Yes, Riviera pairs very well with the Valkyria, I had a long listening session with it and was impressed. Also Viva Egoista

I thoroughly enjoyed your impressions, which I also mostly share. The reason why the Valkyria does not sound its best with electronic music is, in my opinion (and also in Andrea Ricci's opinion, which is certainly more authoritative than mine) that they have been designed and made with one main...

Having read the posts above discussing the ability of Pulsar an Valkyria to reproduce sub-bass and their not being, in the opinion of many, the best match for EDM/synthesized music and the like, I would like to observe that most Spirit Torino headphones, and especially their top of the line...

Hmmm, certainly not my experience with it. What amplification are you using?

There is no denying that the Valkyria is a heavy piece of gear. Having said that, it is very well balanced and I went through some lengthy listening sessions with it, without even feeling it. It's possible I was so absorbed by the music that I even forgot having something on my head...

And the Twin Pulse, while sharing the same architecture, is several notches below the Valkyria...

Try to find a live recording of one of the concerts you attended, and see if the Valkyria recreates the feeling

I've had two listening sessions, one in a HiFi store and one at a show, the first one lasting much longer, and in a much better listening environment. Honestly, I was concentrating more on the sound than on the equipment, so I'm not really sure if it was internal or external DAC. However, it...

Nothing beats Pulsar+LPGT Ti as a mobile combo, imho, it's the absolute best.

Your last line sums it up in the most meaningful and truthful way, and I have direct proof of this: I had invited two friends, husband and wife, for tea. He is a German music producer and owns his own studio, and the wife shares the passion for music. They're no spring chickens, and neither am...

Not sure it's just a matter of being able to afford it, but rather of being worth it. I had a good listening session with the HE-1 and frankly, I was underwhelmed. For me, Valkyria/Riviera beats it hands down, in every aspect. Can't say about the Shangri-La though, never listened to.

I tried the Riviera extensively with the Valkyria, and was impressed. I also tried the Viva with a different headphone (Audeze LCD 4), and was NOT impressed. So far, the best paring that I've listened to in my life is Valkyria with the amp pictured above, the Sigfried. Which is not surprising...

That is correct. What I meant to convey is that the Dynamat treatment combined with the titanium inertial chassis provides the characteristics that I was trying to describe.

The Pulsar, which frame is made of aluminum instead of titanium like the Valkyria, weighs substantially less, and is therefore more comfortable. The trade-off is that the Valkyria's frame, being heavier, has increased inertial characteristics which are one of distinguishing features of the Twin...