Recent content by EJSorona

Hello again, guys. I sold my Ares II about two years ago, and I kinda regret it, but, at the time, I needed the money for other projects. I used it in lieu of my PC's integrated sound chip and, more specifically, for my STAX L700 Mk II (blu-tac modded) & SRM-353X combo. I pretty much haven't...

For the HD800S I owned, I also used a tube amp made by a local techinician. With the vintage, unmatched 6SN7 tubes the amp came with, the 800S still sounded a bit lean, but better than with a solid state amp. I swapped the 6SN7 tubes with a matched pair of PSVANE CV-181 Mk II, and it was a world...

I currently own an HD598. Bought it in late 2015. They are my headphones for everday, non-serious use. I only had to change the earpads and the lower headband pad a couple of years ago. The OG HD800 sound harsh. That's why a lot of their users mod it. The HD800S is, basically, a factory modded...

Thanks for the info. So, that's what the IRIS is for. It looks pretty good and a good match for an ARES II, but it's like 550 US Dollars. Maybe in the future. For now, just using quality USB cables will get me by 'til I decide to go for a DDC, but first, I need to fetch a new DAC.

OK, but do I really need the I2S input? I read that it uses an HDMI cable (ideally one rated for 8K). Where do I plug it? I only have a desktop computer. Do I plug it on the onboard HDMI out? Is really so much better than USB? EDIT: Oh, I need yet another contraption, like the Matrix audio...

Nah, I don't think so. The thing is that I did own an ARES II for about a bit over a year and a half. I ordered it in April 2021 and sold it in November 2022 because I needed money for other projects. A couple of months prior selling it, I did the FW upgrade (v3.12), which it did solve some bugs...

I just want a DAC with balanced outputs and DSD support. The PSA NuWave DAC has both. Again, is it the ARES II really so much better sounding (specially now with the latest FW update) than the PSA NWD that it justifies all the pain and extra costs of importing it? It can't just order it from...

Now with the latest update: How does the ARES II stacks against something like the PS Audio NuWave DAC? I'm tempted to order an ARES II but a local dealer has a NuWave DAC at a good price, and I don't have to do all the hassle of getting the ARES II imported into my country, which it translates...

Oh, and looking for local deals on DACs and Headphones. One has a PS Audio NuWave DAC for sale. Like the ARES II, it has DSD support. Has anyone of you tested that DAC with a STAX combo? How it fares against comparable DACs? On a review from 2021 that compares it with the Topping D90 and the...

I'll be damned. Now I really regret selling my ARES II. Maybe I should order a new one. Can't really decide whether going for the ENYO or the 12th Anniversary ARES. I reckon that the only difference between those two, besides price, is that the 12th Anniversary ARES has I2S input and only one...

Yeah, even with the blu-tak mod, the L700 is still pretty lean on the bass, at least that's so with mine's being powered by the 353x. I'm currently testing the combo plugged directly to my PC card (ASUS Maximum X Hero Wifi AC) and EQ with APO using a preset specifically for blutak-modded L700...

I'm back. For some stupid reason (or maybe out of necessity as I have other hobbies) I sold my Ares II DAC, and I'm not really using my STAX combo (L700 Mk2 and SRM-353x). I kinda want to either sell the combo and get over it, move on with my life, or keep it and get a new, different DAC. I have...

I guess people have different ears, different hearing. Other people think that the L700 have the best earpads of the series. The good thing about these spacers if that they aren't a permanent mod or even hard to roll back. I would love to have enough money for the top of the line Stax...

Hello again. I've been thinking in getting those Socas3D plastic spacer for my L700 Mk2. I have relatively small ears and they do touch the grill inside each earcup. For L700 the suggest the 6mm, but I think is probably not enough. You can choose them to be 8, 10 and 12mm of thickness. 12mm is...

I managed to get the adhesive plasticine (I got UHU Patafix not the Loctite Fun-Tak) to do the blu-tak MOD on my L700 Mk II. In all honesty, I have mixed feelings 'bout this hack. I tried both the full and the partial seal. The former makes the L700 very prone to "stax farts n' squeaks" whereas...