You've already heard that the sound quality of this amp does not match its (low) asking price. You already know that it's one of the best SS desktop headphone amps you can get for your cans at any price point, really. So why am I writing another review on an amp that you KNOW is going to be awesome? Well, my review is for those who like to build their own amps and JDS labs is a company that "gets" the DIY movement and have made NwAvGuy's design really easy to build for those of us who like to roll our own gear. My review is meant for those who might...

Focusrite may not be a familiar name in the Headphone Audiophile community. Many might be more familiar with Creative Labs, Turtle Beach, ASUS, etc. as makers of "entry level" headphone gear, but for those who don't know, Focusrite is a very familiar name in Professional Audio. Focusrite's claim to fame comes from their microphone preamps, which for decades have been found in many commercial recording studios.   Why does this matter to the average Headphone Audiophile? Well, for starters they have experience in Pro Audio and understand that having...

When I first got my HD650s about 5 years ago, I have to be honest and say I wasn't thrilled. Listening to them over my DAC for the first time gave me a bad first impression. I purposely loaded my vinyl transfer of The Police's "Every Breath You Take" because it has a good balance of punch and snappy low, mid and high frequencies (again, I'm talking about my vinyl transfer, not the Remastered for CD version).   I was unimpressed by the lack of "WOW Factor" that I had heard from other users/reviewers. My DAC is a high-end Crane Song Avocet which...

I have this and the dedicated DAC/Monitor Controller from Crane Song, the Avocet. The HEDD and Avocet (most recent models) have the same DAC. These converters are used by some of the leading Mastering engineers in the world for their neutrality. At this level, choosing another DAC would simply be a matter of preference; speaking from an audio engineer's perspective these converters are as accurate as it gets (we don't use words like "better" for high-end conversion).   Now, why would audiophiles be interested in this ADC/DAC? Well, if you like the...

I had been looking for an amplifier for my Sennheiser HD650 headphones and tried many amps that cost much more than the Valhalla over the last 6 or so years. It's almost like they designed this amplifier to bring out the best of this particular headphone. If you are also a 650 owner and have always thought that they are a bit "veiled" in the mids/highs, and like me have done the mods (foam, cable) and you still feel that after all that's been done that the 650's still sound a bit "dark", then do yourself a favor and check this amplifier out...