It seems that, once I picked up a few spare jumpers from a local TigerDirect (they were nice enough to give them to me), I replaced them and voila, there is no more channel imbalance. Also, the whooshing noise from the amp seemed to be the fault of the faulty jumpers, not the tubes. So for now...

According to the Little Dot tube rating thread, I have decided to get a pair of Voshkod 6ZH1P-EV. My WE408A tubes have a strange whooshing noise and I suspect that they are dying. Also, the jumpers in my model seem to be the cause of additional misfortune. The jumpers don't give good enough...

I've had the same reaction when I got my DT880s Give them a week and you will learn to appreciate its strengths.

I don't know about you but the Matrix M-stage has one of the best craftsmanship I have seen in an amp. Just because it came out of China doesn't mean it is automatically bad.  But whatever, Audio Technicha has their house amp but I can't remember the name.

IMO, pushing out all of the technicalities aside, the 32 ohm Beyer DT880 sounds just fine out of my Cowon. Though, I surely recommend an amp for the final touch. These "you can't drive them" horror stories aren't as dramatic as people think of them to be.  

Quote: Being one with upgraditis, that is difficult for me to imagine :) . If you think about it, do people really keep their gear forever?   

  Quote: Too bad the resale value of those cans will plummet. Personally, this is a bad idea if you are quick to sell. 

Quote: But they didn't did they? If you think about it, it's the responsibility of the store to ask what you're carrying. It's not the individual's fault that Saturn can't keep track of inventory, and OP is not going to do it for them.  

You know you are an audio-technicha when you can beyerdynamic all the sennheisers in the grado.

The matrix-m stage is a solid looking amp, with very fine craftsmanship. I recommend checking that out too. 

In that review thread, the HD25-1 II, MDR-ZX700, and M50 seems to be the best bang for the buck. They are low profile looking just like you asked.

I can hear up to 17khz. At 18khz, it becomes incredibly faint, and hearing cuts off at 19khz. 

When you mentioned that incompetent lady that dropped your headphones, my mind was filled with rage for a couple of seconds. How could you treat someone's equipment like that? You should of gave the finger as you left if you were actually treated that badly. 

The DT880s might be open/semi-open, but the leakage factor isn't that high. Most of the sound is contained while wearing them.

In the face of an audiophile who just got his cable cut from his $1000 IEMs, the offender better jump out the window quickly, because he had just awakened Cerberus.   

Quote: It's because the K701 looks squeaky clean to me. It may or may not look that great when encountered in real life, but these pictures make them look stellar. 

I heard that tubes amps are nice for grados.  Look for the hybrid/tube amps, as the provide the high current that low-impedance cans need.    Examples:   -Little Dot 1+ -Hifiman EF2 -Starving Student Hybrid (DIY)

Pretty much any tube/hybrid combo, because these are the ones that provide the high current output that low-impedance cans need. Don't bother with the OTL amps which are better for high impedance cans.   I can list a few hybrids:    -Starving Student Hybrid -Little Dot 1+  -Hifiman EF2

He may not hear you, so give him a signal to turn it down. Don't give out rude intentions though. Use this advice next time you see one of those "blasters," it will benefit both of you.

The k701 looks so nice! I really want to audition this headphone, along with the HD600 (basically 2 of the big 3). I personally don't like the colour of the Q701 though. 

I never liked the low end sennheisers that I bought (the HD228 and the HD238). The HD228 was very bass heavy but it was not as bad as the HD238. The HD238 was very recessed sounding, and had an annoying low end distortion. I got rid of them (sold/returned).   

If in doubt, then get the DT880. They have gotten a lot of feed back over the years and unless you can get a quote from someone who owns both, the DT880 seems to be the safer choice. 

Quote: Post #26

Quote: He bluffs very well.