[hafzz123]

Any of you guys ever tried JAR800? Impressions seem to be limited in that other forum.

Never tried it but Jupiter's taste seems to aligned with mine since he didn't like HD800 with SDR mods because it slightly dulls the highs. Would love to try one

 

[K3cT]

I posted this in the zmf thread, but figured it would be a great watercooler topic as well.

So I had a thought tonight and I'd love to get others opinions on this as well.

I was wondering if there would be any interest in a "ZMF Signature Series". The basic idea would be:

1. Extremely rare and valuable woods. Usually with only a few being available instead of hundreds. Like less than 3-5 for each wood type.
2. Resin or stabilized possibilities?
3. Packed with all extra bells and whistles such as all suede, bb straps, bundled with matching resin or stabilized saliere stands, etc. Raw or polished Titanium/magnesium chassis, etc. Rare leather combinations, exotic materials (alligator /ostrich) or textured leathers. (I have no idea, just thinking out loud.)
4. Signed by all involved zmf craftsman on inside pad mount surface.
5. Reserved for zmf owners who already have more than one or two sets. Kind of like how high end Ferrari cars work, where they reach out to you when they are releasing a limited production run. Or a right of refusal agreement with their customers?
6. Updated pricing on any of these to make it worth ZMF's time to do all this.
7. Also, maybe a personalized laser cut grille design for open models? Probably a bit of a reach but it never hurts to ask!

Any thoughts on this anyone? Also, what would make it cooler?

I am in no way affiliated with ZMF headphones, it was just an idea I had to create some truly wild sets that added an extra layer of ownership to the experience.

If it's a dumb idea, let me know that too. I can take it.

Based on my experience with mechanical keyboard hobby and horror stories from close friends this kind of gate keeping is 100% going to cause endless drama and angst.

 

[pradiptacr7]

Pardon the bad-quality photos. Given S17 Pro to a friend.

 

[Whazzzup]

Rediscovering Headphones and Desktop Audio



Alright folks! It's official, the WA33 Standard Edition (stock tubes) is on its way to me. Wow, very excited and thank you @timeslip for making this happen. My portable audio journey is now suspended and I can't wait to experience the desktop headfi world once again, it's been 3 years and much has occurred in this space. My current HP collection consists of MDR Z7, MDR Z7MK2, MDR Z1R, PhilPhone. I use these headphones with my treasure, the DMP Z1. I've owned Susvara before with Bakoon AMP 13R.

As I begin my headphone journey again, I polled some excellent headfi communities and groups I'm a part of. Various suggestions were given from the venerable Utopia 2022, Abyss 1266 TC, Susvara and even the Valkyria. After much thought, I've picked the first headphone to go with the WA33 Standard, the Abyss 1266 TC. Thanks @HiFiHawaii808 for the nudge in this direction. @GoldenSound WA33 YouTube review clinched it as he spoke of the complementary nature of both gears. I've never tried the 1266 before, but I loved the Diana TC from my 10 minute demo at CanJam. However, as I browsed the 1266 HeadFi thread, there are some rumblings of the 1266 successor being launched in time for CanJam Shanghai. I quickly emailed Abyss regarding my concern of purchasing a 1266 for it to only be outdated a few weeks later. After all, Abyss gear is not cheap! Take this with a mine full of salt, as I'm sure the Abyss Team have the printed definition of 'Osborne Effect' taped to their desks.

"We currently have no plans to update the AB1266. We will be bringing AB1266 ear pad production in-house with added options on materials."- ABYSS TEAM

Given this information, I will likely move forward with the 1266 TC purchase soon. Now, the question remains. After my headphone is delivered, my hobby fund will be mostly depleted. Even so, I am curious on the future direction of upgrades. Which one of these paths should I look for next? Any advice is appreciated!

• Upgrade Tubes (from stock)
• Upgrade HP Cable (from stock)
• Upgrade DAC (current is Hugo 2)
• Buy another HP (eg Utopia 2022)

Do as you do, welcome to the club woo rocks the 33. But if you are asking someone who’s gone through this my two cents, budgets aside.
The 1. Music Server
2. Tubes Takatsuki
3. Your dac and hp will scale, ride em out for a while.
4.dac
5. Innous Phoenix if using usb, net using other connections
6.cable
7. Buy a hp 1266, sus whatever.

If just the one thing Takatsuki tubes course your looking at 7500 usd but just do it….

 

[ThanatosVI]

If just the one thing Takatsuki tubes course your looking at 7500 usd but just do it….

