They have a very hard to pin-down sound quality. To me they have subdued, laid-back or even muffled macro-dynamics, but very articulate, clearly rendered micro-dynamics. This results in a more surreal sound quality (or the sort of etched stars against a black sky description). It usually sounds...

it’s always really hard to say with break-in whether and when the change happens. I thought mine sounded pretty good from the get-go, but a bit muffled maybe. Also, despite being easy to drive, they seem to be amp dependent. So I’d test with various amps before making conclusions about the...

With the Arctic OCC cables, these have turned into quite the little detail monsters. I keep hearing new details in my music, particularly evident in things like trailing echoes at the ends or silent parts of songs.

Just the DF black. And I will say that it synergises well with both night-birds and sounds great as a simple, low cost solution. I believe the red or cobalt will introduce more detail & sharpness, which the birds can handle being on the warm/polite side. That said, I don't believe these little...

Any chance someone can give me a little guidance on tube rolling? I've gathered a list of some of the tubes that have been mentioned here, but never done any rolling, and don't really know where to start. My MZ2 has the stock upgraded tubes. I'm very happy with the current sound, but no hurt in...

Does anyone have any recommendations for IEM I could use primarily for sleep? I have a narrow ear canal, and most off-the-shelf in-ear options do not fit (Particularly the ones that go into the ear canal). And the ones that do not go into have horrible isolation. My only hope for a good fit...

I’d say I preferred going directly through e-mu vs.drop. More options, and $ goes to the seller.

with my Microzotl MZ2 (which absolutely kills with every other headphone, including the he500) they were a little underwhelming. lacking in punch & livelyness. THX 789 sounds better using the balanced out.

Regarding leakage, they did not pass the wife test: When my wife is sharing the office, she throws something at me when she can hear the headphones. The only one that have passed the test BTW are the Audeze EL-8 - I love these. But the Teaks are fun when I want to have a bass romp. Been through...

I realize this is not at all headphone related, but what's better while listening to music than a good cup of tea? A killer deal from my favorite tea store: because this chance to save 29% sitewide only comes around for one day every four years! Use code LEAPYEAR to save on your favorite teas...

It was a little under $200 I think from http://arcticcables.com It's the 4 wire OCC with the AQ Nighthawk/owl connectors. Fantastic cable in terms of sound, flexibility/comfort & lack on microphonics

The new Drop Panda is also supposed to be a game changer in this regard, with built in THX amplification. I just have a hard time imagining even the most powerful micro amp delivering the kind of current you get from a bigger mains powered amp.

I have no doubt that the sound accuracy will get there. Could even be better since we're eliminating the cable. We're already pushing hi-rez files over wi-fi losslessly. But will they ever compete in terms of the muscle that only a desk-top amp can provide, or the vivid liveliness of a tube amp?

I'm experiencing cognitive dissonance: the sound quality from these $134.54 headphones doesn't compute. Even better with my Arctic OCC cable.

https://nacholabrada.bandcamp.com/releases Excellent jazz-fusion from Uruguay

It does stand to reason that a cable could function as a tone control, introducing resistance & capacitance. In hi-fi speaker land, I've been agnostic on the effect of cables, investing in decent ones, but never sure the difference they made. But in headphone land, the synergy affect of all...

The dragonfly black has fantastic synergy with the NO. This is the combo I took on vacation last year, and then for regular late night listening sessions after I returned. It lacks some of the drive of a more powerful amp, but just a very welcoming & enjoyable sound. I haven't tried the red or...

I posted more info earlier in this thread. But it blatantly improved upon all sonic areas, most obviously bass impact, mid presence & treble airiness. They are almost different headphones. Also an extremely supple, non-microphonic feel. They are the 4-wire OCC cable option. I should note that I...

I flip-flopped quite a bit since getting both. I preferred the NH at first, but with the Arctic OCC cable the NO is hands down my favorite of the two. The cable really brought them to life. The cable changes the NH as well, but not as much of a character change.

Wohoo! Audezee is the best! They definitely went above and beyond in taking care of my driver issue. Now my EL-8s are working great. These have risen to the top as my preferred closed back. Do these sound to anyone else like the closed back version of the HE-500? Not as wide or open sounding...

I already have what feels like (or close to) end game in my near field speaker system, and very satisfied with my full size setup (but room for improvement). it’s funny, I started out trying to find a near field speaker system that would come close to the headphone experience, and now I’m trying...

Or http://arcticcables.com I ordered mine from this site

There is some talk in the discussions (back in August) of Drop shipping an older version with the older titanium driver. Is that what you're referring to? Then someone saying the box was mislabeled, again back in Aug. I did see these comments. It says in the current description "graphene dynamic...

1more triple driver is back on Drop for $124, shipping this month. I just went in on it.

I said "isolating closed back end-game". It was Zeos that planted that seed, saying something like they outperform every close back that isolates extremely well up to $1600, including the EL8 and Ether C. I would assume the $1000+ semi-closed ZMF, Sennheiser & Focals are in a different camp.