Ok, wanted to post an update on the balanced Pulsars (both Rhodium and Gold Furutechs).
I am happy to report that the little bit of HF grain or glare I initial reported is all gone! It turned out that most of what I was hearing was removed by doing a little bit of tweaking to my RM 40's. I also think getting more hours on the Pulsars helped as well.
So I can now safely say that the balanced Pulsars with Furutech XLR are the all-around best ic I have had in my system.
I can heartily recommend this ic, without reservation and regardess of the price point you are at.
As for the gold vs. rhodium... I preferred the Rhodium in my system. Here is why:
The rhodium had better initial attack and was a more lively in a good way.
The leading edge on an acoustic guitar had more definition and was easier to hear.
The drums and bass seemed to jump out at me and had slightly better definition.
The gold was more polite and laid back.
With the rhodium the soundstage is more forward and slightly deeper.
The biggest difference was in the highs. The gold by comparison sounds a little rolled off and slow. Cymbals seem to hit faster and decay a little longer with the rhodium.
The differences weren't huge, but I didn't have to strain to hear them. Although I preffered the Rhodium, the Gold was excellent as well.
I think it just comes down to personal tastes and proper system matching.
George
I am happy to report that the little bit of HF grain or glare I initial reported is all gone! It turned out that most of what I was hearing was removed by doing a little bit of tweaking to my RM 40's. I also think getting more hours on the Pulsars helped as well.
So I can now safely say that the balanced Pulsars with Furutech XLR are the all-around best ic I have had in my system.
I can heartily recommend this ic, without reservation and regardess of the price point you are at.
As for the gold vs. rhodium... I preferred the Rhodium in my system. Here is why:
The rhodium had better initial attack and was a more lively in a good way.
The leading edge on an acoustic guitar had more definition and was easier to hear.
The drums and bass seemed to jump out at me and had slightly better definition.
The gold was more polite and laid back.
With the rhodium the soundstage is more forward and slightly deeper.
The biggest difference was in the highs. The gold by comparison sounds a little rolled off and slow. Cymbals seem to hit faster and decay a little longer with the rhodium.
The differences weren't huge, but I didn't have to strain to hear them. Although I preffered the Rhodium, the Gold was excellent as well.
I think it just comes down to personal tastes and proper system matching.
George