As has already been mentioned, a certain amount will depend upon the configuration/quality of either XLR or SE implementation throughout the system...not to mention, as always, personal preference. As for balanced power and sensitive headphones, my easy to drive Empyreans (w/Angled Alcantara...

Yo bn...lost count of the times I thought it had reached its zenith lol, after tweaking to the nth degree! :). Naturally, much will depend on the rest of the system of course...that wonderful word - synergy. And here, luck also must surely be a factor very much underrated IMHO! :wink: Every time...

Although already highly impressed with OOR/Hypsos in bypass mode for a good while now (as described in depth previously), months into using Denon's flagship DCD A110 (SA)CD/DVD-R player's transport as source into mscaler/TT2 as DAC/preamp, and I'm even more impressed with the Ferrum combo's...

Coax digital out every time (with high spec DIY cable), even though most of the upgrades to the £3000 A110 were in the analog circuitry lol! Madness in the eyes of some to use it 'just' as transport, but digital out circuit is so good that, along with (albeit sometimes temperamental) DVD-R...

Yes G, fortunate indeed to afford the Chord gear, despite those who espouse R2R as the only way to go lol! ;) But I do firmly believe that TT2 & mscaler especially benefit greatly from mono crystal OCC based cables throughout the system...preferably silver :). Glad you too had a similar...

Hi j...I'd say all depends on what you call "decent" cables. From my own experience - and such as @Mediahound 's, I'm sure similar gains can be had for less cost (not to mention more user-friendly lol! ;)). However, I personally would advise careful research into their likely pedigree - viz the...

Never were truer words spoken, G....and, as is always the case, different systems will deliver (sometimes confusingly!) different final results, even when all sharing a good few similar components. For example, in my own case, balanced out from TT2/mscaler to my Ferrum OOR/Hypsos combo suffers...

Yes indeed k402...this kind of hum is also an interesting/frustrating one as, with my TT2/mscaler example, some folks have no problem and yet others are forced to separate them, even with full sized headphones let alone iems. I suspect the reason could often be the degree of shielding/EMI & RFI...

Re transformer (etc) hum, this is a facinating - not to mention frustrating! subject, and one with various causes. And usually it's not necessarily the transformer itself as such the main culprit...including Hypsos's. So often it will be down to electronic/electrical equipment within one's...

IMHO "musicality" is just one of OOR's (esp +Hypsos) star qualities, along with enough power to do justice to the likes of Susvara (according to most reviewers). And along with 'power', it's dynamic quality is also well documented...not to mention its dynamic range handling prowess. Apart from...

Agreed s3...and this goes for all power cables in my book, if one can stretch to it lol ;)... it's not just interconnects/headphone cables that benefit from mono crystal OCC silver wire (preferably solid), especially if combined with OCC copper (again solid) for the latter 2 :relaxed:

Best by far IMHO is to dispense with any such degradation to the signal and use OOR's deal-winner bypass facility, assuming good quality preamp feed (such as digitally controlled via 'AMP' out from my Chord TT2... albeit a rather expensive option lol :wink:). :)

Hi h350. I personally have the TT2/mscaler combo feeding OOR/Hypsos and OG Empys (with angled Alcantara pads and ultra high spec DIY UP-OCC solid silver and copper-wired cable). Using TT2's 'AMP' out as volume control and OOR in bypass mode, this combo in my own setup delivers everything...

Hate to keep beating the drum guys but I must amend my recent post re improvements going fully balanced. Much to my surprise, the difference is FAR more than just a measly "not slight" now the new connectors, and circuitry, have burned in nicely. Never expected to hear so much more detail coming...

Hi @Wladimir and @Ravenor . Although I have talked about cable wire and construction at some length previously, may I just recap the main points I personally regard as perhaps of interest to those hunting for good cables - headphone and, importantly, interconnect (analog and digital). After...

On 'tweaking' etc pushing OG Empy's performance to new heights (especially with AA pads!)... having thought I myself couldn't stretch it any further after forsaking streaming in favour of much superior performance (IMHO) via top class (SA)CD/DVD-R(hi-res) as source, these canny cans have bowled...

Just to round off my previous post re. system factors that can influence quite significantly OG Empy's performance, its chameleon-like nature has once again been confirmed, in my own particular case at least, by my Ferrum OOR's trick of altering sound delivery simply by changing the voltage feed...

Although normally very unimpressed with such showdowns, suffering almost as many deficiencies as sampling at audio fairs, I must admit he gives a reasonably balanced view of each's general characteristics...in his system/environment. And along with obviously not having been able to live with...

Spot on J81...Empy 1 + AA pads = can give all one's heart desires. But preferably in a well resolving, not overly warm system (including cables) lol! :gs1000smile: And one does have to allow for personal preference of course! :wink:

Right on FB1. And further to your appropriate assessment of (biased) attitudes to OG Empys, I would propose that one of the greatest influential factors - apart from nefarious commercial chicanery that is! - must be the (frightening) power of autosuggestion...much more so than most folks...

For fear of repeating myself, these headphones are actually capable of scaling extremely well IMHO, if one is prepared to invest time, money and effort in the rest of the system (if DIY inclined), as I detailed some time back. The money saved from forgetting the likes of the crazy money for...

As I mentioned a while back, in pretty well every sphere you care to name, the words : "New improved" can usually be relied upon to mean at best "King's New Clothes" syndrome, but more likely - if you're like me, to get the hairs on the back spikier than a darn hyena lol!! :fearful:

GREAT, FB1....this is something I've been wanting to say for a VERY long time, but have been too cowardly lol...WELL DONE and WELL SAID!!...to everything you said. On the plus side, there will hopefully be some really good bargains about for some lucky, sensible folks... :gs1000smile:

Further to my previous comments on how OG Empyreans can be coaxed into a performance that, for me at least, fills most of the gaps experienced by others, I'm happy (and surprised!) to report that having upgraded my excellent Denon DCD1600 NE (SA)CD player as source to their amazing DCD A110...

Ditto Natarian. But for me, I would need to be convinced that the reviewer has lived with both for a very long time...which happens only too rarely alas. Short periods/early impressions can only ever give a hint of superficial differences...true capabilities, with a host of variable (important)...