Just got mine today. I like them! No nasty glare, and the fit and isolation are sufficient for my purposes (huge, noisy fan in my room).

mandrake50, money4me247: thanks for clearing that up. I guess the fact that Project Garage amps are all hybrids (and one SS) lends credence to the rule of thumb that hybrids are good for the 560.   Quote:   Yeah, afaik I'm the only person with a stated real-world example of a tube amp...

  I guess... I'm woefully inadequate at the real science of the stuff, but my layman's thought at the moment is that: 1) I've heard from more knowledgeable folks that full tube is generally bad for HE-560 2) I've tried my 560 out of a tube amp and there was actually distortion aplenty (it's a...

That's a hybrid though. To my understanding pure tube (OTL) with 560 is a bad idea, although there are probably exceptions.

Luis has another headphone??

I would think that all things being equal, 1/8 and 1/4 plugs have no sonic differences.

Yeah it's not ideal. Source: I had that pairing.

Tried them with a Pico DAC/amp. Wasn't really impressed.

  What amp do you have?  In lieu of a new thread, it might be faster to just search this one for models you're eyeing, or ask with your budget in mind.  Heaps of consensus on Lyr 2 (but which tubes, I dunno).  Lots of people also like the Ember and its ilk. TMRaven and I both have Asgard 2...

  So do you feel that they hit hard, as per TM's definition?

Whoa, why are you selling?

Haha not at all Skooks! We need more guys like you to tell us young whippersnappers what's what, give us some perspective on this hobby. Also, this is QOTD material:   

Great scott...Skooks is a 100-year-old audiophile!

Oh I think I see what you mean now: HA-1 has DSD, and you're saying it is a DAC/amp combo, so it really is an all-in-one device. If you end up adding a tube amp to it, I think that defeats the purpose of an all-in-one, and I'd go with Sonic Defender's suggestion: get a pure DAC like Gungnir, add...

    Do you consider DSD important? Because these 2 posts seem to contradict each other. And if DSD is important, Schiit has the Loki. 

Really? But on the Gungnir features page it says: "After the DAC, Gungnir uses fully discrete, JFET-input output stages for current gain and filtering. Following that, discrete, JFET-based summing stages convert the balanced signal to single-ended outputs, so that Gungnir can offer both...

  USB is an add-on for both those DACs, and it's the same upgrade (http://schiit.com/products/usb-gen-2-upgrade) for both DACs, so I think there is no difference in the connection.    In other respects, Bifrost and Gungnir differ: Bifrost has different analogue output from Gungnir (unless you...

  This one? http://www.meier-audio.homepage.t-online.de/classic.htm

  Ah. It was a bit confusing when you referred to the HE-400's bass one moment, then to the HE-400i's bass the next, and closed with a recommendation on the 400i although you began by saying you own the 400.     Hear hear!

money4me247, I thought you had the old HE-400? But at various points in your post, you refer to the new 400i?

  If we're talking about power on a budget, why Vali? Magni pushes out twice the power.

D1sturb3ed, if I was in your shoes I would try for a used O2 + ODAC (the all-in-one version). It's not portable but you only said portable to keep the size down right?

Asgard 2.  Beat out the pricier-but-portable Pico, and the cheaper-and-still-good-but-less-versatile Vali (it is of course useless for IEMs and sensitive headphones).

My Asgard 2 just arrived. Compared to the Pico DAC/amp, it sounds a little colder, but also more laid back. Highs aren't harsh, details still very audible. Soundstage is wider (I guess this is why it sounds more laid back?) and instrument placement and separation is better!  From memory (I've...

Wildcatsare1, thanks very much but I'm probably going to decide on the Asgard 2 within the next 24 hours. I've got a friend who'll be in the US next week, and he'll be able to pick up the amp, saving me international shipping costs and mark-up by local dealers.   Btw in case anyone's...