
Not having any Hi-Z closed phones my beautiful wife bought me a pair of the QP805HS for Fathers Day.

Im not sure what the interest level is but figured I'd post especially seeing how hi impedance cans are becoming a rare breed.  Here are the links:


http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-MB-QUART-QP400-AUDIOPHILE-STUDIO-ON-EAR-HEADPHONES-/300565931307?pt=Other_MP3_Player_Accessories&hash=item45fb20252b

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-MB-Quart-QP805HS-QP805-High-Solid-Ear-Headphones-/360368583396?pt=Other_MP3_Player_Accessories&hash=item53e7a432e4

[Jim R.]

Laudenum,

Thanks for the heads-up.  At that price I just couldn't say no, so grabbed a pair of the 450s.  I was always curious about them but not ever enough to pay anything near retail for them, so we'll see how it goes.

Thanks,

Jim

[Laudanum]

Hey Jim.  Glad it helped someone else.
Did you mean the QP400's?  or was there also some QP450's up on ebay that I didnt see? 

[Jim R.]

Sorry, I meant the 400s.  It will be interesting tp hear what they sound like.  I don't have any real expectations, but worse comes to worse, I shouldn't have too much trouble selling them, but at this price they ae also fari game for some tweaking too.

-- Jim

[Laudanum]

Yep, pretty low risk.  Should be an easy sale with them not being available any longer. 

[levlhed]

I purchased a pair of the QP400's there too, but then in a moment of impulsive headphone-buying pulled the trigger on a used T1!
Ooops, I shouldn't have done that....maybe..eh, you only live once right?  May as well listen to good headphones...

I might just sell the QP400's un-opened and my used HD650's to help offset my little spree...happy father's day to me....

[Laudanum]

I purchased a pair of the QP400's there too, but then in a moment of impulsive headphone-buying pulled the trigger on a used T1!
Ooops, I shouldn't have done that....maybe..eh, you only live once right?  May as well listen to good headphones...

I might just sell the QP400's un-opened and my used HD650's to help offset my little spree...happy father's day to me....

I think the seller has a pretty good return policy.  I think they may take it back, unopened, and issue full refund ... you'd be out your shipping cost back and they'd obviously deduct initial shipping from the refund (since they shipped free).  Worth checking into.  Then again, for the price, they may be worth auditioning and keeping.  Hi-Z phones seem to be a dying breed.  Would love your impressions of the T1's on Crack.  I'll never own a pair unless it was some type of outrageously great deal but would love your impressions anyway after you spend some time with them.

[levlhed]

I'd rather sell them on at the price I'd be paying to return them than return them.  I'll wait and see if I can resist the urge to open them up and take a listen...not sure if it'd make any diffrence in resale value at this point...but you'd think someone would be more willing to buy completely un-opened vs. "used"..if not pay more at least be quicker to spend the money.
I only need to keep my hands off and make it until tomorrow night when the Beyer T1 comes into my possession   I did as much research as I could, reading reviews and comparisons/etc...did the inevitable HD800 vs. T1 debate...I'm confident the T1's will sound simply awesome on the Crack.  But I'll be sure to confirm when appropriate

[Jim R.]

Well, just opened up my Quarts that arriived today and at least they seem like they'll be comfortable as they fit me quite nicely.  Nothing to play them on right now except the iPod and iPad, but that's not a real test and may not even work.  Good news is that I made excellent progress on the Crack today -- permanently replaced the teflon sockets with Azumas, got my VA tube voltage selector switch in, the PEC pot, and the neutrik locking headphone jack.  I only hope iI didn't scratch the paint again, but at this point, if I did it will have to be touched up  by hand (and not mine).

The only thing I have left to re-do is remove the ground screw next to the IEC inlet and scrape the paint off a bit more and then I'll be happy with all the grounds, and then... back to wiring.

-- Jim

[Laudanum]

levlhed ... makes sense regarding the QP400 return.    Looking at the the FR plot of the T1's and the reviews Ive read coupled with the fact that I love the Beyer sound, especially on tubes/Crack ... I'd absolutely love to get my hands on a set of T1's.  Money no barrier, I'd probably already own them.  I shoudnt have said never in my other post ... Maybe when my son finishes his school a couple years down the road.
The related expenses, especially his car insurance premium, are tough on the wallet.

