That is true, the amount of hardware to pick from today is crazy.   This is a bulky portable setup but when I'm on the road i'll end up working in the hotel room until late and having some home comforts (HD650s) makes it much easier :)

As requested

Due to work traveling commitments I have just built this:   * HD650 * O2 Amp * iPod touch * Cables * Suitable neoprene bags from ebay to carry it all in   Whole thing under $1000 and makes living in a hotel so much easier!

+1 for stv014 This thread was about why recordings are sold to consumers with missing data. There are so many tracks that are ruined by the loudness war it's not funny. Hopefully one day it will return to how it should be.

Yes, sadly if your source is clipped the the data is lost. If only we could get hold of the master recordings!

I have no idea how much they are worth, ill do some research and try and find a fair number to take them off your hands if you would like.

I have been unable to take out a pair of Motorola (rebranded Sylvania) 6SN7s, a joy to listen to and not expensive at all at about 30 bucks.

Jebus!  I just googled that and checked out their website.  Now, I'm not one for s**t-canning things that I have no personal experience with but I'm pretty sure putting anything additional in the signal chain is only going to remove something (e.g. low/high pass filters) or add something (e.g...

My opinion is that any headphone should have a removable cable, especially if its portable.  Its inevitable the cable will break before the drivers so when spending several hundred dollars I would prefer to not have to fix with a soldering iron.     However, when/if the cable does need...

Interesting questions.  These are the only 2 headphones that I have ever owned so my experience is limited sorry.   I would say the t70 are much more analytical, and by which I mean, they highlight issues in recordings much more than my HD650's.  This however really makes classical music...

Disclosure: I have the t70's and hd650's. Both are very enjoyable and I find the t70s extremely good for classical music where I find their reproduction of the music extremely detailed. My t70s are used on my office rig as they are closed but I still find their soundstage acceptable. Some...

Yup, swap the tubes and see if the lost channel stays on the same side. The Woo adaptors come open really easily, just an allen key and you're in.  If you have a multi-meter you can check each male pin to its female side to see where the issue lies.

Exactly what redcat2 said.  No need to jump straight into the expensive tubes either, my first few buys were $10 to $20 pairs and started to try and pick up the subtle differences between different types.  After I found a tube type i liked (6SN7) i then started looking at different manufactures.

Closed too, would be good for my office rig.   Thanks for all the input guys.  I will be crunching the numbers on the weekend for the tax return so if the gods are nice there might be 2 different sets coming my way, if they are not nice, its beans on toast for the next month :)

We have a late entry into the ring!   They are the most expensive out of the pick - What do they bring to the table over the rest?

So these are the finalists: HD800 HE-500 LCD2 T1 I'm leaning towards HE-500 or LCD2 as own a set of HD650's and T70's so interested in hearing a different manufacturer, however, the HD800's do get a lot of praise from you guys. I have a feeling I would not be disappointed with any of them :)

Best review I have read for a long time! :D

I like the guys at addicted to audio. They have provided a lot of advice via email and turned me towards my first Amp the MF HPA M1, a great piece of kit! HD800 are in the running along side the T1s. Ooh the choices, the choices!

Semi off topic.   Best headphones to run off the WA6 and WA6-SE? I *sadly* only have the experience of running the HD-650 off my WA6 and currently can not imagin anything sounding better I am also very happy that it is tax return time in Australia which can be read as "Shopping for new...

Quote:   I'm currently running a pair of Motorola Chrome Dome 6SN7s (re-branded Sylvania's) which are very pleasant to listen to.  I have a tendency to not enjoy bright sounding tubes/headphones/speakers due to the headache I get after a short period of time.   They were on ebay for...

It is my understanding, and correct me if I'm wrong as I am very new to all things tubes: - WA amps are self biasing - Tubes change characteristics as they age Therefore matching isn't really required, just as long as the tubes are still good and operational.

That's the best looking WA6 I have seen! Also, that's for the tip, I'll keep an eye out for a pair.

Sylvania 6SN7 Chrome Dome arrived in the post today!  Initial thoughts are the bass is awesome but will do some extensive listening over the next few days.   I have to stop buying tubes 

Quote: Thats the one and yeah its hell-a-ugly!   For its price though its a good backup tube to live in the draw and it has a cool story as being used in B52!  I will try it with some different power tubes before call it a day though.

Its a shame I no longer have access to an oscilloscope.   I think you're right though, the price of some DACs are scary high and they must adhere to the rule of diminishing returns as with everything else in our hobby :)   Back on subject. My results for the "Potato Masher" are in...