After purchasing Zoom U-44 for 6 months, I can't believe I am writing a review to describe how good it sounds. Here is why I highly recommend it for computer audiophiles. (1) Unbeatable functionality, a swiss-army-knife for all audio needs Computer audio interface: 96/24, USB, 4-in-4-out...

It has been a long time since I have posted on head-fi. Sorry for posting the same thread twice. How do I delete this thread? Can the moderator help me?

Disclaimer: The designer of Marvalve Model 2 DAC, Dalun Yuan, is a friend of mine. As a frequent poster on head-fi, I am writing this review from the perspective of an ordinary home user. I borrowed Marvalve DAC for comparison against my Benchmark DAC2 HCG. The Marvalve is obviously much better...

Sorry, Double Post. But I don't know how to delete this thread. Please see the other thread: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/review-marvalve-model-two-dac-vs-benchmark-dac2-hcg.884440/

  I am sure this amplifier is dead quiet. It has only one EL84 tube running at low voltage. It could be the tube that needs replacing. On any tube amplifier, I always use ultra-sensitive ear buds to check tube noises. Both preamp and power tubes could vary widely in noise levels, including...

I know Dalun Yuan quite well. He used to be the chief engineer of Nuforce for a few years and designed a few successful products. He is now starting a new company called Marvalve and this is the first product. This amp is completely manufactured in Taiwan, and Dalun is one of the most respected...

  No doubt both are excellent for classical music, and many other kinds of music as well. HE560 has better bass response, which is the nature of its driver design, and to my ears better tonality in high frequencies (this part may relate to individual's ear-related transfer function). Moreover...

  I don't doubt that a very experienced person may be able to make a decent, quick judgment based on one hour of listening. It's like a wine expert or a painting expert who have been exposed to this stuff for years. Of course all that experience is built upon countless hours of careful...

  Great comments. Thanks for sharing. Any thoughts on Beyer T1? 

  Powerful amps and orthodynamic headphones have raised the bar of headphone listening, IMHO. As competition intensifies and the market expands, we can certainly expect even better headphones. How about revisiting the diffuse-field listening concept of AKG K1000?

An upscale-looking CEC CD player (model unknown) was connected to Eddie Current Balancing Act (balanced headphone output) with KR PX4 tubes installed. A rather sizable TEAC CD player (model unknown) was connected to Burson Conductor using TRS headphone jack. The difference between tube and SS...

Having heard some old-time goodies like Sennheiser HE-90, Stax Omega II and Sony R10, and owning 5 pairs of AKG K1000 currently, I have not been particularly impressed with the previous generation of flagship headphones (HD650, K702, DT880, some woody Audio Technicas) for playing classical and...

I have two Topping TP22 amps, one for bedroom and one for office. They are built well, and sound smooth and clean. I have used 10 different integrated amplifiers under $1000, both solid state and tubes, and the original Sonic Impact T-amp as well. TP22 is good enough to be called entry level...

I bought DAC1 almost 9 years ago and never liked the built-in amp, being kind of lifeless and not particularly high-resolution, easily beaten by a Ray Samuel's cheapest portable amp. But the converter is great and I keep using it for years without bothering to upgrade.   Now it looks like...