This is a big thank you to Pataburd for this link and to Ted Allen for excellent work. I had Ted make a me a silver 1/2 meter 1/4" to banana cable to connect my HD800SDR to my integrated. Through emails it took less than an hour to hammer out the details and the cable was in the mail 3 days...

Most of my time with my hd800 has been Tidal HiFi>Mojo/Hugo>silver dragon>hd800SDR because historically I prefer a portable set up. All along I've had a nice tube amp available but only lately have I started to use it as part of a bedroom setup: Tidal>Hugo>Cayin Ha1a+Expensive Old...

You explain what I'm thinking about very well. This is my concern in a nutshell. I had an experience recently which brought this to a head for me. There is a well known website specializing in headphone gear. It used to be my favorite source of reviews. Good writers, good comparisons, clear...

I remember a time (now I sound old😁) when a reviewer (think Stereophile, Absolute Sound, Inner Fidelity) would 90% of the time preface a review with "this review unit is on loan and will be returned when the review is finished". When did that change?

Picture this... You are interested in an iem. A reviewer writes "...and I pressed play on Dark Side and I was goooone...." ...and for you the rest of the review is irrelevant. Nothing Else Matters. You are sold. Ammendment to the definition of "seasoned audiophile".

What I actually dont like is people who think attacking is an appropriate substitute for nuance in a conversation. Keep going...

...and his response to criticism is to laugh, deflect, and ridicule. Keep going...

...and then after some criticism of the value of measurements, Crinacle's response: "Yeah, screw that guy" I have no words....

THAT is a review??? I have no horse in this race but on behalf of anyone who relies on reviews to make good choices: Crinacle is an embarrassment to audio reviewers. That was a very unprofessional review. This impression has been brewing but after reading this review it was time to comment.

Ok, Dreamer😎... Cook me up a "Tape 2 Ultra". Maybe Shuoer is listening....

I have Tape and want more of that. Hence following ESTs. Taaaaaaaaaaape......

Finally someone who speaks my language!😁 I thought everyone who listens to iems was a raised by dance club operators. There is hope for me. According to a BGGAR video, Conductor might be MY Golden set. He said it might be good for...jazz! 🥰 Maybe even classical???

I got the fit licked. New Bee rocks! Good to know about EJ.