I don't know much about tube amps as I haven't really heard any.  I am somewhat of a purist and therefore prefer the dynamic range of SS amps although at times the bass is somewhat lacking (but well defined and punchy).  I think without my wire amp the bass was lacking, and with the amp the bass...

I spoke to the designer of the O2.  I think that the amp will clip if you try to get to the highest volume levels for the k340, but for regular listening would be perfectly fine.  I use the balanced version of the wire which seems to do a very good job for amplification, but I would believe that...

1. Assuming you have no deep scratches in the rubber or your connection, no it should not affect your cord.  Rubber is hydrophobic and non-porous so it should not affect your cord.  The connection is gold plated so it should not oxidize.   2. Water vapor will probably lead to quicker aging...

DAC - Digital to analog converter.  Essentially does exactly what it says.  This converts a digital signal (1s and 0s) that comes from optical, coaxial etc into an analog signal that can be used to play sound waves (superposition of waves).  This is essential and you cannot do without it.  The...

  Quote:   Mostly very true indeed.  You should not put a price-tag on the amplifier as many users have mentioned the O2 amp is quite good and cheap and none of the amps that I use are expensive amplifiers and it doesn't make sense to require a large amount of money to amplify a signal...

Popping sounds like you are reaching the limitation of the receiver or that you are pushing the limit of the headphones and is not noise from the rest of your system.  Noise from your system will be obvious.  If there is nothing playing and there is sound coming through your headphones that is...

I have a buffalo->wire->K340 sitting in my office, and work as a grad student which is pretty over the top.  In general, I feel it makes my time that I'm sitting in my office (not in the lab) more enjoyable.  I previously had hd280s in the office which bugged me since they sounded really unclear...

I built mine as well.  Have yet to upload pictures for owen, but performs exactly as described and is sound controlled by the buffalo it is connected to.

Portable amps don't have to have a built in torroid as it runs off of batteries.  A properly designed portable amp should be able to have a clean sound, but there will always be a problem of power vs battery life vs size.  For higher power and the same battery lifetime, more batteries will need...

Sorry about your misfortunes.  I've never heard of an electret dying although it is possible to happen.  To decouple the problem with the electret vs pcb I would swap in another electret and see if you have the same problem.  If the other electret doesn't work then you probably have a damaged...

I don't disbelieve that you take great care in taking your measurements to make sure that everything is as similar as can be.  I think that the most valid area for us to be looking is the upper bass and midrange for channel imbalance.  Indeed in these areas the HD800 and sr-009 (innerfidelity...

I think this is something that is very expected when taking measurements.  While you are using the same microphone and setup there are a lot of small parameters that can change when you are taking measurements which can cause differences in this frequency response.  Simple examples are the...

High gain is fine for ipods and portable sources which have lower voltage capabilities compared to desktop sources.  A higher gain for a weaker signal of portable sources at 0.5-1V is fine as this will get to you similar voltage swings of desktop sources.  However, when you are using a desktop...

The e11 will probably be fine in all regards for your headphone use and can drive the hd650 to extremely loud volumes.  I wouldn't use high gain if you don't plan on using it with a portable player as the signal will likely end up clipping.

Digital is right, and math suggests that you likely damaged your drivers due to the volume.  See the below charts:     Weakest sound heard 0dB Whisper Quiet Library 30dB Normal conversation (3-5') 60-70dB Telephone dial tone 80dB City Traffic (inside car) 85dB Train...