Hey - just catching up on with you guys on this. I burned it this weekend but didn't have a chance to really listen until this morning.
My first impressions from Saturday stuck with me. The 'A' was a little on the harsh side at the top end and to my ear, didn't provide any more detail than the 'B', which I preferred tonally.
I listened two ways - a minute on each back and forth and then an extended listen. In both cases, the preference for 'B' stuck with me.
I'd actually go as far as saying I wouldn't be real happy with 'A' and would want to tone down that brittle quality with some eq. I realize that this only represents one venue, mix and mic placement sample. I also guessed that 'B' was the UA-5, only because it does actually sound 'warmer'. Had the V3 sounded warmer, I would have guessed the other way around. The warm mod is appropriately named.
As listening tests go, I found the crowd noise to be a bother. I'd love to do it again with a really good sounding source.
I'd also love to hear a stock UA-5 against any of the mod'd versions. Sometimes it seems there are lots of folks with blind faith in the Oade stuff. A different sound - that's easy if you start swapping components. A better sound? I need to hear it before agreeing or disagreeing. A/B comparisons count for more than stories and feelings.
Thanks for putting this together Brian.
btw, playback was on a Nak CD player, Naim electronics (active system) and Linn Isobarik speakers. The cd player is admittedly weak.
