For tube amps generally the power tubes affect the sound conderably less then the driver tubes. With my Icon amp I stopped worrying about power tubes years ago, I won't say they make no difference, but not enough for me to obsess about it as long as something decent is in there. But today my...

The Composer is a very good headphone with classical music. But the HD800S just has a slightly more refined treble response. On other kinds of music you don't notice it as much. @chesebert likes the mid range on the HD800S better, and most classical music is mixed to be pretty mid centric. I...

I think we are more or less on the same page about amps, and differences between heaedphones. As so often is the case negotiating semantics is the tricky part 😂 When the SR009 came out, I already had the HD800. Although they don't sound exactly the same, they have more in common than not. The...

I have heard the cfa3 but only with susvara. That was a fantastic combo. I can imagine that it also does something special to the hd800S. And t2 and sr007 makes the 007 sound like a different headphone. Edit: I am still trying to figure out if the composer scales in the classic headfi use of...

Maybe we use the word diffuse very differently? To me the problem with the SR-009S is that it is too diffuse and certainly the HD800S is more diffuse that the much more meaty and dense SR007. But I have kept both HD800S and 007 since they are very complementary. I am intrigued by your...

Jan Meier is an amazing engineer. I still have a Stagedac and if you feed it by coaxial it is as good or better than lots of modern dacs. I am not surprised by your results with the Corda Soul. For years Jan has tuned his amps using the HD800S, so it's not surprising his statement TOTL dac amp...

Dude you have a super power! I am not being sarcastic. It's just really rare that someone can know so accurately in show conditions what headphones are going to work for them, Hats off to you! FWIW I am not trying to convince tyou of anything. Have been around headfi for a while now, it seems...

It's true we all hear things differently. But as I recall you only heard the composer at a big audio show. Not quite the same as getting to audition the other headphones you mention at home in with your gear. Having lived with the Composer for months, plus having had more than 20 friends listen...

As someone who loves both the HD800, the HD800S and The Composer... The Composer is the significantly better headphone. However, if all I did was listen to Symphony and Chamber music, I would stick with the HD800 or the S, but slightly in favor of the former. Other kinds of acoustic music it is...

I don't find them especially hot. But it's true that when we have an extreme southern france summer heatwave, I'll switch to iems. But that's true for all my other over ears too.

And you neck and shoulders will say hd800s if you want long listening sessions. Have you considered what the effect of the weight of ZMF will be?

You do realize that DCS doesn't make a delta sigma dac? Not only that they do listen to the competition. So do I. I only have r2r dacs in my stationary systems. I stand by what I said. You find it unbelievable, perhaps I am just really deaf.

I think the whole point is not to say who is right nor who is wrong, but to say what we've learned. I celebrate your experience as compleetly valid for you My friend is an early investor in DCS. I have heard quite a number of high end dacs for extended demos with my gear. I am pretty sure I...

I like everything above. For my persoanl additionss: Transducers are the most important part of the chain Amps: prefer discrete to op amps, but there are exceptions. Make sure your amp has the right impedence curve and power for your transducer DACs beyond a certain level of competency are...

What's the point of making ad hominem attacks? It doesn't have anything to do with headphones nor does it make head-fi more fun or increase the sense of comraderie. I suppose some people get a weird social media type endorphin hit... Let's try to stay on The merits and demerits of The Composer.

Although there are many differences, both headphones were developed to a reference type of sound. At the time the HD800 came out other then the SR007, no other totl headphones did much bass. Both the hD800S and Composer are brighter headphones and are trying to give you a lot of visibilty deep...

Yes but cherry picking and mischaracterizing a review to fit your argument is fair game. When chesebert gave his review after listening to the composer and preferred the HD800S, no one responded negatively.

Yes. I wish we went back to the days of everbody measuring it. And the HD800S measures really well in that regard. But it isn't the whole story. The Susvara is one of the very best headphones I have ever heard (when properly amped) but it's CSD plot is not all that good. But we digress. You do...

Clarity and control are also subjective. There is no objective measure of those two. I would say the composer is equal on both of those measures compared to HD800S. I have spent more time the S than any other headphone. I listened to the composer several times a week since it came out.

It's actually worth mentioning that in my unscientific poll of friends who listened to my HD800S, SR007 and Composer, The HD800S came in third every time.

Yes at the price of 1400 euro he recommends the HD800S. At the price of 2500 euro he recommends the Composer. Do you really believe that it's a recommendation even though it is actually a less good headphone than the considerably cheaper HD800S? If you read the review carefully instead of...

For your genre of music, which I do listen to, it's definitely the composer all the way. Honestly, if I want to hear symphony, I prefer my stereo to any headphone.

Except for symphony and most chamber music, the composer is better than the HD800S. YMMV

The Composer has better bass than nearly any other open back. Most of the high end planars don't go as deep into the sub bass as the composer.

To be fair, his review wasn't that negative. He prefers a more harmon type of bass response, rather than the more linear response of the Composer. In addition although he liked the Composer, he felt that it was priced too high given the competition. But I am with you, the Composer is clearly...