hey... I must say I think the HD650 is a superb can! I listened to it a while ago at a high-end salon powered by the Bryston amp that looks like a pre. Source was CD, a Krell with the ultra quiet transport and reddish display. I chose K701 because I opted for its sound signature. Neutral, that is.

Don't know about the seller's testing method, but those are relatively early meaning they can take more than 450 on the plate. I've seen later G.E.s which cannot handle ~500vdc anode volts without some plate 'blushing' which of course can release elemental deposits in the anode, thus ruining the...

red and white 'beats' by monster , pizzeria last week. various(!) earbuds/iems whatever the current buzzword is. i couldn't name one pair. In town, by the stores, at the beach in summer, at work. but to date, the best sighting I've seen was probably Sennheiser HD-580s on vacation in New Mexico.

Regarding the SX-1980. I had a one-owner SX-1280 which I lost in hurricane Sandy. i needed to replace the volume attenuator, ACV-163 since it had a buzzing when i touched the knob. and intermittently during operation. Worn tracks in the part. That being said, it was as mint a unit as is...

of course the Magni and Modi conform to fcc 15(b). if they didn't, neither would be as popular since both would be considered non-compliant, and relegated to sketchy eBay listings, etc. IMO   To have sporadic noise induced into the amp's power supply cord is a totally separate kettle-o-fish.

hey hodgjy , I'd love to hear that system. Enjoy!

Ha ! What I meant is that we all learn as we go along. Hell, I used to possess an entirely different set of viewpoints.  

Often times, as is the case with Schiit Magni, the volume potentiometer is simply an input attenuator. All you'd notice is a lower volume-knob position for equal volume. Still, awful idea to " double-amp ". The novice will always realize their mistakes later on in this hobby.  

No it is very uncommon. Poor practice, if you ask me. What you're essentially doing is adding gain where it is not needed. Also, to feed output of one amplifier into the input of another is totally backwards if you are seeking signal purity.

Somewhere in my attic, I have a 1950s Admiral black and white television chock-full of those Sylvania 6SN7s (with elongated gettering). I may pull them and sell them. I could easily insert a lesser tube in that tv chassis and get the same performance.

Right on ! Last night, late, I spun for the first time a copy of Berlioz-Harold In Italy on Columbia stereo LP.. It took fifty years before my copy got a listen, and it was worth the wait :) Although some of those '60s Columbia pressings were miked oddly.   It certainly seems that this...

I'm tempted to try one of their DACs..and yes, definitely the best 99 bucks i've spent in audio thus far!  

Well, volume potentiometer position is very relative of course. Meaning, not only is source a factor, but individual track levels due to mastering can vary quite a bit.   Gee this thread has died out. I am still using number 171 with my AKG 701s to great avail . Using a wide range of source...

headphone/computer station i need a new camera, yes. i haven't included pics of most of my other gear since it is not headphone related.    

+1 on Furman. Even their lesser offerings are superb for the coin. A system usually sounds better after " Furmanizing " !! :) Unusual that the Magni sounds better in my system straight-into the wall. But then again, I'd never use a power conditioner for amplification unless it was a regenerator.