I received my Truthear Zero Red's today. They're not as detailed as the Hexa's but overall I'm digging them more. Definitely worth the $55 I paid. Loving my new ChiFi hobby.

It would have been better not to have a 4.4mm out in the first place. Nothing is worse than a buzz, hiss, hum, or any kind of pitched noise. Back to using the apple dongle.

It's just a DAC. It's not that amazing. Using with Truthear Nova. I'm a sucker for trying different DACs. It ain't bad but it does nothing special. I should just spend more on headphones/iems.

Very well put.  I've experienced this with headphone amps in the past. The HA-540 being one of them.  Sent it back to them twice and they still never fixed it.  They claimed a bad tube the first time even though I had tried 6 different tubes in it.  Second time, they claimed there was a solder...

The vali is being run with MacBook & pure music > vlink 192 > gungnir. This whole headphone thing is finally starting to make sense.

The VALI SHOWED UP T0day. It's my favorite hp amp. Ive only used a Belari ha-540 and dragonfly so not much to compare it to. I've never heard my q-701's sing like this.

Vali incoming.  I already have Modi, Bifrost, and Gungnir so I'm new to their amps.  Is there a verdict on the best headphone for this little hybrid?

Heard the modi/vali combo with LCD-2 today at RMAF and was very impressed.

I also prefer the V192 over the Gungir's USB implementation.  I would go with the non-USB version.

I have not tried Audirvana so maybe I should trial it.  The Gungnir's USB implementation might excel in dynamics and other areas but I favor the more natural and analog sound I get from my MBP's optical.  I'll continue to listen and compare although I think my ears have made up their mind.

I went ahead and purchased a V-Link 192.  It beats out the Gungnir's onboard USB in that it is less edgy.  Also, I have yet to encounter the screeching defect with the V-link using PureMusic.  However, I still prefer the optical out on the mac over the v-link.  The USB just sounds choppy in...

Yes, I am running apple lossless files through the AE. The light only comes on after a few minutes of listening.... Sometimes longer. I don't think the file type would matter but more so the digital transport itself.

I finally got the 'buy better gear light' to turn on.  The Gungnir does not like the Airport express' optical signal.

I love this dac and almost prefer it to my turntable setup.

I heard the Lyr - HE400 combo at RMAF off of the Bifrost and was very impressed. They play extremely well off of each other.