Thanks! 

  Drugs would be a lot cheaper...

    Bugle Boys are pretty sweet tubes also when you can find some in good shape BTW.

  Mine sounds amazing out of the box.  I use it mostly with Westone 4Rs, I've never been even slightly tempted to use an outboard amp. In fact, the built in amp is a beast!  I've on occasion even used it to drive my LCD-2.2s   Mine has also been problem free.  There are a few "quirks".  As...

  You think this is better attributed to the more massive amp?  Or do you think it's more down to the DAC circuitry?   I understand that I'm asking you to speculate, I'll understand entirely if you don't care to do so.

  I absolutely love my 4Rs with my DX-100.  I'm using the star tips.

  Wow!  That's news to me! That's pretty shocking.  Did he sell the company?

  What's nice about the Lyr is that tube rolling can be very effective in tailoring sound signature if your particular set of headphones needs some help.   Personally, I think you can't go wrong really with either one.  But if you buy a Valhalla because you have high Z cans now, you may be...

The design topography of the Valhalla makes it a particularly good match for high Z headphones, but there's nothing about high Z headphones that automatically makes the Lyr a bad choice.   In fact, (and at this point I should probably point out that I have a Lyr, and I've never heard a...

    I hope you're joking...

    The Allman Brothers Band, recorded live in Hartford, CT 8/24/13.  It's an amazing show, and the fact that I was there makes it extra special to me!

It's been a while, I suppose it's about time we repost Joe's tube lore.  It's a good thing to repost every now and then, that way newbs can get the benefit without having to search too hard.   Be advised, this is a list of one man's opinions.  But these opinions have helped a lot of people...

    I haven't heard the A Frames, but I have read enough reviews to believe that the O getters are better.  According to some, significantly better.   I find it interesting that you described the mids as "sharper".  It's always great to get the perspective of others, especially on audio...

I think Tuna means Orange Globes.  They are nice, my current favorite.