If I try this, would there be any degradation to sound quality mixing SE and XLR cables? Such as SE from DAC to tube amp and XLR from tube amp to Mentor.

I’ve been listening to my new Mentor for the past five days and really like it. Apparently, it will sound even better after 100 hours of burn-in. It packs a nice punch and it’ll take some to determine if I’ll like it better than my tube amps. There’s a certain “thickness” to the tube amps that I...

Agreed that the WA22 is phenomenal, but for hard to drive, low-sensitivity planars (Abyss 1266, Tungsten, Susvara), the horsepower of the Flux gets the job done.

Laptop->RME ADI2-> Amp

Flux Mentor arrived yesterday. Absolutely superb and impressively powerful solid state amp. Once I source some proper interconnects, I can try my WA22 as a preamp:

Quick observations, less than 24 hours after arrival: The Abyss 1266 (and I reckon other hard-to-drive, low sensitivity, planars) are driven to proper (dare I say, perfect) levels with stunningly full frequency range. These particular headphones are capable of so much sub-bass and bass and the...

It’s very different. It’s solid state, a lot more wattage, and I got it specifically to drive tough planar headphones like the Abyss 1266. The MZ3 is a phenomenal OTL tube amp and pairs well with just about everything else.

Yes, linear power supply, but for my MZ3 amp.

OK, new amp arrived today. Now I understand what scaling up the 1266 means. There was another x% available in my headphones and I needed a powerful, thick, punchy amp to bring the 1266 to its potential. I now believe the Flux Mentor does this in spades. This is my first and likely last, solid...

Ahh, that makes sense. OK- I just tried it on low and medium and it produces great sound on both. The volume knob past Noon behaves and is set differently on each gain setting, but the headphones are fully driven, even when on LOW. It is definitely loud enough. By that, I mean the push and girth...

Arrived! Total time from order to USA delivery was exactly two weeks. Right off the bat- I did not realize that I'd have to have the volume up so high on HIGH gain mode for the Abyss 1266. Sounds absolutely H-U-G-E thus far. It really is wide-reaching on the frequency range. I'll look forward...

Satan? My (former) best friend married her. I have seen the unholy embodiment of all that is pure evil. She’s a hair dresser from the Bronx.

Technically, this is Praise & Worship music!

I might have no choice :beyersmile:!! I have to keep turning away the low-ballers.

Thanks, this is reassuring. I was starting to question myself that I've priced them too high, but they're near mint and it sounds like my pricing is fair. The bottom line for me- They are fantastic headphones, but I don't reach for them as much as others. I could totally just keep them or give...