Thanks, that was more of a hypothetical "if" situation. I'm in no rush to move on from my 4XXs which are still running strong.

Unfortunate, but I guess that's kind of a bit of the gamble you take with drop. I've been lucky enough to have mine since 2018 without issues. But they really didn't get heavy daily use until I started working from home more 2019. I'll consider myself lucky, as I already feel like I've gotten...

I'm surprised you had issues with the stock pads. I've been using mine daily for well over a year now, and they are still in excellent condition. Good luck getting the new pads sorted.

Has anyone compared the MP-D2 with the Doge 7?

I'm so glad you mentioned this. I was going to bring up how this happens from time to time in the speaker side of the audio hobby. The most extreme example I've seen personally is with the Polk LSiM 707 towers, but the original Elac Debut had a similar issue. The LSiM speaker would sound wildly...

I'm surprised to hear about these issues. I plugged mine in powering via USB from my plugged in laptop. Instant flawless performance and no issues with the cord moving slightly as my standing desk goes up and down. I'd send it back Schiit if I was having some of the issues described.

I saw that Drop already has a sale/price drop on these ($200 now). I wonder if that was planned, or reactionary due to a lackluster start. I'm still curious, but just not sure that these would really offer enough of a jump from the 4xx.

I was lucky enough to get a Modius for Christmas which will go in my headphone system in my office. I'm excited to hear how it does paired with my rHead amp and 4xx.

I wouldn't hold my breath on an MK4 just yet. I think there are a lot of production delays between covid and the AKM fire. MP is a small company, and likely falls very low on the totem pole for priority fulfillment from parts suppliers.

Removing all the Deva and HE500 talk, it sounds like these are generally (but not universally) considered an upgrade to the 4XX. That alone has me curious. Maybe if they're still around after Christmas. But the Elex has had my eye for awhile as well. Just thinking those might be overkill for my...

Does this mean any products with AKM 4499 are going to become scarce at some point? At least for some unknown amount of time? This obviously isn't the only device with these chips. I wonder if it will put a little pressure on the whole DAC segment. I wouldn't think it certainly doesn't give any...

I was ready to be annoyed with another review focused entirely on HE500/5XX element, but I did think this statement was helpful: That's productive real world input that I think buyers can use. I wish there was more details on what specifically in the sound stands out with the 400i 2020 or 6XX...

Excited to hear various real world reviews!

Sounds like a pretty strong endorsement for the new AK chips.

This certainly seems like you looked at a graph and have zero hands on experience with the headphones. Measurements rarely tell the whole story in my experience.