The Doors (1967) 24bit 96khz Bifrost 2/64 > V281 > HE1000 Stealth

The closest thing I've found so far is the Empire Ears Odin. It does a lot of what I love in the HEK Stealth. Their tuning and presentation aren't one-for-one, but they are in the same realm. The HEK is clearly the superior sounding, but Odin is keeping up in some pressive ways, such as detail...

In that price range, I'd go for Meze 99 Classics / Neo for closed back, or HiFiMAN Sundara for open.

I think I fixed it! One of the XLR interconnects between DAC and Amp wasn't fully engaged. I pushed on all of them and one went in another few centimeters. I've been listening for the last hour and haven't heard any moments where the noise comes back... so fingers crossed! I may have resolved...

I've recently upgraded nearly my entire system, so it's hard to be sure exactly when the noise began. But the first time I noticed it, was after I added an extension power cord so I could run my right studio monitor's power from the same power strip as the left. That cable does run along the...

There is intermittent noise I can hear from time to time, from both my powered monitors and headphones. Even when no music is playing. Last night I installed the iFi Power Station, and all my audio gear is running off that. This did not resolve the issue. Is it possible my phone, or maybe my...

Damn! There's some features I'd like in my V281.

Pairing this amp with the Focal Radiance is a match made in heaven! I wasn't terribly impressed by Radiance, driven from my DAPs. Even my warmer DAPs. PieMax, however, fills these headphones out, refining them greatly and smoothing the harsh treble. They have a warmish balance, yet remain...

My 3rd pair of IEMs were absolutely saved by tip rolling. The Audio Technica ATH-IM03. With stock tips, the treble was sibilant. But with Spiral Dots, the sibilants went away, and I could enjoy some of the most perfectly balanced tuning. I miss those IEMs.

Focal Radiance just as described. Quick shipping. Well packaged. Good seller. Would buy from again.

I think they are a great all-arounder, because they really don't do any genre poorly. But they are definitely relaxed and will not excite some. I for one find myself going for Ordin more often, because it never fails to wow me. But it's a little more genre specific. Bright 80s pop, like Michael...

You're... a monster.

Be careful with your words. You're toying with my wallet!

Cayin N6ii + E02 > Aroma Audio Jewel

Doesn't display that stat on Mobile.

My collection is too big to list right now. But I have 4 CRKs. All MagnaCut. The Lefty Sebenza is my go-to package/mail opener. It sees the most use of all my knives, by far. Thanks! Here's some pork ribs and burnt ends for ya! I do have a gold+copper, I believe. I'll give it a try.

Brief A/B comparisons tonight: Aroma Audio Jewel is the warmer IEM. Between its subdued treble and greater mid-bass, it is south of neutral, possessing a lushness in the midrange. Empire Ears Odin is closer to true neutral, in spite of some funny business here and there. I know this, because...

I've never tried a Sony player. I've heard very good things about their top model.

With those, you may indeed get slightly better SQ, but it could be close. Chord is a more special case. Starting with, they aren't using off-the-shelf DAC chips, but rather proprietary design, custom tailored to the device and its needs. And, as I mentioned before, Chord has Rob Watts designing...

Especially at $80! Back during COVID, I couldn't find it for under $110.

I can see how that would be. Especially after putting on the Type E tips. Truly outstanding performance with much nicer tonality.

100% yes. And it shouldn't surprise you. It's a simple device designed with the pure purpose of digital-to-analogue conversion. Even it's Amp isn't a real amp, it's done simpler and more purely. The cost of DAPs bloats tremendous because they are far, far, FAR more than DACs. They have screens...

Sadly, I have not heard either of those.

From my experience, yes, you need a DAP. My foray into audiophilia had me running a Dragonfly dongle from my phone, and it was a HUGE improvement. But I hated all the hassle of that setup, and I got my first DAP, a low budget one, too. Not only did it sound better than the Dragonfly, but freeing...

Empire Ears Odin arrived today. First Impressions: Wow! I described Aroma Audio’s Jewel as boring in a good way. Odin is exciting… also in a good way! They almost couldn’t be more different, at least in presentation. Jewel was natural-neutral. Odin is hyper-real-neutral, where details are...