I got a pair of nutopias recently, to complement my HD800S. On first listen, I admired their technicalities, and their lows and mids, but didn't love their tonality at the top end of the frequency, compared with the HD800S. Yes, HD800S are sometimes described as thin, analytical, bright etc...

:open_mouth:

Good test. It could be that you are successfully identifying the device that sounds different to yours, and that device is the Cu. If you decide to get an SS, then trying a new blind test with your new SS, your Cu and your friends SS would be interesting. Would you be able to identify the Cu easely?

I hadn't seen a DMP with the volume knob pointing at 2 o'clock before :dt880smile:. I know that the HD800s, which you also have in your inventory, can be driven with the volume knob around 11 o'clock. Where does the volume knob of your DMP point to while driving the Susvara and the HD800?

I am sure the SP3000 will be one of the best DAP's with TOTL IEMS but I wonder if any owner have paired it with the HD800s and can provide some feedback? A reviewer said it was loud enough but the sound was a bit dry/thin.

No, I haven't. Sorry.

I would suggest the HiBy RS8, with its desktop level R2R dac. I had read some reviews and it has one of the best Android implementations in the DAP market. And in terms of sound, they said it is organic, dense and still manage great separation, layering and texture detail. Imagine a Luxury...

Looks nice. It has a lot of inputs / outputs and options, so yeah, they seems to target the TA-ZH1ES segment.

Very nice, thank you for taking the time to describe DMP characteristics.

I see you also own a AK Sp3000. Can you give us a quick comparison of sound quality between Sp3000 and DMP-Z1? Do you feel the SP3000 have a "blacker background" (or less noise floor) than DMP-Z1?

Nice. In a boat I would appreciate something pocketable. Have you checked the HiBy RS8, based on a R2R chip? There is also the new AK sp3000, with a more conventional DAC ship.

This pairing would be my audio nirvana :beyersmile:

I trust that you are at the top of the sonic bliss :) Question: Of all your headphones, is this your favourite pairing with the DMP?

“After the introduction of NW-WM1 series, we just felt we need more amplification power to satisfy all the hi-end customers. While the D.A. hybrid amplifier built into the TA-ZH1ES headphone amplifier achieves a high output, producing a high-quality sound even from high-impedance headphones, it...

yes, some times I does. However, headroom, understood as pool of power, is also good, because different headphones present different loads at the same voltage, meaning they draw from an available pool of power all of the current they need to operate at a given voltage. The bigger the power pool...