Good news Jim, sounds like Crack is coming along.  Is the switch you referred to the one that allows switching from 12AU7 to 6CG7/6FQ7?  Or something else?
I went through the old tube box and found that I had an RCA Cleartop 6CG7/6FQ7. Looks NOS.  Tests good too.  I put it aside for possible future trial.  I thought I had more than one in there but dont.  There is a 8CG7 but no more 6's.  Oh well, one is better than none and I guess the Cleartops are supposed to be one of the 6CG7/6FQ7 tubes worthy of trying.  I know it requires a minor socket rewire.  I'll put the cleartop aside for down the road.  Good news also that atleast the Quarts are comfy.  I think the QP805's come tomorrow.  Not sure if the wife will let me have them until Sunday though.  I guess Im about to find out whether I can charm them out of her early.  If not, Im pretty sure the pity angle will work.  LOL.  I dont suspect they'll be supremely comfortable because of the pads but we'll see.  If not, maybe I can remedy with some Velours.  I think I saw a thread about that at Head fi.  Jim, how long you think until Crack is up and running?  If your patience (or lack thereof) is anything like mine, the anticipation has got to be getting the better of you by now.  And Im sure I just helped it ...

[Jim R.]

audenum,

Hah!  I have to laugh -- I was in the first shippig batch of Cracks, so obviously I'm not in a rush to get it done. :-)

I rather enjoy the buildiing -- everything from the wood and metal work to the finishing and appearance details and so on.

I actually had teflon tube sockets in it and then recently replaced them with Azumas, and only because in my opinion and for my purposes, I prefer them.  The point is that building, taking my time, and making sure everything is as right as it can be, is all part of the journey for me.  That said, with both my 2-channel loudspeaker systems down and in transition, I'm really wanting to get the crack done now.

To answer your other question, yes, the switch is the filament voltagee switch.  It's just an NKK mini locking dpdt toggle and sits between the rear mounting screw for the front tube and the air vents.  Tight squeeze, but clears everything and won't interfere with the speedball board once it's in place.

I was checking out the Quarts again this morning and noticed that like all other German headphones, they actually did make the earpiece molds wth braille letters for left and right, which is a nice little touch I really appreciate.  All the Senns I've ever had have a braille "L" on the left side, and the AKGs I've seen and own have a small raised dot on the left earpiece, but I have no idea about the Japanese and American cans, though I know the Sony MDR-7506s I used to have did not have any marking, but they were also single cord design.

I, for many reasons, wsh I still had my old black and yellow Sen 414s (originals, not the "upgraded" version -- but of course I had no use for braille in those days, so don't remember.  Anyway, point is... nice touch and I appreciate it.

Hope to mae more progress today...

-- Jim

[levlhed]

T1 delivered this morn, had to run home @ lunch and plug them in of course!  Nothing more than a cursory test, make sure they work while I wolfed down a sandwich.  Initial impressions are compared to AKG K701 I use on a solid state dac/amp and Senn HD650 on the Crack, sound more like the K701 but have more bass.  Overall tone seems really flat and natural and open, sound lovely.  Not so much of the highs as the K701 though (which to me are on the edge of too much, but sound great).

"better" sound than the HD650 on Crack Speedball?  maybe, certainly different.  Given the price are they 3x better than HD650?  I think that'd be an ambitious statement.  I can't make a judgement just yet though of course...time must be spent and some A/B tests too.

I might even bust out the QP400's just out of sheer curiosity after all.

[Doc B.]

Didn't want to say anything until you listened, but yeah the T1s are more neutral than Sennheisers. If one likes that very neutral type of sound they are really great, very concise and without coloration. I happen to like the little bit more full sound of the Sennheiser HD800s a little bit better, but I could be pretty happy with either.

[Laudanum]

levlhed ... thanks for the quick T1 preview. 

Jim ... I like the building too eventhough I'm never sure what Im doing at every single stage of it.  And I do take my time not only because the bad neck necessitates it but especially because I dont always know exactly why I am doing what I am doing LOL.  That's all the more reason to make sure I get it right.  But when it comes down to it, I just want to hear the music.  Anyway, sounds like you'll have a pretty well tricked out amp when you're done. 

The Braille is a very thoughtful touch on the behalf of those manufacturers and I never noticed it before.  My Beyers do indeed indeed have L and R molded in.  They are single sided.  I didnt see any on the AKG 601's or the Fisher Audios.  But those are both single sided.  Still, it would be a nice touch for those who arent familiar with the single cable entry being on the left earpiece.

[levlhed]

next impressions after a couple of hours with a few A/B swaps with the HD650 cans and a couple reference hits on the K701 on the DAC/AMP...
HD650 has more bass than the T1, T1 has more bass than K701.  T1 have a very neutral sound as Doc says.  T1 sounds more like K701 with more bass that probably digs a little deeper while maintaining the nice 701 clarity of mids and highs.  Like them better than the K701, haven't made up my mind yet vs. HD650 though...
The T1 does a great job of making the center of my head the center of the sound stage.  The HD650's always sound like two small speakers attached to my ears to me...