I used to fry eggs on top of my Musical Fidelity A1 integrated amp. (Well, not really, buy I COULD have.)

Mmm…marble cake

Killer trio right there! Now I have to listen to the whole album... Thanks

Need to get to work on those wood "ZMF X Icon Audio Super Secret Select Club" membership cards, shirts and hats. We would be the fashion Icons of any CanJam!

Interesting... So far I have preferred the high impedance setting with my ZMFs. Will go back and listen some more at Medium just to check.

The Caldera Ultra Perf lamb is a real tradeoff between the increased space & perhaps euphonic qualities and decreased bass, impact and richness.

If I could only spend $200 on a pair, I would probably get the Thinksound OV21. They don’t get much attention here on Head Fi but might be the best closed back over ear for the price. Another direction to go would be the Grado SR225x, open back, on ear. But then, if my total budget was $700...

This pad poll kind of got buried in that post, so here’s a little bump for it

A vented IEM sounds like the in-ear equivalent of an open back headphone. Makes sense, but I have never tried any.

Stopped listening to closed-backs when I realized that like IEMs, they aggravate my tinnitus. I do make an exception when I’m in an airplane, and I’ll break out the Beyer t5p v2 (not that they’re my favorite closed-back, but they’re the one I have - a holdover from days as a...

Is it possible you had been using the J2 in its low or mid level volume output setting? When you power off to swap the op-amps, the unit goes back to the default high setting.

Please do! I have not followed through with my plan to get both. I have a tentative deal to get a N1NOS in a couple weeks. Your comparison will be helpful. Thanks.

Wynton Kelly Trio does it again! An under-appreciated stalwart of the scene in the 50s and 60s. Their album with Wes Montgomery, Smokin’ at the Half Note is another winner, not to mention the trio albums Kelly Blue and Kelly Great, which are worth taking a listen to.

The “named” ZMF one-offs are close to your concept already, but the matching headphone and stand one-off concept would be a big hit, commanding a premium price. Adding some super-premium one-offs seems like a possible extension of the concept. It wouldn’t be that off-putting to offer them to...

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but not all OTC amps are necessarily SET, are they? (I'm no expert in these matters.) Is the Aegis considered a SET amp?

You only need those extension leads for the XLR op-amps, right?

Yes, that is the dual 2509 combo on a dip 8 adaptor. Depending on the age of your J2S, it may fit perfectly, replacing the existing single-ended op-amp, or it may require a dip-8 riser like this to get the clearance needed. My J2S, being older, had the sockets too close to the jack, so I had...

OK, OK! I guess I haven’t even glimpsed the edge of the rabbit hole!

Curious how many sets of NOS tubes all you HP8 owners have. I just bought another 12AT7 (ECC81) and pair of 6SN7GT (VT-231) and am worried about rabbit holes and such. Really thinking I should stop now, with 4 NOS 12A variants 3 pairs of NOS 6SN7s (in addition to the stock tubes the...

Well I made it four days with the Caldera Lamb Ultra Perf on my VO. For my ears, in my system and for what I’m looking for in sound from the VO, I had to switch back to the Be2 perf Lamb. The sound was too diffuse with the CLUP. I want the solid thwack of a drumstick and the front-row...

You make a very interesting point regarding pads and tubes. At first I was swapping pads and tubes in an effort to find the ones I thought sounded best to me (with the intention of crowning winners and sticking with them). Now I'm with you on using them to scratch different musical itches...

Is that the all-copper? "Hybrid" is the one with copper and silver. Took mine a few weeks to arrive

Forza cables are quite popular here. Ihave the Noir Hybrid on my Atrium https://forzaaudioworks.com/en/product.php?id_product=72

What you have ordered from Sparkos will work in the single-ended op-amp spot. If you want to use the XLR outputs as well, you will need two more of the same, and they will be difficult to fit in the case. I think Ted did it in his, but I only did the SE. You can either buy the J2S with the...

Excellent new release with an all-star cast of great players! Gregory Groover Jr. (Tenor sax) Joel Ross (Vibes) Matthew Stevens (Guitar) Aaron Parks (Piano) Vicente Archer (Bass) Marcus Gilmore (Drums)