You can get a "nuclear fusion reactor" headphone amp for like $300 bucks now (SMSL THX AAA variants).

Yeah, listening to Vlad Tepes on a $30k setup is overkill, but it is what it is. :) I'm also not sure where to go from here. I've got TOTL closed/open headphones and solid state/tube amps. Been toying with the idea of getting a mastering-grade analog EQ so I can have a pure path from the file...

After a few weeks and lots of break-in, happy to say that the Stealth still stands up against the best TOTLs in the world... at least the ones I own (TC and LCD-4). A great piece of gear that should be auditioned by anyone looking for any headphone in this price range. Maybe the fact that it...

Yeah, the Furutech. My other Nornes have the Eidolic so I wanted to mix things up. And I've seen all the controversial posts about earpad deformation on Dan Clark headphones over time, so we'll see what happens. I usually replace pads every few years anyways due to wear so it doesn't phase me. I...

It's a rough fabric so it transmits some noise when moving around. I'm not sure there is a laws-of-physics way around that.

It's not particularly light, but it doesn't bother me because I have strong neck muscles (thanks to years of listening to the Abyss). And the Stealth itself IS light.

Norne Skollvar is in. I think I know what I like most about these headphones now -- the midrange is powerful and intimate without sacrificing soundstage. Very TOTL Audeze-like.

Yes, 80hz and below is gone if you do that, I had to put on rap to be sure.

One more immediate observation: each cup has a port at the top. This port is responsible for significant external sound leakage, and it's easy to test: take off the headphones, push them against each other while playing something loud, and compare what you can hear with your fingers over the...

First impressions are exactly as I had in the store. Construction quality is fantastic, and comfort is great. Not exactly sure how the strap suspension system works internally but it is an excellent innovation. The feel of the vegan pads is absolutely wonderful. As for sound, it's still early...

Convenient to have one closer to the Abyss and LCD-4 in sensitivity so I can more easily use the same settings on the same amps (I switch back-and-forth often). Anyways, I now have a Stealth on order after demoing one today.

Welp... I really needed a low-sensitivity closed-back I could use on the same amps at the same settings as my Abyss TC, and I got tired of waiting for the Abyss Closed to appear. So I headed to a nearby shop to demo the Stealth against my current favorite closed -- the Stellia. I own the Ether-C...

Looking for the most IN-sensitive TOTL closed-back headphones, for ease of running on powerful tube amps. Most seem to bottom out at 100dB, the only exceptions I can find so far being the Dan Clark TOTLs -- the Stealth seems even more power-hungry than the Abyss! Any other options here? Been...

From what I remember the Cayin does not have any gain control beyond what the volume knob does, so it's not suited for less sensitive headphones if you can't stand a noticeable noise floor. Whereas the WA-5 has effectively 4 levels of gain, and does as good as you could theoretically expect from...

The OG is the king of dynamics and bombast, any music that fits that bill is exemplified. Shoot for the TC someday and you'll gain the detail and precision that Abyss built into the upgraded model, while keeping all of the earlier good stuff.