What about ear spiral? Custom art? Jerry Harvey? Is there a more comprehensive listing with descriptions? I am leaning towards silicone over acrylic. Thanks! Matt

Hi, My company recently made the transition to an open office space and I’d like to invest in a pair of comfortable iems with clean, neutral sound that I can wear for 4-8 hours a day. Currently I wear etymotics er5 and I’m relatively happy, but I would like a custom fit. My budget is around...

Hi maymur,   I only have experience with the HD25 and ATH-ESW9A.  I can confirm that ATH-ESW9A are probably not durable enough to be hoisted around on a daily basis as the wooden cups will scratch and the wires are thin.  The HD25 would be far better suited for that purpose.  Personally, I...

Quote:   As a fellow old-timer...couldn't agree more :(   ~ Matt

Well my experience is that the O2 and Gilmore series are both fantastic, neutral amps...which means that they ought to sound indistinguishable.  Because there aren't any design flaws.  That's not necessarily a bad thing.   The build quality is worth the added price for most readers IMHO.

Nice review.   Isn't the GS-1 like a Gilmore Lite/Dynalo on steroids?  These amps are legendary and shall never be forgotten!   Too much focus on bling-bling and FOTM in these forums...   I only wish that headamp still sold the Gilmore Lite *sigh*

I'm amazed that our forum members have endured this long largely on amicable terms...something of a testament to the head-fi board.   But if the OP insists that he can hear no difference with/without a headphone and yet persists in bludgeoning our belief that a headphone amplifier might...

Gilmore Lite and O2 are among my favorites but I'm sure there are many others under $500.  I never saw a reason to spend more than that and I certainly would never purchase a tube amp, the antithesis of "neutral."   If I want to color my sound, I use an equalizer.  Infinite customization on...

Top-of-the-line amps without any meaningful distortion, channel crosstalk, output impedance issues etc. ought to be indistinguishable.   A volume-matched, blind comparison of two amps will lay to rest most of the claims made by the "golden ears" in these forums.  Try it at a head-fi meet...

Only one of these amps is worth considering so I only voted for one.   Not sure about Audinist, never tried it.  DAC/Amp combo, not pure amp.   - Matt

I feel that DT880/AKG701/HD600 are the headphones you should be looking at considering your price range (~500 amp+headphone) and desire for a headphone that would scale well with the Marantz.   Gun to my head, I would pick the DT880 for you (more fun) although I am an AKG man myself...

You can get a good amp for ~250 that would drive an AKG701 or HD600.   I don't feel the HD598 is in the same class as the HD600/AKG701/DT880.  I've always found it underwhelming even within its price range.

AKG 701 are the most "neutral" but given your description/preferences, I'm not convinced that's actually what you want.   Matt

Save up and buy custom JH13 etc.

I'm sorry, you can't peg a price on these headphones if you are serious about obtaining a headphone with a balanced signature.   On that basis you can't assign any dollar value to them if you are interested in accurate reproduction.

I like them but the TF10 have some serious, fundamental sonic limitations that cannot be overlooked.  I always and unequivocally EQ the mid-range because it is clearly not balanced. 

I've owned nearly every piece of audio equipment imaginable and have begun to need a closed portable headphone as of late.  I read some complimentary reviews of the ESW9 and picked these up on the off-chance that they would change my mind regarding closed supra-aural portable headphones, a...

o.k. thanks, I might have to think about it but I'd prefer an integrated headset.

I need a microphone.  Stax does not have a microphone.  The audiotechnica line is uncomfortable for me because my head is not huge.   How about the Sennheiser line?  I've listened to a bazillion headphones but I am limited when it comes to mic + headphone combos.

Yeah Malveaux, I was taking a good look at the Astro mixamp/A40 and thought it was one of the few hardware devices that would fit my needs.  Are other mic/headsets compatible with the amp on PC/Xbox or must you use the A30/A40?

Hi folks,   I've been searching the forums for the best gaming headphones which are both Xbox and PC compatible.  It's not quite clear what the answer would be, at least judging from previous posts.   Please factor in the quality of the mic as well with associated peripherals.  ...

Just buy JH13 Pro and EQ them, then you're done.

The audiophile IEM landscape has changed significantly since I last visited this site.   How do the TF10 compare to the current top-tier generic fit IEM offerings?  Price is not a limiting factor.   Also, does mic capability degrade audio quality?   A top three ranking would be...

If you could attend a head-fi meet, that would be an immense influence on your future purchases.   I would wait a couple months to hit the next one that comes up, sample the best gear, buy ONE headphone (THE BEST), an amp to drive them, a source, and maybe ONE IEM (THE BEST).  Then leave...

these posts which do not include a budget, the headphone, or the source are incredibly annoying...