100%. I used to own the Clears and they are great headphones. However, they have long been sold and I still own the TH-900.

JM Audio XTC open.

Little Fox is a great amp, not as neutral as the V550 (warmer and a touch rolled off on the high end) but I think I like it the best of the three. The Aune S17 Pro is great for the price, but lacks the driving power of the other two. 1266 TC clipping the amp even on high gain.

The best headphone on the market under $1000 right now. Beats a lot over $1000 as well.

Yes, both. Don't get the Alcantara pads, they muffle the sound too much. Leather is fine, but I prefer my current pads which are the Dekoni Sheepskin TH900 pads.

Both those are high current amps. So just looking at the output watts doesn't tell the full story. They are more powful than the number of watts would indicate.

Gustard A26 currently, I think 5V output balanced from memory?

I also have a Little Fox on the way. I can compare with the Aune S17 Pro and Violectric V550 Pro.

Only go with the Denon if you absolutely need closed-back isolation. The TH900 does leak sound, but IMO it's a tier (or two) above in sound quality.

To comment on temps. My unit is usually sitting at mid-50s, 54-56C usually. That's living in the hot part of Australia, with ambient temperature ranging between 23-28C in my room. I haven't seen it go above 60 even in 100mA high gain, volume near max with my 1266 TC.

Disclaimer: I may be half deaf due to too many concerts without ear plugs.. It definitely has 'enough' power to get them loud, but it's definitely not the best or most ideal amp for those few headphones: 1266, HE6, Tungsten, Susvara.

The volume does jump at step 56, but not a big deal. Unfortunately, this amp is not really ideal for my 1266 TC and (I assume) HE6/se and Susavara are a no-go. Clipping and distortion in low gain and with high gain, I'm at step 60 out of 63. My Monolith Liquid Platinum does a much better job...

I just received my amp not long ago. There is no amp I am aware of that sounds this good for this little money. It does run quite warm yes, but not hot I wouldn't say. Reliability is questionable though, only time will tell.

Open, warm, bassy, light on the head? Look into a JM Audio XTC open.

From your list, I would pick either the Focal Clear OG or LCD-X maybe. Also look into a used Fostex TH900 or E-MU Teak. I haven't heard the 109 though.

LTA MZ3 would be a good pick. I've also tried the HM1 and the Cayin HA 300MK2 which also sounded really nice. I'd lean towards a tube amp for the Utopia.

From what I have read from some trusted reviewers, consensus seems to be that the Little Fox is largely in a higher tier than both the Violectric and Aune. I own the Aune and Violectric and I'm looking into the Little Fox in the near future, so I might be able to compare all three soon.

It's been a while since I owned the BHA-1, so I can't tell you about sound but I don't think you can go wrong with either. Obviously, the BHA-1 is more expensive, made in Canada, and has an insane 25-year warranty. Also, it is known for being extremely reliable, never heard of a BHA-1 failing...

I owned the A90 briefly and it was the flattest, most boring amp ever. Flat narrow staging, poor imaging, mediocre dynamics, and something was off timbre-wise. Almost rolled off sounding. I think shortly after I got the full Class A Bryston BHA-1 which was infinitely better. The S17 Pro is...

Fostex TH900 or on a budget... E-MU Teak.

No offence to you, but the A90 sounds like poo. This amp stomps it.

No idea about the new MR. But I had the older Diana and I didn't like it. The comfort and fit was bad, it was too expensive and the sound was basically like a planar Focal Clear. So the sound was decent, but not worth it for its price. As far as Abyss goes, it's 1266 or don't bother IMO.

Hi, can anyone tell me the difference between the R-8HE MK3 and R-7HE MK3? I see that the R-7 is larger, more expensive etc. Has anyone heard both?

I should specify only lacking for my tastes and the music I listen to. For non bass heavy music like Jazz etc. It would be fine. But for genres like metal, pop, rap etc. Not enough imo.

Hmmm Jazz or classical will certainly sound great on both the XTC and HE1000. It's been awhile since I heard the HE1000 but I recall it having superb detail retrieval and resolution but being a bit too bright and lacking significantly in bass and impact/dynamics