The discrete TC-7520(SE)(+) line output

Mine came with Royal Mail. Haven't received anything for days and am waiting for quite a bit. Don't hold your breath!

I have been using the Gator plus AD826 in a TC-7520 with my HD650 headphones, and I am impressed. The normally sloppy bass on the HD650 is now far firmer and punchy. Not the kind of attributes that one would associate with the normally lethargic HD650. Rock music now sound more believable with the HD650.

Thanks Stan..!

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Originally Posted by Kendalbeefcake

My Gator Showed up today! :)

But my Denon D2000's fell apart on Friday :(

So it's going to be a while before I get to hear it :doh: Can anyone suggest some alternatives in the £200-£300 price range? I've always had "listener fatigue" with the Denons (not the caiman's fault, same problem when plugged into the laptop) Advice please so I can try out my Gator!

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Do you need closed-back cans? If so, you might want to try out the Shure SRH-840s, although those are only about £130 if you shop around. If you are open to open-back cans, then check out a pair of Sennheiser HD600 or HD650 'phones. You should be able to pick up a pair for around £220 if you shop around. Both are highly regarded and I believe Stan uses a pair of HD650s himself.

If you get a pair, I'd be interested in your thoughts compared to the Denon AH-D2000.

Best,
Adam

Hi Adam,

I'd chosen Closed-backs because of the need to be "social" when listening, i.e. not disturb 'er indoors! I've got a reasonable amount of Denon kit and was always pleased..But has Stan has since pointed out to me off-line it's probably the air-pressure in the closed back which has been giving me grief, so I'll probably switch to an open-back HD650 as you and others have suggested..Assuming Peter Tyson send me back something I can e-bay!

Mr postman finally delivered my Gator today. :champagne:
I just have one question....I don't really ever use the headphone output on my Caiman, so is there likely to be any sonic benefit to the line outputs by not installing an opamp? I'm just thinking from the point of view of having the fewest number of components as possible. Cheers. :)

I haven't tried that myself, but let us know if it works OK. It won't harm the board since the Gator transistors are on a different supply line to the opamp.

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Originally Posted by StanleyB

I haven't tried that myself, but let us know if it works OK. It won't harm the board since the Gator transistors are on a different supply line to the opamp.

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Thanks Stan. I'll give it a try without the opamp first and use that as a baseline. It'll save me digging out my box of opamps. Cheers. :cool:

Stan, will the next evolution of the stock Caiman include the Gator board?

Does the addition of a Gator board to a 7520 make it the same beast as a Caiman+Gator? From memory, the difference between the 7520 is in the ouput section.

Are you prepared to declare your hand, Stan: are we anywhere near a Standac with remote control?

Does the Gator improve on the "quality of sound" achieved by the passive mod at all (volume accepted). I am not a headphone user and wondered if the Gator is an upgrade over the caps solution we have been enjoying.

Regards

Chris