Why 7500?
The quad Taks 2A3 Is 3600 even at Woo Audio directly. (Who is known to ask a Premium for tubes)

 

[genefruit]

Does anyone have any recommendations for cool audio stack furniture for amps? I'm considering moving them off of my desk if I can find something tasteful. Also thinking I may need a cool headphone wall situation lol. Maybe there is a forum on here for audio furniture hacks, but it seems like a good water cooler topic.

Right now one of my hacks for hiding headphones is a plain old file cabinet. I took the big bottom drawer and attached a long shoe horn from Ikea as a hanging rail. The headphones just drape down over a felt pad I stuck to the bottom. It sounds ugly, but it is actually great. It is where my non-ZMFs live mostly.

I use Ikea Besta which can be configured in a multitude of ways with shelves, doors, and drawers to hold all of your gear. Although if you also run speakers and subs, it's not as isolating as a dedicated audio rack.

A source of inspiration is this thread - https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sho...ictures-please.529140/page-2741#post-18104416

 

[Whazzzup]

Why 7500?
The quad Taks 2A3 Is 3600 even at Woo Audio directly. (Who is known to ask a Premium for tubes)

Don’t stop there ta 274b then add drivers unfortunately not ta as they don’t make but we 417 is and presto 7500 usd, done

 

[Tchoupitoulas]

It's nice to see a headphone edition of the Watercooler, thanks for creating it @goldwerger!

I've been focused on my headphone gear over the past couple of years, and while I posted a bit in the early days of the OG 'Cooler, I just couldn't keep up - that thread moves so fast (as does the IEM market)! I'm about 2k pages behind.

Does anyone have any recommendations for cool audio stack furniture for amps? I'm considering moving them off of my desk if I can find something tasteful. Also thinking I may need a cool headphone wall situation lol. Maybe there is a forum on here for audio furniture hacks, but it seems like a good water cooler topic.

I'll echo @SemperMalum and recommend the Pangea racks. Mine is the Vulcan one, with parawood shelves. It's attractive and the wood is good quality. I also stole an idea from another head-fier about using these IKEA cubes to store and display my headphones:

For a stand that can accommodate 3 headphones, check out the upcoming ZMF mega Salire.

 

[ThanatosVI]

Don’t stop there ta 274b then add drivers unfortunately not ta as they don’t make but we 417 is and presto 7500 usd, done

However he said Takatsuki tubes and you're looking at 7500 Dollars.

 

[mattiastomas]

Does anyone have any recommendations for cool audio stack furniture for amps? I'm considering moving them off of my desk if I can find something tasteful. Also thinking I may need a cool headphone wall situation lol. Maybe there is a forum on here for audio furniture hacks, but it seems like a good water cooler topic.

Right now one of my hacks for hiding headphones is a plain old file cabinet. I took the big bottom drawer and attached a long shoe horn from Ikea as a hanging rail. The headphones just drape down over a felt pad I stuck to the bottom. It sounds ugly, but it is actually great. It is where my non-ZMFs live mostly.

For a budget option I’ve been eyeing this. I like the design and the smaller footprint suits my smaller apartment.

https://a.co/d/2rioWa9

 

[Thomasr]

Does anyone know headphone stand that can fit 3 headphones or more at the same time? I know some like Woo Audio stand can fit 2 headphones but i need at least 3

If you're interested in something custom made, PM me. I could create a freestanding version of the wall-mounted rack shown here:

 

[SemperMalum]

It's nice to see a headphone edition of the Watercooler, thanks for creating it @goldwerger!

I've been focused on my headphone gear over the past couple of years, and while I posted a bit in the early days of the OG 'Cooler, I just couldn't keep up - that thread moves so fast (as does the IEM market)! I'm about 2k pages behind.


I'll echo @SemperMalum and recommend the Pangea racks. Mine is the Vulcan one, with parawood shelves. It's attractive and the wood is good quality. I also stole an idea from another head-fier about using these IKEA cubes to store and display my headphones:



For a stand that can accommodate 3 headphones, check out the upcoming ZMF mega Salire.

I -love- that Ikea cube idea, that's amazing.

 

[OnlySoMany]

Based on my experience with mechanical keyboard hobby and horror stories from close friends this kind of gate keeping is 100% going to cause endless drama and angst.

Chaos in the streets! Because someone got a private email about a Ltd custom set. Nooooooo!

 

[Doug2507]

These have very kindly been sent to me on loan. Current running with Envy using MAX as source until my DAC reappears next week. I like em...

 

[ThanatosVI]

These have very kindly been sent to me on loan. Current running with Envy using MAX as source until my DAC reappears next week. I like em...

Enjoy and make sure to leave impressions when the DAC returned