As a new aspiring audiophile, I was skeptical that cables could make any difference. I was going to get Norne cable for pure aesthetics and physical function, but when you said it made a clear difference in sound, I got excited lol.   Can someone point me into the right direction for the grill...

Admittedly, I'm a bit scared to pull apart my brand new headphones, but it looks easy enough. Is there a definitive guide that people are following around here? I saw the initial HifiMan Grill Mod thread, but wondering if there was anything more popular/newer.   I listen to 320kb/FLAC/AAC...

Solved the bass problem, or the sound stage problem?   I'm still waiting for an email response to get my Norne cable. I was thinking of getting a Draug or the upcoming Solv line for my HE-560. Think there will be much of an improvement over the Vanquish that you have?

Back to your topic.. I feel the same way, which is why I've sadly been looking into getting some high end closed headphones for when I'm in the mood.

Has anyone else noticed the build quality isn't the best?   I got mine brand new from RazorDog, and the black plastic appears to have some painting issues. Two to three build ups or raised areas in the paint, especially on the inside of the frame. I can also see glue on one side above the ear...

Hey guys, just wondering how long everyone leaves (or is willing to leave) their Lyr 2 or similar tube amps on for. If I was to use it while playing pc games for 8 hours, would it be alright? I don't care about the tube life (they are easily replaced), I'm just worried about the actual board and...

Hey, question for you guys about sound quality. Where do you tend to get your high quality tracks/mixes from? I'm contemplating signing up for di.fm premium, but as previously mentioned, the prices aren't as attractive anymore, and my rural internet isn't up to snuff. Are the majority of mixes...

I too have been doing a lot of research for a gaming setup and deciding on whether or not to get an external DAC. In my case, I'll be playing a lot of high quality music when I'm not gaming, so I'll personally have a soundblaster z hooked up to an external DAC via optical, to an external Amp to...

I think I finally found some information that I'm confident in, on pages 141-144 of the huge "z / zx / zxr" thread.   Apparently with a higher quality amp, you can plug a z series card into an amp using the 3.5mm to RCA, and the double amping won't be a problem.   Also, apparently the...

I like the advice here. Back to the surround.. what is the best option for still getting the surround with an external amp? My current motherboard has no optical port, so I think I absolutely need a soundblaster z at the least, and it will handle the SBX processing. Now how do I get the surround...

Have there been any recent developments? What do you all think about a simple Soundblaster Z for the surround, output to an external DAC and Amp? It seems to be the suggestion of most threads, or just a Z + Amp.

Awesome, I've been trying to gather information on these two cards! Can I ask, have you compared them using headphones? If so, which ones? Also, have you compared them whilst playing PC games? I'm planning to pick up some HE-400 or HE-500's, and I primarily game, but listen to...

Hey there, avid computer gamer and trance/house/electro listener here, just taking the plunge into better sound. I've been doing a lot of research on my quest to find the best gaming setup for positional ques in FPS games as well as an epic sound for games like Skyrim!